Chapter 46: Problem Solved

Sheldon reveals the problem and Niki offers him a suggestion. Will he agree to it?

Niki rolled over towards Sheldon and asked him in a voice filled with both curiosity and trepidation, "Okay, tell me. What's the problem?"

"Niki, you know how you were telling me earlier how excited you were to be going home and resuming our research?"

She responded with a shrug and some questions of her own, "Yeah, but at the time I was mostly joking. Still, it will be good to get back to our regular routines. Does our problem have to do with our research? Is Binary unhappy with us? What is it?"

Sheldon shook his head emphatically and stared back down at the message on his phone screen, "No, this has nothing to do with Binary. This has to do with the familiar routines at home being changed."

Niki was well aware of her husband's difficulties with handling changes in his life that were not of his own making. So, she framed her next question to him carefully, "Sheldon, please explain to me what is going on. Maybe I can help solve the problem."

He quickly nodded as he responded, "All right. Our problem is Raj."

"What about him?"

Sheldon's brow furrowed as he fluffed his pillow and sat back on the bed, "He received an offer last week from Mauna Kea to do some research for them for a few months. That text was from him asking me if it would be okay if he accepted their offer."

Niki stared at the wall across the room as her face filled with concern, "That's tough. We need him at Pentagram, but an offer from MK would be very hard to turn down."

"Yes, I know that. And I don't want to play the bad guy and tell him he can't go. I mean, he can, but I don't want to make him feel badly about his decision should he decide to go there."

Niki gently placed a hand on her husband's shoulder and made a wifely attempt to placate him, "Sheldon, Raj owns a percentage of the company. Remember? We can't tell him what he can do or not do. Besides that, he's our friend and I think in this instance, we should act like friends. Tell him we'll get by somehow and add that we hope he has a great time while he's there."

He nodded his head in reluctant agreement, "Yes, I agree," that is what we must do. I suppose we shall have to muddle through somehow."

"Did he say how Amanda was taking it?"

Sheldon grinned fondly at his wife as he answered her, "Very well, it seems. She took a sabbatical from UCLA and is traveling with him to Mauna Kea."

Niki sighed, and her eyes got a dreamy look to them, "Lucky girl! Maybe we can do that someday."

Sheldon pulled his wife close to him, kissed the top of her head, and brought her back to their reality, "Need I remind you Niki, that we will soon have two small children to take care of. I can't conceive of taking our offspring all the way to the top of a remote mountain in Hawaii for several months."

Niki buried her face in Sheldon's neck and softly murmured, "I know, I know. I was just thinking about maybe in the future."

The father-to-be gave a small chuckle and replied, "It would have to be far in the future, but perhaps we will get the chance once the children are older. But for now, we need to solve this problem. Our facility is currently in dire need of a small particle astrophysicist."

Niki suddenly sat bolt upright and turned to her husband, an excited look on her face, "Sheldon, listen up. I have an idea."

Sheldon cocked and eyebrow and threw her a teasing look, "Now you've got me worried." Catching sight of the warning look on his wife's face, he quickly continued, "Just kidding. Please, tell me."

Niki then presented her plan to him and the longer she spoke, the wider his smile became. When she had finished, he exclaimed proudly, "I do believe I married a genius! That would work beautifully!"

Niki pretended a humility she was far from feeling as she responded with, "Well, I do my best. My IQ isn't 187, but I do have my moments of inspiration."

"And this was one of your best. Now you've got me excited about this dinner tonight. Niki, let's start getting ready now. I can't wait to meet your aunt and have a talk with both her and Helmut. I want to hear the whole story from their point-of-view."

Niki planted a kiss on her husband's cheek and happily mused, "While we're there, we can begin planning our trip back, too. I can't wait to see our home again!"

Sheldon turned to his wife and gave her an earnest look, "How do you think I feel, Freckles? I have been gone from home far too long for my liking."

"Sheldon, this entire trip has taught both of us something important."

"And that would be?"

Niki gave him a heartfelt answer, "We both don't function well when we are far from home and each other. Let's keep that fact in mind before we accept any future assignments or offers."

Sheldon grinned and once again pulled his wife close to him, "Agreed. You made some valid points. Any future endeavors we do as a team."

"Except this summer. I still have that guest professorship at Stanford and you and Leonard have that lecture series to attend to."

Niki's husband released his hold on her and replied with a grin on his face, "Didn't we decide when Leonard and I go to distant cities, our families will be going with us?"

Niki nodded happily and then added, "That we did. And I want you and Lori to come up and visit me often when I'm at Stanford."

Sheldon pulled Niki close to him once more and his hands began to caress her back, "As if I could stay away from you."

"Sheldon, we'll be late for dinner."

His hand then began a more intense exploration of his wife's body, "Not that late. And besides, Lori needs to sleep another thirty minutes at least or she will be cranky tonight. So, we are really doing this for the sake of our guests."

Niki gave up her protests and gave in to her mounting passion, "Well, when you put it that way…"

What is Niki's solution to the Raj problem? Do you think you have a clue?