Labor and Delivery!

I don't own TBBT, but I own Alex.

Snoogans and Snoochie Boochies!

Penny wasn't sure what she had been expecting to happen when it was time. They had known that Alex was born on October 24th, 2012, but she had no clue when she would go into labor, where she'd be, when it would be, or how exactly it would happen.

Since they knew the day he was born, Sheldon started his "daddy-leave" the week before. He hovered over Penny, waiting for any sign that she'd gone in to labor.

The rest of the group was excited as well. As soon as they were off work, they'd all gather in 4A, to watch and wait. It was driving Penny bonkers.

It was October 23rd, 2012, at eight seventeen and twenty three seconds.

"Sheldon…" she said, just above a whisper from the kitchen. She'd been restless, and tired of sitting on the couch with the guys. She'd gotten up to move around a little, taking small, slow laps around the kitchen island.

She felt a little pressure, and then a trickle of liquid down her legs, and on to the kitchen floor. She thought she'd peed herself, and was completely mortified. Sure, there'd been times when she had barely made it to the bathroom during her pregnancy, but she'd never had an accident.

But then she felt it. That same pain she'd felt that terrible day at the Cheesecake Factory. It wasn't as strong, but it was the same.

It was then that she was sure she had indeed NOT wet herself.

Sheldon, upon hearing her call him, headed in her direction. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the liquid at her feet.

"Penny?"

"It's time." she smiled to him.

"It's time? You're going to have to be more specific. Are we missing some sort of appointment? I wasn't aware we had anything planned for…" he checked his watch, "eight seventeen tonight. What an odd time to plan something Penny. I must say, your behavior has become stranger and stranger these last nine months. And whatever it is you have planned for us at this odd time is going to have to wait, as there appears to be a small spill in the kitchen that must be cleaned, lest someone slip."

Penny snorted a laugh. Her Wack-A-Doodle. IQ of 187, and two simple words went completely over his head.

She reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping him from turning to leave to get the cleaning supplies. "Sheldon," she said, and his eyes focused on hers, "it's time." she said again, this time, rubbing a hand over her stomach.

"Yes, you've said that. I thought my previous statement acknowledged that I had indeed heard what you had said. You're going to have to be the one to elaborate here Penny, as I have stated I have no prior knowledge of anything planned this evening." he told her.

Penny put her hands on his shoulders, dead pan look on her face. "I'm having the baby Sheldon!" she said, annunciating each word clearly and carefully.

Sheldon did a little bit of a double take as his body stiffened. "Oh, well why didn't you just say so?"

Penny lowered her head, shaking it back and forth slowly.

Sheldon sat in the waiting room of the hospital, reading over the "Labor and Delivery Agreement" Penny had given him upon their arrival at the hospital. He was to read and sign before he would be allowed in the room with her. Leonard had stayed behind in case Sheldon had questions.

"This is absurd." Sheldon said.

"You know the rules. Sign it, or you can't go in." Leonard smiled. He was sure that Sheldon was working through the contract looking for loop holes. But it was iron clad. He and Penny had enlisted the help of Priya for this.

Penny loved Sheldon. She loved everything about him. What everyone else found annoying, she now found endearing. He was her wack-a-doodle, and she wouldn't have him any other way.

Except for today.

She didn't want him focusing on what the doctors or nurses were doing. She didn't want him criticizing them, or going full on Sheldon and trying to take over.

She wanted him to be there with her, to take in the experience of their first child being born. She wanted him as a partner with her in there, not another doctor. She wanted the tender, loving Sheldon she got in private. Frankly, she was going to need it.

She'd written as much in the letter she had written to him at the front of the agreement.

Sheldon exhaled loudly, and finally reached in his messenger bag for his pen. He initialed next to each section, and then signed at the end. Leonard smiled as Sheldon handed the "Labor and Delivery Agreement" back to him and the rose to join his wife in the delivery room.

It was now October 24th, 2012 at eleven-fifteen in the morning. Penny had been in labor for fifteen hours. It was time.

"Good Lord woman!" Sheldon exclaimed. Penny had squeezed so hard on the last contraction, he was surprised she hadn't broken any of his fingers.

"I'm sorry. Oh God, I'm sorry…" she breathed. Tears streaked down the sides of her face. She was sweaty, red, and messy. She gasped again, taking deep breaths. Lamaze had gone completely out the window.

"It's time Mrs. Cooper." the doctor looked up and smiled from between her legs. "When I tell you to push, I need you to push, like we talked about, okay?" she asked. Penny nodded. A moment or two went by, Sheldon could tell from the machine next to Penny another contraction was coming on, and he held her hand a little tighter. "Okay Penny, push."

Penny pushed as hard as she could. She could just barely make out the doctor counting and then she heard the doctor say she could stop. She inhaled deeply and looked up at Sheldon.

He'd been so good over the last fifteen hours. He'd signed the agreement she'd given him, and then he came in and sat with her, walked with her, and talked with her. He held her hand when she wanted, he got her anything that she asked for, and he even sang her Soft Kitty without complaint that she wasn't even technically sick. He'd stayed awake the entire time, even though she could see he was exhausted. Not quite as exhausted as she was, but it meant a lot to her that he hadn't peeped a word about his REM cycle being disrupted. And, he hadn't said one peep to the doctor or nurses about their jobs. He was truly there for her.

But now, he was pale and nearly as sweaty as she was. "Are you okay?" she asked between heavy breaths. Sheldon was watching the doctor from next to Penny. He simply nodded, but he didn't look well. She was about to ask him again, but the doctor interrupted.

"Ready Penny… three… two… one… and push. Push hard Penny." the doctor said, and Penny did as she was told, squeezing Sheldon's hand tighter and bending, scrunching, pushing as hard as she could. "seven… eight… nine… ten… and relax. Good job Penny, I can see the head. You're almost there."

"Sheldon. Sheldon sweetie." she said to him again, and he only nodded. His eyes were glazed over, and he still hadn't looked at her. He wobbled a little. Crap. "Sheldon!" she screamed at him. He finally looked over at her. She tugged his hand slightly. "Don't you dare." she practically growled.

"Okay is such a general term Penny, you're going to have to be more specific." he said, half way behind in their conversation.

She squeezed his hand tighter. "Don't you dare faint Sheldon."

"Perhaps I should get Leonard…" he said, and turned towards the door.

"I don't want Leonard in here! Get back here." she yelled. He was startled into doing as she said. "I need you…" she practically cried.

Sheldon took a deep breath and nodded, taking her hand again, eyes back on the doctor.

"Get ready Penny… three… two… one… and push. Push Penny, harder. Harder." the doctor said as Penny pushed as hard as she could. More tears and screams coming from her. All to much for Sheldon to handle. This was just all to much. "And done. Relax Penny." the doctor said, and then looked up at Sheldon. "Baby's crowning, you want to come see dad?" she asked Sheldon.

"No, thank you." he said, and finally, finally looked at Penny. "I can't do this."

"You can't do this?" she panted. "Can't do this? To bad buddy, it's happening." The doctor instructed her to push again, and she practically broke Sheldon's fingers again, pausing her conversation. "But don't worry," she started again after she'd finished this round, "because it's only happening this once. I'm never letting you touch me again." she said, and screamed at the pain. "Never ever. Alex isn't having any siblings. Nope."

"But Penny!"

"Don't you 'but Penny' me. No. I'm only doing this once. You want more kids, then you use that huge IQ of yours to figure out how to have them yourself."

"Penny, that's absurd."

"No, absurd is you telling me right now that you can't do this!" she screamed, and the doctor told her it was time to push again.

"One more big push Penny." the doctor smiled, and Penny nodded. The doctor counted her down again, and Penny pushed with everything she had. Sheldon watched as the doctor finished the count, Penny gasped and let her body fall back to the bed, and then he heard it.

"Congratulations mommy, it's a boy!" the doctor said, standing from between Penny's legs and handing her something. Something small and slimy and a bit bloody, and oh Lord, there was blood… and NO, no Sheldon, you are the master of your bladder and you are the master of your body and you will not faint. Penny told you not to, and she seems to know social protocol, and she said not to faint, so you won't.

Sheldon couldn't tear his eyes away from the thing that Penny was now cradling. She was talking to it, but he couldn't hear what she was saying. She was holding it, no regard for the mess. She kissed it, and he thought that he'd have to make sure she cleaned her mouth thoroughly before he'd let her kiss him again.

"Sheldon sweetie… it's Alex." he heard Penny say. He wasn't sure why that was what he picked up on, but it's the first thing he really remembers hearing in quite some time.

"Oh. Hello Alex." he said, and then everything went black.

Sheldon gathered his friends and they made their way to the nursery. It didn't take him long to spot the "Baby Cooper" label on the front of the clear cradle where his son was sound asleep, and point him out to the rest of the gang.

The five of them stood there and watched the sleeping bundle, wrapped up securely in a blue blanket, and a small blue beanie covering his head. You could just see his little face peaking out.

"Dude, he's adorable." Raj said, pulling a Kleenex from his pocket, dabbing at his eyes. Sheldon frowned slightly at the thought of Raj drinking in the waiting room.

"How's Penny?" Leonard asked.

"Sleeping, understandably." Sheldon said. "I'm afraid I owe her an apology when she wakes. I was not the best birthing partner. But now that I know what to expect, I suspect the next time will go much smoother for all parties involved."

Leonard, Howard, Raj, and Bernadette all looked at Sheldon. He was admitting he owed someone an apology? Their minds all raced at what exactly had happened in the delivery room. Sheldon remained stoic, peering in the window at the first of his progeny's.

Bernadette was the first to speak after that, breaking the guys attention away from Sheldon, and back to the baby. "Oh, you gave him a middle name? What is it?" she asked, smiling up at Sheldon for a moment.

They all looked at the tag on the cradle. "Baby Cooper: Alexander T. Cooper"

"You didn't." Leonard said, peering up at his friend and neighbor. "She'll kill you." he said.

"She will do nothing of the sort. We came to the conclusion that she was the one who chose the name Alex, or Alexander if you will, and so she allowed me to chose the middle name. Originally my choice was veto'd, however after the events in the delivery room, she agreed that I could have final say." Sheldon said, still staring at his son, smiling slightly as the baby stirred slightly, then gave a heavy yawn.

"Wow, you really stepped it up in there huh?" Howard asked, nudging Bernadette to watch as the baby yawned, hoping that it would help inspire her to want children with him.

"Nonsense. I fainted just after his birth." Sheldon said quickly and under his breath. "However she felt sympathy for me, and was proud that I had lasted as long as I did. She also felt slightly guilty about some things she said during delivery."

"Sheldon, don't take advantage of the situation." Leonard warned.

"I've done nothing of the sort. She was of sound mind and body when she agreed to let me chose the middle name. And while it was not her first choice, she has agreed to my choice, and has signed the birth certificate."

"I don't get it. What name?" Bernadette asked.

"Tiberius." the four men said in unison.

Penny woke up to a sweet sight. Sheldon was holding Alex, walking slowly back and forth in the room, speaking very softly to him. She tried to make out what he was saying, but couldn't.

"Hey." she said quietly, not wanting to startle either of them.

"Hello Penny." Sheldon turned to her and smiled, then made his way to her side, still holding Alex.

"How long has he been in here?" she asked, reaching out her arms to hold her baby. Sheldon handed him over, and stood looking over his family. His chest swelling with pride as Penny proceeded to pepper Alex's face with gentle kisses.

"Not long." he finally said. "The nurse said to call her when you awoke, and she will assist you with his feeding."

Penny nodded, but didn't reach for the call button. Instead, she scooted over as best she could in her bed, and patted the spot open next to her. Sheldon hesitated, but after the look Penny gave him, he quickly joined her, awkwardly trying to decide how best to position himself. He finally rested on his side, left arm above Penny's head, right arm cradled below hers, which were currently cradling Alex.

She looked over at him, tears in her eyes. "I love you." she told him, and kissed him gently on the lips. He returned her sentiment with another kiss.

So one more chapter after this, and possibly an epilogue that I thought of earlier. But not sure yet, depends on how I feel once I write it out, if I can get what I thought of on paper.