Chapter 10
Penny sat on the couch, phone in hand. She took two calming breaths and looked over at Leonard. He gave her an encouraging smile and she dialed the number. It rang three times before someone answered.
"Hello and thanks for calling the Cheesecake Factory, this is Angie, how can I help you?"
"Hey, Ang, it's Penny. Who's the manager today?"
"Penny. Are you okay? Lynette told everyone what that jerk did to you last night. I'm so sorry, sweetie. He didn't hurt you, did he?"
The line was quiet. She told everyone? Why would she do that?
She bit her lip and concentrated on completing her task. "No, I'm okay. Hey, who's the manager today?"
Ang went on, "I mean, who knows what would have happened if Lynette hadn't come out?"
I know exactly what would have happened if she hadn't come out.
Her focus shifted back to what Angie was saying, who was still talking and in mid-sentence.
"…been telling them they really need to install security cameras in the parking lot. I hope you pressed charges against the asshole."
"Angie, I know you're trying to be supportive, but I really don't want to talk about it, okay? Can you just please put the manager on?"
"Oh. Sure, I'm sorry, Penny. I wasn't trying to...well, you know."
Trying to act like you genuinely care when I know you just want more gossip to pass around?
She fought the urge to say what she was thinking. "It's okay," she said quietly.
Five minutes later, she hung up the phone and nodded at Leonard. "It's done," she said simply. "I'm no longer employed."
He sat down beside her, picked up her hand, and squeezed it. "Good. After last night, I'm relieved that you don't have to go back."
"Me too, but I feel like I'm sending us into financial ruin." She sighed deeply.
"I can make it work, honey. You don't need to worry. Please just trust me, okay?"
She nodded. "Okay."
She leaned back against the couch. In a way, it was a relief knowing that she'd never have to go back into the Cheesecake Factory again and grovel for tips. As a waitress, she'd learned how to work her assets to make up for what she lacked in skill. It felt degrading, but she needed the money. That was all over now and she was grateful, albeit a bit nervous about losing the income. Hopefully her car would sell quickly and they'd have that little bit of money. The car…she could still feel the door handle digging into her back.
Once again, her mind drifted back to the previous night. Penny pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and wrapped up in it. What was it he'd called her? Sweetheart. Ugh. She shuddered lightly, remembering how he'd grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. Her skin crawled, recalling his fingers brushing her stomach. She took a deep breath and let it out. Stop it, Penny. It's over. She focused her attention on Leonard.
He looked over at the couch. She'd wrapped herself in a blanket and seemed a little peaked. "Honey, are you feeling well? You're looking kind of pale."
She felt herself shrug. "I'm just having a hard time…it keeps replaying in my head, you know?"
Leonard walked over to the couch, behind Penny. "Sit back for me- just lean against the cushion. Good girl. Try to relax, okay?"
She leaned back and jumped a little as his fingers brushed her collarbone. He swept her hair back and gathered it into a ponytail, clearing his work surface. His hands began to massage her shoulders, gently kneading and relaxing the muscles. Leonard worked carefully, trying to relieve some of the tension.
She felt the sharp edge of panic melt away as his warm hands carefully manipulated her muscles. He worked slowly, and she savored every moment. She shivered when his fingers brushed the nape of her neck, and delighted in his touch as he rubbed the stress away. Penny felt herself calm considerably in the care of her fiancé. He finished by kissing the top of her head.
"Thank you," she said. "That was so nice."
"Of course- I hope it helped. Are you feeling a little better?"
"Definitely."
"Good! I'm going to start lunch, then. Does soup sound okay?"
"Soup? Leonard, we just ate breakfast an hour ago. It's kind of early to think about lunch, isn't it?"
"Homemade soup takes time. It need to simmer for quite awhile, so no, it's not too early to start it."
"How did you learn how to make soup from scratch?" she asked, curious.
He shrugged. "Mostly just from being Sheldon's roommate- he's rather particular when it comes to food, so I just figured out what worked. Win-win."
She smiled. "Can I help?"
"Sure, if you want. Can you chop an onion, celery, and carrots for me?"
She washed her hands before joining him. Leonard taught Penny how to make a mirepoix to start the stock. They sautéed carrots, celery, and onion together, then added chicken and water. It came to a boil, and he turned it down, allowing all the ingredients to simmer together. When the chicken was cooked, he fished it out and set it aside. They strained the broth, skimmed the fat, and added salt and pepper before shredding the chicken and adding it back in.
Penny stood back as he strained out the mushy vegetables. "This is a lot of work. How often have you made soup this way?"
Leonard raised his eyebrows. "I don't know. Quite a few times? Is that a number?"
"Nope, but I'll let it slide, since you're so cute."
He pulled her over and kissed her lightly, straightened his glasses, and tried to look serious. "We have a problem- two actually."
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"One, you are distracting me…in the best way possible. Problem two, you don't have any noodles."
She laughed. "Mmhmm, two huge problems- how ever shall we solve them?"
"The noodles are easy- I can make chicken and rice soup, if that suits you. I don't have a solution for the other problem. I guess I'll just have to try my best to endure."
"Do your best, sweetie. That's all I ask." She flashed a smile. "And rice is fine. All teasing aside, Leonard, this smells amazing. What else do we need to do?"
He grinned. "I'm so glad you approve. If you cut up more veggies, I can start on cooking the rice."
Her face beamed. "Of course, this is fun."
He was relieved. Part of the plan was to help distract her from the bad memories. She'd readily agreed to help and seemed to enjoy making the soup. He handed her the cutting board, another onion, three celery stalks, and two carrots.
She finished up, poured the veggies into the soup pot, and sat down while the rice finished cooking. Leonard added it to the broth and it simmered on the stove for twenty minutes while he cleaned up the kitchen.
"Ready for lunch?" he asked, hoping she'd be willing to eat some.
Penny nodded. "Yes, please. I haven't had homemade soup since I lived at home."
He ladled the soup into bowls and brought out the leftover fruit from breakfast. Her appetite had evidently returned as she finished the bowl and ate another afterwards.
"That was amazing, Leonard. I'm so impressed."
"You helped, too, you know." He replied.
She yawned. "I suppose I did, a little."
They walked over to the sofa and she plopped down. Leonard sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Are you sleepy? You didn't get much rest last night."
"I am tired, but you didn't sleep much either."
He considered. "We could lie down together. I don't have anything else I really need to do other than put away the leftovers."
She yawned again and stretched. "That actually doesn't sound like a bad plan."
Sheldon sat his tray down at the table, nodding a greeting to Howard and Raj. The two had been engaged in some sort of discussion and barely seemed to notice his presence. He cleared his throat meaningfully and waited for them to acknowledge him.
Howard gave him a quick nod and picked up his sandwich, taking a bite. "Hey."
"Hello. You'll be pleased to know I have some very exciting news regarding my research."
"Oh?" Howard asked, already regretting the feigned interest.
"Yes. You see, when I first began looking at higher spin gravity, I assumed, as most people do, that Type b, which has an odd-parity bulk scalar is dual t-"
"So, no Leonard today?" he interrupted. I mean, he's been gone for a week. They've been camped out like Bonnie and Clyde over at her place. What's going on?"
"Yeah, what's up with that, Sheldon?" Raj questioned. "It's just getting weird."
He felt his face twitch. He'd been interrupted. "It's a secret. I can't tell you. So, as I was saying, the bulk scalar is dual to the free fermion field at a fixed point."
Koothrappali raised an eyebrow. "What secret? I mean what kind of a secret would Leonard possibly keep from us? We're like…his BFF's."
Howard leaned in. "Yeah, what is it, Sheldon? I want to know what Hofstadter told you, but not us."
Sheldon sniffed. "He did not tell me. I deduced it myself and Penny confirmed my suspicions. Howard, are you interested in my research, or not?"
"Um, let me think. No." He hunched over the table further, edging uncomfortably close to Sheldon. "So it involves both of them? You've got to tell us."
Sheldon raised his eyebrows. "I don't believe I must inform you of any such thing."
"Oh come on." Raj goaded. "You need to tell us what's happening with Leonard and Penny. Did they fight?"
Howard gave him a look. "Why would they be camped out at her place if they were fighting?"
"Well…maybe she's holding him captive?" Raj questioned.
"Captive, really?" asked Howard. He stopped and considered for a moment. "Hmm…she could enslave me anytime."
Sheldon shifted uncomfortably in his seat and cleared his throat. "I assured Penny I would not tell anyone."
"What, that she's holding Hofstadter captive?" Howard smiled.
"Don't be ridiculous, Howard. If you're that desperate to know, maybe you should ask Leonard yourself."
"The suspense is killing me, man! Don't bail on your bros! You've got to tell us," Raj pleaded.
"Gentlemen, it is not my secret to tell. If you want information, you'll have to ask Leonard…or Penny."
Raj groaned.
Howard pulled out his phone. "Alright, Sheldon, I'll just send Leonard a text." He quickly typed in a message and set the phone down. "Done. Bada-bing, bada-boom. Now we wait."
Leonard's phone buzzed in his pocket as they walked into the bedroom. He checked it quickly.
So what's the big secret Sheldon won't tell us?
He looked at Penny. "Um…"
"Sweetie?"
"It's Howard." He handed her the phone.
She read the message and flopped back onto her pillow. "Well…they were going to find out sooner or later, anyway." She sighed.
"So, you want me to tell him via text message? Isn't that kind of strange?"
"Well, I suppose we could tell them after work. Do you think they'd come over?"
"For information? Wolowitz and Koothrappali would walk if they had to."
She laughed.
The phone buzzed again.
Come on, man! Don't leave me hanging. Are you Penny's sex slave?
"Oh dear." Howard said, handing the phone over.
"What?!" she exclaimed. "That's ridiculous! What are they thinki-" she stopped mid-sentence, paused, then sighed. "They'll never last till the end of the day, will they?"
He shook his head. "Probably not."
"Go ahead and send the text."
He picked up his phone and typed in a message.
Howard's phone buzzed on the table and he picked up immediately.
"It's from Leonard!" he grinned.
"So, what's it say? Hurry up and read it," Raj exclaimed.
He pushed the button and froze when the text appeared on the screen.
Penny's pregnant
Howard handed the phone back to Rajesh, who sucked in a deep breath, and slowly let it out. Sheldon sat calmly in his spot, eating his lunch. A profound silence overtook the table.
"So, this is not what I was expecting," Howard said, softly.
"I assumed not. Penny felt the same way," Sheldon said quietly. "I imagine Leonard was surprised as well."
Sheldon and Howard fell silent, picking carefully at their lunches.
Raj, who had a goofy smile on his face, finally spoke. "Guys! Do you know what this means?" he asked excitedly. "I get to be an uncle! Uncle Rajesh! It sounds so dignified."
Howard wrinkled his eyebrows and felt his jaw drop. "You do realize…that's not how the uncle thing works, right? You're not actually related to Leonard. Or Penny."
"Dude, don't kill my buzz. I'm riding a high and I don't want it to end. I'm going to be the best uncle!"
"How should I respond to the text?" he questioned.
Sheldon shrugged. "I assume they'll expect you to come over and offer them some sort of congratulations. Perhaps you could arrange a time for that. Oh, and Leonard is sick. You're risking infection if you do choose to visit."
Howard typed back.
Ok if we stop by tonight on the way home?
His phone buzzed a final time, and he quickly checked the message. It made him smile.
"Raj, we're going to visit after work…and we need to pick up some takeout."
Leonard picked up his phone, glancing down at the text. "Do you care if they come over tonight, honey?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No, I don't mind. Maybe we can make spaghetti?"
He grinned. "I have a better idea."
He typed to Howard
Sure, but only if you bring dinner with you. Otherwise, we'll throw you back to Sheldon.
A/N: Hello everyone. I thought it was important to bring Howard and Raj into the loop regarding the pregnancy/wedding, so we'll see a bit more involvement from them from time to time now, just because they're aware of the situation. You guys have been so kind. I'm always interested to hear what you're thinking! Till next time…