Epilogue
Three months he waited. It was near the end of March, and staying in the arrival area appeared very foreign to him. There were no celebrations to be celebrated in March. There was no current news with which air travel was necessary. His mother wouldn't visit him just because. Neither does his family. They're all preoccupied with their lives now that visiting a beloved family member 1500 miles away is a chore rather than a necessity. He felt the same, so holding a grudge seemed futile.
But there's also one person that he would wait upon, dreading to escape this crowd of airport watchers.
Amy's contract with Dartmouth extended until the winter term, which meant his travel back to Pasadena was without the only person he was expecting to go home with. It took a lot of convincing, especially within the minutes or hours after sex, that Amy would be extending until the snow melts. Based on his queries both on Amy and Frank, with a minute of Sunny's interruption, winter had been persistent by the end of March. Snowfall still dominated rain, which meant that he won because Amy will be going home to him as Sunny's effectively making snow angels and snowmen on their front yard.
Whisking his head around, still, there was no recent arrival. The last one was a flight from Atlanta, and he knew Amy wouldn't be on that flight.
When he went home in early January, they had spent almost every day seeing what was there to see in New Hampshire. Christmas came and he and Amy drove down to Concord and celebrated with them up until New Year's. On the 30th, Frank brought them to Portsmouth to celebrate New Year's Eve. On the entirety of his trip, he never expected to visit Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine—the states he thought he would not visit in his lifetime—and see snow-capped mountains while standing on an icy beach.
"Let's go to Maine," Amy announced the morning of the 31st. They just crossed the bridge from Portsmouth, had breakfast on the first Maine town from the border, and went back to Portsmouth, through another bridge.
"Let's go to the beach!" In the afternoon, it was Sunny who suggested it despite the fact it was winter. They drove for 10 minutes and they're on the coast, facing the Atlantic, as chilly winds blew from the East. in Sunny's defense, she just wanted Uncle Sheldon to see where they spent the summer before.
A tune played in the speaker, announcing another arrival: Charlotte. Still not Amy. She texted a few hours ago that her flight was delayed, and he should not panic. The last time he went back to California, he almost lost his mind upon knowing his flight was delayed for 5 hours due to a snowstorm. Fortunately, he got a text before even going to the airport, Frank let out a sigh of relief because he was the designated driver.
Another swarm of passengers arrived, hoping Amy would be among them.
But he knew better. Her flight was from Boston. The neophyte in him never asked Amy the details of her flights when she went away in August; he could have gotten a handy piece of information that would have made his hasty travel to New Hampshire the less time than he did that one December morning.
"Why didn't you say it before, Amy?!" he freaked out on the passenger seat of the car as they were traveling back to Hanover.
"Because you weren't talking to me!" she defended herself, laughing at his scowling face.
Concord was an hour away from Logan Airport. From Los Angeles, Amy took a direct flight to Boston, had her brother and niece pick her up at the airport, and drove back to New Hampshire in a nick of time. Way easier and economical than what he did. Luckily, he was informed in advance of the better way to travel before he stuffed himself back into that cramped Cessna plane and prayed it wouldn't plummet down into a snowy field capable of cloaking a crash.
Another tune flew in the air, and he stared up at the screen. Boston. Finally! Although, he never got Amy's flight number as he was playing with Leonard on his Xbox when she called. Still might not be Amy, he thought, watching as another wave of people appeared beyond the glass partition.
During his time in New Hampshire, a lot has changed. He met new people, experienced an authentic winter, and acquainted with new experiences. Other than sex, he explored a new and better way to talk with his wife. Not that condescending shenanigans right before she went away, he knew how to connect with her now. Although his haughty side still got the better of him, he's well acquainted with its controls and when it doesn't seem right for the moment.
He stood up from his seat and darted across the crowd, hoping to get to the front. Sweeping his head from left to right, he waited and waited.
He waited in those 3 months. He'd planned to visit Amy again on his birthday in February but was discouraged by Amy herself, saying that it wasn't very practical in the midst of winter. So the plan didn't push through, leading him to wait again.
But waiting seemed to end as he saw the figure of a woman. A woman, who's hauling a handbag, a laptop backpack, and a canvas bag, weaved through the crowd, unafraid of getting squished. She's still wearing a winter coat, forgetting that California had already shooed the winter season 2 months ago.
Sheldon watched as he saw Amy visibly sweating underneath all those layers. You should have listened to my advice, he thought, I like it when you wear less. He matched her, walking towards her direction with a smile on his face.
Sheldon waved his hand above his head, glad that Amy smiled back at him, albeit weak. He ran past people and reached her.
Three months was long. He never thought it would be. When Amy went away, three months went by in a blur; he can't even remember the lectures he did in September and his students' faces when he announced that no physicist in Caltech is better than him. Of course, those were irrelevant memories.
He hugged Amy tight as he made it to her. He felt her arms wrap around him, its warmth that of a New Hampshire summer he's never experienced before—toasty yet bleak. But he was quickly pushed away by Amy. He looked at her in remorse, his eyes squiggling in confusion. What have I done?
"It's so hot!" she gasped, passing him her bags as she hastily peeled away 2 layers of coat, also handing him that. When Amy started unbuttoning her plaid button-down shirt, he panicked, almost ready to lunge at Amy and cover her up before anybody else witnessed her naked body.
Fortunately, she was wearing a white camisole underneath that hugged her body quite well. Looking up from her opened shirt, she greeted, "Hi!" beaming in delight to have seen Sheldon.
He dropped her bags in one swoop and snaked his hands on her waist, pressing her deep into his soul. How he'd missed Amy. Her voice. Her face. Her body. Everything about her seemed very surreal, very unexpected.
He pulled away. "Hello. I've missed you, Amy," Sheldon revealed, staring at her in a blank shock-like stare.
"I missed you, too." She patted him in the cheek, "How are you?" Vacillating between his lips or his cheeks, Amy kissed the side of his mouth instead, enough for her lips to brush where his upper and lower lips meet.
Sheldon shook his head, eyeing her from top to bottom. She's wearing tight-fitting pants, the bottoms she wore as winter progressed in New Hampshire. He couldn't agree more; she still looked stunning, skirt or pants, otherwise.
"Thank you so much for coming!" Amy hollered as the last of guests pile out of their apartment. "I'll see you again tomorrow!"
Her homecoming was unnecessary, but Sheldon thought it would be nice to throw a party once Amy arrived. It was unheard of—'Sheldon Cooper threw a party'—it doesn't make any sense if put in one sentence.
But he did. Not a big one. Just their friends, a buttload of Thai food, and wine and beer enough to quench everybody's thirst. Per usual, as Penny was giving a toast, Sheldon only sipped from his glass, for convention's sake, and ignored it all the way through.
Standing by the sink, his back against her, Amy observed as he carefully worked with drying the glasses, a faint hiss came out from him.
As they arrived from the airport, it appeared to activate something in Sheldon that made him so jittery, so restless. Without an ounce of distress, he hauled her suitcases up to the 4th floor, not resting for once. He scrambled for his keys in his pockets and jostled his way inside.
Like the first time she went to his apartment, that day he insisted on cooking for her, she remembered what happened to him that day. He might have gotten nervous or excited, and as he walked the living room to open the door for her, he injured himself, straining an ankle, hurting his knees, and bruising his forearms.
It was similar to what occurred as they arrived, he got so excited—with most of the bags and everything—he lost his footing and toppled over one of the suitcases. He landed on his wrists again and, with all the jackets draped over his left forearm, one of her jackets' metal zipper cut through the base of his left thumb, lacerating beyond the skin. He even bumped his chin on the ground, causing his teeth to grind and his chin to bruise.
Erring on the side of caution, despite her lethargic state, Amy drove Sheldon to the nearest emergency room, afraid his hand might need some stitches. By the time they arrived back at their apartment, she was knocked out on Sheldon's bed, only catching a half-hour of sleep before she's awakened by Sheldon prodding her shoulder lightly.
"Are you okay now?" She held his shoulder and ran her palm along his spine, smoothing his shirt.
Sheldon pivoted on his feet. "It is twitching a little bit." He held out his left hand and showed his bandaged palm. Where he landed, the muscle underneath his thumb, almost near the wrist, got pressed upon the metal zipper on Amy's jacket and tugged against his skin. It made a jagged cut that even Amy couldn't tell if it was deep enough to be stitched. After minutes of applying pressure on the wound, she gently washed it under running water, her eyes catching a portion of the wound deep that it started bleeding again
"Well, that's to be expected," she said, holding onto his hand and examining it.
Exhausted, Sheldon sighed and held his head down. "I apologize if I made this day miserable for you. I know how much you wanted to rest but here I am, in dire need of assistance."
"I wouldn't say dire, but sure." Amy shrugged, smiling at him. "And that's not a big deal, it's just lacerated and stitched. Sheldon Cooper is bigger than a cut, right?"
"I know, but Leonard had the same cut years ago. Her then-girlfriend stitched him up, and he was basically a vegetable for days."
Amy jerked her head and furrowed her eyebrows. "That seems like an overreaction."
"It was! And her girlfriend condoned his hissy fits! I had to stomach their cloying interactions; it was too much, Amy," he sighed and shook his head in annoyance.
Amy tilted her head, cooing as she snaked her hands on his neck. "Do you want me to treat you like that, Honey?"
He scoffed, "Pfft. No!"
"No?"
The disappointment in Amy's voice was deceiving. Was she really upset that I didn't say yes? Or maybe she's playing mind tricks with me? "I—umm—it wouldn't hurt, I guess?" His head shuddered slowly, witnessing Amy's fatigue, from a very hectic, jetlagged day, wiped away with his simple gesture of adorable acquiescence.
"Alright," she agreed, grinning. "I'll just clean up the dishes."
He quickly stopped her. "No, I already did that. It's fine," he said, pointing at the glasses and a few saucers drying on the stainless steel dish rack. Amy turned to him, anticipating something to be said. Sheldon caught his breath from Amy's deep stare and blurted out, "Howaboutweretireforthenight?"
"That was . . ." Sheldon heaved, wiping his forehead with his good hand.
"Wild," Amy breathed out. "I know." She patted Sheldon's chest, listening to the erratic thump inside his chest.
"Should we be doing that with my hand in this situation?"
It had been 2 days since Sheldon's zipper mishap and he had been airing out his stitches for it to heal without any bandages. Since then, he had forgone going to work—reasoning that his hand would render him unable to be productive, but in reality, he just wanted to spend the remaining days of the week with Amy—and any other strenuous activities that would bring more harm to him.
"Make love?" She lifted her head and gazed at him, before laying on his chest again. "Sure it's fine. As long as you didn't put any pressure on your wound."
"I didn't." He held his hand up and was about to caress Amy's hair, only to realize that he was using his left hand. He put it down and used his right hand instead.
"Well, that's reassuring."
Amy stood up from her position. Sheldon wouldn't be able to breathe if she continued laying her body onto his. She wore the bathrobe hanging by his door and relieved herself in the bathroom. Unlocking the door after peeing, she approached the sink and carefully washed her face, sensing his body behind hers. She raised her head, water trickling to her chin, and observed Sheldon from the mirror. His stare was deep, enough to send jolts throughout her body. But all his seriousness faded, he smiled, the kind where his lips curve slightly and his eyes twinkle as light hits it.
The aura changed, and all of a sudden, the sexual tension dissipated. She turned to him and pressed her back against the counter. "What are you smiling for?"
Sheldon shrugged. "Nothing." Amy looked at him beneath her eyelashes and frowned. "I'm glad that you're here."
"I feel the same," she replied softly, "Although, I already miss Frank and Dee and Sunny."
Sheldon looked out the distance. "I miss them, too. And Hero, of course. That cat embedded himself onto me as we were about to open Christmas gifts. All of you were still either in bed or preparing something in the kitchen, and there I was, trapped by an aging yet surprisingly loving feline."
Amy snickered, reminiscing that morning. Everybody woke up and gathered around the Christmas tree. In Sheldon's drowsy state, he was the first to plop down on the floor and waited for everybody to start the tradition. That's when he was held captive by Hero, and his conscience couldn't bother to nudge the cat, so he waited for someone to walk inside the living room and free him from his servitude. "Don't you like that. A cat chose you! It took me a while before I could even approach Hero. Every time he sees me coming, he darts away and hides under the couch."
"Did you tell Sunny how grateful I was for the gift?"
"Why don't you tell Sunny herself, I'm calling them tomorrow."
Sheldon's face lit up. The gift was a customized picture frame made with colorful popsicle sticks and embellished with squiggles and beads, complete with a handwritten letter from the whole family. The photo was the one Dee took that morning they got married. With the red covered bridge as their background, they printed the one where Sheldon was kissing Amy on the cheek. Her hand cupping his jaw as she beamed with her eyes closed and shoulders up. It appeared like they were teenagers in the infancy of their relationship.
"How about we call them now?" Sheldon sought, clasping her hands together and waited for her answer.
"Sheldon, it's 11 p.m. on the east coast, we'll wake up early tomorrow, okay?"
He sighed in disappointment. "Okay."
In a blink of an eye, Amy smiled slyly, running her palms against the warmth of his chest, ultimately settling on his shoulders.
"Let's take a shower," she murmured, grinning.
Sheldon jerked his head. "Just a shower, okay? No naughty business. My adhesive ducks are in need of replacement and I haven't had the time to replace them."
Amy tilted her head. "Alright."
"And let's not wet our hair. Not me at least, do whatever you want."
Sheldon pushed down his pajama pants, letting it fall down to his ankles and climbed first on the tub. Amy followed as she let her robe fall off, exhibiting herself in front of her husband. After all the time they'd spent together in New Hampshire, and after what happened minutes ago, it's safe to assume that Amy had accustomed herself to seeing Sheldon naked and as well him seeing her naked.
Amy tinkered with the knob, quivering as the cold water hit her stomach, letting out a chuckle as she peeked at Sheldon who's equally elated. She reached for her body wash, foaming it in her hands and lathering on her skin.
"Amy, I've been meaning to tell you." He switched their position, her back now against the warm gush of the shower, letting Amy rinse off the soap. "When are you free?" He reached for his own body wash and glazed it over his body.
"Well, I'll be back at UCLA on Monday. You know, just to catch up with a few meetings, consultations," she explained, allowing the warm water to cascade down her spine.
"How about Caltech?" he asked, worried. Amy had never told him that she was completely done with Caltech. All he knew was that the move to Dartmouth was temporary, and she'll be back with him, sharing the massive workspace.
"Sheldon," Amy sighed, "my contract with Caltech ended in August, right? UCLA is still my employer, but if they offered another job for me, I'll consider it."
Sheldon scoffed at his brilliant idea. "I'll talk to Siebert."
"No need. President Siebert and I are closer than you think."
He was taken aback by Amy's revelation, bubbles drifting away as he jerked. "Is he your boyfriend?"
"Boyfriend?!" Amy snorted, pinching her nose to stop her from ridiculing Sheldon. "He's like 20 years older than me. And he's married."
A grin lurked on his lips, he shouted, "Bazinga!" pointing his finger at Amy and chortled ticklishly.
Amy gasped at Sheldon's nerve to make her nervous. Playing along, she dropped the impending smile on her face. "And I'm married, Sheldon."
"Married? To whom?" He cooperated, providing ammunition for their banter.
Amy raised her eyebrows suggestively. She raised her arms and wrapped it around his neck. "To a rather exquisite specimen—a tall, good-looking fellow I met in a cafe not far from here."
"Just tall and good-looking?" he asked somberly.
Amy cocked her head and pressed her body against his. "He's a genius, as well. A stunning intellect with everything under his belt."
"Darn, straight, he is." He held his head high, narrowing his eyes at the distance.
Amy was tickled at his vigor. Who would have thought that this was the man she met almost 5 years ago? The insolent, apathetic man whom she married without consideration. He transformed—whether evolution told him to or maybe because he was trying his best for her—into a fine person, vulnerable yet resolute. Sure, he still has a few quirks that couldn't be altered, but the essence of being a human stuck to him. To be grateful and generous. To listen and meditate on what one was saying. To forgive and understand . . .
Her pondering was cut short when Sheldon asked. "So when are you free?"
"What?" She shook her head and gazed up to him. She didn't realize that Sheldon already switched their position; his back was now against the shower.
"Don't you usually have a break in between research fellowships?" he said, rubbing away from suds.
"Yes, I do." Amy nodded her head, languidly.
"Then, when is it?"
"Starting April 1st. I'll have a week off."
"Then it's settled. I'll take that week off and book the flights."
"Are we going back to New Hampshire?" Amy cocked her head in confusion. What's the point of going back to California if Sheldon wanted to visit New Hampshire again? It seemed like a waste of money. "Sheldon, while I enjoy the company in New Hampshire, I can't be in that cold again. Not especially when I've spent 3 sweltering days here in California." She sighed, disappointed that Sheldon didn't tell her before.
"We're not going to New Hampshire," he scoffed derisively, garnering a fierce stare from Amy. Sheldon gulped and smiled sweetly. What he's about to say will either break or make Amy. He murmured, cheeks reddened, "I'm bringing you to see my family in Texas."
THE END
Hey there! Thank you again for reading and reviewing this little ff of mine. I know the end might incite a continuation, but the plot ended here. I might be able to write a chapter or two of their trip to Texas, but it might take a long time before I do.
In the meantime, I'll be trying my best to squeeze out the story I had in mind while I was doing this ff amid the quarantining happening in our city. I'll back, folks!
