CHAPTER 13
The next morning, Penny got up with a terrible headache, it was worse than a hangover despite the fact that she didn't even have a single drink. It was already half past nine. She still felt tense, uneasy and sad thinking about what had happened last night. Although, with a lot of effort Penny had managed to calm down and get some sleep; it wasn't a restful sleep, it was restless, painful and invaded by nightmares.
Leonard was lying beside her; he finally went to bet at almost two in the morning. He still remained asleep over the blankets, and fully dressed. He only had removed his shoes and jacket.
Penny's eyes looked very red and swollen from crying, and she couldn't even explain why she reacted that way. After all, Leonard and Penny weren't looking for a baby, so there wasn't a reason to feel as disheartened as she actually felt. Furthermore, it was fair to admit that none of this was Leonard's fault; and it wasn't Penny's fault either. Nobody was guilty of it.
"I guess… it doesn't matter" Penny told herself as she removed her pajamas and got ready for a shower. Even when she was trying to deny it, it really bothered her that those unimportant issues, made her feel so miserable.
The water was very hot and the beating of the drops on her back and her shoulders, felt like hundreds of tiny fingers massaging her skin. Penny was feeling a little better with the shower, although she couldn't stay for so long in the shower because she had to get ready for work.
When Penny lathered up her legs with the soap suds, she could notice a trickle of blood running down the inside of her thighs, forming a tiny puddle at her feet. She moved her toes, and the water went down the drain. Penny sighed and rinsed her legs and her belly gently.
"Great! This is just what I needed ... The subtle way that Mother Nature has to make it clear that I'm not pregnant". Penny thought aloud with an aggravated tone and pain in her words.
During those minutes, several thoughts, tortured Penny's mind; those thoughts refused to leave her alone for an instant. Penny felt concerned, thinking that maybe something was wrong with her. She was scared that she won't be able to have a baby. "Maybe I should make sure that everything is fine with me and Leonard before we seriously try to conceive", she thought.
Although Penny had never seriously thought about being a mother, having so many negative pregnancy tests over the years, wasn't as comforting as it was at the time. Though it was painful to admit it, this time Penny actually thought she was pregnant… it hurt so bad to know that she wasn't; she couldn't help but feeling sad and empty.
When Penny came out of the shower, ready for a tedious day of work, she found Leonard in the kitchen, making breakfast for two. The smell of French toast was so delicious that it whetted Penny's appetite, even when she didn't want to have breakfast.
"Good morning Penny! Are you feeling better, honey? I made breakfast" Leonard smiled sweetly as he put the French toast on a plate and poured a glass of orange juice for Penny.
"Yes, I'm fine" Penny replied absent-mindedly. She didn't want to worry Leonard with the ideas that crossed her mind.
"Penny, I want you to know that no matter what happens, I'm here, by your side. If you want we can talk about… yesterday. You and I can try to have a baby; I mean we can start right now if you want". Leonard was nervous to discuss the issue and afraid of Penny's bad reactions.
"No Leonard, I don't wanna talk about it, not for now. But ... never mind! It's all right!" Penny gave him a little kiss on the cheek. "I'm so hungry, I love French toast!" Penny sat at the table and began to eat as fast as she could; she was really hungry and evidently, she didn't want to talk anymore.
"Penny you know that I'd love to have a baby with you. It would be a dream come true and… I think you want a baby too. Maybe it is time ... I mean, just ... just… if you want it. Do you want it? ... Penny? Do you… do you want a baby?" Leonard's voice was shaky, he played nervously with his food, but he didn't try a bite.
"Oh God!" Penny sighed. "Honey, I told you, I don't wanna talk about that. Leonard… What happened yesterday ..." Penny interrupted her sentence, just to dry a tear streaming down her cheek, with the back of her hand. "What happened yesterday ... really, really hurt me. I had this feeling… something inside me was saying that we're expecting a baby ... and now I feel like I've lost a baby, although I know that I've never been pregnant. I don't know if you can understand how I feel. Maybe I'm too stupid for thinking like this." Penny hid her face behind her hands. She didn't want Leonard to see her cry.
"Penny ... of course I understand. Trust me, I understand you, because I feel exactly the same." Leonard held her tightly against his chest. "And, although it didn't happen this time ... I know it will happen, it will happen soon. You'll see", he finally said, smiling with kindness.
Penny nodded, as she hugged Leonard. "Thanks!" she whispered in his ear.
Later that Saturday, Sheldon left the laundry room, carrying a basket of neatly folded clothes that smelled so clean.
Now that the amount of clothes they had to wash, had increased exponentially, Sheldon was forced to start earlier with his laundry night; and it didn't bother him at all, he was glad to do something nice for his family, which by the way, wasn't such a small family anymore.
"Soon, we'll have even more laundry to do, although they're going to be tiny baby clothes, perhaps… tiny pink cardigans", Sheldon thought aloud, smiling as he climbed the stairs.
Sheldon put the basket on the floor for a moment as he opened the door of his apartment.
"Hey Sheldon! So, tonight you're doing laundry" Leonard greeted him from the threshold of his door. The experimental physicist had just arrived home after a long day at the university, despite being Saturday.
"Hello Leonard! Yes, today's laundry night and as usual, you're pointing out the obvious" Sheldon gave him that laugh that sounds like a sigh.
Leonard shook his head and rolled his eyes resignedly. "Where is Amy?" He asked.
"Amy's bathing Nicholas, before bedtime." Sheldon picked up the laundry basket. "Leonard, let me ask you something: Where have you and Penny been all day? In the morning, I went to your apartment, looking for you. Amy and I wanted you to join us on our trip to the Museum of Natural History, but you weren't home, and you didn't answer my messages. Yesterday you told me we would do something fun and that wasn't true." Sheldon claimed, somewhat angry, raising his eyebrow questioningly.
"Penny's at the restaurant. She had the morning shift but one of the other waitresses is sick and she's replacing her in the night shift. I went to the university; I needed to work on something, for my new project". Leonard replied, unwilling to delve deeper into the matter.
Actually, Leonard had wanted to clear up his mind and stop think about the things that hurt him, so he decided to go to the university and work for a while, as a distraction. Upon returning home, he was still very tense, so he bought a few beers that he thought he'd drink alone, trying to relax a bit.
"Sheldon, why don't you join me for a moment? Have a couple of beers with me!" Leonard needed to talk to someone and while Sheldon wasn't the first choice to have a conversation with some degree of empathy, Leonard needed a friend.
"A… couple of beers? You know I don't drink alcohol. Besides, you promised me to do something fun and that's not what I had in mind". Sheldon replied, frowning. "Na ah, drinking alcohol isn't fun!"
"Well, it would certainly be fun to me. Besides, you've never had a beer with me and honestly I would be honored to share a few beers with the future winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics" Leonard winked.
Leonard was catching Sheldon's attention by saying exactly what his friend would like to hear.
"Sheldon ... things aren't going so well for me lately, and social convention determines that you should accompany your best friend if he's in desperate need of a comforting beverage". Leonard exclaimed, appealing to the logical side of Sheldon. "And believe me, I really need a beer", Leonard was not lying.
"Umm, I thought that rule only applied to coffee or tea, but if you put it like that… okay, I'll do it! This time ... I'm going to participate in the activity you propose, if Amy agrees. I'll go ask her!" Sheldon said, raising his arms in an attitude of defeat.
Honestly, Sheldon could tell that Leonard needed the company of a friend and though he had planned to go to bed early with Amy because they're tired from their trip to the museum, Sheldon couldn't just turn his back on Leonard. He ran to ask Amy.
Amy was putting Nicholas to bed. Whispering, because he didn't want to wake Nicholas up, Sheldon began to say:
"Amy, I think Leonard's having problems, and it's probably something closely related to Penny. I just saw him in the hallway and he asked me to accompany him for a few beers at his apartment. He looked concerned and I don't know... maybe he is sad. Do you think I should go with him?" Sheldon asked as he walked along with Amy to the living room.
"Penny hasn't told me anything about it. I can't imagine what kind of problem Leonard might find, now that he's married to my bestie. I thought he would be extremely happy. I guess not everyone can have such a strong and solid relationship like ours. It's a shame!" Amy added, worried for her friends. Suddenly she gave Sheldon a kiss on the lips.
"Does that mean I can go? Because… if you don't want me to go I'll stay here with you". Sheldon said softly, caressing Amy's belly.
"Of course you can go. You must go! Leonard has requested your presence as his primary friend, so it's your duty to assist him at this time". Amy nodded emphatically.
"So, see you soon. And don't worry... I won't get drunk" Sheldon responded with sincerity, kissing Amy back and then, running towards the door.
Two hours and four beers later, Sheldon couldn't fulfill the promise he made to Amy. He was completely drunk. Not being used to drinking alcohol, a beer was too much for him, let alone four beers. Even Leonard, was already beginning to feel the effects of alcohol, blurring his vision and his reasoning.
"Sheldon (hiccup) ... you don't know ... you don't know ... how lucky you are (hiccup)" Leonard said with a sleepy voice.
"Why do you say that? I thought (hiccup) ... you (hiccup) ... you were fine. Aren't you?" Sheldon tried to think clearly and find out why his friend was so distressed, but it was hard to concentrate after drinking so much alcohol.
"I… I'm saying this, because... you and Amy have something that I'd like to have, but I don't know if Penny wants it too (hiccup). Sometimes I think that Penny had to settle with me ... (hiccup) when she thought her dreams won't … (hiccup) come true", Leonard confessed, looking at some point in the air, his eyes looked bright and absent; deep inside, Leonard thought he was a consolation prize for Penny.
"So you want… something that Amy and I have? Are we talking about (hiccup) ... the possibility to win a Nobel Prize? (Hiccup)" Sheldon asked as he drank half a beer in just one gulp; he checked that the can was empty, by turning it upside down, and a few drops fell to the floor. "Ha ha! We run out of beer" he laughed merrily.
"No ... I'm not talking about that. Although winning ... (hiccup) ... a Nobel Prize wouldn't hurt… at all". Leonard rose from the couch and walked unsteadily into the kitchen. "I'm sure Penny has more alcohol somewhere in the kitchen. Yeah ... (hiccup) there it is… wine!" Leonard returned to the living room with a bottle of red wine and two glasses. "I propose a toast. So, here's to the Nobel Prize. Here's to Amy and (hiccup) ... your kids." Leonard raised his glass. "Sheldon you're already a family man ... I can't believe it!" Leonard smiled sincerely.
"Yes, I am!" Sheldon replied proudly. "Sometimes, it's hard for me to believe it too (hiccup)" Sheldon's voice suddenly became serious.
"Leonard ... (hiccup) I… I really need to win the Nobel Prize. It's not just about me, like it was before. Now, it's about my family. Kids need a lot of things, and, as much as I want ... we can't live in the same apartment forever. My family needs a house… maybe a house with a garden ... (hiccup). I think Nicholas wants a dog. Leonard, I'm scared of dogs! (Hiccup). Children grow up so fast, and they go to school and later they go to… college (hiccup). Everything's… money and… (hiccup) more money", Sheldon drank the glass of wine in one gulp. "You're a physicist; you know we don't make that much money".
Leonard was moved to hear his friend's words; Sheldon was extremely concerned about the situation of his growing family.
"Sheldon… calm down buddy! (Hiccup). It will be fine. Don't worry so much about this! Amy and you make a great team and I'm pretty sure you can share those responsibilities. Also (hiccup) ... your kids will get any scholarship they want". Leonard patted Sheldon on the shoulder. "As for the dog (hiccup) ... I guess Chihuahuas aren't so frightening". Leonard laughed noisily.
When Penny arrived home after a long day at work, she found the unusual scene of Leonard and Sheldon in the living room, each of them sleeping in a chair and utterly drunk.
"Amy ... you have to see this" Penny told her friend, asking her to go to her apartment.
"Well, it looks like they have exceeded their alcohol consumption. I'm going to wake Sheldon up and take him home." Amy said while he approached her boyfriend and gently rubbed his shoulder.
"Amy, princess ... (hiccup) ... Why don't you give some… (hiccup) love to your mighty knight… Sheldor of Azeroth?" Sheldon asked Amy, staring at her with mischievous eyes. With some help and a big effort from Amy, Sheldon was able to sit and walk to their apartment. The minute he got to the bed, he fell asleep.
Penny couldn't wake Leonard up, so she covered him with a blanket and let him sleep soundly on the couch.
Sheldon woke up the next day, experiencing the effects of alcohol consumption in the form of a terrible hangover. His head was spinning; he was dizzy and had vomited on several occasions.
"I feel terrible. This nausea is going to kill me, and I think I'll end up dehydrated from vomiting", Sheldon said as he sat at the table trying to eat his breakfast, despite the bad taste in his mouth. His hair was disheveled, he had dark circles under his eyes, and he still hadn't shaved. "Have you ever felt this way, kid?" he asked Amy.
"Yes, I have, and… more often than you think" Amy replied, gently patting her belly. Amy was smiling sweetly as she kissed Sheldon on the cheek, feeling tickled by his stubble.
"Ohh!" Sheldon sighed, blushing as he realized that Amy understood quite well how he felt at the moment, even though her discomfort wasn't due to alcohol.