Chapter 14: Mothers
"Now, when you said on the phone he broke up with a girl, you meant an actual girl? Not something you kids whipped up in a lab?" - Mary Cooper
When Carly entered 4A the evening after her date with Sheldon, she was met with glances thrown in her direction and a bright "Hey!" from Penny.
It was just Leonard, Penny, and Sheldon that night. They were having Italian and she was surprised when Sheldon walked around the counter towards her, now looking like his normal self in khaki pants, a black Harry Potter shirt, with blue long sleeves pushed up to his elbows.
It made her heart flutter a little, remembering what had happened between them just a few short hours ago. She had changed as well into a pair of jeans and a white V-neck t-shirt.
Sheldon held two plates full of spaghetti, salad, and a breadstick. He reached her and handed one over to her with a small smile.
"Thanks, Sheldon," she told him gratefully and he shrugged, turning around to go to his spot.
"I didn't want you to have to wait to eat," he explained and she smiled, following him over to the couch.
She sat down next to him and looked up to see Penny sitting in the armchair and Leonard pulling up the computer chair to eat.
"I heard your date went well," Penny said with a knowing smirk on her face.
Carly glanced at Sheldon who shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. He caught her eyes and straightened, composing himself.
"I just told her about the park and the Cheesecake Factory," he told her simply, going back to his spaghetti.
Leonard frowned. "Speaking of which, I thought you guys were going to the aquarium."
Carly smiled wryly at that. "My lovely boyfriend got us kicked out."
Penny and Leonard gaped before deciding it wasn't surprising. "What did you do?" Leonard wondered, almost accusing Sheldon.
Her boyfriend huffed and rolled his eyes. "They were spreading misinformation Leonard, I couldn't stand for that."
Penny sighed and shook her head, looking back at her food. "Of course you couldn't."
"He was only trying to help," Carly defended her boyfriend before explaining. "They just couldn't hear him because they were in the tank, so he tried getting their attention by banging on the glass. It caused a disturbance with the sharks and probably could have turned dangerous, so they called security and had us leave." Leonard and Penny rolled their eyes at the audacity of him.
Sheldon stiffened next to her. "It wasn't my wisest moment."
Carly smiled at him, putting him at ease. "It's all right Sheldon. I think our day was just as amazing, if not more."
Leonard shook his head, glancing between the two in awe. "Sheldon, don't let her go."
Sheldon frowned in confusion as Carly blushed and smiled, looking down at her plate, flattered. "Don't let her go where?"
Penny laughed. "Oh Shelly, you're such a dork."
Still confused, Sheldon looked to Carly for help but she just gave him a grin, then ate her dinner happily.
As they were cleaning up, Carly helped dry the dishes that Leonard washed and Penny wiped down the counter, as Sheldon neatly folded the table cloth for their coffee table and put it away.
Afterward, Sheldon approached them all. "I spoke to my mother earlier this evening and good news, she will be coming to visit this weekend."
All three looked over at him with the announcment. Carly's heart jumped. His mother?
"Oh really? That's awesome! I miss your mom," Penny said wistfully as Leonard approached Sheldon.
"How long is she staying?"
"She's flying in Saturday morning and will be leaving Monday. She's getting a hotel," he told them all and his eyes trailed over to Carly who was biting her lip with anxiety.
She didn't notice the way his eyes lingered on her mouth for a moment, a flash of what had happened between them at her apartment going across his mind. "Carly, she's looking forward to meeting you. Something about, wanting to see who finally caught the interest of her little boy." He rolled his eyes for effect.
Carly blushed as if his mother was already there and looked away for a moment, putting the last plate away in the cupboard. "I have to work that day and water my Grandmother's plants while she's away but I'll swing by and meet her," she told him with a smile.
Sheldon tilted his head slightly. "Your Mee-Maw's going out of town? Where?"
She shrugged, walking over to his side. "I'm not sure, somewhere by the beach with her friend. They'll be back Sunday night."
Sheldon suddenly thought of something. "Oh, that's who called earlier, wasn't it? When we were-" he stopped himself and she panicked, glancing at Leonard and Penny who weren't paying attention.
"Yeah it was," she said softly, their eyes catching and holding a mutual memory. Her cheeks burned under his gaze and he licked his lips nervously. If they had been alone, she wondered if he would have kissed her again.
"Well I should get going," Carly told them, giving the other couple a wave. "Thank you for dinner, like always."
Penny and Leonard smiled at her, the latter waving her off. "Don't worry about it."
Sheldon walked her to the door and he opened it. She lingered in the doorway and looked up at him, wishing she could stay with him forever. Maybe one day.
"I'll see you downstairs for laundry at 8:15," she said with a smile.
He returned the smile. "Of course."
oO0Oo
The week came and went and with it the anxiety over meeting Sheldon's mother. Sheldon had filled her in on multiple occasions on how religious she was and how smitten she was over him. She was worried that the standard for her youngest son would be too high and she wouldn't be able to live up to it.
She just hoped she'd approve of her.
Sheldon had texted her that morning around eleven that he and Leonard had picked his mother up from the airport. Carly had made plans to come over as Sheldon had told her his mother was going to be making them a home-cooked meal that he was looking forward to.
Carly took her time getting ready, deciding to wear something from her old wardrobe: a blue cotton dress that reached just past her knees and threw a white knit sweater over the top. She donned flats and straightened her hair to look perfect- but decided not to wear makeup. She worried that she'd look like she was trying too hard and didn't want to leave that impression on Mrs. Cooper.
When she couldn't wait any longer, she headed up to 4A, her stomach in nervous knots. She had only knocked once before the door swung open and there stood Sheldon as if he had been waiting all day in that spot for her to come.
His smile was bright when he saw her and she couldn't help but return it. He looked lighter than he normally did. He must love his mother very much.
"Carly! I'm so glad you're here! This is my-" Sheldon's introduction was cut off by a small framed, brown-haired woman, who moved past her son and grabbed Carly into a warm embrace.
She idly heard Sheldon huff beside her and the door to his apartment click shut, as she was engulfed by Mary Cooper.
"Oh, honey! You are just beautiful! Shelly's description of you didn't do you justice," Mrs. Cooper's Texan accented voice spoke into Carly's ear before pulling away to look at her from arm's length.
"Thank you," Carly mumbled, glancing down uncomfortably at the floor and away from Mrs. Cooper's blue eyes that were the replica of Sheldon's.
"Excuse me, I told you exactly how she looked. Down to the last freckle on her nose," Sheldon defended himself seriously, trying to pull his girlfriend back to him by grabbing her hand and tugging her away, obviously irritated with his mom hogging Carly.
Mrs. Cooper rolled her eyes but smiled all the same at her son. "Yes, yes dear," she said dismissively while grabbing Carly back from him and pulling her to the couch, careful to not sit either of them in Sheldon's spot.
"Now Carly," she began, making the younger woman gulp from the sound of her voice. Was this the beginning of the interrogation? "Shelly tells me you're a librarian, yes?"
Carly nodded, forcing a smile onto her face and stifling an exhale of breath. "Yes ma'am."
"Oh no, don't be so formal hun. Call me Mary," Mary said, looking around the room absently. "Everyone else does." She smiled in response to Carly's nod and then proceeded. "Now did you go to university?"
"Yes," Carly answered before elaborating and trying to appeal to her. "I have my master's in library science."
"I didn't know you could be a library scientist," Mary told her, awed. "No wonder Shelly's with you."
Carly felt horribly awkward and shook her head to correct her, but Sheldon beat her to it.
"Library science, mother, is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and other areas to libraries; the collection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information resources; and the political economy of information."
Mary stared blankly at her son for a moment before smiling gently at Carly. "Sounds like a scientist to me."
Carly glanced to her boyfriend who rolled his eyes with a scoff, turning around to help Leonard and Penny in the kitchen. She could see there were oceans between him and his mother's ability to understand what he said.
Carly smiled back at Mary. "I work in the Pasadena library."
Mary grinned, patting Carly's leg affectionately. "That's exciting. I love going to the library." Then she took on a different tone, her eyebrows furrowing. "How old are you, dear?"
Carly suddenly felt more bashful at the question and she glanced in the direction of Sheldon who was attempting to contain himself in the kitchenette. Carly quickly looked back at his mother with her reply, "Twenty-five."
"Five years difference, that isn't so bad. We have someone at my church that is fourteen years apart from his wife. Lovely couple," Mary told her before getting rather serious. "Now dear, do you believe in God?"
Carly had expected this question and so she smiled, ready to give her answer. "I grew up Christian, so yes ma'am, I do."
She didn't elaborate that she didn't go to church anymore since she wasn't underneath her grandmother's thumb. Or that she wasn't an overly religious person.
"Oh, how wonderful! Maybe you'll spread some light on ole Shelly over there," Mary said joyously, her blue eyes sparkling. Carly highly doubted anything pertaining to religion would change Sheldon's way of thinking. "Well, it was just wonderful to meet you. Good Lord, I have been wishing for this day Shelly's whole life. It just proves that God can work miracles!"
"Mother, aren't we going to eat?" Sheldon interjected, appearing in front of the coffee table and looking down at her expectantly. Carly couldn't have been happier from the interruption. She liked Mrs. Cooper just fine but she was breathless from the interview.
"Yes Shelly, now stop being so impatient," she said sternly, standing and patting down the wrinkles in her floral dress. Carly went to stand as well but was quickly pushed back down by Mary. "No, no. You sit. A gentleman always brings his lady a plate, don't they Shelly?" she smiled down at Carly before looking up at her son through narrowed eyes.
"You don't have to tell me, mom, I do it all the time," he stated in annoyance, before walking over to grab two plates.
Carly bit her lip before speaking up. "Oh it's all right, I can get it myself," she said with a hopeful smile up at Mary, but the woman turned her pointed stare on her and Carly sat back down silently.
She decided quickly that she didn't want to mess with Mary Cooper. She vaguely reminded her of her grandmother.
Soon they were all seated around the coffee table and eating a home-cooked meal that consisted of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and roasted green beans. It tasted wonderful. Mary was an outstanding cook. She now knew why Sheldon had been excited about her cooking.
"You know, I will have to send you some of my recipes through email. Sheldon just loves a home-cooked meal. You do cook, don't you?"
Carly looked up at Mary, realizing she was speaking to her. She quickly swallowed her food before answering politely. "Yes, I do. My grandmother taught me a lot of her recipes growing up," she nodded while casting a glance at Sheldon who was enthusiastically enjoying his meal.
"Oh, that's good. That's where I learned most of my recipes, my mother and her mother," Mary spoke after eating a bite. "Well here's an idea!" she said suddenly smiling. "How 'bouts you and Shelly here come down to Texas and meet the family for Christmas?"
Carly's stomach flopped at the suggestion. Did this mean she had passed the test for her son? Sheldon on the other hand looked appalled.
"Mom! You know we can't go down there..." he replied, sounding more afraid of going to church every Sunday and Wednesday than anything else. "We have work and I highly doubt Carly would want to spend her time in a stuffy old church."
Carly quickly interjected, not wanting Mary to think that because she didn't want to offend the lady- "No, please don't say that Sheldon. I don't mind visiting, but it's up to Sheldon."
Mary smiled gently at Carly before looking to Sheldon expectantly. He pressed his lips together in exasperation and gave his mother an annoyed look. It was apparent that Sheldon didn't want to and he was very stubborn.
"We'll come back to it," Mary said with a wave of her hand, knowing her son well.
She looked over at Bernadette and Howard who were watching the ideal with idle interest while they ate. "So, how are the wedding plans going?"
That distracted Mary from Carly and Sheldon for a little while, happily talking with the engaged couple about their upcoming wedding and how come she hadn't been invited yet.
Soon they were all finished with their meals, the talk of visiting Texas for Christmas wasn't spoken about again, and they all helped clean up after dinner. Bernadette, Howard, and Raj left together after saying goodbye, and Carly knew she should get going as well if she wanted to make it to her grandmother's house before it got too late.
She helped Mary fold the table cloth neatly and Carly put it where it belonged before she turned to Sheldon, who was finishing the dishes with Leonard.
"I'm sorry to cut the evening short, but I need to go water my grandma's plants before it gets too late-"
Sheldon snapped his gaze over to her, looking put out by the sudden need to leave. "Aw, can't you stay longer?" He said in a childlike voice that made her heart speed up and a smile reach her face.
"Unfortunately not. I'll have to skip on doing laundry tonight as well," she told him regretfully and that made him even more depressed looking.
"But you can't! It's laundry night," he complained and she bit her lip, feeling guilty.
"Sheldon, she has responsibilities to her grandmother," Mary cut in, giving him a stern look. He softened his expression and looked away, reluctantly. Mary then placed a hand on Carly's shoulder, bringing her attention to the older woman. "Do you mind if I catch a ride with you to my hotel? It's not far from here."
Carly gulped. A car ride alone with Sheldon's mother? She felt anxious all over again but she couldn't say no. "Of course," she said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Mary brightened and walked over to the couch where her jacket and purse were laying. "Perfect! I'll grab my things."
"Now hang on," Sheldon said, coming to Carly's side instantaneously. "I want to go too."
Mary smiled at him. "That'd be great, sweet pea. Go grab your jacket."
Sheldon grinned from his mother to Carly, who felt immense relief to not be completely alone and went to the closet to grab his jacket.
It was then, a few minutes later, she drove off in her car with Sheldon in her backseat and Mary in her passenger.
"Thank you for giving me a ride, sweetheart. I appreciate it," Mary told her after a moment of driving.
Carly did like Mary Cooper. She was sweet and thoughtful. She also seemed to like her which was such a weight lifted.
She threw Mary a smile. "It's not a problem. The Marriott is on the way anyway, so it really works out."
"That's great," Mary commented and then directed her question to Sheldon who was being rather silent. "Are you still not going with us to take a tour of Beverly Hills tomorrow, Shelly?"
Carly frowned. She hadn't known they were doing anything the next day. Sheldon hadn't mentioned it.
"No, mother. I have no interest rallying around California looking at pointless architecture and wax figures," Sheldon told her, sounding irritated. "I worked all night, coming up with a couple of Q's to stump Saul Perlmutter's sorry A for us to laugh at together, and here I find that you'd rather go off with my friends."
Carly bit her lip, staring ahead at the road silently, as Mary took a breath.
"Well, I'm sorry Shelly, I didn't fly all the way here just to sit in a dusty lecture hall with you like I did when you were a kid. I want to go sightseein'," she told him simply, crossing her arms over her purse in her lap. "Say, Carly- would you like to come with us? Give us a chance to get to know each other better."
"Don't you bring my girlfriend into this, mother! She's on my side," Sheldon heatedly retorted.
Carly felt backed into a corner and she silently wished that she had declined the offer to bring Mary and Sheldon with her.
"I'm sorry, I am quite busy tomorrow. Perhaps another time," Carly told Mary, sounding regretful. She didn't want to be in the middle of that.
"Busy? With what? The library's closed on Sundays," Sheldon called her out, confused and she briefly shut her eyes in annoyance. He just couldn't take the hint.
"I have some paperwork to do and organizing that'll need to be done by Monday," she explained, not truly lying but it wouldn't take her all day to do. Probably thirty minutes if that, but neither of them needed to know.
"It's fine, dear. I'm just glad to have been able to meet you while I was here," Mary told her sweetly. "Sheldon sure seems different with you around."
"I am not different- I just have a girlfriend now," Sheldon corrected, grumpily. "Everything else is essentially the same."
Thankfully, Carly was pulling up on the hotel and she took a deep breath as she did so.
Mary unbuckled her seatbelt as Carly stopped by the front doors. She looked over at her with a smile. "Please think about Christmas. We'd love to have you both."
Carly couldn't help but give her a nod with a smile. "Of course."
Sheldon scowled and got out of the car, while Mary sighed and climbed out. With all the doors closed, she could hear their muffling voices arguing. Carly took a deep breath. Did they always argue like that?
Mary left him to enter the hotel and Sheldon swung open the passenger door and climbed inside.
"She is impossible," he immediately began ranting as he shut the door and buckled up. "She comes out here to see me and doesn't even want to spend time with me."
Carly bit her lip and drove off. "I'm sure it's just because she is excited to come to California. My Aunt from Wisconsin visited a few years back and spent most of her time at Disneyland with her two kids. It was sort of a let down because I barely saw her, but they had such a good time I didn't want to complain."
Sheldon huffed. "But she's my mother. Not everyone else's. Even tonight, I had to beg her to make dinner for us. Leonard already had convinced her to get sushi for lunch, and Penny suggested we go out for dinner. I put a stop to that immediately- it's just... I thought her visit would be different," he explained lowly and she felt her heartache for him.
"I'm sorry Sheldon." She then remembered what he had said before. "You wanted to go to a lecture with your mom tomorrow? Do you want me to go?"
She had absolutely no idea who the man was that was lecturing but Sheldon had seemed to be excited about it. Perhaps it would be fine.
Sheldon gave her a confused frown. "I thought you were busy?"
Carly sighed, realizing she was called out. "I do have paperwork and stuff but I can move my schedule around so I can go with you if you want."
Sheldon slumped in the seat. "No, you don't have to do that."
Carly gave him a sidelong look, seeing how miserable he was. "I'm sorry, Sheldon," she told him again and he shook his head.
"Don't be."
They drove in silence the rest of the way to her grandmother's house and she wondered if he'd be okay. When he got upset, he tended to make a big show of it.
He followed her into the house and looked around curiously. "This is nice. It reminds me of my Mee-Maw's house," he commented and then picked up a little ceramic angel from a shelf. "Hey, my Mee-Maw has this same angel!"
Carly smiled at his enthusiasm as she went to work on watering the plants around the house. Her grandmother took really good care of them and she didn't want to be the reason any of them wilted.
"I liked your mom though, all things considered," she told him idly, glancing over at him as he continued to peer around.
"She is amazing," he told her earnestly, a fondness to his voice. "She liked you too, I could tell."
Carly smiled, happy that was the case. She sat the watering can down on the kitchen table and approached Sheldon.
"I think you should spend time with your mom tomorrow, Sheldon. I think she'd appreciate it," she told him.
His eyes hardened and he turned away from her. "No, I stand by my statement."
She frowned at his back, thinking he'd regret it. "Very well," she told him, dropping the subject for good. "Let's go."
Sheldon nodded and followed her out. She locked up the house and they got back into the car to drive back to Pasadena.
"So speaking of the holidays, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to come to Thanksgiving at my Grandma's house. She is dying to meet you," Carly said, hope in her voice. She was a little nervous given the circumstances that night with his mother.
Sheldon froze under her gaze and he looked over at her uneasily. "But I usually have Thanksgiving with my friends."
Carly's hope faltered. Perhaps she should have asked at a different time. He was being rather stubborn at the moment about everything.
"I know, it's just she wants to meet you and she's the only family I have so... I thought maybe-" she broke off, feeling awkward now that she said it all aloud.
Sheldon sighed. "You're right. I should go., but you'll have to break the news to Leonard. He'll be miserable without me there for the sparkling conversation and copious amounts of pilgrim facts."
Carly's heart soared with excitement that he'd agreed to go, but she doubted Sheldon's words about Leonard. Something told her that Sheldon wouldn't be too missed by their friends.
"I'm sure he'll be fine," she reassured him. "It's only one Thanksgiving."
Sheldon nodded after considering it. "True."
When they returned to the apartment building, Carly and Sheldon walked side by side up the stairs. It was eight-thirty.
Carly looked over at Sheldon regretfully. "I'm sorry we missed laundry night."
Sheldon glanced at her and shrugged. "We didn't fully. I still intend to do my laundry tonight. It's only fifteen minutes past," he assured her and she raised her eyebrows, surprised by the mature response.
"Would you like me to join you?" She asked him, her hand finding his as they walked through the first landing.
He gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand lightly. "If you'd like to."
She smiled back. "I would like that very much."
Sheldon's smile turned sheepish. "Look at me. Holding hands with my girlfriend and doing laundry fifteen minutes late. What a night," he chuckled, rolling his eyes with a grin.
Carly laughed lightly at him. He was so cute. She was glad he was in a better mood.
He left her at her apartment to gather her clothing and met him down at the laundry room a few minutes later.
As they put their clothes in their respective washers, Sheldon turned to her suddenly. "I've changed my mind."
Carly paused as she slid quarters into her machine and looked up at him. "About what?"
He smiled at her. "About not wanting you to go to the lecture. If my mother won't come with me, I'd like it if my girlfriend came."
Carly's heart melted and she gave him a hopeful smile. "Really?"
He nodded enthusiastically. "Positive."
"Okay then. Just tell me when and I'll be ready."
He grinned. "I'll be at your apartment at 8 am sharp."
8 am? So much for sleeping in, she thought idly. He turned to his washer and turned it on, looking happier than he had all night. He was so handsome.
She reached over to him before he could leave the washer and took his forearm, bare with his long sleeve pushed up to his elbows.
Her touch startled him and he visibly jumped, looking at her in surprise. She just smiled up at him, feeling so lucky to have him as her boyfriend, not for the first time.
"You're wonderful, you know that?"
The compliment made him blush and she thought that it was the first time she had seen his face red. It made him look younger. His eyes looked down briefly, embarrassed. "I agree with you... but for whimsy's sake, what makes you say that?"
She grinned at his ego and then shrugged. "Why wouldn't I? You've completely altered your life to fit me into it. You're experimenting with me in ways you've never have with anyone else. I met your mother today... and I don't think I could ever express to you in words how much you mean to me."
She didn't know what had brought on this sudden soul confession to him but she welcomed it. She wanted him to know exactly how she felt about him, even if she wasn't the best with words.
He looked stunned and he stared down at her for a long moment, processing her words. "Thank you," he told her, licking his lips nervously. "You mean a lot to me as well."
Carly smiled at him softly, releasing his arm. "I'm glad." She turned then, grabbing her basket, intent on going back upstairs but she was suddenly spun around by him and engulfed in a tight hug.
Surprised was an understatement. He didn't give many hugs and each one he'd given her was special to her heart, and this one she knew, would be the dearest.
His arm wrapped around her, one of his hands at her head, holding her cheek to his chest. "I love you," he told her quietly in her ear, a voice full of emotion, and it sent her heart racing in her chest wildly. He didn't often allow himself to speak like that to her.
"I love you too, Sheldon," she murmured into his shirt, wishing to be in his arms forever.
oO0Oo
Carly had been thoroughly surprised by Sheldon who had made a tremendous show of making the Nobel Prize winner Saul Perlmutter look like a fool at the lecture.
Sheldon seemed rather proud of himself as they left to get brunch at a restaurant down the block after he had done enough research on it to deem it safe to eat from.
"Ah, I still can't get the look on his face out of my head when I asked him that last one," Sheldon laughed to himself, as they waited for their food to be sent out to them. "It was a real zinger, wouldn't you agree?"
Carly chuckled, rolling her eyes behind her mug of coffee. "He didn't see it coming."
Sheldon snickered happily. "No, he didn't!" She then watched his smile fall with a sudden thought and she frowned. "I wish my mother had been there. She always came with me as a child, it would have been nice to do it again."
Carly suddenly realized why Sheldon had been so upset by his mother choosing to not spend the day with him doing the things he wanted to do. Sheldon was trying to relive his fondest memories with her.
From what she knew of Sheldon, he had grown up rather quickly. He'd graduated high school by the age of eleven and was off to college soon after. He hadn't been able to be a child for very long and she didn't blame him for wanting to make up for lost time now that he was an adult.
She knew that if her mother was there with her, she'd feel the same way.
She looked down at her mug of coffee, her hands sliding around it thoughtfully. She wouldn't dare bring it up with him, though, he would only deny it.
But she knew, and she felt bad for him. She was surprised his mother, who had said knew him the best, hadn't noticed. Or if she had, had chosen not to do anything about it.
She suddenly felt glad that she had decided to go with him. Perhaps they could make their own memories.
Sheldon ate his french toast and Carly ate her waffles, wondering what else they could do that day that would help him forget about his mother ditching on him.
As they neared the end of their meal, she proposed an idea to him. "Wanna go to the train store?"
His eyes lit up at the suggestion, but then he paused. "Wait, why all of a sudden?" He asked suspiciously.
She shrugged smiling at him. "I haven't been in a while. I was wondering if they had any new ones."
That got him started and he didn't quit talking until she had turned her car off in front of the model train store. Even then, it was only for a few beats as they got out of the car. As soon as they entered the store, she had no choice but to follow him around and listen to all of his enthusiastic information on every item in the store.
"I bet you didn't see this one last time you were here!" He would say and her heart grew and grew, happy with herself. He was far from the miserable son he had been the night before.
She stopped to get them milkshakes on the way back, much to his delight, and was on a high -
Right up until a rock flew at her window from the road and smashed through her windshield, causing her and Sheldon to scream in fright as the rock, no bigger than a golf ball landed past them and into her backseat.
She stopped the car, on the side of the road, absolutely terrified. "Holy crap," she panted, before looking over at her horrified boyfriend.
"That could have killed me!" He said in a high voice, his milkshake frozen in his hand, the happiness between them forgotten. "I'm going to be sending the city of Pasadena an official complaint! There shouldn't large rocks like that on the road!"
Carly stared at the hole in her window, the rest of it speckled with spiderwebby shards and looking as if would shatter if poked. "There's no way I can drive us home like this, I'm going to have to call a tow truck," she told him, dread set in.
Sheldon looked even more horrorstruck but didn't say anything else as she pulled her phone out and dialed.
Fifteen minutes later, they were standing on the sidewalk with their belongings, staring as her car disappeared around the corner on a tow truck, with the promise she'd get it back in two days.
"Now what do we do?" Sheldon asked her, upset still. She was too, it was going to cost a lot of money to get the windshield replaced and she hoped that her insurance could cover it.
"I'll call Penny and see if she can pick us up," Carly told him and Sheldon nodded.
"Good idea, I'll try Leonard."
There was no answer from either of their friends.
"Well that's just great," Sheldon groaned.
"I guess we'll have to take the bus," she told him gloomily.
He snapped his eyes down at her, even more, horrified by the days' events. She winced. If there was one thing he hated more than birds, it was the bus- full of germs and the like.
"But I didn't bring my bus pants!"
Carly bit her lip and peered around the street. "I think we're about thirty minutes away from the apartment if we walk."
Sheldon thought about it for a moment and then sighed dramatically. "I suppose I'd rather walk than ride the bus. I'm in no mood to get sick."
Carly nodded in agreement, relieved that she had worn sneakers. She watched her boyfriend give his milkshake still in his hand a look of disgust before dropping it into a trash can by the sidewalk. She had left hers in the car and was slightly horrified of what it would be like when she got her car back.
Sighing and not in a good mood either, she began walking with Sheldon down the sidewalk as the wind picked up and blew her hair around her face.
She crossed her arms over her chest. "This has been an eventful day," she mused and he glanced at her ruefully.
"It began just fine, it's the ending that is questionable," he replied bitterly.
Just then, raindrops began to sprinkle down on them and she looked up at the sky, the clouds gathering above them. "Oh great," she muttered.
Sheldon looked over at her quickly, "Do you have your umbrella?"
She grabbed her purse and pulled it out, before opening it. She handed it to Sheldon who was taller. The rain picked up as she walked with him, it hitting her in the face like little cold pokes.
"You're getting wet," he told her, and grabbed her arm, pulling her closer to him so they could properly share the umbrella.
She was engulfed by his side and they walked awkwardly down the sidewalk. She sort of wished she had convinced him to take the bus, but she figured that the day couldn't be any worse than it was-
That is until a gust of wind took them by surprise and sent the umbrella flying out of Sheldon's hands and into the street where a car swerved to avoid hitting it.
Both getting soaked in the downpour, they stared, stunned, at the umbrella. Carly sighed in despair, "I'll go get it before it causes a traffic accident-"
She made to move for it, but Sheldon grabbed her arm. "No, it's too dangerous."
Carly looked up at him as droplets held his hair to his forehead and slid down his cheeks. "I can't just leave it there."
Sheldon glanced over at the umbrella and suddenly got a determined look on his face. "I'll get it." He left her there to watch him in surprise as he carefully, and cautiously avoided cars and quickly snatched up the umbrella.
He full-on ran back to her and exhaled harshly, obviously relieved to be done with it. "H-Here!" He breathlessly handed the umbrella over to her but she realized as she eyed it that it had broken.
Of course, it had.
Sheldon noticed it too and he groaned. "I did that for nothing?"
Carly gave him a sad smile and then turned, folding the umbrella back up as best as she could. "Let's just keep moving."
By the time they had reached the apartment building, they were both sneezing and feeling warm in their faces, despite the cold from the rain. Carly didn't want to alarm him by telling him that she felt the same.
Upon arriving at his apartment, where he had told her he'd make them tea to warm up, the others were already there and congregated around the coffee table.
Mary was to their sides immediately. "Oh dear lord! What happened to you two?!"
"Umbrella broke," Sheldon mumbled drearily, gesturing to the useless object in Carly's hand.
"And a rock broke my windshield. I had to have my car towed and so we had to walk home," Carly explained further and heard them all gasp.
"Oh, you poor dears! You're absolutely soaked through," Mary frowned at them, then put hands on their foreheads. "You both are burning up. Sheldon, come with me and get out of those wet clothes. Penny, sweetie, be a dear and help Carly down to her apartment to get changed."
Carly was feeling far too woozy to protest and let Penny pull her back out of the apartment and down the flights of stairs to her own before she and Sheldon could even say goodbye.
"You should have called one of us to pick you up!" Penny told her, worried beyond belief as she helped Carly into her living room and towards her bedroom.
Carly sneezed and then sniffed. "We tried," she told her, sounding rather nasally. "You and Leonard wouldn't pick up."
Penny grimaced. "I'm sorry, Carl's. I didn't realize. We were so busy with Mrs. Cooper."
"S'fine," she said with a shrug and went to her dresser to grab comfortable pajamas. Penny left the room as she changed and then when she was done, met her with a towel for her hair. "Thank you."
Penny gave her a sad smile. "Of course. I'll make you some tea, go sit down with your blanket."
Carly did as she was told but felt embarrassed that she was being taken care of like a child. Huddling under her blanket on the couch, she gave Penny an apologetic look. "You don't have to do this," she told her honestly. "I can take care of myself."
Penny gave her a smile over the top of Carly's kettle she placed on the stove. "I know you can, Carls- but there's nothing wrong with receiving help every once in a while. Let me baby you," Penny teased with a small laugh and Carly smiled, feeling better already.
"Besides!" Penny continued, walking over to her to sit on the arm of the couch while the water heated, "I've taken care of your boyfriend a million times when he's sick. I'm a pro by now."
Carly couldn't help but feel a little jealous over the fact that Penny had taken care of her boyfriend in such a way and that he had seen her naked. She looked down from the thought, studying her blanket in feverish silence.
Penny noticed the change and frowned over at her. "Are you all right?"
Carly swallowed thickly, closing her eyes for a moment, and then looked over at her. "I'm envious over the fact that you've known Sheldon for so much longer than me... that you've cared for him in ways that I haven't..." she looked down at the blanket again. "That's dumb isn't it?"
Penny laughed, not offended in the slightest. "Just wait till you have to take care of him when he's sick- you'll change your mind about being jealous." Then she slid off the arm of the couch and gave Carly a serious look. "There's no reason to be jealous though, Carly. He and I are friends. Plus, up until you, I didn't even think he had hormones- so it's not like it would have even been an option for us. He just enjoys being taken care of- kind of like a puppy."
Carly bit her lip and nodded, feeling foolish. "I know this, it's just I can't help but feel like you two have a bond that I just don't have with him."
Penny's face screwed up. "Thank god for that. No, seriously. You two have a much deeper bond than he and I do. I'm like... his mother. And you're his girlfriend. There's a huge difference. And hey! Who's to say he won't come for you the next time he's sick."
That reminded her of Sheldon currently feeling just as miserable as she did, up with his mother. He probably was enjoying the attention, she thought. "He misses his mom and spending time with her. That's why he made such a big deal about you all going without him."
Penny sighed. "Yeah, I figured. He has a funny way of showing it."
Carly couldn't disagree with that. The kettle began whistling and Penny stood to retrieve it, returning moments later with a mug of tea for Carly.
She took it appreciatively. "Thank you, Penny."
Penny smiled. "Always. You're my best friend... just don't tell Bernie that. She'd revoke my maid of honors."
Carly chuckled at the statement but was extremely happy with the news. Best friends? This must be what it felt like to have one. She'd have to make sure to return the favor if Penny ever needed it.
After a few minutes of idle chatter about their days, Penny finally left Carly to get some sleep and feel better. Alone in her apartment, she slid down on her couch and lay on her side, curled up under her blanket.
Her car was in the shop, she felt horrible, she never had finished the paperwork she'd needed to do, and she had to work the next day.
After a few minutes of stressing, Carly heard her phone ring. She sat up and grabbed it from her purse that had been sat down by Penny on her coffee table.
She checked the ID and saw it was Sheldon. Worried about him, she answered. "Sheldon! Are you okay?"
"Feverish, but I'll be okay. How are you?" He sounded concerned and she sighed, feeling better that she heard his voice. "I didn't get to say goodbye."
"I'm all right. Penny made me some tea and I'm just cuddled with a blanket," she told him honestly, curling up again on her couch while holding the phone to her ear. "I'm sorry we had to walk in the rain."
"There's no reason for you to apologize. It's not like any of it was your fault. Besides, we're lucky to be alive after that rock broke through the window. If anything, we're war heroes."
She laughed lightly, smiling to herself. "Perhaps... is your mom still there?"
"No, she left a little bit ago after rubbing vapor rub on my chest and singing soft kitty to me."
"Soft kitty?" She wondered aloud.
"Yes, my mother always sings me soft kitty when I'm sick. Penny has too, although half the time I have to argue with her to do it properly."
Carly remembered the conversation from before with her friend, feeling small as she attempted to stop her jealousy. "Maybe I'll sing it for you one day."
Sheldon was quiet for a moment. "Do you know soft kitty?"
"No, but you could teach me."
"I suppose I could. Should I sing it for you now since you're sick too?" He sounded serious.
Carly bit her lip, laying her head down on her couch. She wished she could cuddle him. "That'd be nice."
And so, without further ado, he sang it softly to her over the phone and she relaxed into her blanket, pulling it up to her mouth to hide her smile. She loved him so much.
When he was done and she didn't say anything in response, he called her name. "Are you still awake?"
"Yes, I am. Thank you for singing it for me," she told him, her heart full. She closed her eyes, feeling tired.
"Always," he told her. "Well, when you're sick."
"I love you," she mumbled out and she heard him breathe heavily at the words.
"I know. Get some sleep you feverish hippy, before you get all mushy on me."
She grinned despite herself. "You too, feverish hippy."
"I'm offended, but... goodnight Carly."
"G'night Sheldon."
She passed out at some point, calm now that she had talked to Sheldon, hoping she'd feel better in the morning.
Little did she know that her life would soon be turned upside down.
Happy Valentine's Day! I thoughtwe could have some good old fashioned Sharly for love day! See you next Friday!