Chapter 67
"Is grandpa gonna pick us up from the airport?" asked Sarah as they walked out of the aircraft with Penny holding her hand while Leonard carried their hand-carry bags.
"He's already waiting for us by the gate sweetie." said Penny.
Leonard touched his daughter's shoulder. "I know you guys are tired from our trip so let's just get our bags from the conveyor belt and head straight home. I want to sleep all day." he said as they made their way to the baggage claim area.
Leonard saw a bench and told his girls to sit there for a while. "Why don't you guys sit here for a while, I'm gonna take one of those carts and get our luggage, okay?" he said.
Penny was touched by her husband's gesture. "Thank you honey." she said as they sat on the bench while Leonard went to the conveyor belt to get their luggage along with the other passengers of their flight.
After almost thirty minutes, Leonard came back pushing a cart with their luggage on it. He took their hand-carry bags and put them on the cart as they made their way out of the airport.
Sarah was holding Penny's hand. "Are you okay mom?" she asked.
Penny gave her a weak smile. "I'm okay sweetie, I'm just tired I guess." she said, reassuring the young lady.
"Don't worry honey, as soon as we arrive at the house, you and Sarah can sleep all you want." said Leonard as he pushed the cart with his girls walking beside him.
Wyatt immediately saw the young family at the gate and waved at them.
"Hi daddy! I missed you so much!" Penny said while hugging her father.
"Hi slugger! Are you feeling alright?" he asked, referring to the baby bump.
"I'm just tired from the trip." said Penny.
"Well your mom is preparing lunch right now at the house, after that you guys can rest for the rest of the day." said Wyatt before shaking Leonard's hand. "Hey Leonard!"
"Hi Wyatt...it's nice to see you again." Leonard said.
Wyatt then knelt in front of his granddaughter. "Hey sweetheart...did you have a nice flight?" he asked while hugging Sarah.
"Hi grandpa...it was okay I guess." said the young lady.
"Let's get you guys on the truck so you could take a rest." said Wyatt as he held Sarah's hand while Leonard pushed the cart to load their luggage on the back of the truck.
After a few minutes, the young family was on their way home with Wyatt driving the truck. Penny and Sarah settled in the back seat, strapped in and getting their much-needed rest while Leonard and Wyatt were catching up, talking about some stuff, mostly about the two girls who were already asleep in the backseat.
They arrived at the house after almost an hour of driving. Leonard and Wyatt took care of the luggage while Susan led her daughter and granddaughter into the house.
"I hope you guys are hungry." said Susan as she sat beside the young lady.
"What did you cook grandma?" asked Sarah.
"I made a vegetable dish and some fish stew that your grandpa caught the other day." said Susan. "Let's get the table ready." she added while leading the child to the kitchen.
Leonard came into the living room and sat beside his wife. "How are you feeling honey?" he asked.
"Tired..." said Penny. "Let's just join them so we could eat...I want to sleep my ass off." she said as Leonard stood up, helping his wife off the couch.
They started eating lunch with Leonard helping his wife and daughter with their plate, putting a little extra food for Penny and the baby.
"So, do you guys know if I'm having a grandson or another granddaughter?" asked Susan.
"We don't know yet...but I guess we'll find out when we go back to California for my next checkup." Penny said.
"Why don't you call your cousin Frank? He works in a clinic right?" Wyatt said.
"What do you mean dad?" asked Penny.
"What I mean is he can probably set you up with his boss so we could find out if you're having a boy or a girl. I bet it wouldn't take long to find out using those ultrasound machines, right?" said Wyatt.
"He's right honey...I've met that lady doctor once and she's really nice...and very friendly too." Susan added.
"Okay mom...I guess I could call Frank tonight." said Penny.
"So Sarah, your dad told me you defeated this other school in a decathlon huh?" Wyatt said.
"Yes grandpa...but we would never have won if uncle Sheldon and the others didn't help us prepare." Sarah said.
"Well if anything's for sure, us nerds like ta flaunt our brain when given the chance." said Leonard, making Penny laugh.
Penny touched her husband's chin and smiled at him. "You do huh?"
Wyatt, Susan and Sarah looked at each other, slightly disgusted by the couple's sweetness. "So gross..." Sarah said, making Wyatt and Susan laugh. "You said you hate daddy for getting you pregnant but now you can't take your hands off him." added the child.
The couple straightened themselves before answering the young lady. "Okay...we get it..." Penny said.
Sarah then faced her grandparents. "Their favorite alibi is to say it's a pregnancy thing...like when mom eats some weird stuff or wears dad's old shirts or something." she said making her grandparents laugh.
"Yeah...kinda reminds me when Susan was pregnant with Randall." said Wyatt while laughing a little.
"Okay I think that's enough...you young lady are one comment away from being grounded." said Penny, trying to return her stepdaughter's fire.
"I told you I didn't mind at all...better that than you two always fighting...right?" said Sarah.
Susan sighed and gave a look to the couple. "Oh honey?" she said to Penny.
"I know mom." Penny said as Leonard kept quiet, trying to keep himself from freaking out.
"I'm sorry..." said Sarah.
Penny gave her daughter a weak smile. "It's alright sweetie...you did nothing wrong."
Sarah took a deep breath. "I guess I'm still getting used to having a mother...I mean it's always been me and dad until you came along..." said Sarah.
Penny stood up and went to where Sarah was sitting, hugging her tight. "Don't worry sweetie, we're in this together now..." she said.
"Thanks for sticking around mom." Sarah said, hugging her stepmother tight.
"You're welcome sweetheart, I'm not going anywhere...from now on it's just you and me against your dad!" said Penny making the young girl laugh.
"He should feel bad but I think he likes it." said Sarah, making her father laugh.
"I told you...just seeing you and your mom happy is enough for me." Leonard said, quickly kissing his girls. "Now let's get back to eating...I want to take a long nap after we washg up." he added.
After having lunch and washing up, the young family retired to Penny's old bedroom, making do with the double bed for them to sleep on. Leonard saw that they wouldn't fit on the bed, considering Penny's baby bump so he decided to lay on the floor, using an old sleeping bag he found in Penny's closet to lay on.
"Are you gonna be alright down there honey?" asked Penny.
"Well, I certainly won't let my pregnant wife sleep on the floor...and that goes for my daughter too." he said, earning a smile from the girls.
"Don't worry dad, I'm sure me and mom can make it up to you one of these days." said Sarah as Leonard laid on the sleeping bag, resting his head on a pillow.
"Oh I'm counting on it." he said as the girls laid on the bed to sleep, letting their tired bodies relax as the cool breeze from the window gently blew over them.
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The next day, the young family woke up feeling refreshed and somewhat adjusted to Nebraska's environment.
"So, what do you guys want to do today?" asked Wyatt as they joined him in the kitchen to have breakfast while Susan poured a cup of coffee for Leonard.
"Thank you. Well, a certain young lady has been talking about riding horses even before we got to the airport in California." he said, referring to his daughter.
"We can go to the barn after breakfast...we have a filly that's a year and a half old that you can ride on." said Wyatt. "But no running, alright?"
"A filly is a girl horse right?" Sarah asked.
"You're right sweetheart." said Penny as they start eating breakfast.
"Does she have a name grandpa?" asked Sarah.
"Well now that you mention it, maybe you can name her." Wyatt said.
"Really? I get to name her?" Sarah said, getting a little excited.
"Of course!" said Wyatt. "And maybe you can help me feed the other animals we have in the back." he added.
"Like what?" asked Sarah.
"Well, we have a few chickens in the coop, a handful of pigs and a couple of goats...we're like a zoo in here." he said making them laugh a little.
"Okay grandpa, I'll help you out in the barn." said Sarah as they continued eating breakfast.
After breakfast and washing up, Sarah went with Wyatt to the barn to look at the animals, especially the horse that she wanted to ride on.
"Let's be careful and walk slowly towards her, I don't want her to get scared and jump all over the place." said Wyatt while holding Sarah's hand as they slowly approached the filly in it's stable.
The filly slightly whined and moved it's head and ears, wary of Sarah's presence.
"Don't be afraid...he's just not used to your smell yet..." said Wyatt as they came near the animal, letting her know that they mean no harm.
"Hi Princess!" Sarah said while slowly putting her hands up to touch the filly's face.
The filly slowly moved her head down to smell Sarah's hand, slightly calming down as Sarah gently touched her face and mouth.
"Hey girl...don't be afraid...I won't hurt you..." said Sarah as the horse moved closer to smell her face and neck, curious of the small human touching her for the first time.
"I think she likes you." said Wyatt while rubbing his hand over the filly's mane and head.
Sarah smiled and laughed a little when Princess moved her head closer to smell her and nibble Sarah's neck. "That tickles!" she said while rubbing the filly's face when Penny and Leonard walked towards them. "Dad, mom look...I think Princess likes me."
The couple looked at each other and smiled, happy for the young lady. "You named her Princess?" asked Leonard.
"Yeah...I mean it fits right?" she said as the horse continued to smell her while Sarah rubbed her hands on the horse's face.
"Why don't you give her a bite of this?" said Penny while giving Sarah a carrot that she brought with her. "Just give her a small bite each time so she won't choke or something." Penny added.
Sarah took the carrot as Princess immediately took a bite off of it, savoring the treat from the young lady. "She's so adorable grandpa!" said Sarah while smiling at her grandfather and parents.
"Well I'm glad you're having fun sweetheart." said Wyatt as Sarah continued feeding Princess with the carrot.
After a few minutes, Wyatt took a saddle from the other stall and slowly put it on Princess. "It's a good thing I trained her early to take a saddle on her back." he said as he tightened the straps around the horse's body.
"Is she safe to ride on dad?" Penny asked, a little worried that the horse might jump or rear.
"Don't worry, I'll ride the mare beside them so she won't run." said Wyatt.
"Don't worry mom...I've had a lot of practice with Bunny Rabbit...remember?" said Sarah.
"We just want you to be careful honey." said Leonard.
"I know dad..." said Sarah while continuing to rub Princess' face and neck. "I'm gonna ride on your back okay?" she said to the horse. Princess whined a little while smelling her. "Aww...you're so sweet!" she added.
"Okay, I'm gonna lead them out into the paddock so we could get on their back, alright?" said Wyatt while pulling the horse's rein. The horse slowly walked out with Sarah holding on to Wyatt's hand.
Wyatt and Sarah spent all morning riding around the farm. The couple was glad that their daughter handled the Princess well and no untoward incident happened to them with Sarah only having a great time riding along with her grandfather. Wyatt also took Sarah to meet the other animals in the farm, feeding them and letting the young lady have fun.
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Later that night, the couple was sitting in the living room and having tea with Susan while Wyatt and Leonard were having a beer. Sarah came down from upstairs after having a quick shower, washing off all the sweat and dirt she got from spending all day with the farm animals. Sarah slowly walked towards her father and crawled slowly under his arm, snuggling onto him and hugging him tight. Penny, Wyatt and Susan looked at the young lady, surprised by her sudden clingy behavior.
"Uh, what's happening?" Penny asked Leonard.
"Uh oh...I'm in trouble now...this little one needs something bad...and I mean really bad..." said Leonard while feeling her daughter's tight hug.
"Like what?" Penny asked.
"Like sell your soul to the devil kind of deal." Leonard said, laughing a little before looking at his daughter. "Honey...what is it?" he asked.
Sarah slowly looked up to her father, giving him a sad look. "Dad..." she said.
Leonard gave his daughter a big smile, trying to reassure her that it's alright. "Come on honey...tell me what it is that you want..." he said, hoping that it's just some silly thing while Penny, Wyatt and Susan listen closely.
"Dad...can we live here in Nebraska...like forever?" said Sarah, making Penny smile and a little emotional.
"Oh honey...I'm sorry but our home is in California..." said Leonard, hoping his daughter would understand. "Why do you wanna live here anyway?" he asked.
"Because...I wanna spend more time with Princess and the other animals. I mean...Princess and I really have a connection..." said Sarah. "Daddy please..."
Leonard took a deep breath, seeing how adorable his daughter was. "But honey, you have school...I have my job at the university...and your mom has her freelance thing..." he said.
"Your father is right sweetheart..." said Penny.
"But I can go to any school...I mean, I'm top of my class, all my classmates are older than me..." said Sarah making them all smile.
"I know honey, but what about my job? I can't just leave Caltech and go to another university and get a job...I mean it's not like they post an ad looking for an experimental physicist, right?" said Leonard.
"Why not? Why can't you get another job here?" asked Sarah. "You're smart daddy...I bet you can get any job you want." said Sarah.
"Like what?" Penny asked.
"You know...you can teach physics or science...or be an accountant...or a tax auditor..." said Sarah making them all laugh. "Grandpa and grandma won't mind if we stay here, right?"
"Of course sweetie!" said Susan. "We love having you here." she added.
"Mom!" Penny said, giving Susan a look.
Sarah pushed her face against her father's neck, hoping to charm her way into him. "I thought you wanted me and mommy to be happy?" she said.
Leonard laughed a little. "I do want you and your mom to be happy...but we can't stay here honey...our life is back in California...we have our friends there..." he said, hoping his daughter would understand.
Sarah quickly released herself from her father and got off the couch before running upstairs to their bedroom, trying to keep herself from crying. The adults looked at each other and took a deep breath, unsure of what to feel.
Penny sighed and pushed herself off the couch. "I'm gonna talk to her...I'm sure it's just nothing." she said.
"Do you want me to come with you?" asked Leonard.
"No, I got it." Penny said before going upstairs.
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Penny slowly opened the door and saw Sarah on the bed with her face pushed down on a pillow. She sat on the side of the bed and put her hand on the child's shoulder. "Sweetheart...are you alright?"
"No." said Sarah, her voice muffled by the pillow.
"Come on sweetie...we can't stay here...our life is in California..." said Penny, hoping Sarah would understand.
Sarah turned over and looked at her stepmother. "I'm sorry mom." she said.
Penny gave her a weak smile. "You did nothing wrong sweetheart...it's alright." she said before leaning over to kiss her cheek.
Sarah sat up and wiped the tears off her face. "It used to work on dad before, how come it didn't work this time?" she said, making Penny laugh a little.
Penny pulled her stepdaughter close and hugged her. "Don't worry, I'm sure we can think of something to extort from your dad." she said, making Sarah laugh a little when they heard a knock on the door.
"Honey...are you alright in there?" Leonard asked from outside the door.
"We're okay in here." said Penny as Leonard opened the door, seeing his girls sitting on the bed. "Honey...are you okay?" he asked his daughter.
"Yes dad...I'm sorry if I threw a tantrum back there." Sarah said.
Leonard sat on the bed and hugged his daughter. "It's alright honey." he said, kissing his daughter.
"Why don't you come with us tomorrow?" Penny said.
"Uh...where are we going?" asked Leonard.
"Oh, I called my cousin Frank and he set me up with the clinic he's working on. He said the doctor would be glad to see us...you know, find out if we're having a boy or a girl." said Penny.
"Yeah sure!" said Leonard. 'What do you say honey? Ready to find out if you're having a brother or a sister?" he asked the young lady.
"Okay dad..." Sarah said.
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The next day, Leonard borrowed Wyatt's truck and drove with his family to the clinic where Penny's cousin is working. They arrived a few minutes early and was welcomed by Frank.
"Hey Penny! It's so nice to see you again!" Frank said, giving his cousin a hug.
"Ugh, it's nice to see you too Frank...thanks for setting us up." Penny said.
"Hey it's not a problem." he said.
"By the way, this is my husband Leonard and our daughter Sarah. Honey, this is my cousin Frank." she said as Leonard shook his hand.
"Hi Frank...it's nice to meet you." Leonard said.
"Nice to meet you too Leonard." said Frank before turning to face the young lady. "Hi Sarah, I'm your mom's cousin Frank...Wyatt told me you're a smart girl." he said.
"Hello...nice to meet you...uncle Frank" said Sarah.
Frank smiled at her. "You're a sweet girl huh." he said before facing the couple. "Let's get you guys inside...Dr. Mann will see you shortly." he said.
"Thanks Frank." said Penny as they sat down while waiting for the doctor to attend to them.
After a few minutes, the doctor came out to meet them. "Hi, I'm Dr. Mann...you must be Frank's cousin Penny?" she said as she shook Penny's hand.
"Yeah...this is my husband Leonard and our daughter Sarah." said Penny as Leonard shook the doctor's hand.
"Hi Leonard...hi Sarah." said the doctor, touching Sarah's cheek. "Let's get you inside so we could check you out." she said as the young family followed her in the examination room. Another nurse joined them in setting up the sonogram and getting Penny ready.
"Okay Penny, why don't you lift your shirt slightly so we could put this gel on your belly." said Dr. Mann as she applied the gel on Penny's baby bump while Leonard and Sarah looked on.. "So Sarah, are you excited to find out if you're having a brother or a sister?" she asked the little girl.
"A little bit I guess." said Sarah.
Dr. Mann smiled. "Come on, I'll show you how the sonogram works." she said as Sarah went near, trying to pay attention to the doctor.
"I know how it works." Sarah said.
"Really? Care to tell me how?" said Dr. Mann as Leonard and Penny listened in, knowing that
"Well...the machine uses a high frequency sound wave to make out the image of the baby inside my mom's belly." Sarah said.
Dr. Mann smiled, greatly impressed at how smart the young lady was. "Wow...your uncle Frank was right...you are smart!" she said. "Here, let's find out if you have a brother or a sister." she said as she moved the probe around Penny's belly.
"Let's see...here we go..." said the doctor.
"How do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" asked Sarah.
"Well...we look for signs...like a detective." Dr. Mann said, smiling at Sarah before looking back at the monitor. "Well...there it is...at least you won't be sharing your toys with the baby!" said the doctor.
"I'm gonna have a baby brother?" Sarah asked.
Dr. Mann smiled. "You are...isn't it exciting?" she said, making Sarah smile.
"Oh my god honey! We're gonna have a boy!" said Penny, crying happy tears as Leonard held her hand.
"I can't believe this...I'm gonna have a son." Leonard said, unable to believe the wonderful news.
"Let's look at your brother's face shall we?" said the doctor while moving the probe again. "Look...there he is!" she said.
"Mommy look...he's so cute!" Sarah said while looking at the monitor.
"That is one good looking baby!" said Leonard.
Sarah then held her hand up to touch the screen. "Hi William! You're so cute!" she said, surprising her parents.
"Uh...William?" Penny asked.
Sarah looked at her parents. "Daddy said I could name the baby." she said. "Don't you like it?"
Penny looked at her husband. "It's a good name honey." said Leonard.
Penny sighed. "I guess." she said.
"You don't like it?" Sarah asked her stepmother.
Penny pulled her daughter and kissed her cheek. "I love it sweetheart." she said.
"That is a nice name...like a prince...right?" said Dr. Mann, smiling at the young lady.
"I guess it fits because my name means princess." said Sarah.
"Really?" said the doctor.
"Uh huh...it means 'woman of high rank'. You can look it up if you want." said Sarah.
"So let me get this straight...you're the princess, your brother is the prince and your mom is the queen...so I guess your dad is the king huh?" said the doctor.
"Better than that...my dad's the 'king of nerds'!" Sarah said, making them all laugh.
"Where did you learn that?" asked Leonard.
"I heard you tell that joke to mom when we drove her to that audition." said Sarah, surprising the couple.
"I thought you were asleep back then?" Leonard asked.
"Well I wasn't...and you guys are married now so it's all good...right?" said Sarah as Dr. Mann laughed a little, amused by their little family discussion.
"Okay, I guess we better get you cleaned up." said the doctor as she took a roll of tissue paper to wipe off the gel on Penny's belly. "The baby's doing fine...you don't have to worry." she added as Penny composed herself before getting of the examination table.
"Thank you doctor...we appreciate it." said Penny as they made their way out of the room.
"So?" asked Frank.
"It's a boy." said Leonard, making Frank jump with joy.
"Oh my god congratulations!" he said while shaking Leonard's hand and hugging Penny.
"Thanks Frank." said Penny.
The young family said their goodbyes to Dr. Mann and her staff, thanking them for everything before going out of the clinic to return to the farm.