n
If Penny could put this sound on her iPod, it might find more playtime than Sheldon's lectures. The consistent thump rang through her ears as she lay on the table in the hospital room and watched the ultrasound monitor.
Sheldon was above her; he had a notebook in one hand and was writing down everything her OBGYN was saying. Dr. Crenshaw, an attractive older woman with fiery red hair, was extremely tolerant and actually found it quite endearing that Sheldon was so interested in every bit of information about his child.
"Everything looks great, Penny." That was pretty much when Penny shut off her mind as Sheldon started to ask a bunch of questions about thing she didn't really understand. She wondered if it might be better for her to participate, but she'd heard things were great and she was sated.
It felt so real in this moment as Sheldon held her hand on this bed and the doctor continued to run her ultrasound wand across Penny's growing stomach. She was going to be a mom, a wife and she was desperately in love.
"I've got your blood work back as well, do you want to know the sex?"
That got Penny's attention and she looked up at Sheldon who had his pen at the ready. "Yes, we would." He said and there was eagerness in his face she hadn't seen before.
"You two will be the proud parents of a beautiful baby girl."
Tears rushed into Penny's eyes and clouded her vision and Sheldon, who had been poised to take his notes, couldn't find the will to write. He just stood there frozen and glazed over as his mind wandered and he smiled goofily.
A soft knock at their door drew all eyes to a nurse who asked Dr. Crenshaw for a moment and she made her exit hastily.
Lolling her head back, Penny looked up at Sheldon above her and smiled as he closed his notebook and set it on a counter behind him.
"I am far more excited than I had thought upon hearing the news of our progeny's sex." He said before pulling over a rolling stool, taking out a small cloth and wiping it down before sitting.
Penny felt as if she was floating, nothing could take her away from this feeling. She took his hand and kissed it over and over again before he finally pulled it away and replaced it with his own lips. "Another girl in your life, Dr. Cooper." She said happily.
"Yes," he nodded. "I certainly hope that she gains my intelligence and your appearance, she could rule the world with that combination."
She laughed through her tears and though the idea of her child being a brilliant prodigy scared her slightly, she knew Sheldon would do whatever he could to make his little girl smart. In truth and perhaps selfishly, Penny was afraid that if her baby was a genius like her daddy, that she might be the odd one out in the long run. Penny learned from Sheldon every day, but she was never going to be able to talk to him about physics or math and science… any of those things. She needed to have the ability to reach her daughter.
Her daughter…
How her life had changed, she thanked God every day that she picked Pasadena over New York City.
"I guess we'll have to start thinking of girl names." Penny said softly and Sheldon nodded and reached for his notebook again.
"I have a few ideas." Sheldon said as he grinned slightly. "Where do you stand on… Pepper?"
The reaction he got was an empty and confused look from the blonde below him. "Pepper?"
"Yes, like Pepper Potts from Iron Man."
She shook her head. "We aren't naming her after a comic book character." Penny said definitively.
"May I ask why?" He inquired with a bit of frustration.
Of course, she just smiled and shrugged. "I don't know… it doesn't seem personal enough to just give her a name from some character you've read about in comic books, sweetie. It has to be a name that fits her."
Sheldon sighed tiredly. "So I suppose that rules out Betty and Mary Jane?"
"Yeah, it does. We're not naming our daughter after a slang term for pot."
He groaned. "Penny, I don't think that when Peter Parker was trying to desperately save his beloved Mary Jane Watson that he, or any of the readers, ever stop and think about how much her name makes them think of marijuana."
She sighed, still sated over with joy. "Still, she's only going to get one name… it has to be perfect."
"Perhaps then it would be wise for us to wait on a name until after our child is brought into this world. So we can, as you say, give her a fitting name."
It made a lot of sense to Penny but she wasn't the most patient person in the world when it came to the things she wanted. She was a big ol' five after all. She wanted something to call her daughter now but she knew just how difficult it was going to be for the two of them to agree on any name, so she agreed and they let it go. But her mind continued to race with ideas and she knew his was as well.
The rest of the doctor's visit came and went and Penny found herself driving her and Sheldon home in a calm quiet. A week from today her parents would be coming and the day after that would be the arrival of his family.
She had done a pretty good job of avoiding the issue of having to deal with her mother. She'd busied herself with pregnancy stuff and she was going to be working a few shifts at the Comic Book Center between now and then. Penny only knew that if she stopped moving and let herself really embrace the agony of her parents' visit that it would stress her out too much and that wasn't healthy.
When they arrived back at the apartment, Penny found herself in an oddly creative mood. She was filled with pictures of what her daughter could become and was trying to think of things that would be pleasing to her baby when she came.
So she found her old sketchbook and was happy there were a few blank pages still and started to draw silently at Sheldon's computer desk. He was enthralled in his notes from the doctor's office and sitting in his spot with the TV on as nothing more than background noise.
Oddly enough, Abby had found herself going out to a movie by none other than Rajesh Koothrapalli. Okay, so maybe he didn't do the asking, but he was quick to accept Abby's offer as she was going absolutely nuts spending every day in this apartment.
This left the two of them alone and off in their own worlds.
Penny wasn't sure how long it had been but by the time Sheldon called out her name as he plodded into the kitchen, she'd gone through eight of her fifteen free sketchbook pages.
"Would you care for something to eat?" He asked and of course this made her hungry.
"Do we have any frozen pizzas?" Penny asked, still focused on her drawing.
Sheldon sighed and shook his head. "I'll order a pizza." He said simply and Penny absently nodded.
It wasn't until she took the time to look back that she realized her drawings were actually telling some kind of story. There was a neurotic beagle that walked around mud puddles and avoided being petted by anyone other than the six year old little girl who owned him. The drawings were a bit cartoonish but it had really allowed her to expand the backgrounds and make it seem more upbeat and cute. She was quite proud of the work, how the little girl got lost in the park and the dog, Echo was its name, had to go find her.
"The pizza shall be arriving in approximately 20 minutes or it will be void of charge." Sheldon said with a small cackle before he peered over her shoulder. Penny leaned back and let him scan her work. "What is this?" He asked, picking up her sketchbook for a closer look.
Penny shrugged. "I'm not sure… I just started drawing and that's what I got."
"It looks like a children's book, like the ones my Meemaw used to read to me when I'd stay over at her house in the summer." Sheldon's voice was distant as he thought back to nights in his Meemaw's guest room, lying in that big comfy bed she had just for him and feeling her sitting beside him as she read him to sleep. "Have you ever considered writing children's books?" He asked her.
Penny looked befuddled for a moment and slowly shook her head. "Not really, I mean I've never spent much time with kids, you know."
"Well your outgoing nature and the fact that you are quite good at consistently finding a reason to smile would seem to be evidence that you would be good around them. I have absolutely no doubts that you'll be a suitable mother to our child." He stopped for a moment as she beamed. Plus this work is almost identical to most children's books you see today… on par if not above most. You should contemplate it."
He didn't say another word, just turned on his heel and returned to the couch. Penny adored his belief in her. She glanced back to her sketchpad to finish her work.
Serious Texas BBQ was a buffet style restaurant that was set right in the middle of downtown Galveston. It was touristy and the walls were loaded with pictures and sports memorabilia from the various college and pro teams. It had a very southern feel, the locals all gathered at the bar for talk of life in town while the tourists all sat at the varying tables for their meals.
It had been a struggle, but Penny managed to convince Sheldon to take her here because she was desperate for some southern cooking and she had felt guilty of making his mother cook every night.
It was the day after Christmas and the place was busy and crowded, which made Sheldon even more uncomfortable but Penny had put on her sad face and he caved, as he always did.
She really was ruining him, or so he believed.
He couldn't help but study her today, she looked wonderful. There was very little effort in her appearance and Sheldon could swear that she was prettier for it. She had a small amount of makeup on and her clothes were nothing more than a simple blue t-shirt and jeans. She wore her hair down, he was always entranced at the way her hair flowed around when she was chatting and laughing.
Yes, that would be his goal through this meal. Make Penny laugh.
"This place is so sweet." She said simply, her eyes continuing to scan and gather the information of the room.
He'd been here plenty of times before, his mother loved to eat here and when he was growing up and every summer home from college, she would drag him here. He'd never enjoyed the food much, it was more about mass than value but his Meemaw made it a point to tell him that it pleased his mother so he had to 'grin and bear it'.
"Did you know that on September, 8 of 1900 that this island was struck with a devastating hurricane that is still considered the deadliest natural disaster in American history?"
There was a way that Penny would look at him sometimes that absolutely puzzled the great mind of Sheldon Lee Cooper. Her eyes were lock onto his, she was stare as if she were trying to look through his eyes and right into the fabric of his being. She nodded and lowered her brows, it was this look that she offered when she was genuinely interested in what he was saying.
It was another one of those things that Sheldon worked for when it came to Penny.
He was always a goal oriented person, but no single subject had ever produced more goals than this woman. "That's awful," she said simply and it urged him to continue.
"Yes, after the storm passed they constructed a 10 mile seawall to protect the city from floods and hurricane storm surge."
"Did it work?" She asked as if this had happened yesterday.
Sheldon fought off an aggressive smile that was threatening. "For the most part, though the city never fully recovered to what it once was."
Her smile filled the space between them and he found his fidgeting hands becoming moist.
"It just… amazes me what you know. I love your mind." She spoke so absently, as if her words were just facts and not compliments and he appreciated her sentiment.
He eyed her softly. "You know, if you took the time to read any of the books and encyclopedias that are scattered around our apartment you could expand your knowledge as well."
Penny laughed softly, it was decent, but not the one he was searching for. "I have the only encyclopedia I'll ever need. So long as I stay close to you, I'm good."
"I have no future plans of abandoning you, unless I fail to defeat this tumor." He said simply and she frowned, that was absolutely not his intended goal.
Quietly, Penny buried herself in the menu and Sheldon sadly did the same thing. He hadn't meant to make her stop talking. He made sure to not that mentioning his ailment drew sorrow from her.
"Smelly Cooper?" A voice called to him and Sheldon felt his stomach drop to the floor.
He didn't have to look away from his menu to know that it was Chuck Lawson. His childhood bully and a boy who went out of his way to make sure that Sheldon Cooper was the joke of the town.
Even now, the pair of them both in their thirties, he was calling him Smelly Cooper.
Unfortunately his plan of ignoring the matter altogether was thwarted when Penny cast her eyes back to the man who'd spoken. Chuck was a big guy, much like the men Penny dated. He was a football star in high school and even dated Missy for a short time.
A sudden thought and wave of absolute agony washed over him as Penny continued to look at this man from her distance. What if he went after Penny, tried to woo her, as it were and succeeded.
The idea of having Penny with this man was sickening.
"Who is that?" She asked, peering over her shoulder as Chuck continued his path to them.
Sheldon sighed. "The dreadful individual who used to stick my head in the toilet and flush it every single day and see if I could fit in the lockers and then abandon me until the next bell for class.
"You didn't scream for help?"
He shrugged and let his head fall as Chuck approached. "It is you!" Chuck cried with a laugh. "You look… exactly the same." He said backhandedly as he finally cast his eyes to the blonde across the table. "Whoa… are you one of Sheldon's cousins?" He asked, no doubt assuming that with how pretty Missy was that Penny could have easily come from that gene pool.
When Penny smiled, Sheldon only felt more misery. "No, we're not related." She said and Chuck lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Oh, well I'm Chuck," he said, extending his hand.
She accepted. "Penny."
He looked her up and down and Penny seemed to almost lean back and allow his eyes access to her body.
Chuck then turned to Sheldon. "Hey Smelly, do you remember when I put that dissected frog in your lunch bag?" He asked with a sophomoric cackle.
"Yes," Sheldon said, suddenly feeling eleven years old again and extremely out of place.
Chuck laughed. "Smelly here always had the same lunch every day. Me and some of my friends would play a few pranks on him. Good times right buddy?" He asked before reaching across and heavily smacking Sheldon's arm. His eyes then went back to Penny who was still smiling. Sheldon wanted to run away. "So how do you know ol' Smelly here?"
Penny looked at Sheldon and when he looked back to her, she winked. "Sheldon's my fiancée."
The only thing that could match the speed at which Chuck's jaw dropped, was how fast Sheldon's did.
"No shit?" He stammered, glancing between the pair seated at the table.
Sheldon could only assume that all her acting skills were on display because she absolutely beamed when she looked at him again. "Yup, we're having a June wedding in the Cayman Islands. In fact, I'm kinda surprised they let us come in here today after they caught us in the bathroom having sex last week, I thought we'd be banned for sure right honey?" Penny asked.
"In a public restroom, I would nev—," Penny kicked him under the table and made a quick eye shift in the direction of Chuck. Sheldon cleared his throat. "Oh yes… we had very loud intercourse right up against the wall of the… bathroom." He said, his face scrunched up a bit as he finished.
Penny flushed and laughed beautifully, he'd achieved his goal.
Chuck sighed and looked at Penny one more time who was still looking deeply at Sheldon. He then looked back to his old classmate and shook his head. "Damn Cooper, congratulations. It was good to see you." With a pat on Sheldon's back, Chuck retreated to his original spot at the counter.
"That was fun." Penny said casually before returning to her menu.
Sheldon was at a complete loss, watching her and begging his beautiful mind to catch up, she was the only thing in this world that could outmaneuver his cognitive process. "Why did you do that?" He finally managed to ask.
Penny sat her menu down but kept a finger on the item she was thinking of ordering. "Because that guy was an ass and he needed to be shut the hell up."
"But you… I—I you and I aren't…," She smiled to stop him.
"I know we're not… that, sweetie. But he needed to see that you could get any girl you wanted, that you could most certainly get someone like me." She returned to her menu but continued talking. "You're the brilliant scientist who's going to win a Nobel Prize and change the world someday, if anything I would be out of YOUR league."
It was a strange feeling that followed her words, warmth that spread throughout his entire body and he knew, a primal part of him knew that he would do whatever it took to be near this girl for as long as his life would allow.
Hesitantly, he slid his foot across the space under the table that separated them and touched her ankle gently.
Her eyes went wide for a moment and she looked up at him. He was watching her, studying her and smiling just a bit. "Thank you, Penny."
"Anytime, sweetie." She cooed softly before returning the favor and rubbing her leg against his.
Sheldon suddenly felt very at home in Serious Texas BBQ.
It was well past ten when Sheldon finally retreated to his bedroom. Penny was already there, sitting up against the pillows stacked along the wall at the head of the bed. She was quietly sketching, her tongue protruding out just a bit.
Sheldon felt an odd rush of sorrow wash over him as he looked at her. He hadn't seen her most of the day, just a quick hug and kiss when she returned home from making wedding plans with Abby.
They'd told everyone almost the second they came home from their date that they were going to push the wedding up to Christmas. All their friends were thrilled for them, Abby hated weddings but loved her sister enough to play Maid of Honor.
Having agreed due to his overwhelming lack of knowledge on the subject to stay far away from the wedding plans, Penny was doing most of this on her days off. He only asked that it be classy and traditional and of course, he was on the same wavelength as Penny.
She didn't notice him until he slid the closet door open and pulled out his pajamas. Even though they'd had sex numerous times, he was still shy about being naked in front of her in random moments and changed behind the door of his closet.
"Hey honey, did you get any more work done?" She asked as he stepped out in a pair of blue, plaid PJs.
Sheldon sighed and shook his head. "Unfortunately, I was not. I should be able to successfully finish my paper before the date of December 28, but it will not be happening this evening."
Penny eyed him as he climbed into bed. He'd been going to a few pre-surgery treatments at a hospital in LA and it was wearing him out mentally and physically.
She placed a hand on his lower back as he settled under the covers and felt her chest tighten when the bones of his spine felt so prominent under her touch. She was steadily getting bigger and he was slowly decaying. He couldn't eat much because he had to take so much medication to counter the lack of chemotherapy as he waited for surgery. His work had suffered but he was absolutely insistent on continuing it.
For the most part, Penny just wanted this all to be over. She wanted him to be okay. "How are you, Sweetheart?"
"Sweetheart." He said redundantly, with a soft smile. "Anytime I hear that I am always brought back to memories of those little candy hearts one usually acquires on Valentine's Day. Missy used to love them. She would offer bags to various people on that day."
This was when she knew something was bothering him, when he would avoid a basic question with an unnecessary rant.
Penny pursed her lips. "You didn't answer my question." She pressed and he visibly sagged.
"I find myself… lost in irrational thought and constant worry of the unknown." His voice was thick and tired.
She sat down her sketchbook and tapped her touch lamp twice to put it on the lowest setting. "Talk to me." She offered gently as she slid next to him and soothed circles on his back.
His blue eyes pierced into her and she saw them glisten with tears. Her heart shattered in her chest and she was so thankful to be this close to him now.
"I have spent all of my life assuming that death would come to me and I would simply draw it up as the natural occurrence that it is. Everyone will pass at some point and that has never bothered me… but I realize now why it didn't. Because I have never in my life had what I have to lose now. I find myself astounded by the absolute emptiness that comes with dying. I'm… scared."
Penny took a long, steadying breath as she closed her eyes and nodded to soak everything in. "You're not going to die, honey. You're going to get through this."
"You can't know that." He said simply.
She chewed on her bottom lip. "I know, but… even if…." She wanted to make him feel better but words were absolutely failing her right now. "What we have, this feeling when we're sitting here now, that love… it will never go away. Even if one of us leaves… it'll always be here."
Sheldon shook his head as he allowed her to cradle his head in her arms. "Before we are brought to this world, it is darkness and nothingness. How am I supposed to believe that when I leave, it won't be the same?"
Slowly, she started to sway back and forth as she held him, her mind in a race with her mouth to come up with something to say. He was lost in his own mind about his mortality and she didn't have the weapons to fight his demons.
"I—I don't know." She said, defeated. His arm wrapped around her back and they held each other for a while in silence. When she was little, Penny had wanted to make something wonderful out of her life. That was the biggest reason she pursued acting, it would make her special and make her important and matter.
Acting failed her, but she found that something special. It was her love for this boy. It felt as if it were the greatest love in the world. That it towered over each and every romance that had come before or would begin after.
It was the kind of love that is dreamt about in movies, but it was nothing she ever envisioned. He wasn't a knight in shining armor that could take her away from a troubled life and make everything okay.
He was lying in the muck with her, and they fought off the monsters together.
"I'm being mournful. It's irrational." He bit angrily at himself as he sat up but stayed close to her.
Penny looked into his eyes. "You're allowed to be afraid, Sheldon. That's why I'm here… to help you through it." He licked his lips and cast his eyes down to the comforter of the bed. "Come here." She offered and lay down slowly as she brought him with her.
His head rested on the swell of her breasts and she stroked his hair softly. Just as she was reaching over to turn the light off, she felt something jolt inside of her and her breath caught.
Sheldon sat up quickly and looked into her eyes as she glanced down at her stomach. "Did you feel that?" He nodded slightly. "That's your daughter… she just kicked."
His eyes trailed down to her stomach and he gently lifted the camisole up to expose her stomach. He laid the flat of his palm over her stomach and Penny dropped her hand atop his.
It took a good thirty seconds, but when the second kick came, they both let out sounds of delight and Penny started to well up while Sheldon scrambled through the drawer by the side of his bed and pulled out his notebook.
After he wrote the time and his reaction to the movement, he settled his notes down on the bedside table and touched her again, desperate to feel his child again. She didn't disappoint, kicking and kicking. Penny was floating in bliss as she laughed and cried and pulled him down for a searing kiss.
When they broke apart, Penny ran her fingers over his cheek and smiled. "It's not just the two of us anymore… your baby is right here, and she's gonna need her daddy." Penny whispered and he smiled at her.
That night Sheldon made love to the woman he cared about more than anything in the world, letting the feeling of her embrace wash away the fears of death, for one night at least.
Penny looked at herself in the mirror, mentally telling herself that she was strong enough for this. Penny could be at her absolute best and yet whenever her mother spoke to her or looked at her, she could turn into an absolute mess.
Her mom, Kathleen, brought out the worst in everyone she came in contact with. She was bitter and arrogant and worst of all… she was filled with jealousy of her youngest daughter. Penny had become everything that Kathleen wanted to be in high school. Her mom was a runner up for homecoming queen, Penny won. Her mom was an alternate on the cheerleading squad, Penny was almost captain.
Kathleen was in a loveless marriage that she would never leave. Penny spent every single day drowning in love.
Any minute now that woman would be here and this happy bubble she'd locked herself in would be invaded by the horrible childhood she ran away from.
Mary and Missy Cooper would be here tomorrow, Penny wasn't sure they would survive this day to see them.
Sheldon was a mess, cleaning and cleaning to make sure that her mother had as little ammunition as possible. He wasn't dense on the fact that those people wanted her to leave him and move back to Nebraska. It was, without question, the only reason they were coming. They would belittle him and berate him and make him feel like an outcast. That was who her mother was, a bully and while Penny was no saint growing up, she had actually done just that… grown up.
Something her mother bypassed altogether.
There was a knock on the front door.
Penny heard Abby let out a tired 'Fuck me' as she stepped into the hallway. Penny opened the bathroom door and locked eyes with her sister. They both shook their heads and made their way to let their guests in.
As she sauntered through the living room, Penny saw Sheldon wiping down the windows with glass cleaner and big rubber gloves on. She wanted to tell him to stop, her parents would see that and assume that was all he ever did.
"Did you wear a big enough shirt their kid?" Abby asked as they reached the door.
Penny sighed. "I'd rather hide it for now and tell them later."
Just as she opened the door, Abby mouthed the words 'worst Christmas ever' to Penny and plastered on a smile.
"Hey!" She called as their parents stood in the doorway with luggage in hand. Abby went to hug her mother but was given very little in return. Kathleen was glancing at Penny from beyond her older daughter's embrace. Penny held very little emotion in her gaze, she just kept looking back at Sheldon who had put his gloves away and was standing behind the couch with his hands behind his back.
Abby was able to garner much more of an embrace from their father who held her and said he'd missed her.
As Kathleen approached Penny, she lifted her suitcase up just a bit and smiled. "It's good to see you, dear." She said before extending her suitcase. "We haven't made it to the hotel yet, could you put these things somewhere?"
Sheldon was quick to step in. "I'll take that." He said and grabbed the luggage, Penny's mother looked slightly affronted.
"Hi Mom," Penny whispered before putting on her best smile. They didn't hug, her mom didn't even attempt it as she rubbed Penny's shoulder before taking a few steps into the apartment.
"I see this place hasn't changed much." She said flatly.
Penny looked up to the ceiling and sighed. "Nope, pretty much the same." She said and then finally was greeted by her dad.
"Hey Slugger." He said awkwardly before pulling her in for a hug. Penny kept her hips back, not wanting to show that she'd been putting on weight. The shirt was big enough to hide it visually, but they would notice it if they touched her.
It was then that her dad glanced at Sheldon, who'd returned to his spot behind the couch and was smiling, he was trying and Penny loved him for that. "Hello, Sir." He said.
Wyatt looked at him and nodded with a curt smile before taking a seat in the middle of the couch.
When it appeared that they were all going to sit down and chat, Sheldon moved to his spot, but Kathleen had already plopped herself there. Sheldon looked at her and then back to her mother and rolled her eyes. "Mom, could you…,"
"Oh Sweetie, it's good for people with his condition to be pushed out of their comfort zone a little." She spoke in such a light tone and her smile beamed that it was like being insulted by a talking puppy.
That was when Abby came in for the save. "Mom! Can you help me get these drinks ready?" She asked as they all looked while she drug a few soda cans from the fridge.
With a groan, Kathleen stood and shuffled to the kitchen. Sheldon pounced and took a seat on the couch which caused Wyatt to stand and walk away. An action that visibly deflated Sheldon so Penny took her dad's spot and sat next to her boy.
When Abby and their mother returned, they both pulled out stools from the counter and sat down. Wyatt had taken refuge in Sheldon's computer chair.
"So how was your flight?" Abby asked, fully prepared to be the buffer.
Her father grumbled. "Hell, I swear these damn airlines get paid more for harrasin' us than getting us where we need to be."
"Oh I completely agree," Sheldon started. "It amazes me the people that they allow to fly, no matter their condition and those germs don't have anywhere else to go as the plane is completely sealed shut, all of those pathogens passing from one person to another… it's unbearable. "
Kathleen started to laugh as bullies would at the boy who everyone picked on in high school and Wyatt nodded shortly but didn't answer.
"I see the apartment isn't the only thing that hasn't changed," she said slowly before taking a drink of her soda.
Abby and Penny shared a look of mutual discomfort and when Penny looked to Sheldon, he was twitching a bit.
"How's Billy?" Penny asked and immediately regretted it.
Her mother took a heavy, desperate breath. "Miserable, it is so wrong that they've kept him in there this long when I know in my heart that he didn't do anything wrong. All he's ever done is try and help people, sure his ways are a bit unconventional, but he's helping!"
"He was cooking meth and selling it to teenage girls for sex, Mom." Penny countered and drew a deadly glare.
"You do not know that! The testimony's of a few hashed out little girls are not enough to condemn my boy, they had no real evidence." She spat and Penny could swear there was malice in the look she was getting.
Again it was Abby frantically trying to make this work. "So Dad, how bout those Cornhuskers?" Abby asked, knowing absolutely nothing about football.
Penny cringed and looked at her father. "They sucked all season." He said and Penny offered a small nod to her sister.
"They really did." She added. "Do you think they should fire Coach Pelini?" Penny asked, stuff like this was always easy.
Her dad lit up a bit and nodded. "Yeah, he's overpaid and hasn't done anything good for us. They need to bring in some fresh blood and get this thing turned around.
"They need to go back to the option, really." Penny said and suddenly the rest of the room fell away. She could do this with her father, talk about football or fixing engines and thing were wonderful. It was when she tried to integrate him into her actual life that he drifted from her. "It brought them National Titles and great seasons. It's working for Georgia Tech."
"All right!" It was Kathleen who cut in. "We didn't come here so you two could hash on about football. Tell me what's new in your life, Penny? Found a nice boy yet?" She asked, so blatantly ignoring Sheldon. "Because you know that Tucker from the Fish and Tackle always asks about you when your dad and I go buy lures. He's gotten so tall, and has amazing eyes."
Sheldon and Penny shared a look for a moment before he turned his gaze away from her. "Tucker always was into the outdoors." Penny said before reaching over and grabbing Sheldon's hand. "But I've already got a boy, a boy I love." She said looking at Sheldon who flushed and prayed that this spot would just swallow him alive.
Abby had since buried her head in her hands and given up trying to mediate.
Kathleen bristled for a moment but her resolve kicked in and she smiled. "Oh yes, of course… Abby told me about you two. It's… cute." She said offhandedly and took a big drink of her soda.
"Oh and we're getting married!" Penny said brightly, not really giving a damn anymore.
The drink in her mother's hand slipped and fell hard onto the floor. The glass shattered and the liquid spilled everywhere.
Sheldon was up in a flash and grabbing various things to clean it with. Abby had sunk down as well to lift the glass from the ground.
Her mother stood up in a rush, practically stepping over Sheldon as she stormed off down the hallway. "Penelope!" She shouted and Penny grimaced and looked to her father who had tuned her out completely.
"You should probably get the vacuum to get the smaller shards of glass." She offered before stepping past them and walking to where her mom had gone. "Something on your mind, Mom?" Penny asked with a vengeful cheer.
Kathleen stopped just outside of the bathroom door and glowered at her daughter. "You have to be the stupidest girl I have ever known." She bit out and Penny felt her wall of strength tumbling. "I swear, I don't know where I went wrong with you but Penny you cannot tie yourself down to that… child in there who has his own spot and won't touch anyone or anything."
"He touches me." Penny said softly, tears in her eyes but defiance in her voice. "He holds me and kisses me and…," she didn't finish, instead she lifted her shirt just a bit and let her growing stomach be exposed. When she covered herself again, Kathleen was white as a ghost. "He loves me. Which is more than I ever got from you."
Her mother, now white as a ghost, started crying. "How could you do this to yourself? You're not fit to be a single mother. You can't even take care of yourself."
It stung at Penny's heart to hear the words she'd chanted to herself over and over again so much in the last few months.
"I'm not alone." Penny said but her voice had no conviction.
Kathleen scoffed derisively. "The boy has cancer, Penelope… cancer! He's not going to survive that, he looks like he can barely get around on his own now. You need to come home with us, tonight, and we'll help you take care of this mess you've gotten yourself into."
Penny snapped. "I AM NOT COMING BACK TO YOU!" She shouted and the entire apartment had to have heard her.
Sheldon stood in a hurry and raced down the hall. He took a step in front of Penny and leveled a glare on her mother. "You need to leave." He said angrily. Kathleen rolled her eyes and tried to push him out of the way. He was surprisingly steady and kept his glare on her. "Do you not know the results that stress can have on an unborn child? It can be catastrophic to the mother and the baby. You are bringing unwarranted stress on Penny and I will not allow that."
"Dad… please take her home." Abby whispered as they were the only two left in the living room."
Silently, Penny had escaped to the bathroom and Sheldon was left toe to toe with her mother. "Vacate our home." Sheldon demanded and Kathleen finally took a step back.
"She is my daughter." She said weakly.
Sheldon was at a point in his emotional state that he did not recognize, he couldn't comprehend it and he certainly didn't enjoy it, but he was almost shaking with anger. "Not by her own choice."
Kathleen looked as if she'd just been scaled with hot water as she started to cry and run off like a wounded teenager.
She rushed out the front door and Wyatt merely stood slowly, paced over to where they'd sat down the suitcases and lifted them up. He moved to the door, eyed Abby for a moment and watched as she stood and started for the hallway. He glanced back just as Sheldon shuffled into the bathroom after Penny.
Abby gave her father a last look as he opened the door. "I'm sorry." She said to him and he shook his head and left.
The entire scene felt surreal, like something out of a poorly acted soap opera or an episode of Jerry Springer.
Tiredly, Abby leaned against the doorframe and watched Sheldon calmed Penny down and even whispered something to her that made her laugh. Her sister's smile was contagious and she caught it.
It had come and gone so fast but left absolute devastation in its wake. This thing they'd dreaded had passed but would resonate forever.
The two people that just left weren't Abby's family anymore.
Her baby sister and the crazy sweet boy who loved her, they was her family now.
And maybe that cute Indian boy. She thought with a smirk.