Several readers asked me to write more TBBT and while I technically have my hands full with my other story, I still found time to scribble this down :)
To explain the background of this: In Chapter 32 of my 'What could have been' story, I wrote a dream sequence with a character named Chris and one eager reader asked me to expand on him (if you want to read that, keep in mind, What could have been is a M-rated story. The dream sequence is close to the end written in italics). So here's my attempt to do that. I plan this to be a multi-chapter story, but I don't know how fast I can update. Also, the chapters won't be nearly as long as my other story.
Disclaimer1: I don't own TBBT
Disclaimer2: Thanks to TerribleWaitress for letting me use the characters of Meryl, Jason and Bridget
"Hrrrgnnnh." Penny groaned loudly, the pain rushing through her again in pulsating waves.
"Okay, it's crowning!" the doctor said loudly to overcome her vocal expressions of pain and exertion.
"Mark my words, you will never touch me again!" she shouted at Leonard, who stood at her left side, holding her hand.
"If you continue to crush my hand like that, I won't be able to anyway." he winced.
"Oh, shut up!"
"Okay Penny, you need to push one last time, one mighty push. As soon as the shoulders are out, your body will do the rest." the doctor said, in a regular voice this time. "Okay, three... two... one... push!"
Penny did as she was told and started pushing, feeling the life she had created with Leonard sliding out of her and with a last primal scream, the pain lessened and she fell back into the cushion. The doctor handed the little human to a nurse and cut the cord, before the nurse took it away to clean it up and wrap it into a blanket.
"You did great Penny." doctor Kersh told her.
"Thank you." she panted, more exhausted than she felt ever before.
She heard her baby's first cry and after another minute, the nurse handed her the baby, all cleaned and wrapped up. She looked down at the tiny face and tears of joy rolled down her cheeks. After eight and a half months, she finally had her child in her hands and her husband at her side, who also cried in joy and kissed the baby's forehead.
"Perfect." she breathed, seeing the small hands and equally small fingers. "Maybe I let you touch me again after all." she directed at Leonard.
"Do we have a name yet?" doctor Kersh asked them.
"His name is Chris." Penny said proudly.
"Can we come in, we're dying out here." they heard Amy's voice coming from the outside.
"I'll let them in." Doctor Kersh said after Penny nodded at her and opened the door, stepping outside with the nurse. "You can go in."
Their group of friends piled into the room, staying quiet but eager nonetheless. Amy and Bernadette gave out little squeals at the sight of Chris and hurried to Penny's side. Howard and Raj stepped towards Leonard and shook his hand before hugging him.
"Sheldon, get in here!" Amy hissed before the aforementioned physicist leaned his head in.
"I don't want to. The child didn't have any of the usual inoculations yet." Sheldon said from the door.
"Sheldon! He's just been born, he can't be sick and he also can't have any inoculations yet."
"Fine." Sheldon huffed and took a tentative step into the room.
"Can I hold him?" Bernadette asked in her high-pitched voice and Penny handed her son to her. "He's so beautiful."
"Oh please, he'll soon turn into a constantly crying poop machine, vying for attention." Sheldon interjected.
"So, just like you, except for the pooping." Leonard laughed.
"I am not constantly crying or vying for attention."
"Yes you are. How often have you tried to convince me to move back into your apartment during the last six months, citing some invented violation of the roommate agreement that's not valid anymore?"
"Eighteen times." Sheldon said quietly, his eidetic memory making him impossible to forget that.
"And my answer won't change with the next eighteen times."
For another ten minutes, the group minus Sheldon gushed over the new arrival into their group until Penny felt the exhaustion catching up with her and was rolled into a recovery room, Leonard walking behind her with Chris in his arms. The last thing she saw before her eyes fell shut was Leonard, holding their son in his arms and smiling like a little kid in a toy store.
"I already love you more than life itself." Leonard whispered to his son, whose eyes were moving everywhere, seeing nothing. "I will do anything for you. I will keep you safe. I will give you anything you need. Even if you weren't quite expected so early." he added with a laugh.
8 months earlier:
"Are you feeling better?" Leonard asked Penny, holding up her hair as Penny retched one last time.
"A little." she replied, spitting the remnants of her breakfast out of her mouth and took the glass of water Leonard was handing her to rinse it out completely.
"I have a rather unpleasant deja-vu right now." he said with a humorless laugh.
"What do you mean?"
"Remember, when I wanted to take you to Switzerland for Valentines Day?" he asked, helping her back into the bedroom.
"Yes, why?"
"Well, you got the flu there too and I was forced to go with Raj after Sheldon got sick too."
"Oh yeah. But don't worry, you won't have to go to a Valentines dinner with Sheldon or Raj." she grinned and got back into bed.
"Here you go." he said, handing her a glass of water and some crackers.
"Thanks. I'm sorry to have wasted your delicious pancakes by throwing them up again."
"It's okay. Not like you did it on purpose." he smiled. "You want some medicine? I have a lot of stuff at my place that could maybe help."
"No, Bernie is coming over later, she'll bring something from our company." Penny replied, just as a knock sounded on the door.
"Hey Bernadette." Leonard greeted the diminutive blond.
"Hi Leonard. Hi Penny." Bernadette greeted them and walked into the apartment.
"I have to go to work, will you be okay?" Leonard inquired.
"Sure. If there's something bad, I'll call."
"Okay. Love you."
"Love you too. No kiss, no need for you to get infected too." she smiled.
"Okay, I have experimental cough drops but they could make your mouth twitch, nasal spray that can cause a burning sensation or, if nothing else works, something for your throat but it could cause you to have hiccups for as long as two hours after taking it." Bernadette explained.
"Bernie, tell me the truth, are there real scientists working at our company or is it an elaborate game of truth or dare? So far, every experimental medicine has some terrible side effects."
"Yeah, but they get fixed, otherwise we would be broke." Bernadette explained. "Also, to top it off, I brought a few pregnancy tests."
"Why would you bring pregnancy tests? I use birth control."
"Which one?"
"I have an IUD." Penny said.
"What kind? Hormonal? Or the copper one?"
"Hormonal."
"And when did you get the last one?" Bernadette asked.
"Let me check." Penny replied and rummaged through her drawer until she found the document she was looking for. "I need to get it replaced... uh... two months ago. Oh crap."
"Take the tests." Bernadette said and handed her the sticks and a bottle of water.
Penny walked down the hallway towards Leonard's lab, her heart beating faster with every step she took. Her engagement ring on her finger, she had been happy since he proposed, all those months ago. And they both had agreed to stay engaged for a while until her brother would be released from jail and could attend the ceremony. But right now, she didn't know if that would be possible. As she neared the doorway, she heard Sheldon's voice coming out of the lab.
"I will write to the commission and notify them of their error." she heard Sheldon's voice say.
"As if that will do any good." Leonard countered to that and Penny sneaked closer to listen some more.
"But your contribution isn't even technically possible yet and may not be for decades to come. Furthermore, it was the result of an accident which resulted in the damaging of expensive equipment that led to the results you got."
"But I still was able to reproduce those results."
"Still..."
"Sheldon!" Leonard interrupted his roommate's newest objection. "Have you any idea how fast President Siebert will kick you out if he learns that you want to protest this because you think that you deserve it more?"
"This won't be the end of this." Sheldon said and Penny finally stepped into the room.
"Hey guys." she greeted them. "What's the argument about?"
"This." Leonard said and handed her a piece of paper. She took it and read it, her eyes almost bugging out of her sockets when she saw the header.
"Leonard! This is..."
"Yep. I got the call an hour ago and because I couldn't quite believe it, they faxed me a written notification. President Siebert was running up the walls in joy when he received the call before he transferred it to me."
"Why did they call him first?" she asked.
"They didn't. They called the university to get contact information because we don't have our number listed." Leonard explained, pointing to Sheldon and himself. "And once he learned who had called, Siebert took it."
"That's so great, sweetie." she yelled and hugged him hard. "A Nobel prize! You're getting a Nobel prize!"
"I am. Although they also give one to another physicist." Leonard added.
"And here I thought I could make you happy by telling you that I'm pregnant." she said as they hugged and Leonard pushed her away without letting her go, looking at her in shock.
"What did you just say?"
"I'm pregnant."
"No, no, no, no, no, no." Sheldon muttered, looking at them both with wide eyes.
"Yes, Sheldon." Penny said.
"This can't be happening." Sheldon shouted and ran out of Leonard's lab.
"Wait, I thought you used an IUD." Leonard wondered.
"I am. But I... uh... forgot to have it replaced two months ago because of the beginning Christmas stress. I hope you're not mad."
"Mad?" Leonard asked shocked. "I'm ecstatic! Penny, we're going to have a baby."
"I KNOW!" she shouted and hugged him again, tears in both their eyes.
The Present:
"Are you already turning him against me?" Penny asked grinning as she watched Leonard whisper to their son.
"I think he's hungry." Leonard replied instead and handed him to her.
She opened her hospital gown and revealed her right breast before guiding him to it. Chris latched on and started sucking greedily, drinking the milk she produced inside her. Penny started to giggle as their son continued feeding.
"What's so funny?" Leonard asked.
"It feels almost the same when you do it."
"Except the only thing I want to get out of you when doing that is hearing you moan in pleasure." he winked at her. "And I see you have given him your right breast."
"Of course. You still have that habit to go left." she laughed. "I need something to even it out."
"Very funny." he grinned and both went silent, looking deeply into each others eyes.
"I love you." she said.
"I love you too." he replied and bent down to kiss her.
They continued kissing deeply while Chris kept greedily sucking the white liquid out of her. Penny couldn't believe her luck to have finally gotten to his. A year ago, she didn't even know when they could get married and here they were, welcoming their firstborn into the world. As Leonard broke the kiss, she saw his hand going over hers, their wedding bands touching.
"This is our legacy, Doctor Hofstadter." she said, looking at their kid.
That it is, Misses Hofstadter." he replied.
7 months earlier:
"You look so beautiful." Bridget gushed as she watched Penny look at herself in the mirror.
"That she does." Meryl agreed, standing on the other side.
Penny tried her hardest not to cry so she wouldn't smudge her makeup again, and checked if her wedding dress was fitting correctly. After learning about her pregnancy, she and Leonard had decided to push up the date of their wedding, even if her brother´s sentence wouldn't be over by then so they would be husband and wife when the baby was born. And they also wanted to do it before she was showing so people wouldn't think that this was a shotgun wedding.
Now she was waiting for the ceremony to start. Amy and Bernadette were standing in the room as well, wearing their bridesmaids dresses and proudly smiling at her. Soon they would take their place at the altar where Leonard and the guys were already waiting, the only thing missing was her father, who would walk her down the aisle.
"Hey slugger." Wyatt said, stepping into the room but staying at the door.
"Finally. I almost thought you left the building." Penny said relieved.
"No, why would I want to miss my favorite daughter getting married."
"Hey!" Bridget threw in.
"I'm kidding." Wyatt laughed. "But to explain my momentary absence, I brought something." he added and waved someone into the room
"Hey Penny." the arrival said timidly.
"Jason!" Penny shouted and went to hug her brother. "How can you be here?"
"I know the brother of the prison director." Wyatt told her. "I explained what was going on and he agreed to give him permission to attend the wedding since Jason is a nonviolent offender. There's an officer outside who guards him and will take him back after the ceremony."
"Excuse me but the ceremony is about to start, places please." Amy threw in, who had taken over the planning of the wedding.
Everybody but Penny and Wyatt left the room and Penny looked at herself one last time, finding nothing wrong. Her dress was immaculate, her makeup not smudged at all and her hair all done. She took a deep breath and walked with her dad into the hallway to wait for the wedding march to start.
"I'm proud of you, Penny." Wyatt said and gave her waist a squeeze, omitting a hug for fear of ruining her makeup.
"Thank you daddy." she said just as the first notes of the wedding march became audible.
She linked her arm into her fathers and started walking slowly towards the altar. Leonard's eyes widened as he saw her. To him, she was the most beautiful woman in the world and not only would he be his wife from today forwards but in less than seven months, they would welcome their first child into the world. This moment, seeing her walking down the aisle with a big smile on her face made everything that happened during their relationship worthwhile.
On the left side of the aisle sat a majority of her family. Her mother, her siblings, her aunts, uncles and a few of her cousins next to several of her friends. With a pang of emotional pain, she saw the right side of the aisle where Leonard's friends were sitting, all of them colleagues and guys from the comic book store, all cleaned up and in appropriate clothing. What was missing entirely on his side was any form of family member.
Although they had sent out invitations, most of his family had at least had the decency to respond. His brother was in the middle of a trial and couldn't leave no matter how much he wanted to and both his sister and father were out of the country. But his mother hadn't even responded, ignoring the invitation completely. Penny liked Beverly but she was furious over the way that woman treated her own son. All those thoughts were wiped away when she reached the altar.
Penny experienced the rest of the ceremony as if in a trance. All she could see was her almost-husband's smiling face and before the minister had even finished saying 'You may kiss the bride', she had thrown herself and Leonard and kissed him hard. At least she had retained the state of mind to stop at a certain point before it became uncomfortable for the guests and they had parted and presented themselves to the crowd who applauded them, even Sheldon.
"So that's it, we're married." Leonard said proudly as they danced their first dance as a married couple at the reception.
"Yes, we are. And I couldn't be happier." she agreed and looked deep into his eyes. "I must say, those dancing lessons paid off."
"Of course. Can't risk looking buffoonish at my own wedding, can I?"
"How long do we have to stay?" she asked.
"Well, it's our reception, so a while at least. Why?"
"What do you think? I want you to ravish me. All night long preferably."
"Is that wise? Because... you know."
"Honey, I'm pregnant, not sick."
"Okay, point taken. But we should stay a while, at some point though, everybody will understand when we leave before the other guests." he grinned.
"Good. Now kiss me."
They finished the dance and the other couples piled on to the dance floor. Wyatt took Penny and danced with her, followed by Jason while Leonard danced with both Meryl and Bridget. Amy was ecstatic as Sheldon continued dancing with her with no sign of wanting to return to the table. Penny had to grin when she saw most of her girlfriends dancing with Leonard's nerdy friends, wondering if something more would come out of it, despite its unlikelihood.
"What's going on with Sheldon?" Leonard asked as he sat down at the table again, Penny already sitting.
"I told Amy to mix some vodka into his drink. Seems to be working." she laughed.
One after the other, the couples went back to their seats, with Amy having to drag Sheldon back, citing a violation of social protocol if he kept dancing. As soon as everybody sat, Wyatt stood up and took his glass of champagne in his hands, clinking it with a spoon to make everyone else shut up.
"When my daughter told me that she was dating a nerd, her words, I was flabbergasted. Usually, the boyfriends she brought home were guys I'd rather shoot then let step into my house. But I appreciated the influence Leonard had on her. My daughter became more mature, quieter and more sophisticated."
"Dad." Penny whined.
"Then I learned that Leonard had proposed and she had accepted. I couldn't have been happier in that moment, knowing that my little girl would have a husband who probably loved her more than even me. And now, they also have fulfilled my wish of getting a grandchild who won't be growing up in a house with wheels."
"Dad!" Penny gasped.
"To Leonard and Penny." Wyatt shouted and raised his glass, an action mirror by everybody else.
A lot of hours later, Penny was panting heavily with her head on Leonard's chest. After having stayed long enough to satisfy protocol, they had bid their goodbyes and hurried to their honeymoon suite, where Penny had quickly extricated herself from her wedding dress before making passionate love to her new husband. Several times in various positions
"I told you we would do it all night long." she grinned and pointed to the window where the first rays of dawn were coming through the glass.
"You're nothing if not persistent." he laughed but couldn't suppress a yawn. "But if you keep that up, it might fall off."
"Don't be overly dramatic. We had a few all-nighters over the years and that never happened."
"Okay, point."
"Then get ready for round six." she grinned and scooted down his body.
"You might have to be on top."
"I wouldn't have it any other way." she winked and from then on, no more words were necessary.
The Present:
"Doctor Kersh, when is a baby able to fly on an airplane?" Penny asked as they were packing her stuff.
"There isn't a fixed waiting period really." doctor Kersh replied. "It also depends on the airline. Some airlines have no problem taking on a baby that's just two days old. But you should refrain from going to tropical countries for the first two months because a baby can't get a malaria inoculation before that. Why do you ask?"
"My husband is getting a Nobel Prize and the ceremony is on December 10th. And it's in Sweden."
"That shouldn't be a problem, since your baby will be almost two months old then. Except it gets sick before that of course."
"Well, lets just hope it won't come to that." Penny said.
"Ready?" Leonard asked, holding the baby in its transport cradle.
"Yeah." Penny confirmed and put her bag over her shoulder. "Doctor Kersh, thank you."
"My pleasure. Come to me a few days before you travel to Sweden for a checkup. I can also give him his first set of inoculations then."
"Will do. Goodbye."
Holding hands, Leonard and Penny walked out of the hospital and towards his car. Penny got into the backseat with the baby while Leonard sat down in the drivers seat. He started the car and left the parking lot to drive to their home, driving just above the minimum speed to not violate the minimum speed limit laws. And while Penny usually shook her head at his habit of not driving at even the legal speed limit, looking at her newborn son couldn't make her care less that he was driving slow.
I'll stop here. Depending on the response to this, I might continue and also how fast I am doing it ^^ But keep in mind that I write this when I get the urge to write but don't want to write for my other story :D
Review please :)