Mended

Disclaimer: I don't own Hey Arnold! or any other cartoon for that matter..

"Come on Arnold, we need this touchdown to tie it up! You're the only quarterback thats tough and fast enough to beat these guys!"

"Alright Coach, I'll do it so we can win the championship!"

His coach proudly hit Arnold's helmet before he ran onto the field to make his team proud. It was the last game of his highschool career, and graduation was just a few months away. His heart pounded as he received the pigskin ball from the center. His train of thought was only on one word.. run. He wanted to make his team proud, and win the trophy to set a school record. Hillwood Senior High never had much of a football team in all its years, until the kids from P.S. 118 had reached it.

With sweat dripping down his football-shaped head, he ran through all of the opposite team's players, the Dominators, knocking almost every one of them down. He didn't even want to look back. He was focused on the goal line that beared their team's name, the Hornets, inside of the end zone.

The Dominators had a very buff linebacker, and his name was Hunter Garrett. He was known to be able to break an opponent's bone with just a tackle. Everyone had warned Arnold prior to the game, and he agreed he'd watch out for him. But he had no idea of what would happen next.

Arnold was only a few yards away from the end zone, and he could almost feel the victory in the air around him. Unbeknownst to him, Hunter was a foot away. He reached out his muscular arms and grabbed Arnold around the waist and pinned him to the ground with a loud thump. Everyone in the crowd gasped as Hunter got up, revealing Arnold gulping for air as he held his leg with one arm, and his chest with another.

"Arnold!" Gerald called from the sidelines as Coach Wittenburg ran to his side.

"Coach.. I.. I need.. an ambulance.." Arnold whispered while trying to breathe.

"Don't worry, one is already on the way."

OoO

At the hospital, Helga Geraldine Pataki was busy filling syringes with the correct amount of medicine for all of the patients that she was assigned to take care of. She was interning at Hillwood Medical Center to become a nurse. She had glanced once in a while at the television in the nurse's station which was turned to the football game.

"Our star player and quarterback, Arnold.. well, his last name seems to be smudged.. has been tackled by a linebacker of the opposing team. We have received reports that two of Arnold's ribs have been fractured, and his left leg has been broken. He is being sent to the medical center immediately."

Helga's jaw dropped as she heard this horrible news. Her beloved was hurt in a football accident! Tears were starting to sting her cheeks. Her aunt, who was a nurse at the hospital, saw her crying and put a comforting arm around her shoulders. She smiled up at her aunt, but she took her aunt's arm off her shoulder and she ran to an empty patient room to watch the television in privacy.

"So Coach Wittenburg, the championship trophy goes to the Dillburg Dominators. How does it feel to lose your best player only five yards away from the end zone with ten seconds left on the clock?"

"It feels horrible. We were all counting on Arnold to win this, but you never know what is going to happen during the game. I guess there is always next year."

"NEXT YEAR?" Helga screamed at the TV in fury, "Arnold won't be here next year! He's the frickin' star player! You won't win without him!"

Interrupting her shouts, her boss, Susan, entered the room and said, "Helga, your next patient has just arrived and is being x-rayed. I'll come and get you when he's done." She nodded in response, without taking her furious eyes off of the television.

OoO

Arnold was being placed in two casts: one for his leg, and an upper-body cast for his ribcage. As soon as the casts were on, the doctors placed Arnold in his hospital bed to get some rest.

"Hello," a soft voice said from the doorway. He turned his head to see, and noticed the blonde girl that tormented him so as a young boy.

"Helga? You work here as a nurse? I didn't know that," he said.

"Well, more as an intern. I'm studying to be an RN someday. I heard about the game tonight. I'm really sorry," she said as she looked down at her feet.

Arnold sighed. "It's not your fault. I just feel like I let everyone down."

Helga walked over to his bed and sat on the edge gently. "Don't say that. It was a great game! It was Hunter Garrett who ruined the championships for us." She got up and grabbed the clipboard that described his injuries. "Two fractured ribs and a broken tibia? Ouch!"

"Yeah. I could hear the crack when he tackled me." Helga gave him a sympathetic look, then placed the clipboard back on the nightstand. "You know Helga, I'm glad you're my nurse. I feel like I can talk to you about anything, even though we weren't the best of friends at P.S. 118."

Helga felt her stomach do a flip. "Really? I think so too Football-head." She smiled when she saw him close his eyes. He looked so peaceful like that. "I'll let you sleep, you must be tired."

"No, it's alright. I'd like some company, if you don't mind. Grandma and Grandpa probably won't be here until tomorrow morning anyway."

"Alright, if you insist. You don't mind if I do some homework, do you?" He nodded, then turned on the TV, but put it on mute so she could concentrate.

Helga got out her Creative Writing notebook and started on her short story assignment. She had written down lots of ideas for her story, and she crossed out every one of them. She knew exactly what to write about now.

Mended With Love.. a short story by Helga Pataki, she thought as she wrote the exact words on her paper. His heart is valiant, but he is too blind to see my true side, and the feelings I have long harboured for him. For now, he sits here with his broken dreams and bones, waiting for his angel to rescue him. I hope to be that angel he is longing for.

"Helga," Arnold said, trying not to be a nuisance, "is that for your creative writing class?" She nodded without looking up from her paper. "May I read what you have? I've always admired your talent for writing."

Her heart fluttered. He admires my writing? I think I'm going to die.. "Uh, sure, if you really want to. I just started it." She handed her notebook to him gently so she wouldn't hurt his broken ribs.

His eyes flowed across her paper that showed he was reading it, and he handed it back to her. "Wow Helga, that is really good so far! You should really think about getting some of your work published." Helga blushed, and placed the notebook back in her pink bag. She glanced at the clock, and it said 11:30.

"Oh, I really should be going. I was supposed to check out an hour ago. Well, I'll see you tomorrow morning Football-head. Goodnight."

"Night, Helga. Thanks for staying with me." He smiled his smile that sent Helga's heart through the roof.

"Anytime." She walked out of his room, and quietly shut the door. She went down the elevator and out to her car to head home.

That night, before she went to bed, she kneeled to the side of her bed and prayed.

Dear God, it's me, Helga. We haven't talked in a while, huh? Well, you know Arnold, the optimistic football-headed teen that I'm madly in love with? Tonight he was hurt in a football accident, and didn't win the championships for us. Well, I was hoping you could help him along. I'm just asking for this one thing, if it's no trouble. Amen..

OoO

The next morning, Arnold felt a little more sore than he had last night. He had woken up from his dream. It was about the football game, and how he had felt like he let the whole city down. But then, Helga was there and comforting him, and he had told her he loved her. He was utterly confused.

He heard a knock on the door, and saw Gerald, his grandpa Phil and his grandma Gertie who was also known as Pookie.

"Hey Short-man! How ya feelin'? I would have came in last night but visitation hours were over when ya got here," Phil said, placing a balloon that read Get Well Soon! on his nightstand. "We can't stay long because I gotta take Pookie to her weekly therapy session. Last night she was pretending to be Zorro and almost broke the antique vase that she got from my mother for our wedding gift!" While he said this, Pookie was prancing in the hallway, trying to make a nurse put down the syringe before she hurt someone with it, and the nurse ran down the hall screaming like bloody murder.

Arnold giggled a little. "Thats alright Grandpa, Helga's here for me."

Gerald's eyes widened. "Helga Pataki? What's she doing here? I thought she hated you."

"She's here as an intern, and got assigned to me as a patient. I thought she hated me too, but sometimes, I think she isn't all that bad deep down."

"Whatever you say Arnold.." Gerald saw Phoebe waiting outside of the door for him, but she came inside first to apologize to Arnold for what happened. He thanked her, then Gerald took Phoebe's hand and they walked out the door.

"Well Short-man, better head out. Hope you feel better!" Phil waved goodbye, and Pookie kissed his cheek.

As soon as they left, he saw Helga walk down the hall with a clipboard in her hands. "Helga!" he shouted, hoping to get her attention. She stopped, and turned to see him and waved. She walked into the room, in case he needed something.

"Yes Arnold? Did you need me to get you something?"

"No, it's not that. I just wanted to thank you for staying with me until you had to leave. You're a great friend." He smiled and placed his hand on Helga's cheek to express his thankfulness. Helga took her hand and put it on top of his, and blushed. She removed her hand so he could have his own hand back.

"Thanks Arnold. You are a really great friend too." She smiled an innocent smile as she sat on the edge of his bed. Strands of her blonde hair were coming out of her loosely pulled back ponytail. He reached his hand back up, this time to push the strands that fell in front of her face behind her ears. She blushed as he smiled.

There was a knock at the door that startled Helga. "Miss Pataki, Alice Lane needs her medicine, pronto! Sorry to interrupt whatever was happening here.." She raised an eyebrow at Helga, then quickly left.

"Well, looks like I have to get going. Talk to you later?"

"Sure. Bye Helga." Why am I feeling this way? She is so beautiful, and I'm just now realizing it? Well now my dream I had last night makes sense.. Maybe.. maybe I am falling in love with her..

It had been two days since Arnold had arrived at the hospital, and Helga was with him every moment she could. He seemed to be getting much better, but the news she was about to find out would break hers, and Arnold's, heart.

"Miss Pataki, we have some bad news and some good news about your patient Arnold's broken bones," her boss told her. Helga's heart halted. Bad news? "The good news is that his ribs have miraculously healed!" Thank you, Lord. You do care. "But, the bad news is, after looking at his x-rays over and over, his tibia wasn't the only bone in his leg broken. His kneecap was snapped during the accident, and he may not be able to walk straight when his leg heals. He may need to use a crutch all his life." Okay, scratch that. You care, but not very much.. Helga was devastated. Arnold may never walk straight again?

OoO

".. and so, Arnold, you may have to use a crutch all your life when you get out of here, which will be later today. But, the key word is may have to. I'll still love you, even if you do have to use a crutch.." Arnold smiled hearing those three words, but she quickly realized what she had said. She had blown her secret. She covered her mouth as she ran out of the room and down the hallway into the waiting room. What have I done? I blew my secret! Way to go Helga, you probably put him in shock!

Back in his room, Arnold was getting out of bed. His upper-body cast had been removed earlier so he could move better. He hopped on his uninjured leg over to a convieniently placed wheelchair outside of his room, and slid into it. He wheeled himself to the nurse's station, and asked Helga's aunt Lisa where she was. She pointed down the hall to the waiting room.

"Helga," he asked quietly, "do you really love me?"

"I just want to be alone, Hair-boy," she said harshly without laying an eye on him.

"Helga, please. If you do, I just want to hear you say it again." She turned her head and gave him a puzzling look. His green eyes shimmered under the lights.

"Fine," she said defeatedly. "Yes Arnold, I love you. Are you happy no-" She was quickly interrupted by a pair of lips that crashed onto hers softly.

"I love you too Helga, and it took me all of my time spent here in the hospital with you to realize it."

She was about to faint. He just returned his love to her!

"And your story you wrote.. was it about you and me? I kind of had a feeling.." She just nodded, but quickly pointed to the door as his ride to leave the hospital came through the door.

"Ready to go Short-man?" He nodded, and Helga offered to get his things that were in his room, including his crutch he would walk with.

OoO

A week later after school had gotten out for the weekend, Arnold hobbled with his crutch over to a tree that Helga was sitting under, writing in one of her notebooks.

"Hello Helga," Arnold said with a small smile.

"Hi Arnold. Want to see my latest in writing?"

"Sure!" It was a poem about a boy in the hospital, with his true love taking care of him the whole time. "This is about us again, isn't it?"

She stood up and said, "Sure is!" She leaned forward and kissed him passionately under the tree, as a spring blossom floated down beside them. Arnold broke the kiss, then leaned down carefully to pick up the blossom and place it in her hair.

"Beautiful," was all he said. Although his leg was broken, his love was mended.