"No, tonight is Chinese Night and Sheldon won't have it any other way."

There was silence as Leonard listened to Penny's response over the phone. He had a look of irritability on his face that showed he really wanted to go see her at her job and have dinner. However, Sheldon made it blatantly known that Chinese Night was strictly for Chinese food. Penny may have forced the boys to veer off-course with their schedule a couple of times, but Sheldon refused to let it happen again.

"I'm sorry, Penny. If it makes you feel any better, I'll pick you up a bottle of wine and we'll have a drink when you arrive home."

Again, silence as Penny responded.

"Okay, I'll see you when you get home. Bye."

Leonard slumped back in his chair and turned to the Physicist sitting on the couch. Sheldon sat there with a smug sense of self-satisfaction plastered over his face. Howard and Raj had left to pick up the Chinese food.

"Wipe that smile off your face. Penny seemed like she really wanted us to come see her tonight," Leonard snapped at Sheldon. "She said it's been slow."

"Based on my observations of your last statement, I believe she only wants us to come dine at The Cheesecake Factory because, as it is slow, she is making fewer tips. If we come and dine, she knows we will leave her a sufficient tip, even if she, herself, is a bit 'slow'," Sheldon quipped.

Leonard gave Sheldon an exasperated look.

"Well, it's true. We always leave her precisely a 15% tip –"

"– I know what you meant, Sheldon! What my look meant was that that was not why she wants us to come –"

Leonard was cut off by Howard and Raj coming through the door, each carrying a hefty bag. He knew he wouldn't get anywhere and decided to drop the subject.

After Howard and Raj left, Leonard drove to the liquor store and picked up a bottle of Moscato for Penny. He still felt bad for not going to see her. Sheldon didn't understand why Leonard put so much effort into "a worthless cause," in which he was referring to Leonard's failing attempt to court Penny. In Sheldon's words, "The odds of a lady as attractive as Penny dating a 'nerd' as big as yourself are miniscule, almost nonexistent."

Deep in his mind, Leonard knew Sheldon was right. But that didn't change the fact that he loved Penny, and would do anything for her. Even though he didn't stand a chance of becoming her boyfriend, he at least settled for being her friend. That seemed to be the only thing he could do.

Leonard decided to do some work in his room while he waited for Penny to arrive home. Leonard was already irritated with Sheldon, so he didn't need to hear his constant harrumphs of disapproval as he watched Leonard work. He paced and wrote on his board on and off for hours, brainstorming and rearranging problems. It was almost midnight when Sheldon burst into Leonard's room with a phone in his hand, causing Leonard to fall over his board.

"Sheldon! Since when did you stop knock –"

"Penny is in the hospital! We must go at once!" Sheldon had a mixed look of pain and nausea, which Leonard took to be serious.

"What? What for?"

"No time to explain now, we must make haste! Grab your coat and meet me at the door in one minute!" With that, Sheldon turned on his heel and swiftly walked out. Leonard snatched up his jacket and ran out the door, not even bothering to shut it.

The car ride was agony. Even though it was then midnight and there was hardly any traffic, it seemed that every red light was working against them. Sheldon sat in the passenger seat, not even commenting on Leonard's speed and looking even more-so sick. Leonard couldn't take it.

"Now tell me, Sheldon. Why is Penny in the hospital?"

Sheldon looked as if he might get sick in the car if he opened his mouth. Leonard knew how he felt. Even more-so, in fact. He felt like his heart was going to jump right out of his chest. The anxiety was driving him crazy. "I don't know. All the woman on the phone told me was Penny arrived in the Emergency Room in very bad shape and the only name she gave them was yours. They tried your cell phone and when that failed, they called our home phone." Sheldon looked down at his hands and said nothing more.

"My phone was off on the charger..." was all Leonard could think to say. The idea of Penny being in the hospital terrified him, and not knowing what happened made it that much worse. When he finally turned into the parking garage, he swung into the first spot he found, jumped out the door and took off running. Sheldon's OCD prevented him from leaving the doors unlocked and open, so he locked up and set a quick pace towards the entrance of the ER. When he walked in, he saw Leonard running to the desk practically yelling at another patient to get out of his way.

"Sir," the receptionist started irritably. "What is the problem?"

"We got a call saying our friend is here! Where is she?" Leonard couldn't stop the panic in his voice.

"Okay, sir, what is your friend's name?"

"Penny... Um... Penny..."

Sheldon couldn't stop himself and decided to interject. "You don't know her last name? What kind of lovesick puppy are you, not knowing the object of your affection's last name?"

Leonard turned to Sheldon with a scathing look. "Fine. Do you know her last name?"

Sheldon opened his mouth to respond but came up short. He slowly closed his mouth and looked at the floor.

Leonard turned back to the receptionist. "She's a very pretty blond, about my height, average weight of about 120lbs..."

In the background, Leonard could hear Sheldon mutter, "Don't let Penny hear you say that..."

"Oh, yes," the receptionist said. "She's still undergoing procedure. Have a seat and I'll notify you when she is moved to a room."

"Procedure? Room? She's staying? What happened?" Leonard nearly cried.

"I'm afraid only the doctor can tell you that. Please, have a seat. It shouldn't be that much longer."

Leonard walked away from the desk dejectedly. He slumped into the nearest chair and put his head in his hands, fisting his hair. Sheldon sat down quietly next to him, obviously disturbed as well. Leonard kept running through his conversation earlier with Penny and it was making him feel worse. He felt he should have went to see her at work. He thought that maybe whatever happened wouldn't have happened had he gone. All the possibilities of what might have occurred kept pushing their way in. The worst part was not being able to do anything.

Precisely fifteen minutes later, the receptionist stood and got Leonard and Sheldon's attention. "She's been moved to room 27. You can go see her now."

With that, Leonard took off out of his chair and was down the hall before Sheldon could stand. Leonard shoved through a pair of doors and spotted the door with a 27 on it. He stopped outside of it and allowed himself to catch his breath and calm down. Being frantic wouldn't help anything. When Sheldon finally caught up, Leonard looked at him quickly before lightly knocking on the door. A short, bespectacled Indian doctor opened it. His coat read "Dr. Arjun Landabad" and he had a squished face, kind of like a Persian cat's.

"Yes?" Dr. Landabad inquired.

"The receptionist said Penny was moved to this room and we can see her," Leonard said eagerly.

"Oh, are you Dr. Leonard Hofstadter?"

"Yes... Um... What?" Leonard was confused at how the doctor knew.

"She gave your name when she arrived before she fell unconscious. Since then, she's mumbled it every now and again."

"Can I see her?"

"Yes. Her anesthesia should be wearing off soon. Please..." Dr. Landabad motioned for Leonard and Sheldon to enter the room. Leonard noted in the back of his mind that Sheldon was unusually quiet. However, it wasn't nearly as pressing as what lie ahead. He held his breath and walked through the door.

The sight that met him made his knees buckle and his heart wrench in agony. The golden-haired angel laid there in a cold, clinical bed, broken. The left side of her face was covered with a swollen, ugly bruise. A slightly blood-stained bandage rested on her right cheek, and there was a small laceration over her right eye. She was connected to an IV and heart monitor.

Leonard extended his hand out and took a slight step forward. "Oh, God..." he choked out. "Penny... What... What happened to her?"

"She was attacked. That is all we know for certain at this moment. She will have to be questioned by the authorities once she awakens." Dr. Landabad looked down at her chart and grimaced slightly. "There's... er... another thing, Dr. Hofstadter. While she was undergoing procedure to repair the damage, we found evidence suggesting she may have been... sexually assaulted."

Leonard stared blankly at the doctor, unsure of what to do or say. How does one respond to that kind of news? He was more or less in shock, and his mind was having a very difficult time processing what he was hearing. His features paled and he fumbled around blindly for a place to sit. He fell into the nearest chair, his hand covering his mouth and his eyes staring at Penny in disbelief.

Sheldon finally decided to speak up, for which Leonard was grateful. He wasn't sure if he could speak without vomiting. "What all does the damage consist of?"

Dr. Landabad looked at Sheldon with curiosity. "Are you a friend of hers as well?"

Sheldon stuck his hand out. "Dr. Sheldon Cooper. And, yes, I'm a friend of Penny's."

Dr. Landabad shook Sheldon's hand and looked at the chart once more. "Well, there's the obvious: bruising and swelling of the left side of the face. She has a laceration on her right cheek that required eight stitches. There are also three broken ribs which luckily didn't puncture her lungs, a hairline fracture of the clavicle, bruising on both hips as well as her thighs. Her right hand is broken in two places and slight vaginal tearing. We feared she may have had a concussion but the test came back negative, which is one small plus side."

Leonard looked away from the broken girl in the bed towards the doctor. "She's... Is she going to be okay?"

"Leonard..."

The voice was so small that he wasn't even sure he heard it at all, but both the doctor and Sheldon looked in Penny's direction as she opened her eyes slightly.

"Leonard... What's going on?" Her eyes were only opened a fraction. In a heartbeat, Leonard was at her side.

"Oh God, Penny, are you alright?" His eyes stung a little.

"What a ridiculous question, Leonard –"

Sheldon's retort was cut short by Leonard's piercing look, which only lasted briefly before he returned his attention to Penny.

"The police will wish to question her promptly. Will you two please excuse us so I can discuss a few matters with Miss. Penelope?" The doctor noted the reluctant look on Leonard's face. "It will only take a few minutes. Then I'll leave you with her while I notify the police that she's awake."

Leonard found it extremely difficult to leave Penny's side, but he relented when Sheldon placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned and slowly exited the room, giving Penny one last sad look before turning the corner. Sheldon steered them to a break room down the hall and sat Leonard at a table. He then busied himself with a hot chocolate machine located in the corner. Leonard just sat with his head in his hands, and could think of nothing but Penny.

A couple of minutes later, Sheldon sat at the table next to Leonard and placed a steaming cup in front of him. When Leonard didn't respond, Sheldon decided to speak. "It is said that warm beverages such as hot cocoa can help ease –"

"Yes, Sheldon, I know..." Leonard snapped lightly. When he saw the look on Sheldon's face, he turned his gaze to his cup and placed his hands around it. Though he didn't drink, the warmth radiating from the cup spread throughout his unusually cold and clammy hands. The two sat there silently for about ten minutes until the doctor appeared in the doorway.

"You can go back to her room, now. I'm going to inform the officers that she's awake."

"Wait!" Before the doctor could turn to leave, Leonard was up and in front of the him. He looked at the doctor nervously, obviously unsure of his question. "What... What's going to happen now?"

Dr. Landabad sighed and removed his glasses. "Honestly Dr. Hofstadter, we won't know that until she gives the police her story. It depends on what she remembers as to how we proceed."

Leonard mumbled a thanks before heading to Penny's room. He heard Sheldon ask the doctor something, but he wasn't terribly worried about it. He found her door and opened it, bracing himself for Penny's recount.