New friends?
Markus
Today is the day he never thought would happen. Today, Dr. Markus Hetterich is not only going to meet his idol, he is going to work closely with him. He left home extra early for work and now he was there 30 minutes early.
Markus went to the bathroom for the third time, he always does that when he is nervous. In front of the mirror he looked at himself again, he is a tall, fatter man with short brown hair and a beard.
Markus loves physics and experiments, which is why he became an experimental physicist.
In his freshman year, he read a paper by Sheldon Cooper for the first time. Since then, he's been his biggest fan.
Markus is also aware of the latest news that his wife, Amy Farrah Fowler, has cheated on him. They always looked so happy together...
However, Markus was also a good friend of Ramona's and she told him a week ago that Sheldon would be working here at CERN. Shortly after hearing this, Markus went to his boss and asked if he could work with Sheldon Cooper, and the answer was yes. Markus was the happiest man in the world at that moment.
Ramona is also of the opinion that under no circumstances can he mention his wife.
She was one of his best friends, they worked together several times, and they even had two dates. They only had those dates because she was lonely and Markus had just broken up with his girlfriend. After those dates they realized that it wasn't going to work out. They decided to remain friends.
She was as big a Sheldon Cooper fan as he was, and had even worked with him before. They talked about Sheldon for hours at times. Markus loved that he finally found someone as obsessed with Sheldon as he was.
A few minutes later.
He went outside where all the others had gathered to meet Sheldon Lee Cooper, the rock star of physics. A few minutes later Markus idol walked in, looking exactly like in the pictures. Everyone cheered, but Sheldon hardly looked at them, he just ran into the building.
'He doesn't like crowds,' Markus thought.
Ramona, on the other hand, stopped and angrily said that everyone should go inside and no one should bother Sheldon.
Everyone went inside, except Markus, who waited for Ramona and greeted her.
"Hey, how is he?"
"As well as can be expected, but he is happy to be working here."
"Something I have to watch out for, because he didn't look very happy right now." Markus said worriedly.
"Just what I told you before and now let's go and check on him." Ramona said and they went inside.
Inside, they saw Sheldon talking to Dr. Smith, their boss they saw them and walked over to Ramona and Markus. "...and this is Dr. Markus Hetterich, he is an excellent experimental physicist, one of our best employees and one of your biggest fans."
"It's a pleasure to meet you." He was very nervous inside, but he tried to stay calm because he didn't want to make a bad impression on Sheldon. So he extended his hand to Sheldon, who naturally didn't reciprocate.
"To a good cooperation." Markus said a little nervously now.
Sheldon just looked at him and complained to Dr. Smith that he would much rather work alone. Their boss tried to explain that this was not possible because a theoretical and an experimental physicist must always work together.
Sheldon looked at Ramona, who just nodded, and then he said to Markus, "I guess we have to work together now."
He didn't sound very happy. "Come on I will show you my lab" and both walked to Markus lab.
Markus lab wasn't that big, it had a few tables with equipment and a door to his and Sheldon's office.
"We have to work together because if you have a theory that's easy to test, I can test it right away and it's just faster." He tried to explain to Sheldon.
Markus had heard that Sheldon Cooper wasn't the easiest person to deal with, but he never thought that he was that difficult.
He showed him his work, but Sheldon didn't really listen, he was too engrossed in his own thoughts, then he just said: "We need a work agreement" and disappeared from his office.
"Ok" Markus just stood there and watched him leave the room.
Sheldon
In his office, Sheldon was thinking about what happened today, he woke up next to her, she said that his wife had cheated on him and that he had been beaten up in a bar fight. He had a concussion but no other injuries, which sounds very suspicious that Ramona might not be telling the truth.
But what is her agenda behind all this?
The more important question is who is his wife and why does he remember almost everything but her. Sheldon had so many questions, but no answers to any of them.
He didn't like it, usually he knows everything, he was always the smartest, but now... He would never admit it, but he needed help to answer all the questions.
Who can he trust?
Who can he tell?
Ramona?
No, she may be the cause of all this.
Who else does he know?
Markus, his new co-worker, he seems to like Ramona, maybe he helped her.
I have to talk to him,' he thought.
"Markus?" Sheldon came out of his office.
"Yes, what is?" Markus turned and looked at Sheldon with a questioning look.
"How well do you know Ramona?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Because I need to know."
"Um, I'm her friend, I think I know her well."
"Okay, do you like comic books?"
"Yes, of course, who doesn't like comics." Markus replied immediately.
"Do you know a good comic book store around here?"
"Yes, I do."
Then Sheldon disappeared into his office, he had heard enough.
In his office, he thought about the pros and cons of telling Markus.
He is friends with Ramona, but he also likes comic books, and Sheldon has no choice but to tell him, he knew no one else here, only Ramona and Markus, so he has to risk it.
Markus
Four hours later, Sheldon came out with a paper, "Here is our work agreement," he said, handing it to Markus. Most of it is about work, but the last page is about Sheldon, Markus is supposed to help him get his memories back and contact his wife.
"Can I trust you?" Sheldon asked him.
Markus just said: "Give me a pen" and signed the paper.
Then he turned back to Sheldon, "Yes, of course I want to help you, but I don't know if it's a good idea to contact your wife."
"Do you think so?"
"Yes and no. I mean it's all over the news and you told Ramona yourself, why would she lie?"
"I don't know, but she's lying. I was in a bar fight and I have no injuries other than an alleged concussion, and I told her the whole story after the fight, with the concussion, which I wasn't supposed to remember at that point. That's why I have to contact her, I have to know the truth".
Markus was stunned, Ramona, his best friend, was a liar. No, that can't be true, but she told him the same story and Sheldon is right, it makes no sense.
"But she couldn't have made up the story about your wife, it's all over the news." He said with sadness.
"No, no, that can't be true. Show me the articles." Sheldon knows it must be true, Ramona is a liar, but she can't manipulate the press like that, can she?
Seldon saw some pictures of her and muttered to himself: "Amy Farrah Fowler, is your name..." and got sad again.
The last article was posted two hours ago. It interviewed a former co-worker of Amy's. She said that she saw this marriage failing from the beginning because Amy always wanted more than Sheldon. That they had some really big fights about that and that was the reason why they broke up before. Her answer to the question how Amy's relationship with Rajesh Koothrappali was, that they were always good friends and did a lot together and that she could imagine that they fell in love with each other. At the end she says that Amy still hasn't made a statement and that Sheldon can't be found.
After he finished reading, Sheldon stared at the screen for another minute and started to laugh.
"What?" asked a confused Markus.
"The fact that someone would cheat on me with Rajesh Koothrappali is just ridiculous." Markus was about to reply when Ramona came in to pick up Sheldon.
"What's so funny?" She asked.
Markus reacted quickly and said that he had just shown Sheldon a funny video.
"It's good to see you laughing again." She said honestly.
"Are you two getting along?"
"Yes, we are," Markus said proudly.
"We found out we have a lot in common, we both like comic books and video games, and he wants to see my comic book collection." Markus was happy that he and Sheldon were getting along so well, even under the circumstances.
He looked at the clock, it was already 6 pm, they really had lost track of time.
"Sheldon, come on, we have things to do," Ramona said to Sheldon.
His face fell again, it had that sad expression, but this time with some hope.
Sheldon said goodbye to Markus and left the room with Ramona.
Ramona
"How was your first day?" Ramona asked Sheldon in the car.
She still couldn't believe that the real Sheldon Cooper was sitting next to her. She wanted to kiss him right away, but she knew better, Sheldon Cooper has to trust her completely first, then she can take the next step.
Ramona loved Sheldon since she was a graduate student, she tried to start a relationship with him back then and helped him get a break. She was very upset that he did not mention her in his paper, but she still loved him.
After graduation, she went to Switzerland to work at CERN, where she met Markus, who was a big fan of Sheldon's work, and they talked for hours about him.
Then she had the opportunity to work at CalTech for several months, and she took it, just to see Sheldon again.
She knew he had a girlfriend and that he was even living with her, but his didn't matter. Ramona would make him fall in love with her, she even had a plan to make them break up. But she was lucky, Amy was gone the moment she arrived. Ramona had a free hand and did everything she could to get into a relationship with him. In the beginning everything went so well, they met every day, then Amy found out and his friends talked to him.
One day Sheldon asked her if she wanted to have a romantic relationship with him and Ramona made a big mistake, she kissed him. She didn't mean to, it just came over her.
She caused the exact opposite of what she ever wanted, he got engaged to Amy after the kiss and then Amy thanked her and hugged her.
That was the moment she really started to hate Amy Farrah Fowler, the women who stole Sheldon Cooper from her.
"Better than I thought, at first I was mad that I had to work with Markus, now he seems nice and he will take me to the comic book store this week." Sheldon replied, bringing Ramona back to reality.
"I'm happy that you found a new friend so fast." She was really happy for him.
Ramona was also happy that Sheldon's new friend was Markus. Markus was her best friend and she could control him a bit in what he should and shouldn't say and do.
"How are you doing with everything I told you this morning?"
"I'm okay." Sheldon said briefly.
"No, really, you can talk to me about anything, you know that." Ramona tried to build trust.
Sheldon
'Everything is so sudden and so much. You told me this morning that I have a wife that I don't remember. That I was beaten up and I don't remember that either. Or how did I really end up here? Then you told me that my wife had cheated on me and that we were on our way to get divorce papers. And I don't know if I can trust you or anybody here.' Sheldon wanted to say all this, but he couldn't.
Sheldon just said: "Yes, I know."
They were both silent, going off on their own thoughts.
Half an hour later, they had it applied and went home.
'Home is a strange word,' Sheldon thought, he doesn't have a home right now. His wife was it. She had been his home for a long time, someone he could rely on and trust, but now he wasn't so sure.
Amy Farrah Fowler was her name, and even though he couldn't remember her, Sheldon knew that she was the only person for him and his only home.
Ramona and the place she called home, on the other hand, wasn't his home and never will be.
The papers are the biggest enemy he faces right now. They are the ones who can separate him and his wife before he knows what really happened.
But what if they are not his enemy and that is exactly what Amy wants, a divorce that she can live happily ever after with Raj.
No, he can't and won't think about it until he's talked to her, and if it's really her wish, he'll fulfill it, even if it breaks him.
"What do you want to eat?" Ramona pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Tonight is Thai food night," he replied.
Ramona parked the car and came back ten minutes later with food, then they went to her apartment.
Amy
Dear Diary,
Penny said it would help if I wrote down my feelings.
My feelings...
I don't know if I feel anything...there's just emptiness since he's gone. I... we tried everything. I called him a hundred times, but only the voicemail answered and now nobody answers, he changed his phone number.
We went to the police, but they just said that he's an adult and since there's no suspicion of a crime, we should come back in a few days if he doesn't show up. Now it's been a week.
And now no one believes me, not even my own mother, my colleagues don't talk to me about it, but I see their looks and hear them talking behind my back.
It started two days after he disappeared, with a few articles, then more and more, and now everything is full of it. We are not even that famous, yes, we are known in the scientific world, but not otherwise.
I just read the latest article about me having something to do with Sheldon's disappearance, when I'm the one who wants to know where he is the most. I love him, I could never do such a thing.
My friends are the best, they are the only ones who believe me. I am at Bernadette and Howard's house right now because I would have gone crazy at Sheldon's and mine.
They take very good care of Leonard, our son, and I couldn't do it alone. Leonard asks me every day when his father is coming back, and I always have to lie to him and say that Sheldon is on a business trip and will be back soon, but he knows that something bigger is going on.
Yesterday the police were here, now they are looking for Sheldon and of course I am the main suspect. I told them the whole story, that first his grandmother died, then a week later his mother died, then he had a mental breakdown, which I have every day now, and then he ran away. I really don't know if they believe me, but at least they are looking for him. That's something.
The reason I am writing all this down today is because my parents came to see us and they wanted to take Leonard with them. My mom even called me a bitch. My dad believes me, but he also thinks it would be better if Leonard stayed with them until the situation calms down.
My mother also threatened me with child protective services.
That was the moment when everything became too much for me, I shouted at them and even insulted them, they can't just take my son away from me.
At that moment, the gang came home to take care of me.
Penny took me to my room where I cried on her shoulder for an hour while the others took care of my parents. I don't know what they said to them, but I don't think they would have just given Leonard to them.
Wow, Penny was right, it really helped to write down my thoughts and feelings. Now I'm ready to go downstairs and see what happened.
"Amy, don't worry, your parents are gone and they didn't take Leonard with them." Penny said after seeing Amy walking down the stairs.
"Really? How, did you do that?" Amy knew how hard it was to win a fight with her mother, so they had some really good arguments to keep Leonard here.
"Oh, actually it was easy, we let Leonard decide who he wanted to be with, and his choice was you." Amy hugged her son.
Then she turned to Penny and the others: "Thank you all for being there for me." She said sincerely.
This was my 2. chapter, I hope you liked it. Of course I made the cooperation up, I have no idea how they really work in CERN. You met Markus today, by the way, he's a bit like my favorite Youtuber. See you next week with chapter 3.