A/N This is a sequel to The Doula Reaction which I wrote last year. I still intent to continue with 'The Road Back Home' but felt that I needed to write something a little different for a while. I'm not entirely sure where this will go, but the story will be mainly about Leonard and Penny, but will feature the rest of the gang as well. As always feedback and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Big Bang Theory.

Making her way along the hospital hallway toward the elevator Penny's mind was whirling with the news that she'd received from her doctor. It certainly wasn't the bad news that she'd spent the last week mentally preparing herself for, nevertheless it was certainly something which she hadn't foreseen and as such had come as a great shock. Getting into the elevator alone, she pressed the button to take her down to the ground floor before leaning back against the inside wall, closing her eyes and exhaling deeply.

"I'm pregnant" she breathed. "My God I'm having a baby..."

Saying the words out loud the reality that six months from now she was to become a mother again for the third time finally began to sink in. As the elevator descended, Penny's mind drifted back over the conversation with her doctor, recalling how she had used terms such as 'advanced maternal age' and 'chromosomal abnormalities' coupled with lots of numbers and percentages highlighting her increased risk that struck fear into her heart. At the age of 48 she had firmly believed that her childbearing days had come to an end, it had in fact been her suspicion that she was in the beginning of menopause that had prompted her to make an appointment with her doctor. Married now to Leonard for twenty years, they had two children. Grace, who was twenty and currently studying to become a nurse and Robert, or Bobby as they called him, who had just turned ten. While Penny remembered fondly giving birth to Grace at home in their old apartment in Los Robles Avenue, Bobby's birth had been a stark contrast after he was born prematurely at twenty-six weeks. Reaching the ground floor, Penny blinked back her tears as the elevator doors slid open, even ten years on it was still intensely painful to think back on those first few months after Bobby was born that had been spent almost entirely at the hospital. What's more she had no idea how Leonard was going to react to the news, in so many ways the traumatic birth of their son his subsequent battle for life had hit him the hardest. Heading for the exit out to the parking lot, Penny decided to call into the hospital gift store to pick up a bottle of water for the ride home, but upon entering the found herself gravitating towards a shelf filled with teddy bears available in either pink or blue.

"Girl or boy?" an unexpected voice from behind her chorused, bringing Penny out of her reverie.

"Huh? Oh Jake...hi." she stammered, turning to come face to face with her friend Jake. "I was just er...visiting a friend. How are you?"

"Oh I'm fine. I didn't expect to see you here today." Jake answered, as a qualified doula and part time EMT the he often joked that the hospital was his second home. "One of my clients just had a baby boy. It's a real sweet story, they've been trying for years for a baby and had given up when she got pregnant." Jake beamed. "Her husband is completely over the moon, he won't stop hugging me."

Penny returned Jake's smile. "Yeah that's so lovely" she agreed.

"So it looks like I'm gonna make it over to Bernadette and Howard's later after all." Jake continued, referring to the party that Bernadette and Howard were hosting later that day in honour of their son Joey who was coming home for a visit from his college in Chicago. "It'll be great to catch up with Joey again. I can't believe he and Grace are twenty now."

Born on the exact same day, Grace and Joey had been inseparable whilst growing up and had been boyfriend and girlfriend for longer than anyone could remember. Taking after Howard's father, Joey had turned out to be an exceptionally talented musician and was currently studying for a degree at a prestigious performing arts college in Chicago. Penny had first met Jake when Bernadette hired him as her doula when she was pregnant with Joey. Shortly afterwards however, Jake had decided to move back to New York to be nearer to his daughter Anna, but had returned to Pasadena after Anna got a place in a college in Los Angeles.

"So is it a boy or a girl?" Jake asked, going back to his original question.

"Huh?"

"You were looking at the 'congratulations it's a boy/girl' teddy bears. I assume you're here to visit someone who's just had a baby." Jake said.

"Oh...a boy..yeah she had a boy." Penny replied, appearing unusually flummoxed.

"Well, I'm heading back up to the maternity unit now, why don't we walk together?" Jake suggested, as he selected a can of soda from a refrigerator and handed over some coins to the assistant behind at the cash register.

Penny bit down on her lip, buying herself a few additional seconds of thinking time. "Actually I think I'll come back tomorrow." She said, feigning a change of mind. "You know how it is when you've just had a baby the last thing you want is to be inundated with visitors! Anyway I just remembered Bobby has a sleep over at his friends tonight. So I really need to get home to get him ready."

"Ok, well I'll guess I'll see you later then." Jake said, his goodbye met with a blank expression from Penny. "You know at Bernadette and Howard's party." he reminded.

"Oh yeah sure. Of course." Penny chuckled, rolling her eyes at her own forgetfulness.

Concerned Jake asked if anything was ok. He hadn't seen her in a while, but she seemed very preoccupied that day.

"Oh sure. I'm absolutely fine. I'll see you later." She answered , hurrying off initially in the wrong direction, needing to correct herself by pivoting on her heels, finally locating the exit.

Out in the parking lot, with a smile plastered on her face Penny strode purposefully toward her car. It was a beautiful warm day in early April and the cars in the lot glistened with the rays from the mid-afternoon sunshine. She had just unlocked her car and was about to get in, when she felt a firm tap on her shoulder.

"It is you isn't it?" a shrill voice enquired.

As a well-known soap actress Penny was accustomed to being recognised whilst out in public, although she had hoped that the sunglasses that she'd worn that day might have helped conceal her identity. While she was always happy to chat to fans and sign autographs in shopping malls and restaurants, she preferred to be anonymous when going about personal business such as going to see her doctor.

"You're Paige McIntyre aren't you?" the voice repeated, addressing Penny by her character's name.

Turning around Penny discovered that the voice belonged to an elderly lady, who from the pink and white striped tabard and name badge that she wore guessed was a volunteer at the hospital.

"I have to tell you honey, you could do so much better than that dog of a husband... I mean an attractive woman like you, you could have your pick of the men.." she ranted, wagging her finger. Confused, for a moment Penny thought that the woman was talking about Leonard, before realising that she was actually referring to her on-screen husband Troy, who in her twenty year stint playing his wife had had numerous affairs.

Penny chuckled. "Oh I can assure you Marjorie" she said, reading from her name badge. "The actor who plays Troy, Daniel Harrison, he's a really nice man. He and his family come over to my house all the time for pool parties and during the holidays."

"It's never too late to get rid of him you know." the woman continued, so intent on giving out her advice that she was oblivious to every word that Penny had just said. "I was married for forty years and when I found my husband had cheated on me I kicked him out, but not before I cut up all his suits into tiny pieces..." she said, imitating a scissor action with her fingers.

"Well that's a nice story Marjorie." Penny acknowledged politely, while desperately trying to suppress a laugh. "I'll be sure to give it some thought."

"You mark my words, he'll never change!" the woman yelled through cupped hands as Penny reversed out of the parking space. "They never do!"

No longer able to stop herself from smiling Penny waved goodbye.

When Leonard returned home from work later that afternoon he found the house to be uncharacteristically quiet, greeted only by Albert (named after Einstein), their pet Labrador who came bounding out of the living room with his tail wagging frantically. Bending down, Leonard stroked him.

"Hey buddy where is everyone?" he asked. Setting his briefcase down in the downstairs hall and pausing to loosen his tie in the hall mirror, he climbed the stairs, entering into the bedroom to find Penny sat at her dressing table wearing the silk ivory robe that he had brought her as a gift the previous Christmas.

"Hi honey. How was your day?" she asked, running a brush through her freshly washed hair. "How did your meeting with the university board go?"

"Much better than I thought." Leonard replied, smiling at the captivating image of his wife, who to him had only become more radiant and beautiful with age. "It looks like we've secured the funding that we need for the experimental physics department this year." he told her. At fifty-three, Leonard wore the same hipster glasses that he always had, his brown wavy hair had however receded slightly and nowadays was flecked with tiny strands of grey.

"That's great sweetie." Penny said, swivelling around on the dressing table chair to face him. "I'm pleased for you. I know how worried you've been recently."

Glancing down at the bed Leonard noticed the presence of Grace and Bobby's baby photo album. After getting back home from the hospital Penny had spent a while looking over old photos, remembering what it was like in the first few months as a new Mom after Grace and Bobby were born. It was then that she had decided that she would break the news to Leonard that night after returning home from the party.

"Where are the kids?" Leonard asked, reminded again of how unusually quiet the house had been when he had stepped through the front door.

"Bobby is having a sleep over at his friends and Grace has gone to pick up Joey from the airport and said she will meet us over at Bernadette and Howard's house." She told him.

"Oh, so I guess that means we have the place to ourselves for once." Leonard said in a husky voice, from behind his hands found their way to the tie on Penny's robe, loosening it, allowing it to slip from her shoulders. Knowing exactly what her husband had in mind Penny responded with a pleasured moan. Even now she still got butterflies in her stomach when he kissed her.

"Leonard, you know we're gonna be late for the party if you don't shower soon." she breathed, instantly aroused by the sensation of his soft and sensual kisses on her neck. "Grace will be staying with Joey tonight so we'll still have the place to ourselves all night" She reasoned, with a playful wink.

Sighing with exaggerated irritation, Leonard pulled off his already loosened tie before walking over to the bed and picking up the photo album.

"I almost forgot that I wore Aquaman swim shorts that day." He remarked, grinning at the photo of him and Penny in the birthing tub taken only minutes after Grace was born.

"It was your big surprise remember? You didn't care that the midwife saw you wearing them and knew how nerdy you were.." Penny laughed, throwing her head back.

"No I think the big surprise was the fact that you proposed to me in the birthing tub." Leonard corrected.

"Ok as far as surprises go I guess I do win." Penny conceded.

Smiling together at the memory, Leonard then turned the album page and grimaced at a photo of Bobby also taken shortly after he was born, but in his case he was in an incubator, his tiny body obscured by a multitude of wires and tubes.

"Even though we have a happy healthy little boy now it's still so hard to think of our son being so sick isn't it?" Penny sighed, sadly. Although, from her seat at the dressing table she couldn't see the photo, she could tell from Leonard's pained expression that he had found one of the early pictures of Bobby.

"I really thought we were gonna loose him Penny." Leonard admitted, turning his attention again to look at the picture before closing the album and replacing it on the nightstand. "You know I had some scary experiences when I was out on that boat in the North Sea in the summer of 2013, but nothing compares to how frightened I was when I got the call from the studio that day to say that you'd been taken to the hospital.."

"I know, but we were both fine in the end." Penny said gently, getting up from the dressing table she came over to sit beside her husband on the bed, taking his hand in hers. "We did a great job Leonard. We have two wonderful children and I wouldn't change that for the world." She told him.

"Yeah we did." Leonard agreed. "Although, I have to say I do look forward to the day when Bobby's grown up and we can have some more time to ourselves. You know maybe take that trip to Europe that we've always talked about..." as his voice trailed off amidst wishful thoughts of Paris and Rome, Penny looked away.

"What is it honey?" he asked, sensing her unease.

"Nothing. I just noticed the time." she answered in a casual tone, pointing at the digital alarm clock on the nightstand which indicated that they had less than half an hour to get ready and drive over to Howard and Bernadette's house. "We're gonna be sooo late if you don't get a move on." She added with a gentle shove to get him up. Rising to his feet, Leonard walked around the side of the bed in the direction of their en-suite bathroom.

"I love you Hofstadter." Penny said, just as he reached the bathroom door. "We make a great team you and me."

"Team Lenny." Leonard grinned, it was their couple's name that Amy had coined shortly after they had gotten engaged. "And I love you too.."

Little did he know it, but his life as he knew it was about to be turned upside down..

"Its Joey." Bernadette announced excitedly, reading aloud the text message on her cell phone. "He says he and Grace are on their way here from the airport."

From his spot huddled around the barbecue with Jake and Howard, sipping beer and flipping burgers, Leonard had been keeping a careful watch on Penny as she chatted with Bernadette at the table beside the swimming pool. Catching his eye every now and then she would smile reassuringly, but Leonard was convinced that something was bothering her. After twenty years of marriage and twenty-seven years knowing each other, he could read her like a book. Aside from being incredibly quiet in the car on the ride over, she hadn't touched the glass of white wine that Bernadette had poured her, as far as Leonard was concerned even that fact alone pointed to something being amiss.

"You might want to flip those burgers over now Leonard." Howard said. "I prefer my meat a little less cremated."

Breaking out of his thoughts, Leonard picked up the barbecue tongs and proceeded to turn the now slightly singed burgers.

"Are you ok Leonard? You seem a little worried about something." Jake observed.

"He's probably just worried about getting food poisoning from my cooking." Howard joked with a boyish grin, downing the last dregs of his beer he disappeared inside the house to fetch some more bottles.

"Is everything ok with Penny?" Jake continued, it hadn't escaped his notice that Penny didn't appear her usual bubbly self, from what he could see Bernadette seemed to be doing most of the talking, while Penny listened with a distant expression on her face.

"Actually I am little concerned about her." Leonard began. "She seemed ok earlier, but since we got in the car to come over here she's barely said a word."

"Yeah, she did seem a bit distracted today when I ran into her at the hospital." Jake said, recalling their earlier encounter in the gift store.

"Penny was at the hospital?" Leonard questioned, unable to conceal his surprise.

"Yeah. She said she was visiting a friend that just had a baby, but then she changed her mind. She left in a bit of a hurry actually."

Leonard thought hard, his work schedule had been hectic of late and he knew that he'd been preoccupied, but he was sure he didn't recall Penny mentioning a pregnant friend that was about to give birth. Before Leonard could speak Penny got up and began to swoon as though beset by a sudden bout of dizziness, forcing her to grab the table in an effort to stay on her feet.

"Honey what is it?" Leonard exclaimed, quickly approaching his wife, who aided by Bernadette was lowering herself back down into the chair.

"She nearly fainted." Bernadette said, turning to address a concerned Leonard.

Penny giggled. "I didn't nearly faint." She scoffed. "I've just a bit too much wine on an empty stomach that's all."

On Leonard's insistence that he examine her, Jake dashed to fetch his medical bag from the trunk of his car. Escorting Penny inside and into the cool sanctuary of the air conditioned den, he proceeded to take her blood pressure and pulse, finding her blood pressure normal, but noting that her heart rate was slightly quicker than normal.

"See I told you I'm ok. It was just a combination of the wine and the heat." Penny said knowingly after Jake had left the room, leaving her alone on the couch with Leonard.

"Sweetheart, why didn't you tell me you were at the hospital today?" Leonard began, taking Penny's hand and kissing it, keen to impress the fact that he wasn't mad at her, he just needed to not be in the dark. "Jake seems to think you were visiting a friend, but I don't think that's true is it?"

Penny had no intention of lying to Leonard, but somehow it didn't seem like the right time or place to break the news to him.

"Honey can we do this later please?" she asked, with pleading eyes. "Joey and Grace and everyone else will be arriving soon. It's a party let's not spoil it."

Leonard shook his head. "No I'm sorry. I need to know now Penny." he said firmly, his eyes full of concern.

Relenting, Penny admitted that she had been at the hospital for an appointment with her doctor to get the results of some tests which she'd had recently. "The only reason I didn't tell you was because of how stressed out at work you've been..." she insisted, although seeing how upset Leonard was now and realising that if the situation was reversed she'd react in exactly the same, she now regretted her decision not to tell him.

"Honey nothing is more important than you and the kids." Leonard said, with emphasis. "Absolutely nothing. You guys are my world you know that."

"I know. I'm sorry." Penny whispered.

Concerned that his greatest fear was about to realised. Leonard swallowed hard, steeling himself for what was to come. "So what did your doctor say?" he asked. Bowing her head, Penny began to cry softly, sending Leonard into a fresh wave of panic.

"Oh my God its cancer isn't it?" he said a single breath, gently brushing her hair away from her face to reveal her tear stained cheeks. "Please just tell me honey. Whatever it is I'm here for you."

"I' not sick Leonard." Penny wept, keen to quickly reassure him. "I'm pregnant..."

There was a silence. Outside on the driveway a car horn sounded several times as Grace pulled up with Joey beside her in the passenger seat.

"I don't understand.. how?." Leonard murmured quietly.

"After two children I would have thought you'd be familiar with the process." Penny said, smiling through her tears, dabbing her eyes with the corner of a tissue that she'd just removed from the box on the coffee table.

"What I mean is I didn't think it was possible anymore?... And besides we're always so careful.."

Even without stating it outright Penny knew that Leonard was referring to her age and the likelihood of them conceiving naturally.

"Well apparently it is possible." She responded pointedly. "Particularly when you've been recreating the events of October 2012 with your husband in his lab."

Leonard thought back, realising that a full three months had passed since Penny had surprised him wearing a raincoat and not much underneath one evening while he'd been working late. Pausing to clear his throat first Leonard spoke. "What about the increased risks?" he said. "Your doctor must have discussed them with you."

Penny nodded. "Yes she did. I'm booked in for an amniocentesis next month" She calmly told him, in truth it frightened her to death, but she was determined to maintain a cool composure.

"And what about the other risks? Did she talk about placenta Previa?..going into labour early?...needing to undergo a C-section?..."

"Please Leonard. Do we have to do this now?" Penny interjected. "I know it's a lot to take in, but I don't think now is the right time or place. We'll have plenty of time to talk about this later."

"And what about the kids?" Leonard continued, ignoring Penny's pleas to postpone the conversation until a more appropriate time.

"What about them?"

"Well this affects them too. Doesn't it?"

"I should imagine they'll be really pleased when we tell them that they're gonna have a new baby brother or sister." Penny answered, not totally sure where Leonard was heading with his remarks, but nevertheless feeling uneasy.

"Sweetheart, you nearly died giving birth to our son." Leonard reminded her, raising his voice slightly to make his point. Despite the fact that Penny had very little recollection of the birth itself, she had by no means forgotten the seriousness of her condition back then and how she had hovered between life and death in the ICU for three days. Just then there was a loud knock on the door of the den.

"Mom.. Dad?"

Opening the door ajar, Grace appeared. With dark wavy hair and brown eyes, in appearance she took after her father, while her quick witted and occasionally fiery temperament were very much characteristics that she had inherited from her mother.

"Mom, Jake said you had a bit of a turn? Are you ok?" she asked.

"I'm fine sweetie. It was just the heat that was all." Penny answered, with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"Are you sure?" Grace pressed, noticing that her father appeared unnerved and tense.

"Absolutely. You know how your father always overreacts!" Penny joked, gently nudging Leonard in the ribs. Assured by her mother's jovial manner, Grace smiled with relief.

"Ok well that's good, everyone's here now Mom." She said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Joey and I have something we'd like to share with you all..."

A few minutes later Leonard and Penny had joined the rest of their friends who were gathered outside by the pool, where Joey was preparing to make an announcement. By now everyone apart from Raj, who had texted to say he was running late had arrived.

"Is this gonna take long? Cos I'm starving." Leonard overheard Sheldon moan, prompting Amy to silence him by slapping him lightly on the arm. Despite being married to Amy for several years, there were some aspects of Sheldon's personality that had never changed.

"Ok well I know everyone's keen to eat." Joey began, gazing around and seeing the faces of all the people he loved and cared about. "So I promise I'll keep this short. A few weeks back Grace came to Chicago to visit me for the weekend. I don't think I have to tell you guys that Grace and I have known each other all our lives and that we've loved each other all our lives too."

"Oh that's so romantic." Amy gushed, pressing her hand to her chest and hooting a sideways glance at her husband, who looked unimpressed by Joey's outward display of affection for his girlfriend.

"Anyways." Joey continued, slipping his arm around Grace's waist, pulling her near. "With that all in mind I decided to ask Grace to be my wife...and thankfully she said yes."

"We're getting married!" Grace burst out, revealing her left hand with a small yet beautiful diamond ring. "Isn't that awesome?"