Sheldon has hired Raj's sister in an effort to help Penny. Their relationship is back on track. So far.

Sheldon glanced at his watch and frowned. He expected Penny more than 30 minutes ago. She had agreed to go bowling with him, Leonard and Amy. He set his bowling ball bag on the coffee table and headed out into the hall. He knocked on her door and called her name. He listened carefully but didn't hear anything. He knocked three rounds again, but still received no answer. Sheldon debated with himself for all of two minutes before he returned to his apartment.

Leonard, Howard and Raj looked at him curiously. "Where's Penny?"

Sheldon opened his desk drawer and removed the spare key Penny had given him almost two months earlier. He went back into the hall and inserted the key into the lock. He hesitated a second before unlocking the door.

He and Penny had been growing closer and closer over the seven weeks since Disneyland. They always kissed hello and good night. They routinely held hands. Sheldon was slowly acclimating to life as part of a couple. However, he was starting to …want things. Things he had no understanding of, or name for. Every day he was feeling a bit of …discontent. A sort of craving, almost.

Sheldon pushed the door open and peered around the edge. The lights were off, and he turned to leave, but a bout of coughing stopped him. He turned back to the bedroom door and cautiously knocked on it. He heard a low moan and it tore through him. He opened the door and stepped into the dark room. He edged over to the bed and peered down at Penny. He cringed at the feverish flush to her skin. Tentatively he placed his hand on her forehead, only to jerk back as if her skin was on fire.

"Penny?" he whispered softly. "Penny?" Her eyes opened slightly, but they were unfocused and glassy. He moved to the bathroom quickly and ran cool water over a wash cloth. He hurried back and placed it on her forehead and she gave a gasp which quickly turned into another bout of coughing. Sheldon sort of pulled her onto her side and the coughing eased some.

As soon as she relaxed again, he rushed from the apartment and moved back into his own. "Leonard, Penny is sick. Very sick. I need someone to run to the store and purchase some medicines and a selection of juices. I am going to collect my humidifier along with some other essential items and go back over."

Howard stood and headed to the door. "I'll head over to the Rite-Aid pharmacy. I'll grab some Gatorade, too. It has electrolytes."

Sheldon hurried back to the bathroom and grabbed the extensive emergency medical kit he kept there. He sidetracked to his bedroom on a whim and grabbed pajamas and his robe. He blushed at Leonard's raised eyebrows. "In case Penny needs round-the-clock attention," he mumbled.

Leonard, Howard and Raj kept quiet as he went back into 4B. The moment the door closed behind him, they looked at each other with grins. "He is so hooked," Raj laughed.

Leonard nodded. "Yep. Howard, grab some antibacterial wipes, too. Once he realizes he forgot them, he's going to panic."

Raj stood and moved to the door. "I'll go with you. We'll get some chicken noodle soup, too, from the Souplantation."

The two men left and Leonard picked up his phone. He looked at the emergency contact list Sheldon had posted on the fridge and dialed a number. "Amy? This is Leonard Hofstadter. Penny is ill so she won't be bowling tonight. No, Sheldon's with her and he's taking care of her. Hmm? Oh, well, yeah. If you want, I'd be glad to go anyway. Sure. I'll meet you there in an hour, okay?"

Leonard hung up and looked at his phone with surprise. Amy wanted him to go bowling anyway. She said she'd really like to get to know him better. Leonard put his wallet in his pocket and walked into the hall. He knocked on Penny's door and after a few minutes Sheldon answered, wearing a mask and gloves.

"Howard and Raj ran to the pharmacy. If you need me, just call." He started to turn away but paused. "Amy asked me to go bowling with her even though you and Penny weren't coming." Leonard hesitated. "I told her I'd meet her in an hour. Unless you want me to stay."

Sheldon shook his head. "I am perfectly capable of caring for my girlfriend during her illness. Good night, Leonard."

Leonard walked away with a smile. He was surprised by how easily Sheldon had called Penny his girlfriend. Up until now, he had always referred to her as his "relationship partner". That, in and of itself, had cause a bit of misunderstanding among some of their colleagues, who thought it was Sheldon's way of coming out of the closet. They had tried to explain that to Sheldon, but the tall physicist had just shrugged and said he didn't really care what misconceptions his co-workers had.

Sheldon closed the door and hurried back to the bedroom. Penny's breathing was still labored, so he eased a couple of pillows behind her back. She opened her eyes and blinked at him a couple of times.

"Sheldon?" Her voice was raspy and weak, and it made him cringe. Not just because of germs, but also because she sounded like she was in pain. "Shouldn't be here," she mumbled. "Get sick, too."

He dipped the wash cloth in the bowl of water he had set up and shook his head. "I have already begun a program of antibiotics and vitamin supplements. Also, I have taken the precaution of wearing a mask, latex-free gloves, and liberally scrubbing everything I touch with Purel. I cannot, in good conscience, leave you to suffer."

Penny smiled, but quickly turned away as a coughing spell hit. When she finally caught her breath she leaned back against the pillows and smiled again. "You're a bit of a whack-a-doodle, aren't you?"

Sheldon looked at her haughtily. "You may be ill, but that is no excuse for name calling." He picked up the bowl to change the water and headed to the bathroom. Penny grinned as his next words floated back to her. "Besides," he said softly, "I'm your whack-a-doodle." She drifted off again. Listening to the water run.

Penny groaned softly as she shifted in the bed. Every muscle and joint ached so bad! Her head was a bit foggy still, but at least her nausea was gone and her throat wasn't on fire. She started to sit up, but felt restrained. She opened her eyes and looked at the long slender arm thrown over her waist. She followed it to the shoulder and up to the face. She smiled tenderly at Sheldon. He was deeply asleep, limbs entangled with hers. She reached out to brush his hair back from his eyes and frowned. His forehead was too warm. Penny eased his arm from her waist and his leg from hers. She bit back a groan as she sat up and looked him over carefully. Crap. She had gotten him sick, after all!

A bedroom door opened and Bernadette peeked around the edge. She gave Penny a small wave and tiptoed over. "How are you feeling?"

Penny grimaced and shrugged. "Like I was run over with a steamroller and then stomped on by a marching band. I think Sheldon caught my flu."

Bernadette nodded. "Two days ago. We figured it was easier to take care of the both of you in one place, so we pretty much quarantined you two in here."

Penny gawked at her. "Two days ago? How long have I been sick?"

"Since Saturday," Bernadette said, helping Penny out of bed. "Today is Tuesday."

They walked slowly to the bathroom. "Holy crap on a cracker," Penny murmured. "No wonder I feel like death."

Bernadette set out a fluffy towel and some clean pajamas. "If you need to pee, do it now. Then take the pill on the bedside table. You'll feel better. I'll go get some medicine for Sheldon."

"Thanks B," Penny said sincerely. "I'll be quick."

When Penny emerged, Sheldon was sitting up in the bed, sipping a cup of tea. He looked at her and blushed, but luckily, no one could tell thanks to his fever. Her hair was hanging in tangles down her back, and he could see her nipples through the thin cotton top. The shorts she wore would have surely gotten her an indecent exposure ticket if she went outside. They were thin and rode low on her hips. Penny slipped back under the fresh blanket Leonard had placed on the bed and scooted over until their shoulders touched.

"Good morning," he said, his voice scratchy.

"Sheldon, I am so sorry," she gently. "I never wanted you to get sick."

He shrugged casually. "Penny, when I entered the room the first time, I was unaware of your illness. However, I willingly and knowingly returned to care for you. I knew the risks."

She looked at him curiously. She had learned early on that Sheldon had a huge phobia about germs. "So why did you come back?"

Sheldon set aside the teacup and turned to face her with a questioning look. "Why wouldn't I? You are my girlfriend. I am supposed to take care of you."

Penny couldn't have stopped herself even if she had tried. She twisted around and threw a leg over Sheldon's outstretched legs. Her arms wound around his neck and she kissed him. Sheldon squeaked in alarm and flapped his hands for a brief second, but then relaxed. In an instant, he had discovered the cure for the discontent he had been feeling lately. Warmth that had nothing to do with illness, and everything to do with emotion, spread like wildfire through him.

His hands moved down to her hips and clenched tightly. Penny released his lips too soon for his liking and laid her head on his shoulder. "I'm a very lucky woman," she whispered against his neck.

Sheldon smiled shyly and loosely wrapped his arms around her back. "I do not believe in luck," he said with a trace of embarrassment. Penny giggled against his skin and he felt goose-bumps break out on his arms. Sheldon and Penny looked up as the bedroom door opened again.

"Shelly, I brought you some split pea soup with little frankfurter slices and homemade croutons. Soon you'll be all …."

Penny looked at the tall thin woman holding the tray with surprise. Sheldon made a strangled squeaky noise. He quickly shifted Penny off his lap and then blushed bright enough to overpower his flushed skin. "Mommy? What are you doing here?"