Disclaimer: All is Chuck's...
Part LV...
Three hours later...
"What do you think?" Sheldon eyed the newly returned Amy...Who had spent the last hour-and-a-half armed with Dr. Stein's credit card to secure needed items at the Austin Mall, having been dropped there by Stein, Kripke, and young Sheldon enroute to UAustin.
Blonde wig oddly enough unnecessary as Stein happened to have one at home, left by a young lady a couple of months before...
Visiting friend...A former grad student...Dropping by while Susan was seeing her mother with an aunt...He had apologetically explained.
Amy eyed Sheldon with false moustache...And cowboy hat.
One, lent by Kripke...Whose reply as to why he kept a false moustache on hand, in pocket, had been a shrewd leer...The other, the hat, a gift to young Sheldon from his father.
"Young Susan thinks I'm George Cooper, why not continue the masquerade?" he noted. "Though she hasn't seen the moustache, I think it helps define the character as unique from me."
"Yeah..." Amy stared.
Oh, why did he hafta choose this particular fantasy of mine? Even if the tasche is half Geraldo, half Snidley Whiplash...
"If adult Susan should spy me, I'm George, visitin' my little brother... I doubt she knows anything about George except that I have a brother, so the age shouldn't be a problem. You think the hat a bit much?"
"What?" she stared... Busy picturing moustached cowboy Sheldon on horse, baring down on her own...Voluptuous...Form.
"Oh...No...Keep it. Really fills out the character. Excuse me, I should get ready."
"Yes, ma'am." Nod, tip of hat. "I'd actually best mosey on down to the CCU at UAustin Medical and see tell as to our lil' Penny and Amy."
Oh...
OH.
"Be careful!" she insisted, hurrying to embrace, then kiss, him. "A cowboy hat doesn't make you a marshal you know. Exercise extreme prejudice with Dr. Stein, female."
Stare..."You mean caution...I think that phrase means to..."
"I mean what I said. Take no prisoners, Sheldon. That girl is a mass murderer." Amy, grimly.
"You do the same, Amy Farrah Folwer aka Penelope..." he nodded. Eyeing her...
"You wanna see before you go, eh?" she eyed him.
"Well...I'm just curious..." he noted.
"Fine..." she pulled out wig and putting it on, eyed him. "Hi, Sheldon!" brightly Penny voice.
Hmmn...Careful stare...
"You didn't pay her for those lessons, did you?"
...
"Amy." Margaret frowned at the hastily writing Amy who looked over...
"You know you should not be taking notes on what Penny's saying." Glance to bathroom door, Penny currently the occupant.
"It's not only a bit rude, but it's sure to contaminate your relationships with Sheldon and his friends in this timeline."
"I just wanna be prepared for all eventualities, Gran."
"Sheldon fell for you, not Penny, girl. There's no need to risk altering things. Especially at such a detailed level. You can't be sure what changes you might initiate."
"I just wanna be sure I'm the one who first sings him 'Soft Kitty'." Amy noted. "Besides, if Penny dislocated her shoulder, I'd be of much more help."
"Perhaps...But what if by denying her the chance to see Sheldon as compassionate she becomes convinced he's a bad influence on Leonard...?" shrewd look. "You might never see her again. She and that Leonard of hers might take a different course...Your future friends as well. Sheldon might even never reach the point where he could tell you he loved you."
"Possibly...But..."
Shake of head..."Don't overthink this, Amy. You've been given a great but dangerous gift. You know you and Sheldon will be. Don't destroy it by trying to force it. It sounds, from what I've heard, like a very delicate and beautiful romance." Fond smile at Amy.
"Don't freeze it or trample it trying to make it so. I nearly did that with my Leonard...Though he did require some prodding. And I had no prior knowledge of his current or future behavior."
"I suppose..." sigh. "But Gran, now I know, what if that's the poison that kills our love?"
"Sweetie, you'll just have to take a leap of faith and believe in yourselves. Little Sheldon loves you, you know that."
"Yes...Gran...?" Nervous look. "What if it was too soon? What if he gets bored with me?"
"With a Fowler?" Margaret eyed her... Girl?
"Right, ridiculous...We are endlessly diverting and custom cannot stale our infinite variety." Amy nodded.
"You know it, girl." Margaret agreed. "Half of Hollywood didn't come knockin' at your Greataunt Margaret's door to see if the Witch was really all that Wicked cause they found her...Boring."
"That's a great comfort. And nice for Sheldon." Amy beamed. "When you love someone as much as I and counterpart Amy do, it's nice to know they'll never be cloyed with feeding." Slight sly smile to Margaret.
"That's quite enough borderline salaciousness, my girl...Though kudos for your study of 'Antony and Cleopatra', Amy. Anyway, just leave this to Time. Don't try to force or push it."
"I'll try, Gran...But unless we decide to induce amnesia for these events, is it ok if I cherish every moment?"
"Of course, sweetie. Oh, Amy...? Don't forget Charlotte. You promised to call her today."
"I will."
"And contain your happiness, meaning...Don't be a cat about Sheldon."
"Right...But it's Charlotte who blames me. I never stole him, I just happened not to be in France having multiple surgeries...Luck of the draw, Gran."
Amy...Frown.
"Hey, guys..." Penny had emerged. "Anything come up?"
"Your nurse says you're to be moved to a regular room shortly, which sounds like you're much better. And Sheldon's called. He's coming over, soon. Older Sheldon, I mean." Margaret noted. "He said something about calling him 'George'."
George? Penny blinked.
...
Office of Francis Stein, Physics Department...
"All right, I'm running home to check on Susan before her tutor comes. Will you two be all right here till I get back in an hour?" Stein eyed Kripke and young Sheldon, Kripke at his desk's computer terminal, typing, as Sheldon reviewed class notes.
"Well...I have my class notes to review for 'Applied Quantum Mechanics' and Barry is attempting to get a line on any suspicious area purchases or rentals so we should have sufficient matter to keep us occupied. Plus, I will be checking in with Dr. Fowler at 10:30 and spending a few moments in conversation with my beloved one, so we've got plenty on our plates, thanks."
"Indeed..." Kripke nodded. "Thwough if you might ask that wrathewr wlovely secwretawry of youwrs to bwring in some coffee for me and cocoa for Coop hewre, that would be very nice."
"I will...But, she has a rather large and athletic and jealous fiancée, Dr. Kripke...As Xavier once learned to his discomfit. I'd not go poking that bear." Stein smiled.
"Point tawken and noted, thanks." Kripke sighed.
Thought the Cwreatowr might be more forthcoming on the lovely ladies...Wrumor had it that he had a hawrem on campus... Suwrely he might spawre a lass or thwree to a fellow scientist and believer in Wromance.
"But you might care to sit in on my 'Physics for Non-Scientists' undergrad seminar at 1. I unfortunately had to limit the class, it has been very popular with students seeking a little Physics and a 2-credit elective. Somehow the new schedule put out with the limitation notice was incorrect and the overwhelming majority left were female, English and art students mostly, who somehow never received the incorrect schedule and asked to stay on." Shrewd grin. "I'm sure they'd appreciate a guest lecturer even if you'd have to limit your comments to 1996 developments."
"Indeed..." Kripke, eagerly. "I'll wreview some topics of intewrest."
Hmmn...Sheldon frowned.
I was the bright star of that class...They found me just adorable when I gave a lecture last month.
Still...Krip has not had my luck in finding true love. We should throw the poor guy a bone.
...
What Would Penny Do? Amy pondered.
Course, I could call her. But I don't know if she'd be up for appreciating my efforts here.
She eyed herself in mirror...Pursing lips, adjusting wig...Perhaps a little more to pale that skin more alabaster, she dusted...Peering again.
Yeah, stuff those suckas...
...
"Howdy, ma'am...George Cooper, here." Sheldon in tasche and hat, smiling at admissions desk nurse. She eyeing his T-shirt of evolution of man, ending in terminator in robot form strangling homo sapiens preceding him.
"Jest trying to find out what room a Miss Hofstadter...Mrs. Hofstadter might have been moved to? I hear tell she's been bumped from her CCU room?"
"Room 254. Take the elevator to your right..." She pointed.
"Thank ya, kindly." He strolled over, pressing...
"So..." he heard a stunningly familiar voice from a wheelchair turned against him in the opening elevator... "Charley? You think it might be I got clunked on the head? Like on TV? And another clunk might make me remember?"
"Don't know Janey..." the tall husky black technician shook head at Susan Stein's request. "But another CAT scan may show something. Sorry, fella. All full on this little one." He called to the stunned Sheldon.
"Ya! Really sorry!" Susan's cheery voice, she unable to see him, as the door closed.
...