Chapter 7
The next day.
Leaving 4A, Leonard and Sheldon were both quiet while walking down the stairs on the way to the car. Sheldon was ahead of him, so when he wasn't looking, Leonard sent a quick message to Amy.
(text message) Hi, Amy. Sheldon found out we ratted him out. We have no idea what will happen, so just be on your guard today. (sent)
Sheldon spoke up. "What are you doing?"
Leonard quickly placed his phone in his pocket. "What, do you have eyes in the back of your head?"
"When one gets beaten up every other day in school, one of necessity develops a keen sense of hearing. Incidentally, one can get beaten up in school simply by referring to oneself as one."
When both of them reached the car, Sheldon decided to sit at the back. Leonard rolled his eyes and started driving.
Leonard knew Sheldon was mad at him. He tried to ease the situation.
"Got a bit of traffic this morning, huh? Think it's gonna rain?" Sheldon said nothing. "Instead of underpants, I covered my crotch with potato salad this morning. Thoughts?"
Still nothing. "Okay, I know what'll cheer you up, let's play one of your driving games."
"All right," Sheldon replied. "This game is called Traitors. I will name three historical figures, you put them in order of the heinousness of their betrayal. Benedict Arnold, Judas, Dr. Leonard Hofstadter."
Well, at least he's not ignoring me. "You really think I belong with Benedict Arnold and Judas?"
"You're right. Judas had the decency to hang himself after what he did."
"Come on, Sheldon. Can't you at least try to understand that I only warned Amy to protect her?"
"That's not the point. I'm your best friend and I'm the one you should protect. Now, moving on to round two. Leonard Hofstadter, Darth Vader, Rupert Murdoch."
"Rupert Murdoch?" Leonard looked at Sheldon. "He owns Fox, and they canceled Firefly. Hint, he and Darth Vader are tied for number 2."
Leonard and Raj ate their lunch at the cafeteria when Howard joined them. "So, how's Sheldon?"
"I don't wanna talk about it. I'm still hungover from last night." Leonard removed his glasses and placed his two fingers on the bridge of his nose.
Raj was the next one to ask. "Is he still mad at us because of Amy?"
Before Leonard could answer, Sheldon enters, puts a tray in front of them, and exits.
Leonard put his glasses back on and rolled his eyes. "Well, there's our answer."
"What the hell is that?"
"Uh, let's see. Yup, 30 pieces of silverware."
Howard looked at the cafeteria entrance where Sheldon just left. Then, he looked at his watch.
"Oh my God, I just remembered something." Howard looked worried. "What's wrong?" Leonard asked.
"I'll explain on the way. We have to find Amy now!"
"Can't it wait? I'm still not done with my cookie." Raj whined.
Howard glared at Raj. "Raj! It's 2:45."
"So? What's that gotta do with..." Raj came to a realization. "Oh, crap. We need to find Amy!" Raj quickly placed his cookie in his pocket.
The three men cleared their table and rushed out of the cafeteria.
They briskly walked to Sheldon and Amy's office. Leonard was caught up to speed and immediately understood the situation. "God, I hope we're not too late!"
Howard made a snide remark. "We wouldn't be if you walked any faster!" Leonard was full-on panting. "I have asthma! Back off!"
They finally arrived and barged into the office.
Raj spoke in panic. "Oh no, we're too late! Sheldon must've already locked her up in there!"
Before they considered dialing 911, Amy appeared at the door. "Excuse me. Locked me up where?"
Leonard and Howard shouted, "AMY!" while Raj had a relieved expression. The three of them went and hugged her.
She stiffened at the contact. What the hell is going on?
Howard went to Sheldon's whiteboard and started to explain. "Recently, Raj and I noticed that Sheldon always disappeared every day from 2:45 to 3:05. That's 20 minutes a day, completely unaccounted for." It was an odd sight for Amy. It felt like they were trying to solve a murder.
"We followed him one day and discovered him entering an old storage room in the university basement. When he left, Raj and I snuck in late at night and found nothing suspicious except something written on the chalkboard." Howard wrote the number for Amy to see.
Amy was puzzled. "43? What does that mean?"
"We have no idea. All we know is that Sheldon's planning something big, and we think it has something to do with that room."
Amy processed everything Howard said and turned to Leonard. "Is this what your text was all about, Leonard?"
Leonard shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe we should check it out. Howard, can you get us in there?"
"Of course. We just need to wait until Sheldon leaves. Then, we can finally see what he's up to."
Sheldon exited his secret room and locked the door. He proceeded to leave.
Howard and Raj poked their heads out of the wall in a comical fashion. "He's gone. The coast is clear.", Howard whispered.
Leonard was curious. "How'd you guys get in last time?"
"Watch and learn, my good friend."
Howard picked the lock and successfully unlocked the door. Leonard and Amy were impressed.
"When did you learn to pick locks?" Amy inquired.
"When I was starting to do magic in junior high, I thought I could be an escape artist like Harry Houdini. It worked out pretty well. I managed to escape friends, popularity, and every party thrown in a 12-mile radius." Howard joked. "Ready to go in?"
"Is it safe?" Leonard was worried.
The four went into the room. It was dark, so Howard went to switch the lights on.
"Don't worry, nothing's gonna happen. We already inspected this place last ti-" Howard noticed that the "43" written on the board was replaced with something else.
The three guys already knew what it meant and feared what was to come. Amy read it aloud. "Bazinga? What does that-?"
Suddenly, huge amounts of foam came crashing down on the four of them. They were all in shock and soaked in the bubbly liquid. This was Sheldon's plan all along.
Leonard remembered this same prank used on Kripke years ago. "He used foamy vengeance. Well played, Sheldon." Leonard removed his glasses and tried to wipe himself clean. The other three did the same.
Oh no, my cookie's ruined! Raj thought and sighed. He noticed an object placed on the table at one corner that resembled some sort of small container. He took it and gave it to Howard.
Howard shook the foam off the container. "It looks like a can of peanut brittle."
"Give me that," Amy said in frustration. I can't believe he managed to do all this.
When Amy opened the can, they found a note inside.
It read: Bazinga punks, now we're even. See you at the office.
Drenched and humiliated, the four went straight to the office. They received a lot of stares and snickers from the people they came across.
They arrived at the office and went inside. "That jerk. He's not even here." Leonard tried to calm himself down. All of them were furious.
"There's a trash can beside my desk and some tissue in my handbag. Let's just try to clean ourselves up in the meantime." Amy suggested.
They all removed the foam residue on their hair and clothes. Now, they just looked wet. "Let's just hope our clothes dry," Howard said.
Leonard noticed something strange. "Hey, there's a note on Sheldon's laptop. It says we should open it." They opened the laptop and it played a video of Sheldon.
"Hello, Dr. Fowler. Hello, traitors. This classic prank comes to you from the malevolent mind of Sheldon Cooper. I found Howard and Raj following me around and concocted this elaborate plan to exact my revenge. You see, the foam booby trap was voice-activated. Luckily, one of you said the code word. If you'd like to see the look on your stupid faces, a video has already been uploaded to YouTube. That's not all. To my so-called friends who made fun of me last night, you are each rewarded one strike. Oh and Dr. Fowler, I'll personally wait for you to admit your defeat. That is all. Live long and prosper." Sheldon said with a smile, and the video ended.
They all shared the same thought. I'll kill him.
Amy had Sheldon's number due to her prank calling him days ago. She decided to call him and give him a piece of her mind. The guys decided to listen in.
"Why, hello Dr. Fowler. Are you experiencing anger, frustration, and shame?" Sheldon said with a tone of arrogance.
Amy was starting to turn red in the face. "I thought we'd see you at the office. Where are you?"
"Oh, I'm just out here celebrating. By the way, did you do something new to your car?"
Amy almost dropped her phone. "Dr. Cooper, what did you do with my car?"
"Let's just call it a little welcoming present, shall we? You know, I'm still expecting you to give me something in return."
"Oh, I'll give you something alright." Amy quickly hung up, got her handbag, and left the office.
"Damn. Sheldon's toast." Raj remarked.
"Well, what are we standing here for? Let's see him get his ass whooped!" Howard ran outside. Leonard and Raj immediately followed.
Amy ran to her parking space. She was appalled at the sight before her. Like her moments ago, her car was completely covered in foam. Sheldon was still nowhere to be found.
Leonard, Raj, and Howard all caught up to Amy and saw it with their own eyes as well. They were all gobsmacked.
Before Amy could ask where Sheldon was, he finally appeared.
He slowly approached her with his arms behind his back. "You know, you may have gone to Harvard, but I'm an honorary graduate of Starfleet Academy."
Amy was speechless. "...You?"
"Didn't see that one coming did you?"
"Oh, yeah? Well, you're not gonna see this coming." Amy swings her handbag and Sheldon backs away. Leonard is hit in the face instead.
"Ow! Ow!" Leonard groaned in pain and fell to the floor. Amy dropped her handbag.
"Oh my God. Leonard, I'm so sorry." Amy gave him some tissues.
Sheldon immediately went to his best friend. "Are you okay!?"
Leonard managed to reply. "I'm bleeding. I think I need to go to the emergency room."
Howard looked at Amy. "What the hell do you have in there!?"
"Just my wallet, keys, and a coffee can full of change I've been meaning to take to the bank. Dr. Cooper, don't you think that this has gotten a little out of hand?"
Howard chimed in. "Gee, you think?"
Sheldon answered. "I do. Leonard, Dr. Fowler is sorry."
All Sheldon got was a series of glares. "What? She hit him! Are you telling me, it's also my fault?"
"Yes! It's also yours!", Howard yelled. Sheldon stayed quiet.
Amy focused her attention on Leonard. "Are you okay? I'd offer to drive you to the hospital but my car's covered in foam." Amy frowned at Sheldon who just looked away.
"Crap. Raj's car is parked behind the building..." Howard said, trying to come up with a quick solution.
"My car's not far from here. The keys are in my pocket." Leonard's started sounding funny.
Leonard used one hand to get his keys and handed it to Amy. Leonard then told her where it was and she went off to get it.
Amy finally brought the car and the guys helped Leonard get inside.
"Sheldon, you go with them. Raj will get his car and I'll ride my scooter. Let's all meet at the hospital."
Sheldon was full of remorse. All he could say was, "Okay."
They all split up and Leonard was admitted to the hospital.
Sheldon, Amy, Raj, and Howard were all in the waiting room. The doctor called for them and they were finally allowed to check on Leonard.
Leonard was sitting on the bed, wearing a hospital gown. Amy's handbag really made a mark on him, and his nose was bandaged. Thankfully, he wasn't unconscious.
"Leonard! Oh boy, I'm glad you're okay." Before Sheldon came any closer, Penny arrived and pushed him away, hugging Leonard. "Oh my God. Leonard, sweetie, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Got into a little fight, that's all." Leonard tried to sound tough but he really had a weird voice so it didn't work.
Penny giggled. "Please. I was preparing for my night shift when I got a call from Howard. He told me everything and I came here as fast as I could." She then turned to Sheldon and punched him on the shoulder.
"Ow. What'd you do that for?" Sheldon held his shoulder. "That's for being a jerk." Penny glared at him.
Amy took note of their interactions. She didn't expect the guys to be acquainted with such a bright and bubbly character like Penny.
Unbeknownst to Amy, Penny took notice of her as well. So this is Amy huh? Amy was a popular topic among the group, so seeing her was like coming across a celebrity.
Penny noticed something else and started sniffing around. "Hey, why do all of you smell like soap?" The group said nothing while a guilty Sheldon pretended not to hear anything.
The doctor entered and told them that Leonard only had a minor injury. However, he was advised to stay a while in the hospital for a faster recovery. She also shared with them some bad news.
"It turns out that Dr. Hofstadter has a deviated septum. It's not life-threatening, but he would need to consider having surgery to get it fixed, or else he'll be prone to nose bleeding and sinus infections. He will also have some trouble breathing." The group turned silent.
Knowing Leonard, Penny told the doctor that he'd need some time to consider it. "Sure thing. By the way, visiting hours are almost over. Please see yourselves out after 10 minutes. You can visit Dr. Hofstadter again tomorrow." The group nodded and the doctor left the room.
Amy approached Leonard. "I apologize for all the trouble I've caused, Leonard. I'll answer the hospital bill and make up for it."
"Oh, you don't need to do that," Leonard replied, his voice still funny. Amy shook her head. "No, allow me. You've been nothing but helpful to me for these past few weeks. This is to return the favor."
He saw that Amy was really serious about it, so Leonard obliged. "Thank you, Amy."
"No problem. Here are your car keys. I'm gonna go now before I ruin anybody else's weekend."
Howard stopped Amy. "Hey wait, how are you going to get home? You don't have your car."
"I'll take a cab to Caltech. I'll get my car cleaned and go home."
"Well, how about I give you a ride home?"
"Howard, she's not going to want to ride on your scooter," Penny remarked.
Raj thought of offering to drive Amy there but he couldn't speak. He tried tapping Howard's shoulder to whisper in his ear.
Suddenly, Penny thought of an idea. "Oh, what if Amy rides with me? My shift at The Cheesecake Factory is not for another couple of hours anyway, so I could bring her to Caltech."
Sheldon interrupted. "Then, who's going to take me home?" Again, Raj was available but then Penny beat him to it again.
"Fine. You can come along with us." Penny smiled. This was her plan all along.
"It's alright. I don't want to impose," Amy replied and tried to leave but Penny blocked her from exiting. "It's no trouble, Amy. I'm Penny, by the way. I've heard a lot about you from Sheldon." Penny smirked.
Sheldon blushed while the others tried hiding their laughter. "P-Penny! That's nonsense."
Penny ignored him and went to kiss Leonard on the forehead. "Get well, sweetie. I'll come to visit you tomorrow." Penny put her arm around Amy and led her outside. "Sheldon, are you coming or not?"
Sheldon shook away his embarrassment and followed after them. "Shotgun!"
Howard's phone rang. "Hello? I'm sorry Ma. Leonard got injured and we took him to the hospital. Okay! I'm on my way right now." Howard hung up. "I gotta go. Bye, Leonard! Get well, buddy!" Howard left as well.
Leonard proceeded to close his eyes and rest.
Everyone left the room except for Raj who was completely unnoticed by the group including Leonard.
Finally, he spoke up. "I-I can drive." He sighed and went to the door, waved at Leonard, and left.
End of Chapter 7.
Author's Note: Aww, Poor Raj. This was a very difficult chapter to write. Also, I planned to end this chapter with Sheldon and Amy finally making up and becoming friends but I felt that it would make the chapter too wordy and long. No worries, it will all be in the next chapter, including Penny playing matchmaker. *wink wink* Also, isn't it amusing that Amy seems like she's already part of the group. Plus, the fact that everyone calls her by her first name except Sheldon.
Notable episodes I used (I used a lot!): The 43 Peculiarity, The Vengeance Formulation, The Parking Spot Escalation, I guess I'd leave the other episode easter eggs for any of you to figure out.
Don't forget to leave a review or fav/follow this story for more updates. :)