Medical Center
After Megan gave her okay, Adam dialed Sheldon's number.
"No way!"
Sheldon shot back without a second thought from the other end of the line.
Megan's eyes dimmed a little. 😔
Her adoptive parents let out a sigh of relief, though a hint of anxiety crept in too. They trusted Adam, especially after he'd explained how this friend named Sheldon could be good for Megan. Still, the idea of their six-year-old daughter befriending an eighteen-year-old? Yeah, it's tough to not feel at least a tiny bit worried about that.
But hearing Sheldon flat-out refuse? In their eyes, that pretty much ruled out the chance he was some kind of creep. With that big worry off the table, they started hoping—really hoping—that this Sheldon guy could bring some life-changing awesomeness to Megan's world.
Congenital insensitivity to pain isn't something you can cure; it's all about prevention. And judging by how rough Megan used to play, relying on her to protect herself? Easier said than done. So, Adam's vision of what could be sounded like a dreamy fairy tale to them. ✨
"Hold on, don't say no just yet," Adam said, raising a hand to Megan's family with a chill-out vibe, shooting them a reassuring wink. He grinned into the phone. "If I've got this right, it's Wednesday today, and you're probably at the comic store picking up new issues, huh?"
"Of course!" Sheldon replied, like it was the most obvious thing ever. "Everyone knows Wednesday night is new comic day. Where else would I be?"
"Any X-Men updates?" Adam asked with a smirk.
"Yup!" Sheldon chirped back but then paused. "Don't worry, I won't spoil it for you."
"If memory serves, isn't someone over there the Chewing Crusader?" Adam teased, laying his trap. "Didn't he conquer his fears with the help of the X-Men comics and become a superhero himself?"
"That someone is me!" Sheldon declared without missing a beat. "I am the Chewing Crusader!"
"Mm-hmm." Adam's grin widened. "And didn't a certain someone idolize Professor X? What would Professor X do if he found a kid with newly awakened powers?"
"He'd track them down, take them in, teach them to control their abilities, and turn them into a proper X-Man," Sheldon said, his voice starting to waver.
"So, picture this: there's a little girl who's awakened a 'painless' superpower, but she can't control it. She keeps getting hurt because of it." Adam chuckled. "What would Professor X do? Or better yet, what would the Chewing Crusader, heir to Professor X's ideals, do?"
"…He'd help her," Sheldon muttered, his voice dropping low.
"You catching my drift?" Adam said playfully.
"Yeeeesss…" Sheldon dragged out the word, sounding totally deflated.
How could he argue with himself, right?
"Great! Then, Chewing Crusader, why don't you say hi to Painless Girl?" Adam directed like a pro.
"Hello, I'm Sheldon Cooper, the Chewing Crusader," Sheldon said reluctantly over the phone.
"Hi! I'm Megan Clover, Painless Girl!" Megan glanced at her parents, then at Adam, before cheerfully greeting Sheldon. "From now on, we're teammates—protecting the weak and saving the world together!" 😊
"No, no, no!" Sheldon protested. "We're not teammates. You're my superpower apprentice! You should be calling me Professor Cooper!"
"Sheldon got his first PhD at 15 and is working on his second. He's just as brilliant as Professor X from the X-Men," Adam explained smoothly. "Calling him Professor Cooper? Totally fair."
"Exactly!" Megan's adoptive parents chimed in, grinning ear to ear. They were already sold.
If they'd had even a sliver of doubt left, it was gone now. This Sheldon Cooper kid on the phone? Total child at heart—maybe even less mature than their Megan! A super genius who could guide their daughter, and only over phone calls and letters? They were all in on this friendship for her.
"Fine," Megan huffed, puffing out her cheeks before chirping, "Professor Cooper!"
I wanted a teammate, but you're trying to be my professor? Rude!
Even as mature as she was for six, Megan couldn't help feeling a little miffed at big-kid Sheldon.
"Excellent, Painless Girl," Sheldon said, clearly getting into the role now, his tone perking up. "From now on, Professor Cooper will help you master your powers!"
"I've got an idea," Adam cut in with a smile. "Professor Cooper, I'll send you all the info on congenital insensitivity to pain—stuff to watch out for, the works. How about you whip up a daily schedule for Painless Girl and draft a supervision agreement? You'd be her official overseer. Sound good?"
"A daily schedule? A supervision agreement?" Sheldon practically squealed with glee. "All by me?"
"If you don't want to, I could—" Adam teased.
"No! I'll do it!" Sheldon shouted. "I love drafting stuff and bossing people around! Don't you dare take this from me!"
"I won't steal it," Adam said, winking at Megan while messing with Sheldon. "But I'll need to see results. You know how dangerous an out-of-control painless power can be for Megan—it'd be a disaster.
I'll be checking that schedule and agreement for practicality and effectiveness. Don't just load it with stuff that only benefits you, or you won't deserve to draft it—or have Megan call you Professor Cooper."
"Ughhh," Sheldon groaned dramatically. "Not even a little? I'm doing this for free—free drafting, free supervising! Letting me have some fun is only fair!"
"Alright, a little then," Adam said, tossing him a carrot after the stick.
"Awesome!"
The classic stick-and-carrot trick—works like a charm every time. Sheldon was cheering in no time. 🥳
Adam gave Sheldon a few more instructions before handing the phone to Megan so she could chat with him.
"Dr. Duncan, what's this 'fun stuff' you're letting Professor Cooper sneak in?" Megan's dad asked, still curious despite knowing Sheldon was basically a big kid.
Adam chuckled. "Relax, it's just silly, childish stuff—things like 'respect him,' 'no mocking him,' 'laugh at his jokes,' that kind of thing."
"Oh, got it," her parents said, laughing along.
"With Megan's condition, there's no cure—just prevention. And someone with Sheldon's OCD-level attention to detail? He's perfect for helping her build the best self-protection habits," Adam explained with a grin. "But since he's not here in person, I'll need you two to team up with him at first. Make sure Megan sticks to the schedule he makes until she's got those habits locked in.
Trust me, when it comes to schedules and supervising, Sheldon's the champ."
"We're on it," Megan's parents nodded eagerly. "We trust you, Dr. Duncan."
The three of them watched Megan chatting away with Sheldon, her little voice bouncing back and forth with his in a totally kid-like way. They couldn't help but smile, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. 😊
"OCD curing painless syndrome? I'm a freaking genius!" Adam thought smugly to himself.
(End of Chapter)