Chapter 3

"No way! There's no way that Han Solo is more courageous than Iron Man!" Leonard scoffed.

"Um, yes he is! He had the means and capability of just leaving the Rebel Alliance to deal with the Empire on their own, but he chose to risk everything!" Raj countered.

"Well, Iron Man certainly had the means and capability to just sit in his big mansion and let hot broads suck on his toes! And he gave all that up to help Earth." Howard chimed in, siding with Leonard.

"Toes-shmoes. Han fought for LOVE- for Leia and for his friendship with Luke. That's the noblest reason to sacrifice himself! Iron Man was just an egotist and a publicity-snob looking for attention." Raj cried, his hand lifting his beer excitedly as he spoke. At his words, Amy stood from her place beside Sheldon and moved toward the kitchen. Penny and Bernadette were both at work so she was alone with the guys this evening. Reaching into the fridge, she grabbed a bottled-water. Her wrist was throbbing and she felt the headache returning, stirring at the back of her eyes. She usually hated taking painkillers of any kind, but Nurse Transo had given her something to ease the pain over the first several days. She was so desperate for some relief she was thinking about taking them. The ibuprofen certainly hadn't even numbed the pain, and instead, she felt the throbbing was escalating as the evening progressed.

Unaware of his eyes on her, Amy sat at the island and put her head into her hands. Sheldon watched her surreptitiously, and he knew she was in pain. He was not great at recognizing facial cues and expressions, but he had studied Amy's face often enough to know that she was suffering. It was time to get her to bed.

"Gentlemen," Sheldon said, standing, "I think that is enough this evening. It's nearly my bedtime. Let's pick up this discussion tomorrow at the Cheesecake Factory." He gestured toward the door and raised his eyebrows to make his point clear.

Disappointed to have been cut off from their debate, there was a collective groan. Each knew that once Sheldon had announced his intention to go to bed that there would be no broking an argument with him. "Come on, let's go to my place, we can watch Iron Man 3 for proof," Howard said, motioning to both Raj and Leonard as he stood to go.

"Yeah!' Raj said, "Come on, Leonard, come along with us."

"Nah, I'm just gonna head over to Penny's so that Sheldon and Amy can get some sleep. She should be home pretty soon anyway, and we have some things to discuss." Leonard was rarely enigmatic, but there was a bit of mystery around his words. Raj just shook his head despondently.

"OOOO Leonard's going to break out the ol' salami tonight, eh?" Howard laughed as they all exited the apartment, leaving Sheldon and Amy alone. Sheldon made his way over to Amy, who was still sitting at the island, lost in her thoughts.

"Amy? Are you ok? Your wrist is sore, isn't it?"

Stirring her from her thoughts, Amy looked at Sheldon and gave him a half-hearted smile. "It's not that bad. I was thinking about taking some of the pills Nurse Transo recommended, though." As she said this, she stood and moved toward the pills sitting on the far counter. Sheldon watched her struggle to open them with her injured wrist. He walked up behind her, stilling her hand, and took the prescription bottle from her.

"Here, I'll get them, and some water for you. Then I can get you tucked into Leonard's bed. You go ahead and start your nighttime ablutions."

"Thank you, Sheldon." Amy headed for the bathroom, cradling her wrist against her torso. Sheldon was concerned. Amy was acting out of character. "Sheldon?" she called from the hallway. He peeked around. " I don't have any pajamas. Could I borrow something to sleep in?"

"Yes, of course. I'll get you something." He went into his room, and he pulled out a pair of pajamas that weren't in his rotation until next week. They had just been freshly laundered. Returning to the bathroom door, he handed them to her. "Here you are, little lady."

"Great. I'll be out in a few minutes."

While Amy was in the bathroom, Sheldon went about straightening Leonard's bed. He had already laundered Leonard's sheets and comforter so that Amy would be sleeping in clean bedding. He ran his hand down the comforter, smoothing out the wrinkles as he turned the sheets down. The bed was ready for her to crawl into comfortably. His thoughts imagined her there, and then those same thoughts wandered, imagining her in his bed, just down the hall. He shook his head, denying himself that particular image. He wondered for the thousandth time why he didn't just admit his physical desire for her, and let her sleep in the same bed as him- among other things.

Deep down inside he knew two things for certain: One, wanted her, very badly; And two, he was afraid. Not just of coitus, and the desire he felt for her, but also that if he should succumb to these feelings, and their relationship should become physically intimate, that would be it: He'd be a complete goner. As it was, Amy had already wormed her way so far into his heart, that if she should change her mind about them, he wasn't sure he would ever be able to get over her. But if they were intimate? And then she changed her mind? He didn't know how he would survive that. He knew Amy loved him, but as he had never loved anyone else - or even been interested in anyone else- there was a deep-seated fear that one day she would look at him and recognize that he was a little too eccentric and leave him for someone who was more normal. His heart ached just thinking about it.

Amy knew he hadn't sensed her presence when she came to stand in the doorway to Leonard's room. He is so cute! I can't believe I'm dating Sheldon Cooper. She was watching him, and he had the strangest look upon his face. He almost seemed… hurt. "Sheldon?" she questioned quietly. Startled, he looked over his shoulder.

"Oh, Amy… Here, the sheets are freshly laundered. I've got your pills and some water here for you…." his voice broke off as he took in her appearance. She was wearing his pajama top, but no bottoms. His gaze drifted down her bare legs to her bare feet and slowly returned back up to where the end of his pajama top sat upon her upper thigh.. Gulping, he suddenly felt hot all over. "You, don't have any bottoms on!" he cried out indignantly, purposefully looking away as his cheeks turned red.

"Oh…. Yeah, the bottoms are way too long." She held the bottoms up to demonstrate. "And the shirt was long enough without them. I'm just going to sleep after all." She walked over to him, and placing her hand on his arm, she continued, "I appreciate everything you're doing for me. I know having me here is not only an inconvenience but also rubs up against your comfort zone. Thank you." She stood on her tiptoes and placed a chaste kiss upon his cheek. "Now, I'm so tired. I'm going to take these pills, and I'm going straight to sleep."

When her lips brushed his cheek, he felt himself flush even deeper. Her lips were soft and warm, just like his Amy, herself. He looked into her eyes and he saw the proof of her words there. She was exhausted. He couldn't keep her up any longer. "Well, ok then. In you go!" he stood to the side and motioned for her to climb into Leonard's bed. Once she was in, she tentatively made herself comfortable. Sheldon watched her, and once she had settled, he pulled the covers up and over her and sat on the side of the bed.

He handed her the pills and the water, which she took down quickly. Looking at her tenderly, he took her injured hand, and in a gesture that surprised them both, he brought it to his lips and kissed it. "My mommy always said that kisses make boo-boos feel better." He explained before setting her wrist back onto the comforter. He laid his hand over it, just for a moment. "I will sing you "Soft Kitty now," he said, and then quietly serenaded his girlfriend as he watched her eyes get heavy. Finishing the song, he stood, turned off the bedside lamp, and watched her slip into sleep. He was so relieved she was safe. His worry had been profound, and with that worry had come a clearer understanding of her value to his life. She was necessary, far more necessary than he had ever admitted to date. Going with instinct, he leaned over her and pressed a very light kiss upon her forehead. He stood, pulling down on his t-shirt, and made his way to the doorway. As he closed the door, he whispered, "Good night, Amy" before he made his way to his room to begin his nightly bedtime routine.