Hello lovelies. I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone for reviewing this story. Since the last chapter was posted this story has broken in to the 100 bracket which has just completely overwhelmed me. I never ever expected so many people to read this story, let alone like it and take the time to review. It means the absolute world to me and I am so, so grateful!

Here is chapter 8. I hope you all enjoy!

Amy had had her scan at twelve weeks and three days. When the day of the scan arrived she was so nervous, Sheldon became aware of this almost instantly. Since showing up at her apartment that morning she had not been able to keep still, she was fidgety and anxious, she was finding random, odd jobs around the house to complete and was constantly asking him whether he wanted a drink or something to eat she was desperate to keep busy, to keep her mind off what was about to happen.

It wasn't that Amy wasn't looking forward to the scan, if she would allow herself to be she was bursting with excitement, but she knew this was the scan where everything could fall apart. She had read far too many stories about couples attending this particular scan all full of hope and excitement for the future and then they were suddenly told the devastating new that there was no heartbeat. That their baby was gone. She couldn't go through that, she wouldn't be able to cope, she didn't want to sit still because that's when she would think. Think and worry about the very worst case scenario.

She was fidgety in the car, despite being the one driving. Sheldon was insistent on him being the one to drive them to their appointment, the last thing he wanted was Amy getting stressed out by some inconsiderate driver right before her scan. Amy argued her point about needing a focus, needing a distraction, Sheldon was pretty reluctant to agree but when he saw tears forming in her eyes he suddenly gave Amy what she wanted.

He realised quite quickly that the emotions and hormone changes that came with pregnancy had hit Amy hard, especially over these past few weeks. She had found herself crying over anything and everything. From commercials on tv to the local store not having the food she wanted, she really had been quite the emotional mess. It was very unlike her.

As they waited in the waiting room, she couldn't stop twiddling her thumbs and nibbling at the skin around her nails, Sheldon didn't want to comment but at the rate she was chewing he would be surprised if there was anything left. Naturally, all of Amy's worries melted away when she saw the baby on the screen and heard the loud thudding of the heartbeat.

Within seconds of her eyes landing upon the screen she felt her heart burst, she knew she loved her little one but seeing it on the screen intensified that love ten times over. She wondered if she would feel like this at every scan, at every appointment, whether once their child was born every time she looked at him or her would she just love them even more. The thought made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside, knowing that there would soon be someone in her life that she would always love was extremely comforting.

Everything was perfect, both with Amy and the baby and with a due date of June 10th, Amy and Sheldon left the hospital with the widest smiles they were sure they'd ever smiled.

—

"I'm so nervous, this is ridiculous" Amy laughed nervously as she sat on the edge of her couch, her laptop perched in front of her on the coffee table as she awaited the video call from her parents. This was it. Two days after her scan and after finally plucking up the courage, she was going to tell them she was pregnant.

"It will be fine" Sheldon assured her. "If my deeply religious mother is okay with it, I'm sure yours will be"

"Have you met my mother?"

"I have, yes. At one of your birthdays and that time we went..."

"Sheldon, I was being sarcastic" Amy laughed, interrupting him, despite him not meaning to his lack of understanding sarcasm had lifted her mood. If only ever so slightly, amongst the nerves of telling her parents he had managed to make her smile.

"Oh" he muttered quietly as he sat himself down on the sofa next to Amy. "Do you want me to stay for this?" he asked gesturing to the laptop, Amy had roped in his support at the very last minute and now here Sheldon was unsure of his role. Did she want him on the call with her or did she want to do this herself and have a moment with her parents?

"Would you mind staying?" she asked. "I just think they might take the news better if we're both there" she added as an after thought. Even though they weren't a couple, Amy hoped that seeing her and Sheldon together would let her parents know that they were serious about this, that they were going to get through whatever crazy ride was ahead together.

They sat in silence, Sheldon didn't quite know what to say to settle Amy's nerves. He had already told her that he thought everything was going to be okay and that didn't seem to work, that's all he had and now he was out of options. Thankfully, after a few more minutes, he was saved by the sound of the video call ringing through.

"Hi mum, hi dad" Amy waved and gave a bright smile, a smile that completely masked how she was truly feeling. Sheldon shuffled closer to her so that he too could be seen on the video call.

"Hello" her mother was a tricky character, one that was hard to read and still to this day Amy wasn't completely sure she understood her. She was incredibly old fashioned in her ways, particularly in the way in which she raised Amy. She could often come across as cold and blunt but underneath it all, really underneath it all there was a soft heart somewhere. "Whatever this, it needs to be quick, your father and I have dinner reservations"

"Oh okay" Amy swallowed hard, she wanted to at least be in the flow of a conversation before she dropped the bombshell, it hadn't been her plan to rush it or blurt it out. "Well...um..." she stuttered, she couldn't believe that at nearly 34 years of age her mother still made her incredibly nervous. "You see, Sheldon and I have something to tell you" she thought by roping Sheldon into the conversation it would lighten the load, it didn't.

"You're back together?" her mother asked matter of fact. Once Amy had reached an appropriate age (an age which Amy now knew to be far too old) she had become desperate for her to find a boyfriend, someone to settle down with and although Sheldon hadn't been her first choice for her daughter, she could see how happy he had made her.

"No, not exactly" Amy answered. "Sheldon and I are um...we're... we're having a baby. I'm pregnant" without releasing that it had been weighing her down so much Amy felt the weight lift from her shoulders, her body relaxing as she exhaled. Amy watched the screen closely for parents reactions, her mother face was blank, zero emotion, yet the small smile twitching at the corner of her dads mouth didn't pass her by.

"That's amazing pumpkin" her dad announced quietly.

"You're pregnant but you and Sheldon are not together?" her mother questioned, it wasn't necessarily the reaction you would expect from someone that had just been told their daughter was pregnant, that they were going to be welcoming their very first grandchild.

"No mother" Amy sighed, despite the unconventional reaction it was total predictable behaviour. Amy looked to Sheldon who seemed to be looking anywhere but at her and the laptop screen, she was desperate for him to say something, willing him to take the spotlight off of her.

"Have you discussed how your going to raise this child?" she asked, although not ideal it was a fair question that Amy at first thought sounded obvious, of course they had discussed this, right? It was only now Amy was thinking about it that she realised she and Sheldon were yet to have such a conversation, how were they going to do this? Would Sheldon move in for a while? Would the baby stay with Sheldon on certain days of the week? If their baby was constantly moving from hers to his, would they ever have a proper home? She suddenly had a million questions running through her head that were now starting to overwhelm her.

"Yes" Amy lied, answering bluntly, trying to hold back the tears that were stinging her eyes, her mother could read her daughter like a book, a book that was easy to read when Amy's face demonstrated her emotions so clearly.

"Darling" the term of endearment didn't quite suit her mother. When Mary called her darlin' there was a warm, comforting familiarity to it. When her mother did it, it sounded belittling and patronising. "Have you really thought all of this through, baby's are hard work, why do you think you were an only child?" her mother laughed trying to lighten the situation. Both her father and Sheldon were proving to be useless, she was almost regretting asking him to stay, his silence seemed to make everything worse.

"We're grown ups mum, we can figure this out" again Amy looked to Sheldon who licked his lips nervously and nodded. "I just thought you'd be happy" Amy mumbled sadly, she wanted her parents to jump for joy, to cry happy tears, to ask how she was doing, how the baby was doing? Nothing.

"We are happy" her mother defended, if she was her face had been telling Amy a completely different story. "You're just my little girl and I worry about you" she reasoned, this quite possibly being one of the most maternal things she had ever muttered in her life.

"I'm nearly 34 mum"

"I know, I know but you'll soon learn you never stop worrying. Please just take care of yourself, okay" Amy knew from her mother's tone of voice that the call was coming to an end, Amy was sure her mother would either do two things once the call was over. Cry the happy tears that Amy had been desperate to see or give her poor father a headache as she ranted and raved about what an awful predicament Amy found herself in.

After having said goodbye and closing the laptop screen, Amy could feel the tears rising to the surface. She wished that telling her parents had gone so differently, that she would have a really cute story to share with her friends but she got nothing. It was expected really, she didn't know why she was so surprised.

"Do you want tea?" Sheldon asked, he had sensed the drop in the mood, actually he had sensed the mood dropping ever since her parents had answered the call.

"Do you know what, I actually do" Amy gave a small smile, over the years she had grown used to Sheldon using tea as a tool to cheer people up or calm people down, for someone that wasn't great in emotional situations, tea was his safety, his go to strategy that also seemed to work.

Although, Sheldon was just behind her in the kitchen, for a brief moment she was alone and as always that allowed her mind to wander and think through all the things her mother had said. All the seeds of doubt that she had planted. Why hadn't she thought about it? She was always very practical and organised.

"Sheldon, what are we going to do?" Amy asked as he appeared at her side again, this time accompanied by two mugs of tea. "Everything my mum said, we haven't thought this through at all, I mean aside from deciding to have a baby, we haven't talked anything over" she explained when the look on Sheldon's face told her he didn't quite understand where she was coming from.

"Such as?" he asked slowly as he reached out and handed Amy her mug of tea which she clapped tightly in her hands.

"Everything" she sighed. "How are we going to raise this baby? How are we going to co-parent? What happens when or if we meet other people? I know we technically still have months but it's going to go so quickly Sheldon" yet again she could feel herself on the edge of tears as the reality of what was to come suddenly dawned upon.

"I could always write a contract" Sheldon offered, bringing the mug of tea to his lips.

"You're not writing a contract, Sheldon" Amy snapped, feeling frustrated and overwhelmed.

"Then what do you suggest?" contracts had been another one of his securities in his life, when faced with a brand new situation he would outline the agreements with the other party in a contract. They had served him well so far or so he thought, but it was only now that he realised that maybe compiling a contract based around their child could be seen as a step too far.

"Talking Sheldon, we can just talk it through. We don't need to write anything down or sign any documents, we can just talk" Amy explained, she hated his love for contracts and had only signed their stupid relationship agreement because it seemed to be the only thing that would make him feel comfortable with being her boyfriend.

"Okay" he nodded slowly. "What would you like to talk about first?"

"What's going to happen when we leave hospital?" the more she thought about it the more she began to realise that that seemed to be her greatest concern, the thought of being a brand new mother, probably still in pain and incredibly tired from labour to then be left all alone with a newborn baby, a baby that she didn't really have a clue what she was doing with terrified her.

"I could come and stay here. Maybe just for the first few weeks or however long you feel you need me for" the answer Sheldon provided was easy and obvious, it was a problem that since Amy's mother revealed had totally consumed Amy's thoughts and focus and now here Sheldon was managing to calm her down and settling her worries within seconds.

"Okay, that would work"

"Anything else?" he asked, he could sense more.

"Then what happens? When you go. Do you keep coming round here? It seems so wrong to move a little baby from home to home all the time" the thought of their baby, being born into a family that wasn't in her eyes deemed perfect caused her to cry. "We're not even together, what were we even thinking having a baby" she leaned forward, her elbows resting on her knees, she buried her face in her hands and cried.

The sudden acceleration of emotion shocked Sheldon, he was never good in these situation, normally he would offer tea but she already had half a mug gradually going cold. He slowly shifted his body closer to her and gently placed a hand on her back.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean any of that. I really didn't" she sobbed lifting her head, she never, ever wanted him to think that this baby wasn't a good idea. She loved their baby more than anything in the world, she wanted it more than anything, she had just got herself so wrapped up in the practicalities of their future that it all became too much.

"I know you didn't, I know" he told her softly, he knew she was just incredibly emotional and hormonal. "Are you sad because your parents didn't react well?" he asked a little hesitant to bring up the subject. He knew there was more to her current emotional state than the logistics of raising a baby.

"I think so, yeah" Amy nodded, her bottom lip trembling as more tears fell down her face, without even thinking about what she was doing, she found herself falling into Sheldon. With his hand still on her back, the gap between them created the perfect space for Amy's body to simply fall into his, he instantly wrapped his arms around her as her head rested upon his chest and her body curled in tight to his. It was the closest they had been in months, they had both missed the physical contact more than they realised. "I just wanted them to be happy" she mumbled.

"I think they were in their own little way" Sheldon told her as he moved his hand up and down her arm in what he hoped was a comforting gesture. He really didn't know for sure, he had no idea what Mr and Mrs Fowler were thinking but he had to be positive and keep Amy's spirits up.

"You don't have to say that, you know" Amy muttered.

"Okay well then maybe you just shouldn't think about it" he suggested. "If it's stressing you out then that isn't good for either of you" he gave her a tight squeeze, feeling her little bump press against him. "We can figure this all out when the baby's here."

"It's really that simple huh?" he surprised her with how calm and collected he was. He wasn't really a go with the flow kind of guy and yet here he was willing to be flexible and see how things go. Two minutes ago he was ready to write a contract.

"I think it is, yeah" he nodded. He knew that he was going to have to change his ways once the baby arrived, his love for order and routine would go out of the window, his love for getting his own way would have to shift in favour of someone else. He was trying to start this more relaxed approach now in the hope of when the baby eventually arrived it wouldn't be such a shock to the system.

"Thank you" Amy smiled. "You've already made me feel so much better" she could feel his heart beating underneath his shirt, she swore the little flutters she could feel were quickening as she spoke. She had forgotten how comfortable things were between them, how in their good days, how secure he would make her feel. She really had missed it so much.

"I'm glad" Sheldon smiled to himself, pleased to know that he had finally been able to lift her spirits, even just a little. He began to gently stroke her hair, a gesture that Amy knew would soon send her to sleep.

"You know" Amy started, her voice quiet and her eyes already feeling sleepy. "At my next scan we could find out the gender, would you like to?" she asked, the possibility of finding out, despite it being weeks away brought her so much excitement.

"Would you?" he asked, not answering.

"I think so. I keep thinking about it a lot, I think it would be nice to wait but then I'm so excited to just know" although Sheldon couldn't see Amy's facial expression he could tell from the tone of her voice that she was smiling.

The fact that she was smiling and seemed so happy prompted Sheldon to reveal "I think I want to know too."

Finally a cute little Shamy moment!

Thank you all so much for reading. As always reviews are always welcome and so appreciated. I absolutely adore hearing your thoughts and ideas.

Lots of love. xx