"No, thank you. I want to be levelheaded when I confront Sheldon." Amy inspected her fork. "Though I do appreciate you cleaning the silverware."
Bernadette emerged from the bathroom.
"Feeling better?" Penny asked.
Without a response, Bernadette turned and hurried back into the bathroom, kicking the door shut soundly.
"I'll take that as a no," Penny murmured, and she drank the last of her wine.
"Resounding," Amy answered, and paused when she heard Sheldon's voice out in the hall, followed by Missy's pleasant, lilting twang. "Excuse me," Amy said, and she stood and walked to the door, flinging it open.
"Here we go," Penny sang, as she filled her cup.
"...Leonard will be spending the night at Penny's, so you can take his room," Sheldon was saying, as Amy approached. "But if you do decide to take the couch, my advice to you is to put your head furthest from the door."
"Yes," Missy nodded, "I'm familiar with you."
"Good evening, Missy," Amy said.
Missy turned, holding a car seat which held a sleeping baby. "Oh, good evening...Amy, right?"
"Yes."
Sheldon turned to Amy as Missy disappeared within the apartment. "I'm really sorry about tonight. How about we make the day after tomorrow an impromptu date night as reimbursement?"
Amy looked dissatisfied. "Why not tomorrow?"
"I'm busy."
Amy quelled her anger, albeit barely. "Fine. Goodnight, Sheldon."
"Goodnight, Amy," he replied, and looked a bit taken aback when she turned and descended the stairwell without first giving him a kiss goodbye. Wondering what exactly he had done wrong, he quirked a brow at Penny, who only shook her head. He turned and let himself into the apartment. "So," he said, approaching the car seat, "I expect my hospitality is the only service you will require of me." He gestured stiffly to his nephew.
"Don't worry, Sheldon, I can take care of him by myself." Missy sank into Leonard's easy chair. "Would you like to hold him?"
"Me? No, no. Like my work, I will only observe, take notes, and try to improve him." Sheldon sat in his Spot, looking forlornly at the surveillance camera views of his office. Knowing he had truly messed up with Amy, he began putting away his equipment. "How do you feel?"
Missy raised her brows inquisitively.
"I don't really care," Sheldon explained, "But I need to know if you require a hot beverage or if you could settle for milk."
"I'll have water, and I don't need you waitin' on me. Relax! Tell me about your life. What have you been up to?"
"Well, Amy and I broke up," he answered, "Then we got back together, we kissed, and we slept together."
"What?" Missy exclaimed. With a quick look at her baby she lowered her voice. "Sheldon, you did use...protection, right?"
"Protection?" He gave her a quizzical glance. "Be realistic. As cool as the Lord Of The Rings ring makes me look, it won't actually do anything...It's a prop."
Missy covered her eyes with both hands. "No, Sheldon, I mean condoms."
"Oh, you mean sexual protection," he realized. "Well...no." He looked back at her and didn't like the look on her face. In that moment, he recalled Amy's expression when she had been speaking about having a family with Sheldon. Maybe she wasn't trying to convince him to start a family, he thought, so much as trying to tell him he was going to have one. He stood slowly and gracefully. "Excuse me," he said politely, and walked out the door with a certain poise. Pulling the door shut he broke into a panic. "Oh Lord," he gasped, and began to run down the stairs. "Amy! Amy! Amy! Amy! Amy! Amy! Amy!"
He continued this banter until he caught up to Amy at the front doors. "What?" Amy asked plainly, turning around.
"Are you pregnant?" Sheldon demanded.
Amy closed her eyes, and Sheldon anxiously awaited her response.
"No, Sheldon, I'm not."
"You checked, right?"
Amy opened her eyes to stare dumbfoundedly at him. "No, I'm assuming, because there's no way I can check."
"Okay, that was sarcasm," Sheldon said triumphantly. He studied her tired, exasperated face. "Are you sad?"
"No," Amy repeated.
He looked surprised. "I thought you wanted a family."
"I do. But I...I'm glad I know you don't before I made another mistake." She turned and pushed the door open.
"That sounded sincere!" Sheldon called after her. "You're mad!"
The glass door closed between them, and all by himself Sheldon stared after her. Then he blinked, trying to shake her words from his mind. "How come I'm sad?" he asked, as he turned and drifted up the stairs, shaking his head as he tried to figure himself out.