CHAPTER 11

"Are you sure you don't want to play Halo with me?" Sheldon asked Leonard for the third time." I was thinking Penny and you could come over for dinner tonight; Amy told me she has a craving for Thai food" he added.

On the way back home, Sheldon could finally realize that Leonard wasn't feeling quite right. It was obvious that something was troubling him and therefore, Sheldon thought that inviting him to play Halo and have dinner, could cheer him up.

"Sheldon... I'm a little tired, besides Penny and I have something to talk about. I'm going to visit you guys later, if I feel better; or… maybe, tomorrow we could do something fun." While saying that Leonard played nervously with the cuff of his jacket and stared at the floor, he didn't want to make eye contact with Sheldon. "Penny should be home at any minute".

Leonard checked his watch and eagerly looked for the keys in his pants' pockets. A few minutes ago, when he came home with Sheldon and Nicky, he was surprised to see that Penny's car wasn't in the parking lot yet.

Sheldon knew that something was wrong with Leonard, knowing him for so many years had taught him to read his expressions. The first thought that crossed his mind was that his friend and Penny had relationship issues.

Nicholas was sleeping peacefully in Sheldon's arms, so he whispered, trying not to wake him up.

"Leonard, you don't need to pretend that you're strong and everything is fine. I know what's going on! Penny and you're facing marital problems. Aren't you?" Sheldon sighed deeply, and in his eyes, he had a moving expression of vulnerability. Allegedly, it was the same expression of a child who just learned that his parents are getting a divorce.

Leonard was stunned when he looked at Sheldon, he didn't know what to say to calm him down. He was surprised that although Sheldon has matured so much and he was a father already, he still had a truly touching innocence.

Sheldon continued talking abruptly. "Yes, that's it! I... I knew that 50% of marriages end in divorce but you just got married two months ago. You shouldn't make such a hasty decision, why don't you try to resolve your differences?. This will probably surprise you but, sometimes Amy and I don't get along so easily, nevertheless we've never thought of getting separated. You love each other and frankly I don't understand why these issues are so complicated". Sheldon began to hyperventilate.

"No Sheldon! Penny and I won't get a divorce! Calm down!" Leonard felt increasingly moved. "I'm telling you the truth, everything's fine. Don't worry!" He said as he opened the door of his apartment. "I promise I'm going to tell you if something important happens" Leonard smiled sincerely.

"You Promise? " Sheldon asked; he still had his doubts.

"I promise" Leonard nodded as he entered his apartment.

"Amy, we're home!" Sheldon affectionately called his girlfriend.

Amy was in their bedroom and, when she listened to him, she ran to the living room."Oh, what do we have here? Aren't you guys the most intelligent and handsome physicists in Caltech?" She lovingly greeted Sheldon and Nicky.

Amy gave Sheldon a tender kiss on the lips as she hugged him warmly. Sheldon put Nicholas in his mother's arms. The child had fallen asleep during the ride home, but seeing Amy; he woke up and hugged her tightly. She replied the gesture with a sweet kiss on the baby's cheek.

"So, how was your day? Did Nicky cause you troubles?" Amy said as he gently brushed Nicholas' hair away from his forehead, and kissed him. Little Nicholas was quickly falling asleep again.

"It was a pretty tiring day, but it was great!" Sheldon grinned happily. "Nicholas is the best companion, he behaved quite well. We gave a lecture on subatomic particles together; we took a look at some papers written by undergraduates. That was hysterical! They caused Nicholas a fit of laughter. Nicky ate all the food you made for him and then he played with Raj for a while. In the afternoon he was so tired that he instantly fell asleep in the car. And how was your day?" Sheldon asked.

He walked into the kitchen and put the kettle on; he wanted to make some tea for Amy and him. Sheldon didn't tell her that he was a little concerned about Leonard and Penny since he didn't want to cause her angst.

"Let's see ... this morning, I performed electroencephalograms on Capuchin monkeys as they're exposed to disturbing sound stimuli. I was trying to determine which areas of the brain are involved in their sensory responses. Then I tried to dissect the diencephalon of rat fetuses but I'm afraid I couldn't do it because… even when it sounds extremely ridiculous and stupid, they reminded me of my babies. I couldn't help thinking of Nicholas and the little one. So ... I excused myself saying that I wasn't feeling very well and I ran to the bathroom where I cried like a little girl for about fifteen minutes". Amy was genuinely ashamed when she confessed this to Sheldon. He approached her and rubbed her back gently.

"When my hormonal outburst finally subsided, I continued with the EEG. Then I came home, and I had some ice cream with olives, and soon after I vomited everything. So, I think your day was quite better". Amy honestly stated. "I'm going to put Nicholas in his crib" she said as she headed to her son's room.

Sheldon poured two cups of chamomile tea and when Amy got back to the living room, he offered her one of the cups. After that he walked to the desk where he had placed his messenger bag.

"Amy, I bought you something. Now that we're having a new baby, your nutritional requirements are different and you should start taking folic acid and prenatal vitamins. I know you've been too busy to shop". Sheldon said while giving Amy a box of pills. He blew on his cup of tea, trying to cool it down. The tea was still too hot to drink.

Amy felt immensely happy with Sheldon's thoughtful gesture. Sheldon had many ways of telling Amy that he loved her without even saying those words, and to be honest, he didn't need to. Amy knew he loved her, when he looked into her eyes or every time he showed that he cared for her. Perhaps Amy liked this gesture more than she'd like those red roses that he gave her before.

"Thank you, Sheldon!" Amy replied with a big kiss on his lips. "I love you so much", she said, almost breathless after that kiss. "This is so romantic!"

"Genuine concern about the nutritional status of my woman and my unborn child always is!" Sheldon smiled coyly, tilting his head slightly to the right side. "Also, I was thinking that, until about three months ago, you're still breastfeeding Nicholas, and I know very well that my kid eats a lot. Your body is experiencing a great deal of stress, and I would be extremely miserable if something bad happens to you". Sheldon put his cup of tea on the table and strongly hugged Amy.

"Ouch!" Perceiving that strong hold, Amy felt a slight pain in her breasts, they're very sensitive due to the pregnancy. Amy protectively crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"What is it now?" Sheldon asked worriedly. "Did I hurt you? I'm such a beast".

"No, you didn't hurt me. My breasts are a little sore. But, this is nothing to worry about!" Amy smiled and kissed him on the cheek, leaving a lipstick mark that he wiped out with her thumb.

"Oh! My poor Amy! I wish I could do something to make you feel better", Sheldon caressed her cheek, looking into her eyes.

"Well ... I think Dr. Cooper's special treatment would do no harm" Amy grinned mischievously.

"Amy, I'm not that kind of doctor. You know it" Sheldon replied naïvely.

"Sheldon!" Amy grabbed him by the neck and kissed his lips intensely. After a moment, when they broke the kiss, she slightly nibbled on his lower lip. Sheldon blushed shyly and savored the kiss for a few seconds.

Leonard walked back and forth in his apartment's living room. It was almost 7 pm and Penny should be home already, but she still wasn't there. Leonard had phoned her several times but she did not answer.

"Is something wrong with Penny?" Leonard was biting his nails nervously, feeling his heart race with every passing minute. Now he was almost convinced that the blonde girl that Nicky had seen at the drugstore was in fact… Penny.

Leonard had phoned some of Penny's friends, and he'd even called the restaurant manager, asking for her. They told them Penny went home at 5 pm.

At 7:30 in the evening, when Leonard was about to go out and look for her; Penny finally got home.

Leonard stared at her without saying a word. Penny had an inscrutable expression on her face. It looked like she'd been crying, but she was very quiet, almost impassive. Leonard didn't know what to say, he simply ran to her and hugged her. Penny clung to him with all her heart.

"I was worried. I was waiting for you." Leonard kissed her, and Penny replied with equal affection. "Nicky saw you at the drugstore this afternoon, I wasn't sure if I saw you too. You know my visual acuity isn't my best feature". Leonard and Penny sat together on the couch. "It was you at the drugstore?"

Penny nodded and, firmly grabbed Leonard's hand. That blonde girl in a Cheesecake Factory uniform was obviously Penny. She was feeling a little weird all day. She had a slight headache, she was grumpy and the smell of the food at the restaurant made her nauseated.

Leonard breathed deeply. Penny didn't say a word.

"So ... where were you all afternoon? Did you take the test? Te… tell me please" Leonard said shakily, feeling his heart beat quicken dangerously when he looked into Penny's eyes.

Penny swallowed hard and intertwined her fingers with Leonard's. "I went out for a walk. I needed to think a little" she answered softly. "My battery died and I couldn't call you" Penny got up of the couch and showed her phone to Leonard.

"Did you take the test? What happened Penny? I'm so nervous." Leonard paced anxiously in the living room.

"Well, I told you I was going to wait a week before taking a pregnancy tested but I don't know ... I feel different, I think this time it's going to happen". Penny looked anxiously at her hands while taping his knee with a finger impatiently. "I didn't take the test yet. I'm scared Leonard. Things are going to change very soon."

"Penny, I'm scared too, but ... things are going to change for the better. Don't you think so?" Leonard smiled warmly. "We better get out of doubt!"

"Yeah!" Penny got up from the couch and pulled out from her purse, a blue box containing a pregnancy test. "It's about time ... isn't it?" She told Leonard, trying to look calm, but her eyes revealed her unsteady emotional state.

Leonard approached Penny and gave her a short and sweet kiss on the lips, just touching them with his.

"If this test is positive, Amy will go crazy with happiness knowing that her bestie is pregnant at the same time that she is". Penny giggled. Maybe she was the one who will go crazy with happiness.

Leonard responded with a smirk. Penny walked quickly to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Leonard almost couldn't breathe because of the nerves that he was feeling in those minutes. Those were probably the longest minutes of his life.

Penny read carefully the instructions on the box. Although she'd take pregnancy tests before, it felt like the first time. The white plastic bar looked blurry before her eyes. Her hands were shaking with impatience.

"That's it! Now… we just have to wait" She told herself as she placed the test on a tissue, near the sink. Penny could feel a cold sensation in her stomach and this feeling suddenly radiated to her entire body. She turned back, to look at the test for a second and then she left the bathroom. She decided to wait for the result with Leonard.

A.N: Hello! These chapters are mostly Lenny's but they're important for the story. Feel free to tell me what you think. Reviews are needed and appreciated.