CHAPTER 25

The great-great-great grandmother's treasure

"I just came here, to help Penny with her… wedding plans. I mean, she's planning her wedding and she asked me to come and… help her. It isn't strange at all. I'm her bestie and that's what besties do." With clumsy hand gestures and a progressive stutter, Amy tried to justify her presence in her friend's apartment. She couldn't even understand why she was so nervous around Sheldon, specially after all they've lived together during the last week. "Amy, act like a grownup!. For god's sake, Sheldon just saw you naked", she thought to herself as her face reddened.

"Amy, asked Penny to bring you here" Sheldon confessed. "I'm so glad you came". He said with a lovely smile.

"What?... Why?" Amy asked abruptly. "I don't get it".

"Amy, I've already told you I wanted to be with you." Sheldon gulped, trying to gain courage to say what he needed to say. "I… I thought I've made myself abundantly clear".

"If you wanted to see me, you only needed to say it" Amy answered sincerely. The disappointment was evident in her words. "I was expecting a call or at least a text. We've experienced so much lately. I thought you freaked out and left. I was worried about you". She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"You were worried about me? You know I'm fine, on the contrary, you're all over the place today little lady". Sheldon scolded his girlfriend. "But it's okay, we'll get over this." Sheldon said as he got down on one knee. "Amy". He announced resolutely.

"Sheldon, what are you doing?" Amy's hands flew to her mouth. "You aren't… No, this isn't happening".

"Amy, will you marry me?" Sheldon said as he opened the blue velvet box which guarded the most beautiful engagement ring the neurobiologist had ever seen.

"Oh my!" Amy exclaimed. The gold diamond ring was shining in front of her eyes, and its scintillating sparks made Amy wonder if she was having some vivid hallucinations. "Is this how a stroke feels?". She asked herself in silence. "Did I have a concussion and I didn't notice?"

"Sheldon, you… you have a ring!. Amy questioned him nervously. When did you get it?"

"This ring has been in my family for generations" Sheldon smiled at his girlfriend. "Except for a short time when Comanches cut off my great-great-great-grandmother's finger and stole it". His characteristic chuckle sounded even sweeter. "If you accept it… this will be your engagement ring". Sheldon looked at the ground and his cheeks blushed deeply. "Do you want it?". His heart was jumping inside his chest. "Do you want to be my wife?".

Sheldon stood up and inhaled deeply, trying to calm down. He knew it was a terrible time for a new episode of paroxysmal tachycardia, nevertheless his heart easily reached 120 beats per minute.

"Sheldon, are you sure?" Amy questioned him with evident trepidation. Her voice was shaking and her eyes began to fill with tears.

"Amy, my great-great-great grandmother, the one with nine fingers, guarded this ring as her only treasure and so did my Meemaw. She gave me the ring and she told me to keep it until I was sure that I've found the love of my life." Sheldon took Amy's trembling hands.

"Sheldon!" Amy let out a sigh.

"What my Meemaw didn't know is that I had met the love of my life, a long time ago." Sheldon nodded. "A long… long time ago". He repeated.

"Sheldon, I don't know what to say!" She stared into Sheldon's honest eyes, trying to find an answer. "Sheldon, I love you but…"

"Amy! Just say yes!" He asked her. "You´ve just said you loved me and I know that's true. This ring belongs to you, just like I belong to you". He confessed with all his heart. "Please, say you will marry me!"

"Yes! Yes, I will marry you" Amy replied and hugged him. "Nothing will make me happier." She cupped his chin with her soft hands and kissed him deeply.

A smile was playing on Sheldon's lips as he finally broke the kiss and told her: "Good, now that we are officially engaged, I should go and tell Leonard and Penny that you said yes. You better put on your wedding dress now, Penny will help you to get ready.

"I'm sorry Sheldon. What did you say?" Amy thought it was a misunderstanding.

"I said you should go and put on your wedding dress. It's in Penny's room." He smiled. "Hurry up sweetheart! Do you like that pet name? Oh, we'll discuss about it after the wedding. I could call you darling, if you want to."

"Hold on!" Amy raised a hand and put it on Sheldon's chest. "I said I will marry you, but I didn't mean today. You want us to marry… today?".

"Yes! I want to marry you as soon as possible". Sheldon admitted. "I don't want to waste more time without you. If you could dress up and get ready in an hour, it will be wonderful. We are in a hurry!".

"Don't you think it is too… rushed" Amy questioned his unusual behavior. "I mean we just got engaged, we can't get married in an hour".

"Actually, I have everything planned and we could get married in an hour, two hours… tops" Sheldon replied with a confident smile. "You said yes, and that's everything I needed."

"I know, I know. Being your wife is one of my biggest dreams, but we aren't prepared. We need a wedding venue, invitations, food, flowers, there's so much to do…" Amy started hyperventilating.

"Amy, I don't care about the place, the flowers or the food, and as far as I'm concerned, all the wedding guests we need live close to our apartment." Sheldon took Amy's hand and sat on the couch, asking her to sit next to him. "Amy, during the last days I've had the time to think about my life. I've been reflecting a lot about the fragile equilibrium of life. How easy it is to lose everything I love. I'm a man of routines, I enjoy stability and order, but the day I realized I could lose you, my life crumbled. I won't deny myself of your presence. You're the only person who can make me happy. Ask my friends, I didn't even smile as often as I do, now that you're in my life." He sweetly grinned at Amy.

"I'm getting married!", Amy screamedh out loud.

Sheldon laughed happily, thinking that his great-great-great grandmother would be proud of the new owner of the ring.