Time to find out about one of nature's secrets.
Penny and Leonard get some time with their friends and away from each other. Things are fine until a defining moment. I have yet to own even the smallest amount of either Penny or Leonard, I'm good with it.
Leonard was hiding behind a tree, trying to peer around the side to see if it was safe for him to make it to the rendezvous point with the guys. He could see them all huddled together looking our from inside the corrugated steel shed. When his phone went off he assumed it was Sheldon going to explain how poorly he was doing and that he should step out into the open and draw attention away from the others sacrificing himself for the greater good as the others escaped.
The frantic voice of Bernadette caught Leonard's attention immediately. From the shed, the others could hardly believe what they were seeing. Leonard sprung out from behind the tree and took aim at the first adversary to move. after hitting him with a clean shot, Leonard took off on a dead run away from the shed, shooting kill shot after kill shot until he was out of sight.
Leonard arrived at the Emergency Department in full camouflage with knee, elbow and chest pads still firmly in place. Rushing up to the reception desk, he was quite a sight. "Penny Hofstadter... WHERE is Penny Hofstadter?!"
The nurse at the desk rolled her eyes. "Calm down Buck Rogers... we're very busy. What is it that has you all excited?"
Leonard took a deep breath. "Penny Hofstadter was brought in an ambulance. She's pregnant. I'm her husband Dr. Leonard Hofstadter. Please... she has to be alright... where is she? ... Please..."
The nurse came out from behind the counter. "Calm down there Daddy... we'll get you to Momma."
Leonard was led back to an examination room. He wasn't really prepared for what he saw. Penny was sitting up in bed, surrounded by the girls and laughing along with the doctor, who just happened to be Dr. Stephanie Barnett. He just stopped in the doorway and stared.
Penny saw her husband looking very confused and scared. She waved her hand quickly calling him over. "Sweetie, Sweetie... c'mon over here".
Leonard came over to the bed Penny was sitting up in. He gave her a tender kiss on her forehead. "What happened? Are you alright? Is the baby okay?"
Penny smiled at his concern and rubbed her belly. "We're both fine. The whole thing was a bit of an overreaction by the staff at the spa. I'm really sorry if you got too upset."
Leonard breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh good, what happened?"
Penny giggled. "Well, you know the girls took me out for a spa day." Leonard nodded. "Part of the day was a nice relaxing warm bath. I had to be careful not to do stuff that would raise my body temperature too much. the staff there was really nice."
Amy interrupted. "Bernadette and I went to the sauna. I have to tell you, if you keep your towel on, it loses its ability to keep you dry. Also, Howard is a very lucky man."
Bernadette turned a little pink rolling her eyes "Amy!"
Penny chuckled. "I had some aroma therapy later on. That was another of the options for pregnant people".
Bernadette smiled. "Amy and I had a mud bath. Very hot and relaxing, but the mud gets EVERYWHERE!"
Penny laughed. "Yeah, it's a good thing we had our hair done first"
Amy piped up. "And other things".
Penny sighed and gave Amy look then turned to her husband. "As you can see I had my hair trimmed and thinned out". She ran her fingers through her hair then leaned over so only Leonard could hear. "ALL of it... everywhere... and a little waxing too". Leonard proceeded to turn the most adorable shade of pink. "We also had our nails done. All ten of them." Penny wiggled her fingers so Leonard could see the new polish on her finger nails. She walked her fingers up Leonard's chest.
Leonard smiled. "You look beautiful as always".
Penny smiled widely "Thanks Sweetie, but the BEST part was the massage. They had this special table for pregnant women. It was the weirdest thing you ever saw. There were cut outs for your pregnant parts. One for each boob and another for your bump. So you don't put pressure on stuff and feel like you're squishing anything while laying face down. Getting onto it was a bit of a trip. You have to be centered over the cut outs so you have to sorta straddle the bump one and hover, kind of dangling there. Then you kinda lean down and load your boobs in. It was eerily reminiscent of back home and hooking up the cows. THAT must have been quite the pose for Cindy... she was my masseuse. My towel fell off at that point so... you can use your imagination".
Bernadette, Amy, and Stephanie all laughed. "Oh my god! That is hysterical!"
Penny giggled along with them. "I know right? Anyway, after I was settled, the massage was heavenly! SO relaxing. Leonard, Sweetie, I realize that when we got married, I sort of promised that no hands but yours could touch my body... well, Cindy may have me rethinking that."
Leonard was happy that nothing seemed to be wrong with his wife or baby, but was a little confused. "So, if everything was so fantastic, what happened that brought you here?"
It was Stephanie's turn to speak. "First of all, congratulations Leonard on your marriage and now starting a family. I can tell you a little about what is probably going on here".
Leonard was a little embarrassed for not saying Hi to Stephanie before this. "Thanks, Stephanie, and thank you for taking care of Penny. How have you been?"
Stephanie smiled at her ex boyfriend. "I'm fine thanks. But lets get back to your question. As good as the massage may have felt, it was probably the reason for the cramps." She could see that there were more than a few confused eyes staring back at her. "The cut outs in the table may have made things more comfortable, but they also would put pressure on your hips and may stretch the uterine ligaments because of the one size fits all cut outs and the dangling. Your not huge yet. There is also the possibility of therapeutic inflammation due to the manipulation of the tissues. I'll bet its been while since you had a massage and things are growing and different down there. The masseuse should have been tender with you. deep tissue massage is really not what you want. Let's go take a look with a sonogram just to be sure."
Leonard looked over at his ex girlfriend. "Weren't you in a surgical residency?"
Stephanie smiled. "Emergency Departments are always short on staff. We all fill in when needed".
Just a few minutes later, Penny found herself on an exam table with gel on her belly. Leonard was dutifully by her side as they both watched Stephanie move the wand over Penny's growing baby bump. A rapid heartbeat was easily heard.
Stephanie suddenly frowned. "Huh... I guess maybe I was wrong."
Penny and Leonard both spoke at the same time. "What is it? What's wrong?"
Stephanie moved the wand more. "Oh... okay. Well these things aren't really my field of expertise. I don't see anything wrong really, nothing to be concerned about at this time. You have movement and a healthy heartbeat. When was the last time you had an appointment with your OB?"
Penny squeezed Leonard's hand. "I have one tomorrow actually."
Stephanie nodded. "Good, Great. I'll make sure their office gets this scan. Just make sure you leave the information with the nurse. Its been great seeing you both."
Leonard and Penny said good bye to Stephanie and then Leonard helped Penny get back into her own clothes and they both went home. It was Sunday, so they spent a quiet afternoon together on the couch watching TV.
The evening came and as usual, everyone came over for dinner. When all were settled into their places, Sheldon couldn't help himself from complaining. "Leonard, you do realize that you were our transportation this morning."
Leonard sat staring into his dinner. "Yes, Sheldon, I am aware."
Sheldon continued. "Wonderful. I also, I suspect that you realize that Penny, Bernadette and Amy were also involved in this debacle."
Leonard sighed. "Yes".
Sheldon nodded. "Terrific. That fact alone, rendered Howard, Raj and myself without any possibility of transportation. What were you thinking?"
Penny looked at her neighbor. "He was thinking that there might have been something seriously wrong with his pregnant wife!"
Sheldon sighed. "I highly doubt that a cramp brought on by a massage could be considered as something serious. The more dangerous aspect of a massage is the mere act of having someone else's germ infected hands on your body".
Penny was a little agitated. "His PREGNANT wife Sheldon! Cramps ARE serious!"
Amy needed to stop this conversation before it got worse. "Okay, okay we are all aware of the seriousness of the incident both for Leonard and Penny AND Sheldon and the others for being left without transportation. It was fortunate that Burt was there as part of the Geology team to help you out."
Raj agreed. "It was also fortunate that Burt has Minivan that is as large as he is."
The next day was Penny's next appointment at her OB/GYN. After everyone had left the evening before, Penny wanted to do nothing but be held by her husband in bed. She was a little worried with the way Stephanie acted when she was doing the sonogram and sleep was not easy to come by.
oooooooooooooooooooo
Penny was sitting beneath a large tree. It was a place she felt was very familiar. Was it back at the farm? Was it at the park close by to her apartment? She wasn't sure. She was alone just sitting and thinking. It seemed that there was something odd about all this. She shouldn't be alone, she was never alone. All the years she was in High School she was one of the popular girls. Popular in sports, popular in activities like cheer leading, popular with all the boys, any boy she wanted. After High School, she was always getting hit on by guys. Guys at work, guys at clubs, guys when she was out with her friends. But now, something seemed different.
Penny looked over and saw a little girl with blonde curly hair wearing glasses. The girl was so cute. It made her smile. The little girl turned toward her and smiled. Penny smiled and waved back. She watched as the Little girl was playing. Playing with other kids. There was a blonde girl that looked older but was smaller. There were two boys. One looked older and had brown hair cut like one of the Beatles. The other was tall and thin with blonde hair and looked very much like the first little girl. The four of them seemed to be having fun, holding hands in a circle twirling and falling down. Then they seemed to all go off and hide leaving the little girl alone. It was very sad.
Penny watched as a tall muscular man came over and knelt down talking to the little girl. He reminded her of the kind of boy she was attracted to in High School, or even after... when she moved to Pasadena. He just looked so familiar. The little girl seemed happy to see him. He laughed and held out some candy and then picked up the girl and started to walk away. Penny was angry, the little girl should not be going with that man! Penny tried to get up but seemed to be stuck to the ground. She turned and got to her knees and struggled to her feet. Penny tried to call out but no sound would come from her throat. She took a step and seemed to sink into the ground. She took another step and sunk deeper into the ground. Frantically, she tried to follow the little girl being taken away by the big man. There was nothing she could do.
Suddenly the other children came back. They were yelling at the tall man. The taller of the boys grabbed the leg of the man and started to hit him. The tall man pushed the boy away. Just then a shorter man came up and stopped the tall man from leaving with the little girl. They seemed to be angry at each other. They were shouting but she could not hear what they were saying. The shorter man shoved the taller man and the girl squirmed out of his grasp. The little girl ran over to the shorter man and he picked her up. She buried her face in his shoulder. All the other kids came running and they gathered around the shorter man. The taller man waved his fist and walked away.
Penny sat back down under the tree and watched the small group of people play. She felt much better and smiled at the shorter man. He had the most beautiful brown eyes and wavy hair. He smiled back and went on playing with the children. Penny thought that he looked familiar. Maybe from work. He was just so cute.
oooooooooooooooooooo
Morning came and Penny found herself in bed without Leonard. She was naked, that was how she liked sleeping these days. She wanted to feel him next to her. All of HIM next to all of HER. She had some trouble sleeping the night before and felt alone. Without Leonard there, she lay on her back staring at the ceiling softly rubbing her growing bump. Ever since she and Leonard went shopping for new clothes, it was like her body was given a free license to grow and fill out the new clothes. She felt bigger and bigger every day. There was no turning back now, no chance to wonder if this was the right choice. No wondering if she really wanted children.
Penny smiled as her hands moved over the changing contours of her new body. Her growing breasts, her darkening nipples. Even the new and thicker hair that seemed to pop up just about anywhere it wanted to. She marveled at the thought of a new human being, half her and half Leonard changing and growing inside her every day. She was in awe of her own body, that it was able to do these things. Sure she knew the differences in boys and girls and all that it meant biologically. She loved being a girl, and all the girly things that came with it. The clothes, the attention she would get from boys, the sex. And now she loved that it was HER body that was changing... making a baby and that she was going to be a Mommy.
Then Penny thought of the fear she had at the spa when she thought it was all coming to an end. The pain she felt. Not so much the pain in her body and muscles, the cramps were there but they were not terrible. No, she felt the pain in her heart. the pain of losing what she wanted so badly the last few months. The pain of having to tell Leonard she was not good enough. Not good enough to have his children, not good enough to even have him.
It took very little time for Penny to get out of bed and find her husband. She needed Leonard right now more than she could remember. She needed him to hold her, needed him to love her.
She threw on her robe and went directly to the living room. She found him standing next to the stove cooking scrambled eggs while humming the theme to Star Wars. She turned quickly and ran into his arms. Her robe barely tied, fell open as she came into his arms. Leonard quickly moved the pan of eggs off the burner and turned it off. He then focused his attention on his wife. Penny managed to open his robe and pull up his t-shirt to get as close to him as she could.
Leonard knew something was wrong and wrapped his robe around her back and tied it as best he could. "Penny, Sweetheart, what's wrong?"
Penny took her face from the spot buried in his neck and kissed him. Kissed him deeply and passionately. She moved her arms from around his waist and pushed his boxers down so her belly was next to his. She pressed herself into him. Needing to feel him.
The effect on him was completely predictable. Leonard stepped out of his boxers and walked his wife back toward the couch. He lay her back in her robe as she pulled her arms out. He shed his robe and t-shirt, pulling the afghan off the back of the couch over them. Their kisses were fierce and passionate. Their hands roamed each other's bodies as if they were in High School. Leonard entered his wife quickly as she arched her back while on her side and attacked her neck where he knew she was most sensitive. All he heard was Penny gasp "Oh GOD Leonard!" His movements were forceful. He wondered if he was being too forceful. Penny returned his actions as she rolled her hips in response to his.
Suddenly Penny almost yelled. "STOP!... stop..."
Leonard pulled away, worried he had hurt her. "What? are you okay?"
Penny breathed heavily. "Yes... I'm fine... It's just..."
Leonard sat up. "Just what?"
Penny sighed and then blushed. "We have to go to my Doctor's appointment. She's gonna do an exam. Most likely with an internal. I don't want her to find... well... you know. She doesn't need to know what we were doing."
Leonard collapsed onto his wife. "You're going to kill me one of these days."
Penny tried to catch her breath and put her arms around her husband. "I'm so sorry... you know there's nothing I would like to do more than finish this, but I just can't." Penny listened to her husband's heavy breathing. "Weren't you making eggs or something? I could eat."
Leonard chuckled. "I'm not quite sure how you can just turn it off like that."
Penny pulled Leonard in. She could easily feel Leonard was still affected by their closeness. "What do you say we take a shower, I help you with THAT... and then we eat those eggs."
After a rather sensual shower where Leonard washed his wife and Penny helped Leonard with his problem from earlier, a breakfast of cold eggs and coffee, and a ride in the car, Leonard opened the door to the Doctor's office for his wife. Penny walked up to the desk and was told to go back to an exam room and wait for Doctor Johnson.
Penny replaced her clothes with a gown and climbed up onto an examination table while Leonard sat on a stool next to her. He fiddled with the stool rolling around just before taking Penny's hand. "Hey, what was all that about this morning?"
Trying to make light of the situation, Penny lifted one eyebrow. "I thought everything was fixed after that shower? I really thought you were going to fall over in there after I helped you... get over your problem".
Leonard rolled his eyes. "A problem YOU caused... first by initiating the WHOLE thing. You know I can't resist you being naked like that and pressing yourself into me. And then STOPPING the whole thing so quick?"
Penny patted his hand. "I said I was sorry about that."
Leonard nodded. "You did. And I get the stopping reason... but why were you so worked up to begin with?"
Penny sighed. "I don't know, I was just lying in bed thinking about how things were getting along and then I started to remember what happened at the spa and I had this weird dream..."
Just then a knock came at the door and Dr. Wendy Johnson came into the room looking at Penny's chart. "SO, you went and had a massage and a Spa Day".
Penny nodded. "Yup, it was sort of a gift from my girlfriends."
Wendy flipped further into the notes. "And this massage sent you to the Emergency Department... OH!"
Penny and Leonard both frowned. "OH... WHAT?!"
Wendy put down the chart and walked over to her patient starting the exam. "Nothing, how are you doing? Still having cravings? Any discomfort? Problems?"
Penny frowned a little as Dr. Johnson pressed on her abdomen and took some measurements. The look on Wendy's face was a little disconcerting. "Well I still want to eat just about anything, A few cramps, and not just the ones after the massage, I've been tired a little, and if you know anything about my acting career, I actually think I'm turning into a gorilla... there's hair growing EVERYWHERE, but other than having to get new clothes... no real problems, maybe some strange dreams. OH, Leonard seems to be over the morning sickness, although he does seem to be putting on a few pounds and gets nose bleeds pretty easily."
Wendy moved to between Penny's legs to do a pelvic exam. "Congratulations Leonard your still exhibiting pregnancy symptoms." Leonard just smiled and shrugged. Dr. Johnson then looked up at Penny. "The rest of your symptoms are normal Penny, but your a bit puffy down here, so... have you noticed any allergic reactions, extra dryness or just still having sex?"
Penny blushed and Leonard almost fell off the stool. Penny batted her eyes. "UMmmm, the sex thing? You can TELL that? Is it bad? Will it hurt the baby?"
Wendy chuckled. "You'd be amazed what we see down here. It won't hurt the baby at all, and MORE power to ya. Keep enjoying each other. It's a healthy sign for your relationship. Everything looks good on the outside, I would like to take a look in the inside with a sonogram if that's okay. Let's see if we can nail down the reason for the cramps." Penny nodded. They happened to be in an exam room with a sonogram unit and Dr. Johnson placed some gel on Penny's belly. She was really getting used to the feeling.
Wendy immediately found the heartbeat and then started to move the wand around. "Your measuring a little big... Oh... Okay!"
Penny frowned "Okay... WHAT?"
Wendy smiled. "Well, there was a note in your chart from the ED doctor a... Dr. Barnett. She indicates that there might be something interesting"
Penny frowned. "I KNEW IT, I knew there was something wrong."
Dr. Johnson patted Penny's belly. "There's nothing wrong... Not unless you have something against raising twins".
Leonard looked at the Doctor as Penny's jaw just hung. "WHAT?"
Wendy passed the wand around. "Look here, hands, feet, and over here, more hands and feet. Here's one head, and right here, the other. Spine number one? And Spine number two. The twins are probably why you were having cramps. We'll have to keep an eye on them, but everything looks good right now".
Penny was completely beside herself. "But how?"
Dr. Johnson chuckled. "Penny, from what we have talked about over the last years, YOU of all people should understand HOW. As for the twinning? If they're identical, it's just a fluke. If they're boy and girl or same sex fraternal? Then it's your fault for putting out more than one egg in an ovulation cycle. Leonard contributes WAY more sperm than is necessary and he's the one that determines the sex of the babies. That's it in a nut shell. Anything else? Oh... in the notes from the ED... Dr. Barnett says congrats on the twins".
Penny just lay there looking at the screen. "WOW".
Leonard agreed wholeheartedly. "Yeah, wow." He turned to Penny and kissed her forehead and then turned back to the Doctor. "Can you tell what they are?"
Dr. Johnson got a little serious. "Penny? is that something you would like to know?"
Penny had a tear coming down her cheek, a smile on her face and held Leonard's hand very VERY tightly "Uh huh."
