It's a little and a lot to ask
An endless and a welcome task
Love isn't something that we have
It's something that we do

As It Is In Heaven
Chapter 24 – "Something That We Do"

"I can't believe it. Why would they be so secretive about this?"

Sheldon smirked as he listened while Amy continued her rant that had started the second, they had left choir practice.

Of course this was all about two old lovebirds who had finally come back to choir practice, but without telling anyone about their big news.

"I understand them.", he admitted. "You've seen how the others reacted to us a few weeks ago. Ruth and Daniel have been in the choir for ages. Jeremy would probably call the local newspaper if he found out about their secret."

Amy squeezed his hand lightly. "You're probably right. And they deserve to have this time to themselves, away from prying eyes. But it's so hard, pretending I don't know anything. I am just so happy for them."

Sheldon said nothing, but he squeezed her hand back.

He could understand Amy's frustration but first and foremost, he was glad to finally have two of the most valuable members of the choir back. And more than a month before the competition too.

"Do you want to come in for tea?", Amy offered, as they neared their homes.

This was of course a rhetorical question. They had spent every evening together since their second date last Thursday.

Sheldon really enjoyed this phase of their relationship. They were almost as close now as they had been before their long time apart.

He just loved having tea with her, talking about everything that was on their minds or playing trivia games.

And on one beautiful afternoon, they had taken Joshua and Ellis to the zoo while Missy was busy with an appointment to finally end her marriage officially. Despite having to take care of a little baby girl - a task that to his relief, Amy volunteered to handle - it was one of the best days of his life.

But tonight, somehow, things seemed to be a bit different. The conversation wasn't flowing as easily as he was used to.

Amy was clearing her throat a lot and somehow, she seemed unfocused.

After kissing her good night, he walked across the street and wondered what was going on with her.

Was it because it was Wednesday? The day before their third date?

Could she be just as tense because of it as he was?

Because boy, was he tense.

Especially after Georgie had pulled him aside the day before to have "the talk" with him.

"Now listen, little brother. I will now give you the talk, Dad could never give you. To be honest, I did not think you would ever need it, yet here we are. But I will give you the version I wish I would have gotten. The one that is actually useful."

At first, Sheldon had no idea what Georgie was talking about. What talk? But then, his brother continued.

"I am sure, as a scientist you know everything about where babies come from, so I will not talk about protection. And I know, you and Amy did it once already, so I won't go into the mechanics either. But I want you to listen closely now. It will take a few tries to get everything right, but there are a few things you can do to make the whole thing more pleasant for Amy, and for yourself too in the process.

During the next thirty minutes, Sheldon had deeply regretted building a better relationship with his brother. Georgie would NEVER have talked about this with him before.

But even if his face heated up in embarrassment and he had not been able to stop giggling a few times, he made sure to listen closely. Maybe some of it would actually be helpful.

Or was he being too presumptuous?

Initially he had presented these three dates to Amy as compensation for what had already happened, not as a way to let it happen again.

But they were way past that now, weren't they?

They hadn't just been on two extremely successful dates, but they had also rekindled their deep friendship. They had talked about very personal things, and they had reconfirmed everything they had told each other before the attack.

Maybe it was time to move forward with her in every way.

But were they ready for that again?

He had no idea if he was.

There was no denying his desire for her, but if he was being honest, he just wanted to spend time with her. Like the week before. Without the expectation of anything else.

And maybe, if the evening would go well, and she would ask him inside, he would agree and they could just let things happen if they felt like it.

Even if it usually went against his nature, he felt, it would be better to let things happen naturally instead of obsessing over it now.

Thursday morning came, and Sheldon still felt tense.

Sighing, he looked out the window to the house across the street just as his phone started ringing.

He raised his eyebrows. Shouldn't she be at work?

"Hey, Amy, is something wrong?", he answered, a little concerned.

"Yeah… I'm sorry, Sheldon. I need to cancel our date tonight."

She sounded off somehow. Her voice was different than usual. And… what was that noise? Was she sniffling?

Oh no, was she upset because she also worried about the expectations for tonight?

"Is this about tonight being our third date?", he asked. "Because, Amy, I want you to know I don't think we have to adhere to that ridiculous rule. I just want to have a nice time with you. It doesn't have to lead to anything."

There was a cough on the other line.

"No, Sheldon.", she said. "While I agree with what you just said, this is not what this is about." – another cough. – "We just need to reschedule. I caught the flu. I'm sorry."

"Oh, you poor thing.", he exclaimed. "Do you have everything you need?"

"It's not that bad.", she brushed it off. "I'll be fine. I just need to rest for a bit. Which I will do after a nice, hot cup of tea that I am making right now."

He nodded absentmindedly as he heard the tea kettle whistle in the background.

His mind wandered to the kiss they had shared the night before. Was it too late to gargle with mouthwash?

But then, he heard her cough again, and his worry for himself turned into worry for her.

Was she really telling the whole truth when she said she was alright? He tried to identify any clues in her voice but as usual, he was not very good at it.

"Well, alright then.", he conceded. "Call me if you need anything. And I mean anything, Amy. I can go get you medicine or ask Missy to drive you to the doctor."

She was coughing again and then he heard her blow her nose. Nope, this did not sound too pleasant.

"Thank you, Sheldon, I appreciate it. But that won't be necessary. I'll call you once I'm feeling better."

The line was disconnected then, and Sheldon slumped down on the couch.

He thought about the times when he had been sick. His mother used to care for him then. And later Leonard or Penny, albeit reluctantly.

Just once, after his friendships had fallen apart, had he dealt with being sick all by himself. And he had hated every minute of it. Never had the loneliness been this heavy on his heart as during that week.

And now Amy was across the street, sick and alone. With no one to care for her or make her feel better.

He was not going to allow that.

So, he got up and walked into the kitchen where his mother was loading the dishwasher.

"Mom, can you teach me how to make chicken soup with little stars in it? The one you used to make for me, when I was sick?"

His mother looked at him surprised, but after hearing about Amy's flu, she offered to just make it herself and bring it over.

He declined though. For some reason, he needed to be the one to take care of Amy.

So, for the rest of the morning, he followed his mother's instructions and while the soup was boiling, he went to the store to get the things he liked to eat or drink when he was sick.

And to the pharmacy, because he wasn't sure if Amy had everything that could help her get better.

It was almost lunchtime, when he was standing in front of Amy's door, carrying a pot of soup in his hands and a large bag slung over his shoulder.

"Sheldon… what are you doing here?", a visibly surprised Amy asked him as she opened the door for him.

He could see, she was trying to straighten out her hair. As if it would have helped her appearance.

She looked awful. Her face was almost grey, only her nose was deep red. Her eyes had the beautiful shade of dark green as usual but there were dark circles under them.

She looked miserable. And yet she had tried to make him believe everything was fine.

He had made the right decision, coming here.

"I am here to take care of you.", he stated simply and walked past her to the kitchen where he put the pot on the stove to heat it up.

While he was at it, he picked up the plates and mugs that were sitting on the kitchen table and put them into the dishwasher before taking a cleaning rag and wiping the whole area.

"You should go back to bed.", he told her, as she was still standing in the doorway, staring at his actions.

"But…", she started protesting.

"No but.", he said sternly. "Amy, you lied to me. You are not fine. You clearly need help. Now I assume you didn't change the way my meemaw used to organize her kitchen and I will find everything I need. You go rest and I will bring you the soup once it's ready."

Amy gasped surprised. "You came here to take care of me…", she mumbled. "Oh, Sheldon."

He could stop her just as she was about to hug him.

"Keep your distance, Amy.", he reprimanded her. "You're still sick and I don't need your germs any closer."

Really, there wasn't much he wouldn't do for this woman, but he would not put up with whatever bacteria that were floating around in her system.

"Got it.", she said, still smiling at him in awe.

"Now you go lie down.", he told her firmly. "If you don't rest then I don't know what I'm even doing here."

Once she had left for her bedroom, Sheldon took the Lysol out of his bag.

Safety first, he thought, as he sprayed first the kitchen and then the living room before disinfecting all the doorknobs.

He returned his attention to the food again then.

Not sure, how big her appetite would be, he toasted some white bread, put butter on it and then got out a tray where he put the bread, the soup and a big mug with hot tea.

She sat up in her bed and accepted everything gratefully. But she still looked miserable, so he carried a chair from the kitchen to her bedroom and sat down next to her to make sure she would eat.

"You didn't have to do this, Sheldon.", she said softly as she had finished about half of her soup and took a few bites off the bread. "You know I've been taking care of myself since forever. I am sure you have better things to do than this."

He shrugged. "It's no big deal.", he mumbled. "No one likes being alone when they're sick."

Also no, he did not have anything better to do than take care of his woman. Especially with the way she was still coughing and wheezing.

He took her temperature and gasped.

"You have 102° fever, Amy. You should have told me to come over", he reprimanded her. "How could you try to make me believe you didn't need help?"

She shook her head, still coughing. "It's not that bad, Sheldon. I'll be better in no time. You don't have to feel responsible for me. Thank you for your help but you really can just go home now."

Oh, that woman again with her stubbornness.

"But I want to be responsible for your well-being, Amy.", he all but shouted. "You should know that. Now drop this act and let me take care of you. Because I am not leaving until you feel better."

She bit her lips and looked at him strangely for a few moments.

"Okay, uhm… thanks.", she mumbled, and he could see a soft smile spreading on her face.

"Alright.", he nodded, his anger subsiding again. "Now, I will give you cough syrup and a dose of Tylenol. To help you sleep for a bit. But first, let me fetch the VapoRub. You will breathe more easily after I've applied it."

Amy's eyes widened.

"Y… y… you'll apply it?"

He studied her face. It seemed her cheeks were getting a bit rosier than before. That soup always did the trick.

"Of course.", he stated simply. "Would you be so kind and open the top three buttons of your nightgown?"

"Uhm… sure…", she mumbled and did as he told her.

It was only after he had stuck his fingers into her nightgown that it occurred to him, that this might not have been his best idea.

Focus, Sheldon. This is a medical emergency. Not an opportunity to remember how enticing this woman's body feels under your fingers.

She appeared flushed the whole time, and he was afraid, her fever could be getting worse, but she refused to have her temperature taken again.

But she did let him give her the promised medicine. Finally, she was starting to act like a reasonable patient.

"I'll let you rest a little now.", he mumbled as he picked up the tray again. "But I'll be outside, if you need me."

"Really?", she asked surprised. "But you've done so much already. Aren't you going home now?"

"Of course not.", he huffed. Why did she keep trying to send him away? "You are not feeling better yet, Amy. Is your brain affected by the flu? Do I have to repeat my speech?"

He could see her grin as she shook her head. Good. So no more stubbornness for now.

She slept almost the whole afternoon and Sheldon busied himself with cleaning and then turned his attention to the piano where he worked on his arrangements until he heard a yawn coming from her bedroom.

He went to check on her and to his relief, she looked a little bit better than before.

"Hey.", she greeted him as she stretched out her limbs. He couldn't help but think that even sick, she looked adorable, as she just woke up from her nap.

"Do you want to watch some TV?", he offered. "I could set up the TV here in your room. Or if you want, I could read to you."

She blinked at him in wonder.

"Sheldon, this is so sweet of you, but you really don't have to go to such great lengths."

He sighed. He knew he did not have to. Usually, he fled at the first suspicion anyone could be sick.

But somehow, and he had no idea why that was, he cared for her well-being almost more than for his own. So much he had the urge to do everything in his power to help her get healthy again.

"I just want you to get better.", he insisted. "You know, the competition is only weeks away and we need you healthy."

Her face broke into a big smile.

"Well, we wouldn't want to compromise the competition. I haven't been read to in decades. So maybe you could start with that."

He nodded. "Any preferences? Or should I just go and pick a book?"

"You can pick.", she replied. "Most of my books are in the living room. There's also a stash of science magazines, maybe they are of more interest to you."

He nodded again and went to look.

Ugh, so many romance novels. He skimmed through one of them. Well, that one was… very… explicit. No way he would read that to her.

But maybe he would borrow it. Just for research purposes of course. If Amy had read this book, it could only work in his advantage if he knew the contents as well.

He looked for the science magazines she had mentioned then and found them neatly organized in one of his meemaw's cabinets.

There were so many of them and he didn't have the time to look through all of them, so he just randomly grabbed one.

He fixed her a plate with saltine crackers and apple slices before he returned to her room and insisted, she had to eat all of it as well as drink at least one more cup of tea.

Again, she looked at him with a strange expression in her eyes. He had difficulties placing it, because he couldn't remember anyone ever looking at him like this.

To distract himself, he skimmed through the magazine as she was munching on her food.

Neuron Magazine. Not your usual science magazine and certainly written for people who knew their stuff.

"I was always interested in… Neurobiology."

Back when she had told him this, part of him still hadn't been sure what she had meant by that. What exactly was her education?

Had she majored in biology at whatever college she had gone too and been interested in the field of neurobiology?

Or was there more to it? She seemed extremely intelligent. Maybe the first person he had met who could seriously challenge him.

But surely, she wouldn't have traded a successful career as an accomplished scientist for being a science teacher, no matter how much being mugged had affected her.

He read two articles to her, and she seemed extremely focused on them, nodding thoughtfully at some parts and scrunching up her nose at others and more and more, the little voice in Sheldon's head told him, there still had to be some things he didn't know about this woman yet.

Afterwards, Sheldon offered to bring her dinner to bed, but she insisted on getting up and eating with him in the kitchen, so he took the opportunity to open the window and air out her room that had to be full of germs.

For a second, he considered leaving for the night and returning in the morning. But what if she would wake up and need anything?

So, he called his mother, and told her Amy was worse than he had thought, and he would be spending the next few nights on her couch. He paused and braced himself for her judgement on that.

But she surprised him.

"Oh, honey, that is really sweet of you.", his mother told him. "Do you want me to bring you anything? Or if you want to, I could come over tomorrow and cook for the two of you."

"Uhm…", he started, almost flabbergasted at her reaction. "I think I can handle the cooking. But you could bring me a few pajamas and my bathroom utensils. And maybe some other things too. I'll send you a list."

It was only when he hung up the phone, that he noticed Amy who must have entered the room during his call.

"You… you are staying the night?", she clarified.

"Nights.", he said simply, before she would say something ridiculous like he did not have to stay. "Now lie down, take your medicine and let me sing 'Soft Kitty' to you. That's the last thing on my schedule for tonight."

After she had fallen asleep, he made himself comfortable on her couch and sighed as he thought about the events of the day.

Here he was. Thursday night. Spending the night at her place.

It was very different from how he had planned this night. But it felt good in a way.

He knew, he had been able to really help her today. He had gotten over his fear of her germs. He had not let her down. And this fact made him feel better than any successful date could have had.

The next day passed just like the first one.

Amy mostly slept and rested, and he cooked for her, read to her and worked on his equations in the journal his mother had brought over.

Finally, on Saturday, she felt strong enough to come out to the living room and watch TV with him.

She kept looking at him strangely though.

"You didn't have to stay the whole time, Sheldon.", she once mumbled softy, when he brought her another cup of tea. "I'm sure you would have slept better in your own bed."

"Don't worry about it.", he brushed her off. Didn't she realize, he slept much better knowing he was only a few steps away in case she needed help? "You look better than yesterday.", he continued. "Are you feeling better too?"

"A little.", she nodded and smiled at him. "I think my fever has broken. But I feel sweaty. I think I'll try and take a shower later."

He took a closer look at her. She did look sweaty, and it was probably very uncomfortable for her. Why had he not thought of this before?

He had a bad feeling letting her shower alone. Amy still seemed to be a bit wobbly on her feet.

"Let me draw you a bath.", he suggested instead. "I don't want you to slip and fall in the shower. And I can help you wash your hair if you want."

Now her expression was even more strange as she looked at him and it took a few seconds, before she agreed.

But only minutes later, he regretted his suggestion, when Amy entered the bathroom, dressed in her robe.

'Cut it out', he reprimanded himself, as he felt heat wash over him. 'She's still sick. You are here to help. This is highly inappropriate.'

He tried not to look, but it was impossible not noticing her beautiful figure before she stepped into the water.

Of course, the fact he had seen all this before and knew exactly how wonderful she felt, did nothing to help his situation.

If only he had thought of that before, he would have used much more of the bubble bath.

"Want me to wash your hair now?", he said hoarsely after a while of sitting there and feeling useless.

She bit her lips and nodded before handing him her shampoo.

He squeezed a general amount of it on his hand.

The scent of green apples was intoxicating and once he started massaging her scalp, he could hear her sigh softly.

This was good. It was supposed to make her feel better, so he spent a lot of time, continuing his massage, until his fingers became shriveled.

He turned on the shower head then and checked the temperature before he rinsed out the shampoo. Her hair felt as silky as it looked, and he followed the trail of suds gliding down from her shoulders to her back.

His cheeks heat up and for a second, he wondered if he was getting feverish himself now.

"Uhm…", he croaked. "I could wash your back too. If you want."

He only offered it, because he was sure she felt sore after lying in bed for days. No other reason.

And it worked. As he rubbed her whole back with the sponge, from her shoulders down to the swell of her bottom, he could feel her slowly relax into his touches.

"Mhmmmm.", she moaned quietly, and he froze on the spot.

She sounded just like she did all these months before, when he had touched her body all over.

Oh no, why did he have to think about that right now?

He too a few deep breaths.

Thank God, she had her eyes closed, so she wasn't noticing his widened eyes or the fact that his face was surely beet-red by now.

Swallowing deeply, he handed her the sponge, and while she finished her bath, he went to get the largest towel he could find.

She did not say a word as he wrapped her into it but again, he had a weird expression on her face. A different one than before.

"I uhm… I am going to prepare lunch.", he mumbled as he left her to dress herself. "You can just join me, once you're ready."

He had just finished cooking soup – minestrone this time, from a recipe he had found online – when she came up behind him, dressed in a fresh nightgown and her robe.

He eyed her for a second. The dark circles under her eyes had vanished and her cheeks had turned a healthy, rosy color.

"You look much better now.", he noticed.

"You're right.", she said, almost sounding regretfully. "I am feeling better. Much better, actually. Almost energized, after the bath you've helped me with. I think, tomorrow I'll be as good as new again."

He studied her face. This was confusing.

"You say it like it's a bad thing. Amy, I am glad you're feeling better. I was really worried about you when I first came here on Thursday."

"Yeah… it is a good thing.", she shrugged. "So, I guess, that means, you can finally leave now."

Well now he was sure she did not sound happy.

Oh… He understood. Or at least he thought he did.

"Amy…", he started carefully. "Do you not want me to leave? Because you know I will stay if you need me to take care of you for a little longer. If you still feel weak."

She bit her lips. "See, that's it. I don't feel weak anymore. But… Sheldon, I know I told you, you did not have to stay in the first place. But it has been so nice, the way you took care of me. I am not used to someone caring for me like this and I just enjoyed it so much. I loved having you here and... I was…", she looked away. "It's so embarrassing but I was actually thinking of pretending to be sick a few days longer, but after the things we talked about last week, about being honest with each other, I just couldn't."

Sheldon stirred the soup while he was pondering her words, before he turned to Amy fully.

"You really are feeling healthy again?", he clarified.

She nodded in confirmation.

"Good. So, no more germs.", he said as he walked a few steps closer and pulled her into his arms.

He rested his head on hers as he spoke.

"Amy, you don't need to fake being sick if you want me to stay here. Just tell me, and I will. I've already made lunch and I still have music to work on. Also, I already bought supplies for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow, so…"

"Really?", she asked, and her eyes lit up. "You're staying here again?"

"Of course.", he said firmly.

He didn't tell her, that even on her slightly uncomfortable couch, he had slept better at her place than he had in his own bed ever since the attack.

Mostly because it did not make any sense to him.

He tried sending Amy back to bed then, because while she did look better, he wanted to make sure, she still got enough rest, but she wouldn't have it.

Instead, she helped him clean up the kitchen, and he could feel his heart swell with pride, as she admired how meticulously he had organized the spice cabinet for her.

"I feel bad for making you sleep on the couch.", she said a little later, as she was picking a book to read in bed. "It is so nice of you to stay here, and it can't really be comfortable for you."

He brushed her off, even if there was truth to her statement. He suspected, she was about to offer him to sleep in her bed.

Something, he wouldn't have said no to under normal circumstances. He craved to be there with her again. Even if it was just to hold her.

But after the things he had felt for her when she was taking her bath, he feared, he would not be able to control himself. And she was still weak.

He would not be taking advantage of this situation. After all, he was raised a gentleman.

So, he prepared the couch again and settled in with a comic book.

An hour later, he was almost asleep when he heard strange noises coming from her bedroom.

It sounded as if she was crying. She sounded desperate.

Alarmed, he got up to check on her, and his eyes widened as he saw what was happening.

She was flailing around, her whole body seemed to be shaking and she was mumbling something in her sleep.

"Stop it. Stop it. You're killing him.", he heard her whimper.

His heart sank. Especially because he had a hunch of what she was dreaming about.

"Stop it. No. Get off him.", she cried again.

Without thinking about it, even for a second, he slipped into bed with her.

"It's alright.", he mumbled and tried to hold her. "It's alright. It's over. I am here."

But she kept kicking and screaming, hitting his shin and his torso, so he pinned her down and – acting on instinct – stroked her hair gently.

"It's all good, Amy. I am here. It's all good. I promise. I am here with you."

She slowly blinked her eyes open, and he could see tears running down her face.

"Sheldon…", she sobbed. "Oh, Sheldon."

Time and time again, she repeated his name until she finally calmed down again.

He held her tight and kept caressing her hair as she cried softly in his arms.

"It's okay.", he said one last time. "It was just a dream."

"I know.", she whispered. "I know, but it was so real…"

"Robbie?", he asked, saying that name alone almost made him sick.

She nodded.

"I'm sorry.", she croaked. "I did not mean to remind you of it. It's just… ever since it happened…"

He understood. She had told him about her nightmares. But he had not expected them to be this intense.

"I'm here, Amy.", he promised. "I am safe. We both are."

She snuggled closer into his chest. "Will you stay here tonight? In my bed?", she asked pleadingly.

He nodded. "Of course."

She sighed and was asleep again almost instantly.

Sheldon wrapped his arms around her tightly.

Finally, he was holding her in his arms again. Not because of some stupid three-dates-rule. And not because he was taking advantage of her situation.

But because it was what she needed.

And maybe, it was what he needed as well.

I know, this chapter is not what you expected, but I hope you enjoyed it. I promise, Sheldon and Amy will have their third date very soon. The next few chapters will be very emotional. A few secrets will be revealed. You, dear readers, already know most of them, but Sheldon does not, so stay put for his reaction.