Chapter 57 - Aftermath - Memories
The wedding was in Texas, at a small chapel Sheldon's mother picked out, Sheldon and Amy submitting to a church wedding to make both their parents happy. Missy was Amy's maid of honor, it had been Penny's turn, since Bernadette was Penny's matron of honor, but Penny was too pregnant to full fill all the duties properly, while Missy took care of almost everything in Texas. So Bernadette and Penny were bridesmaids, happy to serve in that capacity for their friend, especially Penny who got to sit more as a bridesmaid, her twins becoming more and more a load to carry as her due date got closer.
Sheldon and Amy arrived about five days before the wedding with their friends arriving about three days later, Leonard, Penny, Bernadette, Howard, Raj, Cheryl and Alex all staying in a nice hotel Sheldon picked for them. Everything was going perfect until the morning after the day Leonard arrived, when he got a phone call that took him by surprise. "It is still night-time, who is calling us now." Penny, still half asleep, complained as she reached over to the phone that was on the nightstand near her side of the bed. "Hello" she said although it sounded more like a tired moan.
"Penny, I need to talk to Leonard." the caller responded.
"Sheldon?" Penny asked, now more awake. "Why are you calling now?"
"Penny please, let me talk to Leonard." Sheldon insisted.
Penny was just too tired to argue with him as she shook Leonard, "Honey, its Sheldon for you."
"Sheldon?" Leonard said after he took the phone from his wife, while she scooted back next to him, closing her eyes and trying to ignore the conversation.
"Leonard, I need to talk to you." Sheldon immediately told him.
"Okay, I'm awake, talk to me." Leonard was wondering if something happened with the wedding or with Amy.
"Not on the phone. According to the internet there is a 24 hour diner open just across from your hotel. I need you to meet me there in 30 minutes." Sheldon told him.
"Huh, thirty minutes. What time is it." Leonard asked.
"It is 4 AM, so I need you there by 4:30, Leonard." Sheldon responded.
"4 AM! Sheldon I'm tired from flying, can't this wait till in the morning?" Leonard then felt Penny put her arm around him. "Besides Penny needs me." he then heard Penny mumble 'Damm right'.
"Leonard this is important and it can't wait till morning." Sheldon insisted again.
Leonard had heard that tone from Sheldon before and he knew Sheldon would not leave him alone until he talked to him. "Alright Sheldon, half an hour. I'll be there." Leonard then hung up.
"Sweetie, why are you meeting him at this hour?" Penny opened her eyes to look at him while she snuggled closer to him, obviously not wanting him to leave.
"He seems seriously upset, I better see him. Who knows what is going on, but we are here for him and Amy, so I'll meet him." Leonard explained
Penny sighed, "You want me to go with you?"
Leonard kissed her, "No, I want you to rest with our two children in you. You need to get all the rest you can and not get up in the middle of the night. So you go back to sleep, like a good pregnant wife."
Penny kissed him and smiled. "Yes dear. But make sure you wake me up when you get back so I don't worry."
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It was a half hour later that Sheldon and Leonard were sitting at a table, in the restaurant across from Leonard and Penny's hotel, the tired looking waitress just having taken their order for drinks. Leonard was looking over at the man, sitting in a booth on the other side of the dinner, the man who drove Sheldon, Sheldon's brother George. "I thought you and your brother didn't get along? How did you get him to drive you."
Sheldon looked over at his brother, who was obviously not happy. "He drove me to make sure I keep a secret from our mother."
Leonard looked at Sheldon in surprise. "Really!'
Sheldon nodded, "I found out yesterday that he had gotten a girl pregnant when she called asking for him. She told me everything while I waited for him to get the phone. He is desperate for me not to tell my mother, until he figures how he wants to tell her, he will do anything to keep me happy."
"Like driving you here at 4 in the morning." Leonard added, to which Sheldon nodded. "So you basically own his ass."
Sheldon looked at his brother, who had his head in his hands over a steaming cup of coffee, looking like he was asleep. Sheldon thought for a moment, then slowly nodded, a hint of a smile on his face. "Yes, I think I do." Then as he looked back at Leonard, "I finally have the minion I have always wanted."
Leonard responded with a little chuckle, "Okay, besides that you are torturing your brother, why are we here?"
Sheldon got quiet for a second, Leonard noticing he seemed to be trying to come to grips with something and he again started to worry about Amy. However when he started to speak, Leonard knew it wasn't about the Wedding or Amy. "I thought that since it would be only 10 days it wouldn't be such a big deal to loose it, not like what Penny went through, but I guess I was wrong." Sheldon told his friend.
Leonard stared at him as it sunk in what he was saying. "You lost your memories of our time travel."
Sheldon nodded, "Yes, I woke up feeling strange, then I realized the hole I had in my memory, it was a shock."
"I'm sorry Sheldon. I really never expected it to affect us that much, not like Penny." Leonard sympathetically said.
Sheldon looked down at his hands for a minute, then back at Leonard, "It might not be so bad for you, but with my eidetic memory, it was like a piece of my mind was removed. I tried to just dismiss it but I couldn't help the need to talk to someone about it, it is a feeling I never expected and you or Penny were the only ones who would understand." Sheldon had a little confused expression on his face.
Leonard was now actually happy Sheldon called him. He remembered how Penny was when it happened to her and he knew it was good to have someone around to talk too. "It was tough on Penny too, but she got over it. You still have the memories you developed from talking about those memories?"
Sheldon nodded, then a curious expression formed on his face, "But the more I think about it, I have to admit, I am not completely sorry those memories are now lost to me."
Leonard looked at him, confused, "Why?"
Sheldon actually gave his friend a small smile, "Remember again Leonard, my eidetic memory, that last day, all that happened, was present in great detail in my memories."
Leonard's eyes got wide as he realized what Sheldon was saying, "I'm so sorry, I forgot how much pain you had to go through."
Sheldon nodded, "It now feels completely different, like you know it happened, but it feels like you read it in a newspaper, you personally don't know the details. I don't remember the actual details of the event now, I just know generally what happened." Sheldon then fully smiled, "It is actually better now."
Leonard smiled back at Sheldon, "That's great Sheldon, I guess I sort understand how you feel."
Sheldon then let go of a rare chuckle, "Actually, I think, this is a good omen Leonard."
Leonard just stared at him stunned for a second, "Why do you say that?"
Sheldon smiled, "Amy and I are starting a new phase in our lives, it is new and fresh, and doesn't need ghosts of things past to haunt it."
Leonard nodded then smiled. "I thought you didn't believe in omens?"
Again Sheldon chuckled, "After the last few months, that belief has changed, really changed."
Leonard chuckled, "I'm really liking this new side of you, you have become interesting and fun to be around."
Sheldon got serious, "Leonard I have always been interesting and fun."
Leonard now laughed, "So are you feeling better now?"
Sheldon nodded, a small smile on his face as responded to his friend. "Yes, I am, thank you Leonard. I actually feel like a weight taken off my back."
They talked several more minutes until finally Sheldon looked over at George, who seemed to be sleeping in his booth. "It is probably time to leave and I guess I need to have George's coffee put in a to go cup and wake him up." Leonard smiled and nodded.
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Leonard sat in the chair in the dark hotel room, thinking about what Sheldon had told him, he actually was a little worried, the loss of Penny's memories disturbed her, but she had several years of memories she lost. He hadn't expect the loss of memories for only 10 days to be such an impact to Sheldon and he wondered how it would feel when in happened to him. The last few minutes before Sheldon left, they both determined that the reason he was holding his memories longer was because he was the last to time travel, when he went back to Penny's murder, well almost murder, he changed that. So now he just had to suffer through the wait till it happened to him, it made him sigh and as he looked at the bed where his wife slept, then he suddenly noticed her eyes were open and looking at him. "You're awake? I didn't mean to wake you."
"Sweetie what is wrong? I haven't seen you so serious in a long time." Penny asked
"Nothing, just thinking." Leonard said quietly
Penny continued to look at him. "Sweetie, take you clothes off and get in bed with me."
Leonard did what she told him to do and got in bed, being immediately grabbed by his wife who pulled him as close to her as she could with her growing belly. "He lost his memories didn't he?"
Leonard looked at her wide eyed, "How did you know?"
"Important call, in the middle of the night, Sheldon needing you, and you coming back like this, it is sort of a logical guess." Penny told him.
"Look at you being so logical. I'm sort of turned when you get all scientific with me, and yes you came up with the logical and correct answer." Leonard told her.
"You are worried how it would feel to loose your memories aren't you?" Penny asked.
Leonard looked at her in awe. "Have you become a mind reader?"
Penny giggled, "Maybe."
"Then I'm in big trouble." Leonard confessed.
"Why have you been lusting for other girls?" Penny quickly asked him.
"No, never. It is just every time I see you with nothing on, my mind seems to want to do things with you." Leonard told her sheepishly.
Penny smiled. "Honey, you can do those things, I won't break." Penny then kissed him. "Honey, about your worries, I won't kid you, it was weird and it was weird for a little while. But now I'm able to live with it, it won't impact my life. I'm moving on and I am happy." Penny kissed him again.
"I sort of feel stupid, you lost years of memories, I will loose only a few days." Leonard told her.
"Sweetie, your not stupid, I know it is just scary." Penny then looked deep into his eyes. "I will be here for you Honey, just like when it happened to me, we will get through it together."
"I love you." Leonard told her, then kissed her.
"I love you too, Sweetie." Penny then rolled over so that her back was to his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, she was just were she wanted to be. After a second or two in that position, Penny wiggled her butt against Leonard's crotch. "Sweetie, this is a hint, you can do some of those things you think about if you want." Leonard smiled and started to kiss her neck as she melted more into him, a soft moan escaping her lips.