Chapter 35
The next day, Penny and her kids woke up early so they could go back to the hospital and see Leonard, hoping he would wake up soon. Penny came down from the stairs and was surprised to see her kids in the kitchen, making breakfast — a sight she hasn't seen before.
"Good morning mom. I made you some coffee." said William while pouring her a cup.
"Ugh, thank you sweetie." said Penny as she took a sip from her cup. "Do you guys know what you're doing?" she asked.
"Don't worry mom, we have Google to help us." Sarah said, making William laugh.
Penny sighed, somehow softening up to her daughter. "Fine, I'm gonna wash up and change so we could go back to the hospital. I wanna be there when your father wakes up."
"No problem mom." William said as he went back to see how his sister is doing with the cooking.
After washing up in the bathroom, Penny got dressed and decided to pack a few of Leonard's clothes and underwear in a small knapsack. She also put in a couple of his inhalers and the book that her husband's been reading in there so he'll have something to keep him occupied. After packing, she went downstairs carrying the knapsack, finding the dining table all set up, with the kids already eating the breakfast.
"Come on mom, you should eat while the food is still hot." said William.
"Hmm, looks good." said Penny as she pulled out her phone and took a picture of the table.
"What are you doing mom?" William asked.
"I'm gonna show this to your dad when he wakes up." said Penny.
"He might think that he's already dead because this never happens." said William, referring to him and Sarah making breakfast.
"That's not funny." Sarah said.
"Okay cut it out and hurry up. We need to get back to the hospital." Penny said as they continued eating quietly.
After breakfast and cleaning up, they hurriedly left the house to go back to the hospital. William drove the car with Penny on the passenger side while Sarah sat on the backseat.
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They arrived at the hospital shortly and went straight to Leonard's room, finding him still unconscious on the bed with an oxygen mask strapped to his face. A nurse was there making note of his vitals when the young family entered the room.
"Good morning guys...he's still unconscious, but his vitals are stable." said the nurse as Penny went beside Leonard, touching his face and hands, kissing him.
"Good morning honey, you just hang in there alright?" Penny whispered in his ear before kissing his cheek one more time.
Sarah moved to the other side and held her father's hand. "Hi dad, we'll be here when you wake up." she said while kissing her father's cheek.
"I'll leave you guys to it. Just call me if you need anything or if he wakes up alright?" said the nurse as she went out of the room.
Penny then decided to put Leonard's stuff in the small cabinet nearby, making it ready when her husband wakes up. She also put his phone beside his bed, making sure it is fully charged before sitting beside her husband.
"You guys can go out if you want. I'll watch over your father for now." she said as her kids nodded, turning around to hang out in the waiting area nearby, hoping that their father wakes up soon.
As soon as the kids were out the door, Penny leaned over to whisper in Leonard's ear.
"I know you can hear me honey...we're all alone here so I want you to know that as soon as we get home...I'm gonna have my way with you..." she whispered in a playful way, hoping the prospect of sex wakes up her husband. "...we're gonna do everything...because you're my husband and your wife needs you so bad..." she added while gently tickling his arms and neck, knowing that those are Leonard's weak points. "...you mister...are gonna get some..." she said while kissing his cheek. She then rested her head on his shoulder, crying silently "Leonard, please come back to me...I need you..." she said, wiping her tears off with a tissue.
The whole morning and afternoon went on without any hint of Leonard waking up. Sheldon and the rest of the gang dropped by to see how Leonard and his family are doing, glad that his vital signs are normal and stable. A few of their colleagues form CalTech also dropped by, relieved in knowing that Leonard survived his ordeal and reassuring Penny and her children that they are there for them in their time of need.
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It was almost five in the afternoon and it was Sarah's turn to watch over her father. Penny and William were out in the waiting area with Sheldon, Howard and Bernadette. Amy had to go home to watch over her kids while Raj did the same with his family. Sarah was seated beside Leonard's bed, scrolling on her phone when she saw Leonard's hand move. She quickly sat up and held her father's hand, feeling it move again, giving her hand a light squeeze as she saw him slowly open his eyes. She immediately cried when she saw her father giving him a weak smile, trying to reassure his daughter that he's going to be alright.
"Hey princess." Leonard said softly as he held his daughter's hand.
Sarah gasped, unable to contain her happiness in seeing her father smile again. "Hi dad..." she said while wiping off her tears.
"Hey...don't cry honey...I'm alright now..." he said. "...now help me get this thing off my face..." he added while trying to remove his oxygen mask.
Sarah helped her father with his oxygen mask before making sure her father was comfortable on his bed. "I'm gonna call mom." she said before running towards the door. She quickly ran to the waiting area where Penny and William are sitting along with Sheldon, Howard and Bernadette, talking about some stuff.
"Mom come quick...dad's awake now!" she said making Penny jump from her seat, before running towards Leonard's room followed closely by William and the others.
Penny cried uncontrollably as soon as she saw her husband giving her a weak smile. She went to his side and gave him a tight hug, showering him with kisses and affection, completely ignoring the tubes and wires still connected to her husband.
"Mom, let dad breathe first." said William, teasing his parents.
Penny didn't give her son any attention and faced her husband, touching his face. "Hi honey, you scared me to death." she said while crying happy tears for her husband.
"I'm sorry if you got scared...but I'm gonna be okay now..." he said, reassuring his wife with a weak smile.
"Don't you ever do that to me again...you hear me!? I told you, I'm too young to be a widow!" said Penny making Leonard laugh a little.
"Ugh...I know honey...I'm sorry for that..." he said before facing his children. "Hey guys..." he said, reaching out to hold Sarah's hand as William went beside his father.
Sarah pushed her face on Leonard's neck and began crying, still feeling guilty for causing her father's ordeal. "I'm sorry dad...you almost died because of me..." said the young lady who wouldn't stop crying.
Leonard slowly put his hand on Sarah's shoulder. "Hey...don't say that...it's not your fault...do you hear me?" he said.
"But daddy..." said Sarah.
"No buts...it's not your fault, do you understand?" Leonard said.
Sarah wiped off her tears and nodded, feeling thankful for her father's forgiveness and love. Leonard then noticed something on his daughter's face, touching her cheek lightly.
"What happened to your face?" he asked as he held her chin and slightly turned her face sideways, seeing a slight blackened spot on her cheek. Sarah slightly backed away, trying to hide the truth from her father.
Leonard took a deep breath, trying to keep himself from freaking out. "Okay...I'm gonna ask you for one last time...why do you have a mark on your face?" he said with a serious tone.
They all kept quiet as Sarah stood beside her brother, seeking refuge from him until Penny decided to speak.
"Okay fine...I hit her when we were in the waiting area while the doctors are operating on you." said Penny.
William went to Leonard's side when he tried to sit up on his bed, helping his father by adding a pillow on his back. "You hit her!? Why would you do that?" he asked while trying to calm himself down.
Penny folded her arms and glared at her husband. "Really Leonard!? We're going to discuss this now?"
"Yes we're discussing this now!" said Leonard.
"What do you expect me to do? You almost died because of her and I sure as hell am never going to apologize for that!" Penny adamantly said as Sarah started crying again, being consoled by his brother.
Leonard sighed, trying to ignore the pain from his stitches. "I can't believe you would hit our daughter."
"Well believe it Leonard." Penny said, not backing down from her husband.
Leonard took a deep breath, knowing that he didn't want to have a fight with his wife. "Okay...fine. But now I want both of you to make it up with each other and put this all in the past. And I don't want to hear any more about my daughter almost killing me...it's not her fault!" he said, hoping Penny sees his point.
Sarah wiped her tears and faced her mother. "Mom, I'm sorry for causing all this trouble. Please?" she said while trying to keep herself from crying again.
William held his sister close to comfort her, leaning on his chest while she cried her eyes out. "Mom...please..." William said to his mother.
Penny looked at her daughter and felt her sadness, knowing that she and Sarah have way too much in common, including being too emotional. She realized that it wasn't fair if she wouldn't forgive her daughter when she herself was forgiven by her parents for all the crazy stunts she pulled when she was Sarah's age. She motioned for her daughter to come to her, trying to keep herself from crying. Sarah saw her mother and ran to hug her tight, pushing her face on Penny's chest while crying her eyes out. Penny held her daughter close, trying to calm her down and reassure her that she's been forgiven.
"It's alright sweetheart, I'm not mad anymore." she said as she kissed Sarah on the forehead.
"I'm so sorry mom...I never wanted any of this to happen." said Sarah.
"Don't cry sweetie...we're good now." said Penny while smiling at her daughter before hugging the young lady again.
Leonard and William looked at each other and smiled, giving a fist bump to one another in seeing the two reconcile.
Penny released her daughter as she went to hug her father, crying on his shoulder. "I'm sorry daddy."
"Ugh, it's alright honey. Don't cry." he said while wiping off her tears. "I can never get mad at you."
"But don't abuse it." said William, making them all laugh.
Sarah stood up and straighten herself out. "I'm sorry dad...about that thing...you know...with Jason..." said the young lady.
Sheldon suddenly faced Amy. "Is it me or are we supposed to have left them ten minutes ago to deal with their family issues privately?" he asked, amusing all of them.
"You can go out if you want, but I'm staying." said Amy.
"Good...because I never wanted to leave in the first place." Sheldon said earning a glaring look from Leonard and Penny.
Leonard looked at his wife and reached for her hand, knowing that they had no choice but to go through this sort of thing as parents to a young girl. Penny gave Leonard a weak smile, knowing that no matter how many bad decisions their children make, they would still love them unconditionally.
"Come here honey." Leonard said while pulling his daughter in for another hug. "I actually have something to tell you guys." he said.
Penny looked at him, puzzled as to what he was going to say. "What is it honey?"
"Well...uh...it's not entirely Sarah's fault that I had that heart attack." said Leonard.
"What do you mean dad?" asked William.
"Yeah, what are you trying to say?" Penny asked.
"Well...remember when I had my first heart attack and the doctor said that I should start eating healthy?" he said.
"I'm listening." Penny said.
"Well I kinda cheated on that..." said Leonard hoping his wife wouldn't be angry at him.
"What are you getting at Leonard?" said Penny.
"I know I should have stayed healthy but it's just too hard to do. That's why I sometimes pass by the pastry shop to have cinnamon bun or sometimes a cheeseburger on my way home." Leonard said, surprising his family and friends.
Penny shook her head, unable to process what her husband just said. "Wait...are you telling me that instead of taking care of yourself, you went the opposite way!?" Penny said, folding her arms and giving her husband a stern look.
"I'm sorry honey...but staying healthy is just too hard." said Leonard.
Penny threw her hands in the air and sighed, feeling her anger rise up at her husband for being careless. "I can't believe you would do that to yourself and almost make me a widow and your children into orphans!" Penny said, slightly raising her voice at Leonard.
"I'm sorry honey..." said Leonard.
Penny grunted at him. "Urrrghh! And here I am blaming Sarah for everything when you did this all to yourself you jackass!" she yelled before lightly punching Leonard's nose and storming out of the room. Everybody was surprised as they saw a little blood trickling down from Leonard's nose. Sarah quickly grabbed a box of tissues and gave it to her father, helping him clean his face up.
A nurse came in the room seeing an angry Penny leave the room before looking at Leonard being helped by his daughter. "Uh...why is your father bleeding?" asked the nurse.
"My mom punched him on the nose." said Sarah.
"Oh my god! Why would she do that?" the nurse asked.
Sarah was about to speak when Leonard cut her off. "I wouldn't worry about it...no harm done." said Leonard while giving them a weak smile.
"Well...you can look at it this way dad..." Sarah said as they looked at the young lady. "...at least I'm not the only one in this room that was hit by mom." she said, making them all laugh.
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After almost half an hour, Penny came back to Leonard's room, finding him, the kids and the gang having a lively conversation. They all looked at her as she closed the door behind her.
"Uh...can I have some privacy with my husband?" said Penny.
The gang looked at each other as well as their children. "It's alright guys." said Leonard as they made their way out of the room.
Sarah leaned over and kissed her father on the cheek. "Good luck dad." she said, making Leonard laugh a little.
"Don't worry about me honey, I'm gonna be fine." he said as William led his sister out of the room.
Penny took a chair and sat beside her husband, looking at him. Without warning, she cried and pushed her face onto his neck, letting out all her built-up emotions inside of her. Leonard slowly put his arm over her shoulder to reassure her.
"I'm sorry I punched you." she said as she showered her husband with affection, kissing him all over his face.
"It's alright honey." said Leonard, knowing that his wife means well.
"I told you to never do that to me again! I can't lose you again Leonard!" she said before pushing her face on his neck again.
"I'll be careful honey...I promise." he said.
Penny held his face and smiled at him. "Why are you so good to me?"
Leonard smiled back at her. "Because you're my girl!" he said as Penny moved closer before locking her lips onto her husband's. "As soon as we get home, I'm gonna have my way with you mister...we're gonna do everything...you hear me?" she said while giving her husband a seductive look.
"Everything?" he asked, unable to believe what he just heard.
Penny nodded while giving him a lovely smile. "Everything...that's why you have to recover fast...you understand?"
"Got it honey!" he said as they kiss again.
Penny then got on the bed and snuggled up to her husband, wrapping him in her arms to make him feel her love. "You're mine Hofstadter...you're all mine." she whispered as they stayed like that, thankful that another scary part of their lives was over.
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After almost an hour, William and Sarah returned to Leonard's room, finding the couple talking and laughing about something.
"I think they're okay now." said Sarah as she went beside her father's bed and pushed her face onto his neck.
"Ugh, nothing beats being cuddled by two pretty ladies!" he said making Penny and Sarah glare at him.
"That is so sad!" Penny said, somewhat happy that Leonard's sense of humor is still intact.
"Not to mention inappropriate considering that I'm your daughter!" said Sarah, giving her mother a high five.
Leonard laughed a little, wincing from the pain of his wound. "Hey at least I got you two to agree on something instead of coming at each other." he said.
William gave his father a high five. "Amen to that."
"Thanks for forgiving me dad." said Sarah as she never let up in hugging her father.
"It's alright honey, you don't have to blame yourself." Leonard said.
"Does it hurt dad?" asked Sarah.
"Wanna take a look? Here." said Leonard as he slightly opened his hospital gown, revealing the stitches on his chest.
Penny gasped, holding her hand over her mouth while Sarah was amazed. "Wow that is so cool!" she said making Penny and William roll their eyes.
"I can't believe you would consider your father almost dying, cool!" Penny said.
"Not the dying part mom." Sarah said. "I mean, dad is basically Tony Stark now, right?"
Leonard gave his daughter a high five. "That's exactly what Robert Downey Jr. said when your mom and I got married." he said trying not to laugh or risk his wound hurting again.
Penny rolled her eyes and sighed. "You're so clueless. She's just saying that because she's trying to get on your good side after pulling that stunt with her precious Jason!" Penny said.
"Well, it's not the first time that a girl used her charm to get on my good side, right?" said Leonard, referring to how Penny 'manipulated' him all these years.
"Good one dad!" said Sarah, giving her father a high five.
"Keep talking and I'm gonna punch you again!" said Penny.
"Okay I'll stop now." said Leonard before looking at his son. "By the way, how's Erin?" he asked.
William was suddenly surprised. "Oh shoot! I was supposed to call her yesterday!" he said as he turned around and left the room while dialing his phone.
Penny and Sarah looked at each other. "He's in serious trouble now." said Sarah.
"Yeah, your dad did that to me once." said Penny.
Sarah laughed a little. "Really? What happened mom?"
"Well, let's just say that he learned his lesson and never did it again." said Penny, making Sarah laugh.
"Okay, okay! I'm a jackass!" said Leonard.
Sarah took a seat beside her father's bed. "Don't worry dad, we still love you no matter what." she said, making her parents smile, proud of how affectionate their daughter could be.
William returned shortly, scrolling on his phone.
"So?" Penny asked as William stood between his mother and sister.
"Do you think she'll like this?" he said while showing them a bouquet of flowers on his phone.
"What did you tell her?" asked Sarah while laughing.
"Nothing. But I kinda promised to call her once I arrive at the airport and I sorta forgot. Now she's furious at me." said William, making them all laugh. "Why are you guys laughing?"
"Sweetheart, that fifty-dollar bouquet is not gonna cut it!" said Penny before taking his phone and scrolling on it while Sarah joined her mother.
"Oh, that one's nice!" said Sarah before Penny gave the phone back to her son.
"That one." said Penny, surprising William.
"But that's almost two hundred dollars!?" William exclaimed.
"You're welcome sweetheart!" Penny said sarcastically while giving Sarah a high five.
"Yeah, now you know not to ignore her again." said Sarah.
William sighed, putting the phone back in his pocket. "Fine. I suppose I should throw in a box of chocolates in as well huh?"
"And a really nice teddy bear...or a unicorn!" said Sarah.
"Yeah sure." said William.
"What did you tell her anyway?" asked Leonard, amused by his son's relationship issues, something he went through himself when he was younger.
"I told her that I talked to Halley...about you know...us." William said.
"And what did she say?" Sarah asked, curious about her brother's love life.
"I'd rather not talk about it really." said William.
"Okay fine. I'm sure you guys can figure it out." Leonard said.
"Thanks dad." William said as they continued catching up.
Penny never let go of her husband's hand, feeling relieved in knowing that Leonard is on the way towards a speedy recovery. Sarah for her part made sure to help her mother in taking care of Leonard, making sure he's comfortable on the bed or helping him out with his food and medicines, trying to make it up not only to her father but to her mother as well.