There will only be a few chapters where Sheldon and Amy won't be together at the same place. This is one of them, and so is the next. So obviously, there will only be a little bit of Shamy in these two chapters.
I am introducing yet another side story. This one is about Amy and her job in Medford. It will not be a huge part of the entire story, but I feel it is important, because it shows, where Amy's focus lies right now.
From this chapter on there will sometimes be flashbacks about Amy's time with Connie during her chapters that show how she got to where she is right now. I tried to mark the beginning and the end of the flashback but I am not very experienced with formatting on this website. I hope it makes sense. If not, please let me know and I will try to fix it.
I know, there are a lot of side stories and there will be (only a few) more. But I promise, the main focus will be back on Sheldon and Amy and their relationship very soon. I also promise that these side stories will tie into each other later in the story and they will all be resolved (although I don't have the details completely figured out yet).
Do the chairs in your parlor seem empty and bare?
Do you gaze at your doorstep and picture me there?
Is your heart filled with pain, shall I come back again?
Tell me dear, are you lonesome tonight?
Balancing Heaven And Earth
Chapter 3 – "Are you lonesome tonight"
Amy's POV
It's only four days.
Amy had been repeating these exact words over and over in her head ever since she had dropped Sheldon off at the airport at six in the morning.
It had been so hard, saying good-bye to him and the moment she had gotten back into her car, the feeling of loneliness had begun to spread through her whole body.
Four days.
She sat down at the breakfast table.
One bowl. Filled with oatmeal that tasted like cinnamon-sprinkled cement.
One mug. Filled with coffee instead of tea because after getting up in the middle of the night, she really needed it. Although it tasted like hot, muddy water.
One napkin. One set of cutleries. One glass filled with orange juice that she had to force herself to drink.
One miserable person sitting at a table. With no interesting facts to share. With no plans to make for the day.
It was strange to think, how this used to be her routine just a few short years ago.
~ Almost exactly three years ago ~
Teenagers.
How could she not have thought that through.
She had taken on a job where she had to teach teenagers. At a High School.
The place that was responsible for so many of her nightmares.
And they were all so… stupid. And shallow. And - worst of all - loud.
The schoolyear had begun only a few weeks ago and already Amy was cursing herself for taking this job that she was definitely not suited for.
She flopped down on the bed in her room and grabbed her book from her nightstand.
At least this was pretty nice. This cozy room in this beautiful house. Where she could just be alone and let her mind recover from all the interactions she had to go through during the day.
The lady, Mrs. Tucker, that owned this home was a little bit strange. And also annoying with all her questions, but at least she was friendly. And at some point, the woman would figure out how boring she, Amy, was and she would stop trying to get to know her better.
"Amy, are you home?", she heard a voice coming from the living room.
Amy rolled her eyes slightly. Of course she was home. She was always home when she wasn't at work.
"Yes, Mrs. Tucker. Do you need my help with anything?", she called back.
Next, there was a knock at her door and Amy put away her book as the door opened and a face appeared from behind the doorframe.
"Yes, I do need your help, Amy.", the woman said gently.
This was a first. Up until now, Mrs. Tucker had only been trying to invite her to have tea or lunch or dinner together. Something that Amy, of course, kept rejecting.
A little bit annoyed, Amy got up and followed the old woman to the kitchen area.
"What is it you need help with?", she asked as she took in the room. It did not look like anything was wrong.
"I made tea.", Mrs. Tucker said and pointed to the kitchen table.
"But… I thought you needed help.", Amy said, more than a little confused. And even more annoyed than before.
"I do.", Mrs. Tucker nodded. "I made tea, and I cannot drink it all by myself, it's way too much."
"Mrs. Tucker…", Amy started, trying to find a way to decline as politely as possible.
"And those chocolate chip cookies.", the old woman added. "If you don't help me eat them right now, they are going to go bad."
"But… Mrs…"
"Also, I need you to refresh my memory. What name did I tell you to call me again? I must have forgotten."
"Mrs. Tucker, I…"
"No, that was definitely not it.", Mrs. Tucker said firmly and filled a mug with tea before motioning for Amy to sit down.
Amy sighed deeply but finally took a seat. This was it. She would be starting to look for an apartment first thing tomorrow after work.
"You told me to call you Connie.", she grumbled.
"Ah, so you do remember.", the old lady replied smugly. "Now tell me, Amy. What's your story."
"My… my story?", Amy asked. "Mrs. Tu… Connie… I am sorry, but I am very busy and…"
"Oh, poppycock.", the lady exclaimed. "You've been living with me for almost a month and so far, I haven't seen you do anything but read. At first, I thought you just don't want to spend time with a boring old lady like me, but I am starting to think you don't like to spend time with people in general."
"Or maybe they just don't like spending time with me.", Amy muttered before she could stop herself.
"Why don't you tell me your story and then let me make a judgment on that?"
Crap. Why did she have to open her damn mouth?
"Mrs. Tucker…"
"Connie."
"Connie.", Amy conceded. "I am sorry but… I don't think you would be able to understand anything I could tell you about myself."
"Why? Are you some kind of genius? Cause I have ample experience with that."
That was a strange thing to say. What did she mean by that?
It did not matter anyway.
Amy knew how she had to respond. Because if she had learned anything during these past years when she had traveled the world, it was that people usually did not react well when she told them how much smarter she was.
"I'm just…", she cleared her throat. "I'm a simple woman from California who has spent the last few years seeing the world.", she said. The same sentence, she had told everyone she had met almost ever since she had gone on her first journey. "There's nothing much to tell."
"Well, that is interesting. I always wanted to see the world.", Connie nodded. "What else?"
"What… else?", Amy asked and took a sip of her tea. It tasted surprisingly well.
"Yes. Tell me more. Who did you travel with? Are you single? Married? Divorced? What do like doing, except reading 'Little House on the Prairie'? Where exactly are you from?"
Amy sighed. She guessed, she should just answer those questions and get this conversation over with.
"I traveled alone. I'm single. I like playing the harp, quilting and reading. And I am from Glendale, California."
"Is that close to Pasadena?"
Amy studied the old woman's face. Did she just imagine it or had her face lit up at this last question.
"Yes. Very close.", she said. "Why?"
"Oh nothing, I was just wondering if maybe you knew my… well, that is a little far-fetched, although... maybe… where did you say you went to college?"
"I… uhm…", Amy stuttered. Dangerous territory. Do not reveal too much about yourself. "I… I lived in the Boston area for a while and went to college there."
"Huh.", the woman said. She looked slightly disappointed.
Was that enough? Was she allowed to get back to her book now?
"Connie, I…"
"I'm ready to make my judgment.", the woman said and grinned at her. "Do you want to hear it?"
Amy blinked. "Sure.", she said a little warily.
She did not know why, but for some reason, she wanted the old lady to like her. Which was stupid. No one liked her.
"I like you, Amy.", Connie said, as if she could read her thoughts. "And I want us to be friends. Would you be okay with that?"
Wait, what?
"I… I…", Amy stuttered.
"Great. Now that this is settled, here's what's going to happen."
Amy pinched herself. No, she was not dreaming. Was this woman crazy? This had to be it.
"Connie, are you not feeling well?", she asked.
Connie ignored her question and just continued.
"We are going to have tea together every day when you come back from work. We can quilt together if you want. You can tell me about your travels, and I will tell you about the people that are living in this town. I will keep asking you personal questions and if you feel comfortable with them, you will answer them. At some point, you might have questions for me too and then we can really get to know each other."
Yes, that old lady had definitely lost her marbles. What was her daughter's name again? Maybe she should go across the street and warn her.
"Connie, I don't think…"
"I will not accept no for an answer, Amy.", Connie said, and the way she looked at her, Amy knew she was serious. "I have heard enough from you to know that you have been hiding yourself. Probably for a long time. But that stops now. If not for yourself, then for me. I am an old woman, living alone in this big house and I want company. That's what I signed up for when I agreed to let you live here. Are we clear?"
Somehow, Amy doubted that this woman really was as lonely as she said she was. She seemed like someone who had lots of friends and family.
But she could not help it. The prospect of actually having someone who wanted to get to know her…
"Yes, Connie. We are clear.", she said and forced herself to smile at her new friend, which made her face feel strange. Amy realized she hadn't really smiled in a very long time.
She knew she had to be careful. She had learned that over the years.
'Don't give away too much of yourself. Don't let that woman see too much of you. She might think she likes you, but once she really gets to know you, she will find you weird and distance herself from you. Like everyone else.', she reminded herself.
But maybe, at least for a little while, she, Amy Farrah Fowler could experience how it was, being someone's friend.
~Back in the present~
Amy's lips trembled as she thought back to Connie.
Contrary to what she had believed back then, Connie had never distanced herself from her, even if she definitely had found her weird at times.
But her friendship had chased the loneliness away.
After her death… although at time Amy had made many friends, the absence of her dear friend had sent her spiraling.
Until Sheldon had shown up and brightened her world.
But now… without him… she couldn't help it. Despite all the good things she had in her life right now, she was missing him terribly.
There was no morning kiss before driving off to work for her today. And she felt like there was no reason to look forward to coming back home later.
'It's only four days.', she kept reminding herself.
But who was she kidding?
It had only been hours, but it already felt unbearable. Without Sheldon, nothing really felt appealing to her, and these four short days were starting to feel like an eternity.
The worst thing about it though was the fear that she could be facing this new reality every month from now on.
"Stop wallowing, Amy.", she told herself as she was again sitting in her car, this time on her way to work. "You need to stay positive. Sheldon's going to fight this. And he's going to win. Everything will be fine."
She was not sure, if she could believe it. But she wanted to.
Plus, Sheldon had been videochatting with his friends for hours, trying to come up with a plan. There was no way, they would not be able to come with a solution. Right?
But then there was this little voice in her head, nagging at her.
'You know the solution, Amy. Quit your job. Move to Pasadena. It's not right, making Sheldon stay here and lose his office. Especially when you haven't even made up your mind about your career. Everything will be easier once you are back in California.'
She tried to shake off this voice, but she could not help feeling guilty. It was the truth. If she had just agreed to move with Sheldon, then none of this would be an issue.
It was only when she entered Medford High, that her mood lifted a little bit.
As usually, she stopped for at the glass display case that held football trophies and old team photos.
"Morning, George.", she whispered to one of the pictures.
Two weeks ago, Amy had announced her engagement to Sheldon Cooper in the teachers' lounge.
And after she had assured her colleagues – especially the older ones who had been teaching here for decades and remembered Sheldon – that yes, congratulations were indeed in order and that no, she had not agreed to marry him under any kind of duress, one of them had mentioned how much George would have loved to hear the news.
"George?", Amy had asked then and that was when she had found out that Sheldon's late father used to be a football coach right here at this school.
Amy loved looking at his picture. He looked like a good man and while she was sad about never getting to meet him, she also was grateful to him for raising the man she would marry soon.
"Good morning, Miss Fowler!"
Amy turned around, but even before she did, she knew exactly who had approached her.
There was only one student at this school, who reacted this enthusiastically at seeing the science teacher.
"Hello Maddie.", she nodded friendly at the tall young woman who had just started her senior year.
She was wearing her long red hair in a ponytail, her face only covered in a hint of make-up, probably to try and hide her freckles, which Amy found unnecessary.
Her face had lost some of its childlike features over the summer and the little girl that Amy had been teaching for the last three years, had blossomed into a young woman, ready to take the world by storm.
"I've already done all the assignments you gave me on Thursday.", Maddy told her proudly.
"You have?", Amy smiled and pretended to be surprised. "But they are only due in three days. Now what are you going to do for the rest of the week?"
Maddie was shifting on her feet and for a second, Amy asked herself if it was right, teasing her student like this, when it was clear what she wanted. But she needed Maddie to learn to stand up for herself. Something, the girl had never been taught at home.
"I was hoping…", Maddie started, slightly unsure. "I mean… Miss Fowler… last week you said if I finish my assignments early, you will give me something a bit more challenging. You know, something on… college level."
Maddie almost whispered those last two words, and Amy's heart warmed up because of the excitement, the girl was showing.
"Of course, Maddie.", she promised. "Come over to my classroom after lunch. I brought a whole folder of assignments for you to pick from. Some of them will have to be done in the lab, which means you would have to stay after school on some days."
Maddie's face fell.
"I do want to work in the lab.", she said. "But… can't I do that during lunch break? Or a free period? It's just that… my parents… need me at the business after school."
Amy sighed. She had talked about this with Maddie's parents just last Wednesday, but they still did not seem to understand the importance of this to their only daughter.
"Lunch break is too important.", she said sternly. "I will not make you miss out on eating and spending time with your friends. But bring your timetable with you when you come to my classroom in the afternoon, and I will see if we can work something out."
She knew it would be difficult. The lab was being used most of the time. But Maddie was quiet and did not need much help. Maybe she could have her sit somewhere in the back to work on her assignments while teaching another class.
She considered calling Maddie's parents in again, but she knew this was a battle she would not be winning.
And there was still a different, much more important, battle to fight.
"Did you and your parents have time to look at the college brochures I gave you last week?", she asked hopefully.
Again, she could see Maddie's face fall and Amy knew, this was going to be difficult.
"Yeah…", Maddie said. "But they are all out-of-state schools. I would have to move away. My Dad says, it would be better if I just went to school here and kept living at home. Anyway, my future has been set in stone for a long time and I don't need to go to a fancy school."
Amy knew, these were her father's words. The thought of this talented young girl with a knack for science ending up helping her brother take over their family's auto repair shop broke her heart.
But she knew she had to tread carefully. Maddie was under enough pressure already, there was no point in making this even harder for her.
"And… is that what you want as well?", she just asked gently.
"I…", Maddie swallowed hard. "I thought so. It's the future me and my parents have always talked about. But… sometimes I wonder what else could be out there. Is it bad to… want more?"
Amy smiled softly at the young woman. This was a question many young people seemed to ask themselves quite often. She knew, even if it had not been easy growing up with her own mother, she could consider herself lucky in that regard. Her parents had always encouraged her to want more. To want to thrive and be successful in the field she had chosen for herself.
"Only you can decide how your future should look like.", Amy said softly. "Not me and not your parents. You still have a little bit of time to figure things out. In the meantime, don't hesitate to come to me if you need advice on your options."
The bell rang that very moment, leaving no more time to keep talking about that topic, but Amy promised herself to keep trying to encourage the girl to find her own path in life.
Maybe once she would hear back from one of the universities regarding the continuation of the mentoring program, she had been trying to establish during the past three years.
And of course, the scholarship that had been in the works for over a year now would help Maddie greatly too. If only, she would get that thing going already, but she kept hitting brick walls at every turn.
The rest of the morning went by quickly as Amy was teaching class after class.
During her lunch break, she went over Maddie's assignments quickly. They were flawless as expected.
Amy then checked the girl's timetable.
"Dammit.", she muttered under her breath. There was a two-hour period every Friday when Maddie could be working at the lab. Of course, it had to be on her day off.
"Bad day?", she heard a familiar voice before she was joined at her table by her favorite new colleague.
"Hey, Jared.", she said, trying to force a smile. "Just… yes."
"Because Sheldon's in Pasadena?", he asked, his voice sounding sympathetic.
"That too.", Amy answered sadly. She had not thought about that for almost five minutes.
Jared took out his own lunch and listened to Amy as she proceeded to tell him about the new development in Maddie's situation.
"Well, you know I am still figuring out this whole 'being a teacher'-thing.", Jared said and winked at her. "But I have to say I am impressed. None of my students ever asked for extra assignments."
Amy gave him a half-smile. She was so grateful for the fact that Jared had started working here as a music teacher. It made her lunchbreaks so much more enjoyable.
"The problem is, I cannot have her work at the lab when I'm not around. It's not that I don't trust her, but…"
"…but no matter how responsible she is, you would be on the line for everything that could go wrong with the equipment."
"Exactly.", Amy nodded.
Jared snatched Maddie's timetable and studied it.
"I have a free period on Friday.", he mentioned. "I could oversee her work. As long as she does not ask me any science questions."
"She won't.", Amy promised. "You would really do that?"
"For you? Anything.", Jared said right away. "I'll just work on my lesson plans there while Maddie is doing her assignments."
Amy sighed relieved. This was the perfect solution.
"Thank you, Jared.", she said softly. "You just made my day a whole lot better."
"So, have you heard from Sheldon already?", Jared asked. "How did his meeting go?"
Amy shook her head. "I haven't heard anything yet. I'm fearing the worst right now."
"I'm so sorry, Amy. I was hoping, you two would finally get to catch a break for a little while. You've been through enough."
She just nodded. It was the truth.
"Yeah. After last year I really just wanted to enjoy this new phase of our lives for a little bit. But life seems to keep throwing curve balls at us. I just… I don't know what to do, Jared."
"You mean… in case Sheldon needs to travel a lot?"
"Yes. I've been trying to figure out what the best course of action would be. Do I quit my job? Go to Pasadena? Do I ask Sheldon to give up his office and stay here? It just seems… selfish. I know he misses his friends and…"
She stopped when she saw Jared give her a strange look.
"Amy, do you think…"
He stopped mid-sentence.
"What?", she demanded to know.
"I'm sorry.", he said quietly. "This is none of my business and you two need to do what makes the most sense for you. But just… Amy, keep in mind that your happiness matters just as much as Sheldon's."
"I am happy, Jared.", she assured him. "Either way, I have more than I ever had in my life. Sheldon… he…"
"He is great.", Jared agreed. "But so are you. Before you make any rash decisions, you should at least tell him how you felt over the summer."
Amy bit her lip. She knew she should. But she kind of did not want to. Not when things were going so great right now. She wanted to enjoy every minute with him. Not have these sorts of serious conversations right now.
"I don't know what you mean.", she said instead.
"Of course, you know.", Jared said and smirked at her. "And to be honest, Sheldon deserves to know too. That man would do anything to make you happy. Give him a chance to do so."
"He does make me happy.", Amy insisted. "I've never been as happy as I am with him. That's why…", she sighed. "It's so hard being apart from him."
Jared smiled at her encouragingly.
"You'll get through that too though, you know that.", he added softly. "Sheldon will be back before you know it."
Amy tried to suppress the tears she felt welling up.
"You're such a good friend, Jared. I really don't know what I would do without you."
He shrugged. "I could say the same about you. You helped me through some pretty heavy stuff."
The two friends shared a warm smile.
Finally, Amy was feeling better for real. Yes, she and Sheldon would get through this. Because their love could prevail through anything. And also, because they both had wonderful friends to support them.
"So have you told your parents about…", Jared pulled her out of her thoughts.
"No.", Amy said quickly. "No, I have not. But I will. Soon."
Jared shook his head.
"Aren't you the woman who urged me on to tell my father about my sexuality for more than two years? And now you are not able to tell your parents news that are… well… much easier to tell? You're kind of a hypocrite, Amy."
"I know.", Amy admitted. "But… you don't know my mother. If she knew all the things, I have been keeping from her…"
She did not finish that sentence and gladly, Jared did not ask her what she meant by that.
"So, choir practice tonight.", she changed the subject. "I promised Missy to go out for drinks and karaoke afterwards to make up for missing our girls' night last week. Want to join us?"
As expected, Jared was thrilled and so, even though she still missed Sheldon terribly, the rest of the day felt a lot less lonely to Amy.
A few hours later, she sat in her bed, dressed in her nightclothes, her laptop on her knees, waiting for the call she had been looking forward to all day.
"Sheldon!", she exclaimed happily, as her fiancé's head appeared on the screen.
Warmth spread through her chest as she took in his appearance.
He, too, was sitting on his bed in Pasadena, wearing his usual Monday pajamas. She could practically smell the scent of the laundry detergent combined with his freshly showered body.
"Hello, Amy.", he said, smiling at her. "Did you have a good day?"
No. It sucked. Because you were not here with me. Come back now. Please.
She gulped.
"It was alright.", she lied. "Choir practice was nice. We went out to the bar together. You know, the one we were at after your first time being a conductor."
"That sounds like fun.", Sheldon nodded. "I know you always loved going there."
I love it more when you are going with me. Come back. Now.
She bit her lips to keep those words inside.
"Missy was there too.", she said instead. "She sang karaoke with me."
"I would have loved to see that.", Sheldon told her, and she could see a slight hint of sadness in his eyes. "I'm happy the two of you get along so well. It's good for her to go out with a friend after everything she has been through."
Amy nodded. It was true. Missy had really opened up a lot these past last months.
"So how was your day.", she finally turned the conversation to Sheldon, because she could not wait any longer. "How did the meeting go. Any news about what is going to happen with the office-situation?"
She was dreading the answer, but she just had to know.
"The meeting…", Sheldon huffed annoyed. "Had to be postponed to tomorrow. Because 'the other party involved' has called in sick. Like he apparently does most Mondays. There are rumors, these sick days have to do with too much booze in certain strip clubs during the weekends."
Amy rolled her eyes. She knew, she should be thankful because Barry Kripke had saved Sheldon's life once, but she could not help but feel annoyed. To think the University was giving Sheldon a hard time and was considering giving his office to someone like that.
"Sounds like a very pleasant colleague…", she snorted. "Be sure to bring this up at the meeting tomorrow."
"Oh, I will.", Sheldon agreed. "And the guys are backing me up. Apparently, they once heard him brag about using his grant money on hookers and strippers. And according to Howard, he's getting called into HR for inappropriate behavior all the time. So yeah, I am not going down without a fight in this. He will regret the day he tried interfering with our lives."
"Good.", Amy answered firmly.
"I missed you today.", Sheldon whispered, and Amy's heart leapt for a second. She had tried to hold back. To not make him see how much she hated being without him, to not make him feel bad. But now that he had opened that gate…
"I missed you too.", she said, tears prickling in her eyes. "The house feels so empty without you. Everything… feels empty without you."
He smiled at her weakly.
"I feel the exact same way. I loved being here over the summer, but now that I am here without you it's just… not the same."
"Yeah…", she said sadly. She knew exactly what he meant. And it pleased her to hear, he liked Pasadena better when she was there.
"I did not expect this.", he continued. "I knew I would be missing you. But… we did not spend every minute of every day together when you were here with me. You went on girls' nights. I went to the comic book store. You spent some days by yourself while I was at the University… I never thought it would be this hard, coming here for a few days without you. I hate how much I am sounding like a hippie. But it is the truth."
"It's because we are missing out on all the simple day-to-day stuff.", she told him. "While we are not a couple that has to be attached by the hip twenty-four hours a day, it is just so comforting, saying good-bye to you in the morning before I leave for work. Or having tea when I come home. Or… falling asleep feeling your body next to me."
"I guess, you are right.", he nodded thoughtfully. "I was having Thai food and watching a movie with the guys earlier, which was nice. But as soon as they left, and I started my nighttime routine… I just do not feel like myself when I am not with you."
Amy swallowed hard. The fact that her man was hurting just as much as she was, made her think again, if she was making a huge mistake right now.
"Do you think, I should quit my job?", she asked quietly.
"What?" - Sheldon's eyes widened in surprise. "No. Why would you ask that?"
"Well…", she sighed. "All signs are pointing to us moving to Pasadena eventually anyway. You might be losing your office or be forced to be flying back and forth a lot. So… maybe it would be better for everyone… if we just ripped off the band-aid now."
"That's not what you really want though.", Sheldon told her. "And we both know it."
Amy sighed.
"No. But I guess… Right now I don't even know what it is that I want. I do believe that I am doing important work here, but I also keep thinking that… I don't even know what job I'll be doing a year from now and since you know exactly what it is that you want, then maybe we really should be building our lives around that."
"No.", Sheldon answered, almost to quickly for her liking.
Amy looked at him, waiting to elaborate.
"No, Amy.", he said softly. "Please don't tempt me."
"But… why? If you want to move and I am offering…", she started again, but he cut her off.
"Amy, I know I can be selfish and if you keep offering, I am afraid I will tell you yes, let's move here. But… I promised myself I would not be selfish when it comes to us. If we ever do move here, I will not have you do it because you are building your life around me. I have not forgotten what you told me about being afraid of losing yourself. We will only move here, once you feel you are doing it for yourself as much as you are doing it for me. It's the only way our relationship remains on equal footing."
Amy could no longer stop the tears from falling from her eyes.
This was her Sheldon. Medford-Sheldon. The only problem was… he was not here in Medford.
"I love you so much.", she whispered. "I really wish I could kiss you right now."
"I love you too.", Sheldon whispered back. "And oh, what I would give to have you right here by my side right now."
"Yeah?", she asked and put the laptop on the pillow on the empty side of her bed before lying down on her side, facing it. "What do you think we would be doing, if I were with you right now?"
Sheldon was lying on his side too now, gazing at her, and it was almost cruel how much it looked as if he was really here, while not being able to really hold him or kiss him.
"I want to tell you all the beautiful and naughty things I would be doing to you right now but…", he sighed deeply. "To be honest, if there was a way so I could have you here, right this minute, I think I would just want to hold you. Wipe away the tears you do not want me to see and tell you everything will be alright."
More tears streamed down Amy's face.
"That would be perfect.", she whispered.
"It's only three nights.", he told her.
"I know.", she nodded.
"Only two more after this one.", he added.
"I know.", she repeated, barely able to suppress the sob that was trying to escape her throat.
"You should sleep now. It's two hours later where you are, and you have an early morning tomorrow."
"I know.", she said a third time, dreading to end the call and miss the sound of his soothing voice and the sight of his lovely face.
"Amy?", Sheldon asked softly.
"Yeah?", she replied, trying to smile at him.
"How about… we just go to sleep like this? Without ending the call?"
She was about to tell him, how unhealthy it was, having an active screen in the bedroom while being asleep. But she could not help it. She did not want to sleep without him.
"Are you sure you can sleep like this?", she clarified. "Because I want you to be well-rested for your meeting tomorrow."
"I can sleep like this.", he promised.
Amy exhaled shakily and nestled into her pillow. She saw the man she loved do the same on her screen.
"Good night. I love you.", he whispered.
"I love you too. Good night.", she mumbled.
She watched the screen then through half-lidded eyes.
As usual, Sheldon fell asleep quickly and it was strangely soothing, seeing him like this. He looked so peaceful.
Amy reached out her hand to touch the screen.
She wished, she could touch his face. His surprisingly soft face. She longed to press a kiss on his soft cheek or ruffle her fingers through his short hair. Or just be able to rest her head on his chest instead of her pillow.
Soon.
She sighed and finally closed her eyes too. She listened to his even breaths as she fell asleep, a part of her selfishly hoping he would still be Medford-Sheldon when she would be in Pasadena three days from now.
One night down. Two more to go.
Missy's POV
Missy felt bad about it, but she was loving this.
Having Amy over on a Tuesday evening, sitting in the living room, drinking wine and talking about bridesmaids' dresses.
Of course, it did not take long for them to be interrupted by her mother who had been kind enough to put Ellis to bed for her.
"So, how's Shelly doing in Pasadena?", her mother asked after a few minutes of polite Smalltalk.
"Oh, he's… fine.", Amy answered. "I just spoke to him last night and I guess he will call later, after work."
"And you'll be flying out Thursday? I'm just asking so I can prepare a few treats for him and his friends."
Missy shook her head amused. Sheldon was only gone a day, and their mother already was scared he could be starving.
She understood in a way. The last time, Sheldon had been in Pasadena by himself, it had ended in a heart attack. She missed her brother too and was worried for him. But he would be back in only a few days.
It was nice, getting to spend a little more time with Amy though. Talking about wedding plans, going out for drinks, hanging out and talking woman to woman.
"So, how is Joshua liking first grade?", Amy asked her, as if she had read her thoughts.
Missy frowned.
Up until yesterday, she would have answered that he loved it. But somehow, ever since she had picked him up from school yesterday, something was different.
"He's fine." she answered. "The first euphoria seems to be gone, but I guess that is normal. He'll like it more once he makes a few friends."
Amy nodded in understanding.
"I'm sure he'll be fine. He's such a good kid."
Just then, she heard her son's voice from his room, followed by his footsteps.
"Mommy, I'm done with my homework. Do you want to look at it?"
Missy looked over the few pieces of paper before she handed them back to her son to put them into his schoolbag.
They looked fine to her.
"Hey Joshi.", Amy said friendly. "I heard you're a really big boy now. How do you like your new school?"
Joshua shrugged. "It's boring."
Missy sighed.
Yes, school was boring. So what. She herself had mainly wanted to go to school to meet her friends.
"Auntie Amy, can I ask you something?", Joshi asked and tugged at Amy's hand to follow him. "In private?", he added when Missy looked at him curiously.
"Uhm… sure.", Amy said after searching Missy's eyes.
Missy nodded. She was sure, Amy would tell her if it was important.
But she did not even have to wait for that, because Joshua did not make it farther than the living room couch, apparently assuming he could not be overheard there.
And then he asked a question, that made Missy's blood run cold.
"Auntie Amy, can you tell me, what a whore is?"