CHAPTER 22

"Amy, I know it's hard to ask you at this time, but you need to calm down, you are very distressed and that will make you feel worse", Mattias said while driving to the hospital. Amy's face was pale; her expression was full of pain, not only physical but emotional pain.

Amy arched her body, placing her hands on her belly. At times the pain was unbearable. She blamed herself for this situation; a few hours ago she was seriously considering the possibility to end this pregnancy. "Why did I ever think of it?".

She breathed deeply, trying to overcome the pain. Amy looked at Mattias and confessed: "I don't want to lose my baby. I was confused and terrified before, but now, I know that I love my baby. Please tell me I'm not going to lose my child."

Mattias didn't know what to say. As a doctor he recognized that many pregnancies end in miscarriages without any apparent cause, but the closeness and affection he had for Amy made this situation even harder. "Everything will be fine, you'll see", he was trying to comfort her.

Sheldon was following Amy and Mattias in a cab, he asked the driver to accelerate and overtake all the cars that separated him from his girlfriend. His imagination was flying to scenarios where Amy was cheating on him with Mattias. He was deeply hurt in his pride and extremely disappointed.

It was the first time that Sheldon opened himself up to another person, the first time he'd destroyed his own barriers and defense mechanisms, and let someone take his will, his heart, his soul. And now all he had was disappointment.

"Sheldon, don't be ridiculous! The heart doesn't hurt, it's a muscle pump that sends blood to other organs" he told himself, as he put his hand on his chest. "Stupid heart!. I always knew, I was better off alone!".

Mattias parked his car in the street outside the hospital. In the distance, Sheldon could see how, that man, who occupied the first place on his list of enemies, took Amy's hand to help her out of the car. Mattias held her by the waist as they entered together into a building that Sheldon couldn't distinguish clearly.

"Could you please drive faster? I can hardly see them", Sheldon shouted. The muscles of his face experienced involuntary spastic movements.

"No sir, we're in front of a hospital and I'm driving at the speed limit in this area", the driver replied in perfect English. "Those cars you want to overtake are, in fact, ambulances. Can't you see?"

"Why would Amy and the Viking go to the hospital?. What's going on?", Sheldon asked himself. Sheldon paid the driver and got out of the taxi. "I'll walk from here". He ran as fast as he could to reach the front door of the hospital.

With the help of Mattias, Amy could get to Emergency room, where a young doctor greeted them with a smile. She was an old friend of Mattias.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Martina Lundqvist, I'm the OB/GYN on call. Amy, how I can help you?", the doctor introduced herself. She was a young redhead woman, with a sincere smile. She arranged the thick-framed glasses in front of her gorgeous green eyes.

"I ... I'm pregnant; I'm seven weeks, plus or minus one day. Yesterday I had some pain in my lower back and pelvis, but it disappeared with some rest. But today, when I woke up, the pain was sharp and severe, now it's almost unbearable, and I'm bleeding." Amy replied with tears in her eyes.

"Did something happen that could have caused this pain and bleeding?", Dr. Martina Lundqvist inquired.

"No, I don't know what could've caused this; honestly, I didn't know I was pregnant until 4 days ago. I was taking the pill regularly, for almost 2 years, but I stop taking it, the minute I knew I was expecting. I drank alcohol a week ago, just two or three shots, at a party. Do you think that has anything to do ... with this?", Amy asked the doctor, and put her hands on her belly again when she felt that intense spasmodic pain.

"I don't think there's a connection between these events. No evidence exists to affirm that taking the pill in the first semester of pregnancy, increases the likelihood of a miscarriage. Alcohol consumption was an occasional event, and I consider that shouldn't have affected you", Martina stated with a soothing tone.

"What's going to happen?. Am I having a miscarriage?", Amy questioned Martina, full of concern.

"We will perform some laboratory tests and an ultrasound. At the moment, this is probably a threatened miscarriage, but by ultrasound, we can confirm the diagnosis. Now let's examine you. I need you to wear this gown, please" Dr. Martina Lundqvist stated.

Amy looked timidly at Mattias who was next to her in the emergency room. "I think I better go out and get some air", Mattias understood that Amy needed some privacy.

Dr. Martina Lundqvist examined Amy. She was trying to stay calm and stop crying. At the time the bleeding had decreased to some extent, but the pain remained almost constantly.

"You need to stay here, under observation", Dr. Martina Lundqvist informed Amy, and her serene look inspired confidence. "I'm going to fill some forms and talk to the nurse. Now I want you to rest a little. We'll give you some painkillers and I'll be back in five to ten minutes, for your ultrasound". Martina left the emergency room.

Amy remained in that emergency room cubicle, lying on the examination bed, as the nurse took some blood samples and inserted an intravenous line in her forearm for the medication. The nurse came out of the cubicle and Amy was left alone there, felling scared, cold and, in pain. She needed Sheldon, more than ever.

"Hey Baby", Amy was thinking aloud, with her hands placed on her belly. "I'm Amy, your mommy. I know that the beginning of our relationship was a little hasty, but please don't think that I don't love you. Don't scare me like this! I don't want to lose you. I love you even when we haven't met yet. I promise I'll take care of you forever. If you want to eat spaghetti with hot dogs every day, that's what we're going to eat. You have me, though ... I don't know if your dad wants us."

Amy couldn't hold back the tears. Throughout her life she'd tried to be rational and coherent. She couldn't do that anymore. This was too much for her, she was about to collapse. "Amy you must be strong, you're all by yourself" she kept repeating herself.


Sheldon walked down the hallways of that huge hospital not knowing where to go. He hated hospitals, so full of germs and diseases. "I need to find her before I catch a deadly virus", he exclaimed. "Don't touch anything, and don't let anything touch you. Where's Amy?"

Dr. Martina Lundqvist had returned to the emergency cubicle and now she was ready to perform Amy's ultrasound. The nurse took Amy to the next room, where the ultrasound scanner was waiting for her. Mattias stood outside the room.

"Well Amy, I'll put this gel on your belly, it might be a little cold", Martina stated.

Trembling with anticipation of the outcome of the ultrasound, Amy nodded as Martina started to rub the transducer on her belly. She took a deep breath.

Meanwhile, Mattias was sitting in the waiting room, very anxious. "Poor Amy, I hope she's fine. I hope the baby's fine", Mattias thought, he rose from his chair and headed to the coffee vending machine.

When Sheldon recognized Mattias at the distance, he quickened his pace and ran to that waiting room. "There's that man, now he'll know who Dr. Sheldon Cooper is!".

Being only a few steps from Mattias, Sheldon swallowed hard and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. Mattias was much taller and muscular than him; that was certainly intimidating, but Sheldon had decided to settle accounts with that "Viking".

"Are you Mattias Johansson?" Sheldon asked with his most arrogant voice.

"Yes, I am. And who are you?, Mattias was confused by the oddness of the moment. The face of that tall, thin man looked familiar for him

"I'm Doctor Sheldon Lee Cooper", he introduced himself.

After hearing that name, Mattias immediately associated it with that familiar face. It was Amy's boyfriend, no doubt. But ... what was he doing there? How could he know Amy was at the hospital?.

"I need to ask you something, if you have the decency to answer: What were you doing with my girlfriend, holding her?, Sheldon inquired, his eyes full of anger.

"That's something you should ask her; Mattias stated, trying to avoid a confrontation with Sheldon. "I don't know how you got here but it's the worst moment."

"What are you saying?. Are you admitting that you and Amy have cheated on me, all this time? I knew it, I knew it." Sheldon shouted with rage.

"You're crazy; don't put words in my mouth that I never said. You should be concerned about her wellbeing, instead of thinking about your pride and if she cheated on you or not. Amy needs someone to care about her". Mattias added sincerely.

With these last words, Sheldon's inner Texan finally woke up. "I'm not crazy, my mother had made me tested", he yelled at Mattias, holding his hands up, as if he was milking a giant invisible cow.

"Take it easy!, Mattias shouted. "Now I can see why Amy's afraid of telling you the truth" Mattias imprudently mentioned, he'd lost his patience because of Sheldon's attitude.

"What do you mean? The truth?, Sheldon asked Mattias, fearing that the answer might be the confirmation that Amy had been unfaithful to him with that obnoxious man.

"I can't tell you anything, you better talk to Amy", Mattias replied furiously, as he leaned against the door of the Ultrasound room.

Sheldon was out of his mind, he could not think straight. He hated the man before him, that Viking was stealing his Amy. With his mind clouded by jealousy and fury, Sheldon stretched his right arm with the hand into a tight fist that was bound to Mattias's face. The handsome Swedish doctor agilely dodged the punch.

Sheldon ended violently slamming a door with his fist. In that room, Dr. Martina Lundqvist was performing an ultrasound scan to Amy. The door was ajar, exposing a sweaty and angry Sheldon, to the surprise of Amy and Martina. They booth looked at Sheldon in astonishment.

The sound of a heart, beating very fast caught Sheldon's attention. It was a very strong and rhythmic heartbeat.

Nobody could utter a word, the only sound in that room was the heartbeat that Sheldon kept listening, so loud and clear.

"Sheldon!", Amy cried out when she saw him.

"Amy", Sheldon whispered. "What's that sound? Is that your heartbeat?. It's extremely fast. You should see a doctor for that tachycardia.

"Sheldon, that's not the beat of my heart", Amy replied with tears streaming down her face.

"So, what's tha…" Sheldon could not finish the sentence, he suddenly felt like the room was spinning around and everything blurred. There was a sudden thud and the theoretical physicist slumped to the floor.