"You'll be staying in Katie's room while you're here, Grandma. She's going to be in with Leo," Max explained the sleeping arrangements to Mary while he carried her suitcase into the house and set it near the bottom of the staircase. "I'll take your bag upstairs later. Can I get you anything? Water or tea?"

Mary was already taking a seat in the living room. "I don't need anything. Come sit down. I don't know when the last time was that I got some alone time with my oldest grandson. How's school? Have you picked a college for next year or decided what you're going to major in?"

"I haven't picked a school yet, but I've narrowed down my choices to either UC San Diego or Berkeley. Dad has been pressuring me about my major. He obviously wants me to go into physics. I enjoy physics, but I don't know that I want to be studying it for the rest of my life. I know I want to do something in the sciences, but haven't decided exactly what," Max settled on the opposite end of the couch from his grandmother after finding himself a snack. "School's pretty good. My classes are hard, but I like the challenge. We get out early every Thursday; I usually pick up a few extra hours at the comic book store, but Stuart let me have off today so I could pick you up at the airport for mom and dad."

"That's very nice of him, but I could have waited at the airport or taken a taxi so you didn't lose hours. I know you can't work that much because of school, now I feel bad for making you miss out. How does fried chicken for dinner sound?" Mary suggested, leaning forward. "I'm sure Sheldon and Amy would appreciate coming home to dinner already on the table for them."

Max tilted his head, "I don't know if we have any chicken, but the grocery store isn't that far. We can make a quick trip to get some. Do you think you could teach me how to make it? Dad swears it's Meemaw's secret recipe and only the two of you can decide who learns it."

"I think you're old enough to learn the family recipe. Let's check the refrigerator and make our shopping list."


"Something smells amazing in here," Amy announced, entering the front door. "I think Grandma Mary's here. Go find her," she said to her youngest kids after helping them remove their backpacks.

The three- and five-year-old ran into the kitchen, hearing their brother and grandmother's laughter from the next room. Katie immediately wrapped herself around Mary, while Leo stood back a few feet, watching his sister's reaction to the woman standing in front of the stove. "Grandma! I missed you," Katie stated as Mary took a step back and knelt in front of the little girl, giving her a proper hug.

"Aw, I missed you too, sweetheart." It was then that she noticed Leo standing off to the side. "Hi, Leo. Can I get a hug?" The boy hesitantly approached with Sheldon and Amy watching from the doorway. Amy squeezed Sheldon's hand as Leo allowed Mary to hug him.

"Hi, mom. You didn't have to make dinner, but I'm really glad you did. Nothing compares to your fried chicken," Sheldon stepped forward to hug his mother.

Mary shrugged her shoulders, returning Sheldon's hug before moving to hug Amy. "I thought you might like coming home to dinner, ready and waiting on the table. There are some things I need to finish, but everything should be done in a few minutes. Besides, it gave me a chance to share the family recipe with Max."


"Thank you for letting me read Katie and Leo their bedtime story tonight. It's been a while since I've gotten to tuck in either of them. Missy's boys are always staying over, but they're so rowdy and all over the place. Katie and Leo are much calmer, but I guess that's because they take after Shelly," shared Mary as she reached the bottom of the stairs, finding Sheldon and Amy in the kitchen.

Amy zipped the lunchboxes on the counter and placed them in the fridge, ready to go for the next morning, before reaching for the package of cookies on top. "Would you care for a snack? Sheldon and I were going to watch TV for a little while before bed if you'd like to join us."

Mary nodded, "That sounds nice. We didn't get to talk much during dinner, but that's how it was for George and I once the kids were all trying to talk over one another to tell us about their day."

The group settled in the living room with their snack and Sheldon reached for the remote to find something they would all enjoy. Finding something, he placed the remote back on the coffee table and Amy leaned against him. She began to whisper, just quiet enough for Mary to not hear what she was saying.

"You two are so cute, whispering like a couple of teenagers in love," commented Mary.

"She was asking if I noticed how Leo let you hug him earlier. Of course, I noticed, she squeezed my hand so tight when it was happening, I thought I was going to need to put ice on it."

"What are you talking about, Shelly?" Mary looked between the couple. "Has Leo been refusing to hug people recently? I've never had a problem with him not wanting to hug me. Sure, he's always been more hesitant than Katie, but he's just shy. Once he remembers who I am, he's just fine with hugging."

Elbowing Sheldon, Amy scowled at him, "I shouldn't have said anything. We've noticed a few things with Leo the past several months about his behavior, specifically around other people or if we have to change his regular routine for some reason."

Smiling slightly, Mary sighed, "He takes after his daddy in so many ways. He looks just like you at that age, too."

"We talked to his pediatrician about it, mom," Sheldon reached for Amy's hand as he continued. "We were referred to a specialist, but the earliest appointment we could get isn't for another three months. His pediatrician thinks he might have a mild form of autism, but isn't able to confirm the diagnosis, hence the specialist. We haven't told Max or any of our friends about this, so please don't say anything."

"Oh, darling, I had no idea you were going through this," she crossed the room and pulled both Sheldon and Amy into a hug. "I can only imagine how stressful it must be, waiting to learn if there's something wrong with your beautiful little boy. I won't say anything, however, I will be saying an extra prayer for all of you." Mary released the couple from her arms and saw a smile cross her son's face. "What's got you grinning like that?"

"Nothing. I'm just glad we were able to share this with you. It makes me feel like we're a little less alone while we wait for the appointment with the specialist."