A/N: I guess sequels aren't as well received as the originals. Oh, well. It's finished.

Chapter 3

Not This August

There was a standing order among the Recovery Teams – Recover any and all boxes or partial boxes of dominoes. And it did not refer to empty Domino's pizza boxes as one wag thought would be an hysterically funny thing to pull on El Supremo as some referred to Sheldon Cooper. Sheldon had simply thanked the man for his attention to detail and walked off. Somehow the humor of the situation walked off with him.

When teams found and returned with boxes of dominos, Sheldon always thanked them profusely even if the deck was incomplete. A complete deck of 28 tiles or bones was needed for a game but Sheldon was not playing games. No. He was definitely not playing games. He only needed seven more decks and it would be complete and he could check off another thing on his mental bucket list.

Island Harbor
Badger Berth

Almost the entire populace turned out to welcome and help the large group of refugees who were staring, wide-eyed and some fearful, at so many smiling faces, white faces for the most part.

Howard walked down the gangway and was greeted by his wife who seemed to want to get inside him through his mouth, not that he was complaining. He loved Bernadette and the thought of her actually returning that love with equal fervor often left him feeling weak kneed but so thankful.

"I missed you, Howie!" She looked so beautiful to him that for just a moment he thought about ducking the briefing that he knew he should give the Council and heading on home and showing her just how much she meant to him. "And I have something to tell you when I get you alone. Go. Do your briefing thing. I'll help with the medical triage. Then I want to hear all about your mission."

The Quay

They'd set up church tables and interviewed each refugee and entered information into a database. Some of the refugees were surly and short but most were just glad to be somewhere safe and organized.

Tasha sat across from an African American in his late forties and softly asked the questions after explaining 'why' she was doing it. When she got to 'occupation before the Choker' and heard, "I'm an MD, a physician. I taught at the University of Chicago School of Medicine and –" Tasha let out a little shriek and then smiled broadly.

"Oh, thank God. We don't have a doctor, just a bunch of PhDs and a few nurses and a real honest to God lab tech but…oh, wait until I tell the Council!"

The man smiled broadly and said, "Then you'll love meeting my wife, Lenore. She's a dentist. I take it you don't have one of those either?"

"No, but Sheldon, Dr. Sheldon Cooper, was a nut about dental health care. He used to lecture us every morning on the importance of proper brushing and flossing since an abscess was a possible death sentence."

"You said 'used to'. Is he…gone?" He knew the choking disease was still rampant and he didn't want to be too offensive to his new hosts. Besides, the young woman seemed to be truly caring and he wanted to stay in her good graces.

"Oh, no. Sorry, it's just that he's so busy with all this," she said, waving her hand around, "and that was just when we were making our way here. He and his friends left California, went to Omaha, and as they made their way across half the country, they picked a lot of us up and brought us along. He's the 'Executive' of the Council. You'll meet him shortly and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if his first request was a physical. He's a bit of a germaphobe and – sorry, running away at the mouth like always."

After completing the interviews, families were reunited and they all walked into town with 'Colonials' walking among them, answering questions and pointing out points of interest.

The Beast

Howard answered questions and quickly told them that he'd been on a 'secret mission' for Sheldon. "I've brought all the major equipment we could easily dissemble and move and load on the Badger. We stripped the place bare of anything that might be useful as well as all supplies and as much of the special furnishings as we could in the time allotted. Leslie, we got every collector panel array on our lists as well as all the required equipment. We added the refugees and left as soon as possible. I've got a list of what we recovered here."

Leslie read over the list and a broad smile broke out. "Howard stole a friggin' hospital!"

After everyone calmed down, Howard asked about the refugees and their disposition.

"We got all the forms completed and we're going to enter them into the Database as soon as possible. They're on their way to Ryan's for something to eat and then we'll let them get settled in at the Grand Hotel. They're very welcome to join us but anyone who wants to leave is free to do so, of course,"

There were snickers among the group. No one who made their way to the Island wanted to leave, although some had been 'deported' for various reasons to the Upper Door Peninsula. And one had been executed but no one mentioned that around Sheldon. Not ever.

Wolowitz Residence

After showering and getting 4 days of stink off his body, Howard made a move on his wife but she stopped him. "First, I missed you. Second, we need to get something to eat and then see if the Council has any thing for us to do. Last on my list: Howard Joel Wolowitz, you're going to be a daddy in about seven months or so."

"Howard? Howie!"

He'd always made fun of Sheldon for fainting in stressful situations. He'd have to apologize when he saw him.

Island Canteen
(Formerly Ryan's)

The first thing the new arrivals noticed was that the 'Colonials' deferred to them, allowing them to go through the lines first, even though everyone was hungry. There was a large sign posted on a tripod where normally a restaurant menu was posted.

Take what you want but eat what you take.
Remember what it took to feed us this meal.
Be grateful to those who died so we could eat in peace.

Dr. Sam Green and his wife, Lenore, sat at one of the tables and a 'server' brought over a large pitcher of lemonade and glasses and silverware. "Excuse me, miss, but where is Dr. Cooper, theCouncil Executive? I'd like to meet him and thank him on behalf of myself and the others."

The girl laughed and said, "The guy who ladled corn onto your plates? That's Dr. Cooper standing beside the pretty blonde who served out the rice or potatoes. Go ahead and eat and I'll send him over."

Sheldon listened to the server, nodded and took off his apron and handed it and the ladle to the new 'corn slinger' and pinched the pretty blonde on the butt in passing and walked slowly between the tables to where Dr. Green and his wife sat, eating slowly but with obvious appreciation.

"Hello, I'm Dr. Sheldon Cooper. Margie said you wanted to see me. Is anything wrong? I can assure you that the strictest standards are maintained in our kitchen and – "

"Wrong? Are you nuts, Dr. Cooper? Two days ago we were fleeing for our lives and now we're being feted like returning heroes and welcomed with open arms. Nothing is wrong. I wanted to meet the man who – "

"I'm not crazy. My mother had me tested. Although the past months have been very difficult ones for all of us. So far, none of us has gone bonkers."

"Please join us. We have so many questions," said Lenore Green. "For one, are we welcome to stay and join your community?" Sam smiled at his wife of 20 years. Always to the point. No patience at all.

"I'd like my wife to join us if you don't mind. Neither of us has eaten and this is the one meal we always share." Without waiting for an answer, Sheldon turned and went back to the serving line and returned with two full trays and his wife in tow.

"This is my wife, Penny Cooper. I'm sorry I don't know your names. Penny teaches 6th graders in our school and is also my best friend and confidant. She's also the best shot in the quick reaction platoon." The pride was obvious and the woman's blush was a far change from what they were used to.

"I'm Sam Green and this is my wife, the dentist. Her name is Lenore but she's more often than not referred to by my colleagues…er…former colleagues, as 'Dr. Pain'."

Penny smiled at the new couple. "We've been very fortunate so far. No major dental issues that our dental tech couldn't handle but it's only a matter of time until something major crops up that's beyond her. You are very, very welcome, Dr. Payne." Penny didn't think anything about the different last names. Some women kept their maiden names for professional reasons.

Sam Green laughed and his wife glared at him but smiled at Penny. "That was my husband's idea of a joke. You'll have to forgive him his macabre sense of humor. He's an undertaker by trade and – "

"Okay, okay, I deserved that! Mrs. Cooper, I am a doctor, a medical doctor and my wife makes reference to the subject I last taught at the Medical School, Pathology, although I was also - " His wife giggled at Penny and said, "Dead people. He worked on dead people."

Sheldon smiled at the news and squeezed Penny's hand and said, "Penny's dad was diagnosed with cancer of the liver. I would be grateful if you could look in on him after you get settled and see what can be done to ease his pain. We have quite a pharmacy but no one really knows much about pain relief, what meds to use – sorry, I don't mean to dragoon you into staying although we'd all love to have every one of you stay and join us."

The couple exchanged glances and then Sam said, "I can't speak for all of us but my wife and I are definitely on the stay list. We've been on the run from the New Order since the dirty bombs hit Chicago and were about to give up hope when we stumbled onto your 'Recovery Team'. We've been searching for some place to settle and start over. I could drop by tomorrow after seeing what pharmaceuticals you have available. Would that be alright with you, Mrs. Cooper?"

Just then David Hampton walked up and interrupted. "Doc, you need to hear what I've learned and then okay taking an armed force to Cheboygan and bringing back all the armor we can. Those bastards that whacked Team Lennox – racist Neo-Nazis calling themselves the New Order or some shit like that. We need to hustle and get ready for them. They're moving north and we're a prime target for them."

"Captain, this is Dr. Green and his wife, Dr. Green. They were just telling us about such a group. Yes, by all means, assemble a force, armed to the teeth, and bring back everything you can. Leave nothing for them to use. Burn whatever you can't bring back or bury it in connexes for later recovery. Alert the council and Major Wells that we need to start patrolling south via air and ground. Dr. Green will be a valuable source of intelligence for the council and should brief them fully as to this new threat."

"Dr. Cooper, may I have a word with you in private at your earliest convenience?" He'd noticed how Sheldon's hands were in severe tremor, how he had difficulty cutting his meat and how his eyes seemed to roam without focus when speaking. The man had obviously been under tremendous stress but it might be more than that, although he hoped not. He'd just met the man but from his words and obvious feelings for his wife, he believed that Sheldon Cooper was a good man and the world had so few of them left.