Love So True 10

Brainy came out into the open room of the condo, adjusting the sleeves of his tan-coloured button-up shirt, resembling his childhood sweater, and made sure the belt around his pants was safely secure. He was getting ready for work, and came to find Helga on the phone as she was placing some breakfast dishes on the table. She waved to him briefly before she turned her attention back to the person she was talking to on the phone.

"-yeah, I was just going to say that! No problem, a lot of people are new at this kind of thing and have no clue what they're doing or even where to look to get the info! Okay, so what I'll do is that I'll talk to a few of the guys at the office to day, in fact I'll recommend you to either Ken Phillips, or even Darren Smith, those guys are absolute professionals and some of the best in our firm. I'll talk to them and have them call you by the end of the day or so." Helga spoke into the phone, her expression unreadable at the moment.

Raising a brow, Brainy wondered who she was talking to and what this was all about. If memory served, Ken and Darren were divorce attorneys at the law firm she worked at, so maybe it was a client requesting a good divorce attorney within the legal case?

Helga listened a few more moments, and then nodded, despite that the caller couldn't see it. "Hey, you're welcome, I'll do that no problem. Well, you take care of yourself, okay? And call me if you need anything else, I mean, if you need to, of course. I'm always glad to help. And again, I'm really sorry to hear that. ...Okay then I'll-huh? ...Well, sure! I don't see why not. Sure, sure, I'm free for lunch on Thursday. All right, you win! I'll meet you guys there at quarter past, since I get off at noon exactly, for lunch. ...All right, cool, I'll see you tomorrow." She hung up the phone, and joined Brainy at the table.

"Who called?" Brainy asked curiously.

"It was Arnold, actually." Helga replied, taking a bite of her eggs before elaborating. "He and Ruth are getting divorced, and he asked me for a little help in finding an attorney since he's kind of new at this whole thing. So I directed him to a couple of divorce attorneys in our firm, and I'll see which of them is available to take their case, and whatnot."

"Oh." Brainy murmured, a little surprised at this. He was of course, expecting that in a way, just as Stella had said before. Despite that, it was still a little bit shocking to hear about a couple actually getting a divorce. Now it was actually happening, and he could only wonder what was going to come of it all in the near-future. "That's a real shame. I'm so sorry to hear that." And he was. He knew that Arnold and Ruth needed this, but even a divorce for those who needed it was never an easy time. "Did he talk about it?"

"No, he didn't go into a lot of details. He's not one to really do that unless it just happens. He just kind of told me that he and Ruth talked and they decided the best thing to do was get a divorce. And like I said, needed some help to know the basics of things and finding an attorney to help them settle this." Helga replied. She looked a bit worried, biting her lip. "I know they do need this, their marriage just went waaay downhill, apparently. But still, that's just one big drag to actually go through a divorce. Poor Arnold. But he's handling it pretty well and facing it straight on, so that's good."

"I'm not surprised. That's good to know, I guess he really knows what's needed to be done, despite the downfalls of it all." Brainy said truthfully, sipping his mug of coffee. "So, you two are becoming good friends, huh?" He said before he could stop himself.

Helga smiled. "Yeah, you can say that. We've really hit it off whenever we saw each other and we just kind of clicked ever since. I have no idea how I missed this guy all these years! He's such a sweetie and a pretty good teacher, and real great to be around. I like him a lot, he's a great pal."

Brainy wondered at all if she realized just how much she looked like a smitten schoolgirl when she talked about Arnold...it was happening so much more now. She even sounded a little smitten. It stung him in his gut.

And yet he knew he had it coming.

"That's good, Helga. It's always nice to make a new friend like that." Brainy said casually, finishing his slices of toast. "And Arnold is a very nice guy, it's no wonder you two get along."

"It almost seems so weird, considering the circumstances." Helga remarked, and poured herself some more coffee. "But hey, life can be full of surprises, can't it?"

You have NO idea. Brainy thought, deciding not to say that. "That's true, life sure can be full of unexpected turns of events and such. So, did he ask you to lunch on Thursday?"

"Yeah, he was invited by his colleague Eileen and her boyfriend Henry, remember, who I met with when I was working on the Walter Sullivan case, and he-Arnold that is- invited me to come along since the four of us do kind of know one another a bit. And also, since we're always coincidentally bumping into each other, we decided to just do something actually planned." Helga chuckled. "Oh! And stupid me. He also called to tell me that the court was summoning Carmen, the current Principal at P.S. 118 now, over to court tomorrow for the case. So that's where I gotta be! Carmen asked him and his coworker Eileen to be there tomorrow, and he wanted to tell me about it. Carmen did brief me on it, and we got to talk about it a little."

Amazing how she got so lost in the man she truly loved that she nearly forgot an important detail. Brainy would've found it amusing, but at the moment it just stung. In more ways than one.

Now wasn't the time for it. He had to focus.

"That's good, Helga. I know you'll knock 'em dead." Brainy gave a grin.

"Just as always!" Helga pumped her fist a bit. "How about you? Anything new on your neck of the woods at the hospital?"

"Well, Stella said we're going to be dealing with yet another pregnancy. A fairly young couple in their mid-to-late twenties, who had been trying to conceive for quite a while. Transferring here temporarily for work-related reasons and all. It's been interesting working in pregnancy cases, actually."

"Kind of makes you see a little more what women go through." Helga smirked lightly.

Brainy laughed. "You can say that."

Silence befell them, and for a moment Helga seemed to be a little lost in thought as she stared absently past Brainy, poking at the remainder of her food with her fork. He wondered what she was thinking about, that seemed to make her lost and absent. He had a good idea, but then again he wasn't a mind-reader. Was she that oblivious? Or was she just that good at hiding the truth somehow?

You had this coming, you big jerk. Helga is in love with Arnold, whether she knows it or not. Arnold loves her too. They have intense chemistry together that other people are noticing now. You were happy for them back then. You were fine with her being with him. At this rate, they'll end up having a love affair! Brainy shuddered uncomfortably at the thought of them sneaking around behind his back and having a love affair... Not to say he wouldn't deserve that.

Shaking those thoughts, Brainy finished eating, and helped her gather the dishes to bring to the kitchen.

"Sorry I spaced out there, um, what time will you be back?" Helga finally said.

Finding his voice, Brainy responded, "Oh, around eight, I'd say. I'll probably have to work a later shift, and if that's the case I could be back by eleven. I'll give you a call and let you know what's going on."

"All righty. I'll be in by seven." His wife responded, now not looking at him as she placed their dishes in the dishwasher. Biting her lip, she looked at her watch, and then palmed her forehead.

"Are you all right?" Brainy asked in concern.

"I'm fine, I'm just thinking." Helga responded, shaking her head. "I feel a little dizzy, a bit icky. But I'm fine, I just need to get a drink of water and I'll be fine."

Brainy frowned a bit, not quite buying it. "Are you sure? Maybe you should relax for a few minutes before going to work."

"I'll be fine Brian, really." Helga poured herself a glass of water from the water filter pitcher, and drank some down. "I feel just fine."

"Well...all right. I have to go, you try to relax and take something if you need to." He kissed his wife on the cheek, which she returned, and then turned away to go get his bag and coat.

He wondered if she would be all right, and hoped so. Not to mention wondering what was wrong, since she seemed stressed and tired. His first guess was the upcoming case, which did seem odd since Helga practically revelled when her next big case was coming. Yes, even she had bouts of being anxious, despite that she hid the feelings, but like this? He wondered yet again, despite that he knew far better than almost anyone, just what was going on with her.

"Have a good day, Bee-Rye." Helga said with a weak smile.

Brainy nodded and smiled. "You too, honey. I'll see you tonight."

When he left the condo, he could swear that his heart was dropping to his stomach.

XXX

At the hospital much later, Brainy was prepared and met with Stella as she went over their itinerary for the day. He wondered if Arnold had told her about his impending divorce, because if she did know, she wasn't showing it nor saying anything about it. Like a true professional. He knew Miles and Stella would be there to help them both along the way, and get everything within the procedure done right and well.

Even he wondered what was next. He knew Arnold needed this more than Ruth did, so that he could get his life on a much better track and pursue something he truly enjoys, maybe travel around for a while to get his head on straight, and just take time for himself. Brainy hoped everything would turn out all right for him, and for Ruth as well. They were good people, and although didn't love one another like lovers would, would care about each other and also be bound by Francesca.

He deserves it. Brainy thought. I hope he does all right.

In the clinic, he, Stella, and gynaecologist Dr. Hobson met with a young couple around his (Brainy) age, maybe a bit older, who were expecting a baby. The expecting woman was around four months pregnant at this point and was getting a check-up as well as an ultrasound to make sure all was well with the pregnancy. She had dark brown hair framing a sweetly smiling face, light green eyes, and dark olive skin that contrasted very nicely with her hair and eyes. The man with her had lighter brown hair, lighter skin, and distinct blue eyes behind a pair of simple, thinly framed glasses.

For a moment he couldn't help but have a major sense of deja-vu, going back to when he was an assistant and working with Stella when she was tending to Ruth when she was pregnant. When he had first met Arnold in this timeline.

Nothing had been the same since.

Snapping from his reverie, Brainy cleared his throat, adjusted his own glasses, and introduced himself to the couple. "Hello, I'm Dr. Brian Williams. How are you two today?"

"We're fine, thank you!" The woman smiled at him pleasantly. "I'm Christine, and this is my husband Kevin."

"Very nice to meet you, Dr. Williams." Said Kevin, smiling warmly. He then paused a moment, thinking of something. "Pardon me, but are you really the same Brian Williams, the husband of Helga Williams?"

"Oh, yes, I am Helga's husband." Brainy nodded. It still felt a bit odd saying that, even if he was getting much more used to this new life. "How did you know?"

"I met her, sometime after when we first moved out here from California, since we transferred for work purposes." Christine explained. "I was called to Jury Duty for a court case in downtown Hillwood. I met with Helga a few times and we got to chatting, and we really hit it off. She met Kevin too while we were waiting for him and he came to pick me up, and we all just became friends."

Another coincidence. Not as big as the last one, but still an interesting coincidence none the less. Then again, what WOULD top the last one? It was a tough act to follow.

"Well, it's sure a small world." Brainy remarked with a smile.

"And getting smaller." Kevin agreed.

"Indeed!" Christine giggled cheerfully. "Anyway, we were hoping to be able find out the baby's sex during the ultrasound today. We've thought of a couple of names for boys and girls, but we've been talking about it and we'd like to know what we're having so we can be sure."

"If that's what you want." Brainy smiled, and inwardly cringed at the use of how close to home those words were. "Have you had any problems so far?"

"Not so far." Christine shook her head. "Aside from some of the usual symptoms and whatnot, everything has been fine. I'm just glad to be over the morning sickness stage."

"Wasn't pretty." Kevin agreed, shaking his head. "But yes, so far everything went by just fine."

"All right!" Dr. Hobson came back over with Christine's file. "We'll check on your baby through the sonogram, if you'll come with me."

"Brian," Stella said, pulling Brainy aside. "I was paged by Dr. Garland, they need me to help them with open heart surgery since the new doctor they're training passed out, and I might be a few hours. Would you stay with Dr. Hobson until I'm done?"

"No problem, Stella." Brainy nodded. "I'll handle things here."

"Great, thank you." Stella looked relieved. "Go get 'em, tiger."

Brainy laughed and Stella left, while he joined Dr. Hobson with Kevin and Christine as they left the room as well.

XXX

"You want to give it a try, Brian?" Dr. Hobson offered to Brainy as he set up the sonogram machine while Christine was in the other room, changing into a hospital gown while Kevin waited by the door.

"I haven't used one before, Dr. Hobson." Brainy admitted a bit sheepishly. "I'm not sure if I should."

The older doctor scoffed. "Nonsense, it's not that hard. You just have to move the wand over the designated areas of the stomach where the special jelly is rubbed into, make sure the machine is at the correct frequency, and the screen will display it loud and clear. You can let me do the rest, since I'm sure you can't identify the image on a sonogram machine, can you?"

"Not entirely." Brainy shook his head.

"Then no problem. Besides, give you a little taste on the other sides of hospital work." Dr. Hobson winked, getting up from the chair he was sitting in so Brainy could sit.

Christine emerged from the other room, and situated herself on the examining table. She lifted the hospital gown a few inches to reveal her fairly protruding stomach, while Kevin came up beside her, holding her hand. Dr. Hobson took the jar of jelly, spreading some onto his gloved hand, and spread it along some of the skin of her abdomen. With a nod of his head to Brainy, the younger doctor nodded in return and gingerly but surely placed the sonogram wand on Christine's noticeably swollen stomach, keeping on the jelly. Immediately, the very distorted image of the inside of her womb where their baby rested came up on the screen. He had to remind himself to take the program in this one day, so he could learn how to properly study the screen.

"All righty, we can hear your baby's heartbeat beautifully." Dr. Hobson nodded toward the heart monitor hooked up nearby. "Move it to the right, will you?" He said to Brainy.

He did.

"Okay, and there you can see the formation of your baby's toes." Dr. Hobson indicated along the screen with his pen. "Looks like everything seems to be okay in there. A little upward, Brian."

Brainy guided the wand a little further up, his eyes glued to the screen. He had seen this a few times now, and it was still amazing to see the miracle of life, even if it wasn't his own. Thoughts of Helga one day getting pregnant did wrack a few nerves, he wasn't sure what to think of it.

Pushing those thoughts out of his head, Brainy continued with his instructions, glancing over at Kevin and Christine as they watched in awe, seeing the image of their baby. He could see all the joy, happiness, and love between them as they shared the moment together. Unlike Ruth, Christine looked absolutely elated at seeing her baby, and very anxious for it to be born soon. Kevin looked equally happy and full of pride, as he stood there holding his wife's hand. The two glanced at each other, with so much love in their eyes, smiling widely, before looking back at the display screen.

A pang of envy coursed through Brainy then. How lovely it would be, to share that with Helga one day, without her subconsciously wishing it were Arnold there with her.

Once more he shook off those thoughts and focused on his task.

"All right, would you two like to know the baby's sex?" Dr. Hobson asked as he picked up his clipboard.

Kevin and Christine both nodded. "Yes," She said. "We've been talking about it lately and we would like to know what we're having."

"Very well, by the looks of things, you two are having a boy!" Dr. Hobson made some notes on his clipboard.

"A boy..." Christine murmured, squeezing her husband's hand tighter.

Kevin smiled brighter than before, if possible, and kissed his wife lovingly on the mouth, though holding it no more than a few seconds for modesty. They smiled at one another again and turned back to Dr. Hobson and Brainy with bright smiles.

"Congratulations, I'm sure you two will have a wonderful baby boy." Brainy said kindly.

"Our son will be no less than wonderful, for sure." Christine murmured, patting an area of her stomach that didn't have the jelly coated on it.

"Looks like everything else is up to par, no problems at all. The test results all came back negative, and seems to be no defects at all. We'll see you in three weeks." Dr. Hobson said as he cleaned the jelly off Christine's stomach.

Brainy opened his mouth to say something else when his cell phone went off in his pocket. It was the phone he used to be contacted for emergencies. Puzzled and concerned, he took out his phone and excused himself to go out into the hallway.

"Hello?" He said into the phone, not recognizing the number. If Helga was in trouble, they must've figured out to contact this phone.

"Brian?" Came Arnold's voice on the other line. He didn't sound harried or panicked, just concerned.

"Arnold? What's going on, why are you calling me? Is Helga all right?"

"Something odd happened. I was at school this morning teaching my class, when my colleague Eileen came running in. She was in the office for a minute getting some papers, and she said Helga came in, looking a little sick and dazed, asking where I was. I'm with her right now, I took her back to your condo, she's not doing so hot, so I'm sticking with her for a while. I'm not sure what's wrong with her, I wanted to know if you noticed anything."

Brainy frowned a bit. "Well, I noticed she seemed a little out of it, and a bit under the weather this morning before I left for work. I imagine she might be under a bit of stress, or coming down with something because of it. What are her symptoms?"

"She's kind of feverish, dazed, confused, a little weak and sluggish, and she said she was feeling nauseous." Arnold responded on the other line. "I put her to bed, and I'm making her some soup. I wanted to let you know of it and ask ahead of time if anything could have been wrong."

"Oh." Brainy murmured, and sighed. "You'll have to look after her for a while, Arnold. I can't leave the hospital right now, your mother had to go help out in open heart surgery and so I have to help out Dr. Hobson awhile. I won't be home until either eight or eleven tonight. If Helga isn't showing improvement by this evening...please stay with her, will you? I want to make sure she's all right, and please call me with updates."

"I will, Brian." Arnold promised. "Is Helga on medication, should I give her a specific kind of medicine?"

"No, she isn't on medication. Just give her some Tylenol or some Gravol, and keep an eye on her. Soup will definitely help her, but don't give her some if she's still nauseous. If anything, give her some Ginger Ale if she's feeling sick to her stomach."

"Okay, no problem."

"Thank you, Arnold." Despite the situation, he was truly thankful the man his wife truly loved was there to help. "Keep me posted, okay?"

"I will, promise. I'll call you later."

Brainy hung up his phone, and returned to the examining room. He felt down about not being there for Helga while she was feeling sick, but was glad someone was there to look after her. It also struck him sadly, and with guilt, that Helga actually had made her way to Arnold. One would argue that P.S. 118 was closer to their apartment than the hospital was, but he knew all too well what it truly meant.

And it reminded him, once again, about what a big idiot he was right now.