A/N: Wow. It's been a full week. Between life and writer's block time just got away from me. Thanks to all reviewers and hopefully there won't be the same problems this week as there were last week when I uploaded. Please enjoy. :)
Amy
"What are you doing?"
Amy looked up to see Sheldon rush in at the opposite end of the hall, stop, and frown at her. She immediately recalled that the last time she had seen him he had been in a towel. Her heart rate increased, making her feel dizzy again. She grabbed her door frame to steady herself.
"I woke up from my nap wanting soup. I was on my way to the kitchen to see if I could find some."
Sheldon gave her his look of haughty derision. "Absolutely not." He pointed towards her. "Please return to your room. I can't have you wandering around infecting the entire apartment. I just finished sanitizing everything. Besides, you know that the revised Relationship Agreement states that when sick, said person is to be confined to their room for a minimum of twenty-four hours after a fever has broken, as well as after having two consecutive negative throat cultures spaced twelve hours apart."
Amy raised her eyebrows. She clearly hadn't been thinking properly when she agreed to that clause. Was she to be a prisoner in her own apartment? "Sheldon, you can't keep me locked in my room. I'll have to come out eventually."
"Of course you will. But not until you are well."
Amy closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was starting to feel weak from standing, and she was still having hot and cold flashes, likely as a result of her febrile condition. And she wanted soup.
"What am I to do then? I have to eat, drink, and use the restroom. I can't do all of those things in my room."
Sheldon looked surprised. "Of course you can…well, I suppose voiding your bladder would not be included in that, although…" his expression grew thoughtful, "perhaps I could procure a chamber pot…"
"I'm not urinating in a chamber pot, Sheldon…and how can I eat or drink anything if you won't let me out of my room to procure said sustenance?"
Sheldon again looked surprised. "I will bring it to you of course." He shook his head. "Honestly Amy, did you really think I would leave you without food or beverages?"
It took a moment for her to process what he was saying. She frowned. "How will you bring me food? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of remaining uncontaminated?"
Sheldon clasped his hands behind his back, looking pleased with himself. "Yes. I too wondered how I would accomplish that, but I believe I have come up with a solution. In addition to continuing to use the gloves and masks every time I enter the room, I will also be utilizing my robe as protection. I shall hang it just inside your door, where I can reach in, grab it, and put it on just before entering and take it off just before leaving. That way I will avoid having to do laundry several more times this week. And also, I shall be using my spare pair of slippers, which I will also leave inside your room, for the same purpose."
Amy stared at him, an equal mixture of impressed and annoyed. Clearly he had thought of everything…although his practical approach to her illness wasn't very soothing. She frowned. "Has anyone ever informed you that by completely avoiding all germs you are critically impairing your immune system's ability to properly perform its primary function?"
He narrowed his eyes. "No. I have of course read the research, but I find it flawed."
Of course he does. Amy thought about responding, but she was getting weaker by the moment. Perhaps it would be best if she went to lie back down. She shrugged and turned around to head back to her bed, closing her door behind her.
As she lay on her bed, joints aching, shivering, and still in want of soup, she contemplated the last two days. For as slow as things usually move between her and Sheldon, the past two days had been somewhat of a whirlwind of events. She had moved in with her boyfriend, had woken up twice in the middle of the night to find his arms and legs wrapped around her, had spent over thirteen nearly miserable hours watching science fiction movies, and, most shockingly, had seen Sheldon in naught but a towel. And that's not to mention her current illness.
She thought about Sheldon in a towel and smiled to herself. She was glad she had convinced him she didn't need to go to Urgent Care. It had not been her illness that had caused her to nearly faint…or at least it had not only been her illness. She supposed it had been her increase in heart rate coupled with her illness that was to blame for her near fainting spell. Her heart rate had increased so much at the spectacle of Sheldon's state of undress that she might as well have been running.
She rolled over on her side and pulled her knees up to her chest in a fetal position. She closed her eyes, smiled, and started replaying in her mind the various times he had walked in wrapped only in a towel.
She must have started dozing because Sheldon's voice interrupted her thoughts rather suddenly.
"Why are you smiling?"
Amy opened her eyes and looked at her boyfriend, who was currently standing by her bed, wrapped in his robe, with his face mask and latex gloves in place.
"I was thinking about you in your towel."
Sheldon did a quick double take and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Perhaps a trip to Urgent Care is indeed in order. Why should thinking about me in a towel cause you to smile?"
Amy raised her eyebrows and smiled at him. He blinked several times, but didn't respond.
He cleared his throat and gestured to her night stand. "I brought you some soup. I didn't know which kind you would prefer, so I made chicken with little stars. It is what I prefer when I'm ill."
She looked over at her night stand, at the tray he had placed there. He had brought her soup, and she hadn't even directly asked him to. There was also tea and toast with the crusts cut off.
She looked up at him, touched. "Thank you." She didn't know if she felt up to eating the toast, but she appreciated the gesture.
"You're welcome. Now if you'll excuse me, I would prefer to leave this germ riddled room."
As he turned around to leave, Amy sighed. She supposed it was too much to hope for him to stay and talk with her while she ate her soup.
As he was getting ready to take off the robe he turned around again suddenly.
"I almost forgot…your comment regarding thinking of me in a towel distracted me. I brought in your phone and set it by your bed. I figured the easiest way for us to communicate would be through video chatting."
Amy was impressed. "What a clever idea. You do think of everything."
It was hard to tell with the mask over his mouth, but Amy thought he looked please with himself. "Of course."
Amy smiled at his back as he turned around to take off the robe and quickly leave the room.
Amy spent the rest of the day alternately sleeping and chatting with Sheldon. Video chatting did prove to be an excellent way to communicate. Sheldon only had to enter her room when she requested sustenance but they were still able to hold their lengthy conversations.
As she was brushing her teeth before going to bed that night, she wondered what would happen if she had more night terrors during the night. She couldn't imagine Sheldon willingly wrapping his arms and legs around her when she was still ill. She spit out her toothpaste and rinsed.
As she walked out of the bathroom, she called out. "Alright Sheldon, I have vacated the bathroom."
When she was about to close her bedroom door she saw Sheldon walk into the bathroom with his gloves and face mask and start spraying Lysol. She really was going to have to work on this obsessive germophobia of his…cleanliness was one thing, but this was ridiculous.
Amy woke up in the morning feeling better, but still not fully well. Looking to either side of her she realized she was still alone; so either she had had no night terrors or Sheldon had decided to let her scream. She looked at her clock and saw that it was only just after 6:00 a.m. Why had she awoken so early? Then she heard a shout.
"AMY!"
It was Sheldon. She wondered what to do. Why was he calling her name? Was he hurt? Was she to be allowed out of her room? It hadn't yet been twenty-four hours since her fever had broken. She decided to call his phone.
When he picked up, she noted that he didn't look well. "You rang?"
He narrowed his eyes. "I'm sick. I have a fever, my joints are achy, and my nose is stuffy." He pointed towards his screen at her. "This is all your fault."
"Actually Sheldon, it's all your fault."
He scoffed. "How on earth is this my fault? You were the one sick." He coughed. "It is because of my contact with you that I have contracted whatever crazy disease you had."
"You mean the 'disease' I have. I'm still ill as well. And it is your fault for trying so hard to keep yourself free of all germs. It is a well established fact that the way an immune system is strengthened is through its constant contact with germs. Naturally a person still gets sick on occasion, but it is the fact that you are so consistently trying to prevent yourself from coming in contact with germs that has led to your illness today. You have critically impaired your own immune system. Anyone else with a healthy functioning immune system who had taken all the precautions you had taken yesterday would not be sick today."
He narrowed his eyes again, sniffing. "I'm sick and you're giving me a lecture?"
Amy shook her head. "I was sick yesterday and that didn't stop you from yelling at me."
"I wasn't yelling at you…I was speaking with emphasis."
"Yes, an emphasis at an increased decibel rate." Amy thought for a moment. "If we're both sick, then I'm going to leave my room today."
Sheldon looked pleased. "Excellent. You can take care of me."
Amy frowned in confusion. "Take care of you?"
Sheldon nodded. "Yes. I took care of you yesterday, so you can take care of me today."
"Sheldon, I'm still sick myself."
"But you're well enough to leave your room?"
"Well enough to go lie on the couch and watch cable while sipping tea."
"Oh excellent. I'd love some tea. Please make me some as well. You already know I prefer honey in it."
Amy sighed. "You know, you could join me on the couch…you can even pick what we watch."
Sheldon coughed and sniffed as he considered for a moment. "Would you rub Vaporub on my chest?"
Amy raised her eyebrows. "You want me to rub your chest? Yes."
"And would you call Penny and convince her to come over and sing me Soft Kitty?"
"Yes."
"Then yes, I will join you in the living room."
"Ok. I'll call Penny and see you out there."
"Ok…and don't forget about making my tea."
Amy rolled her eyes and hung up. She dialed Penny's number, knowing her friend would be unhappy at being awoken at this hour.
When Penny answered her words were slurred together. "Amy? What is it? What's wrong?"
"I need you to come over here and sing Soft Kitty to Sheldon."
There was a pause. "What?"
"Sheldon is ill and is requesting you to sing him Soft Kitty."
"Amy it's not even 6:30 in the morning yet. Why can't you do it?"
"He didn't ask me to sing it to him. He requested you. Is it not usually your job to sing it to him when he is sick?"
"Well…yeah. But he's got you now. I thought since you moved in with him that you'd be able to do it."
"Oh no Penny. It is your job to sing him Soft Kitty when he is sick. I could never encroach upon your territory."
She heard Penny sigh. "Do I have to do it so early?"
"You know he'll never let up."
Penny gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine. I'll be over there in a second."
Amy hung up the phone, grabbed her quilt, and walked out into the living room. Sheldon was already sitting in his spot with his comforter wrapped around himself, only his face peaking out. Amy thought he looked kind of cute, if more than a little infantile.
"Is she coming?"
Amy nodded. "Yes. She'll be over momentarily."
She dropped her blanket on the other end of the couch and walked over to the kitchen to start the tea.
Penny walked through the door without answering, wrapped in her robe and looking none too happy.
Sheldon looked at her and coughed. "Hello Penny."
"Alright, let's get this over with so that I can get back to sleep. I'll have you know that Amy's phone call interrupted a dream in which I had won an Oscar. I was in the middle of my acceptance speech."
Sheldon looked at her. "Yes, I can see how that would upset you, seeing as how it is your dream and you aren't likely to experience it during your waking hours."
Penny glared at him and started singing through gritted teeth. "Soft kitty, warm kitty…"
"Hang on. We have to wait for Amy to start rubbing Vaporub on my chest."
Penny rolled her eyes. "So she can rub your damned chest with Vaporub but I have to come over here at 6:30 in the freaking morning to sing you Soft Kitty?"
Sheldon nodded, sniffing.
Penny looked over at Amy, gesturing towards Sheldon. "Ames, you want to get over here and start rubbing? I am working the late shift tonight and I need my beauty sleep."
Amy set the teapot on to boil and then walked over. "You hardly need sleep to make you beautiful Penny."
Penny rolled her eyes and pointed at Sheldon. "Thanks. Just let's get this over with."
Amy sat down next to Sheldon, who handed her the Vaporub, letting go of his comforter and raising up his shirt.
Oh my. There it was again; the chest that she had not yet seen before yesterday. And now she was going to be rubbing it. Her heart started beating fast and she started to feel a bit faint.
Keep it together, she thought. You've been dreaming of more direct physical contact for a while…don't let this illness rob you of your chance.
She dipped her hands in the pot of Vaporub and gently started rubbing in a counterclockwise direction. Her fingertips felt tingly.
Penny started singing. "Soft kitty, warm kitty…"
Amy realized that Sheldon's chest wasn't moving. She glanced up at him. He was staring straight ahead, his eyes a little larger than normal, his lips were closed tightly, and he appeared to be holding his breath. He glanced at her and then quickly looked away.
Amy looked away toward Penny, who was singing in the general direction of the ceiling, and then looked back at Sheldon's chest, still moving her hand in counterclockwise circles. That was an interesting reaction.
"…purr, purr, purr."
Penny looked down at the two of them. "There you go Sheldon. Anything else I can do for you before I go back to bed? Make you a three course meal? Clean your apartment?"
Sheldon looked at Penny, who was now looking between the two of them confused and frowning, and shook his head. Amy removed her hand from Sheldon's chest. He took a breath and said. "Thank you Penny. You may go back to dreaming about the impossible."
Penny narrowed her eyes, opened her mouth as if to say something, and then shook her head. "Ok. See you later. Feel better."
After she left, Sheldon and Amy sat in silence, both staring at the blank television. What had just happened?
The tea kettle starting screaming, so Amy got up to prepare the tea. She contemplated what to say to Sheldon. She wasn't sure what to make of the situation. Her fingers still felt tingly and she didn't know what his reaction meant. Why had he been holding his breath?
She walked back over with their cups of tea. Sheldon was still staring straight ahead.
"Here is your tea."
He jumped slightly and did a double take, blinking for a few seconds before reaching up to grab the cup from her.
"Thank you." He started sipping it, not looking at her.
She sat down next to him and wrapped her blanket around herself, also sipping her tea.
After a few more moments of silence she said, "What would you like to watch?"
He looked over at her, a blank expression on his face. He blinked at her for a few seconds before answering. "Since we have watched it so often before, how about more Doctor Who?"
She shrugged. "Ok."
He looked at her. "Would you put it in the DVD player? My sinuses are stuffy and I don't want to bend over."
She shrugged again. "Ok." He really was a baby when he was sick.
She walked over and stuck in a disc at random.
When she sat back down she turned to look at him. "Sheldon, would you mind if we cuddled?"
He looked at her. "But we're sick."
"So? It's not like either of us have to worry about contaminating the other."
He stared for a few moments before taking a big breath and sighing. "Fine."
She leaned against him, but he still had his comforter wrapped around him, and she had her blanket wrapped around her. It wasn't very comfortable.
Sheldon looked at her. "Wouldn't it make more sense if we shared a single blanket?"
Amy sat upright, completely taken aback that such a question was being asked by Sheldon. "Yes. It would."
When she didn't move, he opened his blanket and said rather testily, "Well…are we or aren't we going to cuddle?"
Amy smiled at him and leaned in, smelling the Vaporub on his chest as she leaned her head there. He put his arm back around her, wrapping them both in the blanket.
She turned her head to watch the television, thinking to herself that she could not recall feeling so wonderful when she was so unwell.
A/N: Thanks to all you readers out there. So between life and writer's block I am becoming rather jaded. The combination of frustration and apathy is not a good one. I could use the external motivators to keep me going. Now, I would never just not finish the story, but the pace at which it is completed could be shortened if I'm motivated enough. To the 5% of you who review, (yep, I did the math) many many thanks. Keep it up :) And to the other 95% of you, it would really make my day if you clicked that little button below and sent a review my way. :)