Chapter Twelve: Cuervo and Jager's Fault

"What just happened to Sheldon?" Bernadette wondered, looking at Amy for answers.

An hour after Sheldon's outburst, they found themselves at the hotel bar. Emily and Penny recommended bars within the vicinity but settled at the hotel because a.) it's illegal to drink and drive; b.) if they all went home drunk and walked in the unfamiliar city, they might be kidnapped; and c.) Sheldon might have another outburst any second and being at the hotel, it will be easy to get to him.

Soft jazz played in the background. It's not the type of place where heavy drinkers and party-goers prevail, instead, the place was exclusive to the people staying at the hotel and those who recently dined at the restaurant.

Amy sighed heavily, staring at the condensation at the surface of her glass. "I was testy with him when we returned from the market."

They were seated at a U-shaped booth that barely fit everyone. Seeing that it was still 8 in the evening, the bar wasn't as crowded as it would be in 2 hours. Again, drinks were served and everyone opted for juice or a non-alcoholic cocktail to quench their thirst. The night was still young and the opportunity to drink will definitely arise.

"Why?" Howard asked.

"It was something about what Leonard said," she then looked at Leonard plainly. Not that she was blaming him, she just thought the timing of what Leonard said was rather untimely.

"Leonard!" Penny chided and stared at the innocent Leonard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down in nervousness. The habitual loosening of the collar carried into the bar. His coat was off and yet he was perspiring noticeably.

Amy was quick to save him. "No, don't get mad at Leonard. It was just a slip of the mouth, what he said. And it got me a little irritated with Sheldon."

"Why would you ruin Sheldon in the eyes of Amy? Look what we've got! Sheldon's having a meltdown!" Bernadette interjected while reaching across the table to poke Leonard in the chest. The latter moaned and was slightly perplexed that even though Amy laid the guilt off him, he still got the dirty looks.

"It's really not Leonard's fault. It was me who decided to react in that way." Her voice was ridden with regret. It was an impulsive reaction to such stimulants. The weather might be a reason for it, so as the continuous trips they had that constantly exhausted her.

The group got contemplative for a second, being sensitive about Amy and what she did. "Are you still angry at Sheldon?" Emily talked for the first time.

"It's odd though; I still am. Not raging but maybe a bit irritated. I thought the cold treatment would knock some sense into him." She let out an exhausted chuckle.

"What exactly did you tell her?!" Penny's rage was fueled by alcohol from earlier's dinner. It was more of an internal rage because there were people around and she doesn't want to be escorted out. Leonard looked like a poor sheep, but he had to act like Penny's rebuke wasn't affecting him. He just looked at her, pleading to calm down.

"I'd rather not say it," Amy said, downcasted. She quickly raised her head to tell her friends that the thing that she knew about wasn't something serious. Maybe she just overreacted at the revelation. As much as she wanted to tell them, it was against her will to do so.

"Did you tell Sheldon about why you got angry with him?" Raj asked, worried about his friend. In truth, he thought he was the most helpful person out of the bunch, so his advice will probably be the most relevant.

"No, not really."

"I don't want to influence you or something like that, Amy, but I think you should tell him. That would kill him if you just let him guess what's bothering you," Raj added, thinking about how brilliant that advice was. Everybody agreed, nodding their heads yes.

Amy contemplated for a second. If she told Sheldon, he will probably be miserable. If she opted not to tell him, he will still be miserable. Either way, both of them will be miserable and there was no good outcome to this. She raised her cold glass and drank from it. She wished it was some sort of amnesia-inducing drink (aka alcohol), but seeking advice while drunk seemed pointless. "Does he always have these meltdowns?"

Everyone who knew Sheldon deeply exchanged looks. This is gonna be tough.

"At times," Bernadette kindly replied. She recalled the time when Sheldon got stuck in his work that he didn't sleep for days. She was still new back then, and it was the first time she saw Sheldon in that state, but he proved to be a person who reacted to things differently. It's not always delirious and dazed Sheldon, sometimes he could be irritable and sensitive.

Leonard quickly responded to assure Amy. "But it recently improved—the lashing out. I noticed when you came back, he got quite tolerable." Everybody agreed. They even dubbed Amy as their savior because when she came, Sheldon's attention was all on her, and she always kept him occupied to the extent that he wouldn't even have a chance to annoy anyone beyond their apartment.

Howard chimed in, "And the last major one was that Amtrak journey of his. That meltdown was a bit tame compared to the others, but that meltdown, was the longest one, by far."

That bothered Amy. If the intensity of the meltdown does not correlate to its duration, then, yes, this meltdown might be shorter but how intense could it be?! "Oh, no, this must've affected him a lot! Just by the way he acted out," she worried. Even seeking advice from someone else seemed in vain, because, in the end, it was for Sheldon to decide how he will take it. That frightened her enough to almost made her pass out.

"It truly did," Bernadette responded. That gathered looks of condemnation from their friends. She didn't intend to agitate Amy more, it was just an honest response.

Seeing Amy all worried, Penny dropped what she was drinking at the table and turned to her, "Amy, we can assure you it wouldn't be for long. Even if he usually looks and sounds angry, Sheldon has a long history of caving in easily whenever you've done something to him. Just a little bribe, and it's like nothing happened." She tapped Amy in the back, trying to comfort even though it seemed pointless.

Amy exhaled deeply and confessed, "I'm just worried about this secret I've been keeping from him. How am I gonna tell him this if a simple thing would change his mood?" Everyone figured out that Amy was not entirely worried about angering Sheldon, there was the sole reason why she was acting that way. Whatever secret it was, the girls—and Raj—got intrigued that they started fixating on what it could be.

Penny gasped, she covered her mouth and hunched. She hissed, whispering the words: "Are you pregnant?!" within their circle, so as not to attract any attention.

"Wha—"

Everybody followed suit, oohs and ahhs were prominent. The boys especially Leonard was hesitant that Amy bearing Sheldon's child, but since Amy arrived, the impossible seemed possible. And Sheldon also crudely informed them in the past that he does have genitals and it was functioning and aesthetically pleasing, so the possibility of him was more than what Leonard could imagine.

"Oh my god! Sheldon's gonna be the first one to have a child?!" Raj clapped his hands, almost ready to order a celebratory drink for Amy and disregarding the fact that he's celebrating a supposed pregnant woman.

All the while, from the beginning of Penny's allegations, Amy wanted to say something. She had been interrupted, stammering whenever she tried to explain herself.

Finding the right opportunity as the rave about a nonexistent pregnancy died down, she hastily said, "Guys! Hear me out. I'm not pregnant."

Still incredulous about the real score, Penny tried to reason out. "What else would a woman keep from her husband? It's always a pregnancy right?"

"Really, guys, I'm not pregnant. No one got pregnant. The relationship has not reached that point," Amy explained, amassing disheartened words from her friends.

"It's about my work," she continued. Her friends waited for her to explain further.

Amy sighed, preparing herself. "As you know, I started with Caltech mid-January and my contract was until the end of the academic year, around June," she breathed,

"And then they extended for the summer, which was fine because I love Caltech and UCLA has given me freedom to visit other institutions as long as I publish for them," she assured everyone. "Here's the tricky part: my contract is ending this August and I haven't told Sheldon yet." Amy bit her lower lip in anxiety. Who wouldn't be? everyone thought so, reminiscing the times they'd got something nerve-wracking to tell Sheldon. Although Emily was relatively new, Raj shared some experiences

with her that made the imagery pop out.

"Oh, it'll be fine, Amy. Every scientist, especially those in demand in their field, are always sought out by universities. I'm sure Sheldon's gonna be fine." Leonard's assurance did help, but she knew it was short-lived.

The moment Howard asked what she feared for, she wanted to hear Leonard's words instead and forget about what Howard said. "You'll just be at UCLA, right?"

She dropped her head. She's getting a slight headache now, and she tried to blame it to the wine that accompanied them for dinner. But she knew it wasn't the wine at all; overthinking was causing her head to throb. "I'm not," she admitted.

Raj replied, "What do you mean you're not? Where are you going then?"

"Dartmouth…" Amy started drawing circles on the table. She kept her eyes down and waited with bated breath. Honestly, the confession somehow managed to alleviate the emotional and mental pain she's been feeling. It felt like the burden she's been carrying dropped into the abyss, relieving her somehow.

Penny leaned into Leonard and inquired, "What's a Dartmouth?"

"A university in New Hampshire…" he replied, leaning in. She still looked quizzical. Penny tried her best to recall if that was maybe a city or a province, perhaps. She tried to remember if that was somewhere near Old Hampshire, but she wasn't so sure if Old Hampshire was a real thing. Everyone seemed to know where that is, so

Leonard came to rescue, "It's on the east coast…"

"Ah, right… east coast. That's far, Amy," she realized and then sympathized.

"It is…" she breathed, "And I've decided on it way before Sheldon came. I already signed a contract from them for the fall term, and it's a flexible agreement, too; they might want to extend me until the end of winter. I might be there until March, or worse until the end of spring term!" She can feel her parched throat seeking for hydration. She downed her water as much as he can. She decided to put her hair in a bun as she was preparing, and now, from all the tension since dinner, she removed the tie holding it together. Maybe that was also the reason why her head was throbbing a while back

"That's a long time, Amy," Bernadette contemplated.

"Really long…" Amy confirmed, nestling her forehead in her palm.

"He's not really good with people leaving him," Leonard admitted. He thought it would be regarded as something offensive for Amy's part, especially if she thought he was accusing her, but she just agreed by nodding in understanding.

To support Leonard's claim, Howard added, "Take for example, when Leonard left last year. He was acting weird."

"He was pretending that he wasn't missing me but every time Penny would call, he was always there listening and waiting for his turn," Leonard confirmed.

That rendered her mute. Sheldon always has a spot in her heart. Saying full-on romantic would be inaccurate, but his spot was pretty special. It's not about if she will proceed to Dartmouth, it's about how was she going to approach this matter to a, based on evidence, sensitive and intolerant Sheldon.

Will he be missing her? Will she be missing him? Will they still communicate a lot? If her contract was done, will he accept her back to the apartment, or should she find a place beforehand? It was frustratingly overwhelming, that all she thinks about Sheldon and not herself. It was getting poisonous if she continues this path.

"Do you have any idea how he would take it if I got away?" she asked sincerely. If he would react in such an outrageous manner, she could as well give him the space he wanted. Amy just hoped it won't spiral down to the disruption of his daily life. She heard it a lot lately. The anecdotes were fairly vague, but what she got from those was only Mary Cooper could persuade Sheldon to get back on track. And if Mary would know of this, she might not have a residence when she gets back to

Pasadena and would be forever banned in Texas.

Penny responded honestly, "We haven't really noticed how he reacted when you went away 2 years ago, remember? And we barely knew something about you to notice it anyway. But one thing we knew, he was elated to see you again this year, so the parting might be tough on him."

"Just take care of him. He might get angry at me, seeing that I'll be going away on his first week of teaching," she explained. The realization hit all of them. Sheldon's teaching while Amy's preparing to move away.

"Oh my, Amy, that's gonna be hard," Bernadette pointed out. Not that Amy already knew.

Amy puffed air out and said, "I haven't told him about it yet because it slipped my mind, with all of the things happening. It's only yesterday when I received an email from the dean of neuroscience regarding my move. I freaked out when I saw that email."

Everyone nodded in sympathy. Despite Amy not showing any emotions, they all knew that she was in pain deep inside. Amy's like Sheldon. They react the same: a bit reclusive and quiet whenever they knew about something. It was a relief that unlike Sheldon, Amy was easier to crack open. She just needed a few nudges, and Amy will be ready to say what's bothering her. However, like Sheldon, she was pretty guarded with her emotions. It was easier to make her smile, but once you seek for

her sorrow, you have to be Sheldon to be able to pry it open and know what's inside.

"It's gonna be alright, Amy."

"We'll keep an eye on him."

"It's gonna be a long time, guys…" She felt the pat on her back.

It was not as painful as it was exhausting. The weariness of the day overwhelmed her emotions that even feeling them would mean she'll end up more tired. Looking back, she can't find the culprit of her emotions. She thought she knew where it stemmed but denial took over. She can't feel those because what she's feeling was unstable, as of now. And even thinking about it makes her not want to feel it. It'll hurt her more; she doesn't want that.

"Don't worry, we've been dealing with him for years, a good 4… 5 months wouldn't hurt… for sure," Leonard appeased with a thinly-veiled hesitation.

The table fell silent for their troubling friend. It took a while before everyone got their mojo back. Once they did, it seemed like Amy's problems just disappeared into the air. She was grateful for that a lot.

With the night still young, Raj suggested an irresistible notion, "How 'bout let's play a drinking game!"

Everybody rejoiced. Even Amy. To let the night fade in and forget about it, just for a while.

"Amy?" Sheldon said as he opened the door. He knew it was Amy because, first of all, she was his roommate, and second, he got their only key card out of rage a few hours ago. It was only logical to assume that she'll be knocking. What he didn't expect was the state of his wife.

Amy had her head down and raised it when she heard Sheldon's call. "Yow, Shelly!" She smiled as she whisked away Leonard and Penny's hold on her. She jumped into Sheldon, trapping his arms in her hugs. She also tried to wrap her legs around his waist, but Penny and Leonard were quick-witted enough to support the helpless Sheldon and gently dropped Amy's feet to the ground.

"She had drunk quite a few," Leonard explained. Same as everybody, they had drunk a few.

"You'd think, huh?!" he rebuked, gasping and eyes wide. It's usually his hands on his hair on these occasions, but seeing that Amy had trapped him in the most restrictive way, he just clenched his hand.

"We were playing…" Penny leaned her hand on the door frame, trying to keep her steady.

"And she was a lightweight," Leonard added, not feeling well himself. He clutched his head as the throbbing was apparent.

Finally, Amy loosened her grip around his torso and walked inside. Although, Sheldon hadn't noticed it so well because of his heated interrogation. "How many did she have?" he taunted, challenging them for what they've done.

"2 shots of Cuervo and an experimental shot of Jäger?" Penny answered with a slur.

"Jäger? JÄGERMEISTER?! I'm not an alcoholic but everybody knows that's what college kids drink in frat parties! What the hell were you thinking?!" he burst in his reprimanding tone.

Penny replied casually, "She said she was interested in the taste since she's been hearing about it since college."

Sheldon sighed at how preposterous the situation was. If he didn't storm off, Amy and all of them wouldn't be in this situation because he was there to monitor them. "You'd think allowing her to drink that much would make everybody happy?!"

Both just stared at each other and back to Sheldon. No one answered.

Exhausted, Sheldon asked, "How many did you have?" he pointed at Leonard whose coat was off and shirt untucked.

"I had 2 as well. Penny had 4 shots of tequila," Leonard answered. "Everyone had Jäger so… you can't really get angry." He wished the interrogation was done because he's tired and couldn't keep up with sober Sheldon.

His forehead furrowed in irritation as he groaned, "Oh, God! You're influencing her!"

"No, they didn't!" Amy yelled from the inside, interrupting.

As if on cue, Leonard and Penny took the opportunity to return to their room where no one will berate them. "We'll see you tomorrow, Shelly. Night!"

Sheldon just shook his head in frustration. He closed the door and walked back to the room. Amy was there, splayed on top of the bed, her knees dangling at the edge. Somehow, she managed to strip off her clothes while Sheldon was having a conversation. There was a mound of red cloth just right outside the bathroom door,

signaling that she ditched them. Sheldon got a little nervous about what her current status was. It would have been a horrifying event if she was just naked, but, luckily, Amy had her robe on. Phew!

With the darkness of the room, the lone bedside lamp barely illuminated her reclined body. Sheldon approached the bed, surprised to have seen Amy's robe to be untied and parted, a sliver of her freckled skin was visible from his position. Good thing was, she was still wearing her panties. Bad thing was, her bra was off and all Sheldon could see was the patch of skin on her sternum. Good God…

He was angry a while back. But he managed to calm down, take a hot bath, dress in his Saturday pajamas, watch TV, eat the buttery cold croissant she bought from the market because he wasn't able to have a desert, open the complimentary wine they received and had a few sips (enough to numb the anger, about ¼ of the glass), read a few pages of a journal, pack his bags, and snatch a few minutes (11 minutes, to be precise) of sleep before Penny and Leonard brought Amy home. It could have been worse if he'd already fallen into REM sleep. By the time they were waiting outside, his anger was nowhere to be found.

Seeing Amy sloshed to the gills, brought back memories of his father. It was rare for the old man to pass out from inebriation, mainly because he has a high tolerance, but when he did, his mother was always there to take care of him even though her anger would endure. Although, not before she'd berate him. She'd set aside the anger and maybe change his clothes, give him a glass of water, prepare him for bed. Sheldon was always been excluded during this time. What's so special with his father having a drink was the times the old man would ask him for water. He wouldn't ask Missy, nor Georgie; it was always Sheldon. It was not special for everybody,

not even special for a young Sheldon, but when his father passed, it felt like that part of him went with his father.

He'd like his water cold, just like his beer. It seemed a bit easy, but George liked how Sheldon would give him his water: 5 large ice cubes in a glass ¾ filled. Enough to keep the inebriation at bay. Sheldon always knew that his father would sleep in front of the TV right after he asked for water. By the time he's sleeping, the glass is half-filled, and with the ice cubes, it will melt slowly, just right in time before the glass is filled to the brim. By then, his father would rush to empty his glass, giving him no more space for alcohol. Sheldon always thought he'd hit two birds with one stone whenever he witnessed that scene.

Learning from his past experiences, he had a travel canteen he brought from Pasadena and refilled it once they returned from their train trip. He then put it inside the fridge and had been sitting there for 5 hours. No ice cubes were at hand, so he knew cold water in a metal container would suffice.

Sheldon retrieved bottle from the fridge, shuddering from the apparent chill brought out by the metal container. He grabbed a clean glass from the counter and watched as he meticulously poured the liquid. He kept a good eye on it to reach the perfect imaginary line he had established. "What happened to you?" he asked

collectedly, still pouring.

"We played truth or drink," Amy responded in a grumble.

"Let me guess, you decided to drink?" he teased, approaching her with a glass in one hand. He placed it at the nightstand and returned to her.

Amy raised her hand above, keeping 3 fingers up, as she defended herself, "Only three times!"

Sheldon sighed and plopped down on the bed, leaving a respectable distance between them. "What happened to the other times?" he asked, curious if what was the current status of Amy. How drunk was she? Are her thoughts coherent?

"I told the truth." She pushed herself up by the elbows. At that moment, Sheldon knew what was happening, so he averted his eyes quickly. He heard the rustling of fabric, indicating that she must have tightened her robe.

Amy asked again, "Are you still mad at me?" That's when he brought his attention back to her.

It was hard to admit the truth, especially when you're talking to a drunk person. "Yes," he sighed heavily. With that, he let out hurt and regret.

"Aw, me, too," Amy smiled, returning his stare. Oddly, she doesn't seem angry. But who knows, Amy's drunk and she doesn't know what she was feeling. "A little birdie told me that you told Kripke that you were giving it to me good." She raised her eyebrows suggestively and swayed in her seat.

"Leonard," he grumbled in anger and relief. Angry at Leonard for blabbing it to Amy. He thought Penny would be the one to break, but it seemed like Leonard was slowly transforming into Penny by being the blabbermouth. It was a slip of the mouth, but Leonard and Penny made a big deal out of it. And was relieved to know the cause of Amy's anger, allowing him to explain. And with the way she reacted, it seemed like she was not angry anymore.

He said apologetically, "Amy, I can explain—"

"Hush little baby… you don't need to explain…" she sang as she closed her eyes and rocked from side to side.

It was rather weird to see acting not herself. But Sheldon was grateful that she was not as angry as she used to be. However, this might not be the case once the alcohol passes on her system.

He sighed in relief, still not convinced that she was fine with it but got no other things to believe in. "Thank you. I'm sorry if I told Kripke that. He was insinuating that my subpar performance was anchored to the fact that I was getting laid every night. It was embarrassing but I got no other way out," he apologized, hanging his head in disappointment. "And I apologize too, for making our dinner tense. I was just confused and hurt."

Amy pouted and said, "Aw, I know… but I'm still angry at you." She then smiled a sweet smile, clasping her hands together in delight.

Her response befuddled him. He cocked his head in return as he arranged himself properly on the bed. "Then why are you still being nice to me?" Pain and confusion manifested in his voice. He was getting mixed signals and he doesn't know how to react or how to feel. He knew her inebriation was a factor, but what happens when she's sober again?

"I'm always nice to you," Amy reasoned, almost scowling as she crossed her arms on her chest. Clearly, despite the alcohol in her system, she had evident concern in her. Another shift in her mood and then she was pleasant to him again. "Aw, you're gonna miss me when I'm gone," she said, almost emotional,. She reached for him and wrapped him across the shoulders tightly.

Fasten your seat belts!