CHAPTER 5
Wasting no time Amy drove to # 23-11 Los Robles; she couldn´t wait to get to Sheldon´s apartment. She had all she needed to take care of her boyfriend: VapoRub, tea and honey, cough syrup, among other things.
When Amy was coming up the stairs, she met Penny. The cheerful blonde girl waved as she left her home to work the early shift at Cheesecake factory.
Amy had always admired Penny, not only for her obvious beauty but also for her uncomplicated personality; she was so independent and optimistic. Besides, she knew Penny was very attractive to the opposite sex. Sometimes, Amy felt insignificant next to Penny, not that she was jealous. It wasn´t envy, but at certain moments of life she wished she was like her, so outgoing and enthusiastic, willing to get what she wanted.
Penny had always been the Prom Queen or Cheerleader captain. Amy didn´t think that things were easier for the beautiful blonde, but looks really do matter in life. Whether she admitted it or not, she felt insecure about her appearance.
Amy shook her head to clear those thoughts from her mind. She didn´t want to think of anything that could depress her, after all she was about to spend all day taking care of Sheldon.
When Amy knocked on her boyfriend´s door; Leonard opened it with a smile on his face.
"Hi Amy, come in, we were expecting you!", Leonard said, inviting her into the room. "Sheldon is right there".
Sheldon was sitting in his favorite spot of the couch, covered with a blanket as he wiped his nose with a tissue.
"To me, he doesn´t look as ill as in other times, I think he will recover soon", Leonard whispered to Amy´s ear. "But he thinks its pneumonia, so he might ask you to take him to the hospital".
"Amy, what took you so long?. I´m not felling well. Just look! I have a fever." Sheldon said while showing her the thermometer. His temperature was 103°F (39.5°C).
"Leave it all to me"; Amy told Leonard as he left the apartment.
"I hope you guys have fun. Get well soon, Sheldon". Leonard said goodbye
Sheldon shook his head, causing himself a headache due to his nasal congestion.
"Can you believe him, Amy?; being as sick as I am, Leonard prefers playing paintball with Wolowitz and Koothrappali. I´m telling you; you can´t expect loyalty from people." Sheldon continued, coughing and coughing.
"Don´t worry, Amy is here to take care of you", she leaned forward to hug Sheldon.
Sheldon was as cold as usual when he felt Amy´s embrace but he didn´t walk away. When Amy tried to kiss him, Sheldon suddenly got up from the couch.
"Amy. Seriously? Kisses?. Can´t you see I'm sick?. I might have pneumonia or worse!. Please, be a little more careful with your own health, you could catch it."
"You're right, you're right", Amy said a little disappointed.
"Thank you! We are not animals; we should act according to the situation". Sheldon sat back in his spot.
"What can I do for you?. , I mean, to make you feel better", Amy blushed.
Sheldon bit his lower lip, as he did when he was nervous. He suddenly remembered that dream he'd had a few hours ago and felt quite uncomfortable.
"Well, you could rub some VapoRub on my chest; it would help me to breathe easier."
"Oh, yes!" Amy had been thinking about returning the favor that Sheldon had done when she was sick. "Hooo", that involuntary sound escaped her lips again.
Slowly and still with some doubts Sheldon unbuttoned his pajama shirt, lifting the white T- shirt he was wearing underneath.
"You have to rub anticlockwise, if you don´t, my chest hair will mess", Sheldon said sheepishly.
Amy had never seen him bare-chested. Although, Sheldon wasn´t very muscular and athletic; the view was quite pleasant; his pale skin felt warm, perhaps due to the fever. His chest hair was light brown, not very long. His muscles were not sculpted, but there was some definition in their form. Uneasily, Amy applied a thin layer of the menthol ointment on his chest.
Sheldon felt a tingle. He was trembling almost imperceptibly when he felt the soft and delicate hand of his girlfriend, caressing him. Amy slightly touched Sheldon's abdomen, without realizing it.
He wasn´t averse to her touch, he felt a slight tickle that made him giggle. Amy looked at him as if asking whether to continue or not. Sheldon nodded his head in approval. "Don´t stop!", he said.
"Amy, please sing me Soft Kitty, my mom always sings to me when I'm sick. It helps me to relax and feel better". Sheldon said looking at her with his big blue eyes.
"Sheldon I don´t know that song". Amy confessed.
"I´ll show you, it goes like this: Soft kitty, warm kitty; little ball of fur. Happy kitty, sleepy kitty. Purr, purr, purr ".
Effortlessly, Amy learned the song and sang it to Sheldon, several times, until the adorable genius felt drowsy and fell asleep with his head on Amy´s lap. She stroked his hair affectionately.
Amy got up from the couch, with a gentle movement so her boyfriend wouldn´t wake up; she wrapped him in a blanket. Softly, she passed the back of her hand across his forehead and found that Sheldon´s fever was gone.
She went to the kitchen, almost on her tiptoes to avoid making noise. She started to prepare some chicken soup for her boyfriend.
The smell of hot soup woke Sheldon up. Amy came into the living room with a steaming bowl. Sheldon rubbed his eyes, sat down and ate the soup that his girlfriend made him.
The soup was delicious, with the perfect temperature, tasted like tenderness, like a proof of the infinite love of Amy for him. It made him feel better than any medicine he could buy at a drugstore. The warmth of the soup not only filled his stomach but his heart. Sheldon felt loved and valued.
When Sheldon finished the soup, Amy poured him a cup of chamomile tea with honey. Somehow she´d always managed to know what he wanted without even asking. Amy turned on the TV and played one of Sheldon´s DVDs. Sheldon loved The Avengers.
Together they silently watched the movie; when Sheldon casually took Amy's hand, they looked at each other. Sheldon seemed genuinely happy, staring at her intensely.
"You know, Amy?, Sheldon said, swallowing hard, and turning his gaze back to the TV. "I think it's time to do a few amendments to our Relationship Agreement."
Amy couldn´t believe what she´d just heard. Sheldon had admitted his intentions to reform the Relationship Agreement. Secretly she pinched her arm trying to know if she was dreaming; and she wasn´t.
With a nervous smile, struggling to contain an occasional tear, Amy asked: "What reforms do you want to implement to our contract?".
Sheldon got up from the couch, wrapped himself in a blanket and said: "Wait a minute; I'll go get my copy of the Relationship Agreement and my notary stamp so we can discuss the modifications that I thought we could do."
"Meanwhile, could you please give me a little more soup. Yummy, yummy!, Sheldon said smiling as he walked to his room.
─ "Amy, focus!", She told herself. She knew Sheldon had a tendency to manipulate conditions to his benefit. What would he propose?.
Sheldon entered the room with the required documents and stamps. He sat on the couch and placed the papers on the coffee table.
Amy handed his boyfriend a bowl of hot chicken soup. "Mmm, mmm, this soup´s brought me back to life". Sheldon continued eating.
"I'm glad you like it, it's a family recipe. But don´t digress, we were talking about the Relationship Agreement", said Amy.
"You're right!", Sheldon said, raising his arms in surrender.
Sheldon coughed to clear his throat and began to say: "Since the Relationship Agreement is a contract that lists and encodes our responsibilities and rights as boyfriend and girlfriend, I believe that there are certain events of the past days that if not taken into account, on an urgent reform of this contract, they could put an end to it."
"What are you saying? Don´t you dare to break the Relationship Agreement. I knew it, I knew it! You are so selfish", Amy shouted angrily, pointing at Sheldon with a finger.
"Amy, please control yourself and listen to me!. You are an intelligent woman; let this kind of scenes for women like Penny. I am the first to admit that I´ve made a few mistakes that could terminate our agreement. I´ve initiated physical contact; I gave you two kisses and took your hand for several occasions, even when these actions constitute a violation of the Relationship Agreement which clearly prohibits such displays of affection."
"But ... Sheldon", Amy spoke in an almost inaudibly whisper.
"No Amy, let me continue. Our contract clearly states in Section 5 that it´s only allowed to hold hands in the event that: a) one of us is about to fall off a cliff or precipice, b) one of us deserves a sincere handshake after winning the Nobel Prize, or c) moral support during a flu shot.
Sheldon was a person with high moral values and the fact that he had breached the Relationship Agreement, really affected him.
"The point is ... I myself have broken the Relationship Agreement with my actions. Amy, could you please forgive me?". Sheldon was feeling truly sorry.
"Sheldon, there´s nothing to forgive. These last few days have made me happier than several years of my life", Amy said with all sincerity.
"Fascinating", Sheldon said. "Then, how do you want to proceed in our relationship? Do we modify the agreement or we annul it?" Sheldon asked.
"We´ll modify it, of course!" Amy said eagerly.
Sheldon suggested that holding hands would be allowed as long as certain conditions are met as pre-hand wash and / or use of hand sanitizer or disinfectant and, always avoiding public displays of affection.
Amy added a clause that allowed kisses as greeting or farewell; and if the occasion warrants, as a thank you or congratulations. Sheldon put some conditions at this point: a) they should avoid kissing in case of a contagious disease; b) kissing only with closed lips; no tongue is allowed; c) duration of the kiss is up to 5 seconds; d) they should never kiss in public.
"I am glad we were able to reach an agreement" Sheldon said as he touched his neck that felt a bit stiff and sore because of stress. "I´ll send you a pdf with the amendments of the Relationship agreement".
"Does your neck hurt?", Amy asked.
"Yes, it does. As I told you once, I think the neck is a very fragile structure to support such precious load", Sheldon said moving his head from right to left.
"Not unlike balancing a Fabergé egg on a Pixie stick, that's what you told me" Amy replied. "Then I taught you to massage your cervical muscles".
"Yes, I remember. I have an eidetic memory", Sheldon said smiling when that massage went back to his memory.
"Seriously guys! I´m telling you, we could have beaten them with a better strategy", Leonard told Raj and Howard as they climbed up the stairs to his apartment on the fourth floor.
"With one of the famous strategies of Captain Sheldon Cooper", Howard told them, ironically.
"Admittedly, the last time we beat the Geology department at paintball was because of Sheldon", Raj said.
"I guess you´re right. Poor Sheldon!. He couldn´t join us for paintball. I hope he is felling better", Leonard said while looking for the keys to open the door of his apartment.
"You mean, poor Amy". She´s the one who had to take care of him, Howard said.
When Leonard was about to open the door, he heard strange moans coming from the living room. He stopped himself from opening the door and listened.
"Oh, Amy, oh my God, yes!. Don´t stop, your hands are magic, Sheldon practically screamed. #Yeah, it feels so good!, Oh Dear Lord!."
Leonard, Raj and Howard looked at each other, utterly perplexed.
"Apparently that couple of weirdos´s been having fun", exclaimed Howard with his satirical smile.
"Let´s dine out!. Let´s go far away from here!" Leonard shouted. The three friends went down the stars to leave the building.
"I can't believe that Smelly Shelly has more action than I do", Raj was shocked and jealous.
Sheldon and Amy looked at each other. "I think I heard a noise", Amy told her boyfriend.
"I didn´t hear anything, please continue massaging my neck and my back, my shoulder blades are so stiff. Your touch of the myofascial point is simply heavenly". Sheldon said while Amy continued the massage. "Ahhh, yes!".
"You know I could just as easily paralyze you with my knowledge of the nervous system". Amy told him.
"Ha, ha!", they both laughed at the same time.
