Sheldon sat on the couch off to the side in Amy's hospital room, outwardly quiet. Inside, however, Sheldon's thoughts and emotions were in a jumble; he was unable to pull them together in any semblance of order. Sheldon did not want to disturb Amy, who was trying to learn to feed their child, or Carole, who was trying to help. Amy had been through a Caesarian section that morning, and while all had gone well and Dr. Brown was pleased with the outcome, it was still major surgery. Amy needed time to recover, and it appeared time was going to be at a premium for a while.

Rob came into the room, bearing a drink carrier from the cafeteria on the main floor. Tucked inside the cardboard container were three hot beverages and a bottle of water. "As everyone ordered…" Rob pronounced, smiling.

"Decaffeinated tea with milk for Amy," Rob said as he handed his grateful daughter the drink. She immediately double-checked to ensure the lid was securely fastened.

"Fully leaded coffee for Carole," Carole kissed him on the cheek in thanks for the beverage.

"And a bottle of water for…" Rob stopped in mid-sentence and mid-air, not quite handing Sheldon the bottle. Neither Amy nor Carole looked up, as they were too busy with the infant to notice Rob's initial reaction to his son-in-law. But Rob saw something in Sheldon's face that he recognized from years past.

Fear. Anxiety. And a silent plea for help.

"Amy, I'm going to borrow Sheldon for a moment," Rob's eyes never left Sheldon's face. It was not really a question, more a statement of fact.

Amy picked up on the subtle difference immediately. She looked up, concern starting to take a toll on her features. "Is anything wrong, Dad?"

Rob turned to look at his daughter, attempting to reassure her. "No, honey. Everything's fine." Rob stepped up to the side of Amy's bed, kissed his daughter on the cheek, and went over to give Sheldon a hand-up from the hospital couch.

Amy looked at Sheldon with concern. "Are you sure you're OK?"

Sheldon nodded, but was afraid to speak. He wasn't certain he would be able to keep the tears at bay.

Amy's worries grew as her husband came over to her hospital bed, but appeared unable to meet her gaze. Sheldon was looking past her when he leaned in. His kiss was nearly perfunctory; Sheldon then turned to leave.

Carole's hyper focus on her grandchild was finally broken by a silent wave of fear from her daughter. Amy was shaking and near to tears herself. Carole's questioning glance fell directly on Rob, who appeared to understand but was either unable or unwilling to express it out loud.

Nearly forty years of marriage has its benefits. Carole's trust in Rob was implicit. If Rob said that all would be well, then it would be. Her gaze wordlessly relayed Carole's reaffirmation of her faith in Rob.

Carole put her free arm around Amy, and hugged her in close. Amy looked down at the gift life had bestowed upon her this very morning. Beautiful, bright pale blue eyes stared back up at her.

Somehow, Amy's mind focused suddenly. Amy knew, whatever war Sheldon was waging within himself, he would have to meet his foe head on if he was going to win the day. And if anyone could help Sheldon win this particular battle, it was Amy's father. Theirs had become a relationship much more than one of father- and son-in-law. Sheldon looked to Rob for friendship, guidance and love, which had come in short supply over all too brief a time from his own father. For his part, Rob also sought out a closer relationship, treating Sheldon as the son he had never been blessed with.

You keep staring through me, little one, Amy thought. I'm not sure how you've done it, but somehow I think I can do this.

Amy's mind was determined. She looked across the room at her father. "Help him, Dad. Please."

Rob smiled at Amy. "You've got it, Pumpkin."

######

Rob caught up with Sheldon in the lounge on fifth floor, where it appeared the ferocity of Sheldon's pacing would soon wear a trench into the commercial carpeting. Maybe I should have brought him coffee instead, Rob thought.

Rob's gentle touch on Sheldon's right shoulder as he was walking past startled Sheldon, and he jumped. This time, Rob actually handed Sheldon the bottle of water.

"Come on. Let's sit and talk," Rob implored, quietly. Sheldon nodded, relief starting to soften the arched appearance of his shoulders and stiffness to his gait.

Rob directed Sheldon to a quiet corner in the waiting area; a small table with two chairs on opposite ends. Rob set his cup of coffee down on the table, and lifted the lid off. The smell of coffee had always been enticing to Sheldon, the flavor less so. Sheldon would drink coffee, but only under the most dire of circumstances.

At this point, Sheldon wished Rob hadn't brought him water, either.

Sheldon couldn't look Amy's father in the eye. Deep inside, Sheldon knew he deserved the disappointment Rob was almost certainly feeling for his son-in-law. Sheldon sat, focusing at the cap on his bottle, alternately screwing the lid closed, and loosening the lid nearly to open.

Sheldon knew he was going to have to trust somebody, sometime. This may be his best opportunity, he realized.

"I'm not certain I can do this," Sheldon admitted, softly.

Rob blew softly across the top of the hot liquid to cool it enough to be drunk. He took a sip, and while it wasn't as good a cup as at home, this coffee wasn't half bad.

"Not certain about what?" Rob asked, calmly, in a similar volume to Sheldon's.

"All of this!" Sheldon's voice raised a little, both in ire and volume. A few other heads in the room turned in their direction, and Rob put his hand over Sheldon's to calm him. The other heads turned back away.

Rob's gesture helped. Sheldon's voice and fear toned down… slightly. He was finally able to look Rob in the eyes.

Sheldon relented. "First: that's our… Dear Lord, it's my little girl in there with Amy. A girl? What do I know about girls? I have a sister, sure… but we're so different I still don't know anything about them. And the majority of our adolescence, I was in Europe finishing my degree and teaching, while she was in Texas, finishing high school. I don't know anything about how to take care of our daughter, from the very basics right now, up to what to do as she gets older. I'm completely out of my depth here."

Rob chuckled mirthlessly, "Well, that puts you one up on me, Sheldon. I only had brothers. And I still muddled through with Amy."

Sheldon sighed petulantly. "I thought at least I'd know what to do with a boy, Rob. I could take him to see trains, and we could build model trains together. I could take him with me to the comic book store, and he'd learn all about the Marvel and DC universes. I'd start teaching him physics as soon as he was able to understand gravity…"

Rob jumped in at this point, some impatience showing. "Sheldon," he groaned. "You know you can do all those things with your daughter. I did with Amy. Where do you think she learned about literature? Where do you think she developed her passion for Chaucer?

You'll do all those things with this girl, and more. You'll learn what interests her, what drives her, and you'll grow to love and support those things, too. You'll hold her when she cries because things aren't going the way she wants them to, and you'll cheer with her when they do."

"I know," Sheldon responded softly, more than a little ashamed. He knew how chauvinistic it sounded, but the feelings were still there. Having them aired, out in the open… well, somehow that made them more manageable. And if those could be managed, maybe the bigger ones could be, too…

Sheldon reached deep inside, and lowered the last of his defenses. Rob loved him like a son, Sheldon knew. Maybe he would understand…

Sheldon's face fell, and his pupils dilated fully. Nearly none of the blue remained. But in this moment, he faced his father-in-law and laid everything out for him.

"What kind of father will I be?" Sheldon asked, his volume only a hair above a whisper.

"A good one," Rob answered, being as honest with Sheldon as Sheldon was being with him. "I'm certain of it."

"Really?" Sheldon was far from certain himself. "I didn't exactly have a good experience with my own father. My Pop-Pop stood in as best he could, but Pop-Pop died when I was five. My own father was barely there for me; he didn't know how to act around me. I wasn't the sports and hunting enthusiast my brother was, so my father didn't have much time for me. When he did spend any length of time together, we never had anything to talk about. He didn't understand my interest in science. School was never important to him."

Sheldon continued, seemingly unable to stop now. "When I was in school at home, the kids didn't know what to make of me either. I was teased unrelentingly, because I didn't know how to talk with them. Anything I was ever interested in, they couldn't care less. And kids can be merciless. When my father found out, he told me to 'tough it out.' Either ignore it, or fight them… and neither was a good answer."

Sheldon took a deep breath, gathering his internal strength. "When I finished school at fourteen, I went away as quickly as I could. I took the first opportunity to go out of the country. When my father died months later, I came home." Sheldon shed a tear he didn't know he had for the man who gave him life, but seemingly very little else.

"But I never had the chance to say goodbye to him. And I'll never know what he really thought of me."

Rob wasn't certain what to say, and took a long drink of his coffee that had cooled while they spoke. He remembered his relationship with his own parents… ones who had loved him and supported him in everything he wanted to do. Rob supposed he was blessed in ways he would never truly understand, because he had never known anything different.

But Sheldon had. And so, in some ways, had Amy… and Carole…

"Sheldon," Rob began, "you need to remember something. You're not your father."

Sheldon was brought up short. He stared blankly at Rob.

"Sheldon, you are the product of both your mother and your father's genetics, and the experiences you had throughout your life. They are, by their very nature, different from that of your parents. As you said, you also had your Pop-Pop and MeeMaw as a part of your life. How could you possibly be a copy of your father?"

Sheldon pondered that for a moment, taking a drink from his water bottle. It did make sense, after all, but…

"If that's not enough to convince you, Sheldon… what about Amy? Do you think she's a copy of me? Or of Carole?" Rob asked directly.

Sheldon gulped at the prospect. He respected Carole – she was Amy's mother and deserved as much – but Amy was much more openly loving, while Carole's edges were much sharper than Amy's. Carole and Sheldon had worked much harder at developing their relationship than Sheldon had with Rob. Still…

"No," Sheldon said flatly. "I shall always love Carole, as she is Amy's mother, but it has not been easy. Amy, on the other hand…"

"Exactly." Rob smiled. "I love Carole, but I know sometimes she can make it harder to do."

Rob's face became serious. He leaned forward over the table, commanding Sheldon's attention. "Look, Sheldon… if you're looking for me to tell you I think you'll be a perfect father, I won't lie to you. You won't be… you can't be. No one can. But I know the two of you will work together to get through the mistakes you make throughout life. You'll have both Carole and me, and your family back in Texas, to call… to share the wonderful times, and the times when the going gets tough."

Rob held Sheldon's gaze unblinkingly. "Sheldon… do you love Amy?"

Sheldon didn't bother to think before he responded; the answer was as easy as breathing. "Yes, Rob, I do."

"And your daughter?"

This was equally simple. "Absolutely. She's a part of both of us."

Rob leaned back in his chair; his characteristically easy smile once again graced his features. "Then that's all that matters. The rest will work itself out."

Sheldon relaxed back into his chair in a similar manner. He and Amy were in their middle thirties… had the best education… and families not only willing but wanting to support them. Surely they could manage this somehow…

He smile weakly at Rob, "As long as you're sure you won't mind a few calls from time to time…"

Rob's laughter carried throughout the room. "Are you kidding? Sheldon, I'm counting on it!"

Rob got up out of his chair, and pulled Sheldon out of his own. Rob hugged Sheldon tightly, and Sheldon was unable to control the feeling of hope flowing outside of his heart. A few tears escaped his attempt at tight control.

Rob felt the dampness on his shoulder and smiled gently. He whispered in Sheldon's ear, "You'll do fine, son. Just fine."

The two men separated from the embrace, but Rob's arm stayed firmly across Sheldon's back and clasped to his opposite shoulder. They walked the short distance down the hallway and into the room Amy had been assigned, and Rob's hand never left its hold. When they made it back into the room, Sheldon saw Amy's head lift, her expression a mix of fear and love for him.

"Come on, Carole, let's go get lunch. We'll leave these three alone," Rob suggested. Carole kissed her daughter on the side of the head, and hugged Sheldon tightly. She then willingly joined her husband as they walked out of the room.

The moment they were alone together, Sheldon walked much more determinedly over to his wife's bedside. She was unable to stand yet without assistance, so he sat next to her on the bed. Their daughter lay asleep in the bassinette nearby.

Sheldon took Amy into his arms holding her tightly. For her part, Amy didn't ever want him to let her go.

"I wasn't sure, Amy," Sheldon whispered in her ear.

Amy's eyes started to water. "Sure about what, Sheldon?"

"I wasn't certain that I could be a good father to her," he admitted softly.

Amy's tears immediately ceased. She pushed him back from her, to look him directly in the eye. Amy's face was a tour de force of determination. "What on Earth ever gave you the idea you wouldn't be?" she demanded.

"I didn't exactly have the best experience with my own father growing up," Sheldon started.

"So?" Amy interrupted, forcefully.

Sheldon chuckled, in spite of recent events. When Amy was resolute, her patience was exceedingly short. Sometimes, Amy's mother's influence came to the fore.

He reached over and squeezed her hand with his own. "Your Dad said essentially the same thing… in a few more words than just 'So?'"

Amy relaxed. Rob had promised to help, and it seemed he had been successful.

"Sheldon," Amy started, more calmly this time, "we'll do fine. We'll have good times and bad ones, just like everyone else. And we'll make it through."

Sheldon leaned into Amy for a gentle kiss, and Amy was glad to wash away the memory of the last one with this loving gesture. When they broke free, Sheldon reached around his wife to hold her once more.

Sheldon and Amy rejoiced in a moment of silence and love together. The baby slept blissfully on.

######

In the middle of the afternoon, the first of Sheldon and Amy's friends came to see the new family. Carole and Rob made way for Leonard and Penny, who joyously but quietly entered the room. Penny rushed over to hug her Bestie close, and Leonard shared a similar hug with Sheldon, before the pair traded places and embraced the other partner.

Penny turned and saw the little girl was awake in her grandmother's arms. Penny exclaimed, "Oh, let me hold her!" Carole obliged, if a little unwilling to turn loose of her granddaughter to anyone.

Penny perused the little girl up and down, counting fingers and toes. When the baby looked Penny directly in the eyes, Penny was startled.

"Oh, Sheldon. She certainly has your eyes, doesn't she?"

"And Pop-Pop's," Sheldon added, stepping beside Penny and looking over her shoulder.

At that moment, a hospital employee stepped in the room. "Mrs. Cooper?"

"That's Doctor Cooper…" muttered Sheldon, underneath his breath. Penny heard him and chuckled; Amy heard him and smiled his direction.

Let it go, Sheldon, she sent to him a silent admonition.

"Yes," Amy responded to the employee's question.

"I'm Heather from Patient Services. I have the standard paperwork we need to complete before you can be discharged tomorrow… the birth certificate application needs to be completed and signed by you and the baby's father, and the SS-5 so we can apply for a Social Security Number for her."

Heather looked over at the bundle in Penny's arms. "Oh, she's precious. What's her name?"

The room dropped to complete silence. Amy's parents, as well as Leonard and Penny, knew of the difficulty Amy and Sheldon had in deciding on a name for their child. To the best of their knowledge, nothing had been settled on yet.

Amy looked at Sheldon, and Sheldon answered on their behalf, "We haven't made a final decision yet."

Heather read the tenseness of the situation perfectly. It wasn't her first rodeo, either.

"Oh, there's no rush. Take all the time you need. I'll come back later for the forms; we just have to file them prior to your discharge."

Heather handed the paperwork to Amy, and smiled. "Congratulations. She really is beautiful."

As Heather left the room, Leonard stepped over to stand beside Penny. He looked down to the bundle in Penny's arms, and then smiled up at Sheldon.

"Penny's right. She mostly has Amy's features, but definitely your eyes, Sheldon." Leonard chuckled. "Between Amy, Carole, and Penny, have you even gotten to hold her yet?"

A chorus of three chimed "Hey!" in unison, to the laughter of Leonard and Rob. Sheldon did not answer, as a memory inside of Sheldon took hold and led him.

"Even if you haven't decided before the baby comes, maybe you're not supposed to. Maybe, when you see her face…" Penny had said weeks before. Wordlessly, Sheldon gently reached into his best friend's wife's arms, and lifted his daughter out of them. Sheldon sat with her in a side chair built for one, his daughter in the crook of his arms, looking upward at him.

The baby blinked, and upon opening, her eye color briefly appeared to change. The new shade was the most brilliant blue Sheldon had ever seen… at least, while awake…

A small, winged dragonfly of the most brilliant blue Sheldon had ever seen…

Sheldon became lost in a trance. Guided by his daughter's eyes, Sheldon's conscious thought returned to the dream the night before… to the ending Amy's wakening had inadvertently stolen from him.

"What is her name?" Sheldon asked the woman. She raised her hand to touch the unblemished skin of Sheldon's cheek, and opened her mouth to answer his question…

"Hope," this Amy answered. "After all the evils are released and allowed their run throughout the world, infecting all and leaving despair in their wake, she is the only thing that is left."

The dragonfly returned to this Amy's hand, and settled calmly there. "In the end… Hope is all we have."

Sheldon's vision cleared, and he returned to the present time. He looked up from his daughter, over to where Amy sat on the bed, a questioning look in her face.

"Hope," Sheldon whispered, reverently and with awe.

"What?" Amy asked, gently.

Sheldon shook his head. His voice grew stronger. "Not what. Whom. Hope."

Understanding slowly crossed Amy's face, and she started to cry.

"That's perfect," Amy choked out through her tears.

Leonard was the next to solve the puzzle of Sheldon's cryptic words. "Oh!" he exclaimed quietly.

Penny, Rob, and Carole all looked at Leonard with bewildered expressions. Sheldon stood and brought their daughter over to sit with Amy. Sheldon and Amy's heads touched, as their shared gazes remained on their daughter.

Leonard explained to the others what Sheldon had said, and Amy had agreed to.

"The baby's name. This is Hope Cooper."

"Almost, Leonard," Amy looked up as she corrected him softly. "This is Hope Caroline Cooper."

Amy looked at Sheldon, as his face shot up to her. "Is that acceptable to you?"

"Absolutely," replied Sheldon.

Amy explained to the others. "Another "C" for this family… for Sheldon's MeeMaw, Clarice, his mother, Mary Catherine, and my mother, Carole. Presuming it is OK with you as well?" Amy looked at her mother.

Carole started to sob; her tears would not be stopped, even by Rob's hug from the side. "Oh, Amy… it's more than OK."

"Hope…" Amy mused, looking again at her daughter. "Truly, in the end, hope is all we have ever had. Through all the struggles we've faced," Amy looked back up to Sheldon, her love for him evident in her gaze, "the one thing we never lost was hope. And now, here she is, confirmation that hope is all we will ever need to be able to see life through."

"Although I don't think we'll ever be able to listen to Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline' the same way again…" Sheldon said as he grinned at Amy. The room was instantaneously filled with the sounds of laughter and love.

A/N: A loving reminder to all the ShAmy faithful, who have been emotionally torn for our favorite characters in these first episodes of season 9. I firmly hold to the belief that a reconciliation of the canon couple will occur, it is only a matter of when and how. Don't give in to despair. In the end, Hope is all we have. Blessings to you all.