Terminal
Penny flicked her little red hatchback round into the carpark as effortlessly as a Finnish rally driver. She had driven here almost as fast too, the speed forcing her to keep her eyes and mind on the road rather than what she had just read. She marched up to the front reception still in a state approaching blind anger, stopping only to realize that she had never actually been to Sheldon office at the University and quite frankly, wouldn't know where to start looking,, after all, she only knew she was at the right building because of the amount of times she had dropped Sheldon off.
Sucking in a deep breath, Penny approached the receptionist, a stern looking woman in her mid fifties complete with pearl rimmed spectacles whose color (one of many shades of grey) matched her scraped back bun. She raised an eyebrow at the young woman approach the desk.
"This is the academic lecturers offices dear, if you wish to enroll you must do so via the student admission offices in the next building,"
Penny raised a hand apologetically, although any other time she would have happily been mistaken for a student. "Er actually, I'm here to see Dr. Sheldon Cooper, could you point me in the right direction?"
The woman narrowed her eyes staring over her glasses as if trying to discover what exactly the young woman in front of her was playing at. The look was expertly disguised, but it was one Penny recognized all too well. A prying receptionist was the last thing she needed right now.
The older woman busied herself with a folder. "Dr. Cooper normally asked not to be disturbed, unless you are another academic?" the question clearly wasn't sincere. If it was meant to be insulting then she was going to have to do better. Penny returned a sickly sweet smile. "No" was her one word response.
"Is it a family emergency?"
Lady if you only knew!
"No" Penny's voiced hitched a little bit. She hated people like this, Jobsworths.
"Then I'm afraid I cannot help you, If you wish I can take your details and ask Dr. Cooper to contact you outside of work hours."
Penny chewed on the corner of her mouth. Slowly, she leant on the counter, gesturing with one finger for the woman to come closer.
"Listen lady, me and Dr. Cooper, er Sheldon, we are very intimate, I am here because this morning I did a pregnancy test…" Penny's voice was flat and calm. Internally she smiled as the woman's eyes and moth both oh'd in equal measure. She stumbled with her words now, clearly taken aback.
"D…Down the hall and to the right, I mean left, have a nice day dear"
Penny didn't even give a second glance.
Her determined path came to an abrupt stop outside his door, the problem was, it wasn't just his door. She stared at the second brass nameplate, Dr. Rajesh Kooothrapalli. While ever she didn't understand what was going on, she wasn't dragging anyone else into this, besides, what use is someone who can't talk when she's in the room?
Knock Knock Knock
"Sheldon"
Knock Knock Knock
"Sheldon"
Knock Knock Knock
"Sheldon"
There was definitely one person more likely to react to that.
On the other side of the door aforementioned Sheldon let out an exasperated sigh at the arrival of company, it was bad enough having to share an office with Raj (who was currently in the lab) and a building with Howard and Leonard, if Penny was going to start turning up then they might as well hold Halo night here.
The loud rapping at the door had the beginnings of another migraine coming on, at least that was what the tall Texan tried to tell himself as he made his way over to the door.
"Yes Penny?" he took in his neighbors agitated demeanor as her eyes surveyed the office before she hurriedly shoved him inside and shut the door behind the pair of them.
"Ow, what in the name of science are you doing woman" the scientist rubbed his chest, eyes and tone accusatory.
Now she had him Penny's demeanor softened a little as she stumbled on how to approach such a delicate subject.
"Sheldon sweetie, are you…Ok?" he tilted his head a little as if to hear her better.
"I am well considering I have just being assaulted in my own office, a bit confused given the circumstances but…"
"I didn't mean like that!" Penny's voice was pleading as she anxiously ran a hand through her hair, her green eyes stared at his pale blue orbs, urging with all her will for him to understand, but he was still Sheldon, he still couldn't read people.
"Sheldon are you dying?" the words came out as a choked mess, but he understood them. He turned and angrily started erasing his formula from the whiteboard.
"You've been on my computer?" his voice raised an octave, accent coming that bit stronger.
"You changed the Wi-Fi pass…that's not even the problem here Sheldon!" Penny through her arms in the air, some of the anger from earlier returning.
His arm stopped mid wipe. "I know" his voice was barely audible, he sat in the big office chair and one again started absent mindedly rubbing his temple.
I have a tumor Penelope, at the moment the physical symptoms are not beyond what I am able to manage, but it is terminal." He stopped his calm and measured response just long enough to take in the woman across the desk. Her eyes were covered in a thin veneer that betrayed the tears she was forcing back. Her shoulders hunched as she had her fears confirmed. The urge to stride over and embrace her nearly overwhelmed him, but that wasn't the way this had to play out, it was all planned.
"As a friend I trust you to keep this between you and me, and I would like to be left alone with my work, if that is not too much to ask, before this morning is a complete waste, another waste."
A/N here's chapter two, something tells me Penny isn't going to be too impressed. Thanks for the reviews, especially nertooold54 and ses1515, who I can always count on.
I would like to take a moment to outline a couple of things, I have the next couple of chapters planned, as such I hope to update once a week until Christmas, I'll reassess after then.
Anyway as usual I'd like to thank you all for reading.
