Penny Hofstadter looked at the clock on her car and sighed. It was her first day back at work since her third child, Alice, had been born, and she wasn't coping very well. She knew the day care at Caltech would look after Alice just like they had looked after Megan and were still looking after Elliot, along with all the other kids the gang had produced over the last nine years, but it didn't make her feel any better. Alice was the most sensitive of the Hofstadter kids and Penny didn't know how she was going to cope. The traffic lights went green and Penny headed to her last appointment of the day, briefly considering ditching it and heading to Caltech.
Leonard looked repeatedly at the clock in his office. Elliot and Alice were only a few floors away, but it seemed ages since he'd dropped them both off. Gosh, Alice had cried. He was pleased Penny hadn't been there, it would have broken her heart. Leonard cursed himself for being the one to go part time, but there was no choice really. Penny was the one that earned the money, so it just made financial sense that three days a week Elliot and Alice would go into day care while two days they were looked after by him, it was also nice for Megan to be able to come home straight after school two days a week. Leonard wished it could be Penny that had been able to take the time off rather than him. They both felt bad for Megan, she had had to be there full time. True she had Halley and Michael there, but it was still five very long days, they were pleased Elliot and Alice didn't have to go that often.
Megan shrunk into her chair; sitting at the back of the class was exactly where she wanted to be. At six years old, she had no idea of time, but she knew that it wouldn't be too long until she had to go to after school club and spend time with her. The nasty girl that would bully her in the club. For some reason, she had left Megan alone at lunch that day, but she knew she wouldn't get away with it twice. Once the bell had gone for the end of school, Megan picked up her bag and walked as slowly as possible to the after school club. As she walked through the door, there she was, sitting in the same place she always was. Halley Rostenkowski-Wolowitz, Megan's bully.