Thank you all very much for the awesome support. Maybe I should advertise to get more readers. Hate all the 'Lenny' and 'Shamy' but then that's just my opinion.
A bit longer than usual but I'm going away for the weekend.
Reparata
Chapter 17 Plague
Sheldon dried himself with the towels Deborah had thoughtfully provided him and dressed hurriedly. The room was heated but still drafty.
Deborah had also dropped off the extra pair of work boots that Penny had scrounged for him back in Nevada at the Feed & Grain store and he gratefully pulled them on over his thick woolen socks (another item from Nevada).
He emerged feeling physically better but emotionally just as wrecked. 'I need to find Penny, check on Bomber and then drag her back to bed and just hang on to her until I resolve this emotional crisis. Perhaps she might be able to explain my bestial acts upon that woman and my decision to let her suffer?'
"Deborah, you should not touch those. You have no idea what pathogens might be crawling all over them. It was my intention to either burn or bury them, not allowing anyone to see them. You shouldn't have to witness the results of man's depravity on his fellow man."
"Or woman or child. Some of these are children's ears and – and that one, with the diamond stud, that's my Mom's, Dr. Cooper!" She broke down in sobs and flung herself against him, crying into his BDU blouse. Sheldon felt uncomfortable and finally just wrapped his arms around her and allowed her to cry herself out.
He was unconsciously stroking her hair and wondering how he would respond if he found his mother's ear on a trophy necklace.
And that's how Penny found them, in an intimate embrace, at least from her viewpoint.
"What the HELL, Sheldon Cooper, is going on here?" Her voice was loud and it startled them both. She saw the look on Deborah's face, how puffy her eyes were and how Sheldon seemed to be providing her with some sort of emotional support and she felt…jealous and ashamed at the same time.
"Oh, sweetie, what's wrong?" She elbowed Sheldon away and took his place. Deborah immediately stiffened in Penny's embrace. To Sheldon, it looked like he imagined people saw him with Penny, stiff and uncomfortable with hugs and such.
"Penny, you don't understand. Deborah is in this emotionally-charged state because of something she found in my field jacket pocket – something I wrenched from the neck of a woman raider – a necklace of human ears!"
"And one of them was my mother's, Penny," said Deborah, her face against Penny's shoulder. "I recognized her diamond stud." That set off another burst of tears and Penny looked over at Sheldon and mouthed, 'Sorry. I love you, Sheldon'.
Sheldon just nodded and then transferred his clothes from the washer to the dryer but stopped and gagged. Still smelled like…
He put them back in the washer and dumped laundry detergent in and started the washer.
"They still smelled like – never mind. How's Bomber?" Penny knew a deflection when she heard one but didn't push the 'smell' issue. He'd tell her when he felt able to and she knew not to pressure Sheldon about things he didn't want to discuss. He'd just dig in his heels and any progress they'd made toward emotional intimacy would be set back a ways.
She watched him move around. "Why are you limping, Sheldon? What have you done to yourself?" The unspoken 'this time' hung in the air.
"I got shot. It hit my holstered pistol else I would not be standing here. I'm just bruised, Penny. No reason to go into warp drive over a bruise, is there?"
"It's reason enough when it's you, baby. Now, drop the drawers and show me. You might think it's nothing but I'll be the judge of it."
"Penelope Ford, I am not…oh, for Heaven's sake…" He undid his belt and lowered his pants just enough so that she could see the bruise – and nothing else. After all, there was a young girl present. And he wasn't wearing underwear. Something Deborah forgot about but he didn't think it proper to mention even though she had seen his naked butt in the shower stall. Sheldon was astute enough to know that offering up that tidbit would be akin to pouring gasoline on Penny's emotional fire.
Sheldon whispered to Penny that she should take Deborah back to the coach and get her settled in. He would be up directly as soon as his clothing completed the cleaning cycle.
"Don't be long, Sheldon. I want to get a better look at that leg and decide how best to treat it. I also want to hear what really happened, sweetheart, not the PG-13 version Bomber gave us. Oh, and his leg? Nasty but Leslie packed the wound and fed him antibiotics. No stitches. And that reminds me," she whispered, "I need to check yours. It's been a week and they might be ready to come out."
Had it been seven days since they'd run into the Deseret patrol? 'Time surely does fly when you're having fun.'
They made up a bed for Deborah on the couch in the lounge. There was a smaller stateroom but Winkle had converted it into their 'armory'. She and Bomber shared one of the Pullman berths and Penny and Sheldon slept in the master stateroom.
A small lamp lighted their 'bedroom'. Penny had draped some fabric over it to soften the glare. She helped him to undress and lie down in the bed.
"I looked at your 9mm, sweetheart, and it's useless now. I'm glad you didn't need it. Receiver is dented and the barrel…well, I'm glad it saved you. Maybe we should keep it around as a reminder that…that life is short and violent now and…"
Sheldon hated it when she cried, whenever any woman cried, but especially when she did. He felt totally inadequate and it further fueled his spiraling depression. His 'there, there' didn't work at all and so he just pulled her over as close as he could manage and held her, telling her it was okay and that things would get better.
Penny finally fell asleep and Sheldon quickly followed her.
Sheldon took his morning coffee and eased himself down the steps of the coach into the crisp cold of the early mountain morning. It had snowed again, maybe three more inches, and the gray clouds scudding across the skies seemed to herald more.
As was her habit, Leslie soon joined him but stood on the last step to check things out, another habit she'd developed since the surprise visit by the Deseret patrol.
Sheldon was standing, his feet about shoulder width apart and one arm behind his back, fist clenched. He was gazing up at the mountains, barely visible in the flurries. She knew Sheldon Cooper better than anyone, including Penny. Whatever happened last night was troubling him. She'd seen this same stance before, only it had been a whiteboard covered with equations that captured his intense stare, not mountains.
Leslie invaded his personal space, looping an arm through his. "What's up, Buttercup?"
"That's Penny's line, Leslie. Are you dropping the façade of hard-bitten experimental physicist and allowing your 'girl' side to show? I wish you wouldn't. The group will need your pragmatism in the future, not your softer side."
"Do I have a softer side, Sheldon?" she asked in a soft and uncertain voice. She felt flattered that he'd even mention it since he considered her, even after all that had gone down, merely a 'fellow traveler', a team member, nothing more.
"Despite your efforts to hide it, yes."
"What happened to put you in such a dark place, Cooper? What happened last night – "
"Ask Bomber." Sheldon wasn't going to discuss his actions with anyone. He didn't want anyone to know about the monster that lurked in their midst. He was contemplating leaving the group and striking out on his own, to put distance between him and the decent people in his life. He hadn't slept at all, not one wink, despite how tired he felt.
"He doesn't know what happened in Douglas, Dumbass, because you told him to drive off and leave you behind. Do you know how shitty that made him feel? You made him violate a credo that has stood for two centuries: 'Leave no man behind'."
She wanted to hug him and strangle him at the same time. He could be so damned closed off and unyielding.
"He didn't leave me behind, Dr. Winkle. He waited much longer than required for my reappearance, much longer. I'm glad he did. I never could have made it back if he hadn't."
"So tell me what happened that has you wallowing in this pile of pity and - mmph." He covered her mouth with the palm of hand to shush her. He'd heard something despite the dampening effect of the falling snow.
There! He heard it again. It sounded like…a sound he remembered from childhood…a horse nickering.
"Wake the others. We don't have any defensive positions but keep everyone under cover. Use grenades so you don't give away your location. Go, Leslie!" whispered Sheldon. She knew he had preternatural hearing and knew he wasn't using a 'sound' as an excuse to avoid an emotional situation.
Winkle quietly scrambled back to the coach to rouse the others.
He heard the sound again and it seemed closer. The MP-5 he carried the previous night was hanging by its carrying strap over his shoulder and he lurched upright and brought it up into position. He'd seen the map of the resort in the office and figured whoever was approaching had come up from the river and was using the lanes connecting the camping and RV sites to make their approach.
Sheldon cursed his hip and his thigh and whatever scientist that had 'accidentally' created the Choker and let it loose on the world. In his mind's eye he envisioned the area as a satellite map.
The woman last night had said that the Select force was coming from the Northeast heading southwest towards Salt Lake City but these unseen intruders were approaching from the southeast…
'This was a bad idea, Sheldon Lee Cooper, a very, very bad idea.' He lurched along the side of the snow-covered lane, moving from tree to tree, resting every few steps until he was out of sight of the coach.
Penny followed his tracks in the new snow and ran up behind him, scaring him half to death.
"Where ever you go, Sheldon, I go. Live with it. Now, what's the situation?" she whispered. She shoved a grenade into Sheldon's field jacket pocket and shouldered her automatic rifle. Leslie had shown her how to load and fire the grenade launcher that made up the forearm grip and she was ready to drop a load of hurt on whoever was creeping up on them.
"Let's get into the trees, Penelope, and we will have a discussion about doing what you're told when this is over," he said, with a confidence he just didn't feel.
She helped him into the trees and then stuck her tongue out at him. It was childishly idiotic but it brought a smile to his face. Penny loved the impish quality of his smile. It was what first attracted her to him, that and his whiteboard explanation that very first day years ago. But then Leonard had been the more aggressive of the two…
Sheldon grabbed her by the upper arms and spun her around until her back was against a spruce tree. He put his fingers to her lips and went "Shhh". Her eyes got big, thinking that he'd seen something and was hiding them from – his warm lips crashed into hers and he put every ounce of feelings he had for her into it. Their tongues caressed and stroked each other, gently seeking dominance.
He broke off the kiss and pressed another into her hair and held her tightly. He could see three men on horseback, each armed in various ways but their primary weapon was either a modern hunting bow or a crossbow. Scoped hunting rifles were across their backs and he saw lever-action rifles or carbines in scabbards on their saddles.
Sheldon called out to them, startling their horses and surprising the men. "Stop right there. We don't want any trouble. State your business. If you want to trade, fine. If you want to trade information, that's really fine. We've got hot coffee and we can feed you something…probably pancakes since that's pretty much all Winkle can make."
Winkle's laughter further startled the three. Sheldon started to walk down to the lane using the trees and saplings for support but his hip gave out when he stepped onto the snowy lane and he ended up face down in the snow.
The lead man got off his horse and closed the distance between them to 5 yards. "Are you sick? Coughing up blood?" He was obviously nervous and afraid of the Choker.
Sheldon laughed and tried to get up but couldn't. "No, just clumsy. Ran into a Select patrol last night in Douglas and – "
"Judith, bring up the first aid kit. Got a patient for you." The third 'man' hopped off her horse and took a backpack from her saddle horn and ran up to where Sheldon was lying. The other man slide gracefully off his horse and walked up and stood beside the tall man who had given the instructions.
"Are you two alone?" meaning Sheldon and Winkle.
Penny stepped out from behind the spruce tree and aimed her weapon at the woman and said, "Nope. And that better be medical junk that comes out of that bag." She aimed her automatic rifle at the woman to emphasize her point.
"What happened to you, Mister?" she asked, fishing for information. She ignored Penny's threat and started unzipping Sheldon's parka, intent upon examining the 'wound'.
"Doctor. Dr. Sheldon Cooper, late of CalTech in Pasadena. That's in Calif – "
"I know where Pasadena is, Dr. Cooper. Medical doctor?" It would be too much to hope for but hope springs eternal…
"No, theoretical physics. Utterly useless in this situation." He was blushing as the pretty woman unbuckled his belt and began pulling down his BDU pants.
Penny knelt down next to Sheldon and pulled his head onto her lap. She still held her weapon but was worried more about him than the woman.
"Wife?" she asked Sheldon, looking at Penny.
"I suppose she'd say 'yes' if I asked her. We'll make things formal when we find a pastor or someone to marry us. I refuse to live like a hippie. Her name's Penny and – "
"Aunt Judith! Uncle Bill!" Deborah came barreling out of a thicket of trees ten yards up the lane, running towards the older man but changed course when she saw the third rider.
"Oh, Michael…" She was crying as she smashed into a man a head shorter than she, taking him down with her. She was kissing his face and crying, saying meaningless things.
"Friends?" Sheldon asked dryly to the woman with her cold hands in his pants, as he looked at Deborah and the man named Michael.
"Boyfriend. Dumb as a box of rocks but opposites attract, don't they?" Penny blushed but Sheldon said to the woman, "Intelligence is more a function of utility in a given situation, don't you think? Penny's fucking brilliant and I'm the proverbial box of rocks."
Penny's smile would have melted the snow but Judith pressed on Sheldon's leg and he had to stifle a scream.
"Sorry, sorry. What happened?"
"He ran into a 4-man Select patrol in Douglas last night and a bullet hit his holstered pistol." She took off her glove and cupped Sheldon's face against her to take his mind off whatever the woman was doing.
"Well, I can't be sure without an x-ray but I think the bone and tissue are just bruised. It's painful but aspirin or ibuprofen will help. You'll need to keep active. It'll speed the healing process. I'll put a poultice on it that should help reduce the swelling."
The Still Waters left a map showing the location of their 'settlement' and an open invitation to join them anytime the mood struck them. They'd only left to check up on Deborah's father and mother and to convince them to return with them to the settlement.
"We'll have to start armed patrols now, something we didn't think we'd have to do."
"The Select are heading toward Salt Lake City according to our information. They're in for a rude awakening when they run up against the Mormons. The four we ran into were just a scouting party protecting the flanks of their main body. You should be able to strip Douglas. All we took were some boxes of insulin and syringes for Bomber."
Penny saw Sheldon's eye start to twitch and wondered what he was lying about.
"Deborah, before you go, I have something for you." Sheldon reached into his pocket and pulled out her mother's diamond stud earring. He'd removed it earlier in the morning when he buried the ears while the coffee was brewing.
Deborah had hugged Sheldon the longest and had whispered something in his ear that made him turn bright red and then they were gone, Deborah riding behind Michael and hanging on. None of them looked back. It was the way of things now.
Next: Making Contact with old friends