Chapter 10: Sheldon Finds a Friend
Trust me, this will not be a good thing.
After hanging up on Sheldon, Niki sat and stared at the tall glass case standing in one corner of the living room. The case contained not only numerous academic awards she and Sheldon had each earned over the years, but it also housed their shining Nobel Medals they had earned as a team with Raj. Niki's thoughts began to wander back in time. Was it only a little over a year ago that they had stood on a stage in Stockholm and had those medals hung on their necks by the King of Sweden?What a happy day that had been and how in love they had been with each other at that time! Niki had to admit, beneath all her anger and frustration at Sheldon, she still held a true love for the man. That love is what made his words hurt so badly.
Sighing, she got up from her seat on the couch and gathered Lori in her arms. This sweet child, so much her and so much Sheldon, was what held her together at the moment. She had to keep fighting for her marriage! If only for their daughter. Lori was so innocent, so trusting, and so sweet, how could she break up the only family this little girl had ever known? Plus, Lori adored her father and vice versa. No matter what else happened, she wasn't going to give up on her relationship with Sheldon without a fight.
Niki decided a pleasant diversion from her problems was in order, so she asked Lori, "Hey, Precious Girl, how about you and Mommy putting on our swimming suits and going to the pool? The weather is pretty warm for February."
The toddler shook her head and rejected her mother's idea with an emphatic, "No. I wanna pway wif Bwake!"
Niki looked across the room and smiled as Penny looked over at her and grinned. "Should we start planning their wedding pretty soon?" she joked to her friend.
"Just as soon as you figure out your own marriage, Sweetie." Penny answered in a concerned voice. "Let me put the kids in front of the television with a movie. Just for a few minutes girlfriend," she explained as Niki threw her a disapproving look, "I know you don't like the kids to watch too much t.v., but we need to talk. I heard what Sheldon just said and I think you two have a real problem going on here."
Niki sighed and replied sadly, "It's that obvious, huh?"
Penny sat down next to her friend, took one of her hands in hers and spoke to her in a soft, kind voice, "Look, I don't understand all that matter and energy stuff, but I do know he wasn't being kind or taking what you were asking him seriously."
Niki then attempted to explain Sheldon's faulty attempt at humor, "Yeah, he was just making a very bad joke using Einstein's Theory of Relativity, you know, E=MC2. I asked if I mattered and he turned it on me in a very insulting way. Einsteins Theory of Relativity, roughly translated, means that something with very little mass can affect huge changes in the energy unleashed because the speed of light is a very large number. Wait…I think I may know what he was trying to say, even though he said it quite awkwardly. I don't have a lot of mass, I'm not a big person, I'm tall but very thin, and I don't take up much space, but I have had an immense effect on his life and he realizes it now that I'm not there."
Penny shot her a confused look and blurted out, "Huh?"
Niki tried to explain once more, "Look, how much space I take up, how large or small I am, is my mass. How heavy I am is kind of like mass. This body I have is the container for how much matter I contain. Everything is made up of matter. How heavy that matter is and how much space it takes up, is called mass. So, Sheldon was trying to say that for someone of my mass, I release a lot of energy, especially when I'm upset. He's the exact opposite. Sheldon internalizes things when he is unhappy, so he doesn't release a lot of energy at those times, he just gets more and more unhappy until he has to let it out in a very negative, passive/aggressive way. I need to think about this for a while. I'm not going to apologize to him for hanging up, that would just feed his attitude. But now that I have a clue as why he's acting this way, I can think up a way to get through to him and improve our communication. I'm not going to speak to him until I can say something that will help the situation."
Penny nodded and then asked her, "Ooookaay. I think I understand you, Nik. But how long are you planning on going radio silent on him?"
"Just for a day or two. I need time to think. What he said was very rude and spiteful, even if it did have a hidden meaning. I'm his wife! I need an 'I love you' or 'I miss you' sometimes."
Penny's smile was now wide and genuine, "Now that I understand. Take your time. Remember, Sheldon is unhappy and out-of-sorts right now, so move forward very carefully. For your marriage's sake, if nothing else."
Niki reassured her friend, "I won't be ignoring him for very long, trust me. Now, can you do me a favor?"
"Sure, what is it?"
Niki rose from the couch and replied, "I need to you to take Lori with you tomorrow when you talk to Leonard so she can see and speak to her father while you two are Skyping. I don't want to punish Lori for something Sheldon said to me."
Penny also stood up and walked towards the children, "Got it, can do. I'll come get her around eleven thirty. Can I take Lori to my place right now to play with Blake for a little bit? Is that okay?"
Niki nodded and told her friend, "Perfect. You can take Lori with you, she loves playing with him. Now, I've got to get back to work. Despite how he says it, Sheldon is right, I have to keep the research going no matter what else is happening, and I fully intend to do just that. Just bring Lori back before you leave for the theater.""
"Sure. And Nik?"
"Yeah?"
Penny walked over to Niki and gave her a warm hug, "Just remember that Sheldon is far away from home and he's probably getting a little lonely. Plus, from what you have told me, he hates lecturing. Please don't write him off just yet."
"Don't worry, I won't. But until I cool down, I think Lori is the only one he should be talking to."
Penny gave an understanding nod and replied, "I understand. I'll bring Lori back around five, okay?"
Niki hugged Lori tight and answered her friend, "Sure, that would be good."
"And I'll pick her up around eleven thirty tomorrow morning so she can talk to Sheldon."
Niki released her daughter and let Penny take her hand and lead her toward the door, "Again, that would be good. I don't want her seeing me and Sheldon go at it anymore. In fact, we shouldn't even be talking about this in front of the kids. I sometimes forget how they are both highly intelligent and perceptive. Look, from now on, when we want to have a discussion about this, let's wait until the kids are in bed."
Penny stopped and thought for a moment, then smiled at Niki, "Yeah, I agree. Well, see you later and happy research!"
"Thanks, girl. I'll try. 'Bye for now."
With that, Penny took the children to her house and Niki was left alone to ponder the state of her marriage. She sat and stared out the window, lost in thought. Maybe all she needed was a couple days of not talking to Sheldon. Maybe he would miss her enough to have a normal conversation with her. Maybe. Divorce? That was a last resort. But she admitted to herself that she most likely lacked the necessary patience that saving her marriage required. Well, old girl, she told herself, it's never too late to learn a new life skill and now is as good a time as any.
She finally got up and went back over to her laptop, which was still resting on the coffee table in front of the couch. She sat down and grudgingly began to work, trying her best to keep her mind off Sheldon Cooper, the miles between them, and the dismal state of their marriage.
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While Niki worked in Altadeana, in Heidelberg, Germany, Sheldon Cooper walked the streets of the town in a troubled trance. Why did Niki hang up on me?All right, I think I know why.Why, oh why, did I say something so cutting and idiotic to her? I do believe she missed the true meaning of my witticism. I love Niki, she and Lori are my entire world.Damn academia!Damn useless awards that sit like silent sentinels behind glass cabinet doors.My family is alive and animate and they need me.I can't lose them.What would I be without Nikita Cooper?Just a poor, lonely, physicist, with a useless medal hanging from his neck, that's what.If I could only find someone to talk to who isn't Leonard.His wife and mine are way too close and if he should let something I say slip to Penny, Niki will know all about it shortly thereafter.
Suddenly, Sheldon's way was blocked by a tall, thin, woman somewhere close to him in age. Her general build reminded him of his wife, but this woman's eye's held none of the fires of life that were found in Niki's, nor were they the same color. Niki's eyes were a mysterious light grey color that turned to the color of liquid mercury whenever she felt strong emotion. These eyes were a flat brown, but seemed intelligent and knowing. For some strange reason, they bored directly into his soul and held his gaze captive.
The woman gave a small smile of recognition and asked him, "Is that you, Dr. Cooper?"
The woman's tone intrigued and bothered him at the same time, so Sheldon responded carefully with, "Yes. May I ask what your name would be?"
The woman's smile grew both wider and warmer, "Of course. My name is Dr. Heather Powers. I am also a visiting professor here. I caught one or your lectures last year at Harvard when you were on a speaking tour for your paper. I found it most riveting. I was not surprised when you received the Nobel for your work."
Sheldon informed her with an edge to his voice, "I won the Nobel as part of a group, Dr. Powers. I had two partners in that research."
The mysterious stranger took a step closer to him while her eyes challenged his reply, "You are quite humble, aren't you? Everyone in the scientific community knows that research was primarily your baby. You rather had to include them, didn't you? Seeing as one was a very good friend and the other your wife."
Sheldon took a step back and replied testily, "You are mistaken. They both had a great deal of input into that research. I couldn't have done it without them both." Sheldon thought back to the day when he had been interviewed on the radio and Niki had discovered the key that tied all their research together. Niki and his relationship might be strained at the moment, but he would never deny all of the hard work and diligent research she and Raj had contributed to the process.
The woman shook her head and gave a small chuckle, "Really, Dr. Cooper, you can stop the charade. You are one of the most brilliant physicists of this generation. Who are they? Just two people who had a small part in helping you get where you are today. If those two were so important to this paper, why are they not with you here, in Germany?"
Sheldon made an attempt to set her straight by informing her in a most formal tone, "I am here to discuss a paper I wrote with Dr. Hofstadter, not the one that earned the Nobel. Neither of them contributed to this work, so that is why they were not invited to come with me."
"I still admire your work, Dr. Cooper. May I buy you a drink?"
Sheldon sensed something threatening and dark, yet oddly intriguing about Dr. Powers and her offer. He decided to try and avoid any further discourse with her by saying, "I really don't drink, Ms. Powers, though I thank you for your kind offer."
Heather Powers was not deterred a bit and she continued with her quest by asking Sheldon, "Well then, could I interest you in some coffee or tea and dessert?"
Sheldon thought a moment and concluded that a diversion of that sort was just what he needed. The woman was a serious scientist like himself and they could very well have an interesting conversation while enjoying a hot beverage. He decided his previous foreboding was more than likely the result of the stress he had been under lately. He decided to take the woman up on her offer, "That sounds fine. Do you know of a place near here?"
Her smile went wide in victory and she pointed to her right, "Right around the corner you will find the closest thing Heidelberg has to an American coffee shop. Shall we go there?"
"Very well. You lead the way and I'll follow."
"Nonsense, Dr. Cooper. We'll walk there together, as equals." With that, she looped her arm through Sheldon's and they headed down the street to their destination.
Is Dr. Powers interest in Sheldon strictly professional or is she after a more 'intimate' relationship?Should Niki be worried?We'll see.