Hi lovelies readers,
Thank you all so much for all of the reviews on the last chapter. It really does mean the world and still amazes me that you all still enjoy reading my stories and want more. Thank you!
This prompt was requested by Boris Yeltsin. I really hope this was okay and what you were after. Thank you for requesting.
Enjoy reading!
"Come on Amy, we need to leave" Sheldon panicked as he stood anxiously in the doorway to their bedroom, tapping his foot in anticipation. He always got like this when they had a flight to catch, insisting that they needed to arrive at the airport hours before their flight was due to leave. Amy was meticulous and organised so they would always arrived within plenty of time but Sheldon took things to a whole new level.
"We'll be fine," Amy responded as she double checked the cases and added a few last minute things. Since becoming parents, it was fair to say that travelling was no easy task. They no longer understood what it meant to travel light. "We have hours" Amy finally zipped up the case and rose to her feet. "Make yourself useful, take these to the car," she gestured to the two cases in front of her. "I'll see to the kids,"
Sheldon knew better than to argue with his wife and instead nodded his head and began wheeling the cases out of their bedroom.
"Thank you" Amy called after him as she made her way across the hallway to Emily's room. She couldn't help but smile to herself as she saw her five year old daughter packing her own pink suitcase. "Sweetie, you don't need to bring all of these. It's just for a few nights" Amy told her gently.
"But they're my teddies mumma" Emily looked up at her mother, all wide eyed and pouty lipped. Even though Amy was the stricter parents of the two, both she and Sheldon were suckers for their daughters gorgeous, little face. "I want to take them with me, Ella and Scarlett will love them" she beamed at her mother whose heart melted at her thoughtfulness.
"Choose two to take with you" Amy told her, putting her foot down on her daughter bringing her whole case full of teddies with them.
It was amazing how much things had changed since they last made their family trip to Texas. Although Mary visited them regularly, it had been a whole year since they last took a trip to Texas. Emily had grown up so much, making that jump from four to five and starting school had really turned her into a real little girl, it was becoming quite obvious that she wasn't their baby anymore. Arthur was like a whole other person, now walking and talking, he was a typical boy and in to absolutely everything.
—
"I can't wait to see uncle Georgie" Emily exclaimed excitedly on the plane. "I think I'm going to draw this picture for him," she took a blue crayon and bit her lip in concentration as she scribbled what Amy could only guess would soon become the sky.
They very rarely saw Georgie. One to live quite the bachelor life, he was often always busy with events or out of the country on some kind of lavish holiday when they visited. Despite Sheldon looking down on his intellectual prowess, his older brother had done surprisingly well for himself and he found it quite amusing the direction both of their lives had taken. To an extent it was was worlds away from their thoughts when they were kids.
"I'm sure he can't wait to see you either" Amy told her, "it's been quite a long time hasn't it?" she couldn't actually recall the last time they'd seen each other. Once, for an hour or so maybe when he had to leave for a meeting when Arthur was just a newborn. Emily had always enjoyed spending time with her uncle Georgie but he barely knew Arthur. He had changed so much since their last meeting.
"Yep" she nodded. "I think Arthur will like him" Emily spoke as if she could read her mother's thoughts. Amy stroked her little girls hair, thankful for every little part of her and also thankful for the fact that both of her children were behaving on a flight. Although rare, she always got nervous about taking a flight with the kids, worried that Arthur would scream the place of down that Emily would become demanding and fidgety but they were doing her proud right now.
She glanced over to Sheldon who was watching the whole conversation unfold with a sleeping little Arthur curled up on his chest. It was moments like this when for just a few seconds everything was still and Amy was fully able to appreciate everything that she had in her life, sandwiched between her favourite people in the whole world, she couldn't have been happier.
—
"I'm not sure how I feel about tomorrow" Sheldon sighed as he climbed into the bed that was in his childhood bedroom. Aside from the small sofa bed, positioned on Amy's side where two small children lay sleeping, the rest of his bedroom remained the same, exactly how he had left as a child. He liked it that way. Mary had broached the idea of turning it in to a spare room, somewhere more suitable for them all to stay when they would come and visit but he didn't like that idea.
This room was his safe space, even after all those years of living in Pasadena, of living with and building a life with Amy. This room was a reminder of who he was, of all the hopes and dreams he had as a child that through his own hard work and determination he had been able to achieve. It brought back a ton of memories but ultimately it was a true reflection of him that he didn't want to let go of.
"Oh come on, I'm sure it won't be that bad" Amy tried to encourage him.
"I'm surprised he even suggested it,"
The day had been exactly what they had imagined it would be. Once their flight had landed Georgie was waiting at the airport for them, ready to take them back to the home where he and Sheldon grew up. As always the place was bustling with noise from Missy and her brood of four children that instantly flocked towards their auntie and uncles and scooped up their cousins as if they hadn't been apart for a whole year. Emily absolutely loved it, she was a social able character and relished in being around children her age.
Despite the noise, Sheldon found it surprisingly comforting. This was his family now. Gone were quite family dinners in this house that he remembered so much and in its place were children running riot, grabbing handfuls of food throughout the day from the amazing buffet that Mary always laid out for her family. It took him by surprise how much he enjoyed this.
Once the evening was drawing in and the children grew tired, talk turned to how they would spend their next few days in Texas. It was brought up that the girls would have a day together, meaning that Georgie and Sheldon would be left to take care of the children. Sheldon didn't like the thought of being left responsible for six children, there were times when he didn't feel capable of taking care of his own two children, let alone any one else's. After a while of debating what to do, Georgie was the one that suggest spending some time with little brother, insisting that he could show Arthur round one of his many tyre businesses.
"Well that's a good thing" Amy smiled, trying to keep her voice quiet, wary of waking the sleeping little ones. "It's all steps in the right direction," it wasn't that Sheldon disliked his brother, just that they had always been very different, they never really understood each other as children. Georgie at times was often quite embarrassed by his little brother, it definitely wasn't cool to have a brother four years younger than you excel higher than you could ever achieve in school. Yet that being said, without Sheldon really realising, he was incredibly protective of him.
"I haven't spent any alone time with my brother since our wedding," Sheldon pointed. They were always civil to one another but Sheldon ever doubted he would be able to call his brother a friend. Maybe that's just the way things were meant to be.
"You won't be alone," Amy replied matter of factly. "You'll have Arthur," when Sheldon didn't return her smile she continued. "It's nice he's taking a interest in getting to know them, he's making an effort Sheldon, you need to do the same." She had been married to Sheldon long enough to know how incredibly stubborn he could be, but yet she also knew the power that she had over him and how more often than not she was able to talk him round into being rational.
"I guess your right," he turned to kiss her cheek before they both settled down for the night.
—
"So I was thinking we could go and show the little one round Dr. Tyre and then maybe we go get lunch somewhere, I know this great new place just outside of town," Georgie reeled off their day as Sheldon sat uneasy in the passenger seat, his brothers driving always put him on edge. "Actually, will the little one even eat out, I don't know" he laughed awkwardly, he really didn't know the first thing about kids.
"Yeah, he'll eat. It'll have to be before one as that's when Amy puts him down for a nap" Sheldon explained amazed that he was so knowledgeable now in taking care of babies and small children.
"Cool" the atmosphere was still somewhat tense between them. They had talked a lot about their past, about how Georgie felt the need to protect him from the harsh realities of what their home life had become once their father died and Sheldon still resented Georgie for all the times he'd made his life hell as a kid. Maybe now as an adult he could look back on it as simply siblings being siblings, boys being boys. Yet there was still something else that felt unresolved.
The car journey was fairly quiet on the way to the tire store. Every so often Arthur would shout out and point at something out the window, whatever he was pointing at clearly excited him. Sheldon thought about it for a moment how the Texan scenery was quite different to what Arthur had been brought up with, maybe he was just excited to see something else for a change.
"Will he want to see some of the cars?" Georgie asked as he pulled into the car park, "we have a few out back"
"Do you want to see the cars, Arthur?" Sheldon turned asked him, seeing him smile and nod his head. "I think that means yes," for the first time since getting into the car with him Georgie saw him smile.
Georgie watched in awe as Sheldon managed to get Arthur out his car seat, hold him on hip and assemble the stroller. He wondered to himself if there would ever be a time when his little brother didn't amaze him, he knew the answer was no.
"Ready to go?" Georgie asked when it became clear that Arthur was strapped securely in his stroller. Georgie spent the next forty minutes showing Arthur round his store. He talked him through every tyre make and model, now it was Sheldon's turn to be slightly taken aback by his brother knowledge. Sure, it would never be to the extend of his own but it was something he knew absolutely nothing about and yet his brother could speak for forty minutes about such a thing. Georgie picked Arthur up out of the stroller and let him feel the tyres, he definitely seemed to like the shiny silver.
Sheldon traipsed behind, happy that Arthur was so happy but also regretting that he let slip last night how much Arthur loved cars. This really wasn't Sheldon's thing at all but he remembered Amy's words from last night, Georgie was trying, therefore so should he.
—
Lunch was a different story and once Arthur was happily nibbling on some of his fathers fries, it forced the men to actually engage in some form of conversation. Conversation that wasn't centred around science or cars. Territory that was a little uncomfortable for both of them, talking about their feelings.
"What's it like?" Georgie asked, "you know being a dad," he had spent the whole day wondering how the person he was with, the person that suddenly seemed so caring and gentle with his son was the same little brother he had been brought up with.
"It's amazing and pretty terrifying all at the same," Sheldon answered honestly, he really couldn't think of any other way to describe it. Watching these tiny little humans, tiny little people that he and Amy had made grow and develop every single day, watching them learn and experience the world around them and ask hundreds of questions in between really was amazing. Yet, the love he felt for them he could only describe as terrifying, he'd never loved anything more in his life and with that came a tremendous amount of worry. He was constantly worrying about them, every second of the day he worried about them because without them he had no idea what he would do. "Why do you ask? This isn't how you let me know you're going to be a dad, is it?"
"No" he laughed shaking his head and taking a drink from her beer. "I just never thought I'd see little Shelly become a dad, to be honest I didn't think I'd see him fall in love either," Georgie laughed. It was strange now to think that man before him, although still very much the same kid brother, was also now a husband and a father, they were two things he was yet achieve in his life.
"Neither did I" it was true, Sheldon himself never saw him taking to this kind of life and before he knew it, it had all just naturally happened. The next natural steps in his life.
"He'd be so proud you know. Dad, he would have loved all of this," Georgie explained. It was clearly something both brothers had thought about, their father as a grandfather. Since becoming a father himself Sheldon had definitely found himself reflecting on his relationship with his father and the relationship his children would have had with him.
"I know" he nodded. He had wondered whether being a grandfather was what his father was made to do. He had struggled with being a father, he didn't get things right and it had taken him a long time to really understand Sheldon, maybe he had to muddle through his own children to be a good grandfather. He would have been fun, slightly irresponsible; letting the children stay up late past their bedtime and feeding them copious amounts of sweets but Emily and Arthur would have adored him, he was sure he would have been their favourite.
"Do they ask about him?" Georgia asked.
"They've started too" Sheldon answered. "Emily especially, she's started to question why Amy has a mum and dad and I don't. I just tell he was poorly and the doctors couldn't make him better" he explained when he saw him brothers gaze on him, wanting him to elaborate further.
"How did she take it?" he asked.
"She was sweet. Asked me if I missed him because if she didn't have me she would miss me," he could feel himself getting choked up as he relaid the conversation he had had with his daughter a few years ago when Amy was pregnant with Arthur.
"Wow that hit me right there" Georgie laughed somewhat nervously as he pointed to his chest. "You know they're good kids Sheldon, you've done a great job." He wasn't used hearing compliments from his brother, he had no idea how to take it. "Gets me thinking that maybe one day, I'd like all of this,"
"Yeah"
"Yeah, not anytime soon but one day" Georgie was quick to dismiss the idea of having kids soon. There conversation was interrupted when Arthur started to fuss in his stroller, the fries were almost gone and Sheldon knew that part of his fussiness would be down to being sleepy.
"Okay, alright, it's okay" Sheldon reached down and pulled him from the stroller, sitting him on his knee and cuddling him close however, this didn't do the trick like normal and instead Arthur turned towards Georgie and held out his arm, signalling that he wanted him to pick him up. "I think he wants you" Sheldon told him.
"Me?" he seemed just as surprised with his brother. "I don't know what to do,"
"Just let him sit on you, but keep an arm round him, he can be a little fidgety," Sheldon instructed. He watched as Georgie took Arthur from him and followed his instructions, the smile on his brothers face warmed his heart more than he would care to ever admit and the sudden silence that came from Arthur was his way of approving of his uncle.
Sheldon realised in that moment that maybe that was the thing that been missing from earlier. Maybe he needed to see his brother be an uncle, to show an interest in the life he now had. It was odd to think of really but maybe he felt like he needed his seal of approval and as he watched Georgie tending to Arthur he realised he had just that.
Thank you so much for reading. As always your reviews are always welcome and so appreciated.
Stay safe
Lots of love.