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The Anniversary Evolution

Year Six

"I love you more."

"I love you more!"

"No, I love you more!"

"Impossible. I love you more!"

"I love you a gizzallion!"

"I love you times a trillion to the tenth power!"

Amy yawned as she rounded the corner to the great room, her arms folded across her bathrobe, her hair tangled. "Not everything is a contest, you two."

Sheldon and Ada looked over at her, both of them in plaid pajamas, Ada standing in his spot on the sofa, Sheldon standing in front of her, now almost the same height, face to face.

"We're practicing," Ada said.

"Practicing for what?"

"Shhhhh," Sheldon said, and then reached over to his end table. "Here," he held something out to Ada.

Taking the offered item, Ada scrambled off the sofa and went running toward Amy. Her eye brows dipping in confusion, Amy bent slightly to take the small yellow note from her daughter and then read it as she ran away from her.

"I love you more than Mrs. Dalloway loved parties."

She looked up and smiled at Sheldon, and he met her smile, even as he handed Ada another note to carry across the rug. Amy took this one, too.

"I love you more than Mr. Stevens loved Miss Kenton."

Then Ada scampered over with yet another. "I love you more than Waverly loved chess."

Again. "I love you more than Don loved Rosie."

And again. "I love you more than Joanna loved the unknown."

The Post-It note relay continued. "I love you more than Dexter loved Emma."

Just when she thought it was over, one more yellow paper came her way, via Ada's little hand and pattering feet. "I love you more."

Amy looked over at Sheldon, still standing by his spot, watching her carefully as she smiled. "You're wrong," she said quietly.

"I doubt it. I'm never wrong," he said back, his eyes soft and full. Then he took a breath, turned his head, looked down at his mini-me, and said, "Who wants French toast for breakfast this Valentine's Day?"

"Me! Me!"

Later, in the dark, as he brushed her skin, Sheldon whispered, "I can't breathe without you in the room."

Amy brushed his skin back, and said, "I have loved you for so long, I can't remember a time when I didn't love you."

Then, together, they whispered, "I love you more."

"Don't tell me what you're feeding her for dinner; I want plausible deniably when Amy is outraged by the discovery. Bath time is at 7:30 - sharp - and lasts no longer than ten minutes. You dress her in her pajamas. Lately, there's been an unnatural love affair for someone of her certain IQ with that tutu Penny bought all the girls for Christmas; if she asks for it, explain the concepts of packing and not always getting what we want with us when we travel because of TSA regulations. However, do not veer into a tangent about weapons of mass destruction; her mother does not approve of that subject matter at her age. Brush her teeth after the bath. I know it's not immediately before bed, but we have learned via rigorous scientific testing it's the least distracting time. After her bath, we normally engage in some sort of educational activity. Don't worry, I've already written that off as a loss for tonight. So feel free to engage in whatever non-educational activities pass for fun down here on the fifth floor. Then, at 8:00 - sharp! - she's goes to bed. You read one book only once, and one book only. She may try to persuade you otherwise, but remain firm. Amy has put the correct volume in her bag. Typical goodnight pleasantries are exchanged - only once, you'll have to be firm on that, too - and then you turn off the light and shut the door. She will wake up at 6:30 -"

"Really, Sheldon? We turn off the light to sleep? I had no idea. In India, the sun burns so hot it stays light all night long." Raj stood with hands on his hips, his face not exactly what Sheldon would call amused.

"I suspect that was sarcasm," Sheldon said, gripping Ada's little hand tighter as he stood with her just inside their front door, even though he could feel her getting antsy. Were Raj and Stuart up to the challenge after all? She may look like a normal fidgety three year old right now, but she was a genius!

"At least Amy has taught you one thing. And we've babysat before, so we can handle a sleepover." Raj shook his head and bent down to Ada's level. "We're going to have tons of fun and still manage to stay alive tonight, right Princess Ada?"

"Yeah! Let's start!" Ada yelled, letting go of Sheldon's hand to take Raj's. It felt like a stab through the heart.

"Amy has taught me many useful things. Including that you shouldn't call Ada that. Amy doesn't approve of inculcating young girls into the beliefs that princesses perpetrate," Sheldon said.

"That's rich, coming from a woman who used to wear a tiara every chance she got."

"Hey! She may be illogical, she's still my wife!" Then Sheldon paused. "And I've learned entirely on my own that there is no explaining the female mind. Trust the voice of experience, the tiara-princess connection in not an argument you will win. You should be glad you've decided to stop dodging the bullet that is a woman's version of logic."

"You can say that again," Stuart said, finally appearing from around the corner. "Hello, Miss Ada! Are you excited to be hanging out here tonight? Do you want to see the new finger paints I bought us?"

"Yes!" Ada hopped away from them, then, actually hopping after Stuart like a rabbit on the way to their kitchen table. Sheldon sat her bag down on the floor. She didn't even say good-bye.

"I guess that's it, then. Thank you again. We'll come get her . . . mid-morning?"

Raj nodded and put his hands in his pants pockets. "Are you still going out? Amy looked pretty rough this afternoon."

"She's being very insistent about it," Sheldon replied. "She claims she doesn't have a fever. I intend to check it myself when I return upstairs."

"Well, whatever you decide to do, have a nice time." It sounded final.

"Thank you," Sheldon mumbled, looking over at Stuart and Ada, as he was already helping her put on a paint-splattered men's dress shirt over her clothes. Daddy, it appeared, was already forgotten. "Good-bye."

With a deep sigh, he turned to leave, smoothing his tie. He took a step out and the door clicked behind him. Yes, already forgotten. What was it his mother said when Ada went to stay with her in Texas last year? Leaving is always hardest on the parent.

A few steps down the hallway toward the stairwell and he heard the door open behind him again, and Sheldon turned just in time to see Ada flying out, running toward him, her arms outstretched. He crouched down quickly to absorb the force of her hug, only thinking at the very last second that he hoped there was no wet paint on that shirt to ruin his suit.

"Good-bye, Daddy," she said into his shoulder. "I love you."

It felt like his heart had just been shot out of a cannon of joy into the stratosphere. "Oh, Ada." He swallowed deeply. "I love you, too."

But then she was gone again, pulling away, running back to the funhouse that was Uncle Raj's and Uncle Stuart's where there were no rules and a dog and finger painting (he shivered at the very idea) and goodness knew what other unstructured craziness. But it was him she had ran down the hallway toward when she realized he was leaving without good-bye. It was him she loved. Sheldon sighed and stood and watched all three of them go back inside with a final wave. He would have never thought he could love someone as much as he loved Amy.

Shaking his head, he climbed the two flights of stairs and let himself into their condominium. "Amy, guess wh- Amy?"

His head swiveled, looking for her. He thought she would have been dressed and ready when he returned, as planned. The quiet was unexpected, and he walked with some reservation down the hallway. No, Amy wasn't in the bedroom, either. Then he hear a strong shuffling sound in the closet and he walked over to investigate.

Amy was sitting - if that was the correct term - on the floor, leaning against one the wooden partitions, her legs akimbo, one high heel on, one high laying on the floor.

"Amy? Are you okay? Did you fall?" he rushed to her side.

"It's okay. High heels are dangerous," she said, but her red nose was so congested she didn't even sound like herself.

"Here," he reached out his hands to help her up, and as she came up, she suddenly lunged forward into his arms. "Perhaps you should have taken off the other shoe first." Amy wobbled again. "I'm putting you back down."

Sheldon tried to lower her gently, but she ended up collapsing. He reached down and touched her forehead. "You have a fever."

"No, I don't. I feel fine."

"Yes, you do. You're burning up, your eyes are glistening and not in a come-hither way, and you can you barely stand." He crouched down to remove her remaining high heel. That was what happened after six years of marriage: Prince Charming has to help a very stubborn Cinderella remove her shoes.

"No, it's our anniversary. So I feel fine."

"Amy, those concepts are not automatically linked. You can be ill on our anniversary."

"No, I can't. We have reservations."

"We'll cancel."

Sheldon reached over to start untying the belt on her wrap dress (aubergine, this one was new), and Amy attempted to slap his hand but barely made weak contact. "No, we have a babysitter."

"Raj already postulated to me the possibility that you were too ill to go out and implied they would still enjoy watching Ada," Sheldon said, at last untying her dress and pulling the lengthy pieces away. Not the way he had planned on removing her beautiful new dress tonight.

"Traito -oo -oor - choooooo!"

Sheldon managed to duck just in time, and the disgustingly large amount of nasal mucus landed on Amy's hand. "I'll go get you a washcloth."

Returning with the wet cloth, he passed it over to his wife. She washed her arm and then looked up at him, as though she was going to speak. "Here, you've got some on your upper lip," he said, taking the the cloth from her. No, definitely not the way he planned his anniversary going.

After he had cleaned her face, he helped her pull off the rest of her dress and her bra. "Before I put your nightgown on, do you want some Vicks rubbed on your chest?"

"No," Amy shook her head. "I hate that stuff."

"But, Amy!, you used to sing its medicinal praises!"

She groaned and thumped her head against the wooden portion. What that meant, he wasn't sure, but he took it as a sign that she was still refusing. He went to get a clean nightgown and helped her lower it over her arms. "Come on, to bed with you."

She didn't protest as he helped her to the bedroom, lowering the blankets and pulling them back over her, and removing her glasses. "This pillow is so cool," she murmured, rotating to rest her cheek against it.

"It feels that way because you have a fever," Sheldon said. "I'm going to get some Tylenol for it and big glass of water, and then I'll come back and sing Soft Kitty to you."

"I hate that song!" Amy said halfheartedly.

"No, you don't, no one hates that song. You're just disappointed," Sheldon shook his head and walked to the bathroom, loosening his tie along the way. He thought Amy was was asleep when he returned, so he set the glass and the Tylenol bottle on her end table. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Sheldon?" she whispered.

"Yes?"

"I'll sorry I ruined our anniversary."

"You couldn't help it," he shrugged. "They'll be more."

"Thank you for taking care of me when I'm sick."

"I would tell you it's part of the Martial Agreement, but we don't have one of those." He helped Amy sit up and take the pills and encouraged her to drink, citing the need for fluids when one is ill. Then he tucked her back in, smoothing her hair away from her forehead.

"It must be love then," she said with an exhale and he could tell she had already dropped off to sleep, without Soft Kitty or the news about what Ada had said to him.

"It always was," he whispered back to his first love, his greatest love. He left the room on quiet tip-toes and went to cancel their anniversary dinner reservation.

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