The hospital was a blur to her. She hated the waiting. She hated the smells in there. She hated how time stood still. She didn't hate that she wasn't alone as his grandparents and parents hugged her. They wanted comfort as bad as her. They wanted Arnold healthy and happy again. Hearing from the doctor that he has a few broken ribs, a broken leg, and stitches in his head it was a good thing he didn't have internal bleeding. Bruises covered 80% of his body.
Being allowed into his room it was hard to almost hit the floor in weakness at the sight of him. Helga listened to his parents speak to him along with his grandparents. When Helga went over to his side she stood there about to crack again. At hearing the nurse say that visiting hours are over with, everyone grumbled with only Helga objecting it.
"I'm staying and there is no way in hell you are making me leave." With that she dropped down hard on the seat as tears fell down again. "Don't try to convince me to do it either."
She was steadfast in her decision with Stella speaking her case to the nurse who begrudgingly allowed it. Helga heard Stella come by her side to give her a hug.
"Arnold says you are his angel so it is fitting you stay by his side sweetie. He'll love that and I know you'll help protect him."
Helga felt the kiss on the top of her head, but wished she didn't say anything about protecting him. It was because of her that he was laying in that bed. She already spoke to the cops and gave them Ludwig's name, but they would still need Arnold to confirm it. When everyone shuffled out the room she reached out to gently clasp his hand.
"Arnold I'm so sorry that you're in here when you should be in your own bed resting away so you can greet the morning with that sweet smile of yours. I love that you are this morning person while I'm not even though that smile of yours always brings me closer to your speed. Bad things have always happened to me and I'd rather have that be just so you can continue having good luck. I want my Football Head happy and healthy. I love that you look at the positive in life. People need that. People need the voice of reason." She kisses his hand. "I'm not leaving your side unless I need to pee or something small. If I have to I'll use that shower in there. I love you."
Yesterday afternoon, he still wasn't awake. His family visited along with their friends, and still Helga stayed. She couldn't dare to leave him. She never wanted to leave him.
Two days later it was extremely late at night when the nurse came to check his vitals, change the bag, smile to Helga in comfort, when Helga started to speak.
"I love you Arnold and I hope you still want to spend your life with me just like I still do with you. I miss you so much right now." She sniffled. "Having you back in my life felt like a godsend to me since you gave me a strong first impression when we met when we were 3. Did I ever tell you I started writing simply because of you? You became my muse in the short time we knew one another. You still continued to be that even after I was gone and I would wonder how you were and hope life was treating you greatly. It was nice to see that besides you missing your parents you were still good."
Taking a deep shuddering breath, Helga continued. "I want to play music with you. Sing with you. I still continue writing poetry about my love for you. I'll share it with you just please wake up, my love. You are everything to me and everything that I'm not. Your perfections are vast even to those slight imperfections that are still so perfect. I love you, Arnold. Please wake up. Please."
Placing her head down she cried till she drifted off to sleep just dreaming of their first kiss over and over again.
Waking up she felt a pressure on her head. She also felt her hair being touched. Helga slowly raised her head daring to hope as her breathing stopped. She was aware of her heart beating out painfully slow as she prayed inside her head. Slowly she turned her head to see a pair of the most gorgeous green eyes looking directly at her as a small smile played up on his face.
"I still want to spend my life with you, Helga Pataki." His voice was weak but those words were so sweet to hear. "Please lay beside me. I miss you pressed against me."
Slowly she raised up more to slide in beside him as she was mindful of his many injuries. "I'm not asleep?"
Running his good hand through her hair, his smile stayed on unrelenting. "No and I'm glad that I'm awake."
"Me too."
"One of my last thoughts I had when this happened was how much I wanted to see my angel again. How much that I wished that when I open my eyes up you'll be right there. You truly have no clue how much I love waking up and seeing you first thing in the morning. How you help my good mood." Arnold almost broke down crying from the flood of emotions he was feeling.
Helga on the other hand started crying knowing how much she has been doing this for the past several days. "This is all my fault. Oh I'm so sorry this happened to you. The bad things are supposed to happen to me and not to you. You are so good that I'm surprised that little birds don't dress you in the morning."
Arnold laughed only at the bird part. "I think that bird part only applies with females, but I get what you are saying there and I appreciate it."
Hearing her cry broke his heart. Arnold knew she was feeling guilt for believing that this was her fault when it was Ludwig and his cronies which actually included Emma. "Swan, you have nothing to do with this. This is just the result of several asses who decided to use this as an excuse to bully you into submitting to Ludwig. Helga you are my angel and you are a big reason why I'm talking to you right now."
"Oh Arnold..." Repositioning herself, Helga kissed his lips lightly.
Pressing the button for the nurse, Arnold kissed her back. "I'm still marrying you one day." He was final there making her hear that he wasn't giving up on their relationship without a fight.
Seeing the nurse come in she went up to the patient to ask him lots of questions, questions he knew the doctor would repeat. Gazing over to Helga still laying on the other side of him she smiled warmly towards her. "She's been here everyday. She loves you."
"I know and I'm pretty lucky there." Arnold beamed proudly in spite of the ache in his head. "I know I'll need to speak to the police."
"Certainly since they have also been checking on your progress. Once the doctor checks on you we'll call them." The nurse informed him. "Now let me page the doctor."
Waiting for her to leave, Arnold moved his hand through her hair. "In spite of being in this bed, I do love waking up with you next to me."
"Hmmm same here though I should call your folks."
"Not yet. I want some alone time with my girl before the circus arrives." Arnold loved feeling her lips ghost over his lips. He loved meeting that powerful gaze of hers. "I mean it, Swan, I want to spend every day with you in my life."
Helga melted at those words. "Same here." With that she placed pressure on his lips enjoying the feeling he always elicited.
As predicted, the circus did arrive with his family coming along with the boarders telling him how happy they were that he was awake. Helga smiled over at Stella asking the doctor a million questions even go so far as to read his vitals herself. Must of been pleasant to have a doctor in the family. Soon the police arrived to ask Arnold questions along with Helga about Ludwig renewing her guilt even as Arnold held her hand and Stella holding her other hand in comfort.
Stella felt the nervousness from Helga trying to give her a gentle squeeze. She would never blame Helga for what happened to Arnold and she had a feeling the young woman was feeling it. Seeing tears fall from her cheeks and after the police wished to question her alone, Stella went with her for moral support. She assured Helga, with the cops help, that it wasn't her fault, and when they left them alone, Stella wrapped her up in her arms holding her before pulling her apart to place her hand gently under her chin.
"Please listen to me and listen to me good, Helga." Seeing a tear drop, Stella wiped it away. "You are a good girl and you have absolutely nothing to be guilty for. That Monster did this as an excuse to cause havoc. Please don't think this ever again." Moving to hug her again, she whispered, "I see how much you both love one another. I see this is a strong love. A love that will last a long time. I trust the both of you to the point that I'm honestly not worried about you spending the night with him in his room at home."
Helga wasn't surprised she knew that and almost laughed at the audacity of her trying to sneak around to do that.
"I know you both have self restraint and I believe you don't want to jeopardize your education by introducing a baby right now. Anyone else, yes, but with you both I don't."
Helga pulled back a little to face her. "We do plan on all that after our education."
Stella smiled softly. "Miles and myself love you, Helga. We think of you as someone very good to have in our only sons life. Though I believe you could use an actual bath and give Abner a hug since he has been missing you both."
"I still hate leaving him alone."
"I'll be here with him. You will need to get his assignments and yours to start working on them." Stella suggested. "By the way, we drove his truck here so you can use it. We thought you would love that."
Taking the keys offered to her, Helga kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you, Stella. Let me say a temporary bye to, Football Head and I'll go." Rushing back into his room, Helga kissed him on the lips. "I'm going home for a little while and I'll be right back. I'm going to hug, Abner for the both of us."
"Please do on both accounts. I love you." Arnold loved touching her hair.
"I will and I love you too, my Football Head." Giving him another kiss she left the room only rushing to leave the building quickly so she can head home, clean up, hug Abner, eat edible food, gather their school work, and come back to her love.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
School had been feeling too strange without Helga and Arnold around. Watching every student actually affected by what happened to Arnold showed tremendously how admired he is. He watched at how Gerald and Phoebe had a hard time concentrating on things around them. He watched at how Ludwig laughed in their general direction the day after the beating occurred. Brainy wasn't prone to hatred since he always remained completely neutral, but that day he felt it just like when he heard about Helga's abuse.
Off in a corner of the school grounds, he was none too surprised at smelling Freesia in the air knowing all too well who wore that scent. Brainy had no clue why she kept bothering to seek him out and didn't have the heart to tell her he wanted to be left alone. Finally she came around the corner to sit downwind of him and took his hand. Does she believe he likes her in that way? Brainy was confused by her.
"Arnold will get justice." Her delicate voice chimed out. "I know you are mostly worried about Helga."
He won't deny he was worried about Helga. "I'm worried about them both. I hold no ill will towards him. There is no reason for it and wouldn't make sense for me to do so."
Lila thought he was incredibly insightful. More so then Stinky and Arnie. "You don't like me much do you? Well not in that one way."
"You are entirely too subtle and I'm enough of that. I want to be with someone that is the opposite of me in personality." She gave him the leeway finally to admit to something. "You are a nice person and you recently broke up with Stinky. I remember Stinky being jealous even when I spoke to you. Why? I have no idea."
Lila looked down at her feet. "You want someone as exciting and thoughtful like, Helga."
"She is also incredibly creative."
Lila remained quiet beside him. "He wanted to break it off with me months ago so essentially I've been free for some time now. True he is a mutual friend, but still I'm allowed to make my choices."
Brainy remained quiet as he resorted to go back in his deep thought mode while closing his eyes hoping she would take the hint. Right now he had nothing to say. Right now he just wished to remain alone.
Standing up, Lila straightened up her skirt. "Well I'll be off right now. I'm sorry to disturb you."
"You can do better you know." Brainy didn't bother to open his eyes as he stayed firmly where he was. "We are friends and it was wrong for Stinky to treat you that way even though he had no true clue to handle himself in the first place. He loved you and I see that he was afraid of doing further harm with you."
"Thank you, Brainy." She appreciated the kind words that was said as she wandered away with a tiny smile on her face even when she saw, Stinky waving at her before heading over. "Why hello Stinky."
"Hey." Stinky scratched the back of his neck. "I have something for you in hopes to mend our once strong friendship up. It's at my locker."
"Oh?"
He smiled down at her. "Yeah so could you come with." Seeing her nod he escorted her over to his locker and went to take out his gift which was an Enchanted Bunny doll. "I was a real jerk in how I handled myself at the end and I'm plum feeling mighty bad about it. I hope we can be friends like before."
Holding the tiny doll, Lila hugged him. "You didn't have to do this, Stinky. I appreciate the gesture ever so much and I hope to be that one day too."
"I hope so too. Hey you need a ride to the hospital?"
"I would enjoy it oh so much if you did." Lila and him shared a look that could almost break teeth.
Back in the hospital, Helga paused in asking questions to Arnold during his make up assignment as her eyes focused on his. "Did you just feel that?"
Raising his eyebrow up, Arnold pursed his lips some. "Yeah. What do you think it was?"
"I don't know but it was saccharin sweet to the point of rotting out my teeth. What do you think?"
Doing a half shrug, Arnold kissed her cheek. "I sense the same sweetness and I don't feel like visiting the dentist just yet."
Just in case you were wondering about the last part, Arnold and Helga felt the sweetness all the way from school between Stinky and Lila.