Absent Wooing

Sheldon looked over his notes carefully. He had been cataloging a list of ailments and behaviors for thirteen months now. It had started slowly, but was quickly gaining speed. And every medical test he had undergone had turned up negative.

1. He was unable to maintain REM sleep. He went to bed at exactly the same time every night. But he was unable to remain asleep for more than a few hours at a time. Often he would wake up around 2 am, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to return to sleep.

2. Food was losing it's appeal. There was no medical reason for the lack of taste bud stimulation. Food was simply bland and tasteless to him. His friends had no such problems, and were sure he was just imagining it.

3. He still maintained his routines, but it was a struggle to do so. Only sheer will kept him adhering to his schedule. He was listless and all activities had lost their appeal. Even vintage video game night had become more of a chore than an entertainment.

4. Irritability. It seemed as if anything and everything was an annoyance now. For example, laundry night was a constant aggravation. The machines had gotten louder, the room was colder, and he was certain the bulbs in the room were dimmer. A few hours before laundry night, he could feel himself beginning to become irritated, and that feeling would last long after he had finished. He had even begun to do his laundry on Sunday mornings to keep from being in the room at night.

5. His mysophobia was getting out of control. He also feared he was becoming agoraphobic. He disliked leaving the apartment, and often had to talk himself into going out. He was constantly disinfecting everything. Even his markers. He would set one down, and before he could use it again, he had to wipe it clean. He had almost jumped over his DNA model when Raj had gestured toward something behind him, fearful Raj might touch him.

Sheldon sighed and closed his laptop, twitching like mad as he wiped it down. He was growing worried. He had always dismissed his critics contentions that he was mentally unstable. He was beginning to question whether they might be correct.

Sheldon looked around the living room with surprise as he walked in from doing his laundry. He was surprised to see Leonard, Howard, Bernadette, Raj and Amy all sitting there, apparently waiting on him. "Leonard, you are in my spot. Move immediately." Sheldon stopped and looked at the suitcase beside his desk with horror. "Who has been in my room?" he demanded loudly.

Bernadette held up her latex glove covered hands. "Sheldon, I packed you a week's worth of clothes."

Amy stood up from the armchair and held out a ticket. "We booked you a seat on a plane. Boarding begins in two hours. Leonard will drive you to the airport."

Howard pointed to himself and Raj. "We'll pick up your comics for you, and Raj will email you if anything important comes up at work."

He looked at them all as if they were speaking gibberish. "And where is it you are sending me?" he asked haughtily.

"To Penny," Leonard said gently. Sheldon's pulse stuttered and he looked away from them all.

"I have no intentions of going anywhere," he said brusquely.

Leonard stood and moved to stand before his friend. "Sheldon, ever since Penny moved to New York to join that theatre group, you've been getting more and more miserable. You're beginning to lose yourself in your neuroses."

"The one has nothing to do with the other," Sheldon growled.

"Oh," asked Amy. "So it wouldn't bother you to learn that Penny is engaged?"

Sheldon gasped and his knees buckled, making him slump back against the door. "What?!" he asked brokenly.

Amy smiled smugly. "I lied. I just wanted you to know how you really feel."

Sheldon felt as if he was on a cliff looking down at an abyss. Were they right? Was everything he was suffering because he missed Penny?

Leonard placed a hand on Sheldon's shoulder. "We think you love Penny. Are we right?"

Sheldon looked down at his longtime friend. "What if she doesn't love me," he asked fearfully.

Bernadette smiled. "Sheldon, we all get emails about once a month from Penny. You get one every week. It's the only times you're bearable. You are the only one Penny worries about. She asks about you constantly. You have to try."

Penny. Even thinking about her made the knot of tension inside him ease. He bent and picked up the suitcase. Leonard opened the door as Sheldon moved. He looked around the room and smiled slightly. "Thank you," he said before following Leonard out the door.

Penny smiled as she read the newest review for the play she was in. She was the straight man. A geeky, awkward woman who was friends with a popular, happy-go-lucky woman who finds love with a reformed bad boy. Clichéd? Maybe. But they were selling out nightly and the reviews were positive.

She reached for her purse and began searching for her keys. She missed the landing and stumbled over the last step. Strong arms caught and steadied her. A jolt went through her as she looked up gratefully. Intense blue eyes met her stunned hazel ones.

"Sheldon?" Her voice was soft and hopeful.

This was the first time he had been in Penny's presence in almost 14 months. The knot inside him unraveled and he felt as if he had broken out of a loop. He had a eureka moment. He didn't hesitate or twitch, or fidget. He simply pulled her into his arms.

He was jubilant when Penny wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. When they finally broke apart, she was grinning widely.

"I was beginning to think you would never come," she said softly.

He blinked in surprise. "You were expecting me?"

She shrugged. "I hoped. I dreamed. I even made a few wishes."

Sheldon smiled bashfully. "I am sorry for making you wait. I have been blind. It took our friends confronting me for me to see how I truly feel."

Penny pulled out of his embrace and unlocked her door. "Come on, Moon Pie. It's Anything Can Happen Thursday. How about I order us a pizza and we can watch some tv."

Sheldon followed her inside, and cleared his throat. "Penny, how many bedrooms do you have?"

She looked up at him with a carefully neutral expression. "One."

Sheldon smiled shyly and blushed. "Then I guess we will have to share."

Penny smiled widely with happiness and shut the door behind them. "I guess that would be acceptable," she teased.