I posted this chapter a few days ago, but noticed the website wasn't sending the email notifications for new chapters. Since I feel it's a pretty important chapter, I decided to take it down and repost once the notifications are working again, but it seems that isn't happening anytime soon & I don't want to wait any longer to post it, so here it is. If you happened to see it & read it in the few hours it was posted the other day, thank you for finding it without the notifications.

Penny poked her head into apartment 4A. "Oh, good. Sheldon, you're home. Amy's been trying to reach you. She called your cell and your office, but you haven't been answering. She asked me to check if you were here."

Patting his pockets, searching for his phone, Sheldon crossed the room to open his bag. Producing his phone from the bag, he saw numerous missed calls and texts from his girlfriend. "I had an appointment and left work early. I decided to come home for the rest of the day instead of going back to the university. What's going on? Her texts all just say to call her ASAP."

"Sweetie, you might want to sit down when I tell you this."

"Just tell me what's going on? Is Amy okay? Did something happen to Max?" Sheldon rapid-fired questions at the blonde.

Penny closed her eyes and took a deep breath before speaking. "Amy and Max are both okay, but they were in a car accident. They're at the hospital being checked out. I'll drive you."

Grabbing his jacket, Sheldon was in the hallway before he realized Penny was still standing in the middle of his apartment. "Let's go. What exactly did Amy say happened?"

"She had just picked Max up from school and they were on the way home. Some idiot ran a red light right into her car. They should be able to leave the hospital tonight. They both have some cuts and bruises. Amy hurt her leg and Max has a broken arm."

Penny dropped Sheldon off at the entrance to the emergency room before going to find a parking spot. He ran to the desk inside the door. "My girlfriend is Amy Farrah Fowler. She and her son were in a car accident. I need to see them."

"Just a moment, sir," the man at the desk replied as he typed into the computer. "Unfortunately, we can't allow you back to see her. Only immediate family are allowed back."

"No. You need to let me see her now," pleaded Sheldon. "I'm her emergency contact, Sheldon Cooper. She called me several times before calling my neighbor to find me."

Continuing to look in the computer upon hearing Sheldon was Amy's emergency contact, the man changed his tune. "You are listed as Ms. Fowler's emergency contact. In that case, you are permitted to see her. She's in room twelve, just through those doors, fourth room on the left."

"Thank you," Sheldon scurried down the hall. He paused for a moment when he reached room twelve, unsure what to expect behind the door. "I'm so sorry for missing your calls. I had my appointment this afternoon, then left my phone in my bag and didn't realize it until Penny barged in. How are you? Penny told me you hurt your leg."

Amy reached out for Sheldon's hand, which he took without hesitation. "It's just a sprained ankle. I'll be in a brace and have to use crutches for a week or two. It was so scary, Sheldon. The car just came out of nowhere. I haven't been able to see Max since we got here. I'm sure he's terrified." Amy was interrupted by the doctor entering her room. "How's Max? Can I see him yet?"

The doctor scrolled through the tablet in his hand before replying. "We need to get you in a brace for that ankle before you can get out of bed. Your son is one of the toughest six-year-olds I've seen in a long time. His wrist is being set right now. He picked red and yellow for his cast."

"Hi, doctor. I'm Sheldon Cooper, Amy's boyfriend. Would I be able to see Max since Amy isn't able to get out of bed to go herself?"

"I see you're Amy's emergency contact. Are you Max's father or emergency contact? We can only allow family in to see him right now," the doctor questioned.

Sheldon looked at Amy, who squeezed his hand in hers as she nodded slightly. "Yes, I'm Max's emergency contact after Amy. Since she is unable to, I would like to go see him."

"Alright. He's in room nine. I'll be heading over to see him once I check on another patient, but you may go now if you'd like," he shared before exiting the room.

"Go," Amy let go of Sheldon's hand. "Tell him that I'm okay and that I love him." Sheldon turned towards the door before Amy's voice stopped him, "Thank you for coming. I love you."

"I love you, too. Keep your phone close. I'll ask if he wants to video call you to see that you're okay." With that, Sheldon exited Amy's room and began to look at the numbers on doors for the room the doctor told him Max was in. He quickly found it and knocked gently as he opened the door. He was greeted by a different doctor and a nurse, who were in the process of putting a cast on Max's right arm.

"Hi!" The boy exclaimed as Sheldon let himself into the room. "I picked out The Flash colors for my cast. Do you like it?"

Smiling, Sheldon answered, "It looks pretty cool. I just saw your mom. She said she loves you. The doctor won't let her come see you yet, but we can try video calling her once they're done putting your cast on."

Max began to tell Sheldon about his ride in the ambulance and the firefighters who helped him and Amy before he was interrupted by the doctor. "We're all done with your cast. You've gotta hang out here for a little longer, then we can let you see your mom. Someone will come to get you when you can see her. I'll let you get back to telling your dad about your adventure."

"He's not my dad. He's Sheldon. He's been my mom's boyfriend since I can remember. I wish he were my dad sometimes."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just thought. We'll be back in a little while to take you to your mom."

Penny waited for Amy and Max to be released to drive them home and help Sheldon get them to Amy's apartment. After getting Amy settled on the couch and setting her crutches on the floor where she could reach them, Sheldon got Max comfortable next to his mom. "Can I get you guys something to eat? It's hours past dinnertime," Penny broke the silence.

"I'm too tired to eat, but thank you," Amy answered, looking at Max, who shook his head while curling into Amy's side.

Sheldon looked around the room, realizing the silence had grown awkward. "You can go home, Penny. I'm going to stay and help Amy get Max ready for bed before taking the bus home."

"Are you sure? I don't mind staying to help and give you a ride home."

"We'll be fine. Thank you for driving me to the hospital and driving us all when they were able to come home."

Penny glanced at her friends. "Call me if you need anything. I can take tomorrow off if you want. Do you need someone to drive Max to school in the morning?"

Amy glanced at her son, who had fallen asleep next to her, before replying. "No. I think he's going to stay home. If he needs a ride, I'll call my dad. My dad already has a booster seat for him and I'd be more comfortable if he were in one, especially after today."

A comfortable quiet spread over the apartment after Penny left. Sheldon was in the kitchen while Amy watched her son sleep next to her. Returning to the living room, Sheldon passed his girlfriend a mug of tea. "I thought you could use this after the day you've had. Do you want me to take him to bed?"

"Not yet. I like having him next to me. I can't thank you enough for being with him when I couldn't."

"And I told you it was fine. The doctor did say something that I feel the need to tell you about. She thought I was Max's dad. He was quick to correct her that I wasn't his dad, but I'm ready," shared Sheldon.

Amy sipped her tea as she listened to Sheldon. "Ready for what?"

"You know part of the reason why I left over the summer was finding out if I'm Max's donor and we've discussed it since I've been back, but you've been so patient with waiting until I was ready to find out. You were respecting my feelings on the matter and I appreciate that, but I'm ready to find out if I'm his donor. First, the doctor said I couldn't see Max unless I was his father or emergency contact and we lied about me being his emergency contact. We both know your father is in charge of Max if something happens to you. When the doctor referred to me as Max's dad when they finished his cast, Max said he wishes I were his dad sometimes."

"He hasn't brought that up in a while. I think he understands our relationship more now than when he was little. There was a time when he was around four that he would ask weekly if you could be his dad," Amy ran her fingers through the boy's dark hair as his head rested in her lap.

Sheldon leaned over and reached for Amy's other hand. "As you know, I've been talking to someone about why I've been so hesitant to do the test and I think I'll be able to handle whatever the results are. I was going to tell you during date night next week. I don't want to be stopped from seeing him if something happens again. I know there's a chance I won't be, but I need to know."

Smiling, Amy glanced between her son and her boyfriend. "Okay. I'll look into what we need to do to find out. Can you carry him to bed? He's fine to sleep in his clothes tonight, just take his shoes off. I might need some help getting to my room, too."

"I'll be right back," he answered, lifting the lanky six-year-old from the couch. Stopping at the edge of the living room, he turned back, "I'm going to sleep on your couch tonight, just in case either of you needs anything overnight."

This is one of the chapters I've been most nervous & excited about posting since I finished writing it. I hope you enjoyed it!