A/N Holy cow, I'm back! Yeah, I'm just as surprised as you. Anyway, I hope you've all been well and haven't forgotten about me, anyway I'll do my best not to wait so long between postings again. Enjoy!

As Time Goes By

Chapter 50

Lying on her back, Debra watches the shadow of a fly as it makes its way across the outside roof of their tent. The air within is hot, and it would be unbearable if it weren't for the breeze that flows through the two screened windows that sit opposite each other on the tent walls. She tried the best she could to join her husband in a quick afternoon nap, but the heat is too much for her and she does her best not to awaken Edmund as she slides slowly away from him. On her way out of the tent, she notices the watercolor she had been working on, and brings it with her.

Once outside, she stretches as she stands at full height, and scans the campground. With half the group off on their run down the river, and the rest either napping or off doing their own thing, it gives the camp an almost deserted feel. Looking past the main gathering area, she notices Phoebe as she takes her turn at babysitting the younger children as they splash about at the river's edge. She has been waiting to catch her friend alone, and doesn't want to waste any time, so with a deep breath, she gathers her nerve and approaches her.

Phoebe sits in a foldable camping chair dipping her toes in the cool water, while Joy continually fills a small bucket of water, only to empty it out before filling it again. Casting her gaze to Morrie, she watches the slow, rhythmic movement of his breathing. The look of innocence as he sleeps makes her anxious to finally be able to hold her own child that dwells peacefully within her.

Not expecting anyone to be near, she gives a small jump when she hears the clearing of a voice behind her. Turning to see who it is, she smiles as she greets her newest friend. "Oh, Debra, it's you."

A blush rises in Debra's cheeks, and she silently questions if approaching Phoebe unexpectedly like that was a good idea. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you. I can leave if you want to be alone."

Quickly shaking her head, Phoebe motions to the empty chair next to her. "No, not at all. I'd love the adult company. Please, sit down."

She's not sure if Phoebe is just trying to be nice, but she accepts the offer and takes a seat. The two sit in awkward silence for a moment before Debra takes the paper she's brought with her, and holds it out to Phoebe. "Um, here, I made this for you."

Curious to see what it is, Phoebe takes the paper and her eyes open in pleasant surprise as she looks at a small, watercolor painting of herself, as she sits in the exact spot she is in now. It is taken from the back as Phoebe sits looking out at the river that meanders past her. The sky is a subtle baby blue, containing only the wisp of a cloud. The water sparkles a brilliant green as it hosts a family of ducks that go floating past. She is shaded by the large pines that are currently providing her protection from the hot sun. You can almost feel the serenity that Debra has done her best to convey.

Lifting her eyes from the painting, she looks at Debra with amazement. "Oh, Debra, this painting is simply exquisite. How on earth did you do this? I don't remember seeing you with any painting supplies."

It makes Debra happy to see the joy her painting has brought her friend, and the smile that spreads across her face is not one that can be faked. "Oh, well, that's because I didn't use traditional watercolors. Instead I used watercolor pencils, which made it easier for me to work at my leisure and I guess go unnoticed."

"You mean colored pencils produced colors like this?"

Debra tilts her head to one side. "Well, not the pencils alone. You see, first I drew the picture just how I wanted it, then I used a small brush dipped in water to blend the colors into what you see there."

Phoebe looks at the picture again. "Well you definitely are talented, are you sure you want to give this to me?"

Debra is quick to nod her head. "Yes, absolutely, I painted it specifically for you. I – I kinda thought you might like it."

Phoebe places a hand on Debra's shoulder. "Oh, I truly do, I love it. Thank you again."

Before Debra has time to reply their little moment comes to an abrupt end, when the sound of car horn can be heard on the road that runs above the campsite. Giving each other a quick look of confusion, Phoebe picks up Joy, being careful not to get her painting wet. Left alone with Morrie, Debra stands for a moment, hesitant to pick him up for fear of accidentally dropping him. Reassuring herself that she is indeed capable of handling a child without dropping him in the river, she picks up the carrier that holds Morrie and they head towards camp. The sound of the horn has awakened Edmund and he yawns as he comes out of the tent, just in time to see Sid's truck come barreling into the campground.

The blare of the horn has also caught the attention of the rest of the gang who is just returning from a short nature hike. The small group makes their way to the truck to welcome the returning rafters.

Edmund begins to make a joke about how long the group took to make it back to camp when his words are cut short when he sees Arnold lifting Helga out of the truck. "Well it's about time you guys made it back, we were about to – Hey, what happened to Helga?"

Arnold carries Helga to one of the picnic benches, despite her insistence that she can make it on her own. Phoebe goes directly into triage mode as the rest of the group tries to find out what happened.

A rush of guilt comes over Sid as he starts with the explanations. "Well, we had just hit one of the bigger rapids –"

He's interrupted by Gerald. "When Arnold and I fell out of the raft."

Jackie picks up the story from her point of view. "Yeah, and we were so intent on making sure that they made it safely to shore that we didn't even notice that Helga had slipped off the back of the raft."

Arnold continues to fuss over Helga as he talks. "Gerald and I made it to one side of the river, but in the confusion it took me a minute to realize that Helga was nowhere to be found."

Wolfgang nods his head. "That's when we hightailed it back to the raft to go search for Helga. Thank God she was able to make it to the other side of the river without getting hurt too badly."

With all eyes on Helga, her cheeks flush a bright red as she uses her good arm push Arnold's hands away in an effort to get him to stop fussing over her. "Yeah, well, I made it to shore just fine, no harm, no foul-oul-OW! Hey watch it there Pheebs."

Letting go of Helga's swollen ankle Phoebe gives Helga an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Helga, I was just making sure no bones have been broken."

Helga nods her head towards Wolfgang. "Heh, no need to worry, this Bozo already gave me the once over."

Wolfgang shoots her an annoyed look. "And it's a good thing I did or you would have had to endure the ride back to camp with a dislocated shoulder." He directs the conversation to Phoebe now. "I'm pretty certain that she's going to need to get back to town to get that shoulder and ankle properly taken care of."

Helga lets out with an adamant "Oh, no! You're not taking me to any hospital, I'm perfectly fine."

Phoebe gives her friend a firm talking to. "Now, Helga, I'm sorry, but Wolfgang is right. You need to get to a hospital as soon as possible, so there is no discussion. Arnold will drive you back to town and I will join you to help move things along once we get to the emergency room." She turns to look at the rest of the group. "If you would, the rest of you can pack up their stuff and help out with Phillip and Joy."

As all this was going on, Phillip had been silently taking it all in while standing by his mother's side. At the mention of his mother and the hospital, he finally loses control and begins to cry. "I wanna go wiff my mommee! I don't wanna stay here alone, I want my mommee!"

Seeing her brother in such a state, it doesn't take long for Joy to pick up on Phillip's fear and she begins to let out a wail of her own, which scares Otto enough to hide behind his mother's legs, while Gerry lets out a whimper of his own.

Helga lets out a frustrated huff as she tries to quell the situation. "Now you see what you all did." She reaches out for Phillip. "Come here, Philly, its okay. I'm not that hurt, I just need to go have some pictures taken of my shoulder and foot to make sure everything is in its right place. Your Uncle Gerald and all the others will take good care of you while I'm gone, then when you've all finished the rest of the trip they will bring you and Joy home. Okay?"

At first Phillip is adamant about going with his parents back to town, but after a few minutes he gives in and agrees to stay. He continues to stick close to Helga as Arnold gathers the essentials they will need for the trip back while Phoebe does the same. Once ready Helga pulls Phillip in for a one-armed good-bye hug. "Now you be good and listen to the adults, I don't want any phone calls saying that you're lost in the woods or have fallen into the river. Okay?"

Phillip wipes a small tear that has escaped the corner of his eye and nods his head. "Okays, mommee, I'll be good, I pwomise."

After giving Joy a quick hug and kiss, she lets Arnold help her to the car. With Phoebe sliding into the back seat they give one last farewell wave and take off down the road. The car is hot from sitting out in the sun and it doesn't take long for a stale smell to hit Phoebe's nose. She doesn't mean to be rude, but she finds it hard to stifle a quick "oh, my."

Arnold looks at her through the rearview mirror and gives her a sheepish grin. "Um, yeah, sorry about that. Phillip had a small accident on our way up here, and I haven't had the chance to properly clean things up. It helps if you sort of hang your head out the window a little bit until the car cools down."

"Oh, that's okay, Arnold, working the ER I've encountered much worse, so don't worry about me." She pulls out her cell phone and starts trying to find reception. "As soon as I can get a signal I will call the hospital and alert them of our pending arrival. How are you doing, Helga, is there anything I can do?"

Leaning back in her seat, Helga closes her eyes and shakes her head. "No, not unless you have something on you stronger than the Ibuprofen you gave me earlier."

"No, regrettably that's the best I can do until we get you checked out at the hospital."

Helga closes her eyes and lets out a deep sigh. "Then I guess I'll just try to take a little nap."

xxxxx

It's late into the night and Arnold has to fight to keep his eyes open as he drives. He can't help but wish that if Helga had to fall out of the raft, why couldn't it have happened earlier in the day. These thoughts make him feel guilty though and every time they pop up he has to work to get them out of his head. He feels his head begin to nod, and lifts it with a jerk and realizes that he has to do something to keep himself awake, so he rolls his window all the way down hoping that the rush of air will help. He checks the rearview mirror, and is envious when he sees that Phoebe has fallen asleep and he wishes he could join her. Just as he wonders how much longer he can last, he spots the lights of Hillwood off in the distance. A sense of relief washes over him, giving him a second wind, and he is suddenly fully awake and intent on finishing up the last few miles.

He calls over his shoulder to wake Phoebe up. "Hey, Phoebe, wake up, we've almost reached the city." When she doesn't respond, he speaks a little louder. "Yo, Phoebe, wake up."

Phoebe is startled from her slumber when her name hits her ears, and she sits up with a start. "No, Gerald, I told you, not on Arnold and Helga's bed!"

Arnold shoots her a confused look through the mirror. "Um, are you okay, Phoebe?"

Phoebe looks around the dark car and gathers her wits. "Oh, Arnold, yes, yes, I'm fine. Did you want something?"

He gives a small chuckle and turns his full attention back to the road. "I just wanted to let you know that we're almost back to the city, and I thought you'd like to call the hospital back and let them know."

She fumbles with her phone, trying to get the screen to light up. "Oh, yes, you're right. I'll do that right now."

As she dials Arnold's curiosity gets the best of him. "Hey, Phoebe?"

She looks up at him. "Yes, Arnold?"

"Just what did you not want Gerald to do on mine and Helga's bed?"

A bright flush comes to her cheeks as she remembers the dream she was having, and she turns her eyes back to her phone. "Oh, um, I have no idea what you're talking about."

With another chuckle, Arnold drops the subject. "Okay, whatever you say, Phoebe."

Once at the hospital it took longer than expected for all the needed tests and treatments to be done on Helga, and by the time they were finished, the first rays of morning sun are just beginning to appear above the horizon as a nurse wheels Helga back to their car. With a plethora of pain medications running through Helga's veins, she hums a happy tune as Arnold pours her into the car. When he reaches across her to grab her seatbelt she runs her fingers through his hair, twirling it so it stands up on his head. "Did anyone ever tell you that you have lovely hair? Such lovely cornflower hair." Her words remind her of an old poem she had written in the fourth grade and she lets out a chuckle.

Removing her hands from his head, he places them in her lap. "Okay Helga, that's enough now. Just lean back and relax, and we'll be home before you know it."

"Okay, Arnoldo, my love, my despair."

He shoots Phoebe a confused look and all she can do is shrug her shoulders. "Don't worry about her, it's just the medications talking. She'll be more coherent after a good sleep."

A half an hour later, with Phoebe safely dropped off at home, Arnold lays next to a passed out Helga. As he drifts off to sleep, the last 24 hours run through his head. Thoughts of how the day could have ended begin to creep into his mind, and he works hard to push them away, choosing instead to think of how lucky he is to still be able to drift off to sleep next to the one, true love of his life.

xxxxx

The sound of sneezing coming from a neighboring tent startles a sleeping Jackie. Opening her eyes, she can hear the murmur voices coming from the direction of the picnic benches. Rolling over, she sees Sid as he lays on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Propping herself up on an elbow, she places a hand on his chest. "Did you get any sleep at all?"

Not moving his eyes from the ceiling, he slowly shakes his head. "No, I guess I didn't."

She knows what's bothering him and she grabs his chin, forcing him to look at her. "Come on, Sid, like I told you last night, what happened to Helga wasn't your fault. You have to know that."

He shifts his eyes to avoid looking directly at her. "No, Jackie, what happened was my fault. I was the captain of that raft, it was my job to be aware of where everyone was at all times. Why, it's because of me that Helga almost – almost. I can't even say it."

Getting to her knees, she grabs a pair of trunks and tosses them to Sid to put on. Slipping on some clothes of her own, she crawls towards the tent's door. "I'm telling you, Sid, no one is blaming you. It was just an unfortunate turn of events. Now, get dressed and let's go join the others. I think we're the last ones up."

Leaving the tent, she stands just outside the door, and doesn't move until she hears rustling from within, telling her that Sid is finally on the move. As she approaches the others, the smell of frying bacon causes her stomach to give out a small growl. "Mmm, something certainly smells delicious."

She is greeted with a smile from Patty. "Good morning, help yourself to breakfast. Will Sid be joining us too?"

Jackie throws a glance over her shoulder to their tent. "Yeah, I think so. He was just getting dressed when I left." Her demeanor becomes a bit more serious, and she lowers her voice as she addresses the rest of the group. "Hey, Sid's feeling pretty guilty over what happened yesterday with Helga. I tried telling him that no one blames him, but he's taking things pretty hard."

Harold gives a dismissive wave of his hand. "Aw, don't worry about him, I'll talk to him. No one is blaming him for anything."

The rest of the group nods in agreement, and their conversation comes to an end as Sid approaches. Filling a mug with hot coffee, he joins the others. "So, uh, how'd everyone sleep last night?"

There is a moment of silence before Wolfgang speaks up. "Well, I can't speak for everyone else, but I slept pretty well."

Sid gives him a smile. "Good, I'm glad. So, we have one more day left, what does everyone feel like doing?"

With yesterday's mishap still fresh in their minds, the friends look to each other for suggestions. With no one coming up with any ideas, it's Renata that verbalizes what's on everyone's minds. "Well, to be honest, I think I've kind of had enough of camping for one trip, and actually think that I might like to just head back home a little earlier than planned."

Relieved that someone finally said what was on their minds, the rest are quick to agree, and it's only Debra that notices the sad look in Sid's eyes. She waits until the group has broken up so each can tend to breaking down their own campsites before she approaches Sid. Picking up a couple of tent stakes, she hands them to him, and attempts to try and lighten his mood. Her cheeks flush brightly as she speaks. "Hey, uh, you know, it's not because of you that everyone's decided to cut the trip early. It's just that after what happened, nobody's in the mood to camp anymore."

Knowing that she means well, Sid doesn't take what she says personally. "Yeah, thanks, Debra, it's nice of you to say that."

Embarrassed that she may have unintentionally made matters worse, she quickly turns and heads back to Edmund. "Okay, good, I just wanted you to know."

xxxxx

Helga leans against the headboard of her bed, with her sprained ankle elevated as high as she can get it while still being comfortable. She hates the dizzy way the painkillers the ER doctor gave her make her feel, and the expression on her face does little to hide this fact. Entering the bedroom, Arnold sees the look on her face and sits down next to her. "What's wrong, Helga, you look like an angry villain plotting some sort of evil revenge."

She lets out a frustrated huff. "Heh, not quite, I just hate being stuck here in bed. I feel like a caged animal. When's Phillip and Joy due to be dropped off?"

Arnold looks at the clock on the bedside table, but before he can answer her, the sound of a car door rises up from the street below. A moment later Phillip comes rushing through the front door of the boarding house. Arnold gets up to greet their son. "Well, I guess that answers your question."

Phillip's voice can be heard as the boy runs up the stairs. "Mommee! Daddee! We're home, Joy and I is home!"

Arnold catches Phillip as he rushes through the bedroom door. "Slow down there, buddy. I know you're anxious to see your mother, but you need to be careful, you don't want to hurt her shoulder or foot."

"Oh, yeah." Phillip says as he slowly approaches the bed. He gingerly gets up on the bed and lowers his voice to a whisper. "Hi, mommee, I misseded you. Did you misseded me?"

Smiling, Helga scoops her son into her arms and gives him a tight squeeze. "Oh, yes, I missed you and your sister very much. Did you have a good car ride home?"

Phillip nods his head. "Yeah, I gotted to ride with Gerry all the way home. It was fun."

He lets out a big yawn just as Patty enters the room with a sleepy-eyed Joy. She hands the child to her mother, and after a round of thanks and good-byes, it's not long before mother and children are fast asleep for a much needed afternoon nap.

Arnold takes a moment to watch his little family as they peacefully sleep. When he's had his fill, he gently places a soft kiss to each of their foreheads before leaving the room. As he closes the door, he scratches his head and casts his mind back to when he and Helga were leaving the hospital, wondering just where he's seen the phrase, "my love, my despair" before.