Hi lovely readers,
Thank you so much for all of the lovely reviews you left on the last chapter. It really means a lot that you're all still enjoying these little stories.
This one was requested by Olivia25. Thank you so much for requesting, I really hope this was okay.
Enjoy everyone.
The drive was long. They seemed to be hitting every traffic jam imaginable and every set of lights that they approached, happened to just turn red upon their arrival. Amy enjoyed the silence of the car, she could only imagine everyone was feeling just as tired as she was. With her head resting against the window pane, she watched the Texan landscape pass her by. It was a landscape she had seen many times before on trips back to Houston with Sheldon but today, watching it whizz by made her feel sick and dizzy. She guessed that came with the territory of being nineteen weeks pregnant. Closing her eyes, she hoped to settle the nauseous feeling in her stomach.
"Are you asleep?" Sheldon asked. With her eyes closed she could feel him looking at her with that concerned gaze that had seemed to descend upon him since she discovered she was pregnant. He was very protective now, almost at times a little too much, a little overbearing
"Nope" Amy replied, eyes still closed. "I'm just resting."
She was grateful to not be doing the driving. Today that responsibility fell upon Leonard who had seemed quick to offer giving Sheldon inability, Amy's nausea and Penny's occasional recklessness, he seemed like the safest option from the airport.
"Are you okay?" she felt his hand on her knee. Knowing he wouldn't settle for an 'I'm fine', she removed her head from the window and looked across at him. His eyes were a darker blue than usual, they got like that when he was worried or concern.
"I'm okay. Just feeling a little sick, that's all," she answered. Amy wasn't someone that could ever be described as naive, she knew more about the world and everything in it than most people, but when it came to her pregnancy she had quite a rose tinted view that sadly hadn't been the case.
Even before she discovered she was pregnant, morning sickness had hit her at full force. The bouts of sickness lasted all day, she couldn't keep anything down and at times just had reside to her bed or curl up on the couch. Before they discovered the reason for this, Sheldon had been extremely concerned, insisting that she had to go to the hospital and was convinced for a few days that she was actually dying.
It was only in the last week or so that everything started to ease. She still had mornings where it hit her but for the most part, she was doing okay. They had come to realise however, that she now seemed to suffer with motion sickness, something that had never occurred before. This only confirmed Sheldon's thoughts on the whole concept of pregnancy being crazy.
He had told Amy numerous times that she didn't need to come on this particular trip. Of course, Amy had insisted that she would be okay. This was Mary Coopers birthday, a big Cooper family event and if two of his best friends were going to be there to celebrate, of course his wife had to be there too. Sheldon found the whole notion of this party, that his sister had insisted on throwing, silly. It wasn't even a big birthday.
"Is it because of Leonard's driving? I knew he was going too fast" Sheldon, as always, was quick to insult his best friends driving ability.
"Hey" Leonard called from the front seat, glancing at Sheldon in his rear view mirror. "My driving is just fine."
"It's nothing to do with Leonard's driving" Amy explained. "I think it's more to do with this little one" she laughed, gently placing her hand on her stomach. Over the past few weeks, this little bump of hers had really seemed to blossom. She had spent the first few months worried that she didn't even look pregnant and then all of a sudden, as if overnight it appeared. It was still small but definitely noticeable, the sonographer at her last scan had described it as neat and she felt oddly proud of that.
Sheldon smiled. He never imagined a child, a baby, a fetus that was still growing could bring him so much joy. Yet that's exactly what Amy's pregnancy had done. This little baby gave his whole life a purpose, a fresh new meaning and endless, exciting possibilities. He never expected to feel so much before the baby was even here.
"Closing my eyes helps. It helps me focus and stay settled" Amy explained. Reaching across, she affectionately patted his knee. "So no more talking okay?"
—
As always, Mary Cooper greeted her guests with nothing but warmth and love. Every single person that stepped through her front door was enveloped into the biggest hug that one could ever receive, for a tiny woman, she could squeeze you incredibly tight.
"Oh my darlin', look at you" she exclaimed, holding Amy at arms length as she studied her, her eyes looking at her up and down. "Don't you just look beautiful. Sheldon, doesn't she look beautiful" Mary fussed as her son placed their bags down by the door.
"Yes, mother she does" Sheldon wasn't sure when he had last told Amy she was beautiful. Right now, she certainly didn't feel it.
"Thank you" Amy blushed, she wasn't used to or accustomed to all of this fussing but then again she expected nothing less from Mary.
"Oh, I can't believe that's my little grand-baby in there" she exclaimed, excitedly clapping her hands before placing her hands affectionately upon Amy's stomach. "Oh I'm just so excited to meet you little one" she smiled so wide. Sheldon wasn't sure he'd ever seen her like this before, he hadn't been around when Missy was pregnant but he was sure she was making much more of a fuss over Amy. He had always been her baby, maybe that was why. "Leonard and Penny" Mary beamed embracing the couple, wrapping an arm around them both.
"Quick, make a run for it before she starts touching your stomach again" Sheldon whispered to Amy.
"Hey, I heard that," Mary turned to playfully hit her son on the shoulder. No matter how old he was, he was never too old to be put in his place by his mother. "I'm allowed to be excited. I can't believe my Shelley's going to be a daddy."
—
The following evening, the birthday party for Mary was in full swing. Missy and her brood of children had arrived and just like her mother, she couldn't stop fussing over Amy, letting her know how excited she was to welcome her first ever niece or nephew. Georgie on the other hand made some inappropriate comment about how they really hadn't waited all that long until after marriage before conceiving.
Truth be told, it hadn't taken them all that long at all nor had their baby been completely planned. Having children together was always something that they saw in their future, Amy always thought it was something she saw more than Sheldon, but whenever she brought up the subject, he assured her that he too wanted children just as much as she did. It was all part of their future plans.
Unexpectedly, eight months after being married, Amy discovered that she was pregnant. For hours afterwards, she was in quite a state of shock. It had all happened so quickly. She had imagined that it would have taken much longer, that she would be waiting and hoping every month for a positive pregnancy test but almost without warning the little plus sign on the test had greeted her instantly.
Once the initial shock was over, it was fair to say she was terrified but excited in equal measure, then the worry kicked in over telling Sheldon. A baby, right now, was not part of their plan and if anything, Sheldon loved a plan however, his reaction couldn't have been further from what Amy was expecting. He didn't panic, freak out or lecture her on birth control, he was ecstatic and completely over the moon.
"Auntie Amy" her little niece Ella was climbing up on to the couch. Although, it was a party at the Cooper residence, Amy had taken herself off into the front room, where it was a little quieter and where she could rest just for a few moments. She didn't realise that she'd been followed by a little one. Ella was incredibly cute, she was the image of Missy, which oddly meant that Amy could see quite a bit of Sheldon in her too. Out of all of Missy's children, Ella was the most intuitive, in a lot of ways she was very much like her Uncle Sheldon, always questioning things and wanting to be right, even at three years of age. Amy smiled as she thought about their child, would he or she be like this, interested and interesting.
"Hello" Amy moved her arm so she cuddle close to her.
"Mumma says there's a baby in there" Ella announced immediately placing her hand on Amy's stomach, her hands were so tiny as she sprawled out her fingers.
"Careful Els" Missy warned popping her head round to check what her daughter was up to, a drink in hand. Before now, not being able to drink alcohol had never bothered Amy but as she watched everyone around her enjoying a glass of wine, she missed it. "We spoke about being gentle with auntie Amy, didn't we?" she referred to a conversation that had obviously been had prior to Amy's knowledge. "Is she okay?" Missy turned to ask Amy.
"Yeah, she's fine" Amy smiled.
"Just sent her back if she starts to annoy you" Missy laughed as she turned and headed back to where the rest of the party was happening.
"Is your baby a boy or girl?" Ella asked once her mother was gone.
"We don't know yet" they had had numerous conversations about finding out the sex of the baby. Sheldon was desperate to find out, partly down to his impatience but also because he had to be super organised and prepared. Amy had days where she moved between agreeing with Sheldon and wanting it all to be a surprise.
"I want it to be a girl. I don't like boys" Amy knew she was referring to her brothers, one older and the other her twin. "Will they be my brother or sister?"
"No" Amy shook her head as she stroked the little girls hair. She was blonde, a trait she inherited from her father. Amy wondered what colour hair their baby would have, she assumed dark but how dark would it actually be. "They're going to be your cousin"
"What does that mean?" she looked confused by the concept, her eyes narrowing just like Sheldon's and Missy's did when they were perplexed by something. Their baby would be Ella first cousin and as Amy explained the concept, she was sure it went straight over the little girls head.
Their little conversation was interrupted when Sheldon appeared at the door. He knew Amy would be feeling tired and as her husband he felt it was his job to take care of her and make sure she was okay.
"I wondered where you had gone. Are you feeling okay?" he asked as he sat himself down on the couch next to Amy, the opposite side to where Ella was.
"I was just feeling a little tired" Amy admitted, she knew Sheldon wouldn't have given up until she told him exactly how she was feeling. She had learnt that the pregnancy exhaustion would often creep upon her, often out of nowhere and at full force. It was a tiredness like no other. "We were just having a little chat, weren't we Ella" Amy smiled down at the little girl. She couldn't wait until that little child snuggled into her side was her very own. She was beyond excited.
"Amy said the baby is my cous…" she stumbled over the word. They both waited, Amy a little more patiently than Sheldon who was desperate to jump in and tell her the word but he knew that would only cause Amy to become cross with him. This was a learning curve, practise for the patience he would have to have with their own baby. Ella tried a few more times, her tongue having difficulty wrapping itself around the word. "My cousin."
"Yay! That's right. Well done" Sheldon simply watched as Amy squeezed Ella, she seemed so excited and proud that she had managed to say a word and Ella was suddenly so happy. The whole notion of their excitement and happiness confused him but he figured maybe he needed to learn to become excited over the littlest things because their happiness was rather infectious. "Oh, they're moving around so much" Amy placed her hand on her bump, just to the left of Ella's.
"It moves" Ella asked, looking up all wide eyed.
"Of course" Sheldon answered. "They move around just like me and you."
"You might not be able to feel it" Amy told her. She had been feeling movements for the past week or so, it was the most amazing feeling. Feeling her baby move around inside of her was indescribable, the little flips and flutters always made her smile and occasionally cry. "Although, they are moving lots. Sheldon, you might be able to feel this" she looked up at him and smiled when she saw his eyes lighting up.
"Really?" if he was being honest, he was sometimes a little jealous of the fact that Amy could constantly feel their baby moving. How she would sit at night with her hands affectionately placed on her bump, smiling down at the little baby in there. Sure, Sheldon had physically seen the scans and heard the heartbeat but actually feeling them, feeling them move and wriggle well that was just one step closer to all of this being very real.
"I don't feel anything" Ella moaned but then almost instantly gasped as she felt the baby roll in Amy's stomach. "I felt it. I felt it. Uncle Sheldon did you feel that?" she asked barely containing her excitement.
"I did" he smiled, his eyes sparkling. "I just felt them move." In that moment, Amy found herself falling even more in love with him as she watched her husband fall even more in love with their baby.
"They're dancing" Ella laughed. Amy loved the thought of her baby dancing and in some way joining in with the family party.
"That's amazing" Sheldon had witnessed many amazing things in his life, many of his scientific achievements blew him away but this. This was beyond anything he had ever seen. "I can't believe there's a whole little person in there."
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