Hi, everyone! Here is chapter 11! Sorry it took me so long, it's been a little crazy lately. As always, read, review, enjoy :)

Chapter Ten: Mommy Loves You

Leonard left the room when Sheldon's doctors came back in. They explained to him that his friend will live—he may need extra care for the next few days, but it will still be all right. They smiled at him and Leonard forced himself to smile back. If only they knew. He wiped the sleeve of his hoodie across his face and rubbed his red eyes. Penny was standing just outside, hand still pressed to her mouth. She stared at the clean tile of the hospital floor, lost in deep, intensive thought. She looked like Sheldon when he was working. Leonard didn't know what to do. He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms, and stared at that same patch of tile. It was a while before either spoke.

"I had no idea," Penny's voice came out in a hoarse whisper as she lowered her hand from her mouth.

"None of us did," Leonard said, never tearing his eyes away from the ground. He heard Penny sniff.

"He's gonna be okay, right?" The desperation in Penny's voice forced Leonard to look her in the eyes. They were sparkling with tears and anticipation, searching Leonard's face frantically. Leonard took a deep breath.

"He'll live," Leonard said. "He got an infection from some glass that was on the ground. It was lodged in his chest, but they treated it. He's going to stay overnight before we can take him home." Leonard paused. He thought of the hopeless, crestfallen blue eyes begging for Leonard to say something. "But…is he going to be okay?" Leonard repeated, feeling the warmth on his chest as he pressed Sheldon into him just minutes ago.

Penny nodded.

"I don't know." And with that, Leonard pulled Penny close to him and they walked back to the waiting room. Amy paced nervously. Bernadette clutched Howard's hand while Howard looked up every so often at Raj—not saying anything, but still talking. When they saw Leonard and Penny come back, they braced themselves for bad news.

"He's going to be fine," Leonard said. There should have been a sigh of relief—backs bending from straight lines into curved as the friends slumped in exhaustion and happiness—but there was not. They all heard Leonard's voice crack. They all saw Penny's shaking hands.

"What happened?" Amy asked.

"He got an infection, but-" Leonard began, but Amy cut him off.

"Leonard. What happened?" And her eyes met his, and Leonard knew. Penny collapsed onto the nearest chair, next to Bernadette. Bernadette let go of Howard's hand and put her arm around her, still looking at Leonard. He took a deep breath.

"Mommy loves you, Shellybean."

They were alone in the hospital room, Mary clutching Sheldon to her chest while Missy slept beside the bed. Mary's hair was limp and hung loosely down her back. She rocked Sheldon back and forth, bed creaking slightly under her gentle movements.

"Daddy loves you, Shellybean," Mary whispered into a tuft of Sheldon's soft brown hair. The same color as his twin's. Sheldon opened his eyes slightly and parted his mouth, a spit bubble forming on those perfect pink lips. She smiled at him and leaned back against the pillow.

"You have the same eyes as Daddy," Mary said. The spit bubble popped. "I can't wait for Meemaw to meet you. She's gonna love you, too. We all love you. Don't you ever forget that."

And a nurse came in to take the two babies, and Mary happily lay back and fell asleep. She would deal with everything else tomorrow.

After he finished, there was a silence so thick it seemed to suffocate everyone in the waiting room. Howard was breathing heavily. Leonard watched him—perhaps thinking of his own father who had left years earlier. When he looked up at Leonard, his usually sparkle was gone.

"His dad did this to him?" He asked shakily. "His dad did…" He couldn't finish. He was paralyzed.

"He never talks about it," Amy said, at a loss for words. "Well, it makes sense, of course, why he doesn't…but…"

"There's nothing wrong with him," Penny said suddenly. "He's still Sheldon. Our Sheldon. It's going to be fine."

"He needs help," Leonard said.

"What, like a psychiatrist?" Howard asked. "What do they do? I went to one for four years after my dad left and it didn't mean anything. My dad still hated me, and I still hated him."

"Yeah, but Sheldon hates himself," Leonard said, and Howard fell silent.

"But it's not his fault," Penny said weakly. Leonard winced thinking of that calloused hand on Sheldon's bony shoulder, tighter and tighter…

"I just want to see him," Amy's voice wavered, causing Penny to reach across and clutch her hand. Amy let out a small hiccup—just one, tiny intake of breath—that contained all of her fear, her terror, her love for Sheldon. Her hands were shaking. Howard and Raj nodded, looking back down at their own hands.

Penny closed her eyes. If she hadn't moved to touch him, he wouldn't have run to the edge of the street, he wouldn't have fallen. All she wanted to do was reach a hand out to his soft, pale skin, so harmless. So perfect.

And Leonard thought of his anger towards Sheldon—it began with him snapping at Sheldon and ended with him cradling Sheldon in his arms. Wishing he had a time machine. If he did, he would go back, further than last week, further than last year. He would go back to see a seven-year-old Sheldon and tell him that everything was going to be okay.

"Are you all here for Sheldon Cooper?" A nurse stood by the waiting room door. "Any one of you his guardian?"

"His mother is on his way from Texas," Penny spoke quickly. "Why? Is he okay?"

"Your friend is just fine. You should be able to see him in about ten minutes or so."

"Is he—is he…talking?" Penny bit her thumbnail and looked at Leonard for help. Sheldon didn't talk unless necessary. Before Leonard could speak, the nurse snorted.

"He's been complaining about the pillows. Apparently they don't fit his 'needs for comfort.'"

The cry of relief occurred before the nurse even finished her sentence. Howard and Raj laughed—Leonard buried his face in his hands, shoulders shaking from laughter and sobs. Amy slumped back into her chair, covering her eyes with the hand not attached to Penny's. When she took her hand away, her eyes were bloodshot and she was smiling. The nurse smiled, amused, before she turned to head back to Sheldon's room. She opened the door quietly as Sheldon was squirming in bed, trying to get comfortable. Every move looked like it hurt. He had bags under his eyes and bruises everywhere else. The nurse shook her head and clicked her tongue.

"I told you I'd get you pillows, sweetheart," She said, making her way to the head of his bed. Sheldon leaned back and closed his eyes, breathing heavily. His stomach was tied in knots. What did Leonard think of him now? Penny? They probably told everyone by now. They probably left. And he deserved it. He deserved every piece of what he got.

Sheldon's thoughts were interrupted.

"You're lucky you've got such great friends," The nurse said as she transferred the pillows.

"They're here?" Sheldon's voice was hoarse—barely above a whisper. He cleared his throat and tried again, but nothing more came out.

"You bet they're here," The nurse laughed. "Been here for hours. You've got people who love you, sweetheart. You remember that."

Sheldon leaned further into his pillow, the cotton surrounding his ears and muffling the noises of the hospital around them. He closed his eyes once more and smiled.

"Don't you want these pillows?"

"Can I please see my friends?" Sheldon croaked. There was the muffled sound of footsteps. The muffled sound of a door opening and closing.

And then Sheldon waited for the muffled sound of six pairs of feet entering his room. Not the echoing sound of heavy boots plodding up the stairs, every step causing Sheldon's heart to jump higher in his throat. No. The sound of six pairs of shoes shuffling into his room, eager, happy, not wanting to hurt him. Never wanting to hurt him. Because they loved him.

And then Sheldon smiled. It was barely there, but it was a smile.