Hi, everyone! Just wanted to say I appreciate the interest quite a few people have taken in my story. A reminder that this story is rated 'M' for a reason, and by no means should be read by anyone under eighteen. This story depicts very adult themes, which will begin to appear as the story progresses. So don't sue me.
Leonard entered the room to find Penny's eyes opened more, though her left eye was so swollen it was still barely a slit. He crossed the room and pulled a chair quickly to her side.
"Leonard... I'm so sorry..." Penny's eyes locked with his. Her statement confused him.
"What? What in the world are you apologizing for, Penny?"
"For having them call you. I just... " she choked as a small sob escaped her throat. "I couldn't think of anyone else. I..."
"No, no. Don't apologize for that. You know I would do anything for you. There's nowhere else I would possibly be..." He bit his lip, trying to stop his eyes from watering.
"Thank you for coming. You're such a good friend to me..." A lone tear slipped down her uninjured cheek as she reached out and grabbed his hand.
Just then, a light knock resounded on the door and two police officers stepped in, followed by the doctor and Sheldon.
"Penny..." Dr. Landabad started. "This is Officer Mike Hodgkins and Officer Wilson Kudrow. They're here to collect information regarding your attack."
Leonard looked back at Penny and noted the prick of fear in her eyes. "It's alright, Penny. It's standard protocol for attack victims."
Officer Hodgkins stepped forward and offered his hand to Leonard. "You must be Penny's boyfriend...?"
If Leonard wasn't in the situation he was in, he might have sputtered over the question. However, he could only bring himself to solemnly reach forward and grasp the officer's outstretched hand. "Dr. Leonard Hofstadter. And no, I'm just a close friend and neighbor."
"Ah... Well, if she doesn't mind, we need to ask her a few questions." Officer Hodgkins motioned for Officer Kudrow to step forward with a notepad at the ready. He looked at Penny expectantly. "If you wouldn't mind starting at the beginning, it would be a great help."
Penny definitely didn't know how to start. She didn't want to talk about any of it. Her throat was dry and she wasn't sure if she would be able to speak. But when Leonard gave her hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze, she knew she had no choice but to try.
"I had just gotten out of work – probably around ten. It was a very slow night so they cut me early. I parked about a block away, down Meridian Avenue. It took nearly five minutes to unlock my door because the lock sticks. When I got in and shut the door, I... I..." Penny choked out a sob and reached up to wipe the tears rolling down her face, only to have Leonard beat her to them. He gave her hand another squeeze and she took in a shaky breath, cringing at the pain in her ribs. "I... looked in the mirror and I saw him. There was a man in the back seat. He had black hair, a-and a scar across his jaw –"
Officer Kudrow interjected, "How old –"
" – Let her finish. We'll ask for details afterwards," Officer Hodgkins cut in. He looked to have seniority as well as a few years on the younger officer, and seemed more experienced with such matters. He addressed Penny. "Go on."
She took small breath and continued. "He... He put a knife to my neck and told me not to scream. He said, 'If you value your life, you will slowly crank the car and drive down the street. Do it, now.' S-so I did. He told me to turn into an abandoned parking garage and turn the car off. When I did, he... he grabbed me and pulled me into the backseat. I struggled a bit and managed to knee him in the jaw..." Penny winced and gripped her chest lightly. She slowed her breathing and let the pain in her ribs ease up. Talking was putting a lot of strain on her. With another calculated breath, she continued. "I tried to grab my phone, but he knocked it into the front seat. I punched him in the back of the head, but it didn't faze him and he tackled me into the seat. He pinned me down with his knee in my chest and told me he was done playing games. He got on top of me and put the knife to my cheek. I tried to hit him in the groin, so he slashed the knife across my face. When I screamed out, he punched me..." She brought her braced hand to her face to ever-so-lightly touch her swollen cheek. "I was so dazed I could only lay there while he pulled my skirt up and he... he..." Penny couldn't continue . She let a sob escape her as Leonard lightly put his arm around her. He really felt as if he would be sick. Anger bubbled in his chest, but it was drowned out by the need to comfort Penny.
The officers allowed her a few moments to compose herself. It wouldn't do anyone any good if they couldn't understand what she was saying between sobs. After a few minutes, she finally began to calm down, lightly sniffling into a tissue provided by Leonard.
"Is it alright if we continue with the questioning?" Officer Kudrow asked. Penny gave a solemn nod. "Right, now, how old would you say the man appeared to be?"
Penny bit her lip and concentrated for a moment. Her voice was still shaky. "Probably around thirty. Maybe thirty-five. He looked older but not graying."
The officer jotted down the description and returned his gaze to Penny. "Could you see the color of his eyes?"
"Yes. They were green. He... he forced me to look at him..."
"Can you give a height and weight?"
Penny thought about the question for a moment. Her eyes showed deliberation. "Maybe six and a half feet. Probably 215 pounds."
"And you said he had a scar across his jaw. Which side?"
"Left. It ran all the way from front to back."
"Okay, do you remember what street you were on?"
"N-no. After he left, I called 911. I was so confused they told me they would trace my call. I'm sure the ambulance could give you the address."
"Right..." he said, jotting down another note. "Did you see which direction he was heading?"
"No..." Penny looked disappointingly down at her hand in Leonard's grasp.
"Alright," Officer Hodgkins spoke up. "I think that's all we need for right now. The doctor informed me that you already consented and submitted to a rape kit when you first arrived. They'll be checking the samples and running the DNA through a screening for matches. For now, just get some rest. If you think you have any more information that might help us in finding the culprit, don't hesitate to call my number." With that, he handed Penny his card. "We'll let you know if we find anything."
Penny mumbled a thank you to the officers as they walked out the door and shut it behind them. Leonard looked at the doctor expectantly.
"What's our course of action now?"
Dr. Landabad adjusted his spectacles and folded his hands in front of him. "Right now, Penny needs rest. I'm going to have the nurse administer another dose of morphine in a moment. We'll need to hold her until morning to ascertain there is no internal hemorrhaging. After that, we'll release her to go home assuming she has someone that can take care of her. The pain from the broken ribs should begin to subside after the first week or so, but I'm going to send her home with some hydrocodone pills which will help. She just needs to take it easy for about three weeks. Nothing strenuous."
Just then, the doctor's pager went off. He checked it quickly and looked at Penny once more. "I have to take this. A nurse will be in shortly to administer another dose of morphine. I'll see you in the morning."
With that, he left the room. Leonard looked at Sheldon who had taken a seat next to the window. Leonard couldn't help but ask. "Sheldon, you sure have been quiet. What's the deal?"
Sheldon looked at Leonard with a bit of contempt. "The doctor said it might be better for Penny if I kept my idiosyncrasies to myself for the time being. Because I can't possibly suppress them, I decided not to say anything at all."
Raj arrived about thirty minutes later with Howard in tow to take Sheldon home. Leonard refused to leave Penny's side and was insistent that she needed a familiar person in close proximity. Penny had been asleep for about twenty minutes since the nurse had given her another dose of medication, so Leonard declined to allow Howard or Raj in the room. Sheldon and Leonard had already agreed they were the better choice of caregivers for Penny because they lived so close to her. After the other guys left, Leonard settled into an uncomfortable chair next to her bed and turned the TV on.
About four in the morning, the nurse came in to check on Penny again and determined she was in the clear. She administered another dose of morphine and left Leonard to his thoughts again. He had no intentions of sleeping, and just sat there watching the muted TV. At eight in the morning, Dr. Landabad arrived once more and checked Penny's vitals. When he gave her the all-clear, the nurse came in and gave Penny her release forms while the doctor gave Leonard care instructions. He was still kind of dazed by all the madness surrounding him.
It took five times as long to get up the stairs to their floor, with Leonard trying his hardest to support Penny as much as possible. He got her settled into bed and fetched her some water to take her pain medication with, feeling awkward with the silence. She had barely spoken a word, but he knew it probably caused her pain to speak. He sat down next to her on her bed, handing her the pill and glass of water. She took it without question and looked at Leonard.
"Thank you so much for helping me. I'm sorry I haven't said much." She gave him a weak smile.
"Don't apologize for that. You're in pain. It must hurt to talk." Leonard returned her sheepish smile.
"Yeah..." He noticed that she seemed more lucid in that moment than he had seen her since she had spoken to the police. It was a good sign, in the least.
"Just, don't worry about it. If you need me, I'll be in the living room. If you want me to, I can sleep on your couch for a couple of days in case you need something. I'll call work and take my vacation early so I can stay and help you." Leonard hoped he wasn't overstepping any boundaries with his suggestions.
"Oh, honey, you don't need to use your vacation to take care of me..."
"No, no, it's okay. I never go anywhere for my vacation time. I usually just stay home and, well, work. I don't have anywhere to go, to be honest. I've never been much on going places alone. Please. You know you'd rather have me here taking care of you instead of Howard or Sheldon. Raj wouldn't be so bad if he could actually talk to you without being trashed."
Penny thought on his words for a moment and chose her answer carefully. "I guess you're right. Thank you, Leonard. I don't know how I found such a good friend." She yawned loudly and rubbed her eyes, wincing from the slight pain.
"Go on to sleep," Leonard told her. "If you need me, I'll be in the living room."
"Thanks."
Leonard got up and made his way to the living room. He stood there thinking for a moment before deciding to go back to his apartment and get his notes. Doing some work would help occupy his mind, and he knew he didn't need to dwell too terribly much. He was beyond livid that someone could do such heinous things to a defenseless woman, especially if that woman was Penny. His mind ran over the many things he could do to exact revenge, but he knew he hadn't the slightest chance of getting his wish. Instead, he directed his efforts towards helping Penny get better. The reality was, though, that Leonard knew that the biggest challenge had yet to come. Penny's physical well-being was an issue being dealt with, but her emotional well-being had yet to come to the forefront. No matter what, though, he intended to do everything he could for her.
It was late in the evening before Penny woke up. Leonard made her some chicken noodle soup and brought it to her. She was able to clumsily feed herself with her left hand, and didn't require much help getting to her bathroom a few feet away other than getting out of bed. When she was back to sleep from another dose of medicine, Leonard worked well into the night on his notes.
About three in the morning, Leonard was awakened by the sound of Penny sobbing from her room. He stood up from the couch, scattering all the papers resting in his lap. He made his way to her room, where he found her still in bed, curled in the fetal position and crying. She was mumbling incoherently and appeared to still be asleep. Leonard made his way over and grabbed her uninjured hand and pulled it from her face.
"Penny. Penny, wake up. You're having a nightmare." He shook her gently until her eyes opened, filled with tears. She looked around confused for a moment before resting her gaze on Leonard.
"Oh, Leonard, it was horrible," she sobbed, burying her face into his chest. "He was here... I thought... Oh, God, I was scared... Please don't let him get me..."
Leonard felt his heart breaking for this beautiful damaged angel. A pulchritudinous wreckage, which he was determined to salvage. She had been through an ordeal that should never happen. Something he felt she could have been spared had he somehow done things differently. He held her and let her cry until she fell asleep once more, content with her head laying on his chest. This wasn't the first time she had. There had been many times where they had gotten drunk and she passed out on him, mainly when his mother visited. But this time, she needed the security human contact provided, and Leonard was more than willing to render. They stayed like that the rest of the night.