Penny awoke with a start as the car rolled to a stop. She opened her eyes.
"Holy crap, what an awful dream!" she said to herself. She glanced up and saw Leonard, looking sadder than ever and gripping the steering wheel even tighter.
"Leonard, you're here!" she gushed, grabbing him with both hands and pulling him tight.
"Where did you expect me to be?" he said, confused. "Sorry to wake you up, but we had to stop for gas."
"Wait, just hold still," Penny hugged him even closer and planted kisses all over his face, as Leonard looked even more confused.
"Are you all right?" Leonard asked.
"I'm fine. But we have to talk," Penny said.
"Uh-oh," Leonard sighed. "Penny, look, I've said I was sorry as many ways as I know how – "
"Shush," Penny said, "no talking for you. Just let me talk."
And the words came tumbling out, about how much Penny loved and wanted Leonard, how she relied on him for her strength, how she was sorry for not telling him more often, how happy she was to be marrying him.
"Leonard," Penny continued, "I'm still angry about that bitch on the boat. We'll have to talk that through. But I don't want you to think that just because I'm upset with you, I don't love you, because I do. You're just about the best thing that's ever happened to me. I can't imagine my life without you, and I don't even want to think about my life without you. Ever."
"So let's get married," Penny finished. "Just one thing, though. I don't want to get married alone in Las Vegas. I want to get married with our friends, at home. We can set a date, and tell everyone, and do it right."
As Penny spoke, Leonard's eyes began to tear up. She could tell he was trying to stop it, not to give vent to his emotions so openly. And she felt sorry, yet again, that he didn't know how much she cherished the fact that he was the emotional one in their relationship.
"It's OK, honey," Penny said softly, "you can cry." And he did. And so did she.