Chapter 8
It was now the month of Sarah's birth as Leonard, Penny and William were excited to welcome the new addition to their family. Leonard was thankful that Penny's pregnancy carried on without any health complications for her and their baby. The couple has since posted too much ultrasound screenshots of Sarah on their fridge, at Leonard's office and lab, not to mention their Facebook and Instagram pages earning a ton of likes and positive comments.
Penny was glad that their son William continued to support her during her pregnancy. He would often read his books aloud when he is sitting beside his mother in the living room so that his sister could hear him from inside Penny's belly. This made Penny very proud of how kind and thoughtful their son was, a trait that he surely got from his father.
As expected, the last month of pregnancy was always the hardest for Penny as she experienced the things she went through when she had William. From feeling bloated all day, tired, hungry and most important of all, cranky which Leonard has managed to circumvent, learning from his past experience when she was carrying William.
Leonard also noticed that Penny's hormone imbalance was more noticeable this time, probably because of the extra estrogen resulting from having a daughter instead of a son. This obviously made Penny hornier which greatly surprised Leonard, even making him exert a little extra effort on his part not because his urges weren't satisfied enough but to avoid upsetting his wife if her desires were not fulfilled. It got to a point when they would argue about the smallest things and after a few minutes, would find themselves in the bathroom or their bedroom, hurriedly removing their clothes for a quick one while their son was in the living room watching TV, oblivious to his parent's 'adult activities'. These brief and intense encounters between Leonard and Penny was not without a toll on both of them. Leonard had sustained numerous scratches on his back and shoulders as a result of his wife's eagerness. Penny for her part had a few light bruises on her arms and a couple of hickies on her neck as a result of Leonard sometimes being too passionate in their love making. These 'signs' never got past their son as they had to come up with clever ways of making up alibis on where they got these marks.
Almost a week before Penny's due date, Beverly arrived as she volunteered help out around the house and to watch over William when Penny goes into labor. She offered to take over most of the house duties since Penny couldn't move freely due to her pregnancy. William made sure to help out his grandma with whatever his small hands could accomplish under her watchful eye. Leonard and Penny saw a different side of Beverly during her brief stay with them. She was lively and less condescending, open and pretty much made a complete turnaround from what most people knew about her. It amazed Leonard on how William's constant presence with Beverly has greatly contributed to her change in demeanor.
They were done with dinner and was sitting around the living room watching television with William seated between Leonard and Penny. The adults were having tea while William clutched his Wookie stuffed toy in his hands.
"Mom?" he said.
"Yes sweetie." said Penny.
"Were you hurt when I was born?" asked William.
"Unfortunately, yes sweetheart." she said, smiling at her son.
"I'm sorry mommy." William said.
"Honey, I told you, you don't have to apologize to me. You understand?" Penny said.
"I know mom but still, you got sick and hurt because of me." said the child.
Penny then wrapped her arm around her son and gave him a tight hug. "I told you, you were worth it sweetie. I'm glad I went through all those things because if I didn't, then I wouldn't have a son like you! So sweet, so handsome and very smart!" she said kissing William.
"I promise I won't hurt you again mommy." said William making Penny and Leonard teary eyed.
"Aww, I'm sure you won't sweetie." she said.
"Can I tell you something?" she said. William nodded.
"After you were born, I was so exhausted and tired that I thought I could sleep for a whole week. But after the nurses were done cleaning you up, they put you on my chest and it was the happiest day of my life! You were the most beautiful thing I ever saw in my entire life with your cute nose and curly hair!" she said ruffling her son's hair.
"What about you daddy?" asked William.
"I cried when I first saw you." he smiled at him. "Like your mom said, you were the most beautiful thing I saw in my life." said Leonard.
"Were you there when I was born grandma?" he asked Beverly.
"I wasn't dear, but your father immediately Skyped me after you were born and I was relieved that you and your mother were safe and sound." said Beverly. They continued talking as William asked the couple more questions about his birth and first few months of life.
After another hour, Penny took William upstairs to tuck him to bed leaving Leonard and Beverly in the living room.
"Mom?" said Leonard. Beverly faced him.
"Yes dear." she said.
"You may not notice this but you changed a bit." he said.
"Really? How so?" she asked.
"Well, you're less intimidating now." he said.
"Is it good or bad?" she asked.
"Are you kidding? Of course it's good!" he said smiling at her.
"Well, I think it has a lot to do with your son." she said. "I can see so much of you in him." she added.
"I think William looks more like Penny than me." said Leonard.
"What I meant was William really took after you. Quick to forgive. Happy with simple things. Always grateful." she said. "I must say Leonard, I'm really proud of how you and Penny raised your child." she added.
Leonard was touched by his mother's compliment. "Thank you mom. That means a lot." he said.
"You're welcome dear. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'll turn in." she said a she stood up and went to her room upstairs.
Leonard decided to turn in as well. He took the mugs to the kitchen sink and rinsed them before going to the bathroom to freshen up. He changed into his boxers and t-shirt before slipping under the covers and laying beside his wife who was already asleep. Leonard slowly put his arm around Penny, feeling his daughter inside her belly. Penny stirred and turned around to kiss him goodnight, pushing her face against his neck before going back to sleep. Leonard returned her kiss before closing his eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep while they were entangled in their loving embrace.