The Hofstadter Change Continuation

Chapter 8

Just when she had got used to having lunch with her husband Leonard over Zoom, That the University had decided that to finish the works by an earlier date, could be easily achieved by having the setup crew, which included Dr Leonard Hofstadter, who was overseeing the project, to work nights.
And it was no surprise to her nearest and dearest that this affected Penny to a great degree.

08:00 am Wyatts Farm.

Penny lay awkwardly sprawled on the sofa and glared at the clock as it counted down the minutes of the last half an hour before she would have to leave for the hospital To be onsite for the impending birth of her twins in just over two weeks, or thereabouts.
She should have left for the hospital last week but Penny had decided that as she felt absolutely fine I.E. no diabetes or high blood pressure or any other warning signs, and the Gynaecologist had also declared that the twins were doing fine, so Penny could not see what all the fuss was about.
Finally though, after stern warnings from the Gynaecologist as well as warnings from her mother after hearing Beverly's warning that twins usually arrived early! (Beverly had popped over specifically to ensure that Penny stopped dithering and leave immediately for maternity) also, though he did not harass her as much as the two matriarchs, it was acutely evident that Leonard was making himself ill by fretting over her stubbornness, that Penny, fearful for her Husband's health had finally relented and agreed to go as soon as Leonard had returned from the university science department.

She was feeling quite anxious, though surprisingly not for herself but for Leonard.
As the end of October in Nebraska usually brought the first snowfalls of winter and at one o'clock that very morning the snow had arrived and quickly changed from a light sprinkling to the howling blizzard that Robert Falcon Scott would have experienced in his Antarctic expedition. And at that point, Penny realised that she had been extremely foolish in her delaying.

03:20 am Omaha Institute of Science.

After receiving a warning from a colleague that it was snowing.
So Leonard prudently decided to leave immediately, as, after all, it wasn't as though he was able to concentrate on his work anyway.
The snow was still light as Leonard hit the interstate for home and he smiled at the feeling that the heavens were with him as he carefully drove back to the farm.
Only to immediately change his mind as the blizzard hit the moment he turned off the interstate for the back roads leading to the farm, the poor visibility as well as the rapidly drifting snow making driving even more hazardous. And just when he was nearing the farm the battered old pickup decided that it was time for a break, and barely left enough time for Leonard to pull off the road before it stopped and categorically refused to start leaving Leonard no choice but to travel the rest of the way on foot.
After much struggling Leonard came to the field which indicated the start of Wyatt's land.

08:05 am Wyatts Farm.

Wyatt had poked his head around the door and told Penny that they had better leave now as this weather was getting really bad.
"But Leonard isn't here yet," his by now panicking daughter pointed out.
"He can follow along later," Wyatt reasoned.
"No! I want Leonard to go with me?" Penny declared vehemently.
But inside she desperately wanted to be sure her husband was OK as the blizzard by now was rapidly getting fierce.

"I'm sure Leonard is trying his very best to get here," Beverley assured her soothingly.
"I know. But Leonard sent me a text apparently at half-past four when he was leaving there, and that was hours ago and I'm so worried," Penny admitted.

"I'll go and watch for him," her mother Susan told her daughter as she left the lounge to don her winter clothing.

She began walking unsteadily through the blizzard down the long drive near the entrance to the road and anxiously on the alert for any headlights that may signal Leonard's return when she suddenly became aware of a snow-covered mound lying right in front of her on her left. And just as she approached it, the snow-covered mound then emitted a painful groan.
Recognising the familiar colour of Leonard's hoodie in her flash-light as the snow shifted as he stirred, she rushed over to him, "Leonard! Oh my God, what happened," she asked animatedly as she helped Leonard to sit up.

Leonard groaned as he moved to lean back against the fence then knowing Susan was putting two and two together and making five, he began to explain. "I broke down about 2 miles from here and I thought I could take a shortcut across the field but it was even harder than walking on the road, so I tried to climb the fence to walk on the drive but I sort of got tangled up and I fell," Leonard explained with some difficulty due to the combination of him shivering from the cold and the acute pain from his right knee.
Susan, after ensuring that Leonard was as comfortable as he could be, given the circumstances then went to find someone that could help Leonard get to the farmhouse.

Whether it was the sudden sight of the plight of her husband as he was helped into the lounge by Joe and Stella, or the fact that the twins had decided that they had had quite enough of the womb and wanted to come out and play, no one knows, but in any event, Penny's waters broke causing an already stressed Penny to shout out her husband's name in alarm, "Leonard!"

Now began a desperate situation as Penny was about to give birth and it was quite clear that the emergency services would be unable to attend.

Beverly quickly tried ringing the hospital only to find there was no signal and the lines were down.

Wyatt suddenly remembered old Mrs Allen who was a retired midwife who lived about 6 miles away and hurriedly left in the farms biggest tractor, praying all the while that the road had not been blocked.

2 hours had passed and Beverly was seriously getting worried as there was no certainty that Mrs Allen would even be home and a by now hysterical Penny was fully dilated.
Beverly did not have the vital information she needed as to how the twins were positioned in the womb? If one or both were in the transverse position for the birth then it could mean that Penny would need to have a caesarean section.
And the only person here who might know, seriously needed to calm down before Beverly could even get any information at all from her.

So Beverly, feeling inward that she was just clutching at straws, returned to her daughter-in-law.
The sight that greeted her did not fill Beverly with any confidence as Penny was still sobbing and continually apologising to Leonard for putting the twins lives in jeopardy, while an equally stressed Leonard desperately tried to comfort the love of his life.

XXXXXXX

Wyatt finally drew to a halt outside Mrs Allen's house as her son came out to see what a tractor was doing on the drive.

"My daughter's in labour with twins and I was hoping your Mom could attend to her?" Wyatt explained hurriedly. Over the noise of the wind.

"Sorry, that sucks as she can't do midwifery now. She's got that Alzheimers", her son replied apologetically.

Wyatt felt as though his heart had sunk to his boots. "that's not good to hear, I know what that's like as my own grandmother died of it a while back. Oh well, thanks anyway I gotta rush back," and returning to his tractor he returned to the farm, praying that Penny could hold out until the medics could get there.

XXXXXXX

"OK, Penny you need to stop your caterwauling and listen to me very carefully," Beverly snapped harshly. Hoping to shock Penny from her despair.
"Now did your obstetrician happen to mention to you as to what position the twins are in the womb?"

Penny, though clearly could not remember and before she could collapse into another bout of hysterics Leonard, who had accompanied Penny recalled Penny being informed that both twins were in the cephalic position.

Beverly for the first time had an enormous urge to plant a huge kiss on her son's cheek as this news meant that Penny could give birth to the twins naturally.

"Ok, Penny it seems that I will have to deliver your babies. I'm sure Leonard has made mention of my training to be a surgeon before I chose Psychiatry as a profession. I have also volunteered to assist on a maternity ward although I admit my only reason was to gather research to write another parenting book (Which, no doubt with relief to new mothers, let alone their offspring, was never published as Beverly had encountered her fall from grace at about the same time,) and I have kept up to date on all the latest procedures and research," Beverly explained, then just as it looked as if Penny was entering panic mode again Beverly pointed out that while the blizzard was still in full force there was no other alternative.

Leonard was immensely pleased and proud of his mother as Beverly quickly and efficiently organised everything that would be needed for the birth, and pressing Penny's own mother Susan, into the role of assisting at the birth.
While Leonard had the most important role of holding Penny's hand.

2 hours and 12 minutes after Wyatts return from the Allen house, Angela Christine Hofstadter entered the world followed 11 minutes later by her sister April Caroline Hofstadter.
Beverly very carefully examined the placenta to ensure its Completeness as any that remained inside could result in Penny bleeding to death.

Penny, by now crying tears of joy instead held her twin daughters to her breasts smiling as they took their vital first feed of colostrum, as soon as they had been weighed on the old kitchen scales and cleaned up by their grandmother Susan straight after they were examined by Grandma Beverly who was now writing an extensive report for the benefit of the antenatal staff on

the twins and Penny who had haemorrhaged to a level which had caused some concern for Beverly, although this had now slowed.

Three hours later the blizzard finally blew itself out and after contacting the emergency services
Wyatt and Joe got busy marking out a safe landing area for the helicopter
Soon the twins after being placed in incubators were taken aboard along with their mother and their father, Leonard, who had suffered a broken collar bone in his fall, as well as twisting his right knee. Before they were quickly whisked away to the Hospital.

Honey Marie had initially sulked overseeing her sisters in their incubators as she wanted to greet both with a kiss but was soon won over by The 'Frozen themed' colouring book and crayons her father, Leonard had purchased for her so she would not feel so left out during the birth of the twins.

Once the helicopter had left Beverly, now able to come back down to earth. Had become very emotional with the wonder, that she had had the privilege of delivering her very own granddaughters.
And everyone she would encounter for weeks afterwards was regaled at length all about the beauty and perfection that was her twin granddaughters and her delightful daughter-in-law who Beverly had come to love more than her own daughter.