Chapter 34

One Late night in Leonard and Penny's bedroom.

"Leonard hold still, how on earth can I help undress you if you keep fidgeting like this", Penny remonstrated,

as she struggled to help Leonard who had been incapacitated to a certain extent from a fractured collarbone, resulting in him having to wear a sling.

"Sorry I just hate having you do everything for me like this", Leonard admitted, Then after noticing Penny's look of dismay quickly added, "I mean I just hate putting on you Honey", he amended.

But Penny really enjoyed taking care of her husband. She felt closer to him, and it also gave her a chance to express her love for him more fully, which Penny felt was so important, not only for Leonard but for herself as well.

"Well Doctor if you hadn't insisted on playing with Phil Johnson's chainsaw, then you would not have had to wear that sling", Penny reminded him.

"I wasn't playing, Phil was busy so he said I could borrow his chainsaw to cut those dead branches off", Leonard told her.

"Yes and I thought you were smart, tell me how much education do you need, to know that you don't place a stepladder, on uneven ground like that, let alone try and operate a chainsaw off of it?, I wouldn't have been surprised if my hair had turned white with fright", Penny again reminded him.

"I know, I'm sorry Honey, I knew how you frightened you were, I felt you shaking like a leaf, I just thought as Phil was busy I could just lop the two branches off quickly, I watched Phil using it before and it looked easy enough", Leonard explained, and choosing not to mention Penny's scream of fright, which Leonard was certain could have been heard two blocks away.

Penny's face took on a look that was a mixture of incredulity and despair, "Phil knew what he was doing Honey, he's probably used the thing hundreds of times, My God Leonard I thought I had lost you?, even the dog was frightened enough to run in here and cower under this bed in fright. I know you were just trying to help, but truly, there is no way that I could take another scare like that", Penny told him passionately.

Leonard, now shamefaced, stared at the floor, cursing Himself for very stupidly upsetting his Penny again, I'm really sorry, I love you Penny, please forgive me?", he begged.

Penny looked at him in a serious fashion, "Okay, but don't you ever, ever do that again, I beg you", she told him firmly.

The next morning they dropped little Wyatt off at Beverley's, and the three girls off at school, before Penny drove Leonard over to Cal Tech, she walked into Cal Tech with Leonard, carrying his rucksack.

(Leonard refused to have a briefcase, it just brought up too many damn memories of himself trying to retrieve it from one or other of the bullying morons, or the locations they would throw it to.)

They reached Leonard's office and as Penny returned to the car to collect some papers that they had forgotten to pick up, when President Siebert knocked and entered.

"Ah Dr Hofstadter, just the man I need. Tell me are you doing anything Saturday evening?", President Siebert asked him.

"Well I do look forward to spending some time with my wife, but if you want any help with a project?", Leonard asked helpfully.

"Why yes I do, Dr Cooper tells me that you are on very good terms with Dr Elizabeth Plimpton?", Dr Siebert quizzed.

"Yeess sort of", Leonard uneasily admitted, and wondering where this was going.

And at this point Penny returned, within earshot of their discussion.

"Excellent!, I want you to take Dr Plimpton out to dinner, spoil her and sweet talk her, as you are well aware Dr Hofstadter it is important that we take every opportunity to raise the profile of this university and a series of lectures given here by Dr Plimpton will do just that. So I leave the matter in your capable hands".

And Dr Siebert left without even acknowledging Penny whose face was now as black as a thundercloud.

"Did I hear Right/ Did I hear him say Plimpton?", Penny demanded.

Leonard sighed, he was not at all pleased in the first place, about having to take Dr Plimpton out to dinner, and now worse still, it seems Penny has overheard them talking. Not that Leonard had any intention to hide this news from Penny, but it sure would have been a lot easier to tell her if she was a lot calmer.

Leonard informed Penny about Dr Siebert's intention to have Dr Plimpton give a series of lectures, in order to raise the profile of the university.

"How the hell did he find out about you and her?", Penny asked him, her eyes wild with rage.

"Sheldon Cooper told him", Leonard told her simply.

Penny growled and not for the first time, greatly desired introducing Sheldon Cooper to a baseball bat.

Penny was just about to really go to town on Leonard over this and deliver quite a long lecture, when she finally noticed that Leonard was not at all OK with it either.

Penny sighed and putting her arms round her husband, told him, "I'm sorry Honey, What are we going to do?, she asked him.

Once again Leonard felt loathe to let the university down, but he did not want to hurt Penny either, "I feel as if I'm between a rock and a hard place", he admitted, then added, "Penny, I swear to you that you are the only woman that I ever want to go on an intimate dinner with, you know, after all these years together, I still pinch myself to check that I'm not dreaming of being married to you", he told her sincerely.

His words touched Penny's heart, and wide eyed with love, she could only say his name in a touching manner in reply.

After sharing a long goodbye kiss together, Penny made for her car and driving on automatic pilot, she tried to think of a possible solution to this awful predicament but on reaching Beverley and Mike's place she was no nearer an answer than when she started out.

And feeling quite down over the Plimpton problem she entered the house.

"Hello luvvy, what's up?, you've got a boat race like a milkman's round", Mike told her, as he gave her a cup of tea..

Penny was still getting to grips with his cockney rhyming slang, and she had to ask him what he meant?.

"sorry luv, what I said was you've got a boat race (face), like a milkman's round, in other words long", Mike explained.

Penny told Mike about Leonard and Dr Plimpton getting together shortly after she dumped him,"Well it's because they want Leonard to take this Woman out to, as you would say it, Lilley and Skinner, and neither Leonard or I want this to happen, but if he doesn't it might hurt the university", Penny explained feeling thrilled at receiving a thumbs up from Mike, as she correctly quoted the rhyming slang for dinner.

"is Leonard going to be able to drive by Saturday", Mike asked her.

"No, he'll still be wearing his sling so it looks as if I will have to drive him there, I suppose", Penny replied.

"Well then, go with him", Mike told her simply.

"Oh so Miss Slut bunny and I can look daggers at each other over the fish course?", Penny informed him.

"Please love, don't mention fish, I could murder a large cod and chips right now?. Now then you both know all too well you are too much in love with each other to be able to cope too well with upsets like this?, So, if you go with him, you can then give her the message that Leonard is your old pot and pan and she can keep her 'ands off him. And knowing Leonard, I think you'll find that he will be quite relieved to have what is for him the love of his life with him", Mike explained.

The more Penny thought about it the more she liked it so in her best actresses East London accent she thanked Mike, "Blimey, if you ain't a downright bloomin' genius then I don't know wot is", and laughing she hugged him in gratitude.

Penny had dressed to kill leaving Leonard absolutely breathless at seeing how beautiful his wife looked tonight, and Leonard heartily wished that it was just himself and Penny, that would be having dinner tonight, he smiled as he imagined all the envious looks from the male diners he would get as he enters the restaurant with his Penny on his arm, and Leonard's heart leaped with happiness inside his chest.

They met Dr Plimpton at the restaurant bar and Penny was thrilled as Leonard introduced her to Dr Plimpton as, "his dear wife, and the love of my life, Penny", and while Leonard was being asked what wine would he prefer by the wine waiter, Penny revealed to Dr Plimpton that she knew about Leonard and Dr Plimpton getting very close in the past.

Dr Plimpton smiled, "Please call me Elizabeth, I don't blame you for coming too Penny, Leonard is such a sweetie, and truly a wonderful guy. I daresay you are looking down your nose at me, so please let me explain about those years, yes I was successful but unfortunately not successful in love, I got so miserable then you see. I hated my own company, And I so longed for someone to hold me close to them during the night, I yearned for my loneliness to end, so I began picking up guys, I would do stupid scenarios, I foolishly thought that that was what they liked, but I found most of them left before the sun came up, and I was left alone again, Dr Plimpton wiped her eyes, the last straw was when the last guy I picked up, not only disappeared, but disappeared with my purse, phone and jewelry, and that was the last straw so I gave up. I still have not found love, but be rest assured Penny, I will not chase after your husband, what you have is so precious, that I would hate myself till the end of time if I caused damage to the wonderful relationship you both have.", and Elizabeth warmly squeezed Penny's hand for emphasis.

Penny sat there absolutely stunned. All this time she had imagined Dr Plimpton flirting with her Leonard all night, only to discover instead, a very Lonely woman with life experiences very much like her own as Penny herself looked for the love that was so important to her.

"You're wrong you know", Penny began, "I too had a reputation of being an easy lay, I too, like yourself longed to be loved by that special guy, that would stay with me for life, I moved to California from Nebraska, with a guy I thought was special and I really believed I was in love with him, but in the end, he stole my money, cheated on me and then when I caught him having sex in our bed with some girl he had been seeing behind my back.

And instead of being apologetic he expected the three of us to live together, and that was the last straw, I found another apartment and left him that day, then I met Leonard who was as you know, sharing an apartment opposite mine, with Sheldon Cooper. And the rest is history", Penny revealed.

And when Leonard returned, he was puzzled beyond belief to see the two women in animated conversation together, just like old friends, Even though he was pleased to have Penny accompany him, he was dreading that there would be an awful atmosphere throughout the entire evening.

Penny told Elizabeth all about the many times her Leonard would help her out as she struggled as a waitress. He blushed crimson as she told Elizabeth how when her car threw a rod, Her Leonard had bought her another one, she proudly showed Elizabeth, their wedding pictures that Penny kept on her phone, Elizabeth gushed over the pictures of their daughters, and emitted a big "aaaww", as she saw the picture of baby Wyatt, she wowed over the so cute picture of Leonard and Penny, as they fell asleep on the chaise long in the garden and Leonard feeling somewhat bored the entire evening, may as well have not been there at all, and finally as they were leaving, with many invitations from Penny for Elizabeth to stay with them while she was in Pasadena, which Elizabeth gratefully accepted, as she was very much looking forward to meeting the Hofstadter children, and as they parted Elizabeth asked Leonard to ask Dr Siebert if he would like her to give a few lectures at Cal Tech. While Leonard could only gape at her in utter astonishment as he had barely said a word all evening.