Hi lovely readers,
Thank you so much for all of your reviews on the last chapter! It means the world to know you're all still enjoying my writing and Shamy fluff.
This prompt was requested by a guest. I wasn't too sure how far you wanted me to go with this so did just write about her going into labour but if you would like more please just let me know.
As a side note, I have no idea whether the scene I described in this is something you'll see in Pasadena but hey ho!
Hope you all enjoy!
Amy knew that she didn't need to be up this early, smiling into her morning coffee as she sat opposite her husband at the breakfast bar who was rambling on excitedly about his latest project at work. The truth was, since going on maternity leave just two weeks ago, she wanted to cherish every little moment she spent with him. As each day passed she was becoming very aware that it wouldn't be just the two of them for very long.
Amy had always wanted to be a mother. She knew that long before Sheldon came into her life, that instinct was always there but as time went by she began to think that maybe it just wouldn't happen for her. Sheldon had made that dream real, with him she could see it all, their baby and their future together. Despite being beyond excited to welcome their daughter in just a few weeks time, as her due date crept closer, Amy grew more and more nervous about how much this baby was going to change their lives.
"I should get going, I promised Leonard I'd be there for 8" Sheldon spoke as he jumped off the bar stool and quickly downed what was left of his tea. He had always been a stickler for time and leaving now would mean he would arrive at the university way before Leonard and way before 8am. Amy wanted to tell him that, let him know that a few extra minutes together wouldn't hurt but she also knew how twitchy he would become if he couldn't follow his own plan. "Remember, you need to be ready for 6" he told Amy, as he moved around the kitchen, suddenly appearing at her side, he pecked her lips.
"Am I still not allowed to know what's going on?" Amy asked. It was just last week when Sheldon had asked her if she had any plans for this particular night and even though it was evident Sheldon had things planned, she still had no idea what they could be. For someone who blabbed secrets rather quickly, on this occasion he was remaining tight lipped.
"Nope" he smiled as he shook his head. "Just be ready for 6pm" he kissed her again. For a man who didn't often enjoy physical contact, he could kiss his wife all day.
"What do I wear?" she asked, just as he was about to leave the apartment. She needed to at least know that much. Did she need to dress up? Did she need to remain casual?
"I don't know" he shrugged, turning to face her, his hand on the door handle. He was the last person anyone would go to for fashion advice. "Maybe something summery" he tried to sound like he knew what he was talking about, Amy appreciated the effort. "Love you"
"Love you too" Amy called after him as he left the apartment.
—
Amy stood in front of the mirror, smoothing the fabric of her dress over her bump. The white soft cotton material hung loosely, skimming over her large stomach, and yet highlighting her bump. The evidence of her failed attempts were strewn over the bed, various dresses and shirt and skirt combos that just didn't fit her anymore or simply just didn't look right. She felt and looked very pregnant today but somehow she didn't mind it in this dress.
She thought the dress was beautiful, it had lace frills that hung from the hem that just rested at her knee and from the short sleeves that were skimming her arms. She felt good in this and deemed it to be summery enough. A sudden knock at the door caused her to jump, it was close to 6pm so whoever was behind it would have to hurry, surely Sheldon would be home soon.
"Hi" Amy smiled brightly, opening the door to reveal Leonard stood there.
"Hello, I've come to pick you up" he too reciprocated her bright smile however, Amy could see it in his eyes that he really didn't want to be her chauffeur for the evening. Sheldon had clearly put him up to this.
"Is Sheldon not here?" she asked, she felt herself craning her neck, looking past Leonard for any sign of her husband.
"Nope" he shook his head. "I'm under strict instructions to take you to wherever he is." Amy wondered how strong Leonard could be, whether he would crack if she quizzed him enough in the car, whether he would give in and reveal all, she was desperate to know now.
"But I'm not ready" all of her stressing over which dress to wear had meant that she had lost track of time and therefore not left time for anything else. Although she knew Sheldon didn't really care about how she looked and was blind to when she actually did make quite the effort, it mattered to her.
"Well be quick then" Leonard playfully shooed her back into the apartment. "Because if we're late it will all be my fault."
Amy dashed off to the bedroom as quick as her body would let her, she had accommodated the pregnancy waddle for sometime now. Sitting down at her dressing table, she ran a brush through her hair, she had kinks and waves in all the wrong places and had intended on straightening it out but now she didn't have time for that. Over her eyelashes, she swiped some mascara, added a little blush to her cheeks for some colour and picked up her favourite lipstick that she could apply in the car.
When she rose from her dressing table, she felt the pain again in her back. It was a dull, aching pain, a pain that if she wasn't pregnant, she would be quite concerned about. It was as if her muscles were twisting, that if she were to suddenly pull herself up straight something would snap and break in two. She remained bent over, her hand placed on her dressing table for balance whilst the other reached round her back in an attempt to massage the pain away. Over the last few months especially, she had grown accustom to the aches and pains that pregnancy brought and didn't see this to be anything different.
"Okay, ready" Amy announced as she flounced into the living area and reached for her bag hanging by the door.
—
"You're really not going to tell me where we're going?" Amy sighed, folding her arms and resting them on top of her stomach as she sat in the passenger seat of Leonard's car. He hadn't been as easy to break as she had first thought and she was still currently non the wiser.
"Have you met you're husband? My life would not be worth living if I blabbed," she did know her husband incredibly well and knew in his own little way he wouldn't let Leonard off the hook with this one. "We'll be there soon anyway" she tried to guess where they were going as they started to drive out to the edge of the city.
Amy was about to protest some more when she suddenly felt a tight pain in her stomach. For a few moments it felt as if all her muscles were cramping, it was as if the pain in her back from earlier had suddenly shifted to her middle. She hadn't quite realised the audible in take of breath she had taken until she felt Leonard's eyes on her, flitting between her and the road.
"You good?" he asked, looking her up and down.
"Yeah, just a really hard kick. Caught me off guard" Amy lied, Leonard didn't need to know the truth nor would he ever question whether she was actually telling the truth.
"I guess it's getting pretty cramped in there" now that he knew Amy was okay, his eyes were focused on the road again.
"You're telling me. It's become normal now to just be kicked in the ribs daily," Amy laughed. She wouldn't change it for the world and wondered if when the baby came, whether she would miss being pregnant.
"You know, I'm super excited for you guys. I can't wait to meet her and I can't actually believe Sheldon Cooper is going to be father" he laughed. Never, in his wildest dreams had he imagined Sheldon settling down and getting married let alone starting a family.
"You know, sometimes neither can I" she knew that even though, the thought of impending fatherhood terrified him, he would be amazing at his new role that was waiting just round the corner. She had been lost in her own thoughts, thinking about the future with Sheldon and their little girl that she hadn't quite realised the views changing and that Leonard had stopped the car.
"Here we are" Leonard announced as he pulled the keys from ignition. Amy looked around, the setting was beautiful. All around her was greenery, tall trees and small hills, the ground dotted with tiny little daises and there in the distance, coming towards her was Sheldon.
She knew she was biased, but as he strode over to the car with a new found confidence, Amy felt herself melting. There was something about him tonight especially, that made him look incredibly handsome. Maybe it was how the light was bouncing off of his face, hitting it at all the right angles, or maybe it was his sparkling blue eyes, the eyes that offered her comfort and safety.
The sound of Sheldon opening her passenger door, broke her from her thoughts and she suddenly realised he was right by her side. He outstretched his arm and offered her his hand to take.
"What's going on?" she asked, realising she was giggling like a school girl as she let him take her hand.
"You'll see" he helped up from the car and to her feet. Since reaching the later stages of her pregnancy, she definitely need much more help with simply moving.
"I'll see you guys later" Leonard smiled. Sheldon closed the door and watched as Leonard drove off.
Amy kept hold of Sheldon's hand as he carefully led her across the grass, he maybe hadn't picked the best setting for someone who was heavily pregnant. The slightly uneven surface was putting his nerves on edge and Amy was hoping that Sheldon didn't notice the grip tightening on his hand as she felt another pain.
"Okay, here we are" Sheldon gestured to the spot just a few feet away. Amy saw the fairy lights first, wound round one of the branches in the tree that towered above them. Her eyes were then drawn down to the tartan blanket that lay sprawled out on the ground, a small wicker basket placed in the centre and just to the right stood two champagne flutes containing lemonade.
"A picnic?" Amy questioned. Sheldon nodded. "But you hate picnics." He had always expressed his dislike for picnics, he couldn't understood why people went crazy for what essentially was eating on the ground.
"I do, but you don't. I know that recently you've been worried about it not being the two of us for much longer so I thought we could have one final date night" he explained. Amy could feel her eyes filling with tears as she took in the scene before her, everything about it was perfect, the view, spending time with Sheldon and just the sheer effort and thought he had put in to all of this. "Also, lots of families go for picnics so I thought it would be good practise" he flashed her a shy smile, blushing, he looked down at the ground.
Amy could feel even more tears filling her eyes at the fact he had thought about their future. Little did she know, that he had been thinking about their future together, imagining what they were going to do with their baby girl just as much as she was.
"Can we eat?" she asked. "I'm starving."
—
"I can't believe you planned all this" Amy sighed as she let her head flop onto Sheldon's shoulder. They were sitting on the ground, leaning back against the tree and just relishing in the views and each other's company. The sun had started to set and the sky was gradually going darker, the reds and orange fading in to purple and black. A chill had been cast over them and ever the gentleman, Sheldon had draped his jacket over Amy's shoulders
"Leonard helped out a little" he admitted. He couldn't take all the credit for this, Leonard had lent a helping hand too.
"It's so pretty here. We should come back when she's born" Amy nibbled on the corner of one of the sandwiches that Sheldon had made. The food, although simple was delicious, various sandwiches and fruits, different flavoured chips, fruity drinks and cakes, it was so perfect.
"I'm so glad you like it" he draped his arm around her and pulled her close to his chest.
"Promise me something" she looked up at him from under lashes. There were moments in Sheldon's life before meeting Amy, where he didn't know it was possible to love another human being as much as he did her. The love he felt for her grew every single day and completely overwhelmed him. "Promise me, that even once she's here, we'll still make time for one another."
"Of course" she felt him squeeze her.
"I know that she's going to completely take over our lives and that's absolutely fine but I've heard so many stories of couples who just don't spend anytime with one another once they have a baby" Amy found herself rambling, this was another worry of hers, she figured this was quite a common thing.
"I promise to always make time for you"
Amy hated to ruin the moment but the pains she had been feeling all night were not shifting and if she was being honest she was sure they were getting a little stronger and maybe even closer together. When another hit, she found herself taking a sharp intake of breath and raising her hand to a particular spot on her stomach.
"Are you okay?" Sheldon asked. "You've been doing that a lot tonight" Amy had thought she had been able to pull the wool over his eyes but it was stupid really, she knew her husband was far too clever for that.
"Hmm" she pressed her lips together and nodded her head, unsure of if she could even talk through this one, they were really starting to hurt. "It's just uncomfortable" another lie. "I might need to stand up, can you give me a hand" instantly he was up on his feet, reaching both hands out to her to help haul her up off the ground.
"Is that better?" Sheldon asked, barely giving Amy time to steady herself on her feet. Before either of them could say another word, a loud popping sound was heard and suddenly there was a pool of water by Amy's feet.
"Oh my god" Amy gasped breathlessly, staring down at the ground. "I think that was my… Sheldon, my water just broke" even though her body and mind were panicking, she somehow found herself smiling. Now it all made sense, the pains she had been feeling both in her back and stomach were contractions. She could only assume she'd been in labour since early this afternoon which meant that maybe things were a little further along than she'd care to admit.
She looked up at Sheldon, waiting for him to do something, to say anything. She watched as all of the colour seemed to drain from his face and he remained frozen on the spot.
"What…What do we do?" he asked, she could tell he was panicking, his voice was wavering and shaky.
"It's okay, it's okay. Don't freak out. I'm okay," right now she wasn't in pain which meant that for now at least, she could remind calm and focused. That's how she wanted to be throughout all of this however, she hadn't really anticipated it happening right here. "We need to pack this away" she gestured to the picnic, most of it already been eaten, "and then we need to call Leonard"
"Okay" he nodded. "Okay, I can do that."
—
"Leonard, you need to come and pick us up?" Sheldon's voice rose in pitch as he stood with the phone pressed to his ear barking his instruction to his best friend. Amy had her arms braced against the trunk of the tree as she breathed through another contraction, there was no doubt in her mind now, her water breaking had definitely made them stronger. "Amy's water broke. She's in labour" saying it out loud made it seem real and that seemed to scare him even more. "Yeah, same place. Thank you"
"Is he on his way?"
"Yeah, he's coming" he seemed a little more relaxed now, now that he knew help was on the way. "Are you doing okay?"
"Yeah, yeah I think so" she nodded, although he could see the uncertainty in her eyes. "Sheldon, I'm so sorry" he instantly moved closer to her and put an arm around her waist.
"What do you have to be sorry for?" he asked.
"You went to all this trouble and I've ruined date night"
"Hey, you're about to have our baby. This is the best date night ever" she appreciated his effort to remain positive but she could feel his hand shaking as he held her waist.
"This is really happening"
"Yeah it is" he pulled her in and kissed the side of her head.
Thank you so much for reading! As always reviews are always welcome and so appreciated! I'd love to know your thoughts.
Stay safe
Lots of love!