—

CHAPTER 19

Sheldon emerges from the mens' public restroom and seats himself out in the main waiting area. It's too early in the morning for most visitors to come by, but thankfully Penny was able to drag herself out of bed to bring a change of clothes for both him and Amy. He's quite grateful because he doubts that she could have gotten more than four hours of sleep last night, not that he and Amy had fared any better.

Getting ready in the mens' room had been no easy task. The little bit of water that he managed to splash on himself was far from the thorough self-cleaning ritual that he would have preferred, and dressing himself in the tiny privacy of the stall resulted in many banged elbows. Quite frankly, attempting to go through any kind of morning ablutions in such an unsanitary location has left him feeling more filthy than he had when he started. At least Penny had also remembered to bring in his emergency Purell from the glove compartment of Amy's car.

As her official medical contact person, he was allowed to stay with Amy all night. She had tried to convince him to go home and rest, saying that he would sleep better at his apartment and that she could see him the next day. It was just like her to think of his wellbeing at a time like this, but even so, that was never going to happen. After a brief debate, Sheldon had emerged victorious. It was only because she had started snoring in the middle of the discussion, but he counts it as a victory nonetheless.

The chair in her room did not turn out to be a very comfortable place to have spent the night. He was pleased to be able to make use of Amy's bed to rest his head, but this morning his upper back aches from having been hunched over for several hours. It turned out to be worth the discomfort, though, because having slept with his head by her hip, he awoke this morning to the pleasant sensation of Amy unconsciously sifting her fingers through his hair while she slept.

The few other occupants of the waiting room don't appear to be paying any attention to him, but he steps into the empty hallway to ensure maximum privacy anyway. As soon as his phone displays a time of 8:00 AM, Sheldon enters the now familiar digits to reach Deputy DiSalvo. His morning shift should be starting right this very second.

"Good morning, Sheldon," the deputy sighs in greeting.

"How did you know it was me?"

"Because ever since I started this case, when I have a morning shift and my phone rings at exactly 8:00 AM, it's always you."

"I'm glad that you appreciate my punctuality, but I'm not calling simply out of habit. I want to know what your plan is to track down the man who held Amy captive."

There's a long, annoying pause before DiSalvo responds, "Did she not explain the situation to you?"

"Of course she did."

He can hear DiSalvo swallowing what is presumably some of his first coffee of the day before he answers, "Okay, then you know that the man she was with was attempting to help her. Amy does not wish to press charges, and as far as I can tell, that is a perfectly reasonable decision."

As far as Sheldon is concerned, there is nothing reasonable about any of this. "No. What that man did is not okay. She was injured and scared and he had no right to keep her like that, away from all of the people who love her."

"Look, this world is full of some... unusual souls. In fact, I've met more than one on this very case. Anyway, I'm not saying that he made the best choices, but the story he told Amy does check out. The doctors I spoke to last night said that the treatment she had received was appropriate to her condition. She was not harmed by him in any way, and he did, in fact, do a great deal to help her."

Sheldon rubs his forehead, trying to think of how to make the deputy understand. "She thought he was going to hurt her. He threatened her."

"I know that's what she believed at the time. It sounds like she went through quite a terrible ordeal. The thing is, those fears were not fully grounded in reality. Amy told me herself that an injury to the brain like that can make a lot of things confusing and that her memory problems and long bouts of sleep are not unusual right after a concussion."

That's still not good enough for him. He remembers Amy's small, shaking body and her hoarse voice when she recited the events of her captivity to him last night. He wants some kind of consequences for the man whose stupid decisions put his girlfriend through so much anguish.

"How can it possibly be legal to break into an empty house, hold a terrified, injured woman there, steal from a medical clinic, and even go so far as to tie the captured woman to a bed?"

"Well, obviously it isn't. But the law is more complicated than that. You see, intent and outcome both matter a great deal. Even for something as serious as a person being killed, if the perpetrator's intent was self defense, then there is no violation of the law. As to outcome, reckless driving is a crime that goes unnoticed more often than not, but when it results in an accidental death, it can also rise to the level of manslaughter. In this case, the man's intentions were good, and Amy is doing very well. She is certainly faring far better than she would have without his help."

When he hears the word 'help,' Sheldon scoffs. Calling for emergency services would've been a much more appropriate way to help.

DiSalvo continues, "Think about it. Even if we managed to find this man and put him on trial, there is no way that a jury would convict him. Acting to help save a person's life gives a man a lot of leeway. And quite honestly, I don't think you ought to champion the idea of arresting well-intentioned, eccentric men."

Though it may be the truth, he hates to admit to himself that the man's actions may have helped save Amy's life. And while there's no doubt that her health is the only thing that matters out of all of this, a grunt is the most acknowledgement that he is willing to give the deputy's words.

"Sheldon, I know that this is difficult, and I can understand how angry you feel on Amy's behalf. But you're going to have to try to let it go. Some kind of crusade of misplaced vengeance is not what she needs from you. Be thankful that the woman you love is okay, and do your best to be there for her while she heals."

He stews for a few seconds longer, trying to calm his emotions. Eventually, he mutters, "Fine. But if that man ever stumbles into our lives again in any way, I am going to show no mercy with my Klingon bat'leth."

—

"Thank you for helping me with this. I know it's a little awkward."

Amy sounds embarrassed by the fact that she has asked for some help getting dressed this morning. Penny doesn't mind helping in any way that she can, so she smiles and gives a quick squeeze of reassurance to her friend's slumped shoulders. "Oh, sweetie, everything with you has always been a little awkward. That's just the way our friendship rolls."

With a soft whisper, Amy confesses, "The nurse offered some assistance. I couldn't take her up on it, though. I'm fully aware that no one hurt me, but I can't quite shake off the lingering feelings of violation, you know?"

Penny really doesn't know, but it's not too difficult to imagine. "That's totally understandable. If I had just been through what you experienced, I wouldn't want a stranger to help me get dressed either."

For the first time since her return, Penny sees her friend succeed in giving a tiny smile. The sight is enough to make her lean in for another hug. "We are all so happy to have you back, Ames."

Eventually she releases her hold and moves to swipe a bit of moisture out of the corner of her right eye. That girl has been through enough emotional stuff of late, and she would rather try to shift the two of them to some lighter discussions. She takes a seat in the chair near Amy's bed.

At Penny's feet are two plastic shopping bags. She clears her throat and says, "Okay, let's talk fashion. I have injured a limb or two in my day, so I stopped by your place this morning, rummaged through your closet, and put together this little ensemble to show you what I think will work best."

"When did you have time to do that?"

Penny shrugs, feeling oddly shy about her own kind gesture. "I didn't sleep much last night. It's okay. I've been up all night for far less noble reasons. But anyway..." She reaches into the first bag and retrieves a skirt and some low cut socks to set on the edge of Amy's bed. "First of all, think easy and comfortable. Your usual skirts should be simple enough to get on, but trying to wiggle into tights would put you into a world of hurt."

Peering into the top of the bag, Penny spots the next order of business. "Now, you don't strike me as the kind of girl who's willing to go freeboobing, and with that sprained wrist you're not going to be able to latch a regular bra, so overhead stretchy sports bras are where it's at." She pretends to shoot it at her friend like an oversized rubber band, and the playful gesture earns her Amy's second smile of the day. It seems to come much easier than her earlier attempt.

Digging a bit deeper into the bag, Penny's fingers brush up against soft cotton. "Ah yes. So I know you usually enjoy uncomfortable button-down shirts, but buttons are not your friends at this time." She hands the shirt over to her and then nudges the second bag at her feet. "You only had like one comfortable pullover shirt in your entire wardrobe, so I've brought you several of mine to take with you as well."

Amy runs her fingers over the soft material of the one in her hand. "That's very kind of you. All of this."

"It's my pleasure. I've always kind of wanted the chance to play dress-up with you. But you know what? Even though I had the chance to do that here, I found I wanted to bring you as much of your normal stuff as possible. Weird, huh? Speaking of which, you just wouldn't be you without a cardigan or twenty, so I also packed you one of those to wear home today."

After Penny pulls the folded cardigan out and places it with the rest of the outfit, she notices one final piece of today's clothing puzzle hiding at the bottom of the bag. It makes her giggle when she shows it to Amy and sees her conservative friend's resultant facial expression.

"That's right. No woman's come-home-from-the-hospital outfit is complete without bright red, silky lace panties."

Amy manages to close her gaping mouth, but her cheeks are still flushed with embarrassment when she points out, "I thought you said our objective here was maximum comfort?"

"Oh honey, if Sheldon insists on being the one to drive you home and help you out, then trust me, you will be much more comfortable sporting this bit of sexiness over those other granny panties you had in your drawer."

Even better than a smile, this time Amy exhales a small snort of laughter. "First of all, Sheldon would never notice the difference between sexy underwear and granny panties. But more importantly, I don't think he's going to want to take me home. The caregiver clause in the Relationship Agreement was never his favorite, at least not when it was him taking care of me. Since he is no longer obligated by that, I don't see why he'd offer. Things are different now."

Penny cannot keep from rolling her eyes. "Did he not just spend the whole night here with you like a devoted puppy?"

"I suppose that's one way to put it. Yes, he did stay with me. He's a good friend—the best of friends, and I don't doubt that he missed me while I was away."

It's Penny's turn to snort with incredulity. "Honey, to say that he missed you is a huge understatement. When I got here today, I had to physically drag that man out of your room to make him leave long enough to get dressed. Maybe he's not bound by that silly contract anymore, but he's still plenty bound to you without it. You're naive to think otherwise."

Amy continues to look a bit uncertain, so she adds, "Look, I know that for some reason you have been trying to force yourself into a life of loneliness and misery without him, but—"

"You don't understand. It's complicated."

"You're right. I really, really don't. But I can tell you the simple things that I do understand. That ridiculous, impossible man loves you, and he is miserable when you're gone. You think he's difficult on a normal day? You should've seen him since you left. Trust me, he is going to try to stick to you like glue."

With a skeptical expression, Amy shakes her head. "I don't think that's going to happen, not after the way I ended things and ran off. And even if he were to offer his help, I'm not so sure that it would be a good idea to take him up on it."

Penny sighs and walks over next to the bed. She reaches out and tucks an errant piece of dark hair behind her stubborn friend's ear. "Amy, my bestie, I think if he looks at you with big, pleading eyes and insists on following you home, you might just have to keep him."

—-

Sheldon is finding it difficult not to fidget while under the watchful glare of Amy's mother. He is terrible at reading people, but this woman seems to emanate unmistakable disapproval every time she is in the same room with him. The nurse is reading Amy's discharge instructions, and he uses the reprieve to prepare for the upcoming battle. Her mother is unlikely to yield without a protest. Penny sits next to the grumpy woman, and he hopes that he will at least have her in his corner when the time comes.

The nurse rattles off the instructions with practiced ease. "With any kind of traumatic brain injury, including a concussion, it will be normal for you to have some lingering issues with your memory as well as an ongoing need for more sleep than usual. If any of that worsens, if you notice any increase in pain, or if you lose consciousness at any point, then you will need to seek medical assistance right away."

"Okay," says Amy.

"You'll want to follow up with orthopedics in about six weeks. Your wrist sprain is mild and you should notice a lot of improvement in just a week or two. The ankle injury is considerably more severe, but by the time you hit six weeks, it should be quite well-healed. In the meantime, they've got you in this walking boot. As the name implies, you'll be able to walk with it on, and it's easier than any kind of cast because you can take it off when you need to bathe."

The black boot on Amy's left foot looks bulky on her short leg. It should provide good support, but it reminds Sheldon of something a hockey goalie might wear.

After handing over a folder full of paperwork, the nurse continues, "I know you've been refusing any kind of strong painkillers, but there's a prescription in here with your discharge papers in case you change your mind. We still strongly recommend that you let us give you something for the car ride home. It's a lot of jostling movement, and any bumps in the road will leave your head in a great deal of pain."

Amy licks her lips. "I'm still considering it."

"Good. Now, the combination of your head injury with these sprained limbs means that you're going to need some help for at least the first week that you're home, both to keep an eye out for worsening symptoms and to keep you safe when you move around. You'll be able to walk, but you should expect a lot of dizziness for a while yet. The risk of falling and hitting your head again is substantial. So, do you have someone who will be living with you?"

Sheldon recognizes his cue and dives on in. "Yes, she does. I'll be staying with her."

Both Amy and her mother look at him with raised eyebrows and wide eyes. Her mother is the first to shake herself out of it. She sputters, "Oh, I don't think so. Amy, that would be completely inappropriate."

"Nothing could be more appropriate," he defends, trying to project the utmost confidence.

"I'm talking to Amy, not you," she shoots back. With a softer voice she addresses her daughter, "I am perfectly able to take care of you, dear. This man… it would be positively indecent to take up residence with someone who you are not married to."

"With someone to whom you are not married," Sheldon interjects to correct her grammar. Usually he at least tries to hold back the urge to do that, but not with Ms. Fowler, not right now. For some reason, it only seems to make her more annoyed.

"Especially not this man! After that rude Skype call years ago, I was happy not to set eyes on him again. I never suspected that he was still in the picture. Amy, a proper lady should stay away from a man who has not bought the cow after five years of getting the milk for free!"

This time it's Penny who looks on with raised eyebrows and pursed lips. Amy remains quiet, and he isn't sure what she might be thinking.

While Sheldon finds most euphemisms baffling, this one was quite common amongst the bible-thumping townsfolk while he was growing up, so he actually knows what her mother is referring to. He figures that this is probably not the best time to bring up the fact that her mother has everything all wrong, that there has been no fornication as of yet, but that he is, in fact, working on both the buying of the cow as well as the acquisition of said milk.

Instead he tries to take a more mature approach. "Amy is a grown woman. She can decide this for herself."

"Um, I'm just going to step out to check on another patient," the nurse says. She looks at Amy as she backs away and adds, "I feel like maybe this is a good time to point out that it is possible to hire a home health aid to stay with you for the next week or so. Um, just in case that option sounds the most appealing."

She heads out the door, and Penny speaks up with an offer of her own. "Honey, Bernadette and I can also take turns being there for you."

Amy looks from Penny to her mother and then finally fixes her gaze on Sheldon. He tries to plead with his eyes, but he's not sure that such a thing is very effective. She doesn't look away, so he hopes that maybe it's working.

After a few seconds, her mother sighs and takes Amy's hand, which is enough to pull her attention away from him. "You are my one and only child. I love you and want what's best for you. More than anything else, I want you to be happy. Is this man what you want?"

Before he can point out that she should say 'the one' in place of 'what' because he is a person, not a thing, he hears Amy's soft reply.

"Please use his name. He's Sheldon, not 'this man'. I love you too, Mom, but yes, I want him to be the one to take me home."

That's a relief to hear. He was only 99.9% sure that Amy would pick him.

After a brief, uncomfortable silence, her mother concedes, "Very well." Then Ms. Fowler turns to look at him with narrowed eyes. "Sheldon, you better take good care of my daughter—better care then you've ever taken with anything before."

'Anyone' his mind autocorrects. It's close, but he's able to stifle the impulse to voice that, and his response is still instantaneous. "I will."

As much as it pains him to admit to any kind of wrongdoing, he knows that he must do it for Amy's sake. Penny and Leonard were right when they said he would have to learn to get along with this woman. The fact that the two of them are currently at odds is at least a tiny bit his own fault.

He clears his throat so that he won't choke on his next words. "I apologize for the fact that my existence in your daughter's life has come as such a surprise to you. She has invited me to numerous family occasions over the years, and I should not have avoided getting to know her family. When it comes to that, I have been inappropriate."

Now everyone is staring at him. Ms. Fowler opens and closes her mouth a few times before she manages to say, "I see. Well, perhaps that can start to change."

Sheldon is running out of benevolent sentiments to share with her, but he forces himself to offer one last thing. "If you get the chance, stop by to visit Amy this week. You'll be able to see for yourself that she is in good hands."

"I'll be sure to do that," she says, and for the first time, he doesn't feel like she is about to reach out and slap him.

She bends at the waist to place a kiss to her daughter's forehead. "I will be over in a day or two. There's a fantastic knit sweater pattern that I have been wanting to share with you, and I'll bring you my Bob Ross DVDs. Nothing helps you get well faster than some vintage PBS television content."

Amy smiles and gives her a little half-hug with her uninjured arm. "Thanks, Mom."

After her mother retreats from the room, Sheldon isn't quite sure what to say. Penny doesn't say anything, but she is looking back and forth between the two of them like a spectator at a tennis match.

Amy glances down at her knees and is the first to speak. "Sheldon, thank you for making it easy for me to turn down a non-stop week with my mom, but I really can't ask you to do this."

He wonders just how hard she must've hit her head. She's never this daft.

"You didn't ask. I offered."

"Yes, well, if you were offering because you wanted to spare me from too many days in close quarters with my mother, then I understand. But she's not that bad in small doses, and if Penny and Bernadette alternate days with her, it'll be fine. I mean, what I'm saying is… I hope you understand that with the Relationship Agreement voided, you are not obliged to follow through on your offer in any way."

He tilts his head at her, but the new angle doesn't help her words make any more sense. "I didn't make that offer out of obligation or because of your mother."

It seems like his intentions should be obvious to her, but he doesn't get a chance to elaborate on the nature of the situation before the nurse peeks her head back in. "Are we all good here?"

Sheldon nods while Amy voices a soft, "Yes."

"I think the smoke has cleared, and a temporary cease-fire is in effect," Penny adds.

The nurse chuckles and steps the rest of the way into the room. "I'm glad to hear it. Now Amy, this is your last chance to accept a dose of painkillers. A quick shot of narcotics will make your drive home into a comfortable little snooze."

She fiddles with a string that hangs off the end of her hospital blanket. "I don't know. Narcotics and I don't really get along too well."

"Wait a minute," Penny says, perking up and pointing her finger at him. "Sheldon, you are going to be driving Amy home in her own car?"

"Yes, of course." He turns to Amy and starts to explain, "I've been driving it while you were gone. I needed a way to get out here on my own."

She gives him a small smile and says, "That's fine."

"That's fine?" Penny squeaks. "Amy, I know you taught him how to drive, but maybe you bumped your head so hard that you've forgotten what it's like to ride with him. Allow me to remind you. Being a passenger while Sheldon is operating a stick shift is a lot like that time we all tried out the mechanical bull on girls' night."

He's not quite sure what she's getting at, but she seems intent on trying to convince Amy of something.

"Sweetie, before you let him drive you home, please take the drugs that the nurse is offering you. My God, take all of the drugs that she is willing to give you."

—