Chapter 1
Leonard and Howard stood back to admire their handy work. It had taken all of Saturday to paint the nursery and assemble the crib for Leonard and Penny's baby which was now due in a just over two weeks. Penny had discovered that she was pregnant while Leonard had been away on a science expedition to the North Sea the previous summer. It was now late January and they had moved in together in an apartment a few blocks away from the apartment on Los Robles Avenue that Leonard had shared with his roommate and physicist colleague Sheldon Cooper
"Thanks guys you've been such a big help today" Leonard addressed Howard and his wife Bernadette
"Yeah it was so nice of you to give up your Saturday for us" Penny added as she passed Leonard and Howard a bottle of beer each
"It's our pleasure it's been fun" Bernadette said as she slipped her arm around her husband's waist "Maybe one day soon you can return the favour"
Howard and Bernadette exchanged a knowing look and Penny wondered whether they were trying for a baby.
"Sure we'd love to" said Penny
Leonard smiled at Penny who was wearing one of his old shirts that was now splattered with yellow paint. He was more in love with her now than he had ever been; he adored the fact that she was carrying his baby. Penny disappeared into the kitchen to get herself and Bernadette a soda. As she opened the door of the refrigerator and peered inside Leonard approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her resting his chin on her shoulder
"Have I ever told you how sexy you look when you wear my shirts?" he whispered into her ear
"You have just last week when we painted the hall" Penny reminded him
She smiled as she remembered the paint fight they had had and how they had wound up having more paint on themselves than on the walls. After the paint fight was over they had then both gotten into the shower where they had made love after and spent the rest of the day in bed completely abandoning the painting for the day. Although their relationship had been strong the previous May when Leonard left for the North Sea, the pregnancy had really brought them together they were closer now than ever and the sex was amazing. Early on in her pregnancy Penny had brought a book on sex during pregnancy and ever since they had both enjoyed experimenting with various positions.
"Leonard we have company honey" Penny reminded him as he began to kiss her neck making her skin tingle
"Maybe we could get rid of them and have an early night? I've been thinking about the night we conceived this little on" Leonard grinned as he worked his kisses from her neck round to her lips and placed his hands on her belly
Their baby had been conceived on the night before Leonard had departed for the North Sea. That evening Penny and his friends had thrown him a going away party in his apartment, he remembered how stunning she had looked in her little black dress and how she had teased him throughout the evening whispering into his ear about what she wanted to do to him and sending him seductive text messages. In the end they had wound up making love on the couch in her apartment and in the weeks that followed Penny had begun to feel different somehow, although she was unable to put her finger on it. It wasn't until her period was nearly a week late that she realised she might be pregnant.
Now back in the present Penny had a suggestion for him
"Why don't you go take a cold shower while I go get the takeout?" The suggestion was met with a groan from Leonard
"Go on go, before I change my mind!" Penny commanded giving Leonard a gentle shove in the direction of the door
"Ok ok I'm going"
As Leonard reached the doorway he paused
"I love you Penny I can't wait for us to be a family"
There had never been a time in his life when he had felt as happy as he did now. Penny was his world and very soon he would have everything he ever wanted
"I love you to Hofstadter" Penny replied
Leonard disappeared off to the bathroom and Penny headed to the bedroom where she quickly changed into Leonard's one and only football shirt and smiled to herself as she pulled it over her head remembering when he had worn it to watch a football game with her friends. The baby kicked and for a moment she looked at herself in the full length mirror whilst rubbing her large belly. As she picked up her purse and phone Bernadette poked her head around the bedroom door an offered to go along with her to pick up the takeout. Penny was more than pleased.
"Actually I'm glad you decided to come along Bernadette I have something I want to run by you" Penny said after they had been driving for five minutes
"I'm listening"
"Well do you remember Valentine's Day last year when Leonard and I had the fight at the restaurant?"
"Yeah sure" replied Bernadette Penny's reminder trigged the memory of the fight she had had with Howard when he hadn't done the laundry and she had hidden his Xbox
"Well after Leonard tried to propose that night and I shot him down he agreed that he wouldn't propose again and that it would be up to me to propose in the future"
Bernadette looked over at her Penny as she pulled her red Volkswagen to a stop at a red light at an intersection
"So you're going to propose to Leonard?"
Penny's face broke into a beaming smile; the baby was due at the beginning of February so she was planning to propose on Valentine's Day shortly after the baby's birth
"Yeah I'm so excited part of me wants to propose now but I think it will nice to do it on Valentine's Day especially considering how badly I treated him last year…"
Penny leant forward and opened the glove compartment and took out a small box inside which was a ring with a small diamond and slipped it onto her finger
"This was my grandmother's engagement ring; mom gave it to me when I went home to Nebraska in the fall"
"It's beautiful Penny I'm so happy for you" Bernadette squeezed her friend's knee
"He'd better say yes" Penny said jokingly turning up the volume on the radio Marry Me by Bruno Mars had just come on
Penny was busy admiring the ring on her finger that she didn't notice that the traffic light had changed to green; the car behind began to sound its horn impatiently
"Ok ok I'm going" Penny shouted glaring into her rear view mirror before putting her car into drive and pressing down on the accelerator, the car rolled forward out into the junction
"Penny watch out!" Bernadette screamed
A car coming from the opposite direction at the intersection had run through a red light at speed and was on a collision course with the side of Penny's car. Penny's instincts told her to hit the accelerator to get out its path but it was too late. The oncoming car smashed into side of her car sending it rolling onto its side. The last thing Penny saw was a glimpse of her engagement ring as her hands gripped the steering wheel before the world turned black.
