Tainted Fantasy

Title: Waiting Room
Fandom: Hey Arnold Fandom
Rating: Teen
Genre: Drama, Light Angst, Friendship
Main Characters: Lila Sawyer
Relationships: Gerald Johanssen/Phoebe Heyerdahl
Warning: Mentions of Racism, Bigotry, and Gun Violence.
Word Count: 1660
Summary: After a horrible act can come love and peace if you can accept it.
Author Note: Written for Tainted Fantasy’s fest for Fanfic Fluffy Challenge where my first prompt was first kiss. It didn't turn out as fluffy as I hoped, and I also used my Spin a fic for this.
I did 4/5 of the prompts on my spin a fic. Current ship is self explanatory, The death card is a transition card, this is symbolic of the transition taking place with Gerald and Phoebe’s relationship, and what will happen with Olga and Helga relationship. With Mellow I used it as the top that Olga wore, and with the crystal not only did Lila wear it, the black obsidian is spiritually about protection which was apart of Gerald and Phoebe’s relationship.

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Lila was wearing her black obsidian crystal necklace, which she held between her fingers, giving her comfort as she sat next to Rhonda and Phoebe in the hospital waiting room as they awaited news of their friend. They wore various scrapes and bruises from the attack, they knew Helga had been the one with a bullet wound. The counter-protesters had not been as peaceful as they had been, but the red hats made that obvious. She glanced to her right, where she saw her slightly shorter friend, who she knew was feeling guilty since she was the one whom Helga protected. Since Phoebe was the main target of the hatred of the bigots since she was a women of color.

Seconds felt like hours as they waited and hoped for good news when Arnold and Gerald rushed in, where, luckily, Rhonda intercepted them.

"Is there any news?" Gerald asked.

"No, we are still waiting, but they might not tell us anything, considering we are not family," Rhonda scoffed.

"Her parents won't show up," Phoebe teared up for the third time that night.

Gerald rushed over to Phoebe and swept her up in a hold that could only be protective as if he was trying to keep everything that could possibly harm her from doing so.

"No, but Olga will," Lila spoke up.

"Do you know when she will be here?" Arnold asked.

"Not, anytime soon. As soon as she left her job, she hit a traffic jam where a semi crashed, but she is coming. We will just have to wait ever so much," she sighed.

Arnold sat beside her when Phoebe was pulled away by Gerald. She watched with curiosity since Gerald and Phoebe had been dancing around a relationship with each other since she had known them and, for some reason, never pulled the trigger. The two tiptoed around each other as if trying to sneak past their parents and slip out of their house unnoticed. They would both show small and rare forms of affection towards each other without defining what they had. It was almost as if there was a wall up that restricted them from doing more. However, Lila could tell by the look on Gerald's face when he walked in he knew he almost lost Phoebe, and it scared the shit out of him, like watching Helga get hurt frightened them.

She could swear from where she was sitting that Gerald, whom she had never seen cry, had tears in his eyes as he held Phoebe's face in his hands, guiding her to look up at him. With her hands resting around his hips, with one hand clenching his tight red sports shirt. Lila and she was sure the two beside her as the kind of sort of couple looked into each other's eyes. Arnold leaned into her shoulder as they watched the scene before them unfold. Lila knew that Rhonda was watching but pretended as if she was not. Gerald leaned down to the much smaller Phoebe as she stood on her tiptoes, and it felt like time slowed down to the three watching as the couple's lips met in their first kiss.

Lila felt Arnold grip her arm while looking at their friends while she gripped the armrest. Rhonda pretended to check her nails as if they looked any different than they had two minutes ago when she had done that the first time. Neither Gerald nor Phoebe had ever really been big on PDA, so their first kiss being in front of them was very different than how they would normally react. This is probably because they were both scared and afraid of everything that could have happened but did not. Emotions felt more prominent than they usually did right now.

While she knew it was probably wishful thinking, Lila hoped that Olga would be here soon. Especially since all the calls from Phoebe, Rhonda, and herself went unanswered on both Big Bob's and Miriam's cells, beepers, and house phone. Sadly, there was never any doubt from them that this would be the outcome of trying to contact Helga's parents, but they still needed to try regardless. So, they could say they did try. However, when she texted Helga's older sister, she got a reply almost immediately. She did know that Helga had a difficult relationship with Olga, but at least Olga wanted to be there for her.

"I'm going to order some coffee and then call Nadine. Do either of you want coffee?" Rhonda asked.

"No, thank you, Rhonda," Arnold answered.

"That would be ever so lovely. I could really use the caffeine," she answered as she heard Arnold mumble about her coffee addiction.

"Cool, I'll be right back. If they stop, let them know I will get them a coffee they can share, and text me if there is any news on Helga," she said.

"Will do," Arnold replied.

An hour and three coffees later, Lila's heart jumped when Olga, wearing a mellow yellow top, rushed into the room.

"I just spoke with the doctor and nurse," were the first words out of Olga's mouth.

"Is Helga going to be okay?" Phoebe asked in a small voice from Gerald's arms.

"She will be okay. They have her sedated right now and have removed the bullet. When she is discharged, she will stay with me since she will still need to recover. I've already talked to my lawyer; they are filing for emergency custody. My girlfriend is cleaning the guest bedroom," Olga explained.

"Oh, wow, that is a lot," Arnold replied.

"But she is okay?" Gerald reaffirmed.

"She will be fine," Olga smiled.

"Is that why you didn't insist on me getting ahold of your parents?" Lila asked.

"Yes," Olga leaned up against the wall. "It has been a long time coming, and I hoped that it wouldn't because I know Helga hates change and loves her independence that comes with living with our parents because they don't care and are neglectful, but that can't happen now. Especially since she will need an adult to help her recover from this."

"When can Helga have visitors?" Rhonda inquired.

"Tomorrow, the medical staff wants to keep her under supervision tonight to see how she responds to the surgery and medication. Even if they don't predict anything happening," Olga said.

"That makes sense," she sighed.

"If you want to go home and come back in the morning, please do. I plan on staying the night, and Bridget will be coming here when she is done with the room," Olga suggested.

"I'm going to stay," she and her two other friends, Phoebe and Rhonda, said almost simultaneously.

"Oh, okay, that is fine. What about you boys?" Olga turned to look at Arnold and Gerald.

"I do need to go. My dad needs help with Grandpa. I will be back in the morning," Arnold responded.

"Yeah, I can't stay either. Both my parents are out of town, and last time I left Timberly unsupervised too long, she threw a party and trashed the house," Gerald grimaced as he remembered that event.

"Of course, I didn't mean to keep you for so long," Olga said.

"It's at no fault of your own. We will be back in the morning," Arnold said as he and Gerald waved and walked to the exit.

"So, I'm going to get some coffee. Would you ladies like any?" Olga asked.

"I could use some coffee," she smiled.

The night went as slowly as it had before Olga got to the hospital, and none of them really slept as they waited. Lila wasn't sure if it was because of the caffeine or the nerves, but none of them could sleep. There was a little dozing in and out since they were all drowsy, but no real sleep came. What did come was more coffee and tea to help them as they waited that long night.

Soon enough, they were all in Helga's room after the day broke as she woke up for the first time since the shooting.

"Baby sister, how are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a truck. What happened?" Helga asked in a weak voice that Lila had never heard from her.

Olga took charge and explained to her what had occurred.

"I remember the protest and the bigoted counter-protesters. Just not the aftermath," Helga winced from the pain in her side.

"Everything did happen so fast," Rhonda shrugged.

"I'm so sorry," Phoebe's eyes watered. "If you haven't pushed me, then—."

"Don't do that," Helga cut her off. "I don't exactly remember everything, but I know I don't regret anything, okay."

"Okay," Phoebe wiped her eyes.

"Anything else happen?" Helga asked.

She and Rhonda looked at each other, but Phoebe didn't notice.

"We got to witness some PDA from Ms. Heyerdahl and her kind of sort of boyfriend Mr. Johanssen," Rhonda said as she picked at her nails.

"That makes sense," Helga said as Phoebe's face turned red, and she realized what Rhonda actually said. "What, what?"

"We have seen a first kiss," Lila added as Phoebe's head went to her hands.

"Does that make them a couple now?" Helga questioned.

"I don't know we should ask," Rhonda smirked as Gerald and Arnold walked into this, not expecting what was coming.

"What's going on?" Gerald asked.

"Helga! How are you feeling?" Arnold asked.

"That can wait, football head," Helga replied before staring down Gerald. "So, are you two official yet?" Pointing between him and Phoebe.

"We all want to know so much since most of us saw your first kiss yesterday," Lila added as she smiled.

"Yeah, if you were trying to hide, you didn't do a good job," Arnold joined in.

"Tik tok, I need an answer." Helga folded her arms.

When no answers came, Helga slightly started sulking when she didn't get her way, but that passed really quickly when the topic of coffee came up.