Chapter 29: Eruption
Niki's anger at Sheldon finally comes out…forcefully. Can this couple ever patch things up after her outburst? *Any similarities between Niki's words and those of Amy on the season opener are purely coincidental. I wrote this chapter weeks ago, not Monday night. It was kinda neat to see that, though.
Various thoughts flashed through Niki's mind before she next spoke. He was taking his meds the entire time he was acting like a jerk to me. He was taking his meds when he buddied up with that Powers woman. Why did he talk to me so rudely when he was taking his Paxil? Why?
Finally, with tears and anger battling for supremacy in her eyes, Niki asked him, "Why?"
Sheldon was puzzled and responded with a confused, "Why what?"
"Why were you treating me so badly and why did you get friendly with Heather Powers? I thought those things happened because you hadn't been taking your Paxil. That's why I flew all the way over here, to give you your damn pills. If you had been taking them, then why? Why were you so mean to me and why did you start hanging with HER when you should have been talking to me, your wife?"
Sheldon crossed his arms and began to speak slowly and methodically to his wife, as if he were addressing a small child, "First, I believe I clearly explained those whys to you. I was lonely and missed you. I missed our home, our friends, and our daughter. That, dear lady, is 'why'. You know I don't handle change well. I have always had an aversion to change. I do believe that has something to do with my extraordinarily high IQ which occasionally leads me to exhibit some form of social awkwardness. Niki, that is something I would hope you understand after all this time knowing me. As I recall, and my recall skills are unparalleled, you quit talking to me. That is why I befriended Dr. Powers. You shut down on me in a silly snit and she was willing to listen to me. As far as you flying all the way over here, that one is completely on you. I never requested that you do so, it was entirely your idea. Does that explain my actions to you, Niki?"
Her response to his words was both immediate and acidic, "Sheldon, here's my response to that. As of this moment, I am no longer running a daycare center. It's more than time you manned up and started acting like a responsible adult. Poor little Sheldon. You must all make allowances for me. I'm special, I'm a genius. NO MORE! In case it has escaped your attention, we're ALL geniuses at Pentagram. Merely smart people don't win Nobel prizes, get picked to travel to the space station, or run their own research center. In our little group, you're not special, you're just slightly above average. Live with it. I'm very intelligent and so are Howard, Raj, and Leonard. I've got a suggestion for you, Cooper. Why don't you put on your big boy pants and start acting like a regular husband and father? The change just might do you good!" With that, Niki turned swiftly and left the apartment, slamming the door behind her.
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After Niki had left, Sheldon looked over at his friends and sadly asked, "What now?"
Leonard stared at the now closed apartment door and answered dryly, "Well, off the top of my head I'd say I see an ad in your future: Single white male, 49. 6'1", 165 lbs. Physicist. 187 IQ. Seeks single female with same qualifications. Okay, just kidding, buddy. But I can tell you this, you are mistaking Niki's anger for her being uncaring and caustic and she is mistaking your focus on your feelings of frustration and loneliness for indifference or selfishness. And none of those are true. You guys need to talk to each other when you are both calm. Give her a few hours and then go to her."
Penny interrupted the two men with what she hoped was a better idea, "Listen up, you two. I'll go talk to Nik in a little while and see if I can calm her down." She pointed at her husband, "Then I'll have you, send Sheldon over." She then turned towards her husband's friend and began to speak in a calm, yet urgent, tone, "Look, Sheldon, you were both feeling resentment towards the other one and were not discussing it. Niki didn't like the way you were talking to her when you guys Skyped. Sheldon, you could have told her why that was happening, but you didn't. When you were nitpicking at her, you were just feeling resentful that she got to stay in Altadena and be home with Lori and you were really missing both of them terribly. When Nik got on your case about that, she should have been telling you that she resented being left with all the responsibilities of taking care of Lori, the business, and the research and that she missed you, too. Of course, she never bothered to talk to you about that, either. You two really need to sit down together and really listen to each other instead of taking offense and placing blame. You're both acting like kids, not like two mature people with a child".
Sheldon gave a long sigh and turned to Penny, "I suppose you're right. I have been a bit self-centered and never considered how much I have been hurting Niki. And I suppose she is guilty of the same thing."
Penny put a hand on each of his shoulders and looked Sheldon straight in the eye as she pronounced, "Look, you two are a pair of the most stubborn people I have ever met. I love both of you, but there it is. As far as being self-centered, yeah, you each are at times. Now, I want you to chew on this for a little while, are those attitudes in the best interest of your daughter? Is that how you two are teaching her to communicate with others? Think about it. I know you truly love Niki, Sheldon, and I know she truly loves you. So, tell each other that. You two were too busy throwing blame around to say that. Not good, Wackadoodle. Not good."
Her friend's eyes lowered and he asked her in an embarrassed voice, "So, Penny, what are you going to tell her? That she needs to forgive my anti-social, egotistical ways?"
She gave his shoulders a gentle squeeze and replied, "Not at all."
"Then what will you say?"
Penny's eyes focused on something behind Sheldon's back as she muttered, "Something I'd never considered before."
Now his eyes met hers and he inquired, "And what would that be?"
The pretty blonde shook her head as if to bring herself back to reality and waved off his question, "Never mind. You'll know soon enough if it works. And I'm praying it does." She then addressed her husband, "Leonard, I'm going over to the hotel and bringing Niki back instead of having Sheldon go to her. Don't ask, I've got my reasons. I may be gone for a little while, but I have something to tell Niki I think she needs to hear, and she has something to tell you, Sheldon, that you need to hear." With that, Penny picked up her phone, called a taxi, and went downstairs to wait for it to arrive. While waiting, several thoughts ran simultaneously through her mind: Why do these two keep hurting each other? They love each other so much, so why? And who needs to grow up, anyway? I have always assumed it was Sheldon, but now, I'm not so sure. I mean, didn't Nik know Sheldon could be like this when she married him? It seems that lately what used to amuse her now infuriates her. There's more to this than Sheldon communicating badly with her and I'm going to find out what it is. If my hunch is right, as Mary would say, these two will have a whole lotta talkin' to do.
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Niki Cooper burst through the door of her hotel room, breathing fire and shouting, "That bastard! That egotistical, rude, self-serving, bastard!"
Mary Hofstadter came out of the bedroom and addressed her daughter-in-law, "I take it Shelly has done something to ruffle your feathers?"
Niki nodded and gave a contrite reply, "I'm sorry, Mary. I know he's your son and everything…"
"Look, honey, nobody knows that boy better than me, I raised him and I know that sometimes he can try the patience of Job. So, sit here while I get you something to drink and tell me all about it. In the meantime, let's keep the volume down, I just got the kids to sleep."
Fifteen minutes later, Mary took one of Niki's hands in her own and told her, "I know my son said a heap of hurtful things, he wouldn't be Shelly if he didn't sometimes. But you got to remember this, he don't mean to be hurtful. It's just how he is. I know it's hard to take sometimes, real hard, but you're his wife and marriage vows mean you got to take the good with the bad."
"I know that, but why do I have to always be the one taking the bad while Sheldon gets off scot free?"
Mary cocked her head and asked her, "What makes you think you're the only one putting up with things you'd don't like?"
"Excuse me? What do you mean by that?"
At that moment, Penny knocked on the door and announced, "Niki Cooper, I know you're in there. You open this door right now. I have a few things I need to talk with you about. Now come on, get your behind over to this door and open it!"
Sheldon's mother laughed out loud and replied, "Honey, I think you're about to find out."
Niki approached the door and reluctantly opened it. "Penny, what the heck are you doing here?"
Penny put her hands on her hips and informed her friend, "Girl, we need to talk. Now."
"Look, if you're coming here to bag on Sheldon, I've already done that enough for both of us."
Leonard's wife immediately set Niki straight with, "Why would I bag on Sheldon? I'm on his side this time."
"WHAT?"
"You heard me, I didn't stutter. Now, are you going to invite me inside so I can explain myself or am I going to have to do that standing in the hall for the entire hotel to hear me?"
Mary gave a knowing chuckle and called out, "Get yourself in here, honey." To her daughter-in-law, she added, "Niki, there's no need to be rude to your friend. Now, go into that little room they call a kitchenette and get Penny here something to drink. Preferably a warm beverage."
Niki gave a wistful smirk and replied, "Sheldon always does that whenever someone is upset."
Penny entered the room and sat down on the couch, then commanded Niki, "I know, so get me a damn beverage. Hot tea will do, Lemon Zinger if you have any."
When Niki had set the tea in front of her, Penny took a long sip and began to speak, "Okay, Nik, talk to me. What do you think is the major problem that you and Sheldon are facing?"
Niki sat down next to her and began to speak, "We're not communicating well. He just doesn't seem to listen to what I am telling him, no matter how many times I say it."
Penny gave her friend a wry smile and challenged her, "That's part of it, but that's not the main problem you guys are having."
"Okay. If you know, please fill me in because I thought Sheldon's attitude was our biggest stumbling block." Niki took a long pause and added, "So tell me, what is the main thing we're not getting right?"
Penny took a deep breath and stated what she considered to be the truth of the matter, "Well, off the top of my head, I would say you're both very self-centered and overly concerned with your own feelings. You care more about how Sheldon has hurt you than how you have hurt him. And vice versa."
Niki pulled back from her friend and gave her a disbelieving look, "I've hurt Sheldon? Okay, Penny, now I'm truly confused. How have I hurt him?"
Penny looked pointedly at her friend and bluntly stated, "Nik, with that daycare comment you so carelessly threw out, you were pretty much calling your husband a child. I'll have to remember that one if I ever want to emasculate Leonard."
"Emasculate? Penny, how in heaven's name did I emasculate him? And you must admit, some of the things Sheldon does are pretty childish, not things that a grown man would do."
The pretty blonde's eyes narrowed as she challenged her friend's statement, "Oh really? Let's see. He does at least half the housework and the childcare in your home. You know what? That seems to me like something only a real man would do. And, he encourages and supports you in your teaching career, even though he can't understand why you like that at all. Teaching is one of his worst nightmares, yet he watches Lori, cooks dinner and cleans up afterwards on the nights you teach. Yeah, that doesn't sound at all childish, does it? Sounds like a pretty manly man to me. Then, he has worked hard and become a world-renowned physicist, and shared that with you as an equal. He has made sure you get the same respect as he does in the scientific community. He's a man that is actually proud of his wife's accomplishments and brains. Yeah, real childish. How dare he do that!"
Niki put up her hand and interrupted her bestie's truthful monologue, "Stop, Penny. I see your point. Now I feel like crap. The man's a gem and the one time he failed to be just that, I pretty much abandoned him. I've got to go to him. Girl, there's so much I must apologize to him about! How could I have been so arrogant and rude! I was doing the exact same thing I was accusing him of doing. Penny, let's go. I don't know if it's on any of the menu's in this city, but I think I'm due to eat a huge helping of crow right about now."
Penny nodded at her friend and responded to her words with, "Okay, let's go. But I am going to remind you of something."
"What's that?"
This time, Penny answered in a much kinder, supportive, voice, "Sweetie, Sheldon really, truly, loves you. Oh, sometimes when he's stressed he has a hard time showing it. But girl, that man loves you as much as a man can love a woman."
All the anger fled Niki's eyes and they grew soft and warm once more, "And I love him. I don't know what got into me. I'm not usually like this. Oh, I stomp my feet and get angry, but I seldom go for unwarranted personal attacks, that's not me. I'm going straight over to that apartment and tell my husband just how much I really do love him. I just hope he forgives me."
"Oh, I think he will. You and Lori are his world. He knows deep down that you love him as much as he loves you, but both of you have to do one thing to make this right."
"What's that?" Niki asked her as she rose from the couch and took their cups into the tiny kitchenette.
Penny got up and joined her, placing a hand on each of Niki's shoulders, much as she had done with Sheldon, "Talk to each other. No accusations, no shaming, no anger, just talk to each other and clear the air."
"Are you sure that will work?"
Penny grinned and nodded, "Guaranteed. Leonard and I do that all the time. It's how we have learned to settle our disagreements civilly. It took us a while to learn how, but we've gotten pretty good at it."
Niki set the cups in the tiny sink, hugged her friend, and headed toward the door, "Sounds like a good plan. Let me grab my bag and let's get going." She called over her shoulder to her mother-in-law, "Mary, thanks for listening, I really appreciated it. And whatever you were going to say, I'm sure I had it coming."
Mary answered her matter-of-factly, but with no rancor in her voice, "Girl, just go to my boy and tell him everything he needs to hear. I hope you two are done hurting each other, for Lori's sake if nothing else."
Niki now turned fully towards Mary and made a 'crossing my heart' gesture, "Trust me, I'm finished with all that. It's time I began fixing all the damage I've done."
"You're a smart girl, Niki. My money's on you and Shelly putting everything right by tomorrow morning. Now, you two get going. There's a lot of makin' up that needs doing, so you best get to it."
Penny looked down at her phone and began texting a message to someone.
Niki became curious and asked her, "Whom are you texting? Leonard?"
Penny briefly looked up and shook her head as she answered, "No."
"Well, then, whom?"
Penny put her phone away, grabbed her own purse and linked her arm with Niki's, "You'll see. Let's get ourselves downstairs, shall we? There's someone meeting us there you need to talk to."
Well, Penny seems to have straightened things out with Niki, but who is meeting the ladies and what is Leonard saying to Sheldon?
