13
Sheldon woke to the sound of vomiting. Feeling his own gorge rising, it took him a moment to remember it wasn't Leonard expelling the remnants of a late night with Penny. He took several deep breaths, hoping the bile he was tasting in the back of his throat would subside so he could face Amy. No doubt she would appreciate his help, and he was honor-bound to offer it.
Sliding on his slippers and robe, Sheldon made his way to the bathroom only to be assailed with the sound of even more violent retching. He inhaled and exhaled three times, steeling himself before knocking three times.
"Just come in!" Amy yelled, before she started heaving again. She was sitting on the floor, head hanging over the bowl of the toilet, with her right hand twisted in her hair to hold it back. She looked up at him and he was shocked. Her eyes were red rimmed and her complexion so pale, he understood the meaning of the phrase "death warmed over."
"Amy! Are you all right?"
Amy was sucking in great lungfuls of air. "Do I look all right?" she snapped.
"You most certainly do not! Your eyes are bloodshot, your face is gray; you look like a zombie!"
"Thanks, Sheldon, you always say the sweetest things," she muttered. He pondered her response, then it dawned on him she might not be serious.
"Sarcasm?"
"Ya think?" She started to vomit again, causing Sheldon to feel completely helpless. He should offer Amy some comfort, but he was at a loss how to accomplish that. It took a couple of tries, but finally he managed to lay a hand on her back, patting gently.
"There, there," he said, as his gaze travelled around the bathroom, looking anywhere but in the direction of Amy or the toilet. The muscles of her back relaxed some, but Sheldon didn't remove his hand. She felt cold beneath the flannel of her nightgown, and he found his hand had been unconsciously making circular motions in an effort to soothe her. He started to pull his hand away when it occurred to him he'd managed to care for her before when she had the flu. She didn't even have anything potentially contagious this time. He could do this.
"I'll be right back," he said, giving her back one more reassuring pat. There was an old quilt on the top shelf of his closet he could wrap around her as she sat on the cold tile. Gathering the comforter, Sheldon raced back to the bathroom, wrapping the blanket around Amy's shoulders.
"Thank you, Sheldon," she gasped. Her voice sounded weak, and he wished there was something else he could do to make her feel better. "Could you get me a cup of water please?"
Grateful to have a task, Sheldon quickly filled a Dixie cup, then handed it to her. "Don't drink it too fast," he warned.
"I'm not going to drink it. I don't think anything will stay down at the moment. I just want to rinse my mouth out." She did that, continuing to take deep, steadying breaths. "I think I might be done," she said. "You don't have to stay here."
Sheldon took a seat on the edge of the tub. "It's all right. I want to make sure you're going to be okay." He fidgeted for a bit, then said, "Did you know so-called morning sickness, also known as nausea gravidarum, can happen at any time of the day? And that it's thought that the reason for it is your body is protecting itself from toxins that may be harmful to the developing child? Apparently your immune system is lowered so as not to reject the fetus and. . ."
Pulling the quilt tighter around her, Amy lay her head against the toilet, eyes closed. "Thank you, Sheldon, you can go. I'll be fine. Eventually," she added. "It's not like this is the first time this has happened."
"It isn't? Amy, why didn't you tell me?"
She opened her eyes, giving him a malevolent stare. "Our communication was down to texting. Did you want me to send, 'not now, I'm vomiting?'"
Sheldon hated to be found lacking. Obviously he'd been too wrapped up in his own misery to consider hers, and it was a bit of an eye-opener to realize how much she'd done to spare him. "You should have made me aware of your physical distress."
"Whatever, Sheldon," she sighed, closing her eyes once more. He didn't care for her dismissal, but on some level he knew she was justified.
"Well, I guess I'm just going to have to make sure to take care of you from now on," he said, brusquely. "Now, brush your teeth and come lie down on the sofa while I make you some tea," he ordered.
Amy smiled weakly. "You should probably include a bowl next to the couch if you want me to move."
"Very well." Sheldon leaned over to help her stand, guiding her to the sink. "Are you okay, or do you want me to make sure you stay upright?"
Amy grasped the side of the sink. "I'll be all right." The quilt slipped from her shoulders and Sheldon started to pick it up. "Just leave it," she said. "I'll get it in a minute." Nodding, Sheldon left her to clean up.
Concentrating on making tea and getting his own breakfast, Sheldon realized he was actually glad Amy was here. Upon hearing she'd been experiencing morning sickness, he'd felt stirrings of guilt at his lack of attention to his girlfriend. Surely she could have invoked the clause from the Relationship Agreement about caring for each other had she wanted, but she'd chosen not to. Maybe, because at the time, she was still mad at him.
Sheldon heard the sound of the bathroom door and looked up to see Amy making her way over to the sofa. She'd wrapped the comforter around herself once more and was taking small steps so as not to trip. Grabbing the bowl he often placed next to Leonard when he'd imbibed too much, Sheldon placed it on the floor near the couch, then helped her to sit down. It was probably the most he'd ever touched her, he realized. Fortunately, it was mostly through his quilt.
"I'm making you some peppermint tea," he informed her. "It'll help calm your stomach and take away some of that nasty taste in your mouth." He pulled the sofa pillow over, gently pushing her to lie down.
Amy closed her eyes with a sigh. "Thank you, Sheldon." He fussed with the blanket for a moment, tucking her in. He wasn't sure, but he thought she'd drifted off to sleep already. Now he was torn. Did he finish her tea and make her wake up to drink it, or did he let her sleep? He looked back at the kitchen, then back at Amy. The kettle was starting to whistle and he moved to take it from the heat. He looked back at Amy, then the kettle in his hand, then Amy. What was he supposed to do?
Finally, he poured water into his own mug, and opted to let Amy sleep. It wouldn't take long to re-heat the water. Choosing his cereal from the high-fiber end of the spectrum, Sheldon fixed a bowl and sat at the kitchen island facing the living room so he could watch for signs of Amy waking. As he dug into his bran flakes, he contemplated calling in to the University. His schedule was already hopelessly off course, and he didn't like the thought of leaving Amy when she didn't feel well. He knew she'd taken time off from work to perpetuate the idea they'd taken a traditional honeymoon. What a ridiculous notion! He thought, laughing to himself and shaking his head.
Still, it would be a viable excuse should he decide to take the day off. Once word of his impulsive marriage reached Kripke, the man would be assuming he was giving Amy's sex organs a proper jostling. It might cause more questions if he showed up for work than if he didn't. With that thought in mind, Sheldon called in, taking a personal day. He'd decide later if he was going to take more vacation.
xxxxxx
It was late when Amy woke up; she could tell by the light slanting through the apartment's windows. Sitting up, pushing the quilt off, she blinked as she looked around Sheldon's living room. For a moment she was disoriented, unsure what she was doing on his couch in her nightgown. Right. She lived here now. She'd gotten sick again this morning and Sheldon had cared for her. She smiled slightly, remembering how for the most part, he'd been comforting. The whole diatribe about the causes of morning sickness could have been avoided, though. . . .
The living room and kitchen were empty, and Amy assumed Sheldon had gone to work. Funny, she hadn't heard Leonard come for him, or Sheldon leave for that matter. She must have really been tired to sleep through all that. Folding the quilt Sheldon had given her, Amy dropped it back onto the sofa, unsure where it was normally stored. Knowing Sheldon, however, she was sure it was going to have to be thoroughly laundered before it could be replaced.
She remembered something about him mentioning tea, but seeing no mug on the coffee table, she decided he hadn't made it. No doubt she'd fallen asleep before it was finished. Crossing to the kitchen, she spotted the yellow mug with a tea bag resting in it; her assumption had been correct. Amy placed the kettle on the stove and realized her nausea had receded, leaving her ravenous. She was standing on tip-toe trying to see what cereal Sheldon had when she heard a voice behind her.
"Oh, good. You're up."
Amy shrieked, whirling around so fast she nearly lost her balance. "Sheldon! What are you doing here?"
He looked thoroughly confused. "I live here."
Amy's hand covered her racing heart. "Yes, I know that. What are you doing here now? Why aren't you at work?"
"You were sick."
"It's not like it doesn't go away. I told you I've been sick before and even I went to work. You didn't have to stay home to take care of me." Sheldon looked uneasy and immediately she regretted chastising him. "Sheldon, I'm sorry. You just startled me, and I don't want to be the cause of keeping you from work."
"Oh, you're not the reason," he said, waving his hand. Amy recognized he couldn't admit he was concerned about her. "Although, I suppose in a round about way, you are."
"Sheldon, you're not making any sense."
"Well, initially you took off work to appear as though we'd gone on a wedding trip. Though now it seems fortuitous since you were sick half the night." Amy knew sooner or later he would get to his point, but at the moment she was having a hard time following his logic. "I thought the same ruse might be of use to me as well. Kripke would no doubt badger me endlessly should I not be exercising my marital rights for the expected period of time. Plus, I'm always being encouraged to take a vacation. All in all it seemed in my best interest that I take some time off, and that came as a result of having marrying you."
"I see," Amy said shaking her head. How ever you have to justify it. "So, now that I'm feeling better, did you want to do something?"
"We aren't actually going to have a honeymoon," he snorted as if the very idea was preposterous.
"No, I suppose we aren't," she sighed. Her water was hot and she used fixing her tea as a distraction. "How about this," she said, dunking her tea bag. She'd opted for the peppermint Sheldon had already selected. "We go out for breakfast."
"Amy! It's nearly lunch time!"
"Maybe for you, but I'm hungry and I want breakfast and I don't want to fix it." She hadn't meant to snap at him, but she was tired of everything being a battle with him. "How about we go to some place that serves breakfast all day? You can have lunch, and I can have eggs."
"I eat lunch at the CalTech cafeteria." He was shaking his head. "They don't serve eggs."
"You could try some place new."
By the way he was moving around, Amy could see he was getting upset. "I eat lunch at the CalTech cafeteria with my friends," he restated.
It wasn't worth the fight, Amy decided. She was sure there were going to be bigger things she was going to want him to compromise on other than breakfast. "Fine. Hand me the Lucky Charms, would you?" He started to reach for the cereal, then turned to her.
"You really should eat something healthier."
Amy rubbed her forehead. She was starting to get a headache. "I don't like bran cereal."
"I'll make you some eggs if you don't want to cook."
Why couldn't he have offered that in the first place? She thought. Taking a deep breath, she gave him a strained smile. "Thank you, Sheldon. I'm going to go get dressed." She left the room before he could comment or she said something she was going to regret.