Penny felt a sharp pain in her chest, a prick with every breath. The dense fog of unconsciousness began to disappear. After the thorn in her side, the next thing she could feel was a dim glow. She opened her eyes slowly. Blurry shapes began to appear before her and blinked. She groaned in protest. Blinking also was a considerable effort. She suddenly was aware that her whole body hurt. Gradually those shapes began to become clear. The ceiling was white, like the walls and bed. She looked at her bandaged arm and the catheter that was on her wrist, connected to a saline bag hanged over her head. She tried to move, but instantly dismissed it with a wince. Undoubtedly, she was in a hospital.

Suddenly, she froze. Sheldon was huddled up on an armchair opposite her bed, fast asleep. The girl gulped. Suddenly, she began to remember everything: Sheldon and Erika, kissing each other; her mad race in her car and the horrific explosion before falling unconscious. The pain made her eyes flooded with tears as she remembered everything. But still, she could not look away from the young physicist. She knew she should hate him but she could not help but observing him intently. Sheldon slept in a very uncomfortable position. His face was tired, pale and somewhat sad. Penny felt something piercing her heart seeing him. She cursed herself for not being able to keep her anger and tried to fan it, but seeing his face, it evaporated completely. The girl stifled a sob. She was starting to doubt. What if there was something else she did not know this nightmare? She knew that Sheldon never could betray her. He was there with her, showing all the signs that he hadn't moved away her side since probably she was admitted to the hospital. But on the other hand, maybe it was because he felt guilty for kissing Erika.

Penny squeezed her eyes, feeling overwhelmed by the chaos of doubts. Suddenly, she froze again. Sheldon was waking up. The young physicist issued a little groan and rubbed his sore neck, trying to lift his head and adopt an appropriate position. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked. Penny gulped. Sheldon felt that heaven was opening before him seeing those emerald eyes. He stifled a gasp mixed with a sob.

- Penny...

Tears filled the blue eyes. The girl gasped seeing this. The physicist approached, looking at her as if he feared that she was not real. He stopped a foot away of her bed.

- You are ... awake.

She looked at him very confused, not even knowing what to say.

- You are awake ... - he repeated, in a thin voice.

He could not resist it anymore. He collapsed to his knees and began to mourn, burying his face on the edge of the bed. Penny opened her mouth and eyes, absolutely stunned, unable to do anything but see him bursting into tears. He tried to say something, but her throat was shaking in such way that she could not make a sound. She had only seen him crying like this when Meemaw suffered her heart attack. The girl also felt her eyes filled with tears. She could not see him crying. Never. She swallowed hard, enduring pain and moved slowly her bandaged hand to touch the dark hair.

- Sheldon...

Sheldon shivered at the contact, emitting a moan and looked up. He made a superhuman effort to speak.

- Are... you okay?

The little girl bit her lower lip.

- I think yes. Well, the whole body hurts as if a truck had run over me.

- This is because a truck had run over you really. - Sheldon felt more tears drowning him. - Do you remember what happened?

The girl looked away.

- Unfortunately, I remember it all too well. - she said hurt. She felt again that suffering unbearable.

- Penny...

- I saw you, Sheldon. I saw you kissed Erika in her car.

Sheldon looked at her imploringly.

- Penny, I didn't kiss her. It was she who ... kissed me. - Penny looked away angrily, snorting. Sheldon approached, feeling dying. - I swear. She ... took advantage of a moment when... I lowered my guard.

Penny's green eyes flashed with anger.

- And, what the hell did she do to lower your guard? Did it she with her charms of cheap whore?

The physicist blinked.

- No, she made me doubt saying that you, eventually, you will not be happy with me because your world is very different from mine. And I ...

Penny looked at him surprised. She swallowed. Again both were sharing a conversation in which every one of them was talking about completely different subjects. Sheldon looked down.

- I know I should not have believed it, but in that moment... - he shook his head furiously. - The idea that you could be unhappy with me paralyzed me. And Erika took the occasion.

She opened her mouth.

- Were you paralyzed to the point to allow her to kiss you? Due to this stupid idea?

- It's not stupid. I would do anything to prevent you to be unhappy, even separating from your side, if necessary.

Penny gulped seeing those deep blue eyes, so full of sadness and sincerity. Suddenly, everything seemed to fit. Now she could see clearly that it was ridiculous to think that Sheldon might have some interest in Erika. The girl felt again that a knot was preventing to breathe. But this time, it was a knot of happiness, instead of distress.

- R ... Really?

- How can you doubt nowadays, Penny? How could you think that I could have some interest in Erika?

- Maybe because ... you never told me ... what you feel. - she replied, with a titanic effort.

Sheldon stared her.

- Do you want to know why never I told you?

The girl felt she was going to have a heart attack. She could only nod.

- Because I love you so much that it hurts like nothing had hurt me in my life before. Because the simple fact of saying it makes it hurt more still and shutting him up was the only way to handle it, the only way to ... keep some control.

Penny began to tremble. Was she dreaming?

- But ... then ... now that you've said ...

Sheldon sighed with a sad face.

- I lost any hope of keeping control since you entered my life, Penny. I've already resigned to my fate.

The girl could not help an involuntary smile seeing that unmistakable and adorable expression on his face. She had such cluster of feelings in the chest that she thought it would explode. She wished to shatter to laugh and mourn at a time, roll out of bed and kiss him until to lose sense. But the sharp pain in her chest made her back to reality. Sheldon looked at her concerned, seeing her wince.

- Does it hurt much? I'll get the doctor.

- Sheldon, wait. Please don't go.

- Penny, the doctor should know you've regained consciousness and...

The girl snorted. To the hell the pain. To the hell the doctor. To the hell all his speeches. She managed to raise her hand enough to grasp him by the his shirt's collar and pulled him close, catching his lips with hers in a passionate kiss, ripping his breath. Sheldon felt die and rise again. But he knew she was still too weak. He managed to break the kiss, panting.

- Penny, we are in a hospital ... and you just got out of ICU ... not long ago - he warned.

- Say it again. - she looked at him with adoring eyes.

- We are in a hospital and you...

The girl glared. Sheldon swallowed and lowered his head in defeat.

- I love you...

Penny gave her the most beautiful smile he had never seen. After, she stole his breath again with another passionate kiss. Sheldon felt that this was escaping to any control.

- Penny, please ... - he gasped, trying to breathe. - We are in a hospital...

- Hey, don't tell me it's not a good place. There couldn't be more aseptic. - she replied with a funny and irresistible smile.

- You're wrong. In a hospital, despite its strict hygiene, there are many types of bacteria that proliferate here and not in other places...

Penny laughed and silenced him again with another kiss.