Chapter 26: Moving Away
Penny goes upstairs to check on Amy. She is already asleep and Amy's mother watches her sleeping daughter with tears in her eyes. Penny softly knocks on the open door to Amy's hospital room.
Penny: "Can I come in?"
Amy's mother: "Oh Penny. Did you hear?
Penny nods sadly at her.
Penny: "Yes, Mary just told us. I am so sorry this happened. Is there anything I can do to help?"
Amy's mother: "Please come, sit with me awhile."
Amy's mother gets up and hugs Penny. Then they sit down together by Amy's bed side and watch her sleep for awhile. They both desperately hope that she will heal fast and be able to remember them again soon. Penny recalls the first time she met Amy while driving Sheldon to his very first date with her. Back then she thought Amy was just about the weirdest girl she'd ever met and sometimes Penny still finds it hard to believe that they've become great friends. Penny had a lot of so called "friends" growing up being part of popular crowd she always had a good group of girlfriends around to hang with, but none of them ever adored her the way Amy has over the last two years.
She'd just about got use to hanging out with guys only. Whether it was some guy she let pick her up at a bar then kicked to the curb the next morning, or her knuckleheaded football pals who actually understand and praise her love of sports, or even Leonard and his nerdy best friends Penny had grown accustom to mostly male companionship to point she was starting to feel like just one of the guys.
But, meeting Amy and working with Bernadette changed all that. She realizes now how much fun being all girly can be and Penny does not want their time together to end. She also knows Amy would do pretty much anything to help her out in a crisis so that makes Penny feel much more loyal to her in return.
Despite all their differences, she has really grown to like Amy so seeing her hurt makes Penny feel terrible. She quietly pulls out a tissue from her purse to dry her own tears. All Penny wants is to be able to talk to her again and go out on ladies night laughing, drinking and dancing with Amy and Bernadette.
Amy's mother: "I just don't want to leave her here. She's my baby. I can't let Amy go through this all alone. But, there is no telling how long her recovery will take. I may need to talk her landlord into letting Amy out of her lease so I can take her back home to live with me. "
Penny: "What!? No. You're taking Amy away from us?
Amy's mother nods back sadly knowing this is not what Penny wants to hear.
Amy's mother: "I'm sorry Penny, but I don't really see any other option. She can't remember anything so living alone will be much too dangerous for her. I can take care of her and make sure she's safe. It's just too bad that she won't be able to continue her research at the university. Studying brains has always been Amy's life work. She lived and breathed science. Still in a few more years I'll be able to retire from accounting. Then taking care of her can become my only priority. But, I can't afford to retire yet so moving her back home with me is really the only way I can do both."
Penny glances over at Amy's mother forlorn face with utter terror. The idea of Amy moving away for good never even occurred to her and she can't even bare to imagine how ballistic Sheldon will get when he hears about this. She quickly comes up with an alternative and realizes this may be her opportunity to help out.
Penny: "Mrs. Fowler would you mind if Amy comes to stay with me instead. I know she's your daughter and I don't mean to over step here, but Amy and I… well we've become really close. I know I'd miss her terribly if she left Pasadena. So will Sheldon he'll go completely nuts without her around. But, if she lives with me then we can all help take care of her even take shifts if we have too. The university they work at allows them to work from home sometimes if they need to, so even if I'm at work the boys can check in on her during the day if she lives with me."
Amy's mother: "Oh well I don't know Penny. The doctors feel she's going to need a lot of care. I don't want to burden you with this. It's not your fault. It was an accident."
Penny: "She's not a burden. If anything you'd be doing us all a favor. And, I think it might help her recovery if she remains in a more familiar place. Amy's lived in Pasadena for so many years. She and I have practically become like sisters. She sleeps over all the time so Amy is comfortable here. Taking her away might make it harder for her memory to come back and Sheldon says he has a plan to help. I don't usually take a lot of stock in most of what he says, but the man is a genius. At least give him a chance to try it out."
Amy's mother: "Sheldon does seem to care about her, but do you really think he is up to the task? He seems well a bit uh…fragile to me."
Penny: "Oh he's a limp noodle for sure. But, he is also in love. He may not always show it on the outside, but I can tell when a boy's in love. And, when it comes to people and things Dr. Sheldon Cooper actually cares about he's without a doubt the most disciplined and reliable person I know. I promise you we won't let anything else bad happen to her. "
Amy's mother smiles politely at Penny for being so gracious to offer to take care of Amy, but she's still not at all ready to let her actually do it.
Amy's mother: "Well you've certainly giving me something to think about Penny. I will be in town until the doctors release her from the hospital so let's just wait and see how she is doing before making any big decisions.
Penny nods back and smiles glad to know that she is at least willing to think it over. She decides right away not to mention any of this discussion to her friends, especially Sheldon until a decision is made on whether or not Amy will have to move away or move in with her.
Penny: "Okay, great. Now is there anything you can tell me about Amy's past that you think I should know. I want to be prepared to answer her questions in case she has any for me."
Amy's mother smiles at Penny happy to see that her daughter's friend is taking this so seriously. She thinks about Amy's childhood growing up and begins telling Penny all about it.