Saturday 10th December 2016He shifted nervously in his seat. The heat from the lights was making him uncomfortable and his tie was constricting his throat. He wouldn't be able to talk, so he tugged at his tie. He would pass out through lack of oxygen! As the panic began to build he felt the hand pat his knee and heard his mothers comforting voice."Shelly stop fidgeting, your tie is fine.""I cant breath." he whispered."Know don't give me any of that nonsense." Mary Cooper shifted her gaze from the finely dressed dignitaries and focused her full attention on her son. "You have your speech, you have practised and know it without the words so there is no reason for any of this nonsense. You even had that pompous official from the university check it so I don't see why you are getting all worked up. Now Meemaw has promised she will record it for you so you can watch when we go home and I am sure all your little friends will be watching live, although why you didn't invite them I don't know."Sheldon didn't answer. He patted the paper in his pocket for reassurance and sank back down onto his seat. He didn't want to think about home.In the 12 months that had passed leading up to today's ceremony Sheldon felt as if he had been on some kind of out of control roller coaster ride. He had, if he were honest, never recovered from Amy. Maybe he understood a little more now than he did a year ago; but he would be lying if he didn't admit if only to himself that a large part of him wished it was her sat next to him now and not his mother. He knew Leonard and Penny would be at home in their apartment watching via the live video feed. He knew it was highly likely that Raj and Emily, Howard and Bernadette would have joined them. They had promised to call later too.But Amy wouldn't be there.He hadn't seen or spoken to her in just over a year. And today, at this moment, he knew he missed her as much as if it had happened yesterday. Sighing quietly he pushed thoughts of her aside and tuned in to the speaker who was describing his achievements. Pulling the paper from his inside pocket Sheldon glanced once more at Mary Cooper sat beside him as he stood then made his way to towards the stage.The rest of the afternoon was a blur. Sheldon had shaken hands with so many people he had lost count. His mother had happily snapped pictures of him with his certificate, just as she had done when he had won his first prize for science aged 4; she had taken photos of every person in the room it seemed to Sheldon before she started taking pictures of the room, the food and even the waiting staff. Now however he saw her debating with a very confused looking official the wonders of God's world for making all this 'science mumbo jumbo' possible.Hastily moving to her side before she had his award taken away in record breaking time Sheldon suggested they return to the hotel."But Shelly they are bringing out more of those fancy pastries." Mary sniffed gazing longingly at the extensive buffet table while her son tugged at her arm."Mother I have stood shaking hands for over 2 hours. I need to go to my room, get out of this suit and shower away goodness knows what kind of foreign germs I have been subjected too. Then I intend to order pizza from room service and watch the DVD of Star Trek that I brought with me specially for this occasion.""Really Sheldon! We should go to a fine restaurant and celebrate. You need to call your friends. We promised we would call Meemaw too."But Sheldon shrugged. "Lets just go back." he said quietly and sensing now was not the time to push him, Mary agreed.
He had done it. She had always known he would, they all had. It had merely been a matter of when. She wiped a tear that she felt rolling down her cheek and reached forward to switch of the live feed. She was due back in the lab soon anyway. She had volunteered for the weekend shift to avoid her empty apartment and the constant ringing of the phone as their friends called to check how she was doing. She knew Penny would be concerned, they all would, and she was grateful but she really didn't want to talk to any of them today."Dr Fowler?" The young voice broke her train of thought and Amy stood and turned, smiling stiffly at the young face peering cautiously round the door. "I'm sorry to interrupt but you asked to be informed when the last lot of data had been input. Its done.""OK thank you." Amy's smiled, more genuine this time, as she followed the intern out of her office into the main lab. She had wasted enough time thinking about Sheldon today. Now she had work to do.73"She is not answering." Penny frowned. She was sat on her sofa next to Bernadette, both woman relaxed and sipping wine."Did she say she was going to watch?" Bernadette asked."We never spoke about it." Penny admitted. "In fact if I ever mention Sheldon, even in passing, she changes the subject or says she has to go. But I was sure she would watch and I just wanted to check she was OK."Bernie nodded and said "Howard tried calling her the other day. He heard Neil Diamond was playing in New York and thought Amy might want to go with him. But he only got her voice mail and she didn't call him back.""I don't understand. It didn't have to be like this. If only she had sat down and listened." Penny sighed."Maybe she thought she had done that for long enough." Bernie pointed out gently, "I mean being the girlfriend of Sheldon Cooper couldn't have been easy and lets face it he did turn stalker on her when she broke it off. If it had been me, well I think I would have moved away too.""But she loved him! I don't care what she says, I know she is as devastated as he is. Now when we talk she is like a stranger. All she does is update me on her latest monkey experiment half the time I don't understand anyway then she is gone. I thought she just needed time but its been over a year and if a Nobel doesn't bring her back nothing will."Nodding sadly Bernadette sipped her drink. "I guess we just need to be here for Sheldon when he gets home. Although now he has achieved so much Howie thinks Sheldon may go crazy, he wont have work to focus on and maybe what has happened will finally hit him.""Yeah Leonard thinks the same. He spoke to Sheldon's mother before they left and she said she is going to take Sheldon back home with her for a while. She said if he spends time with Meemaw it might help.""Lets hope so!" Bernadette agreed. Soon conversation returned to their husbands and their latest crazy idea."I was hoping if Amy agreed to go to that concert with Howie it would distract him a little. But now he is sulking because I wont go a determined to get Stuart out of the house by Christmas too.""But that's only a few weeks.""I know! Frankly having Stuart there is a comfort, he is tidier than Howard and he is a good cook too, sometimes I can see why Mrs Wolowitz let him stay.""Just don't let Howard hear you say that!" Penny grinned. The sound of the men returning though soon had both women hiding their grins as they pretended to be just a little interested in whatever latest purchase the men had brought home."Hey, have fun?" Penny grinned standing to kiss Leonard as she passed him to get some more glasses and another bottle of wine."Not really." Leonard slumped down in the chair. "We called Sheldon.""What's wrong? He is OK isn't he? I thought he would have been bursting with pride.""Yeah that's what we thought." Howard agreed "but he was, well, quiet. He said he was just tired and that he was happy but he just sounded sad.""Did you speak to Mary?""Yes. She seemed worried too. She said he had been nervous but not enough to cause concern. She said he had even stayed 2 hours into the reception before leaving and had shaken hands with all the right people. But now he was curled up in his room watching Star Trek having ordered in pizza and wouldn't even ring his Meemaw.""Wow." Penny frowned. "Lets hope a trip to Texas will sort him out."73He lay on his bed and listened to his mother talking. He knew they were talking about him. He knew they were worried. But right now he didn't want sympathetic looks or well meaning advise. He wanted the comfort of familiar food, a show he loved and to be able to relax and forget, just for a while, all that had happened. As he heard his mother say goodbye to his friends and her footsteps approaching he knew he wasn't going to be offered that luxury though."Shelly, I was just telling Leonard that it will be good for you to come home to Texas with me, Meemaw is so looking -""Mother we have discussed this, I have work still to do.""But I promised Meemaw. She wants to congratulate you in person not just a phone call or card. And she was planning to cook all your favourite foods. I even spoke to the university.""What? When? I don't need my mother calling my boss I -""Now now, before you get all agitated it was them that called me. They wanted to check flight times and hotel arrangements; but when we were talking I suggested tagging a couple of weeks onto the trip so you could share your good news with the folks at home. They seemed to think it was a good idea.""Humph," Sheldon grumbled under his breath but the thought of Meemaw's cooking was appealing.Mary sensing his weakness for his grandmothers food continued, "Meemaw said if you had requests to send her a text message. She is loving the new phone Missy got her and is online more than the youngsters in town! She says it is only for recipes but I heard her talking to a friend of hers about a score on game, it seems the senior centre have a tournament going and Meemaw is determined to win."Sheldon smiled, his first genuine smile in a long time, as he pictured his grandmother beating her friends. "OK." He said nodding. "But no parties, no large family gathering and no church!""But-""No. Those are my conditions."Nodding, knowing it may only be a small victory but a victory none the less Mary left her son to his programme.73Amy stared at her phone. She had finished in the lab, staying until everyone else had gone, not wanting to return to her empty apartment. For the past 12 minutes she had been looking at the message she had typed on the spur of the moment and was now trying to decide whether to hit delete or send.Hi Sheldon. I saw your ceremony today. Congratulations! It was well deserved. AFF.If she sent it what would he think? He had look well, good even. He had been composed and articulate and as she had watched him she felt her stomach knot. She had always thought it would be her sat next to him, leading the applause. She had caught a glimpse of Sheldon's mother in the audience though and a small part of her had been pleased. She knew she shouldn't care, it was her that had left after all, but she couldn't deny she was relieved not to see some pretty girl on his arm. Deciding she would think about it overnight Amy put her phone in her bag and grabbing her coat made her way home.
