After the fiasco, Sheldon found himself unable to reach Lily. His calls and texts went unanswered; Even Violet couldn't reach her!
"This is your fault," he snarled at his ex who had the audacity to stay after what she said.
"Sheldon, I've never seen this side of you. Maybe she did do some good after all."
"Get out of my apartment. Now."
He wasn't sure if it was his tone or the look on his face, but she left like a bat out of hell. Shooting his friends a daggered glare, he stalked into his room. It still smelled of her. Taking a deep breath, he laid down and called the only person he could trust in this situation.
"Meemaw?"
"Well, howdy Moonpie," her sweet southern-accented voice replied, "Is everything okay?"
"No, actually. Meemaw, I found a girl I like. A lot."
"Oh Sheldon, that's great! I've been prayin' real hard for you. But why do you sound so down?"
"She got upset by something and left. And now, I can't reach her."
"Just leave her alone. She'll come around if you're patient."
"Okay, thank you," Sheldon relaxed a little bit.
"Anytime, Moonpie. And, when she comes back, y'all better bring her over to meet us."
` "I will. I love you, Meemaw."
"I love you too."
She hung up, leaving him feeling a bit better. His grandmother had never been wrong before and it was improbable to think she would be this time. Sheldon put his pajamas on, brushed his teeth, and finished his routine before laying down. He could hear the others going on, but didn't care. The phone buzzed, signaling a text.
Violet: It's a girl!
Attached was the ultrasound of his goddaughter. Violet and Stuart had chosen him to be the godfather of the child so that, in the event that something unfortunate were to happen upon them, their child would be safe. Sheldon had agreed completely despite his views on both religion and children. He would do anything for Violet. Smiling softly, he replied with his congratulations. A few minutes later, he received another message. This one was from Lily.
Sorry for running, but I need some time to think. I will return when I'm done.
This was understandable and he decided not to push her. She would come back when she was ready. For now, he would have to sleep and hope for the best. Of course that just wasn't meant to be and he spent all night thinking. By the time he was tired enough to sleep, the sun had risen and Leonard was waking up. When it was time for them to leave, he popped his head into Sheldon's room.
"Are you okay?"
"IF you are asking about my physical well-being, yes. I am healthy. My emotional state, however, does not seem to be too good."
"I'm sorry buddy. Wanna stay home? I'll have Penny bring you over some lunch later."
"Thank you, but I don't feel like eating. Just go to work."
"Okay Sheldon. I hope you feel better."
He waved him away and went back to sulking. After lying in bed for a couple more hours, he finally decided to get up to shower. Unfortunately, while he was in there, he heard someone enter the apartment. It was too early for Penny to show up with lunch, so he knew it had to be a break-in. The intruder's footsteps crept down the hall, closer and closer to the bathroom until…
"BOO!"
Sheldon screamed like a woman as the shower curtain was ripped open by Violet. She laughed extremely hard, holding her bulging belly as she tried not to fall over. He glared her with not even a hit of amusement.
"Oh come on, it was funny and you know it!"
"Oh yes. Breaking into my house to scare the heck out of me is just the definition of a hoot and a half."
"It is when a 30 year old man screams in B minor and holds up his Darth Vader shampoo for protection."
He glanced down at his weapon and quickly set it aside. Then he got out, not caring if she saw him in the buff. It's not like she hadn't seen him like that when they were younger. She still looked away politely, though. Once he was fully clothed, they headed out to the living room. A small box sat on the couch. When he tilted his head, she gestured for him to open it. Not one to refuse a gift, he quickly obliged.
"I found her crying in my garden. She looks a bit too young to be away from her mommy."
Inside the box was a tiny black kitten that couldn't have been more than a week old. Beside her was a bottle and a canister of formula. He picked the kitten up to inspect her, finding that her eyes were still closed and she was incredibly thin. Sheldon gazed at Violet coolly.
"Why did you think it would be a good idea to give me this?"
"Because I know how lonely you get. Plus…Miko tried to eat her."
The kitten cried out hungrily and he tucked her in his pocket, instantly setting out to work on preparing her bottle. Reading the instructions once, he poured the exact amount for her estimated age into the tiny bottle and added warm water. Once it was shaken thoroughly, he tested the temperature and pulled her out for feeding. His friend smirked at him the entire time.
"And you wondered why I thought it was a good idea…"
"It is still a bad idea. Just because I can make a bottle doesn't mean I should have her."
"Yeah, but look at that face, how can you resist her?"
He looked down at the kitten cradled in his hand. Milk drizzled down her chin as she suckled at the rubber teat eagerly. A smile crept across his face at the endearing sight. Sighing in resignation, he nodded.
"Okay, I'll keep her. Thank you for the gift, Kolbe."
"No problem, Shelly. I figured you needed someone to keep you company. Especially with how your, so-called friends treat you…"
"They've gotten better."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. They still piss me off though."
"Kolbe, please relax. You need to keep your blood pressure down."
She took a deep breath, shoulders sagging as she tried to relax. Then she giggled.
"Apparently the baby feels the same."
"I'd hope so…mind if I feel?"
Violet shook her head, gesturing for him to feel. Sheldon, still feeding the kitten with one hand, knelt eagerly to touch her stomach. The skin was hard and taught beneath his hand. A series of tiny kicks could be felt. A rare, non-awkward, grin crossed his face. Normally he would have been frightened, even appalled by the idea of an unborn creature moving inside another person; this was mostly due to the Alien franchise. But, for some reason he couldn't explain, he couldn't feel anything but love for this child. The kitten squeaked softly, alerting him that it was done eating. He pulled the bottle away, then patted its back with two fingers to burp it. All the while, his best friend watched with great interest.
Once the kitten had been taken care of, he placed her back in the box with a heating pad set on low.
"So, what are you going to name her?"
"I was thinking Sigourney. After the greatest sci-fi movie actress of all time."
"Why don't you name her Ripley then?"
"Then people may think I named her after the children's books. I guess you're right though."
"I usually am. Now, I've gotta go, but I'll see you later."
"Okay, Kolbe."
She gave him an awkward hug and hurried out, passing Penny on the way. The blonde held up a bag of Chinese food as she entered the apartment.
"Feeding time!"
"I can see that. Did you get orange chicken?"
"Yes."
"Fried rice, not white?"
"Yes."
"Crab Rangoon?"
"Uh…no. But I can go pick some up if you want."
Sighing softly, he moved Ripley's box to the arm of the couch and sat down to eat. He was too tire to start anything right now. Penny stared in shock.
"What?"
"Aren't you going to do anything?"
"Penny, I did not have the energy to go to work. Do you think I have any to waste on your forgetfulness?"
"You're right. I'll just eat."
They ate in silence for a while, the only sound being their chopsticks scraping occasionally. Once they finished, Penny had to go back to work, but told him to call if he needed anything. Sheldon was then left alone again. At least now he had a friend to help fend of the dark thoughts. Smiling, he picked up the box and left to pick up supplies for her.
I am so, so, so sorry for taking so long. I had half of this chapter finished, but couldn't figure out where to take it. I really hope you guys liked it. Thank you for reading! ~TLR