If you haven't seen the season 4 premiere of Young Sheldon yet, I'd recommend watching it before reading this, or at least finding the clip of the last minute of the episode.
I sit across the room, watching my wife feed our newborn son for the first time and can't help but think about how much I love both of them. I never knew it was possible to love anyone I just met as much as I love our son. Eventually, Amy notices I'm watching her as our son finishes his first meal. Her voice pulls me from the trance I've been in.
"Sheldon, can you take him or put him in the bassinet? I want to try to get some sleep before everyone gets here in a few hours and it's probably easier to not do that while holding him." We awkwardly maneuver the now sleeping infant into my arms. Looking at him, I settle back into the chair, still holding him. "Maybe you can think of name while I'm trying to sleep, so he's not called Baby Boy Cooper for the rest of his life. Everyone is going to ask us what his name is when they get here. I still like the name Elliott."
"Why don't you want to name him Anakin? I think that's a great name," I suggested for about the tenth time in the three short hours of our son's life.
Amy rolled her eyes at me and snapped back, "How many times do I have to tell you? No Star Wars names."
"Fine. I'll come up with something by the time you're awake. Sweet dreams," I tell her as she rolls onto her side and faces away from me.
My attention returns to the bundle in my arms. All seven pounds, six ounces, twenty inches of person that Amy and I made. Wrapped in the standard hospital baby blanket, all I can see are his closed eyelids, covering green eyes as brilliant as Amy's, round cheeks, my nose, and Amy's chin. His dark hair is covered by the blue hat the nurse put on before she left us alone as a family. He's the perfect combination of the two of us.
Hearing Amy's gentle snores coming from the bed, I know she's finally asleep. She'd been awake for over twenty-four hours. She went into labor yesterday as we were leaving work and wasn't able to get much sleep throughout the night. Our son was born around five this morning and now is the first chance she's had to sleep. Our friends all had their kids to take care of throughout the night and this morning before they needed to go to work, so they won't be coming to see us until after they're done at work today. My mom is trying to book a last-minute flight to get here this afternoon and Amy's parents are stopping by after lunch.
My son has a way of distracting me from the rest of the world, but he still needs a name. Amy's refusing to let me name him after any fictional characters. I'm staring at his sleeping face thinking of names when my phone ringing pulls me from my thoughts.
"Hello, Leonard. Amy fell asleep a little while ago. No, we still haven't picked a name yet, but I'll let you and everyone else know as soon as we do. Could you please pick up some take out for us before you and Penny come to the hospital after work? I think anything would be better than the stuff that claims to be hospital food. Thank you."
I end my phone call and turn my attention back to my son and what his name should be. Suddenly, I wonder what Amy would think about naming him Leonard Nimoy Cooper. I know she'll most likely shoot it down, just like all the other names I've suggested the past few months. Elliott's a good name, but I don't know that it's our son's name, especially now that we've met him.
Leonard is my best friend. He has always been there for me for over fifteen years. He's taken care of me when I'm sick, comforted me when I'm sad, and chauffeured me all over town. He even drove to Arizona to pick me up when I was robbed during my train trip all those years ago. Leonard's a man that despite how angry I make him at times, he still supports me. I really couldn't have asked for a better friend than him. I want our son to know that's the kind of person I hope he grows up to be. I want my son to be like Leonard Hofstadter. Okay, maybe a little taller than that and without the asthma, but everything else would be fine with me. I can't wait to tell Amy what I want to name our son.
Glancing at my phone, I see a text from Amy's father, letting me know they would be at the hospital in about an hour. I decide it's time to wake Amy and let her know our son's name. I place our son in the bassinet and gently nudge her shoulder. "Amy, your parents will be here soon."
Amy stretched and looked around the room before spotting the infant, still sleeping next to her bed. "How long was I asleep for? Did you come up with a name for him yet?"
"You were out for a few hours," I answered before grinning. "I came up with the perfect name for him. I don't see how you can say no to this one." Amy raised her eyebrow at me, questioning what I was about to say. "I think his name should be Leonard Nimoy Cooper."
"Sheldon. I said no fictional characters. We are not naming him Leonard Nimoy."
Sighing, I admit partial defeat. "Fine. For the record, Leonard Nimoy is an actor, not a fictional character. We won't name him Leonard Nimoy, but how do you feel about Leonard Middle Name TBD Cooper?"
Amy scrunches her face for a moment, "Are you sure? I thought you didn't want to name him after someone we know?"
"I know I said that, but I sat holding him and staring at his little face almost the entire time you were asleep. Leonard called to check how we were doing and see if we needed anything. I started to think about my friendship with him and how I want our son to be like him. He's done so much for me and I've never shown him the appreciation he deserves. I've struggled with being a good friend at times. Leonard's never had that problem; he's accepted me and all of my weird tendencies. I want our son to accept people who are different from himself without question. I want him to be a good person and I think he'll be fine if he is named after someone who is." I explained while helping Amy move from the bed to the chair I vacated when I woke her up.
"You didn't lose some bet with the guys, did you? They aren't forcing you to do this?"
I quickly shook my head, "Oh, no. If that were the case, our son's name would be Rajesh."
Amy put her hands up to stop me from talking. "I don't even want to know what you did that would have forced us to name our child Rajesh. Leonard Cooper. I think that might be our son's name. How do you think Leonard Hofstadter will react?"
"I hope he'll like it and understand why I want to name our son after him," I finish saying as there's a knock on the door and Amy's parents walk in.
"Where is our grandson? Does he have a name yet?" Mrs. Fowler asks, announcing her presence.
"I'll let Amy introduce you. If you don't mind me, I'm going to check on my mom's flight and let our friends know what his name is," I excuse myself from the room and find myself walking down the hallway.
Reaching the waiting room at the end of the hall, I pull my phone out of my pocket, take a breath and scroll to Leonard's name. He answered on the second ring.
"I wanted you to be the first to know Baby Boy Cooper's first name," I say without giving him a chance to greet me. "You should know that Amy wasn't completely on board with it, but once I explained my thought process, she agreed that it was the perfect name for our son."
I could sense Leonard's anticipation over the phone, but wanted to let it build a little, rather than telling him right away. "Amy refused to let me name him after a fictional character, so I started thinking of real people I'd like our son to share a name with. When you called to check on us earlier, I knew what our son's name needed to me. Amy vetoed my initial suggestion, but we came to a pretty good compromise."
"Quit yammering. What's his name?" Leonard interjected.
"His name is Leonard Cooper," I said, pausing for Leonard's response, but only hearing a gasp on the other end of the phone. "Are you still there? Do you need your inhaler?"
"I don't need my inhaler. You're really naming him Leonard? What did you originally want that Amy vetoed? Why did you choose Leonard?" Leonard peppered the questions over the phone.
"We're really naming him Leonard. Amy said we couldn't name him Leonard Nimoy Cooper, so his middle name has yet to be decided, but it won't be Leakey. Your call made me think about everything you've done for me and how grateful I am to have had you as a friend. You've taken care of me, talked me off the ledge so to speak, accepted all my quirks, and been exactly the best friend I've needed in my life. I realized that I want my son to be that kind of person. You are one of the best people I know and I can't think of a better way to thank you for everything you've done for me."
Leonard sniffled. I could tell he was crying. "Sheldon, that is one of the nicest things you have ever said to me. It's going to rank up there with your Nobel speech. I wish it were recorded so I could always remember it."
Trying to lighten the mood, I interrupt him, "I have an eidetic memory. I will gladly recite that again whenever you need me to. Just don't make me say it all the time."
"Thanks, buddy. I don't know what to say, but I can't wait to meet little Leonard. Do you want me to tell the others his name or do you want to tell them when they meet him?"
"I'll let you decide. Amy's parents are here now, so I should probably get back. I thought you should know his name right away." I ended the call and went back to Amy's room to keep her mother from trying to start any drama over little Leonard's name.