Author's note: This chapter turned to be a link between what I expected to happen from Chapter 3 to 4. It was not planned before, but I really think it was necessary. Thanks a lot for reading!
Are you enjoying the story? I am loving to write it, sometimes I get stuck in a part, after all I want to wrap up the parts well and not to skip anything. Please leave your comments! =) I love reading them.
BTW: I don't own these characters.
Chapter 4
It was Monday evening and the guys were at the 4A eating Thai food and playing video games. The girls were at Amy's, so they were enjoying a boy's night. Stuart was talking to Howard about Mrs. Wolowitz, and Raj and Leonard were arguing about who beat who in the game.
"Your golden sword could never beat my shield of glory!"
"I guess it just did!" Leonard was smiling confidently.
"No way! You cheated."
"There's no way I cheated, why can't you accept the true?"
Howard bit a piece of his chicken, laughing at the guys' stupid argument, when he saw his phone ringing on the coffee table. It was a Skype session invitation from Sheldon.
"Hey guys! Sheldon's calling!"
Stuart didn't show much enthusiam about it, and the other guys didn't pay attention to him, as they were still arguing about who beat who.
"Hi Sheldon! It's been a while, how are things with you?"
"Hello Howard. Well, not so good exactly, I wish we could talk a little. Wait, are you in my spot?"
"Well, since you're not here, I thought that you wouldn't mind…"
Sheldon thought for a minute. Did it really matter now? It was the smallest of his problems. "Nevermind. Is Leonard there with you?"
"Sure, wanna talk to him?"
"Did I say that?"
"Well, no, I just thought you'd like to say hi."
"No, thank you. Is there a place where we can speak in private?"
"Let me move to the kitchen, just a sec." Howard stood up and sat at a stool by the island. "All right, what's up Sheldon?"
He looked down, biting his lower lip for a while. Then he looked up again. "Howard, please tell me how Amy is. I couldn't talk to her in the last few days, and I'm worried about her."
"Well… Amy's felling better, she had dinner with me and Bernie last Saturday, we had a great time."
"Good. But she told me the two of you were not taking care of her. Why did that happen?"
"In fact she mentioned that, she doesn't want to be taken care Sheldon. But Bernie and I know she needs help, and we are trying to be as supportive as she allows us."
"Ok. Did she mention something about going somewhere?"
Howard was not sure if Amy wanted Sheldon to know about her trip to the Grand Canyon, so he decided not to tell him yet. "Well… why do you ask?"
He hesitated a little. He didn't want to tell him yet he was in Texas, neither to expose his mother's issue to the guys, as he was trying to avoid Leonard. "Nothing, I'm just curious… Howard, I need to speak to you without the boys being around, can I call you tomorrow?"
"Sure, call me in the morning, Bernie leaves early to work and we can speak in private."
"Thank you, Howard. It was good to talk to you." He gave Howard a small grin.
"Good to hear from you too, Sheldon. Call me whenever you need anything, ok?"
"All right, I will. Talk to you tomorrow then. Bye."
Amy heard a knock on the door, and she was surprised Penny arrived there so quickly.
"Hi Bestie!"
"Hello Ames" She gave her best friend a warm hug. "I missed you so much!" A tear fell from her right eye, which she quickly wiped before releasing from the hug. "So, let's pack your stuff?"
The girls headed to Amy's bedroom, where two suitcases were open on her bed, ready to be filled. Penny started opening the drawers and chose a few items that Amy had to take with her. "You should definitely take this one!" Penny showed Amy the pale green dress she bought yesterday.
"Oh, Penny, I'm not sure, I feel too exposed with this one. I just bought it because Bernie insisted a lot."
"It's lovely, you'll look great in it! Just take it with you."
"All right, then." Amy smiled, feeling more confident with Penny's assurance. She went back to the kitchen to pick up a bottle of wine and poured two glasses. She went back to the room, and handed a glass to Penny. "Now aren't you going to tell me about your trip to Nebraska?"
Penny filled Amy up with all the details, telling her how her parents loved Leonard and the great time they spent there. "Can you believe Leonard rode a horse? He learned so fast! He got really close to my cousins. Look! I took a picture of him!"
"Wow!" Amy looked at the photo, giggling. "He really looks like a prince on his white horse." 'Short, but still a prince', she thought.
"Doesn't he? I love that horse, I used to ride him a lot when I was a teenager."
"And could you spend some time alone with him there?" Amy was willing to hear about the hot stuff too. Penny always had great stories to tell.
"Oh, we had a great time by the lake, you know, just the two of us, under the moonlight…"
"Sex under the stars? How romantic!" Amy blushed a little.
"Romantic? It was hot as hell!" Penny giggled, spilling all the details.
The two bags were almost done. Amy went to the kitchen to refill their glasses. Penny sat on the couch and turned the TV on. Handing the glass to Penny, she decided to change the subject a little.
"So, Bestie, how are the preparations for the wedding? Have you already bought any stuff?"
"Well, just a few things, but I'm not as excited as I thought I would be…" She looked down, staring at her glass.
"Why not?"
"I don't know, I love shopping, but searching for decorations in the internet is kind of boring and exhaustive. I'd rather do that personally, visiting the stores, seeing and touching things, you know?" Penny sighed, and looked back to Amy. "I also don't want to do that all by myself…"
"Oh Bestie, I wish I could do that with you now, but I really need to take this trip." Amy wished she wouldn't leave her Bestie alone. " I promise when I return I will help you with all the shopping."
"Thank you Ames, I'd really love that. And as I'm not working, I don't want to just go spending Leonard's money either. You know how compulsive I can be, so I need to be careful."
"Of course, when I return I can also help you plan the costs!"
Penny smiled, and as she began to speak again they heard a knock on the door.
"Hi Bernie!"
"Hey Amy! I'm glad you invited me, I didn't want to spend all night taking care of my mother-in-law."
"What about Stuart?" Amy asked.
"We let him take a break from her tonight, so he could spend the night playing with the guys. But she's fine, she went to bed earlier and I left a few cookies and a glass of milk beside her in case she was hungry."
"Those Valium cookies you prepared in the lab?" Amy stared at Bernie.
"Of course not! I'd never do that kind of thing." Bernie answered with an innocent smirk on her face.
The girls talked all night, drinking wine and gossiping. Neither Penny nor Bernie mentioned Sheldon, and Amy didn't bring him up to the conversation either. Leonard and Howard picked them up later, and they all gave Amy a tight goodbye hug. Amy was a little emotive because of the wine and dropped a few tears. She was really going to miss her friends. Raj also showed up with Emily to say goodbye. He offered to take her to the station. She accepted, she could use some help with the bags, and she wouldn't need to leave her car at the parking lot. Raj would pick her up at 6 am, as her train departed at 7:15, and she needed to arrive there thirty minutes earlier.
After they all left, Amy went straight to bed. She didn't remember to check Sheldon's messages. She was so drunk and tired that she fell asleep just after she laid her head on the pillow.
Sheldon was upset he couldn't tell Howard about his mom and his trip to Texas. He turned to his back in bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about Amy. He couldn't lose her. He would talk to Howard in the morning and ask for his help. He wanted her to be there with him, he needed her. No, he loved her. Meemaw made him realize his feelings for Amy, and now all he could think about was how he would manage to tell her that. But first he needed to ask her to come to Texas to be with him. After all he was spending at least 2 more weeks there until his mom recovers from the surgery.
As he definitely couldn't sleep, he decided to make himself a cup of warm milk, and went downstairs. Noticing that the light from the porch was on, he went outside and saw Ron sitting on the bench, wrapped in a blanket, drinking a cup of tea.
"Can't sleep either?"
"Oh, hi Sheldon, I didn't see you coming. Take a sit."
"Ok. Why are you here? It's late already. Are you worried about my mom?"
"Yeah. You know, I see her every day, but I miss her a lot. I wish she was home with me, not spending the night alone at that hospital." Ron was a little embarrassed to share that with Sheldon, but somehow he felt comfortable about it.
"Well, I know how you feel. I really wish Amy was here with me. It would make things much better. She makes me feel stronger. I just never told her that. I can't believe the coward I've been lately… Not only lately, but in my entire life. I've never been ready for feelings or intimacy, and now I find myself craving for that, and I just don't know what to do."
"Sheldon, I spent the last fifteen years avoiding meeting someone new. I now regret it so badly. I wish I had found your mom earlier, my life would have been a lot better. But God knows what he's doing, he waited for Mary to be ready for me too."
Sheldon remembered how his mom was devastated after the death of his father, and he was happy she had overcome her sadness and could start a new life with Ron. He was a good man, after all.
"Don't worry, Ron, she will be back before you notice. After the surgery she will be able to come home for recovery."
"I know that Sheldon, but it still sounds so far from now. Time is passing really slowly, it seems like forever since I took her to the hospital."
The two men talked for a while before feeling really tired. They went to bed and were finally able to sleep. The next morning, Sheldon woke up early, prepared breakfast for them and then went to his room to call Howard on Skype.
"Hello Howard."
"Hi Sheldon. How are you feeling today?" Howard smiled, trying to cheer Sheldon up.
"Feeling better, thank you."
"So, what was so important you needed to tell me in private?"
Sheldon looked down for a while, choosing the right words. He looked up again, staring at the screen. "Howard, what I'm going to tell you needs to stay just between us. At least until I'm comfortable enough to tell the other guys about it."
"Ok Sheldon, you know you can trust me. I won't tell anyone."
"Not even Bernadette?"
"No, I promise." Howard gave him an affirmative look.
"All right, then." He paused for a while, and continued. "I'm in Texas visiting my mother. When I arrived here on Sunday I found out... she was... in hospital." A tear fell on his cheek. "She has a tumor in her stomach, and she needs to go through surgery."
Howard had a sad look on his face. "And you just found it out when you arrived? Why didn't they tell you before? How long has she been in hospital?"
"She's been there for 2 weeks now. Missy told me she didn't want to tell me because she was not comfortable with sharing the news about her moving in with her boyfriend."
"That guy you saw with her in our trip to Houston?"
"Exactly. I was really upset when Missy told me that over the phone last week. I decided to take a train to Galveston and confront her, but as I arrived I... received the news about her tumor."
"Oh Sheldon, I'm sorry about your mom. But is the tumor benignant or malignant? What did the doctor say?"
"It's benignant, and she will probably recover well from the surgery, but she lost a lot of weight and looks so fragile. I've never seen her like that before." Sheldon started sobbing, he couldn't control himself anymore. Howard stood there, waiting for him to recover and be able to continue talking. As it didn't happen, he tried to cheer him up.
"Sheldon, she will be fine. Don't worry about that." He remembered his own mom's condition, which was much simpler than that, and all the trouble she put him and Bernie until Stuart started taking care of her. Just for picturing his mom with a tumor he got pale and started shaking, letting a few tears escape.
"Thanks Howard." Sheldon was still trying to wipe away his tears, when he looked at the screen again and with a serious tone he began speaking again. "Could you please help me to tell my Amy I need her here with me? She just won't answer my messages, I can't lose her now."
"I… I didn't tell you yesterday, but she left today Sheldon."
Sheldon's eyes popped out. He felt he was about to faint. "What… What do you mean by she left? Where did she go, Howard?" He spoke in a fragile, weak voice.
"She decided to go on a trip a few days ago. I was not sure if she wanted you to know about it. She took the train this morning. Raj was supposed to pick her up at 6 and drop her there."
"And where did she go?"
"She had plans to visit the Grand Canyon, and then she would decide what to do after that. She wanted to experience the same as you, she thought it would be good for her too." Howard was surprised he didn't yell at him when he told the whole truth.
"If only she knew how that 'experience' made me miserable, it didn't help me at all, Howard! I'm lonely, away from all my friends, away from her. I need her here with me now more than anything."
"Well, I'll try to call her Sheldon, what do you want me to tell her?"
"Just tell her she needs to call me, it's really important. Don't tell her about my mom yet, I want to talk to her personally. But please be convincing. Could you do that?"
"I guess so, I'll try to call her today and ask her to call you back. I need to go to work now, but I'll let you informed about it. But please be patient, I don't know if she will answer me straight away."
"Fair enough. Thanks a lot Howard, you're a good friend."
"No problem, Sheldon. I'm glad you opened up with me, you're also a good friend."
"I remember you saying that this trip would be something we could both enjoy. Did you mean that or you were just trying to trick me?"
"Fine, it's true. I deserve romance, and I didn't know what else to make it happen."
"Well, if you want romance, let's have romance!"
Sheldon drank a bit of Amy's wine, stared at her eyes, and suddenly kissed her, moving closer to her. He gripped her hip and deepened the kiss. Amy placed her arms around his neck, and without breaking the kiss Sheldon slowly moved her to the next wagon, where there was a lounge area with a loveseat by the corner. He opened the door and they moved to the seat, where he leaned her down and pinned her, slowly removing her cardigan. She started unbuttoning his shirt, loosening his tie, and she could see his bare chest. He lifted her a little to unzip her dress from behind, lowering it slowly, exposing her bra. He kissed her neck, moving his head to her chest and he unhooked her bra. Amy kissed Sheldon hard, removing his shirt and moving her hand to his belt. She looked at the door to the wagon and saw Eric knocking on it, looking at them through the glass.
"Go away!" She yelled, gesturing with her hands.
He kept on knocking. How inappropriate! Suddenly, she heard a song… And Amy woke up, realizing it was her phone ringing.
"Hello?"
"Amy! Where are you? I've been knocking on your door for almost 15 minutes!"
"RAJ!" Amy yelled, realizing she overslept. "I'll be right there!"
She jumped from bed, straightening her hair and picking up her glasses from the bedside table. She opened the door quickly letting him in.
"Raj, I'm so sorry! I think I was too drunk and I overslept! Please take a sit, I'll be ready in a minute!"
"Ok, Amy, go! We're so late!"
She ran to her bedroom and closed the door. She grabbed the first clothes she could find and got dressed. Luckily her luggage was ready beside her bed. She ran back to the living room, carrying the bags with her. Raj helped Amy and she grabbed her purse on the table and closed the front door.
They were 30 minutes behind schedule. Raj drove really fast through the streets of Glendale, and managed to arrive at the station at 7 am. He picked her bags up from the trunk and helped her until they arrived at the departure area. She kissed and hugged Raj, and he had tears in his eyes.
"We'll all miss you, young lady. Take care, and call us whenever it's possible!"
"I'll miss you all too! Let me take a picture of the two of us, I want to remember this moment before I leave." Amy searched for her phone in her bag, but couldn't find it. "Raaaaaaaaj! I think I left my phone at home! Oh my God! What am I going to do?"
"Oh no! Amy, how could you forget that?"
"I don't know, I think I left it on my bed!"
"Well, do the following, take my iPhone with you, and I'll pick yours at your apartment and we switch them back when you return, that's all we can do now."
"Thanks, Raj! You're so kind! Emily is lucky to have a sweet guy like you." Raj blushed, and hugged his friend once more. She handed him the key to her apartment.
"Thank you Amy, and let's take a picture anyway! I'll tell the guys later that you'll be using my number."
They took a nice picture, showing the length of the train behind them, and both smiled. The picture went straight to Raj's Facebook.
Amy entered in the train, waving goodbye to her Indian friend, and hoped she would enjoy that trip more than ever.
