CHAPTER 35
Amy and Sheldon were very nervous, sitting in the waiting room and expecting to be called into Dr. James Bowen's office.
Sheldon sat uncomfortably in his chair, checking his watch every three minutes, and firmly holding Amy's hand as she flipped through a magazine, without paying the slightest attention to the contents.
"This is taking too long. Amy, I must say I don't like the gynecologist you chose" Sheldon said looking at his watch again.
"Dr. Bowen? He's always been my gynecologist; I've known him for a long time. Why should I choose another doctor?" Amy asked him, a little puzzled by Sheldon's comments.
"I know it sounds ridiculous, but I dislike the fact that your doctor is a... man. I'm not comfortable with… that" Sheldon whispered in her ear.
"Aw, I see!. You have nothing to worry about, Dr. Bowen is very professional" Amy gave him a tender kiss on the cheek , then rubbed his thumb gently to wipe the lipstick mark from Sheldon 's face. Although her boyfriend's reaction was totally unjustified, she was flattered to know that Sheldon was jealous.
"Amy Farrah Fowler" the nurse called Amy into the doctor's office to checked her vital signs. Sheldon and Amy quickly rose from their seats and entered the room where the nurse measured Amy's height and weight.
"What's her blood pressure?" Sheldon asked the nurse in his most serious tone.
"Let me see… 110 over 70. Excellent!" the young nurse replied with a smile.
"And how much weight has she gained in the last month?" He asked curiously.
"Since your previous visit you've gained... mmm... one pound". The nurse checked the records of Amy's last appointment.
"It's been more than a month since your last prenatal visit and you've only increased one pound? I told you! You're not eating well" Sheldon added emphatically.
"Sheldon! A few weeks ago, I could barely eat because of the terrible morning sickness I had; I'm sure that's the reason of my modest weight gain". Amy admitted as she held his arm. "Just look at me, this baby bump's the proof that our child is growing properly. Don't you agree?" she said as he stroked her belly and felt the baby move again.
"Dr. Bowen will come in a minute. Please, put on this gown. You can change behind the screen" The nurse left the room.
Amy changed her clothes immediately, and then she sat on the examination couch. "It's cold in here!" She said, rubbing her arms up and down.
When Sheldon noticed that Amy was feeling cold, he hugged her, trying to keep her warm. Inevitably he leaned in to kiss her, tasting the sweet flavor of her cherry lip gloss.
"Mhmm!. Good afternoon, I hate to interrupt but we have an appointment" Dr. Bowen coughed as he entered the office. He was a tall, thin, forty-something man, with dark hair and hazel eyes; he always had a sincere smile upon his face that inspired confidence among his patients.
"Good afternoon!" Sheldon greeted politely, though his face was completely red because of the embarrassment of being caught in that circumstances.
"Hello Dr. Bowen!" Amy greeted him cheerfully, she was glad to see him.
"Hello Amy! Aw, what do we have here? You're 24 weeks pregnant now? How time flies!" Dr. Bowen was pleasantly surprised to see the progress of Amy's pregnancy in the last weeks. He asked Amy how she was feeling; he also checked her most recent lab results. Everything was within normal range. "Have you felt your baby move?" he inquired.
"Yes, I have! Yesterday, for the first time I felt it. It was so exciting! The baby was moving so much that we almost couldn't sleep" She admitted smiling.
"I recognize it might be a little uncomfortable at times but you know that's a good sign. You must get used to it because the more they grow, the more they move. Babies tend to kick more when you eat something sugary or when you're resting. Try a little walk or changing positions, the movement could rock your baby to sleep. Now… it's time for your ultrasound". Dr. Bowen put some of that cold gel on Amy's belly, making her shiver, not only due to the gel's contact on her skin, but because of nervousness.
Sheldon got closer to Amy and held her hand. The soft skin of Amy's hand felt almost like frozen. He knew that Amy was fearful at the time, so he gently kissed her hand.
Dr. Bowen, with patience and concentration measured each of the parameters the ultrasound uses to determine fetal growth. The doctor accurately measured the baby's head, abdomen and femur. "Well, your baby weighs approximately 1 ½ pounds, and although it seems very little, it's actually quite big for its age. The baby looks healthy, and very active."
Dr. Bowen smiled as he determined the baby's heart rate, seeing how happy Amy and Sheldon were just by listening to their baby's heartbeat. It was always nice to find a couple waiting so eagerly for their child's birth. At moments like this, Dr. Bowen renewed his love for medical profession.
"Would you like to know if it's a boy or a girl? Do you want it to be a surprise?" asked the doctor.
Sheldon and Amy looked at each other, "We would like to know!" they replied in unison. Sheldon grabbed Amy's hand so tightly that he almost caused her pain, however, she didn't complain at all. Sheldon and Amy looked at the screen without blinking; their hearts were beating almost with a galloping rhythm.
"Okay... sometimes we can't distinguish very well the baby's gender because of the fetal position, and some babies are quite shy so they just won't allow us to find out whether they are girls or boys. Please, don't be disappointed if we don't know it today". Dr. Bowen seriously affirmed.
Sheldon and Amy thought that maybe this time they wouldn't know their baby's gender. It wasn't really important if the little homo-novus was a boy or a girl; that wouldn't change the love they had for the baby.
"But, some other times... for instance today, the baby is posing for the camera, we get the clearest of images and then ... we find it very easy to tell if it's a boy or a girl. And definitely ... it's a boy. Congratulations it's a boy!" Dr. Bowen shook hands with Sheldon, who remained perfectly still.
For Amy, the most important thing, was the fact that her baby is healthy and growing properly, however, knowing she was expecting a boy, filled her with enthusiasm, as she had often dreamed of having a son; a baby that looks like Sheldon physically and also has his charming personality.
It was Thursday and it was also… Date Night!. After their prenatal visit, Sheldon and Amy headed to Cheesecake Factory for dinner.
"You know Amy, I'm so glad we're having a boy" Sheldon said smiling at his girlfriend.
"Why are you so glad it's a boy?" she asked him. Amy didn't know Sheldon had so much preference for a boy over a girl.
"I'd be equally happy if we were having a girl, but… our first child is going to be the big brother one day and ... I want him to take care of his sisters" Sheldon pondered.
"His sisters?" Amy inquired him. She thought she heard him wrong.
"Yes! Two girls and maybe ... another boy" Sheldon replied naturally.
"So… four kids? Two boys and two girls?, I see you have everything planned" , Amy did not know if the idea seemed lovely or just frightening. She was actually hoping that at any moment Sheldon would say Bazinga.
"Amy, just think about it! You're only child so you might not understand this but… I believe a girl needs at least one sister. You don't know how many times I had to play tea time and beauty salon with my sister Missy. That was infuriating! Also, I want our son to have a brother, a boy like him, in this way we could keep some balance in our family. That's why I think four children is the ideal number for us" Sheldon had his arguments very clear. In fact, he was working on a power point presentation to explain this idea to Amy.
"And what happened to: the world is very overpopulated so we shouldn't contribute to the demographic explosion? That's what you told me one day" Amy laughed while asking him.
"Well... we should share our fascinating genetic mixture with the world. Don't you think?" Sheldon smiled. He knew Amy, deep inside, liked the idea.
"I think we'll have time to discuss that, hopefully in the very distant future. You know that being pregnant isn't easy" Amy was sincere with her boyfriend.
"Yes, we'll have time to discuss it. Now I wanted to tell you… Dibs on the baby's name!" Sheldon exclaimed, he was resolute to find a proper name for his firstborn.
"Okay, you can choose the name but, Spock, Kal -El and Frodo are banned. I'm telling you Sheldon!" Amy feigned anger.
"Ohh! What a way to limit my creativity!" Sheldon pouted.
At Cheesecake Factory, Penny greeted them gladly:
"Hi Shamy! Hi Shamy Baby!" Penny touched Amy's belly gently and the baby kicked. Penny smiled, delighted to feel her bestie's baby move.
"Penny, we've told you, we don't like it when you call us Shamy!And, please stop calling my son: Shamy baby", Sheldon told her with his proud father voice.
"Your son? You mean it's a boy? You're having a boy!. Aw Amy, a mini Sheldon! I hope the baby doesn't have the defects of the previous version, otherwise you're in trouble" Penny joked.
"Thanks bestie, paraphrasing Dr. Bowen, our baby is definitely a boy. Look!" Amy showed Penny the ultrasound's pictures.
"Yeih! How sweet! Congratulations guys! I'm having a nephew!" Penny hugged them, she was about to cry because of the emotion.
"Now Penny, could you please take our order? Amy's at risk of hypoglycemia if she doesn't eat properly" Sheldon was hoping things don't get too emotional.
After enjoying a nice dinner, and of course, a good slice of Coconut Cheesecake; Amy and Sheldon decided it was time to go home.
Upon reaching home, Sheldon sat in his favorite spot of the couch, and called his mother to tell her the great news; Amy sent her the ultrasound photos via email, and then sat on the couch next to Sheldon.
"Sheldon! Honey, today is Thursday and… it is Day Night. I think it's still too early to go to sleep" Amy leaned her head on Sheldon's shoulder. "Do you have room for dessert?".
"Dessert? We just had Coconut Cheesecake!" Sheldon replied, surprised by Amy's sudden craving.
Amy sighed heavily, as she pressed her lips against Sheldon's in a sweet and intense kiss. She parted her lips enough to allow her boyfriend's naughty tongue gently explore her mouth. "Dessert is served" Amy got up from the couch and started unbuttoning her dress slowly.
"Oh... dessert!" Sheldon immediately understood the spontaneous suggestion of his girlfriend; holding hands they walked the few steps that separated them from the bedroom.
Now, with Amy's pregnancy, in a more advanced stage, they very seldom had intimacy. Sheldon never complained about it because he knew it was a temporary change and he decided to respect his girlfriend's times. He could wait, there wasn't need to rush.
When they sat on the bed, Sheldon placed his right hand on Amy's lower back and his left hand behind her head, pushing her gently on the mattress. "I love you and, I need so much!" Sheldon whispered into Amy's ear. "I love you so much that it hurts!" Amy confessed as she placed her hands around his neck, pulling him toward her.
They undressed each other slowly. Sheldon's hands knew extremely well their way down Amy's breast, her belly, her hips, and her thighs, where they stopped a few seconds. Sheldon's agile fingers continued their way towards her center. Amy felt every caress of her boyfriend as a delightful tingling.
Suddenly Sheldon realized how difficult it was positioning himself on top of her as he usually did; this time something didn't feel right. Amy's belly was a bit of an obstacle between them, putting Sheldon in an utterly uncomfortable situation. "Amy, I feel as if I'm smashing you and the baby" Sheldon separated from Amy and feeling ashamed he sat on the bed.
"Sheldon, we aren't so fragile, but ... you're right, it does feel a little weird" Amy admitted."Maybe we should switch positions" Amy smirked as she pushed Sheldon on the bed and straddled him. She wouldn't give up so soon.
"Ouch!" Amy felt the muscles in her right calf tightened painfully.
"What's wrong Amy? Are you okay?" Sheldon was concerned.
"No! My leg hurts terribly, it's a cramp!" Amy shouted in pain. Sheldon quickly started rubbing her leg vigorously, trying to ease her ache.
The situation was quite frustrating for both of them, apparently things wouldn't flow on that night as they had hoped.
"I guess it's better if we just get some rest, we will have another opportunity" Amy finally said as Sheldon affectionately hugged her from behind and kissed her neck while she was lying on her left side, in a spooning position. They remained like this for a couple of minutes, when instantly the room's temperature increased again.
Amy felt her pulse and her breathing quickened with every caress of Sheldon; she clearly could feel his tense manhood pressed against the small of her back. Sheldon seemed to have an idea in mind.
With a steady hand, Sheldon gently lifted Amy's right thigh, and slowly looked for her center. Amy breathed very deep when she received him with longing and almost desperately. His lips met hers in the sweetest of kisses.
Sheldon had that arrogant and adorable smile on his face; after all, he had found a way to share an intimate moment with her loved Amy in a delicate and tender, yet extremely exciting way. Amy could hardly believe how good it felt to be wanted so eagerly. The world stopped spinning for them when their muscles contracted spasmodically and they reached their peak of pleasure together.
The next morning Sheldon and Amy enjoyed their breakfast. Amy ate a bowl of chopped fruit and yogurt. That day she was wearing a blue polka dot dress that lovely accentuated her baby bump. Sheldon couldn't stop looking at her. "Amy, is that a new dress?" Sheldon questioned her.
"Yes it's new! Do you like it?" She answered stroking her belly affectionately.
"Yes, you look beautiful" Sheldon kissed her softly on the lips. "Amy, do you know who Nikola Tesla is? He asked with a solemn tone.
"Tesla… the Serbian inventor? Known for his contributions to the study of electromagnetism and whose work is the basis of modern alternating current?" Amy pushed up her glasses provocatively.
"Obviously!" Sheldon bit his lower lip. He felt a special tingle every time Amy talked about science, but ... that was not the point. Vixen!
"Well, that's the name I want for our son: Nikola… Nikola Cooper-Fowler. Sounds great!" Sheldon was glad with his choice.
"Nik… Nikola… Seriously? Are you sure?" Amy wasn't entirely satisfied with the name.
"You don't like it. Do you? " Sheldon felt somewhat disappointed.
"No, it's not that. It just sounds a little weird. It sounds like a girl's name! I don't want him to be teased at school. Don't you agree? SHELLY?" Amy laughed.
"That's a low blow Amy", Sheldon raised his eyebrows. "But ... maybe you're right, it does sound like a girl's name". Sheldon felt discouraged to know that Amy didn't like the name he had chosen for their son.
"Please, don't be disappointed, my love. You called dibs on the baby's name, and if that's the name you want..." Amy tried to cheer him up. "Nikola, Nikola Cooper. Nicky!"Amy rapidly had an idea and told him "Maybe we can change it slightly and call him Nicholas instead of Nikola?"
"Mmm , Nicholas Cooper! I like it" Sheldon placed his long hands on Amy's belly and asked the baby: "What do you think?" .
The baby kicked inside Amy's belly, surprising them both. "I think he likes his name." Sheldon smiled from ear to ear.
