Sheldon hissed as Amy placed the ice pack on his cut lip. He could see Leonard knocking on Penny's door from where he sat. He couldn't believe she had punched him! Sure, she had threatened to go "junior rodeo" before, but he had never really thought she would ever do it.

Leonard gave one more knock and Penny flung open her door, making Leonard cringe back. "What?!"

Leonard gulped and fiddled with his glasses nervously. "Penny, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Penny tied her robe snuggly and glared at Sheldon over Leonard's head. Her hair was still covered in goo. "Well," she bit out, "let's see. New dress ruined. Date ran off without so much as a hello. OH! And I get to spend my birthday trying to get my hair to stop smelling like a compost heap. Yeah, Leonard, I'm just great!" Penny stepped back and slammed the door shut.

After a couple of seconds Leonard moved back into 4A and shut the door. Amy frowned and looked around the room. "Why didn't anyone tell me it was Penny's birthday?"

Sheldon groaned. How could he forget? Even if he didn't particularly like them, they all knew how much Penny loved birthdays. Ever since Leonard and Penny had broken up, and his roommate had begun dating Raj's sister, they had seen Penny only sparsely. That was no excuse, though. After all, hadn't Penny just presented Howard with a gift only five weeks ago for his?

Leonard groaned. "I can't believe we forgot it! She must hate us!"

Priya narrowed her eyes jealously. "It's only a birthday. Besides, she had a date. It's not like she was expecting a party."

Bernadette shook her head. "That's not the point. She has never forgotten ours. She always celebrates our birthday, even if we aren't having a party."

Sheldon sighed and reached for his laptop. He opened his email and quickly composed a message to his neighbor.

Penny,

I am sorry your birthday date was canceled. As recompense for my small part in this, I will have your dress dry cleaned and pay for your meals for the next week.

Sincerely,

Doctor Sheldon L. Cooper Ph.D.

There, he thought to himself. That should fix things.


Random words : Compost, hate, ice, broken, birthday.