Thank you so much for all of the reviews on the last chapter. It really does mean so much. This prompt was requested by ShamyGuest, it gave me such a burst of inspiration (may have got a little carried away) and I absolutely loved writing this. Thank you so much for requesting.
Hope you all enjoy!
"Can you believe our best friends are about to become parents?" the smile upon Amy's face was one that Sheldon hadn't seen in some time. Recently, they had been so busy, so wrapped up with work that they had found themselves neglecting one other. Their communication over the past few weeks had simply consisted of good morning and good night kisses, if they were lucky they were able to grab some lunch together but aside from that, they had completely let work sweep them away.
"Yes" Sheldon answered very matter of fact. "I think the crushing of my bones and the soreness of my hand are evidence of that" he pouted like a child, gently rubbing his hand as Amy rolled her eyes and climbed into bed.
Sheldon was referencing the crazy and unexpected evening that had just occurred. After realising that they hadn't been the best husband and wife to each other recently, Sheldon and Amy had decided to put all work commitments to one side and rekindle their date nights. However, when Amy returned home with their take out for the evening, she found her husband across the hall rather awkwardly supporting Penny who had gone into labour.
Quickly realising their date night needed to be abandoned, Amy completely took control, swooping in to take Sheldon's place, instructing him to grab Penny's hospital bags and call Leonard who was currently lecturing at a university four hours away. Sheldon wasn't sure he'd ever been so relieved to see his wife, he couldn't cope with Penny on his own, her cries of pain terrified him.
Being unable to drive, it was Sheldon that had to suffer Penny's hand squeezes on the drive to the hospital. He honestly had no idea she possessed so much strength, she was squeezing his hand so hard he was sure she would break it. He had asked her to loosen her grip but when she responded by shouting at him, he decided to keep his mouth shut.
"You're so dramatic" Amy laughed through a yawn. It was now just approaching midnight and the nights events had really taken it out of her, she could only imagine how exhausted Penny must be. "Do you think he'll be here yet?" she asked excitedly, checking her phone. With no sign of the baby boy making his appearance anytime soon and although Amy was a little reluctant, they had left the hospital once Leonard arrived.
"Leonard said he'd let us know and it has only been an hour since we left the hospital" Sheldon told her, not sounding at all as excited as she was. Amy didn't let this faze her, she knew babies, particularly the notion of other peoples weren't really his thing. He had only just warmed up to Halley and Michael.
"I can't wait to meet him" Amy smiled excitedly, she wasn't sure, despite being tired, whether or not she'd actually get much sleep tonight. "Come on, even you must be the tiniest bit excited?" she asked, making a little measurement with her thumb and index finger.
"A little" he responded however, Amy knew it was purely for her benefit. Surely, whether he admitted it or not, this all had to mean something to him. Leonard and Penny were his best friends, they were more than best friends, they were like family. Throughout the years they had looked after Sheldon, taken care of him as if he were their own child.
Amy didn't know what came over her, but she suddenly found herself snuggling closer to Sheldon, wrapping an arm around his waist and laying her head upon his chest. Even now as a married couple, they never normally snuggled, Amy would snuggle Sheldon every second of the day if he'd let her but it really wasn't his thing at all.
Maybe the overwhelming feeling to cuddle him came from the fact that she had just witnessed how in love Penny and Leonard were. When Penny was in the most pain she'd ever felt in her life, the only person she wanted, needed was Leonard. The look on his face when his eyes landed on her was one of pure love, the way he doted on her, mopped her brow, held her hand and told her that everything was going to be okay, made Amy's heart swell. It made her realise how much she had missed Sheldon over these past few weeks.
"Hopefully we'll be next" she spoke squeezing him a little tighter. She really had missed him so much.
"Next to what?" he asked, although it had taken him by surprise he welcomed Amy's cuddle however, for someone so intelligent, he really had no idea what she was talking about.
"Next to have a baby" she explained. Even though she wasn't looking at him, she felt his body tense under her touch.
"Oh" he suddenly became desperate for water, his mouth dry. "I didn't really think we were there yet" he knew he had to handle this sensitively and sensitivity was never normal his strong suit.
"You do want children, don't you?" Amy asked her voice faltering as her mind jumped to the worst case scenario.
"I do, but I thought that was still a few years down the line" he explained. They had already been married for two years and in his head, he envisaged them being married a little longer before welcoming a little one. After all, with the success of the Nobel their careers were going from strength to strength, a baby would totally get in the way of that.
"Sheldon, I'm not sure we have a few years" she had pulled away from him now, this was a conversation that she didn't want to having cuddled close to him. For her, this was serious, starting a family and starting a family now meant so much to her.
"What do you mean?" he asked, panic in his tone as his eyes looked over her body. What did she mean by they didn't have a few years? Was she trying to tell him something? Was she sick?
"I mean biologically, we don't have a few years" Amy explained gently, placing her hand on his arm when she saw the flash of worry and concern in his eyes, she knew the place his mind would have gone to. "I'm 36 next month and we have no idea how long it's going to take us to conceive. As far as age goes the odds are stacked against us, against me" she felt tears stinging her eyes, she was so passionate about science and her field of study but she hated the laws of biology that were placed upon a woman's body. If Sheldon did, truly want to wait, then it broke her heart to know that she may not be able to give him what they so desperately wanted.
"I hadn't thought of that" he really hadn't given anything regarding babies all that much consideration, having babies was never somewhere his mind normally went.
"I guess you've never had to. Men can keep having kids forever" not one to exceed in picking up on emotions, he knew Amy well enough to know she sounded resentful.
"Are you mad that I don't want to have children yet?" he asked gently, turning to face Amy. The discussion of children was nothing new however, when conversation arose it was always discussed as being part of their future, it scared Sheldon a little to know that that future was potentially now.
"I'm not mad" her voice was quiet as she reached for his hand and gave it an affectionate stroke. "I'm just a bit sad, that's all" she shrugged her shoulders. She wanted to argue with him, make him see that this meant everything to her, that watching her best friends experience something she so desperately wanted killed her, but right now she couldn't see what it would achieve. Despite wanting this more than ever, when the time came it had to be a step that she and Sheldon both wanted, a step that they took together.
"Amy, I..." his heart dropped, knowing he had upset her was even worse than her being mad at him. He could take that, she had been mad at him plenty of times.
"Sheldon, I'm just really tired right now" she interrupted, although she had initially brought up the conversation, she didn't want anymore baby talk. "Goodnight" she quickly kissed his cheek before turning on her side to get some sleep.
—
"Come on" Amy urged as she stood in the doorway, her handbag draped over her shoulder. Tapping her foot in anticipation as she waited for Sheldon to complete all the usual checks he did before leaving their home. Making sure everything electrical was turned off, ensuring that all the windows were closed despite Amy pointing out they were on the fourth floor it still somehow made it on to his list.
"Calm down, it's not like he's going anywhere" Sheldon sighed as he emerged from their bedroom, closing the door gently behind him. Amy could hardly contain her excitement. At 6.07am she had received a text from Leonard informing her that Lucas Albert Hofstadter had been born. Unsure of the details, she figured things had moved rather quickly after them leaving as six hours later, he was here.
"I know, I'm just really excited to meet him"
Sheldon simply rolled his eyes at his wife's excitable nature. He couldn't recall her being this excited when Bernadette gave birth to Halley or Michael for that matter. Maybe this was slightly different, Penny was her very best friend after all or maybe her excitement was because now she was totally ready for all of this too.
"Aren't you?" she asked as they left the apartment and got in the elevator, pressing the button for the lobby.
Sheldon simply shrugged his shoulders. "He's a baby. It's not like we're going to be able to discuss super asymmetry or anything remotely intelligent for that matter"
"It might be best if you don't say that when you meet him" Amy advised, she was sure the last thing Penny and Leonard would want to hear was Sheldon bleating on about their baby sons lack of intelligence.
"Amy, I do have some social skills" he sighed, rolling his eyes. Did she really think he had no tact at all.
"Just be nice" she warned as the elevator doors pinged open and they made their way out of the building to her car.
—
"Hey" Amy smiled brightly as she poked her head round the door to Penny's hospital room, keeping her voice quiet, conscious of waking Lucas.
"Hey, come in" Penny completely reciprocated Amy's smile. Even though she was smiling and looked happier than Amy had ever seen, she could also see the exhaustion behind her eyes, they were heavy and tired and Amy wondered how much sleep, if any she had been able to get. "Look who's come to see you" she cooed at the little bundle in her arms. "It's auntie Amy and uncle Sheldon" Amy couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips, she loved being referred to as auntie Amy.
"Congratulations" Amy made her way over to Leonard and wrapped him up in a huge hug, he squeezed her just as tight as she was him. "How does it feel being a dad?" she asked, pulling away, her eyes going back to the little boy in Penny's arms.
"Amazing. Exhausting. I still can't believe he's real" Leonard answered, the look on his face was one of pure, utter and complete love. She wanted to feel that for a little person so much.
"Congratulations" Sheldon spoke for the first time, placing his hand on Leonard's shoulder as Amy made her way round to Penny's side to get a better look at Lucas, who right now was very much asleep.
"Oh look at him, he's so perfect" Amy whispered. "Sheldon he's so cute" she looked up at him, surprised to find his eyes already on the three of them, she thought he would do anything to avoid any contact with the baby but as it stood, he was staring right at them.
"I can't thank you both enough for staying with Penny until I got here" Leonard thanked them both, he had been too swept up in the moment yesterday to even acknowledge their presence.
"It's okay, although, I think you might owe Sheldon a new hand" Amy laughed, looking at her husband whose eyes seemed to sparkle when she spoke.
"I'm so sorry" Penny gave him an apologetic smile.
"It's okay, you're forgiven" Sheldon smiled, he genuinely meant it, everyone could tell. People were quick to call him for being slightly robotic when it came to emotions and friendships but the reality was, despite the pain she inflicted upon him, he would be there for his best friend all over again in a heartbeat.
"Honestly, Amy, it's the worst pain I've ever been through in my life" Penny explained, even though she had observed for just a few hours, Amy had no problem in believing her. "I can't even describe it."
"Oh hang on, Penny's searching for a word, this could take a while" Sheldon commented, even after just giving birth that didn't excuse her from Sheldon's sarcastic and cutting comments.
"Well, it doesn't matter anyway, does it because you were worth every single second. You were" Penny cooed. Amy wanted to feel that, that rush of unconditional love for someone so deep that it didn't matter how much pain they put you through, you would go through it all again because you loved them that much. "Do you want to hold him?" Penny asked.
"Are you sure?" he was still so new to his parents, the last thing she wanted was for them to feel like they had to share him.
"Yeah of course. He has to meet his auntie Amy and besides, you'd be giving my arms a rest" Penny laughed, maybe she would be grateful for a little break after all. Amy shuffled a little closer, holding out her arms so that Lucas could be slotted perfectly into them. "Have you got him?" Penny asked.
"Yeah, yeah, I've got him"
As soon as he was in her arms, Amy couldn't take her eyes off of him. He had the cutest little chubby cheeks and the most adorable nose. Instantly, she began to gently sway from side to side, there was this calm nature to her, a complete ease and an abundance of confidence like someone who already had a handful of kids at home.
"Hi" Amy whispered as she continued to sway, she hoped the little boy liked the gentle rocking motion she'd created. "Oh hello" her smile grew wider as he opened his eyes and wriggled a little in her arms, he began to stretch out his arms and let out a yawn, his small features crinkling as he did so. "Oh he just yawned" she looked up to tell them all, but she quickly saw that all of their eyes, including Sheldon's were on them anyway.
"You're a complete natural" Penny smiled from where she was sitting in the hospital bed, Amy noticed that she had now readjusted her position to one that was hopefully more comfortable. "It's definitely your turn next" Penny voiced, pretty much echoing Amy's words from last night and sending a knowing look in Sheldon's direction, a look he completely missed. Missed because he was making his way over to Amy.
"He is rather cute, isn't he?" Sheldon spoke as he appeared at her side, peering down at the baby in her arms.
"Do you want to hold him?" Amy asked looking up and giving him a small smile.
"No thank you" if he was being honest, he wasn't great at things like this. He had reluctantly held Halley and Michael for a few minutes when they were babies and simply being passed round to everyone, he didn't recall enjoying the experience much.
As he was watching Amy and the baby, without warning, his mind had started to drift, drift to a place that he'd never allowed his brain to drift before. What if one day that was their own baby? Amy a mother, holding their very own son or daughter. He could feel his heart beating rapidly at the thought, he didn't know what to do with all these thoughts and feelings, they were all so new to him.
Suddenly, it was all so clear. Their child, so little and perfect who would grow up to have their fathers intelligence and stubbornness yet their mother's kindness and understanding. Completely lost in the moment, he found himself smiling at the thought.
"Hey, it's okay, it's okay. Don't cry" Amy whispered gently as Lucas whimpered in his arms, startling Sheldon from his thoughts on their future. She had adopted a little sway again, this time rocking him back and forth, she took herself by surprise by instantly knowing what to do, she didn't become overwhelmed or hand him back to Penny. It was just instinct.
He didn't know why, but Sheldon found himself reaching out and gently stroking the back of Lucas' head, his index finger brushing against the little swirl of dark hair on his crown. His thoughts began to wander again.
"Oh look, I think he likes that" Amy smiled, looking up at Sheldon, her heart melting with how he was staring at the baby in her arms, she knew he would probably deny this but she knew he was feeling something. Even if it was just the smallest bit of fondness for the little baby there was an emotion, a feeling there.
As Sheldon continued to stroke his head, Amy watched as Lucas' eyes began to close and his whimpers died down. They were both so wrapped up in the moment that they had almost forgotten Penny and Leonard were in the room.
"Who would have thought, hey" Leonard spoke. "Sheldon Cooper, the baby whisperer."
—
Sheldon had had a realisation, a realisation that would completely change their future. A realisation that he had yet to reveal to Amy. The whole car journey home he had been rather quiet, pondering over when to bring up his thoughts as Amy rambled on about how beautiful Lucas was, he wasn't even sure Penny and Leonard would gush this much over their son but it was already abundantly clear Amy adored him.
"Amy, could you come and sit down?" Sheldon asked, patting the space next to him on the couch, disrupting Amy from making them a cup of tea. They had arrived back from the hospital just a few moments ago and Sheldon figured now was as good a time as any to reveal what was going on inside his head. He had refrained from mentioning anything in the car, worried that what he did have to say would affect her driving.
"Is something wrong? You look serious" Amy asked as she stopped what she was doing in the kitchen and turned to face him. He didn't respond, just patted the space on the couch for her yet again. Abandoning the tea, she made her way over to Sheldon looking at him rather puzzled.
"Okay" he cleared his throat, turning his body round to face her. "It appears that I've had a change of heart about our conversation last night" he explained, Amy continuing to look at him with the same puzzled expression, unsure of what he was getting at. "I'd like us to try for a baby" he announced, watching Amy's smile grow by the second.
"You're really sure?" she asked reaching for his hand, he nodded. "But you were so set on waiting last night" she couldn't understand how he had changed his mind so suddenly, then it dawned on her. "Hang on, this isn't because you're friends have just had a baby and you want something they have so it's almost like you're even, because babies don't work like that Sheldon it's a huge commitment, it's hard work and..."
In a very uncharacteristic move, Sheldon leaned forward and kissed Amy's lips, cutting her off from her rambling. The gesture completely took Amy's breath away, the spontaneous move throwing her thought process off for a few seconds.
"What was that for?" she asked pulling away, a smile playing on her lips as her hands fell to his shoulders. By no means was she complaining, she loved the fact that after years together, she still felt those very same butterflies from day one.
"I just wanted you to stop talking" he smiled, in that moment it really was the only thing he could think of. "I know having a baby is hard but seeing you today with Lucas, it stirred up all these feelings that I didn't really think I had" a small blush appeared on his cheeks, even though she was his wife, he still would never get used to being this open and honest. "I guess I started to think about our own baby and I realised that I wanted it to happen sooner rather than later" he explained, laying all his emotions out on the table, playing all his cards that he usually get very close to his chest.
Amy really couldn't wipe the smile from her face, meeting Lucas had only confirmed how strong her desire was to now be a mother. To now know that it had also ignited some desire in Sheldon too meant everything. "You're really sure?" she asked, she would probably ask him this a million times over, just so she could be sure.
"Extremely sure" he nodded.
"Okay" Amy shuffled herself closer to him, she had a glint in her eye, a glint that after being so busy working these past few weeks he had grown to miss. "Can you think of any reason why we shouldn't start trying right now?" Amy asked.
"You mean now. Right now." Amy bit her lip seductively and nodded her head. "I guess it would depend on how much you wanted that cup of tea" his voice was low and Amy wanted to rip his clothes off of him there and then. She found herself giggling as she reached for his hand, pulling him to his feet and slowly leading him towards the bedroom.
"For the record, I don't want tea"
—
Thank you so much for reading.
As always reviews are always welcome and so appreciated.
Lots of love. xx