Chapter 48: Sheldon's "Biohazard"
David briefly recounted the harrowing incident on the mountain road and the rescue process to everyone.
As soon as he finished speaking, before Leonard even had a chance to respond—
"Stay back!"
A sharp command, filled with terror, exploded from behind the couch.
Sheldon, looking as if he were dodging an incoming biological weapon, abruptly leaped backward, retreating directly to the kitchen area.
He clamped one hand tightly over his nose and mouth, while extending the other forward, palm open, making a resolute "Stop" gesture.
"David Zhou!" Sheldon's voice was muffled by his hand, but the terror and outrage within it were undiminished. "You have just introduced an unvetted 'biohazard'—potentially carrying fleas, ticks, rabies, and multiple unknown zoonotic pathogens—into our strictly controlled living environment!"
His gaze was fixed intensely on the slightly squirming bundle in David's arms, as if it contained not a young animal, but Patient Zero of an alien plague.
"I demand that you immediately take this mobile pathogen incubator and exit this apartment! No—exit this entire building! And subject it to... subject it to complete sanitary disposal!"
Seeing Sheldon's extreme reaction, David felt that if he didn't take the puppy outside immediately, Sheldon might actually jump out the window.
David gave Leonard a helpless look, then turned and exited Apartment 4A with the puppy in his arms.
Leonard, Howard, and Raj, driven by curiosity about the puppy—or perhaps preferring to be with the puppy "pathogen" rather than face the current Sheldon—subconsciously followed David out into the hallway.
"Close the door!" came Sheldon's undeniable command from inside. "All of you are now potential carriers!"
Leonard had no choice but to pull the apartment door shut.
Immediately afterward, the sound of Sheldon shouting and rummaging frantically came from inside. His agitation had apparently made him forget where he kept things, accompanied by his panicked cries: "...Threat level assessed as 'Orange'! Must initiate the highest level biohazard alert protocol! Where is my emergency kit... Ah, here it is! Disinfectant spray, protective goggles, N95 mask..."
David, standing outside, listened to the commotion and turned incredulously to Leonard: "Full decontamination?"
Leonard, wearing a "What did you expect?" expression, explained helplessly, "Sheldon has an emergency kit for dealing with... well... 'biohazards.' It contains everything from industrial-grade disinfectant to a hazmat suit. He's definitely deploying it now. He firmly believes that one day there'll be a zombie outbreak, or one of us will bring home dangerous lab contaminants."
Just then, the door of the opposite apartment clicked open. Penny poked her head out, frowning.
"Hey, guys, what's all the commotion out here? And what's Sheldon doing in there?"
She tilted her head, listening to Sheldon's highly emotional shouting still coming from inside. "Is he having a meltdown? Well, I knew this day was coming eventually—I just didn't expect it so soon."
As soon as Penny finished complaining, she turned her head, and her gaze fell upon the fluffy little head peeking out from David's jacket.
"Aww!" Her expression instantly shifted from confusion to delight, and her voice rose an octave. "Oh my God! Look at this little guy! He's adorable!"
Completely forgetting about Sheldon, she immediately stepped forward and, almost reverently, took the puppy from David's arms, cradling it and gently stroking its head with her finger. "Where did this sweet baby come from?"
Leonard shrugged and answered for him: "David almost hit him on Sepulveda Boulevard, so he rescued him. And this little cutie is the reason Sheldon's having a panic attack in there—because he thinks David brought back a walking petri dish."
After hearing this, Penny rolled her eyes dramatically and said dismissively, "Oh, please! I grew up on a farm in Nebraska surrounded by animals. I've touched countless creatures big and small, and I never caught any infectious diseases. Sheldon's just being ridiculous!"
Howard leaned against the wall and interjected, "If Sheldon didn't overreact, he wouldn't be Sheldon. But Penny, I'm not defending him—it's just that the animals you encountered on the farm were probably vaccinated and cared for. This stray dog could, theoretically, carry pathogens."
"Oh my God, since when are you a veterinarian, Howard?" Penny scoffed dismissively, then continued, "If you're so worried, why don't you go inside and join Sheldon in his little decontamination ritual?"
"Because I'm not as paranoid as Sheldon, okay? I'm merely stating the objective possibility that a stray dog might carry pathogens. The probability is small enough that we, as 'normal people,' can safely interact with the puppy."
After speaking, Howard, seemingly to prove his point, stepped closer to Penny and reached out to pet the puppy in her arms.
However, just then, perhaps feeling uneasy in the new environment, or perhaps hungry, the puppy let out a faint, pitiful whimper in Penny's arms.
"Aww, listening to that sound, he must be starving!" Penny's maternal instincts immediately kicked in. She spoke tenderly and, without waiting for a reply, turned and walked back into her apartment with the puppy. "Come on, sweetie, let Auntie Penny see what she can find for you to eat."
Everyone naturally followed her into Penny's apartment.
Penny opened the refrigerator, rummaged around for a moment, then turned back awkwardly: "Uh... I think I only have vodka, beer, and orange juice in here—no milk." She took out a slice of bread, waved it in front of the puppy, and said in a coaxing tone, "Hey, little guy, I guess... you don't need butter on your bread, right?"
Seeing this, Leonard immediately said, "We have milk in our fridge! I'll go back and get it right away!"
Just as he reached the door, he stopped short and slapped his forehead. "Oh, damn it! I forgot—we're now 'contaminated contacts' of a 'suspected pathogen.' Sheldon absolutely won't let me in until we complete a full decontamination or remain quarantined from him for 72 hours."
He turned around and looked at David. "Speaking of which, David, looks like I'll have to crash at your place tonight."
"No problem, my spare room is basically a guest room for you guys anyway." David nodded. "I'll go upstairs to my apartment and get the milk."
At this moment, Howard chimed in, "Hey, wait! Just milk might not be enough for a puppy this small—he might need a bottle to drink from. Raj and I will head out and see if we can grab a pet bottle from the store." Raj nodded in agreement.
So, the three men divided the tasks and left together.
David went upstairs to his apartment for the milk, while Howard and Raj headed out to the nearby pet store.
Before long, David returned to Penny's apartment with the milk, which he'd warmed slightly in the microwave.
Almost immediately afterward, Howard and Raj returned, holding a newly purchased pet nursing bottle.
After pouring the warm milk into the bottle, Penny carefully brought the nipple to the puppy's mouth.
Sure enough, the little one was starving. He immediately wrapped his two small front paws around the bottle and began sucking greedily, making satisfied smacking sounds.
Watching this heartwarming scene, everyone relaxed and gathered around the puppy, beginning to discuss how he'd ended up by the roadside.
Howard and Penny had different theories, until Leonard offered a realistic and depressing conclusion: "I think he was deliberately dumped by someone."
"What? What makes you say that?"
Everyone was shocked by Leonard's speculation—abandoning pets is considered animal cruelty and is illegal in California.
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