A/N Only thing of note here is the name of Howard's professor. The actual person whose name I used for the professor is an actual astrophysicist, has a PhD., and is a hell of a guitar player. If you don't get it, let me know either through PM or review.
Chapter 59 2811
Tuesday 21 April, 9:30 AM
Penny was trying to get comfortable in the dentist's chair, but it was obvious to her that these kinds of chairs were not built for pregnant women. She was glad and now understood why, Dr. Samuels had recommended she get her dental check, along with any work she needed to be done, now. I got in this chair now, but in another month, there is no way I could get in and out of this chair.
The assistant came in, laid a shield across Penny's belly, and took X-rays. After another ten minutes, the dentist came in and did her check-up. Penny knew from brushing her teeth that her gums were bleeding, and expected her dentist to say something.
Her dentist told her she didn't have any cavities and she congratulated Penny on that, but, as expected, she told Penny her gums were bleeding. Her dentist assured her that the bleeding should stop, after the pregnancy, and that if it didn't, to come in. She also warned Penny that due to ligaments loosening during pregnancy, her teeth could start to wiggle. And, again, it should go back to normal after the pregnancy.
Penny thanked her dentist and managed to get out of the chair, before going to the receptionist and paying for her visit. She still had three hours before her doctor's appointment, so she decided to stop and look at some shoes. She hadn't been shoe shopping for quite a while, and so, she stopped at The Show Warehouse. She bypassed the high-heeled shoes she used to look at, looking for some flats.
This was partly because of Leonard, and partly because she couldn't see herself wearing a high-heeled shoe right now, as much as her feet ached. She found two pair she thought were cute and the saleswoman asked to measure her feet. Penny assured her that she had been the same size since high school, but the woman pointed out she was pregnant, which could cause her feet to flatten.
Penny sat down and was horrified to find, as the salesperson suggested, she was a whole size larger, along with her width being two sizes larger. The woman brought out the shoes and put them on Penny. Penny walked around a bit and had to admit that these fit better and were way more comfortable, than the shoes she had worn into the store. She bought the two pair, had her old ones put in the bag and wore one pair of her new shoes. She then found a small cafe and had lunch, trying to relax before going over to her doctor's appointment.
Tuesday 21 April, 10:30 AM
Howard was looking at the piece of metal, now displayed on the screen of the 4k microscope. This clearly showed the pattern of a fatigue fracture, but it also had some of the appearances of a brittle fracture.
Part of Howard's search for his Ph.D. was his idea that metal being exposed to radiation in a vacuum, could cause the metal to become brittle, and yet there was evidence of both a brittle and ductile fracture. While he had the evidence of this in front of him, he still didn't know the reason why both had happened the way it did, or even why radiation would cause a brittle fracture, with evidence of a ductile fracture, in the first place.
That is why the professor teaching the class, Dr. May, was there with him. The class looked at the interaction between radiation and metal and Howard was trying to find how, and what kind of fatigue the radiation caused. And, whether or not it could cause both brittle and ductile fatigue. He suspected it was from high-energy ultraviolet light, but, he needed to find evidence of that.
Dr. May had been asking him rather pointed questions about it, trying to push Howard in a direction that might help him figure it out, but the questions only caused more confusion for Howard. He really needed to look at how the individual atoms behaved, maybe using the Scanning Tunneling Microscope would give him his answer. Howard sighed and increase the magnification on the screen looking for regions, on the metal, that might give him his answer.
Tuesday 21 April, 1:00 AM
Leonard was already at the Doctor's office when Penny arrived. She told the receptionist she was there and then walked toward Leonard. He had called her while she was driving and she didn't answer, being only a minute or so from the office. Leonard looked slightly concerned when Penny walked up, so she said, "I was driving and didn't want to try to answer."
Leonard nodded and before they could sit down, the nurse called Penny in. She weighed Penny, took her blood pressure, re-took it, before getting a blood sample, and then did another blood pressure test. She led Penny back out to the waiting room, and Leonard. It was the normal ten minutes before Dr. Samuels called them in. They took their seats and before Dr. Samuels could say anything, Penny said, "So, what did the woman have yesterday?"
Dr. Samuels looked a Penny in puzzlement, then she realized that Penny's appointment was moved and said, "She had a boy, a large boy. 23 inches long, weighed 9 pounds 11 ounces, and had a full head of black hair. She was in labor for 24 hours."
Penny's eyes got large with all of that information, but Dr. Samuels looked at her paperwork and said, "Let's see, your hemoglobin is at 12.2, right where we want it. I would like you to quit taking the supplements, and we'll check it next week. But, the period where you need extra iron is almost finished, so let's have you stop taking them and see where you're at next week before we stop the supplements altogether."
"One concerning note, your blood pressure is 140 over 90, which is definitely high, and that was the average of the three tests. I'm going to give you a prescription for some medication. We need to get that down."
"Is there anything I can do to lower it?" asked Penny.
"Other than staying away from salt, not much really?" said Dr. Samuels. "We'll start you on some high-blood medication and see how it goes. If it gets worse or doesn't improve we may need to try a different medication or put you on bed rest."
Images of Bernadette, stuck in her bed for a few months sprang into Penny's mind. "Is it because I'm still working?"
"Not necessarily," said Dr. Samuels. "Let's see how the medication works. Now let's check on your two babies."
Penny got up on the exam table, while Dr. Samuels got the ultrasound machine ready. It only took five minutes before they were finished, and Dr. Samuels gave Penny the wipes and a towel to get the lubricant off of her belly. Dr. Samuels left and was back in a few moments.
"Let's see, your babies are moving along nicely," said Dr. Samuels. "Baby A is fifteen inches long, and weighs about one pound, eleven ounces, and baby B is about 14 inches long, and weighs about 1 pound, nine ounces."
Penny look at her phone and said, sounding concerned, "Those are the same lengths as last week."
Dr. Samuels said, "Penny, these are estimates. Remember, we can't put a tape measure in there to measure them, and they are usually curled up. Last week may have been a good measurement week, and they appeared longer. This week, they may be curled and it's harder to get a more accurate measure. One of the things I do, before I come back in here, is compare your ultrasounds from week to week. They appear bigger than they did last week, and that's what's important. They are about the size of a cauliflower if that helps you."
Penny smiled.
"Okay, are there any concerns or questions you have?"
"Well, it's not a concern, but I did have my dental today," said Penny. "My gums bled a bit, but not bad, I didn't have any cavities either."
"Then you should be good for the rest of your pregnancy, as far as your dental goes," said Dr. Samuels. "Now, there are a few things I want to go over. Next week will be the start of your seventh month or your third trimester. I would like for you and Leonard to start thinking about birthing or Lamaze classes."
"But, I have 13 weeks yet, right?" asked Penny.
"Maybe not," said Dr. Samuels. "Twins normally are born around the 36th or 37th week. So, you may only have two and a half months, that's ten weeks, and it could be less. Have you determined whether you are going to breastfeed, or use a bottle?"
Penny looked at Leonard and said, "I would prefer to breastfeed. One of my girlfriends breastfed, and used a breast pump, I'd like to do the same."
"That's sensible, and I would like to see you take a lactation class," said Dr. Samuels. "Our birthing class is six weeks, and our lactation class is four. So you may want to think about starting next week. Of course, you don't have to use our classes and can find your own, but if you do that, you need to start looking now, to get them done in time."
Leonard and Penny looked at each other.
Dr. Samuels said, "One of the reasons I bring this up, is we have a class starting next Thursday, the…ah, let's see, the 30th, at 7:30 PM, at Huntington Hospital. I happen to be teaching the class, so, if you want in, I need to know."
Leonard said, "Can we say yes now, so we have a spot, and change our mind later after we talk about it?"
"Sure, just please let us know in the next few days," said Dr. Samuels. "That way, we can fill the class."
Leonard and Penny nodded, and Dr. Samuels said, "Is there anything else?"
Penny looked embarrassed but said, "I've been passing a lot of gas."
"That's normal," said Dr. Samuels. "There is only so much room inside you. As the babies get bigger, they will be pushing organs out of their usual spots, or putting pressure on organs." Dr. Samuels grinned, "I'm quite sure you know how much pressure is being put on your bladder."
Penny resignedly nodded.
"Well, it's also pushing on your intestines, causing the gas," said Dr. Samuels. "I'll bet you're having heartburn too."
Again, there was a nod from Penny.
"In the next few weeks you'll notice a few more symptoms," said Dr. Samuels. "Your breathing will get shorter and shallower, as the babies press on your diaphragm, making it more difficult to breathe, which will increase how tired you will be."
"And, this being the third trimester, you'll start getting Braxton Hick's contractions. Those feel similar to light contractions when you first start labor, but they don't get stronger or closer together. If you continue feeling light contractions for more than 24 hours, please let us know. They are sometimes called "false labor" but they aren't. Or, you could think of them as practice contractions. Finally, do you remember that site I gave you, way back when you first found out you were pregnant?" asked Dr. Samuels.
"Yes, I still look at it from time to time, when I have a question," said Penny.
"Good, I'd like you to look over the delivery section and re-read the section on early births, or premature births, on the website," said Dr. Samuels. "I would like to talk about delivery and possible problems next week. Not that I want to alarm you about problems, but it's something we should be prepared for, just in case. We'll talk about what you read next week. Do you have any other questions?"
Penny and Lenard shook their heads.
"Okay, then we're done for today," said Dr Samuels, with a smile. "Please schedule your next appointment for next Monday and also sign up for our birthing classes. I'll see you next week, bye."
Leonard and Penny both said, "Goodbye," to Dr. Samuels, got up, and left the office. They got their appointment back to Mondays and signed up for the birthing class. Afterward, Leonard went back to Caltech, and Penny went to the pharmacy to get her high blood pressure medication, before going home.
Tuesday 21 April, 4:00 PM
Leonard heard his cell phone ringing, picked it up and said, "Hello."
"Hi, Leonard," he heard Patsy say. "I just got a call from the inspection guy and the valuation guy."
"Is it good news?" asked Leonard.
"The guy doing the inspection says the house looks in great condition, very solid, and he'll have his formal report done tomorrow. The guy doing the house valuation said the value looks good. He still has to do some calculations, but in his experience, the house is worth what you'll be paying, so the credit union will be happy and may not require mortgage insurance."
"That's great," said Leonard. "Thanks for keeping us in the loop."
Patsy smiled, "It's my job, and I enjoy it. I'll give you a call tomorrow, when we get the actual reports."
"Okay, then I'll talk to you tomorrow," said Leonard.
"Talk to you then, goodbye," said Patsy.
"Goodbye," said Leonard.
Wednesday 22 April, 9:00 AM
Penny wanted to give Dan some time to settle in, so she waited until 9 AM, to call. Their conversation was short, just Penny asking to come and talk to him, and he agreed. Penny left and walked to his office, his secretary waved her in and she knocked once, heard "Come in," and she entered.
Dan indicated the chair in front of his desk, and Penny sat down.
"What's going on, Penny?" asked Dan.
"I just want to let you know, about a possible problem with the pregnancy."
"What? Are you all right? Are the babies all right?" said Dan, sounding worried.
Penny smile, "No, no, the babies and the pregnancy is fine, Dan. It's me, my blood pressure is high, and I started taking medication. But, my doctor did warn me, and I thought it only fair to let you know, that if it gets worse, she might put me on bed rest."
Dan nodded, "I think we talked about that back when you told me you were pregnant. If it happens, it happens. Does it have anything to do with you still working?"
"My doctor doesn't think so," said Penny. "But, I don't know, and I wonder that myself. For now I'll go by what she says."
"That's good," said Dan. He paused, and Penny thought he was thinking about something. "How about you think about taking Monday and Wednesday afternoons off, you know, just to reduce the stress."
"I don't know Dan, I'd hate to leave you short," said Penny. "If the doctor doesn't think there is a problem, I should be okay."
"Just trying to come up with some possible solutions," said Dan. "You know, just go home after your Monday appointment, and have a break in the middle of the week. Fridays are already pretty light. Either of those times, you could just be available if there was something that needed to be worked out. Nothing heavy or needed, and if there is a meeting you have to attend, you could go to that."
Penny thought about that, "That's sounds good, Dan. But, let's hold onto that for now. If I start feeling tense or pressured, we'll try that. How's that?"
"Okay, we'll keep that in our back pocket," said Dan. "Anything else?"
"Nothing that I can think of right now," said Penny. "I just wanted to let you know."
"And I want to let you know, if you need to, you take a day or two off. We don't want you stressing yourself out, or stressing the babies. As for your job, you don't have to stress about that as you are doing fine, so far," said Dan. "Looking over your decisions, I wouldn't have changed one of them. They are all spot on."
"Thank you," said Penny.
"You're welcome," said Dan.
"If anything else does come up with the pregnancy, I'll let you know right away," said Penny, as she stood. Dan nodded and Penny turned and left, going back to her office.