CHAPTER 38

Sheldon didn't blink, so he wouldn't miss a second with his child. Nicholas Cooper was born at 8:25 pm, on a Friday. It was November the 24th.

A friendly and smiling nurse, who was wearing lilac scrubs, with a top printed with little white rabbits, weighed and measured the baby. She placed a light blue bracelet on his right wrist with his identification data. "Your wife has the same bracelet with her name on it: Amy Farrah Fowler ". It was the first time that someone used the word: Wife, talking about Amy. Sheldon nodded and smiled sincerely.

Nicky's length was 19.55 inches and he weighed 6.03 pounds, a little less than his father had calculated, as he had checked numerous tables which related gestational age (weeks of pregnancy) with the estimated weight of fetus.

His skin had a pale pink tone, with barely visible, tiny blue veins. His head had very little hair with a color that ranged from blond to light brown, but… for all practical purposes, Nicholas was bald. His eyes narrowed forcefully, wrinkling his little button-like nose. Apparently the light in the room bothered him. Nicholas had the loveliest face that Sheldon had seen on a baby.

While Nicky had his eyes closed, Sheldon could distinguish his long lashes of the same shade as his almost nonexistent hair. Although Nicky weighed only 6 pounds his cheeks were soft and round, with an irresistibly pinchable quality. His thin, cherry colored lips contrasted with his pale skin. Sheldon thought the baby smiled for a few seconds, though he knew it was too soon for him to smile if he was born just ten minutes ago.

When the doctor examined him carefully, Sheldon was mentally counting each one of Nicholas' little fingers and toes. "Two arms, two legs. Five fingers on each hand and five toes on each foot, with their tiny nails. Those are the littlest fingers I've ever seen!. And... let's see… Yes... you're certainly a boy. He's so... cute, he is extremely ... beautiful. Fascinating!" Sheldon thought.

The doctor remained dreadfully quiet and concentrated on Nicholas. "He doesn't have a heart murmur. Does he?" Sheldon asked the pediatrician.

"No, his heart sounds perfectly fine. However ... " . Sheldon didn't like that awkward pause the doctor made. "The baby is showing signs of respiratory distress."

The doctor was right. Nicholas seemed to breathe with difficulty. Sheldon could clearly see the baby's tiny ribs sinking in, with every breath. Sheldon began counting Nicky's respiratory rate: 78 ... 79 ... 80 breaths per minute. He had read that the normal respiratory rate of a newborn is 60 breaths per minute. Also, the baby emitted a sound like a barely audible grunt with every respiration. "Why didn't I notice it before?" Sheldon told himself.

"Mr. Cooper, as you already know, your son was born earlier than expected, and this is a very common problem among premature babies. I have the impression that his respiratory distress is due to an adjustment issue. We'll keep him under observation; he needs to be admitted at the Intermediate Neonatal Care Unit. He'll receive supplementary oxygen as well as intravenous hydration and probably some medication. Your baby will remain in the incubator until his vital signs are stable and his respiratory rate normalizes." The doctor added with an unsympathetic tone.

"But ... he WILL be fine? Do you think Nicholas will get better soon?" Sheldon was confused; he didn't even notice that the physician called him Mr. Cooper instead of Doctor Cooper. Nicky was preterm, that was true, but he looked healthy and he'd cried immediately when he was born. How could this happen?

"I would say, he has a very good prognosis. I believe he will get better soon. Although his respiratory distress is moderate, your child is healthy otherwise and his weight is adequate for his age. You must be patient; we'll see how he progresses. His condition can improve in a few hours or take several weeks to recover. We need some blood samples for lab tests." The doctor told Sheldon.

The nurse dexterously took blood samples from Nicholas's tiny veins; she finally inserted an IV line on his right hand. Judging by the baby's grimaces and how he disconsolately cried, the procedure was painful. "If you excuse… I'll be outside. I need to get some air." Sheldon was awfully pale; he couldn't stand another minute in that hospital room. He needed to see Amy, she was the only person who could understand what he was feeling.

"Nicky will be fine. Yes, he will!" He leaned against one of the walls of the hallway, trying not to collapse to the floor. Sheldon's eyes were suddenly clouded. Although, at the moment, Nicholas looked very fragile, his father knew he was strong. He was a homo novus, and Cooper after all!.


Amy was slowly recovering after the baby's birth. She still had a mild pain on her pelvis and she was somewhat lightheaded because of a slightly higher than expected blood loss that fortunately was under control now. Penny's been by her side the entire time.

"Amy, I had never seen childbirth before. I mean… like this… live and direct!. I've never tought it was so hard. Oh my God, it was ... wonderful. You are so brave!. I don't know if I could do the same. Maybe one day, but this was… amazing!" Penny admitted.

"Thanks Penny. I didn't know I have the strength to do that. I had to do it for Nicky; I must admit that I was scared and the pain was pretty intense, but when I heard him crying and saw him for the first time, I knew it was worth it! I'm sure you'll feel the same one day. And I hope you experience this happiness soon, bestie!" Amy smiled gladly.

Penny smiled too, feeling a little uncomfortable, the prospect of having a baby, still seemed like a very distant scenario for her. "Nicholas is so cute that I want to eat him up with kisses. Sheldon is so happy; he was running after his son, like an overprotective father." Penny added, her smile could brighten the darkest day, without the slightest difficulty.

"Yes, I asked him to do that. I asked him to go with Nicky; I had to make sure that they won't switch him with some other baby. That kind of thing happens Penny, that's more common than you think. Besides, Nicholas needs his father; I already feel better, but he is so tiny and helpless, he is also premature." Although Amy tried to calm down; a voice in her head told her that something wasn't right. "Why do they take so long to bring him back with me? It's been almost an hour since Nicky was born and I just saw him for a couple of minutes. "

Knock, knock, knock, Amy. Knock, knock, knock, Amy. Knock, knock, knock, Amy . That familiar sound made Amy's heart skip a beat.

"Come in, Sheldon!". Amy sat straight up in bed. She hoped that Sheldon entered the room along with Nicky.

Sheldon walked alone into the room, he looked serious and concerned; his eyes fixed on the floor. He looked at Penny and then he looked at Amy. He walked over to his girlfriend and held her strongly, as if he was seeking for comfort. "Sheldon... where's Nicky? When will they bring him? I want to see him" asked Amy, anxious for an answer.

"Nicholas... Well ... the doctor told me he'll be fine. He's having a moderate respiratory distress, because he's a… little premature. Amy don't feel bad about this, Nicholas is strong. No, please, don't cry!" Seeing Amy heartbroken and crying made Sheldon's heart clench in his chest, as if it were held by invisible strings.

"Sheldon, why is this happening? This isn't fair!" Amy's tears fell down her cheeks bitterly. She knew that, the fact of being born at 35 weeks put Nicky at risk of certain degree of respiratory distress. That was expected, however, the situation was extremely painful for Amy.

"I need to see him!" Amy wiped out the tears from her face and tried to get out of bed. She couldn't stand up; she was feeling very dizzy and sore.

"Amy honey, I think you shouldn't get out of bed right now. The doctor said Nicky will be fine. You'll get to see him later" Penny tried to comfort Amy.

"Yes Amy, please listen to Penny. This time she is right! Nicky's doctor is coming to talk to you. I will keep an eye on our son and when you feel better, we're going to be with him all the time. You'll see that he will recover soon." Sheldon grabbed Amy's hand and kiss her softly on the lips.

When the pediatrician and Dr. Bowen talked to Amy, she felt a little better, but not quite relieved from her anguish. They assured her that the next day she could get up early in the morning and spend the day with Nicholas. Dr. Bowen ordered a nurse to give Amy a tranquilizer so she can sleep through the night. She needed to rest; she was still weak and exhausted from a difficult labor and delivery. The effect of benzodiazepines was immediate and within minutes Amy was sound asleep.

When he realized that Amy was sleeping, Sheldon gently rose from his chair and tiptoed to the door. He walked to the Neonatology ward. He wanted to see Nicky. It was about 11:45 pm.

"Hi Nicholas!" Sheldon greeted him waving his hand. He stared at his son through a window. He was still in the incubator, with an intravenous line connected to his little right hand, and a tiny oxygen catheter placed at the entrance of his nostrils. Sheldon counted the baby's respiratory rate again. He still had more than 70 breaths per minute, but Sheldon could tell that Nicholas had less difficulty to inhale and exhale. He was relieved to notice that Nicky was improving.

"Did you know that, on a day like today, but exactly four years ago, your mother and I met? Strange coincidence, isn't it?" Sheldon asked his newborn son as if he could understand.

"Yes, on November 24th, just like today, I met your mom. It was in fact the first date I had in my life. Raj and Howard contacted her at an online dating service. I know… Hokum! That's exactly what I thought. I was blackmailed with a dirty sock that Raj hid in my room and they forced me to go on a date with… Amy Farrah Fowler. Your mommy!" Sheldon grinned looking at his son.

"Okay, long story short…. from the day I met her, I couldn't stay away from her anymore, and I never wanted to be apart from her either. And now you're here with us! You arrived just the day of our anniversary." Suddenly Sheldon sought within the contents of his messenger's bag.

"I had a gift for your mom", Sheldon took a small blue velvet box out of his bag. "But I think for now, I'll have to wait to give this to her." Sheldon looked at his baby; he was sleeping in the incubator.

"Nicholas, I had no idea that we would meet each other today, but ... the social protocol dictates that I should give you a gift on your birthday. And this is your birthday!" Sheldon drew from his bag a small and soft koala bear. "I found this little fella at the hospital gift shop. This is for you!. Do you like it?".

"Do you want to come and see him?" A nurse who had watched the beautiful scene between Sheldon and his son, asked him to come inside. It was the same nurse wearing the lilac scrubs with the bunnies printed on the top.

"Your baby is improving fast. He's recovering from his respiratory distress, and I could get him out of the incubator for a few minutes for you to hold him. Would you like to hold him? ".

Sheldon hesitated; he had never held a baby in his arms before. Nicholas looked very frail and tiny, as if he could break. He actually wanted to hold him, so he gained courage and said "Yes!".

Sheldon and the nurse washed their hands and applied some antibacterial gel. With great delicacy the nurse took Nicky out of the incubator and placed him in Sheldon's arms. "It is important to hold his head firmly with your hand. The rest of his body should rest on your forearm. Keep him close to your chest so he won't get cold. This is your first baby, right?" The nurse asked Sheldon.

Sheldon nodded, he was very uneasy, he was afraid of dropping Nicky. It hurt Sheldon seeing his baby with that needle in his tiny hand and dependent on that oxygen catheter to breathe.

When the baby began to cry, Sheldon looked at the nurse, asking her what to do. He didn't know how to calm him down.

"Talk to him! Babies like to hear their parent's voices. That makes them feel safer. Rock him gently in your arms." The nurse was so kind and affable. Sheldon read her name embroidered on her uniform. Her name was Ana.

"Nicholas, I don't really know if Soft Kitty applies in these cases. It certainly helps me when I'm sick. I guess we could try!" Sheldon cleared his throat. "Soft kitty, warm kitty, Little ball of fur . Happy kitty, Sleepy kitty, purr, purr, purr". The baby opened his eyes to hear the voice of Sheldon as if he recognized it from before.

Although the eye color of babies is not fully defined at birth, Nicky's eyes were clear, with a shade between blue and gray. They'd probably have the same shade of blue as his father's eyes.

It was the first time that Sheldon looked directly into Nicky's eyes. He shared many features with him, and that was very impressive, but Sheldon could recognize a lot of Amy in his gestures, in the way Nicholas paid attention as he spoke. "You'll be fine Nicky, I know it. It doesn't matter if I need to sing Soft Kitty to you a million times" Sheldon said as he cradled little Nicholas in his arms.

After nine or ten repetitions of Soft Kitty, Nicky fell asleep, cradled by his father. The nurse took him in her arms and placed the baby back in the incubator. "If he remains stable, we'll try to feed him tomorrow. Your baby is in good hands. We're taking good care of him. Go and get some rest. You'll need it."

Sheldon left the room, saying goodbye to Nicky and the gentle nurse; he headed to Amy's room. It was already past midnight

He slowly opened the door of the room, trying not to wake her up. Amy was still sleeping. Sheldon gave her a kiss on the forehead and covered her with a warm blanket. He sat in a chair, way too small for someone his size, and with great difficulty he managed to sleep for a few hours.

A.N.:

1) Please don't hate me for this chapter! A lot of babies have this problem when they are born premature.

2) I know Amy and Sheldon didn't meet on November the 24th, but that works for this story.

3) Thanks for your reviews! :)