Amy had recovered around lunchtime and was busying herself in the kitchen, making some lunch.
Sheldon eyed her curiously as she started to add salami to her chicken sandwich.
She handed Sheldon his own plain chicken sandwich and sat beside him.
"Thank you but what's with your sandwich? You hate salami." Sheldon commented.
"Thought I'd try something new." Amy replied, "And I just felt like it…You get the weirdest cravings when you're sick, right?"
"Um…yes?"
Amy smiled and continued to eat her lunch contentedly.
Alarm bells were ringing in Sheldon's head.
"Amy…" He began, but there was a knock at the door.
Amy stood up and answered it.
There stood a teenage boy handing out flyers for a hand car wash business.
Amy politely declined and closed the door, returning to her seat. "Sorry, you were about to say something." She said, looking at her husband.
"Yes…Amy, look…This all seems too odd. Something is going on, and I think I know what it is. Although I'm not experienced in this area, it's not difficult to figure out…"
"Sheldon just spit it out!"
"I think you're pregnant." He blurted.
Amy sat staring at him. "That's not possible."
"It is possible. Remember, we had this discussion…"
"No Sheldon, it's not possible. I would know if it was!" Amy shook her head.
"But you were sick this morning, and now you're eating food that you claim you hate, you were snippy with me earlier. Something feels…Well, strange." Sheldon replied.
Amy slammed her plate onto the coffee table and stood up. "You're wrong Sheldon; I'd know if I was, and we both know it's almost near impossible! How could you put false hope into my head like that!?"
"Amy, I…"
But it was too late; she had stormed off into the bedroom and slammed the door.
Scooby wandered over from where he was eating his food and put his head on Sheldon's leg, whining softly.
Sheldon stroked the dog's ears softly. "I know, boy." He sighed.
Scooby hopped up onto the couch beside Sheldon and sat in the same spot Amy had just been in, and lay down, keeping Sheldon company.
..
After a few minutes, Sheldon sighed and stood up.
Scooby eyed him and cocked his head.
He let out a small woof, and Sheldon frowned.
"Why should I talk to her? She got snappy with me."
Scooby barked again, a little louder this time.
"Fine." Sheldon rolled his eyes. "But if she yells again, it's on you."
As Sheldon wandered off, Scooby stretched out, taking up Sheldon's spot.
Sheldon opened the bedroom door and found Amy sitting on the bed, reading a magazine.
She looked up at the doorway.
"Amy look, I'm sorry that you're upset, but this behaviour you've been displaying is a sign. I don't want to get your hopes up, but what if you are? We can't ignore it." Sheldon said, sitting down. "We both wanted this, and we both know it's not completely impossible, just difficult."
Amy put her magazine down. "I know." She breathed. "I'm so sorry for yelling…I was reading this article and I think I see your point." She pointed to a page in her magazine.
Sheldon peered at the article and nodded.
Ten signs that scream: 'you're pregnant!'
"Well, we've eliminated the sickness, mood swings and change in appetite. What else have you been experiencing?" He asked.
"I don't want to say." Amy said, shyly.
"Go on, say. I won't judge you." Sheldon urged.
"Fine…You know I asked you to stop…you know, fondling my 'chest area' last week?"
"Yes, you said you didn't like it."
"That's a lie. I love it…It's a hell of a turn-on for me, but lately it's begun to hurt…They've begun to hurt!"
Sheldon blinked. "Okay…Cross off breast tenderness. Anything else? Back pains, stomach cramps, late period…?"
"You know I'm irregular anyway, so I hadn't noticed." Amy replied, "I've had a few cramps, but nothing major. No back pains."
Sheldon nodded, grabbing a pen from his bedside drawer and crossing off the symptoms that Amy had been feeling.
"Alright…Nauseated and feverish? Heightened sense of smell and metallic taste in your mouth? Lastly…Frequent urination?" Sheldon asked.
"Um…Yes, yes and…Oh my God yes!" Amy replied.
Sheldon just stared at her. "You need to take a test…Or two. Maybe three. Three is good."
"I will. I'll go get one now." Amy replied, standing up, but Sheldon stopped her.
"No need. I took the liberty of buying some when we first got back to California." He said, opening his closet and producing a cardboard box.
Opening it, he revealed an entire haul of unopened pregnancy tests.
"Some!?" Amy exclaimed.
"Well, $175 worth if you want to be picky." Sheldon shrugged.
Amy took out three boxes and was about to take the first one into the bathroom, when Sheldon stopped her.
"Wait! Before you go in there, let's not get our hopes up, even if you are…You know…"
Amy nodded. "I know. Just take each day as it comes."
"Exactly. Which is totally against everything I usually stand for, but in this case, it's best."
"I'm scared Sheldon." Amy whispered.
"Why?"
"What if I'm not? Or what if I am and it goes wrong like last time?"
"Then we keep trying until it goes right." The tall physicist answered, wrapping an arm around Amy's waist. "And if it helps, I'm kind of scared too."
Amy nodded and took a breath. "I'm going in." She said bravely, opening the bathroom door and slipping inside.
Sheldon nervously wandered into the kitchen, where Scooby was army-crawling on his front under the stools at the kitchen island.
Sheldon frowned. "Why?" He asked, and Scooby just looked up, his tongue hanging out.
It felt like a long time had passed when Amy finally emerged from the bathroom with the stick in her hand.
Her expression was unreadable.
Sheldon took this as bad news. "It's okay. We can try again." He said, wrapping his arms around his wife.
"This time I think we should leave it a year or so." Amy replied, sounding sombre.
Sheldon nodded. "If that's what you think is best."
"I do." Amy nodded, "Considering we may already have a three month old by then..."
Sheldon froze.
"I'm sorry?" He squeaked.
Amy turned over the stick and showed him, grinning.
"You…You're…"
"Yes!"
The couple threw themselves into a hug, excitedly.
"This is better than all the Star Trek series' and movies put together!" Sheldon cried.
"Anything is better than that!" Amy laughed, "But let's not get our hopes up, remember?"
"I know…Oh too late! I'm too excited; this is better than the time Professor Proton came to visit! Or, or, or…Or when I got sent to the Arctic! Or when I discovered my new Tuesday Hamburger!"
"Sheldon!" Amy cut in, "Focus…We know there's a problem with my reproductive cycle. This thing says I'm three weeks gone, but remember what happened last time after a month?"
"Then I'll do it right this time; I'll take care of you and make sure you're healthy and comfortably at all times and create the perfect environment for the…"
"Don't say it yet!" Amy warned.
"…Baby…" Sheldon trailed off. "Unless there are two again, in which case it would be babies." He rummaged in his desk drawer and pulled out a notebook and a pen. "Now, sit there and make yourself comfortable. I'm going to write a list of everything you need, and then I'll devise a routine. Let's start with the list…"
Sheldon opened the first page of the notebook and began scribbling a title.
"Okay, what would you need to make this run smoothly?" he asked.
Amy blinked. "Hmm…I'd need healthy food, like fruit, vegetables and pulses."
Sheldon noted that down.
"And plenty of gentle exercise, so walking would be good…Oh, and I can't have eggs, alcohol or caffeine. I'd also need to be comfortable…"
Sheldon nodded, scribbling this down. "Walking…No eggs, alcohol or caffeine…Need comfort…"
"And I'd also like my husband to calm down and not get his hopes up." Amy added.
"Husband calm d…Hey!" Sheldon stopped writing. "I'm sorry. I know I promised, but I can't help it! Do you feel no excitement whatsoever?"
Amy shifted uncomfortably. "Well…Maybe I do a little…"
Sheldon raised an eyebrow.
"Okay I do a lot!" Amy confessed. "But the fear of losing this one this time is making me think rationally."
Sheldon put his pen down on the notebook. "This is why I'm making the lists and schedules; so that this time, we can make all the necessary arrangements and changes so that there's a higher chance that the baby, slash babies, will survive."
Amy smiled. "Okay…List away!"
"No, I mean it." Sheldon said now, "I know we didn't know last time until it was too late, but we do know this time, and I want to make it up to you and take care of you. Then, if it does happen again, we'll know we tried everything we could."
That sounded logical.
Amy nodded in agreement, grinning. "Thinking logically as always, Dr Cooper."