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Finding your Feet	By : DancingBear Category: +G through L > Hey, Arnold! Views: 13192 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold, nor any of the characters. I do not, and will not make any money from this story. (Original creator: Craig Bartlett)

Chapter List
- 1-Finding your Feet
- 2-2
- 3-3
- 4-5
- 5-6
- 6-7
- 7-8
- 8-9
- 9-10
- 10-11
- 11-12
- 12-13
- 13-14
- 14-15
- 15-16
- 16-17
- 17-18
- 18-18
- 8
- 9
- 10
"Push… Push!" Jon stood above him, yelling at him as he struggled to stand up under the weight on his back. "OK, one more, just give me one more..." Arnold's legs were shaking, sweat stung his eyes. He swore, grunted, as he squatted beneath the Smith Machine. His thighs ached, and although they threatened to give out, he slowly pushed up, his teeth gritted against the pain.

"PUSH dammit!" Jon barked, laughing as Arnold braced his legs beneath him and thrust upwards, pushing through the last rep of his set with a massive exhalation. He racked the bar and groaned.

Jon slapped him on the back. "You did it!" His grin was massive. "Before the deadline, no less." He looked so pleased, Arnold couldn't help but smile.

"My other leg feels like it's gonna fall off." Arnold groaned through his towel as he wiped his face.

"If it doesn't hurt, it's not working." Jon grinned, obviously pleased with himself. "Go shower, I'll be in the consult room if you need me."

No shower had ever felt so good. Afterwards Arnold sat on one of the long wooden benches, pulling a sock over his liner, when another guy came in from the gym.

Arnold had seem him around quite a bit. Both of his legs were gone below the knee, but it didn't seem to affect him at all, the guy was a beast of a man, strong… and he looked it.

"Looking good out there." The guy smiled at him as he went to collect his things from his locker. "Your deadlift's getting better every time I see you."

Arnold was a little taken aback. Not a fan of locker-room banter. "Uh, thanks…" He knew he should ask a question or make a friendly comment or something, but he was tired, and a little uncomfortable, and he just couldn't seem to find anything to say.

The guy didn't seem fazed though. "Took a spill a few weeks back, yeah?"

Arnold nodded. What the fuck?

The guy laughed. "I heard you were escorted home by a bossy little brat…" He raised an eyebrow.

It took Arnold a second to click. After my brother lost both of his legs in Afghanistan…

"You're Emma's brother?" He eyed the guy… Emma had been tiny, 5'4" or so, if he had to guess… This guy looked to be almost a foot taller than that.

"Ben…" He held his hand out, taking Arnold's in a brief, friendly handshake. "…and you're Arnold. Emma told me all about your adventure. You couldn't have taken your first fall in front of anyone better, she really knows her stuff." The guy's smile beamed pride like it was a neon sign. "I was drunk the first time I took a bad tumble, it was not a pretty sight." He held up an elbow, where a livid pink scar ran down the back of his forearm.

Arnold was still trying to figure out what was going on. "Does she work here?"

Ben laughed. It seemed the guy laughed a lot. "Hell no. We're at the second largest gym like this in Seattle… Em's works at the largest." He grinned, that pride-filled grin again. "No way would I even go to the gym where she works… she'd never stop fussing." He hefted his bag up onto his shoulder. "I gotta go shower. If you're still around in ten minutes, Em's is meeting me for dinner. You're welcome to join us…"

Arnold had no idea what to think. Were these people trying to sell him something? Or where they just genuinely friendly? What wouldold Arnold havedone? He probably wouldn't have hesitated… He didn't trust people like how he used to, but there wasn't any real reason to refuse the invitation… he needed to eat, and he would be in like company…

"Uh, yeah. That'd be great, thanks." He forced himself to smile. "I have to go talk to Jon anyway, I'll meet you in a second?"

"Great!" Ben grinned. "Em's doesn't know you go here, let's surprise her."

…

A quarter hour later, Arnold was glad he had come from work, and hadn't turned up dressed like a hobo.

Emma was beautiful.

He didn't want to think about it, but there wasn't really any way to deny it. Her brown hair was swinging in a heavy ponytail, her figure subtly complimented by her fitted jeans and sweater. She looked like she could step into a 50's commercial.

The wholesome girl next door…

"Arnold?" Her grin was wide. She turned to her brother. "You didn't tell me!"

Ben just shrugged, grinned.

"Hey, Emma." Arnold made sure to smile, despite his nerves. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Are you coming to dinner with us?" The look on her face was eager, hopeful.

She's so pretty. "I figured you don't mind picking up strays…"

"The more the merrier!" She laughed.

What is it about these two? Arnold wondered as he watched them chat away over dinner. He had never really understood the sibling relationship thing, being an only child… and these two were no exception. They seemed especially close, giggling together like kids, two seconds after telling each other off for something stupid… and laughing, continually.

He could only imagine what kind of stable, loving kind of childhood they must have had, they seemed so well adjusted.

Emma had driven them to a little Italian place, where they both promised him that the food was amazing. A massive lasagne and a bottle of red wine later, they piled back into her car to drop Ben home.

"Well, it was nice to meet you Arnold." Ben grinned widely as he left the car, dragging his gym bag out from the back seat. "See you next week."

"Likewise." Arnold smiled. "I'll bring you those DVD's." Ben wanted to watch Firefly.

"Call me!" Emma called, leaning over Arnold's lap to blow her brother a kiss. Ben just nodded, laughed, waved as he crossed the pavement to his townhouse.

"So… anywhere you want to go or anything, before I drop you home?" Emma smiled briefly at him as she negotiated traffic.

"No, no… I'm good." Arnold was thankful that she had to keep her eyes on the road, and off him. It was easy enough to ignore when Ben had been there, but now that it was just the two of them, those big blue eyes seemed more… tempting.

They were silent for a little bit, Arnold looking out the window. He liked this time of year, the wet spring…

"So… how are you holding up? You look better than you did last time I saw you." Emma was peering over the steering wheel, waiting for a break in the traffic.

"Uh, yeah… Jon, my therapist, gave me a challenge… which I met… tonight, actually."

She grinned, her eyes crinkling up at the corners. "That's awesome, Arnold… it really is." She paused, swinging the sedan out into the road. "Jon's great, you're lucky to have him."

"You know him?"

"I make it my business to know as many people in my area of expertise as possible."

He nodded, slowly. "Yeah, makes sense."

"Are you feeling better?"

"You don't beat around the bush, do you?" He laughed. Somehow, he wasn't annoyed at her for the personal questions… not in the same way he got annoyed at others. He figured it was because she knew what she was talking about, because she had seen him at his weakest… and, if he was going to be honest… because he was attracted to her.

She blushed. "Sorry… I forget sometimes… it's just normal to me. Ben's always telling me off for being too nosey."

"No, seriously, it's fine." Arnold paused. "Yeah… I suppose I feel a bit better. It's good having more control over my body,."

She nodded, smiling slightly. "I see that a lot… people getting depressed because they can't do what they want to do, which demotivates them, which means they are even less able to do what they want… and so on. I'm so glad you pushed through it… it will only get easier from here, I promise."

"I hope you're right." He said softly. He hadn't really thought about it over the past few weeks, he'd been so intent on concentrating on his exercises, on building his strength up… but he did feel a little better. He still felt awful, self-conscious, ugly, ungainly… but that continual edge of near-panic had softened a little.

"Ben was really bad…" she sighed, her hands tightened on the steering wheel. "It took him a long time to come to terms with everything."

Arnold shifted a little. Uncomfortable that she was revealing personal information about someone he didn't know well… but also full of questions… how could Ben be so happy now, if he had been so bad before?

"We weren't that close, before he came back… he's a few years older than me, y'know?" She smiled briefly at him. "But he was a different person when he got sent home… so angry… nothing anyone said was right, he would fly into rages, and then go silent, not talking to anyone for days at a time." She let out a small sigh, a tired noise. "He got through it, though… obviously. He still has his moments, but he's dealing with it."

She took a deep breath, smiled. "You know what I noticed… the difference between first and third world amputees?"

Arnold shrugged, a little overwhelmed.

"Third world patients deal with it a whole lot better." She paused, but Arnold had nothing to say. "If you have three kids and nothing to feed them with, you don't have the luxury of succumbing to self pity… you just have to get on with it." She smiled briefly at him. "We are so lucky, Arnold… a leg is a small price to pay for clean drinking water and healthy children."

Children. "I've always wanted kids." He said suddenly, completely taking himself by surprise.

She smiled gently… that soft kind of smile girls made over sweet things, like elderly couples holding hands. "You'd make gorgeous kids…" A grin spread over her face, she laughed lightly. "My parents are bugging both Ben and I for grandkids… are yours the same? Wanting you to fill their house with flaxen-haired spogs?"

Arnold blinked… the most awkward conversation topic ever… he'd rather go back to talking about his emotional deficiencies. "Um, no… nothing like that…" he tried to avoid the topic.

She grinned. "Well, you're lucky! Do you have older siblings or something that bear the brunt of the grandparent instinct, or are you just lucky enough to have folks that aren't that pushy?" Her smile was so genuine, so… open… that he didn't know what to say.

"Um… I'm an only child." His voice cracked a little as he spoke. He coughed, trying to cover it up.

"Yeah? I wouldn't have picked that." She smiled. "How did your parents take the leg thing?"

Well, can't avoid that one. He collapsed a little inside. "I don't have parents… I mean… uh…"

Her face froze, her eyes wide. "Oh shit, Arnold…" She made a little groaning noise. "I am so, so sorry…" She glanced at him, her face stricken. "I… I didn't…" she took a breath. "What happened?"

This part he almost had by heart. "They were scientists, they left to research the cause of a sickness in Central America, and they were lost. I was raised by my grandparents."

She put a hand to the base of her throat, her palm between her collarbones. A strange memory flashed through Arnold's mind… the minute before Helga had kissed him for the first time, when she laid his hand in almost the same place... He could still remember how it felt, her skin warm, her pulse under his fingers…

"And your grandparents?" Emma asked softly, her face soft with emotion. Pity.

"They both passed away a few years back." Arnold said simply… really not wanting to talk anymore.

"Do you have any family?" She sounded like she was about to cry.

He shook his head. "No."

"Who… who have you had?" She glanced at him again.

He shrugged. "My friend Gerald's always been there for me… his family is pretty close too, I suppose."

She nodded, her eyes on the road. He had no idea what to say… she didn't either, it seemed.

They sat in silence for the rest of the drive. Arnold didn't know what to think. He felt awkward, obviously, but he had been through theorphan revelation so many times over the years that it wasn't a massive deal… what he wanted to do was to call Gerald. He felt suddenly guilty for being such a shit friend since his accident.

"Well." Emma said in a small voice as she pulled into the loading zone in front of his building and turned off the engine. "This is you." She smiled, or attempted to.

"Hey, Emma…" Arnold swallowed. "You don't need to feel bad or anything… I'm not hating on you."

"You're so sweet." She smiled, twisting a little in her seat to look up at him. "I am sorry though, I don't know when to stop sometimes."

Jesus Christ, those eyes. He swallowed. Was this an 'invite her up for coffee' moment? He didn't know… and even if it was, he didn't know if he should... or could.

"Do you want to meet for lunch or coffee or something one day?" She asked, her smile shy.

"Uh… yeah! I mean, sure." Well, at least that took care of the immediate problem. He didn't really see her as a jump-into-bed-with-a-guy-she-hardly-knew kinda girl anyway.

She took his number, promising to text him later.

"Well, goodnight." He clambered out of the car.

"Night, Arnold." She smiled again, one of those soft smiles. God he loved it when girls did that… even if it did make his chest ache.
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Finding your Feet