The Duality Synthesis, Chapter 8 by patricia51
(There is always someone, For each of us they say)
(One week later)
"Okay sweetheart, I'll see you on Friday. No I promise I will NOT try to be at the airport. After all, I remember when you respected my request that you not sit all day and night at LAX waiting for me to come home from Illinois. Besides that I don't think I can get a derrick to lift me in and out of the car at such short notice.
"I'm fine. Sally spent the night last night and Bernadette just left to go to work at her new job. It's great that she's finally found a position to make use of her education and interests. Penny is off today and promised to drop by as soon as she runs some errands.
"Oh my gosh Leonard, did I tell you about Sheldon's visit three days ago? No of course I haven't, this is the first chance we've had to talk since then. And while I'm sorry to have missed you yesterday morning I suppose it really was nice of Amy to decide that I needed to sleep so she refused to wake me up. What was it she said to you? Something about you got to talk to me sufficiently and that anything would wait until I woke up. Knowing her she probably phrased it differently though. She really is quite the lioness when it comes to her friends and I guess I am that too now, although not in her 'bestie' category. That's just as well I guess; she IS a bit overwhelming at times.
"Oh what I was going to tell you. It, of course, involves a certain former boss of mine and best friend of yours. It seems there was a report of a car broken into not more than a mile from here. Upon hearing it Sheldon assumed that we were in the middle of a crime wave ravaged war zone and came over to check on me. Eventually of course.
"I shouldn't be mean about it because in his own way he was trying to be helpful. Besides, since he found out about your award and the papers that we have published Amy tells me he's barely come up for air he's been writing so much. I don't have the heart to tell him I've submitted three more this week. Well I have to be doing SOMETHING besides lying here getting fatter. I have all your notes and my notes so it's just a matter of writing them up.
"Oh I drifted from the topic. As usual it was Sheldon talking and unable to stop talking that led to the situation."
(Three days previously)
"Alex! Alex! Alex!" The trio of staccato raps accompanying the hasty repetition of her name caused the young physicist to look more inquiringly than usual at the door. She fumbled her control from where it had lodged in the cushions. She pointed it towards the remote lock, clicked and called out.
"Come in. It's unlocked."
A wide eyed Sheldon popped through the door, hastily turning around to close it. He then hooked the chair lock and turned the deadbolt. Breathing a sigh of relief he turned back around, leaned against the door and looked accusingly at Alex on the couch and Mandy who was sprawled in an easy chair.
"One of these days I'm going to find you robbed and murdered if you keep answering the door so casually without ascertaining who is standing on the other side of it! And leaving it unlocked! Why that's just an invitation!"
"Goodness Sheldon, what in the world is wrong?"
"You haven't heard? Crime is running rampart in our city. The animals are taking over." He rushed to the windows overlooking the street. Plastering himself against the wall he took several quick peeks through the glass trying not to expose himself.
"What are you doing?" inquired Mandy.
"I'm trying to keep an eye out for the criminals without drawing any attention to myself. Or this apartment."
Gentle questioning from the two girls finally produced the admission from Sheldon that the crime wave involved an auto break-in somewhere between the two apartment buildings. Since a similar incident had taken place only days earlier Sheldon was now convinced that a gang of murderous thieves was making its way through the entire City of Pasadena and it was only a matter of time until they turned their attention on helpless citizens such as himself. Or even defenseless women he added as an afterthought.
'So as soon as I heard about this I dropped everything and rushed right over," he concluded. "After I had double checked the apartment and then made sure that my office was secured of course."
"Of course." Alex tried to smother a grin as did Mandy with noticeably less success.
"You may laugh," Sheldon sniffed, "But life here is dangerous."
"I appreciate your concern Sheldon but I think we'll be okay. The door wasn't unlocked until I released it. In addition to the chain and the deadbolt there's a remote controlled security lock on the door designed and installed by Howard at Leonard's request. The door frame was reinforced, it can't be jimmied or kicked open as yours was when the break in took place there. And the door is steel. Besides, on top of everything else I have Mandy."
"Mandy you may think you are capable of facing any threat but I doubt that what you saw in Afghanistan bears any resemblance to what happens on the mean streets of Pasadena."
"You may be right about that," Mandy returned dryly.
"Of course I am," Sheldon said, the Army girl's sarcasm sailing over his head.
"But then I DO have this." The female soldier's arm blurred and then she was holding something the dully reflected the light.
"Eek! What is THAT?" Sheldon asked.
"This is a Colt Officer's Model. It's a cut-down and modified version of the old reliable Government Model 1911A1, still in caliber forty-five ACP. As you may know, some twenty-five years ago the military abandoned the forty-five and took up with the Beretta nine millimeter. However Special Operations forces of all branches quickly went back to the larger cartridge because unlike the nine when you hit someone with a forty-five they tend to fall down and be dead now rather than in thirty minutes."
"But you CAN'T have a gun," Sheldon insisted/ "This is California."
"Irrelevant. I have a Special Federal Weapons Permit, given to those members of the Armed Forces and Intelligence Services who have knowledge of certain classified matters or are believed to be on the target list of one or more terrorist organizations."
"But your children! And are you any good with that... thing? As I recall you have consistently refused to join us in paintball competition. You're not afraid are you?" Sheldon finished with the little smirk on his face that meant he was sure he had gained to upper hand.
"First, Sheldon it's not a 'thing'. It's a pistol. Second, the girls know perfectly well what this is capable of doing. I have taken them both to the shooting range. They've seen the effect a bullet has on a watermelon and their imaginations have done the rest. Plus they have each fired it and it about knocked them both down. I have taught them to shoot a small caliber rifle. Safely. So they aren't afraid of firearms but they respect them and will leave them alone unless I, or another responsible adult, am with them."
Mandy paused. Alex noted that the grin that fleeted across her face looked positively evil.
"As far as your challenge goes I've not been interested because playing at war doesn't mean much when you've seen it for real. However to try to meet you half-way I am going to make a proposal."
"Which is?"
"I assume as a Texan you are familiar with Audie Murphy?"
"The B-List movie actor?"
"The World War Two hero who won just about every single medal for bravery given by the United States including the Medal of Honor. As far as his film career goes much of his work DID fall into that category although I suggest his performance in 'No Name on the Bullet' where he played the villain; a calm even cold hired gunman shows he was capable of excellent work. I was specifically thinking of a little publicized incident that took place after he had made a number of Westerns."
"And that was?"
"One of the really notable Western actors, primarily TV, was extremely proud of his fast draw. He boasted that he was the fastest gun in all of Hollywood. He repeatedly challenged Audie to a gunfight. Just as repeatedly Audie declined the pleasure. Finally getting fed up with the constant barrage of duel requests and the continual sniping from the other actor Audie accepted. He did set one condition. His acceptance message specified that.
"Any time, any place with live ammunition.",
"He never heard another word from the challenger. So Sheldon; would you like the same terms?"
(Back to the Present)
Alex giggled "So Sheldon changed the subject. You know him, that's as close as he can get to admitting he's wrong. And Mandy didn't really want to get in a gunfight with him. She just wanted him to stop nattering about paintball as though it was anything close to what she saw in Afghanistan."
"Anyway he left and Mandy's gone and Penny is on her way with Chinese. I know. I never would have thought she and I would be giving her and Amy a race to be 'bestie'. I think she DOES appreciate it that I've made no move to have our portraits painted together."
The pair talked for a while longer before turning off their laptops. When Penny arrived the two girls covered the day s events with each other, Penny rolling in laughter at the corner Sheldon had painted himself into. They talked so long that Penny decided to spend the night ("Mike is out of town on some case or other so there's no rush to get home"). Alex sighed wistfully after Penny donned the t-shirt she had borrowed to sleep in.
"I used to be able to fit in that," she said enviously.
"And you will again," Penny reassured her friend. "Of course," the blonde grinned, "wear something like this too much and you'll be right back in the same shape you are now."
"Oh golly."
In the middle of the night Penny woke suddenly. What was that sound? She started to reach for the baseball bat she kept only to remember it was at home. Then the bedroom light came on and she gasped as she saw Alex in the doorway, grimacing and clutching her belly.
"Alex what is it?"
"Penny, something's wrong." The actress jumped out of bed at the panic in the other girl's voice. Alex held out her hand. "I'm bleeding."
"Come on," Penny tried to be as reassuring as she could. "Let's get you to the hospital."
(To be continued)