Chapter 4
Leonard came out to the kitchen. Ada slept on the couch, head facing away from the door. He saw her bag and an empty glass on the coffee table. Leonard tried to be quiet. However, kitchens are noisy places. After a cupboard slapped closed, Ada sat up.
"Sorry." Leonard said.
"It's alright," she said, looking at a clock, "I need to wake now anyway." She picked up her glass from earlier that morning and washed it.
"You had some milk last night? Be warned, Sheldon might call you a milk thief." Leonard said.
"I don't believe so, it was his idea." Ada said.
"Really? Neither of you slept well last night?" Leonard asked.
"I couldn't tell you how he slept. I saw him but briefly. I had a lot on my mind." Ada explained.
"Oh." Leonard shrugged. Sheldon joined them, bringing his own glass.
"Good morning." Sheldon said.
"After everyone's washed and dressed, why don't we go see a movie?" Leonard asked.
"Leonard, we need groceries." Sheldon said.
"Really? We hardly ever cook, the cereal boxes are not in danger of becoming empty we even have a loaf of bread. Really Sheldon, why would we need to go shopping?" Leonard asked. Sheldon reached into the fridge.
"I need more milk." He said. Leonard sighed.
"If you are going to the grocery store, would it be possible to pick up some groceries for my hostess? I recall that she has no milk either." Ada asked.
"Sure, we'd be happy to." Leonard said, defeated.
"I'll go get a list." Ada said, picking up her bag. She knocked on 4B.
"Hello?" Ada knocked again.
"Leonard has agreed to go grocery shopping, could I have a list of items you need?" She asked, speaking to the door. Penny opened the door, looked around for her neighbors, and pulled Ada in, shutting the door behind them.
"I need to talk to someone." Penny said, "You're my best bet." She added. Ada looked at Penny.
"Alright, but Leonard is expecting a list of things to get while he's out." Ada said.
"Yeah, just tell Leonard that I need the usual." Penny said quickly. Ada nodded. She heard the sound of 4A opening.
"Ada, we're leaving. Do you know what Penny wants?" Leonard's voice called out. Ada closed her eyes and opened them slowly. She took a breath and opened the apartment door. Leonard and Sheldon waited.
"It appears that this illness has not abated. As I have now been exposed to any number of different pathogens I believe that it would be best if I remained here." Ada said.
"Penny's really sick, isn't she?" Leonard asked. Ada nodded in response.
"What are Penny's symptoms?" Sheldon asked.
"There are no additional symptoms than those already observed. Also, she asked me to tell you that she needs 'the usual' items from the store." Ada reported.
"How then are we supposed to be able to purchase the proper over the counter medication?" Sheldon asked.
"Use your best judgment." Ada replied. Sheldon raised an eyebrow in thought.
"Sure, take good care of her while we're out." Leonard said.
"Of course." Ada said. Leonard and Sheldon descended the stairs. Ada watched and listened. Satisfied, she closed Penny's door.
"Thanks. I really need someone to talk to; I was beginning to go nuts here by myself." Penny said. Ada cleared a spot on Penny's couch.
"What is really wrong?" Ada asked. Penny fidgeted, and sat down.
"I'm pregnant. I don't know what to do." Penny said. Ada nodded.
"You knew, didn't you?" Penny realized.
"I only suspected earlier. I knew for certain when you brought me in here just know. As you pulled me in here, it became quite clear to me that whatever the real cause of your discomfort you do not wish to share such information with your friends at this time. That is most likely to happen when the reason is embarrassing or would cause a strain on certain friendships. An unplanned pregnancy is one such cause." Ada explained. Penny sat back.
"What is another cause?" She asked dangerously.
"Usually that would be criminal behavior." Ada replied with a slight smile. Penny laughed.
"Thanks for that. But really, what am I going to do? What do you think I should do?" Penny pressed. Ada frowned.
"I can't make those decisions for you." She said.
"Yeah, but you have an opinion." Penny said.
"My only advice is to think very carefully. Don't let fear drive your decisions, especially ones you can't unmake. Whatever your ideology, your life and well being are on the line." Ada said.
"So, you don't like abortion?" Penny asked.
"I didn't say that." Ada corrected.
"How am I supposed take care of a baby when I can barely take care of myself?" Penny asked.
"You don't have to be alone. Am I correct in thinking that Leonard is the father?" Ada asked. Penny nodded.
"You have a few options there." Ada said.
"I don't love Leonard, not like that anyway. Why did I have to do this stupid thing? He'll ask me to marry him. I don't want to be stuck in a marriage just because I got knocked up." Penny said. Ada said nothing, allowing Penny to think.
"If I say no, he'll be crushed. I don't want to lose the friendships I have." Penny thought aloud.
"Whatever happens from this point, marriage, termination, or something else, your relationships cannot help but to change. Frightening? Yes. I can only tell you to think carefully." Ada pointed out.
"I've been thinking since yesterday!" Penny exclaimed.
"Clearly with the wrong half of your brain." Ada said gently, "Now is the time to be brutally honest with yourself and Leonard. That requires some logic." Penny sighed. She couldn't run from herself anymore.
"Will you stay here and keep me company?" Penny asked.
"Yes. Is there anything here that I could bring you?"
"No. This place is pretty empty." Penny said. The two women settled back on the couch in silence.
The sounds of Leonard and Sheldon's steps on the stairs broke Penny from her thoughts. She heard the rustle of paper bags.
*knock, *knock, *knock,
"Ada and Penny."
*knock, *knock, *knock,
"Ada and Penny."
*knock, *knock, *knock,
"Ada and Penny."
Ada got up off the couch and opened the door. She found two paper sacks on the floor in front of the door of 4B. Leonard carried another sack bound for his apartment. Sheldon retreated to his door.
"Sheldon, Penny doesn't have the plague; it's only the flu or something." Leonard complained. Sheldon readied himself to protest, but Leonard continued.
"We got her some basic cold-flu medications with her usual groceries. How's she doing?" Leonard asked Ada.
"Better. I'll thank you for her." Ada said.
"Are you keeping track of your bodily functions and observing for possible symptoms in case what Penny has is highly communicable?" Sheldon asked.
"As of yet, I show no symptoms of illness, nor any obvious immune system responses." Ada answered. Leonard shook his head.
"Alright, keep us posted." He said entering 4A. Sheldon followed and stopped at the threshold.
"Based on Penny's symptoms, I used my best judgment." He said cryptically.
"Understood." Ada replied, picking up Penny's groceries. Both doors shut simultaneously. Penny got up from the couch.
"What was that about?" She asked. Ada moved into the kitchen and began unpacking. She pulled out the eggs, milk, cough syrup, decongestants, and bread. She stacked cans of organic, low-sodium chicken soup. Ada smirked at the seemingly random fruits and vegetables she found in one sack.
"Wow, they got me a lot of stuff. What am I supposed to do with spinach?" Penny asked. Ada continued unpacking and organizing. She pulled out and a carton of Triple Chocolate Death ice cream and a telling bottle of vitamins.
"Oh my God! They know?" Penny almost shrieked. Ada quickly shushed her.
"No, they do not know. These are only suspicions." Ada said.
"So they suspect that I'm pregnant?" Penny asked.
"I don't think Leonard has a clue. Do you think for a second that Leonard would leave you here by yourself if he did suspect?" Ada reasoned.
"So that's what Sheldon was talking about." Penny realized. Ada nodded.
"He seems to have covered every possibility, ice cream for extreme emotional distress, medication and chicken soup for a viral infection, healthy foods and vitamins for early pregnancy." Ada listed. Penny began to shake.
"Sheldon can't keep a secret. The last time he tried, he moved out of his apartment and wound up on valium." Penny said. Ada thought to herself.
"It is only a secret if he knows; which he doesn't, not for certain anyway. He is conducting an experiment." Ada said.
"I need to do something about this today." Penny said to herself.
The hours wound by. Triple Chocolate Death met its fate. Ada listened to Penny as she envisioned various scenarios. Day became prevning which then became evening. Penny listened as Raj and Howard came up. Penny heard the chatter about some classic, rubber-masked, science fiction playing at a 'well loved' Cineplex somewhere in Pasadena.
"Maybe I should wait 'til tomorrow." Penny said.
"The longer you wait, the harder it will be. Does that mean you've made a decision?" Ada asked. Penny nodded.
"Shall I bring Leonard here?" Ada asked
"Will you? I don't want to face the rest of them yet." Penny asked.
"Alright. Do you need me here for moral support, or do you want me to wait in 4A?" Ada asked. Penny sighed and thought.
"I think that it would be better if I told Leonard by myself. Either way, they'll figure it out, right?" Penny asked.
"It's likely." Ada said, getting up. "I'll return when it's all over."
"Thanks." Penny said, straightening up her living room a bit. Ada left 4B and closed the door behind her. She took a moment to breathe and knocked on 4A. Leonard opened the door.
"Hey, Ada, what's going on?" Leonard asked.
"Your presence has been requested across the hall. May I wait here?" Ada asked.
"That depends." Sheldon's voice said. "Are you carrying some kind of pathogen?" Sheldon asked.
"No." Ada said.
"How do you know that?" Sheldon asked.
"The cause of her particular symptomatology is not communicable." Ada said. Sheldon's eyes widened.
"What's going on?" Leonard asked seriously. Ada shook her head.
"Your answers are across the hall." She replied, stepping into 4A. Leonard left. Ada sighed deeply. She shuffled to the couch and sat in the middle seat.
"How bad is it?" Howard asked.
"Unless you leave right now, I don't believe you're going to the movies tonight." Ada said.
"Penny's pregnant." Sheldon supplied. Raj almost drowned in his soda. Howard waxed sickly white. Raj, recovering, whispered to Howard who nodded.
"So what does Penny want to do about it?" He relayed.
The world as they knew it came to a sudden and loud end. Everyone in 4A heard Leonard yell. Penny's voice rose to meet Leonard's. Raj ran close-kneed to the bathroom.
"She didn't tell me," Ada said, "however, Leonard finds her terms unacceptable."