GEORGE SR. (softly) You should call him.

Sheldon’s phone vibrates in his pocket. The screen says "MOM." He silences it.

MARY He’s at the Nobel Prize, George. His dream. I’m not going to—

Sheldon nods slowly. Outside, a Swedish child runs past with a balloon. Sheldon watches it float toward the icy sky, and for the first time all night, he says nothing at all.

DR. STURGIS (beaming) That’s the spirit, Sheldon! Find the flaw. Even in perfection, there is a hypothesis waiting to be disproven. Look—there’s the King of Sweden. Notice how his sash is slightly misaligned with his lapel. Chaos theory in action.

George Sr. looks at the empty chair beside Mary. The chair where Sheldon would normally be, dissecting the situation with clinical detachment.