Once again I'm jumping into a story ...so let me give you some back ground info.
Amy was visited by her father, whom she hadn't seen or heard from since she was ten (He and her mother had divorced because he was cheating on her). He showed up unannounced at her apartment and expressed how sorry he was for not being a part of her life, seemed genuinely remorseful and wished to talk to her. She- hesitant at first- allowed him inside. After he apologizes and begs for forgiveness- to which Amy graciously accepts- he then proceeds to ask for a favor; money. Amy refuses, stating simply that she doesn't have the resources to loan him such a substancial amount, and is distrustful of his motives. He becomes angry, and threatens her; Amy realizes he's been drinking as well. She tries to get him to leave, but he becomes extremely violent. let's just say...things don't end well.
Sheldon- who has been unable to get into contact with Amy- has Leonard and Penny drive him over. it's there that he finds his grilfirned injured and unconscious on her living room floor. he quickly checks for a pulse, calls 911, and waits anxiously for their arrival (he also calls Leonard while in a state of panic, alerting both him and penny on whats occurred).
Penny agrees to spend the night at the hospital with Amy- seeing that Sheldon is torn between his discomfort with hospitals and need for a clean shower, and his desire not to leave Amy alone. When Sheldon returns early the next morning with Leonard, penny informs them that Amy is awake and the she's already spoken to a police officer. She then tells the guys who Amy's attacker was, and how she had to comfort Amy upon her telling the police what had happened.
Sheldon then goes in to see Amy, so...this is Sheldon attempting to talk/comfort her. *sigh* I'm bad at this explaining stuff.
Enjoy.
Sheldon hesitantly took a seat on the edge of Amy's hospital bed, hands folded neatly in his lap to avoid any unnecessary contact with the bed sheets as he faced her. She was sitting up as well, and from his new vantage point he could make out the bruises on the left side of her face, and her slightly swollen split lip; it made him wince as he recalled similar injuries as a child from neighborhood bullies, but it also caused a flash of anger to rise within him to think that someone had hurt Amy in that way.
Sheldon supressed the conflicting emotions and diverted his eyes, wondering why the silence around him was so unnerving; he'd never felt this way around Amy.
"You're uncharacteristically quiet," he decided to comment, to which Amy blinked as if coming out of a daze. "Is my being here causing you some type of discomfort?
"No, of course not." Amy was quick to respond now, although her eyes still remained on her lap. "I find your presence here both reassuring and deeply considerate- especially given your aversion to hospitals."
Sheldon nodded- yes, hospitals did make him uneasy, and it was quite considerate of him to be there for her- yet he was still uncertain what to make of Amy's behavior. He'd hoped that his close proximity-not to mention the fact that he was technically now in the same bed as her- might garner a reaction from his girlfriend, yet she remained unresponsive.
"Is there another reason you are so adamantly avoiding eye contact with me then?" he prodded further.
Amy shifted slightly and winced, an action that reminded Sheldon of the bruises hidden beneath her hospital gown; he was about to ask if she was okay when she finally spoke, her voice faltering at the beginning.
"Sheldon, I…I'm ashamed."
Her answer both surprised and confused him. He would understand if she were sad, or angry, or even tired, but this emotion simply did not make sense to him given the circumstances.
"Why?" he questioned, bewildered. "Certainly you have no reason to feel this way, given that you were the victim in this crime."
"Sheldon," Amy paused, trying to gather her thoughts. "In the past I have always considered myself an intelligent person."
"And rightfully so." Sheldon interjected. "You're intelligence, as well as your sensible nature, is one of the many things that endear me to you."
"And yet I disputed both traits by making such a foolish mistake." Amy countered, too deep in her own self loathing to take comfort in Sheldon's kind words. "I am no better than my own mother; naively placing trust in someone who is clearly undeserving of such a thing."
Sheldon frowned, he was not well versed in identifying emotions, but Amy's despair could not have been more apparent. She was anxiously wringing her hands together in her lap, her voice seemed to hitch near the end of her sentence, and although she still refused to look up at him, Sheldon was fairly certain that she was starting to cry.
He shifted uncomfortably on the side of the bed, his entire being aching in a way that was unfamiliar to him; he wanted to fix this, to find some solution that would bring comfort to her. His eyes moved to gaze down at Amy's still fidgeting hands, and acting on instinct he reached over and gentle captured them in his own.
Amy froze, and for a moment Sheldon feared he'd made a grave error by initiating physical contact; after what occurred, it would only make sense for Amy to withdraw from such actions. He was poised to remove his hands and offer up several apologies when Amy tilted her head up at him, her teary gaze full of gratitude as her hands carefully moved to intertwine with his.
"Sheldon?"
Sheldon tried not to think about the spread of bacteria, or the fact that he had just violated the Relationship Agreement; Instead he focused on the green of Amy's eyes as she stared at him imploringly, silently begging for reassurance.
Sheldon swallowed nervously.
"As you well know, I am terribly uncomfortable with dishonesty." he began, seemingly at random. "Even the few attempts I have made at lying in the past have been sorely unconvincing, despite my elaborate efforts."
Amy frowned, letting her confusion take control of her facial features.
"I am aware of your strong moral conscience." she conceded, "Although I am puzzled as to why you are mentioning this now."
"I need for you to know that what I am about to say is truth," Sheldon explained. "That I am not speaking out of some social obligation to you as your boyfriend, and further more, that I am not attempting to manipulate your feelings in any way."
Amy wasn't sure why this made her stomach twist into an uncomfortable knot, but she managed a shaky nod. Sheldon mimicked the nod, straightening his posture and giving her hands the briefest of squeezes- an action that only marginally helped ease her anxiety.
"Amy, it is true that your trust was misplaced."
Although she was accustomed to Sheldon's blunt nature, the words hurt more than Amy expected, and in that moment she wanted to childishly retreat beneath the covers and hide in shame. When she diverted her eyes and attempted to pull away from him, however, he tightened his grip slightly on her hands.
"Please allow me to finish." he continued, his eyes pleading with her.
Amy couldn't yet find her voice, but she gathered what remained of her composure and managed a curt nod.
"While I agree that your trust was misplaced," he restated, "The irrational blame you are seemingly harboring for the rash actions of another are completely uncalled for."
Amy found herself shaking her head; she'd heard this already, although in much simpler terms…from the kind hearted doctor…from the policeman who'd taken her statement…and from Penny.
"Sheldon, you can't deny that my allowing him entrance into my home was a foolish decision," she argued weakly, " I made a substantial error in judgment and I am clearly at fault for what transpired as a result."
Sheldon frowned.
"By your current line of thinking, it would also be accurate to say that I am at fault." he countered. "After all, it is the duty of the boyfriend to protect the girlfriend from harm; and in which case I failed horribly."
Amy jerked her head up at that statement.
"But you had no prior knowledge of my father, or his impromptu visit; you were not even present at my apartment at the time of his arrival." she retorted, quick to put an end to such thoughts. "You are an exceedingly intelligent individual, Sheldon, but even you can not predict the future."
"No more than you can." Sheldon stated calmly, and Amy found herself stunned speechless.
"To fault you for your decision, would be to fault you for your open minded compassion, and generosity of heart." Sheldon reasoned. "Two more qualities you possess that I find appealing."
If she were in a better state of mind Amy would have swooned over such a compliment, but the warmth that ignited within her only brought tears to her eyes. Sheldon, seeing the liquid trailing down his girlfriends cheeks, quickly frowned.
"Why are you crying?" his voice sounded like a lost child. "I did not intend to cause you distress."
Amy gave a shaky grin at Sheldon's concern, pulling one of her hands away to wipe some of the moisture off her cheeks to no avail.
"You haven't." she tried to reassure him but her voice was trembling.
"Are you experiencing physical discomfort as a result of your injuries?" he inquired further, his voice rising in slight panic. "Should I procure a nurse to-"
Amy practically flung herself into his chest, head tucked under his chin as her hands grasped the front of his Flash t-shirt. She was sure she was violating several prominent rules in the relationship agreement, but she was hurt and vulnerable and she needed this; to hold on to the only thing that made sense in her life.
Sheldon stiffened at the unexpected contact. He could feel Amy's tears dampening the front of his favorite t-shirt, her hands were fisted into the fabric and would no doubt leave it wrinkled, and he could only speculate the amount of bacteria and germs that were being shared between them- in a hospital no less.
His first instinct was to panic and pull away, but another part of him was afraid to sever the contact at all.
Sheldon knew that Amy would not intentionally cause him discomfort, even when she'd needed consoling in the past, she'd calmly negotiated with him until they both agreed on a form of physical intimacy. The fact that Amy had all but jumped into his arms was even more proof of her current emotional upheaval and unbalanced emotional state. Sheldon could not, and would not, refuse her this.
Hesitantly he raised his arms and- mindful of the bruises on her lower back and side- carefully placed his hands on her upper back and gently held her. Amy seemed to shudder against him, sobbing anew, but her hands released the death grip on his shirt and she leaned into the embrace. Sheldon wasn't sure what to make of the mixed signals, but he patted her back softly.
"There, there." he stated awkwardly. "Sheldon's here."
Yeah, I know...I'm terrible for not being able to write an entire story. There are far too many gaps that I can't fill, but I hope my little summary at the top helped some.
I might write more for this but...I'm not sure.
BTW, I love Amy and I'd never want her to get hurt...but this scenario would definitely help Sheldon to realize the extent of his feelings for her...and it's a good reason for him to allow so much contact.
Oh! And is the K+ rating appropriate or should it be T ?