Open Arms
It was a Thursday night on the way home from work where it seemed like any other day. Sheldon would not stop talking about their paper while Amy had to listen in silence, already knowing the things he was speaking of. Sheldon was starving and it was Pizza night which he was ready for. Couldn't they just be over at the other apartment now?
Amy goes to unlock their apartment door and noticed that her phone started to ring. She let go of the key in the bolt and didn't even unlock the door which made Sheldon roll his eyes, what could be so important?
Amy picked up the phone and started talking, "Hello. Yes we just got home. No I haven't yet. Yes, yes I know we haven't come over for a while, we can over on Sunday. Tonight? Is it really that important? Alright, Sheldon probably won't be coming over. I find that very rude. Okay I will be over soon."
Sheldon was already sitting on the couch while Amy had her whole conversation in the hallway. She walked inside and went to the restroom really quick.
When she came back out, Sheldon asked, "are you ready for pizza?".
"Sorry Sheldon I can't, I'm supposed to go eat dinner at my mother's."
"Is there going to be pizza?" Sheldon asked her.
"I told her that you wouldn't be going, you can eat with everyone else."
"Who is supposed to sit by me then?" Sheldon asked.
"I don't know, but I can't go, my mother said that what she wants to talk to me about is very important."
Sheldon nodded and headed across the hall. Amy then headed down stairs to her car to head to her mother's house, she didn't really like spending time with her mother, but at least she would get to see her daddy.
When Sheldon walked inside 4A he went to his spot while everyone else was already seated around the coffee table. They all looked at Sheldon confused.
"Where's Amy?" Bernadette asked.
"She went to go eat at her mother's house." Sheldon explained.
"And you didn't go with her?" Leonard asked.
"Amy insisted I stay here, and she said it was something important they would be discussing."
The group of friends nodded in response, usually Amy was there with them, it was a little strange not having her around, she kept Sheldon in line. Sheldon also did not like not having Amy sitting next to him, now he had to sit next to Rajesh.
About two hours later after the friends all finished their pizza and had a pleasant conversation, the couples where on their way out to their own homes. Sheldon was the last one to leave, since he helped Leonard and Penny clean up the mess that their other friends left, because he normally would help anyways.
Sheldon opened the door to 4B and noticed that the lights were on, Amy must be home. He didn't see her in the living room or kitchen, she must just be in the restroom.
"Amy, I'm home!" Sheldon said.
Sheldon didn't hear anything and went into their bedroom to get to the restroom, but when he opened the door he saw something that devastated him, Amy laying on the bed silently crying.
"Amy?"
Amy just continued to cry and Sheldon sat on the bed next to her, to hopefully cheer her up.
"What's wrong, did you have to sit in your mother's closet again?" Sheldon asked, but Amy just shook her head no.
"You can tell me what's wrong." He told her.
Amy nodded and sat up on the bed and whipped the tears that ran down her face. She didn't want to tell Sheldon the news. It was beyond bad of anything she could think of. Everything was going great in their lives, why did this have to come along?
Sheldon looked at her hoping to get a response from her. To make her feel better he hugged her and noticed that she was shaking. He let her go and she looked at him with a wall of tears in her eyes.
"My..my..my d..dad died." She told him and started crying even more, saying it out loud made it so real she couldn't keep it in and clung onto Sheldon once again.
"He's gone! Daddy's really gone!" She screamed out in tears as she kept a hold of Sheldon. Sheldon didn't know how to respond. He didn't take his father's death as bad as this. He definitely was not the best at calming people down when they were upset as well.
"What happened?" Sheldon asked.
"Mother said he was coming home from a magic show and on his way back he got mugged and the mugger killed him, and stabbed him seven times in the chest." She paused for a second then looked at Sheldon. "How could someone do that to such a sweet man? Now I have to deal with my mother who will be a problem for both of us now that daddy is gone."
Sheldon was surprised that was how Amy's dad died. This stuff didn't normally happen in Pasadena. He actually was a little bit upset that he was gone, now he doesn't have a father figure around.
Sheldon still didn't know what to do to make Amy feel better so he started to kiss her on the lips and he could taste the salt from her tears. He could feel her start to kiss back, it lasted all for about 15 seconds then Amy pulled back, "I'm sorry Sheldon, I'm really vulnerable, and I don't want to take advantage of you."
"It's perfectly fine, I didn't have anyone to help me to get over my dad, but at least I'm here for you." He reassured her.
Although Sheldon knew that he didn't care for his father's passing as much as Amy did for her father. He still wanted to be the one she went to for reassurance with her father than for her to go to Penny.
That night when they went to sleep Amy couldn't sleep well, but she did have Sheldon right beside her hugging her the entire night.
The next day was not really any better for Amy, she was as depressed as when she and Sheldon thought Super Asymmetry was disproved. Amy spent her day on the couch listening to her father's favorite band 'Journey' and her father's favorite song 'Open Arms'. They would sing this song to each other constantly, now it would be hard for her to listen to any of these songs.
It was almost time for Sheldon and Amy to go over across the hall for dinner, but Amy didn't want to go and all she wore was a blouse and a skirt, she didn't really care.
When they walked in Sheldon said hello, but Amy just smiled a pity smile. It would be hard to cheer her up.
During dinner, the gang was having a normal conversation while Amy didn't say anything, she just wasn't feeling it.
"So I have good news guys." Penny said. "I got a raise from work and moved up to the next higher field for sales in the company and my boss called it quite a journey for me." She told them.
Journey, the word journey even had effects on Amy. Amy ran out of the apartment to 4B, she didn't want her friends to see her cry, it was just something she never really did.
The whole group looked at the door that Amy just slammed. Sheldon looked at Penny mad, she caused this.
"Great, now I will have to go home and make her feel better again, thanks a lot Penny." Sheldon said.
"What? What did I do?" She asked.
Sheldon wanted to tell them, but he wasn't sure it was okay so he just decided to text Amy to make sure it was.
Our friends want to know what's going on, is it okay if I tell them? - Sheldon.
I guess. I don't really want to tell them so go ahead. - Amy.
"Alright, when I tell you what is going on with Amy, none of you are to bother her about it!" Sheldon told them.
They all nodded and Sheldon started to say, "Last night, Amy had to go to her mother's house because her mother had to tell her that Amy's father was killed a couple days ago."
"What? How did that happen?" Penny asked.
"He got mugged for some reason and also was stabbed seven times." Sheldon answered.
"How did Penny upset her though?" Bernadette asked.
"I think it had to do with 'Journey'" Sheldon said.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Raj asked.
"That was her dad's favorite band growing up."
Sheldon stayed only for a few minutes than left, he couldn't stand having Amy in the same place as she was last night.
It was the day of Larry Fowler's funeral. Amy was really dreading this day, she was supposed to to say something about her father, and was not looking forward to it, she thought it made her look really weak.
Sheldon and Amy walked into the memorial hall and saw Amy's mother. For the first time since Amy's wedding Amy went to go hug her mom. She needed more strength to say goodbye to her daddy. I was going to be even harder now.
They walked into the room where the service was going to be held, Sheldon kept holding onto Amy's hand the entire time. He was showing her he was there with her by her side the whole way.
The time came to where she had to speak, she went up to the microphone and looked down at first. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Larry's daughter. I feel like he wasn't given enough time to live his life. When I was little he would hold my hand through everything. Later on I had to go to Harvard which in fact my father inspired me to go to and to go farther in what I wanted to do. Years ago when I was moving away from home again to move to Pasadena, I was absolutely terrified, people weren't ever nice to me, but he said he would come and watch 'Little House of the Prairie' with me on bad days. He made my life so much better. When I got engaged to my husband over a year ago I couldn't help but think my dad was going to eventually be a grandpa, and boy would he be great at it, but that's not going to happen anymore. I know that he is in a better place now, but I still hate whoever did this to him, they deserve to be in jail. My daddy was just simply the best, and I won't ever be able to take him out of my heart."
Amy sat down next to Sheldon and he grabbed her hand and she leaned her head on his shoulder and they went through the whole service and they finally said goodbye to Amy's father and sat back down. A song came on through the speakers that made Amy tear up once again. It was 'Open Arms' by 'Journey'.
Lying beside you, here in the dark
Feeling your heartbeat with mine
Softly you whisper, you're so sincere
How could our love be so blind
We sailed on together
We drifted apart
And here you are, by my side
So now I come to you with open arms
Nothing to hide, believe what I say
So here I am, with open arms
Hoping you'll see what your love means to me
Open arms
Living without you, living alone
This empty house seems so cold
Wanting to hold you
Wanting you near
How much I wanted you home
But now that you've come back
Turned night into day
I need you to stay
So now I come to you with open arms
Nothing to hide, believe what I say
So here I am, with open arms
Hoping you'll see what your love means to me
Open arms