She was important to him. He was important to the world.
:Drought:
He sat by her bed and held her hand gently. He dare not apply too much pressure. She was wasting away before his very eyes. Her skin, once glowing with good health was now paper thin and fragile. Her cheeks were sunken and her lips chapped. Her hair was lank and lifeless. She opened her eyes and tried to smile at him.
"How's it going Moon Pie?" Her voice was raspy and weak.
Sheldon reached for the water bottle but she shook her head.
"No," she gasped out. "Don't waste it."
Sheldon laid his head on the mattress and sobbed. "Please, Penny. You can't leave me."
"Want to hear a story?" she asked softly. "Once upon a time there was this princess. She was cute and perky. She lived in a castle with her best friends. One was a troll named Wolowitz. Not pleasant to look at, but he had a good heart. There was a minstrel named Koothrappali. He played a flute and danced all day. There was a hunchback named Hofstadter who was whiny, but he provided them all with food. And there was a great wizard named Sheldor. He was brave and smart. The princess loved him best of all. Because he looked beyond her appearance, to the lonely little girl inside. He watched over her, and cared for her. One day there was a disaster. All the water in the kingdom disappeared. The villagers were devastated. The princess knew that the wizard could fix it though, if he just had enough time. But time was short. So she planned. She saved her rations of water and hid it away. When the time came, she would be able to provide him with water to keep going until he found a solution." Sheldon gasped, but Penny kept taking. "See, whatever happened to her, she needed him to live on. She was just a spoiled princess. But him? He was special. He was important. The princess was fading away, but with her dying breath she told him where the water was she had hid."
Penny looked up into Sheldon's eyes. "I don't know the rest. Sheldon? Do you think the wizard succeeded?"
Sheldon dashed away the tears in his eyes. "Yes, Penny. He saves the kingdom. But he grieves for the princess. He loves her, you know."
Penny smiled tenderly. "She loved him too." Penny was overtaken by a coughing spell that left her even weaker. Sheldon felt her pulse stutter. "Sweetie, my closet ..." Her pulse stuttered again and then stopped altogether.
He sat there until she was cold. Then he drew up the blanket and covered her completely. With a heavy heart he moved to the closet and opened it up. He moved the clothes and shoes and looked at the back wall carefully. A small steel hoop was set to one side. He tugged it and gasped. From floor to ceiling she had stacked bottles and jugs of water. If rationed carefully, there was enough for at least a year. Sheldon sank to the floor and cried. She had sacrificed her life for his.
8 Months Later, Washington D.C.
Sheldon looked out the window of his office. The view of the Potomac River was breathtaking. Granted the river was little more than a narrow creek at the moment, but soon it would be a full size river again. He looked at the picture frame in his hands. He was holding his Nimoy napkin, and she was wearing that silly santa hat. Her arm was around his shoulder and they were both smiling. Him from the joy of his gift, and her, because she was just happy he had hugged her.
"I did it, Penny," he whispered. "You said I could and I did. I miss you so much, princess." A single tear slid down his face as he turned back to the vista before him.