A/N: I am terribly sorry I've taken so long to post this. This is one of the original scenes that popped in my head when I first thought of this story. I've been impatiently waiting to write it for a while now. Of course, once I finally started writing, it didn't end up the way I wanted, so I had to scrap it and start over. But, I'm finally done with it and I think you guys will like this one. Fingers crossed. The next half of Part 4 should be up very soon, hopefully sometime this weekend. Anyway, enjoy! I probably won't be publishing anything next week because I will be in New York watching Jim Parsons in Harvey!
Disclaimer: I do not own The Big Bang Theory or its characters.
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Part 4: The Intolerable Ailment Catalyst
When Leonard stepped out of his bedroom one mid-January morning, he noticed a distinct lack of sound in the apartment. There was no rush of running water in the bathroom, no noise from the television, and no clatter of a cereal bowl in the sink. He cautiously walked down the hallway and peeked into the silent living room. There was no sign of Sheldon. He shrugged and walked toward the coffee pot. It was while he was pouring the hot liquid into his usual mug that he heard the sniffle. Pausing mid-pour, he looked toward the hallway and listened for another sound. He heard a cough. His eyes widened and he raced as quietly as possible down the hallway, abandoning his mug of coffee on the countertop. He was back in the living room moments later, checking his pockets for his keys and wallet, when a weak voice drifted from the hallway.
"Leonard…" it said.
"Shit," Leonard muttered to himself. He eyed the hallway, waiting for the inevitable next sentence.
"Leonard, I'm sick," came Sheldon's voice.
Leonard looked between the hallway and the front door several times before finally inching toward the exit. He silently walked out the door, closing it firmly. Once outside, he relaxed against the wall and pulled out his phone. He sent a quick three word text to Howard and Raj, knowing they would understand its meaning. After all, "Code Milky Green" could only mean one thing.
Inside Sheldon's bedroom, the invalid was still weakly calling for his roommate. Receiving no answer, he realized that he was alone. He texted Leonard, Howard, and Raj, but he had a feeling he would get no answer from them. He knew they hated taking care of him when he was sick, but he couldn't understand why.
His next thought was to call Penny. She had taken care of him before and even admonished the others for abandoning him in his weak state. Surely she would do it again. However, he quickly remembered that she was out of town, having a spa weekend with Bernadette and her fellow bridesmaids. "Drat," he said, as he realized that Amy was with her. That meant the only person around who might be able to nurse him back to health was the newest member of their group. Groaning, he texted Julie.
"Julie, would you be so kind as to come to my apartment and fix me soup. I am sick."
He waited for an answer. After about five minutes, he got it. "Are you serious? You can't fix your own soup?"
"Of course I can't. I'm sick," was his reply.
"Why can't Leonard do it?"
"He ran away."
"I'm already at work. I'll come by on my lunch break. Just drink some juice or something."
Satisfied with her answer, but still hungry, he put his phone on his nightstand and curled up under the covers.
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Julie knocked on the door a little after noon. Sheldon answered the door and she laughed when she saw that he was cocooned in his comforter. "How can I help you, Sheldon?" she asked him.
"You may help me by making me some soup," he said. "Chicken noodle. Heated to 180 degrees exactly."
"Um," she said confusedly, "okay. Chicken noodle soup it is, then. Where do you keep the cans?"
"They're in the second cabinet to the right of the refrigerator. Bottom shelf."
"Okay. I'll get right on it," she said as she headed toward the kitchen. As Sheldon shuffled back toward his room, she asked if he wanted tea with it.
"Well of course I do. With honey and lemon. The honey is in the first –"
"I'll find it, Sheldon. You go rest now."
He made his way down the hallway while Julie filled the tea kettle. She hummed to herself while she opened the can of soup and poured it into the first pan she found. She smiled and shook her head at the organized kitchen. Maybe I should get Sheldon to put my kitchen in order, she thought to herself.
When the soup was done to Sheldon's specifications, she poured it into a bowl and grabbed a spoon from the silverware drawer. The tea was steaming in a nearby mug. She walked down the hall and knocked on his bedroom door. "Yes?" he said from inside.
She opened the door and took a step inside.
"People can't be in my bedroom, Julie," he cried.
"People!" she said dramatically. "I ain't people!"
"'Ain't' is not a word," he proclaimed.
"Yes, I am aware of that," she sighed. "It's a line from a movie. Nevermind. Your soup's ready. Want me to bring it in here?"
"Why would I want soup in my room? I can't eat in my room."
"I should have known," she muttered to herself. "It's on the kitchen counter," she said to him. With that, she walked back down the hall. He hurried along behind her, grasping his comforter tighter to his body.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"Home. I have to eat lunch and get back to work."
"You can't leave! Who will put Vaporub on my chest?"
She thought about it for a minute. "Fine. I'll stay. But, I still need lunch. I'll go eat at my apartment and be back in a few minutes."
Sheldon nodded and she walked out. He sat down and ate his food while he waited for her to return. When she came back in, he led her to his room. "I thought you said people aren't allowed in here," she said when they went inside.
"You have permission to enter, just this once."
She smiled while he was turned the other way.
He lay on the bed and pointed at the small jar of ointment on his dresser. She sighed and picked it up while he snuggled under his sheets. She was momentarily distracted when he unbuttoned his pajama top and pulled down his white t-shirt to reveal his chest, but she shook it off and opened the jar. She wrinkled her nose as she dipped her fingers into the substance. She rubbed her hands together.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Warming it up first so it's not cold when I put it on you," she replied.
"Oh. Okay. Rub it counter-clockwise, please," he said when he was convinced she knew what she was doing.
She pressed her hands on his chest and started moving them in a circle. She could feel his heart thumping in his chest. It seemed to gain speed as she slowly moved her hands. She looked at his face, but he averted his eyes and blushed. "I'm feeling quite feverish," he said in an attempt to explain his red face. "Perhaps you should leave before you get sick too."
"I'll be fine, Sheldon. I rarely get sick." She stopped rubbing his chest and put the lid back on the jar.
"I think I should sleep now," he said.
"That's probably a good idea. I'll go hang out in the living room. If you need me, just call my name."
She started walking toward his bedroom door, but stopped when he asked her to wait.
"I need to hear 'Soft Kitty' before I can fall asleep," he said.
Julie looked confused. "I don't know what that is," she said.
"It's a song for when you're sick," he explained. "My mother always sings it to me."
Julie laughed, but then she realized that he wasn't joking. "Wait. You're serious?"
"Of course I am. I don't joke about 'Soft Kitty.'"
"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't know that song. I could probably learn it if you taught me," she said.
"I want Penny to sing it."
"Penny's not here, Sheldon."
"Can you call her?"
Julie thought about telling him no and leaving, but his sad puppy face made the decision for her. She pulled out her phone and dialed Penny's number. She put it on speakerphone.
"Hey, Julie! What's up?" Penny asked.
"Oh, nothing much. Just nursing Sheldon back to health." She heard Penny groan. "You're on speaker, by the way."
"Oh," Penny said. "So, why'd you call? I'm in the middle of a massage."
"Would you mind singing 'Soft Kitty' for Sheldon? He says he wants to hear you sing it or he can't fall asleep."
They heard a sigh from the other end of the line. "Okay, fine. But, I'm only singing it once." With that, she began to sing the simple tune. When it was over, Sheldon looked satisfied. "Is that all?" Penny asked.
"Yep. Thanks, Penny," Julie replied.
There was muffled talking on the other end of the line, then a gasp. "Oh, God!" Penny cried suddenly. "The masseuse just asked if I was singing to my kid. I'm going to kill you guys when I get home!"
Julie grimaced. "Sorry. We'll see you Sunday!" She hung up the phone before Penny could say anything else. "Ok, great. We've managed to embarrass Penny, but at least you got your song. Time to nap now," she said as she began to tuck him in. He already had his eyes closed and seemed unsympathetic to Penny's plight. Julie shook her head and got up from her position on the edge of his bed. She quietly exited the room.
Once in the living room, she scanned Sheldon and Leonard's stack of DVDs and picked something to watch while Sheldon napped. It was going to be a long day.
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Leonard spent as much time as possible avoiding the apartment that day. He stayed later than usual at work and went out to a restaurant for dinner. For once, he didn't have to drive anyone around town or eat the standard Friday night fare. It was a nice change of pace. He met Howard at the comic book store after dinner. Although he'd just been there two nights before, it was a different experience without Sheldon around.
"So, are you going home tonight or will you be driving around town until Sheldon feels better?" Howard asked him.
"Oh, I'll go home eventually. I'll just wait until he's asleep," Leonard answered. "He sticks to his schedule even when he's sick."
Howard nodded and continued staring at the newest Wonder Woman bust. "That woman definitely has a nice pair of… wonders," he said. Leonard looked at him in disgust. "What? I'm just trying to appreciate the finer things in life."
Leonard shook his head and walked away. Howard eventually followed.
"So, where's Raj?" Leonard asked. "I thought he was going to meet us here."
Howard shrugged. "No idea. He texted me and said he'd be a little late. He had something important to do, but he wouldn't tell me what it was."
At that moment, Raj walked through the door, followed by an unexpected visitor. Leonard looked up to see Priya walking toward him. Raj had an apologetic look on his face.
"Hi, Leonard," she said as she moved toward him.
"Priya," Leonard said noncommittally.
"I'm sorry to just show up like this, but I had a conference in town and I thought it might be nice to see you. You haven't been answering my calls."
"No, I haven't," he confirmed.
"Leonard, I really think we should talk."
He silently flipped through the rows of comic books without looking at her.
"Please," she said.
Eyes still downcast, he replied, "Fine." He looked around then. "But not here. Meet me tomorrow morning at Peet's on South Lake. I need to go to the lab tomorrow, and it's on the way."
"Oh, are you working on something important?" she asked.
"No. I'm just trying to stay out of the apartment. Sheldon's sick."
"Oh, ok," she said, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow then." She walked back over to Raj, grabbed his keys, and walked out the door. Leonard relaxed.
"Dude, I forgot she was coming to town," Raj said. "She wanted to see you. I didn't know what to do."
"It's fine, Raj," he said. "Really."
Raj still looked embarrassed. "Well, I guess I'd better go. She's waiting in the car. Sorry I can't stay and hang out." He waved at them as he left.
"This weekend just keeps getting better and better," Leonard complained.
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Sheldon rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he walked down the hallway. He'd heard sounds coming from the living room, but couldn't figure out why they were so familiar. When he got to the living room, he saw Julie lounging on the couch, in his spot.
"Move," he said, which brought her attention to the ailing physicist. "You're in my spot."
"Oops," she said as she scooted over to the middle cushion. "Feeling better?"
"No." He shuffled into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of apple juice before going into the living room to sit next to her. "What are you doing?"
"Watching BSG," she said. "It's the one where Helo is investigating the Sagittaron deaths. Not a very exciting episode, but at least it's better than 'Black Market.'"
Sheldon stared at her with eyes wide. "You like Battlestar Galactica?" he asked.
"Yeah. It's pretty awesome. I don't have the DVDs though."
"You're watching my DVDs without my permission?"
"What was I supposed to do?" she asked. "You didn't want me to leave, and you were asleep so I couldn't ask. I can't just sit here and twiddle my thumbs all day, you know."
"Very well. Please ask me the next time you decide to use my things," he said.
"You wanna watch with me?" she asked him, tilting her head to the side.
"I suppose so," he answered. "It is a very good show, after all. I can't turn down an invitation like that."
She grinned at him and turned back to face the TV. Without warning, she sneezed. Sheldon leaned away in horror, pulling the neck of his t-shirt up to cover face.
"Sorry. I think I may have caught whatever bug you've got," she said.
"You don't know that for certain," he said, his voice muffled by the cotton shirt. "Maybe you have something else. There's no telling what diseases you may possibly have." He glared at her over the fabric.
She glared back. "That was very insulting, Sheldon. I don't have to be here, you know. I'm only doing this to help out a friend."
"You mean, we're friends?" asked Sheldon curiously.
"Well, I should hope so! I don't just cook soup for anybody." She smiled at him then and he smiled back.
He sat for a minute in thought and slowly lowered his makeshift mask. "Okay. But if I do get sick again, I'm blaming you."
"Deal." She nodded. "So, how would you even know if you had two sicknesses at once?"
"I'm a scientist. I would just know," he said with a smirk.
She merely laughed and turned back to the watch the show.
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Leonard arrived home a little after midnight. When he walked in the door, he was shocked to see the two people on the couch. Sheldon was in his spot, of course, and Julie was beside him. They were both asleep. He was amazed at how comfortable they looked together. Julie's head was resting lightly on his roommate's shoulder. They were both wrapped up in blankets and the Battlestar Galactica DVD menu was on the TV. Leonard tiptoed silently into his bedroom, leaving the couple to their sleep.
Julie awoke at the sound of Leonard's bedroom door closing. She sat upright and looked over at Sheldon resting peacefully. She softly patted his rumpled hair and moved her hand down to rest on his cheek for a moment. "Poor baby," she said. She removed her hand and got up from the couch without disturbing him. She turned off the TV and left for her own apartment with a smile on her face.
Hours later, Sheldon woke up complaining to himself about the crick in his neck, but he lost his train of thought when he vaguely remembered a soft, warm hand on his cheek during the night. He groggily walked to his room and drifted off to sleep again, dreaming of his neighbor's soft, brown hair cascading over his shoulder. It smelled like mango.
