The Fowler Anxiety Results
Chapter six
Amy felt like the world had been pulled from underneath her. Leonard had to literally pull her up off the floor. Dead? Dead? Sheldon couldn't be dead. What about Stephen? What about the twins? What about the future of string theory? What about their future?
Leonard didn't know what to say, a over twenty year old friendship wiped out in just a few days. Never again would they play Klingon boggle or physics fiasco. Never again would he argue with Sheldon about him having to take his holiday from work. That was it, no more Sheldon Lee Cooper. How the hell was he going to tell Penny?
Penny picked up Alice and did her best to smile at her, Megan and Stephen were playing nicely together, it was the first time Stephen had seemed like himself since the accident and Penny was hoping that nothing else would set him back, how wrong was she?
"Go, Leonard" Bernadette and Howard had coincidentally, been coming to visit Sheldon as the news of his death broke "go and tell Penny, I'll stay with Amy"
"I don't think I can drive" Leonard sighed honestly "I wouldn't trust myself"
"I'll take you" Howard offered "I'll stay with he kids while you tell Penny"
Penny knew something was wrong the second she saw Howard pull up in their driveway. This was very unusual. Leonard didn't like being driven. He was always the driver.
"what's wrong?" Penny didn't even let them get through the door
"I'll take Alice" Howard practically forced the baby out of Penny's hands "I'll be through here if you need me"
"thanks Howard" Leonard took Penny by the hands and sat her down on the couch
"Leonard, you're scaring me" Penny wiped a tear from the corner of her eye "I know there's something really wrong"
"it's Sheldon" Leonard took a deep breath, he knew this was going to be one of the worst things he'd ever have to say "Penny, he died this afternoon"
"Died?" Penny almost laughed "Leonard, that's an awful thing to joke about"
"Penny" Leonard knew this was going to be one of the most difficult conversations he would ever have "I'm not joking, Penny, he's gone"
"but he can't be" Penny didn't know what to do "not Sheldon"
"it's awful, I know"
"what happened?"
"I think his body just gave up" Leonard thought out loud "one minute he was alive, and the next, he was gone"
Penny didn't know what to say, the person she had known as a brother for longer than she could remember was dead, she hadn't felt this upset when her own grandmother had died.
"what are we going to do?" tears filled her eyes and started to cry
"I don't know" Leonard started to cry too, but not just a little tear, big sobs. They collapsed into each other's arms and cried for longer than either of them had ever cried before.
"what about the kids?" Penny managed eventually "who's going to tell them?"
"I don't think it's our place to tell Stephen" Leonard answered truthfully "but we'll have to tell ours"