A/N First off, I have bad news. I will, after four stories in three years, have to finally skip a week of publishing. I will miss next week, September 26. Chapter 73 will be published on October 3. I am so sorry, but life intervened and I finally ran out of chapters I had ready. I am hoping to get a few done during that two weeks. If not, then there will be another week skipped before chapter 74, I'll know by the time chapter 73 gets published and will tell you then. Again, Chapter 73 will be out on October 3, with no chapter next week, September 26. And, as I said, I am so sorry my readers, I feel like I've let you down.

Second, I want to clear something up, from a comment in the reviews. There are agencies in LA that handle nannies (I counted a total of 24, and that was only the major ones). There are quite a few licensed, trained, and certified nannies ready to start at a moment's notice in the LA area, so there shouldn't be a problem for Lenny in finding one. Enjoy

Chapter 72

Sunday 24 May, 4:30 PM

Leonard and Penny arrived at the Wolowitz's finding that they were almost the last ones there. The only ones who weren't there were Sheldon and Amy. As she walked by, Penny heard Stuart trying to explain to Denise exactly what had gone on with Leonard and Priya, when Leonard and Penny had been broken up. There were hors d'oeuvres and drinks, Bernadette had made sure there was cranberry juice for Penny. Priya had been going around talking to each couple, even Sheldon and Amy after they arrived. At 6:00 PM, dinner was served and everyone ate. After dinner was finished and everything was cleaned up, Priya cleared her throat and everyone quieted down.

She stood and said, "I want to thank everyone for coming. As you know, I'll be leaving tomorrow, and this is probably my last trip to the LA area."

"You never know, you could have another contract to negotiate," said Howard.

She smiled, "No, I will be resigning from the car company. I have some minor stuff to finish up and I'll be done in about two weeks. I just wanted to thank everyone. I know my first extended time here wasn't the smoothest and I always didn't get along with everyone, but I want to thank you all for coming out. Please enjoy another hour or two with me. Thank you."

Priya walked over to Raj and started talking to him. Leonard and Penny were talking with Amy and Sheldon when Priya approached about ten minutes later. Looking directly at Leonard and Penny, she said, "I'd like to talk to you both."

Amy understood immediately and gave Sheldon a gentle shove toward Howard and Bernadette. Sheldon said, "Hey, wait a minute, I want to hear what…"

Amy shoved a bit harder and Sheldon said, "Okay, okay, I get it."

As Amy started walking away, Priya mouthed, "Thank you," and Amy just nodded.

"What do you want to talk to us about?" said Penny.

"I just want to apologize for some of the things I did when I was dating Leonard, and also for the way Sanjay acted last time."

"Oh, it's no big deal," said Penny. "Besides, I need to apologize to you for being mad at you Wednesday night."

Priya looked puzzled, "What do you mean?"

"I'm feeling like a whale, and you look great," said Penny.

"Oh please," said Priya. "I looked like a whale when I was pregnant. My belly stuck out much farther than yours is now, and you're having twins. All women feel that way towards the end, I suppose, so don't worry about it."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Besides, that was long ago and we were okay when you left," said Penny. "And, we ended up married to who we should have married."

A pained looked passed over Priya's face, and she said, "Well, in addition to resigning from the car company, I'll be getting a divorce when I return."

Both Penny and Leonard looked surprised, and Penny said, "Are you resigning because of the divorce?"

"Not really, but sort of," said Priya. "We're divorcing because we just don't get along anymore. He's so childish, and he says I'm a nag. Well, you saw him last time we were here, and I can't say he's wrong… Anyway, there are also other things that I don't want to go into."

Penny and Leonard nodded.

"The reason I'm resigning is I want to be home to take care of the kids," said Priya. "I don't want them growing up like we did, with a nanny and servants around 24 hours a day. So, in that sense, it's because of the divorce, but I will still be working. When my parents got divorced, they each set up a company for the different businesses they had to split. I should say I set up their companies, plus, two of my brothers also have their own businesses. So, I'll be working with all four, running the legal things for them. It will keep me busy enough, and it will pay well enough for me to live."

But, I won't be as busy as I am now, so I can take care of the kids. Sanjay and I really wouldn't know when we would be home, at night, so the nanny took over, and I don't want that. But, the important thing is, I will be able to spend a lot more time at home.

Priya stopped, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to dump all this on you, I just wanted to apologize and wish you both well. Please send me pictures, when the twins are born. I'll have Raj give you my email address. So, goodbye, even with how rough it was between us, it was still enjoyable, so thank you again."

Priya hugged Leonard and Penny, said goodbye, and walked off to talk to Amy and Sheldon. Lenard and Penny just looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

Sunday 24 May, 10:30 PM

Leonard and Penny were getting into bed, when Penny said, "Leonard, do you think I should keep working? Priya wants to stay home, do you think I should?"

Leonard said, "No, of course not. She was talking about having a nanny 24 hours a day. And, also, about how she and Sanjay didn't know when they would be home. Neither of us makes a habit of staying late, and we're only planning on having the nanny there for four hours or so, after work. So, you see, it's not the same."

Penny nodded, "Okay, yeah when you put it that way, we are different. But, what about down the road, what if that changes?"

"If it changes, then we re-evaluate," said Leonard. "We look at what is going on at the time, and change how we do things."

"That makes sense," said Penny.

"And, it's not something to worry about now," said Leonard. "We have eight weeks with me home, and another eight weeks with you home, before we have to decide that."

Penny looked like she was thinking it over, before she nodded and said, "Yes, that true, thank you, sweety."

Monday 25 May, 11:00 AM

Leonard was in the lab, watching his team installing the switch, and doing the rewiring. As it was nothing more than rerouting the signals, there weren't any circuit boards to test. Once installed, it was nothing more than checking whether or not a signal was reaching the main experiment.

He had run to the data room to talk with the data team about the last run. They had verified that the machine was getting 19 entangled photons, from Leonard's modification, but they still weren't sure why it was so efficient. They were planning on talking with the operations team, to see if they had any ideas.

He had talked to Keith about the work, and it appeared that they would be finished tomorrow. Then they could run the tests and checks on Wednesday and do a full-on test on Thursday. He really wasn't needed for this work, and he was glad he would be able to make Penny's appointment today.

Monday 25 May, 1:05 PM

Leonard and Penny were waiting for Dr. Samuels. Penny had her usual tests, including the extra vial of blood for the first time. She figured her blood pressure was still high, as they took it four times again. Finally, the door opened and Dr. Samuels called for Penny and Leonard. They were surprised by her appearance. Her face was drawn and she looked exhausted. They followed her to her offices and as soon as she closed the door Penny said, "Are you okay, Dr. Samuels?"

Dr. Samuels chuckled then said, "Yes, just very tired. I was up most of the night delivering a baby. They have no idea of what time it is out here. So, they come out when they decide they are damn good and ready. The one last night decided 3 AM was a good time for her grand entrance. Remember this and be prepared to have the twins at any time."

"Now, as for you," said Dr. Samuels. "Your blood pressure is still high, still right at 140 over 90. So, we are going to change you over to Labetalol. You'll be taking two, 50-milligram tablets, twice a day. If your blood pressure doesn't drop, we'll increase it by another two 50 milligram tablets twice a day. After that, I don't want to increase it anymore."

"Would there be a problem, if you did?" asked Penny.

"It's possible that the babies could react to it," said Dr. Samuels. "They could have low blood pressure and both you and the babies could have a slow heartbeat. So, we'll limit how much we give you to prevent that. But, we'll see how you do this week, and next. I'll warn you ahead of time, if it doesn't come down, I will be putting you on modified bedrest in two weeks."

Penny nodded.

"Now, I want to talk to you about the delivery," said Dr. Samuels. "But, first, let's get a look at your babies."

All three walked over to the examination table while Penny and Dr. Samuels prepared for the ultrasound. Dr. Samuels put the lubricant on the want and started. It went quickly, but Dr. Samuels seemed to be checking for something. Finally, she turned off the machine, gave Penny the towels and wipes to clean off, and left the office.

Penny cleaned off and then she and Leonard went back to the front of the desk and sat down, and within minutes, Dr. Samuels was back in the office. "Well, you have one sucking their thumb this week," said Dr. Samuels. "Everything else looks good, Baby A is an inch longer, most likely due to uncertainty about their previous length, but Baby B didn't grow any. As for their weight, Baby A is 54 ounces and Baby B is 50, closer than last time. But, remember, these are estimates."

"As for you, everything except your blood pressure is good," said Dr. Samuels. "You gained another three pounds, but are still a bit below average. Your blood doesn't show any problems, so preeclampsia isn't a problem now. Any questions or problems?"

Penny rolled her eyes, "My nipples started leaking this week. It freaked me out a bit, and I called my girlfriend, she told me it was normal. I also called her because I had my first Braxton-Hicks contraction. But, other than those two things, just the usual stuff."

"Good, that's good to hear," said Dr. Samuels, nodding. "It appears that your body is starting to get ready, which is good because I want to talk to you about your delivery. You want a vaginal birth, and we are going to try to do that, with both babies. But, I want to warn you, if there are problems, we will go with an alternate plan very quickly."

"I kind of expected that," said Penny. "How was Baby B this week, still transverse?"

"Actually, no, she was in a head-down position," said Dr. Samuels. "Hopefully, she stays there and they won't be any problem."

"But, if she's transverse, I assume the alternate plan is a cesarian, right?" asked Penny.

"Not necessarily," said Dr. Samuels. "We can try to reposition her and do a breech delivery. It's going to depend on where the cord is, how the baby is, and how long the labor has been going on and if we can reach her. If there is any distress, we go to a cesarian. But, we would like to try the breech, vaginally if we can. There have been some studies that suggest the new method of a breech, with a second twin, is better than going in for a split vaginal/cesarian. Of course, we won't know until we get to the point of delivery of the second twin. I just want you to be aware of that option."

"We should do what you think is best," said Penny. "After all, you are the doctor."

"We're getting some better results with the breech," said Dr. Samuels. "If things are right we'll try the repositioning with a breech, otherwise we go with a cesarian"

"Okay, is there anything else?" asked Penny.

"Oh, yes," said Dr. Samuels. "Our breastfeeding class will start next Tuesday, not tomorrow Tuesday, next Tuesday. I would suggest that you sign up for it. It runs three weeks and that will end the class a week or two before your due."

"Can we sign up when we make our next appointment?" asked Penny.

"Yes, you can," said Dr. Samuels. "And, if there isn't anything else, I'll see you next week."

Both Penny and Leonard got up and left the office. Leonard heading back to work, Penny making her next appointment, scheduling the breastfeeding class, and then going to the drugstore, for her new prescription.

Tuesday 26 May, 3:05 PM

Leonard was watching as the operations team finished up all the individual wire tests, they all looked devastated. They had finished installing the module this morning, in time for lunch. After lunch, they had started checking each of the wires, including checking each after changing the position of the switch on the module.

While they were doing that, Leonard had called together Keith and Tom, discussing possible reasons for getting more entangled photons than planned. He also asked if any of the people on their teams had any ideas. Both of them said no, and Leonard was left to continue pondering why his modification produced so many more.

They walked back down to the lab, just in time to see the final wire tests, and learned that some of the connections had not checked out. As they removed the equipment to do the powered tests, Leonard thought ahead, We're going to have to rewire and recheck those tomorrow but, maybe, we can still get the test runs in by Friday. Leonard wasn't happy either, but he would send everyone home, let them clear their heads, and start the rewire in the morning.

Tuesday 26 May, 7:05 PM

Leonard had finished the dishes, while Penny was sitting on the couch, watching TV. She had finally gotten used to doing nothing around the house because Leonard wouldn't let her. He was taking Dr. Samuels' admonishment seriously. While he couldn't control what she did at work, he had her sit down as soon as she got home. He allowed her 30 minutes of light yoga, but after that, he made her sit. Over her objections, he would go get her any drinks or snacks she wanted. He walked out to the living room, and she patted the couch next to her. He sat down and kissed her, and she smiled afterward.

She reached down, next to the couch and picked up her purse saying, "Leonard, I contacted the three agencies today. I plan on having two interviews Friday afternoon, and two Saturday afternoon. The two Friday will be from whatever Agency sends us two."

"You went through an agency?" asked Leonard.

"Yes, I did," said Penny. "They will be sending over a list of several different nannies for me to look at. They will provide a full list of their previous jobs and references, along with the results of their background checks. I'll look them over and will choose four people to interview."

"It made more sense for me to do it this way," explained Penny. "Otherwise, I would have to do phone interviews with anyone who wanted the job, to see if we matched and then pay for all the background checks ourselves. At least this way, the agency vetted them, so we don't have to do all the background checks. We will have to pay the agency, but it will be much cheaper than having to do the background checks ourselves."

"Anyway, the first interview, each day, will be at two and the other at four. We have an hour to talk to each of the nannies and can call them back if any other questions come up. Once we decide, we have three days to come to an agreement with pay, time off, etc. But, that could be extended if we are close to an agreement and they agree."

"Here are a couple of websites, with suggestions for questions we should ask," said Penny. "I'm going to get a list of questions down, and you should too. Then, we can combine them and decide which ones we think are most important, to ask the applicants when they come in for the interview."

"You really worked on this, haven't you?" said Leonard.

"Of course I did, this person is going to be taking care of our girls," said Penny, a bit defensively.

"No, no, I meant it as a compliment," said Leonard. "I know they will be taking care of our girls. And, you seemed to have everything ready. I'm proud of you."

"Oh, okay," said Penny with a grin. "So, shoo, go look up the questions. We have tonight and part of tomorrow night, and then Thursday to figure out which ones we are going to use."

Leonard grinned, kissed Penny, then got up, heading toward the built-in desk, to start looking at questions.

A/N Yeah, another one here. The discussion about breech delivery has some support in a couple of studies published over the last several years. Some hospitals, depending on several different factors,(Positioning, fetal distress, maternal distress, etc) are trying to get away from vaginal/cesarian twin delivery. They are doing a manual positioning, with breech birth, and seem to be getting some good results.

strop