Falling apart
Chapter 5
Bernadette hurriedly retrieved her phone from her purse and called Howard.
"Hi, and how is my little Cherie", Howard asked her in the most corny fake french accent he could possibly come up with.
"Howard I need you here. Right now, I'm at Penny's, Howard there's something wrong with her, and I don't know what to do", Bernadette told him, now near to tears.
"Sure Honey I'm on my way", he replied, at once alarmed at what could possibly be wrong for Bernadette to be so upset.
Howard stuck his neck round the door of Raj's office.
"Hey Buddy I think we need your help, Bernadette's found Penny,", he pleaded".
"She's found her?, where was she?", Rajesh asked, wondering where Penny had gone.
"Wow, it's just eerie, apparently she was in her apartment all along", Howard told him, his eyes wide in disbelief.
"OK dude let's go see what we can do". Raj responded, immediately getting up to leave with Howard.
Bernadette amazed that Leonard's accident could affect Penny so, spent the time waiting for Howard by talking to Penny in spite of her receiving absolutely no response from her at all, she was just the same, just sitting there and gazing into space.
She looked round the room, two drawers with their displaced contents strewn across the floor while on the other side of the room a pile of clothing had been upset joining the same level as the drawers.
Mute evidence of the frantic state of Penny's mind over the accident, she thought.
She put her hand over Penny's hands, that were still holding the snowflake tightly, and gave them a friendly squeeze then seeing the snowflake and Penny's blank stare, she burst into tears.
Texas
Amy quickly grew tired of Sheldon's odd facts about the salamander, a tactic that he often used to avoid unpleasant truths
"Sheldon will you just stop this jibber-jabber and tell me what is the problem with you returning to Pasadena?", she testily demanded.
Sheldon turned to her and seeing her frustration with him said "Of course, for you see the flashlight was mine, It was I who insisted most firmly that Leonard carry it in his car at all times in the case of emergencies as per the roommate agreement", then stricken, he assumed the foetal position on the couch.
Amy sighed placing her hand on his shoulder, "You weren't to know that that would happen Sheldon, Why didn't Leonard put it in the trunk?".
"Come on Sheldon Please, Penny and Leonard really need us now, we just have to be there for them, because they are our friends Sheldon and they need our help", she reasoned.
Sheldon looked at her "you're right of course aid in an emergency is also written into the roommate agreement".
They then made plans to return to Pasadena the next morning.
4B
Howard, Raj and Bernadette discussed what they should do for Penny, all three visibly shaken at her condition.
"She hasn't been right for a few months now you know dude", Raj opined.
"how can you tell that?, Penny,s always been, well just Penny", Howard questioned
"Hey!, I'm more sensitive to these things than you are", Raj responded
Howard about to retort was interrupted by Bernadette who told him about the talk she had with Penny, after the time Penny stormed out over finding out that Kurt had beaten up Leonard.
I thought that she would be OK after that, and she seemed so happy when Her and Leonard returned from their short vacation but obviously Leonard's accident was just too much for her to cope with.
"Yeah"Howard said, then turning to Raj, "Hey do you remember Leonard telling us once at break that Penny went crazy when she though he would be going on Hawking's expedition?.
"That's right Dude I remember that, my God we always thought Leonard was the one to overthink things, but it seems Penny was just as bad", Raj confirmed.
Bernadette Joined in,"Yeah, I remember Penny confessing to me about feeling almost hysterically stressed over Leonard when she thought he was going to go on the North sea trip with Alex", then Bernadette began to cry, Oh Howie!, I feel awful, Penny's been falling apart and I haven't even noticed and been there for her".
Howard put his arm around Bernadette and hugged her,"it's OK honey, let's see what we can do for her now.
After calling a Doctor they then called Penny's parents to inform them of Penny's condition over Leonard's accident.
Wyatt, Penny's Father thanked Bernadette for calling them, and told her they will be leaving as soon as they can for Pasadena, and if they could take care of Penny in the meantime. Bernadette cried again at hearing the distress in his voice.
Meanwhile Wyatt fretted in thought, "He liked Leonard and had seen for himself the adoration Leonard had for his Daughter, The first guy that had ever shown Penny that complete love. And It was no wonder Penny had fallen so deeply for him as Wyatt was sure Leonard was the only Guy Penny had ever met, who had ever shown such unselfish devotion to his daughter as Leonard had.
Therefore He was as worried for Leonard just as much as he was for Penny, If Penny was like this now he didn't think she would ever recover if Leonard died. "Hang in there son, I beg you just hang in there", Wyatt silently pleaded in his mind.
Shortly afterwards a doctor arrived and after carefully assessing Penny he informed them of the need for Penny to have professional help at a psychiatric hospital. Then an hour later two ambulance men came and took Penny away, Bernadette went in with her after putting together some of Penny's clothes, While avoiding to pack Penny's favourite tops and dresses in case they would bring back too many bad memories for her, if she recovered that is, and Bernadette felt her tears ready to spring forth as she wasn't too sure if Penny ever would.
The next day, while Bernadette had gone to the hospital to see Penny, Howard and Rajesh had gone to the airport to pick up Penny's parents.
"I can't get my head around this, Leonard in a coma and Penny in a sort of psychological coma, it's just too weird for words", Howard observed to Raj
"I know dude everyone is having a hard time dealing with it, it is so peculiar, this is so not good ".
Eventually Penny's parents met them and despite them being travel stained and weary insisted that they go straight to see Penny first.
Bernadette had sat with Penny still talking to her hoping to make a connection with her, but with
no success.
a nurse entered the room to check on Penny calling a greeting to Bernadette as she entered.
"How has she been? , any signs of her returning to normal?" Bernadette asked hopefully.
"I'm afraid there has been no signs at all", she replied, "why does she hold that thing so tightly?, we had to wait until she was asleep before we could get it off of her so we could wash & dress her later and then she screamed blue murder for it to be given back to her when she woke up".
Bernadette then explained how Leonard had given it to her upon his return from the arctic.
The nurse's eyes brimmed as she held a hand up to the side of her face.
"Oh my, that is the most romantic thing that I have heard of in a long time", she said, wiping her eyes.
Just then a knock on the door announced the arrival of Penny's parents.
Bernadette updated them on Penny's condition then left to give them some privacy with their Daughter, joining Howard & Raj in the corridor.
"you look real bushed honey", Howard said to his wife after kissing her on the cheek
"yes I am, before I came here I stopped at Penny's place and tidied through as her parents will be staying there, as penny must have been so distressed it was in quite a state.
"What's the bag for?" Howard inquired.
"it's Penny's clothes, the ones she was wearing when she came here they had some difficulty to dress her because she would not let go of Leonard's snowflake, I just thought I'd wash them for her".
" holy shmoly, I just can't believe this has all happened", Howard responded.
"Well why don't we all get a coffee and a bite to eat while we wait, I think they will be a little while in there yet". suggested Raj.
Ten minutes after they returned from getting their coffee, Penny's Parents entered the corridor. Penny's mother was understandably very upset.
Wyatt just looked absolutely shocked to the core, "I can't believe it, we talked all about her days as a child, all the little incidents and events she had growing up, even Moondance her pet pig, but nothing, not even a flicker of interest did we get from her, it was like she was locked in her own little world. He looked desperately towards them "do they have any idea at all how soon Leonard will recover?, I was kinda hoping that he can talk to her and perhaps get her back into this world?.
Howard gloomily replied, "I don't know sir, they just keep telling us to give him time, but how long, I don't think they really know. we all so much want Penny and Leonard back to how they were".
Penny's mother then squeezed her Husband's arm saying "Come on Wyatt let's make our way to Penny's place now and get cleaned up.
Amy finally pulled up in front of Sheldon's apartment , It was Late evening by now and Sheldon quite vociferously complained to Amy that she did not go straight to the trauma center to see Leonard.
Amy tiredly explained that it was just too late now, and they went upstairs to 4A, and Amy looked sadly at the door of 4B while Sheldon searched for his key.
Two days later and still with no improvement to either Leonard or Penny. Bernadette, Howard and Raj were sitting in 4A discussing what it was that could possibly be wrong with Penny.
"Amy you know about things like this have you any idea what's wrong with Penny?", Bernadette asked sadly staring at the two empty seats by Sheldon's end of the couch.
"I've been thinking about that", Amy answered her "when I brought Penny to your place and you told her about Leonard and the florists, I don't believe she was really angry at you, you see, we know how Penny greatly regrets all the times she hurt Leonard and now he was hurt when he was on his way to do something nice for her, and now she feels responsible for his accident, also we know how she feels about him and in a sense now Leonard isn't here the world for her has become an unfriendly place and she no longer wishes to be here without Leonard".
"wow you know I told Leonard once, shortly after Penny moved in to 4b that he had no chance with her. I never ever thought in a million years that Penny could love Leonard as much as she does?", Howard murmured.
"I know as far as our Penny's concerned, Leonard means the world to her. It's no wonder she is in the condition she's in now, I guess", Bernadette considered, then added, " So that kind of explains why Penny has retreated to what is to her a much better place and is now living in her own wonderful little world, safe with her memories of Leonard in her mind", Bernadette noted.
"Exactly right", Amy agreed.
"So what we really need is Leonard to talk to her, to convince her to come back",
"That's a big problem when he is still in a coma", Raj noted
"You hit the nail right on the head there, Buddy", Howard answered him sadly.
