After spending most of the afternoon with Mrs. Wolowitz, Howard and Bernadette made the decision to tell their friends their ever so exciting news. That evening the gang was getting together at what used to be Sheldon and Leonard's apartment. With their friends expanding families, living arrangements had to be reconfigured. Leonard moved in to Penny's apartment shortly after the birth of baby Peter. Sheldon reminded in apartment 4A, which he now shared with Amy, who he fondly referred to as his domestic living partner.
It was nice to keep both places in the friend group since they has been so essential in shaping their futures. Hell, Howard and Bernadette were married on the apartment's roof, it was clearly a special building. Howard refused to let Bernadette drive, he felt it was necessary for her to rest as much as possible, he looked at her as if she were a sacred vessel. Their hands were intertwined above the middle console as they drove into the buildings parking lot. As the car came to a halt, Howard jumped out of the car in excitement, but Bernadette froze. He ran to the other side of the vehicle, opened the car door, and realized she was not going to move.
"Bernie, come on, aren't you excited?" Howard unbuckled her seat belt and tugged on her arm.
"I'm not getting out!" Bernadette tore her arm away, he knelt by his wife who only stared off into the distance with a terrified gaze, "Not after last time." She finally spoke.
"Oh, Bernadette," he sighed remembering the tragedy that occurred when they were last in this exact situation. For a moment, Howard was frighten too, but shook the idea out of his head. "I promise you, that it will all be fine," his hand gravitated towards her belly again, rubbing small circles on it, "Nothing will go wrong, not while Super Dad is around!" Howard stated, jumping up and striking the superman position, and running around the parking lot making 'whooshing' sounds. Bernadette finally got out of the car, laughing at her husband.
"Ok Super Dad, let's go upstairs," she smiled, nodding towards the door as Howard pretended to fly to the entrance.
It was an extremely warm August evening in apartment 4A as three very pregnant women complained of the "unbearable" heat and lack of food in the apartment. Raj's step sons were pushing baby peter around in his toy car as the men tried to comfort their crabby wives.
"Where are Bernadette and Howard?" Penny whined, "I am starving!"
"I feel ya bestie, eating for three here" Amy agreed.
"Amy, Please," Sheldon begun, standing very uncomfortably in the kitchen, "I already gave you my spot, what more do you want?" Several glares were shot across the room in his direction. Despite his soon to be parental position he was still not a very giving partner.
"Raj Darling," Layla spoke, "I feel so bloated."
"I know darling, I feel your pain'" he replied cuddling closer to her as the rest looked at them with a skeptical stare.
"Leonard. Food. Now." Penny demanded.
"I know, I know," Leonard kissed the top of her head, "But, we have to wait for Howard and Bernadette to get food." Like a blessing in disguise, Howard and Bernadette came through the door with the most elated smiles on their faces.
"They're here, let's go!" Penny yelled as she hobbled to her feet.
"Where are we going?" Bernadette asked.
"Out!" Layla smiled as she ushered the sitter into the apartment, "It'll be a long time before any of us are able to go out again!"
"You are so lucky you do not have children, Bernadette" Sheldon said blankly as he pulled Amy up from the couch, "My entire life has been sent into a frenzy and they aren't even here yet."
"Well actually…" Howard began.
"Not now short man. Hungry babies." Amy yelled as she pushed Howard out of the way.
After taking half an hour to figure out what everyone was craving, the friends decided on The Cheesecake Factory. Once there, the women began complaining about everything under the sun. Penny was hot. Amy was cold. Layla had indigestion. Even Bernadette leaned over to Howard and expressed that the smell of the restaurant was making her stomach upset. Someone was hungry. Someone had heart burn. Someone had to take their shoes off, which did not help Bernie's nausea situation and gave her a head ache. Howard was becoming annoyed with all of the complaining getting in the way of spreading his good news. However, Bernadette gave his thigh a loving squeeze and smiled. Thank God she was patient. Soon the food came and all went silent. Howard was about to speak again, when he was cut off by the waitress.
"I would like to inform you all that its happy hour, so would anyone like some half priced drinks?"
A few mumbles of 'no thanks I'm pregnant' rumbled out of the girls mouths. Raj, Leonard, and Howard all got a different cocktail, while Sheldon treated himself to a virgin Cuba Libre. The waitress turn to Bernadette.
"Anything for you ma'am?"
"Oh, no thank you," Bernadette was caught off guard, "I'll stick with water."
"Come on Bernadette," Penny sighed, "Have a drink for us, you're the only who can!"
"Well, actually Penny," Bernadette smiled shyly, "I can't." Confusion washed over the group.
"Are you trying again?" Raj whispered skeptically to his best friend, who promptly stood, bringing his wife with him.
"Guys," Howard began, "Bernie and I have an announcement…we're pregnant, and we're actually having a baby!" Their group looked at the couple in almost utterly, happy shock. Bernadette proudly tightened the loose dress that hung over her tiny bump.
"Dude, you did that," Raj pointed at his friend's belly.
"Ya, I did that!" Howard pointed too. The best friends high fived as Leonard gave Howard a pat on the back. Layla sent her congratulations, getting up from across the table and along with Penny and Amy stood to hug Bernadette. Penny laid her head on her shoulder and started to cry.
"I am just so happy for you! You've waited so long," she wailed causing both Bernadette and Layla to tear up as well.
"Welcome to the club, Mommy," Layla kissed Bernie's cheek.
"Wait," Amy pulled away from the hug, "Bernadette, as your best friends, why didn't you tell us upon immediately acquiring this fantastic news?"
"I wanted to wait until Howard got back from space." She turned to look at her beaming husband.
"Sheldon, don't you want to say soothing to Howard and Bernadette?" Leonard scolded his friend.
"Hold on Leonard, I'm in the zone. I am currently trying to predict the probability of all possible outcomes of our situation." Sheldon stared blankly at his place.
"Don't mind him, Leonard shrugged, "We are all ecstatically happy for the two of you!"
That night after dinner they split the group, the girls went back home to the apartment, while the guys went to grab a drink at the bar, in celebration of the impending arrivals in the near futures.