I don't own Big Bang Theory or any of these characters.
Last chapter, everybody. Penny makes her decision! I hope I don't disappoint anyone…
And yeah, this chapter is very long. I ended up extending the story within the story (you'll find out what I'm talking about) by adding a lot of detail. Sorry it took a while to update; I had a lot of things to cover and there wasn't a good place to split the chapter. I know there are probably a million more plot holes that I never got to; I apologize ahead of time for that. Enjoy and thanks for reading!
Penny continued to scream Leonard's name. She was about ready to collapse.
The nurse holding the paddles looked at Penny and Sheldon. She saw how much Sheldon cared for this man. For a majority of the time Penny was in the hospital, the nurse witnessed Penny curled up next to Sheldon. But what she saw now, in front of her, was that Penny needed Leonard. She saw how much Penny and Sheldon needed Leonard to survive.
The nurse locked eyes with the doctor. The doctor looked up from his watch and knew exactly what the nurse was thinking. He paused before officially calling time of death.
For one last time, the nurse put the paddles to Leonard's chest. "Clear!" A second nurse put her hand to Leonard's neck. "We got a pulse!" A weak pulse. But it was still a pulse. Penny froze at the words coming from the nurse.
Penny steadied herself against Sheldon's body. Sheldon was still holding her, but he had weakened his grip. Penny could hardly take it anymore. What else could possibly happen?
The doctor had told Penny and Sheldon what just happened. Penny was nodding, but heard nothing. She was hoping Sheldon was listening. All she heard was her heart beating. Sheldon zoned out; he couldn't stop staring at Leonard. He was hoping that Penny had gathered the information from the doctor.
The doctor told Penny and Sheldon that it was almost a miracle that he managed to survive after going into cardiac arrest. Although it seemed hopeful that Leonard survived that one moment, it was doubtful he would survive another heart failure. They had estimated he had 12 hours left.
When the doctor and nurses left the room, Penny and Sheldon were enveloped in silence for the thousandth time. Penny got off Sheldon's bed and rolled up into a ball in the chair next to his bed. She didn't want to talk. But neither did Sheldon. Sheldon's gaze had dropped to his bed sheets. He stared at nothing, a million thoughts going through his head. But none of them seemed to make any sense. Penny had closed her eyes, trying so hard to keep tears from coming again. Sheldon gently laid his head down on his pillow and unknowingly drifted to sleep, but not before stealing another glance of Leonard in the other bed.
Penny was listening to the steady but raspy breathing of Leonard while her eyes were closed. But she opened her eyes when she heard Sheldon's slow breathing. She saw Sheldon peacefully asleep once again. Penny gently patted his hand, quietly got up, and placed the chair next to Leonard's bed. By now, Penny was so afraid to touch Leonard. It's not that she didn't want to; it was that she thought he was too fragile under her hands. But after a moment of staring at him, she ran her fingers down his arm and gently squeezed his hand.
Penny's mind eventually took her away from where she was right now, to a time when Leonard tried to help her. He may have failed miserably in helping her, but she couldn't blame him…
It was a dim and foggy day, and Penny groaned at the alarm clock, dreading the day of work ahead. The clock read 7:00 AM, but Penny was too comfortable in her current position to move anywhere. As she drifted to sleep again, the snooze function on her alarm clock screeched at her, making Penny bolt up and nearly destroy her alarm clock. She put her head in her hands and slowly got up out of bed. Her hair was a total mess, her clothes wrinkled and wonky from tossing and turning in her sleep, and she had bags under her eyes. She walked right past the bathroom and into the kitchen. She didn't care what she looked like, she needed coffee. Penny stumbled into the counter and opened the cabinet.
"Oh, crap." She was out of coffee. Penny groaned. "Oh, this is going to be a day of hell." Penny grabbed a coffee mug from the counter. She didn't bother putting on a robe as she walked through Leonard and Sheldon's apartment.
The apartment looked empty. The lights were off and the room was dark, except for the ray of sunlight shining through the fog. Penny glanced over at Leonard's desk. His cell phone was still there, so he had to be in the apartment.
Leonard was in his bedroom, fast asleep, as was Sheldon. It was their day off and Leonard had turned off his alarm clock so he could sleep in. Sheldon had stayed up so late the night before that he didn't bother waking up early to watch Doctor Who. It was a repeat anyway, reasoned Sheldon.
Leonard was curled up under his bed sheets, his curly hair poking out from under the blue blanket. His glasses were on the ground; Leonard had tossed around so much in his sleep, he accidentally knocked them off his nightstand.
Penny, in the other room, was gripping her glass mug, and was about ready to fall asleep again. She desperately needed coffee. "Leonard!"
Leonard turned over at the sound of his name, but was so tired he didn't realize who was calling his name. He was sound asleep again within seconds.
Penny waited before sighing in frustration. She didn't want to move, it felt like miles to walk over to his bedroom and wake him up. Instead, she sat on the wood floor next to Leonard's desk and screamed his name again. "LEONARD!!"
Leonard turned over again, but this time, succeeded in ramming his head into the headboard. "Ow."
He finally woke up and looked at his alarm clock. He could barely make out the blurry numbers, but assumed the time was 7:15. He rubbed his head as he sat up. He heard something.
"LEONARRRD!!"
Penny. How long had she been calling his name? He bolted out of bed and ran to the door, only to smash into his bedroom door with a bang.
Penny stopped silent when she heard the bang from Leonard's room. She couldn't help but smile when she heard the faint "Ow…" from Leonard.
Leonard held his head in his hands and walked over to his nightstand, in search of his glasses. He felt around the surface of the table, almost knocking over the lamp. "Where the hell are my glasses?"
He could barely see anything in the dark, much less with his nearsighted vision. He gave up and slowly walked out of his bedroom. He was wearing his typical white t-shirt, boxers, and socks, and the pain from running into his door distracted him from putting on a robe before walking outside. Penny started laughing when she saw Leonard emerge from the hallway, his body pressed up against the wall, trying to keep himself from running into anything. Leonard glared at the pink blurry blob that he assumed was Penny.
"Shut up."
Penny stopped laughing because she felt bad for him, but continued to grin, knowing that Leonard couldn't see her grin unless he was pressed up against her face.
"Where are your glasses? Did you smash them when you ran into your door?" Penny stifled a laugh.
Leonard stopped in the middle of the hallway, afraid to move any further, remembering the step at the end of the hallway, which he knew he would trip over. But he glared at the pink blob again, realizing that she was probably still laughing at him.
"No. I didn't have my glasses on when I…ran into the door." Penny giggled again. "Stop it. It's not funny. I don't know where my glasses are. Can you help me?"
Penny got up off the ground and walked into the hallway. She stood facing Leonard for a second, grinning.
Leonard stared at her. "Are you grinning?"
Penny smiled even more. "No."
Leonard knew she was lying, but let it go. "Well, all right. Help me, please."
Penny took Leonard's arm and slid her hand into his. Leonard's heart skipped a beat and he started breathing faster. Penny smiled at Leonard's nervousness and guided him into his room.
"Now…where did you put your glasses last night?"
Leonard nervously pointed at his nightstand. Penny grinned again and let go of Leonard's hand, she had to stop teasing him; she needed to get to work soon anyway. Leonard breathed a sigh of relief when she let go of his hand, which made Penny giggle softly. She walked over to his nightstand and was about to search around when something on the ground caught her eye. She picked up his glasses and waved it in front of her.
Leonard squinted. "They were on the ground?"
Penny put her hand on her hip. "You loser," she said jokingly. She walked over to Leonard and put his glasses in his hand.
"Thanks, Penny." He put them on and looked at Penny. He gasped quietly.
Penny heard his gasp and looked down at her clothes. "Oh, yeah, sorry. I look like a total mess, huh?"
Leonard continued to stare at her. "No…uh…" He stopped. "You look absolutely stunning. So beautiful…you're the most gorgeous woman I've ever met," thought Leonard. Penny looked at him in confusion. He cleared his throat. "So, uh…what—what did you need?"
Penny barely smiled at him, and Leonard knew that she knew exactly what he was thinking. "Right, um, I need coffee. I'm out." She held up her coffee mug.
Leonard panicked. He had turned off the automatic setting on the coffeemaker because he knew he was going to wake up late and decided to make coffee later. "Oh…uh, I didn't…make coffee yet."
"I thought you always had it on."
"Yes, but I turned it off last night because I was planning on sleeping in."
Penny looked disappointed, but put a smile on anyway.
"Oh, that's okay then. I'll just buy some coffee on my way to work."
Penny turned to walk out of his bedroom, but Leonard grabbed her arm and tried to turn her around. "Wait, Penny."
She turned to face him. He immediately let go of her arm and started fidgeting with his hands. "I'll make some coffee for you. There's no need to waste money elsewhere."
"But it's only a few dollars, Leonard."
"Which you could use to buy something else. Don't worry, it won't take long." Leonard edged past Penny and into the kitchen.
She followed him. "Leonard, it's really okay. Just go back to sleep, I can buy coffee."
Leonard was already preparing coffee when Penny got to the kitchen. She felt bad that she had woken him up, and now she was making him prepare coffee for her.
"Leonard…"
"It's okay, Penny. Just sit for a second. It'll be done soon. You'd be surprised at how fast our coffeemaker is."
Penny smiled at the speed of Leonard's movements around the coffeemaker. She sat down on the stool in the kitchen and just stared at the back of his head. Leonard turned around and looked directly at her. Penny quickly looked down and blushed, embarrassed that she was caught staring at him.
Leonard didn't think anything of it; he just blinked innocently at her. They were quiet for a few seconds before Leonard decided to speak up.
"So…" Penny looked up. He cleared his throat again. "Uhh…how are you?"
Penny started laughing a little, but stopped herself before she made Leonard feel like a total moron.
"I'm good," replied Penny. They were silent again. "Oh, um, how come you don't have work today? And where's Dr. Whackadoodle?"
Leonard chuckled. "Today's Saturday."
Penny looked up and thought for a second. She felt stupid that she hadn't realized it was Saturday.
"And Sheldon's still sleeping. He was up until two in the morning last night playing Halo with Howard and Raj. I got bored of their screaming threats when it hit midnight and decided to go to sleep." Penny nodded knowingly. "And today's a repeat of Doctor Who, so Sheldon figured he could just sleep in today."
"Ah. I see."
Leonard continued the conversation. "Why are you up so early?"
"Oh, I decided to take a few extra hours today, since I missed work yesterday."
"Oh."
Just then, the coffeemaker buzzed. Penny held up her coffee mug and Leonard took it from her. He wasn't paying much attention to what he was doing; he felt so nervous that he was actually having a nice conversation with Penny. He wanted to keep her there, but at the same time, rushed to get Penny her coffee. He was moving so fast he hadn't realized he was pouring coffee on his hand until it hit him.
"Leonard, careful!"
"Ow!!"
Leonard dropped her mug on the counter, spilling coffee everywhere. He was shaking his hand frantically and hopping around the kitchen.
Penny was trying to stop him, but at the same time, was trying to dodge his flailing arm. "Leonard! Stop!" She grabbed his arm and tried to calm him down, but he was still wincing in pain. Penny had pushed Leonard up against the counter, and stood in front of him, her back against his stomach. She gripped his wrist to get a better look at his hand, but avoided touching his burned hand in fear of inflicting more pain. "Oh, sweetie, your hand is seriously burned."
Leonard was still hopping around despite being under Penny's powerful grip, saying "ow" over and over again. His hand was throbbing, painful blisters already forming on his hand. He squeaked, "I'm okay." He hadn't realized, under all the pain, that Penny was standing with her body up against him to keep him from moving.
Penny moved away from Leonard and let go of his hand, which Leonard immediately started shaking again. "No, you are not, Leonard. That's a really bad burn; you need to go to the emergency room."
Leonard flinched at the sound of "emergency room," as it immediately brought to mind: needles. "No, no, really, I'm okay. It doesn't look that bad."
"Leonard. Emergency room. Now."
"Really, Penny, I'm fine."
He was about to pour Penny another cup of coffee when she stood in front of him, blocking his path. She pushed him up against the counter again, this time, with her hand on his chest. Leonard stopped cold. His heart beat faster and faster. He saw Penny smile seductively…or so he thought. In response, he blinked a few times, thinking the pain was making him go crazy.
"Leonard Hofstadter…"
Leonard held his breath at the sound of Penny saying his name, but his heart continued to beat faster and faster. His mouth was slightly open. Her eyes never left his eyes and his never left hers.
Penny continued to watch Leonard's every move. She felt his heart pulsate through his shirt and continued to keep her hand on his chest. She moved closer and closer, until her face was literally an inch away from his face. She gently breathed onto his lips. "You are going to the emergency room. With me. Got it?" She ran her hand down his chest before slowly pulling it away.
Leonard was sweating and gulped a few times before saying something. His voice cracked as he said, "Okay."
Penny smiled and backed up. "Thank you." Her voice went from serious (and in Leonard's ears, seductive) to happy and cheery. "Now you have to put on some clothes."
Leonard was still up against the counter, his left hand held out in front him. Penny stared at him and he stared at her for a few seconds before he moved toward his bedroom. Did that just happen? Did Penny just…? Leonard could only assume that it was all some weird hallucination.
"Do you need any help?" chirped Penny, from behind Leonard.
He turned around so fast he nearly tripped over his own two feet. "I—uh, I—uh…" He was surprised he could even say anything.
Penny raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay…I'll take that as a 'yes.'" She walked past Leonard, brushing up against his arm, and into his bedroom.
Leonard stood there in the hallway for a second, frozen. He leaned against the wall, trying to gather himself. He must have been seeing things. Surely Penny didn't smile at him like that…
"Leonard? Where are you?"
He heard Penny start to walk back out into the hallway, so he quickly stood upright.
"Are you okay, Leonard?"
Leonard was looking at her funny. She was acting as if she hadn't smiled at him seductively, as if she hadn't pushed her hand up against his chest, as if she hadn't been an inch away from his face. He concluded that he was finally going crazy. None of that ever happened; it was just the pain messing with his mind. He calmed down after assuring himself he was just seeing things. "I'm fine." He walked into his bedroom.
Penny grinned at him and followed Leonard into his room.
Leonard opened his closet and grabbed the first thing he saw. He tossed a pair of pants and a t-shirt onto his bed.
Penny put her hands on her hips and shook her head as she saw the clothes he was tossing out from his closet.
Leonard saw her shaking her head. "What?"
She looked at him. "Seriously?"
"What? What's wrong with this?"
Penny raised her eyebrows. She walked over to his closet and pulled out a different t-shirt.
Leonard looked at her. "What's the difference?" Penny gave him the death glare and he let it go.
She took off his glasses and put it on the bed behind him. Leonard stood frozen again, when Penny started taking off his shirt.
Penny looked at him. "Come on, Leonard. Now's not the time to get all nervous on me. You need to get to the hospital." Leonard still couldn't move. "Leonard." Penny glared at him. "Leonard, I can't dress you by myself. I need a little help here."
Leonard gulped and tried to take off his shirt as Penny helped him. He pulled his right arm out as Penny held the shirt. She unintentionally put her hand to his bare chest as she tried pulling his shirt over his head. Leonard jumped. "Leonard! Don't do that!" Leonard's head was stuck in his shirt. His voice was muffled as he said, "Sorry."
"It's okay…I guess it's partly my fault. I didn't mean to…you know."
His voice was squeaky again. "No, no. It's just…your…hand was…cold." Penny could easily tell he was lying.
She rolled her eyes and yanked his shirt off his head. His left arm was still in the shirt and he looked at her, worried. His hand was shaking even more, as the pain had gotten much worse. "It's okay, Leonard. Just calm down. Try to keep your hand from shaking." Leonard suppressed his pain as much as he could as Penny gently pulled the shirt over his hand. He winced and was biting his lip to keep from screaming out loud. The pain was making him dizzy.
Penny tossed his shirt on the bed and grabbed his other t-shirt. She put it over his head as Leonard pulled it over his head with his uninjured hand. He pulled his right arm through and was immediately reluctant to put the other arm through, after remembering the unimaginable pain the first time. Penny smiled in an attempt to make him feel better, although it didn't really help. She gently held his wrist and was pulling the shirt open so his hand wouldn't touch it. At the same time, Leonard was trying to close his hand so he wouldn't hit the cloth. They both failed. Leonard screamed out in pain, which made Penny jump back from Leonard and she accidentally let go of the shirt. Leonard knew the pain wouldn't get any better, so he shoved his hand through the sleeve. The immense pain made him fall to the floor. He was on his knees, breathing hard, but his hand was successfully through the shirt.
Penny dropped to her knees next to Leonard. "Are you okay?"
Leonard was shaking, but he tried to smile. "We're halfway done." Penny smiled at him as she put her hands on his shoulders. Leonard cocked his head to one side. "Why did we have to change my shirt?"
Penny blinked a few times, her mouth open. They both broke out in nervous laughter at the unnecessary difficulty they just experienced.
Penny looked at his hand, and saw that the blisters were getting worse. "We should hurry."
"Okay, just give me a second." Leonard leaned against the bed and rested his head on the side of the bed. He closed his eyes.
Penny looked at him with concern. "What's wrong?"
Leonard could barely move. He felt dehydrated and nauseous. "I feel like throwing up. And my hand really hurts."
Penny stood up. "Come here."
Leonard opened his eyes and saw Penny holding out her hand. He grabbed it and picked himself up with Penny's support. She led him out of his bedroom.
"Penny, what are you doing?"
She tugged him into the bathroom and held his wrist. Penny turned on the sink and ran her hand under the water until it was cold enough.
She pulled his hand to the sink and Leonard immediately pulled back. "Ahh…I don't—"
He managed to get away from her grip and backed up into the wall.
Penny put her hand on her hip, in that same way she always did. When Leonard didn't move, she glared at him. "It'll make you feel better, trust me."
Leonard wanted to trust her, but was still reluctant. He felt an odd and sudden pain shoot through his hand and up his arm. In response, he darted to the toilet and threw up. Penny knelt down next to him and rubbed his back. His hand was shaking and he was feeling even worse than ever. She let out a sympathetic sigh and stood up. "I'll be right back."
Penny walked to the kitchen and grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator. Leonard was mentally kicking himself and silently cursing for looking like a total idiot in front of Penny. Penny walked back into the bathroom and got down on her knees again. She tore off a few sheets of toilet paper and wiped his mouth while still rubbing his back. Leonard was surprised at what Penny was doing for him right now. Leonard suddenly felt warm and fuzzy inside. Is this what it feels like to have someone that cares? No one had ever taken care of him like this before. His mother would either stick electrodes to his head or spray him with disinfectant. Sheldon would avoid him altogether. He was in an unbelievable amount of pain, but at the moment, he was happy.
Penny gave him a small smile. "Are you okay?"
Leonard had always seen Penny as a best friend and a beautiful girl that he would never get. But now, for the first time, he saw someone who genuinely cared about him. Leonard didn't want to say anything. He just wanted to look into the eyes of this amazing person. He wanted her. But the sound of Penny's voice broke his concentration.
"Leonard…? You okay?"
He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "Yeah. Thanks."
Penny helped Leonard stand up and she moved him toward the sink again. She felt Leonard start to move away from her grip.
"Leonard, come on."
He was feeling so sick and dizzy, that he succumbed to Penny's demands. He walked toward the sink and held out his hand. Penny smiled and gently held his wrist as she slowly put his hand under the water. Leonard cringed for the first few seconds, but immediately felt the pain subside. He felt the nausea and dizziness go away. "Thanks Penny…again."
Penny turned off the water and started to lead him back to his room. Leonard's hand started burning again. She felt his hand shaking. "Come on, we'll get your pants on and head to the hospital."
Leonard sat on his bed and Penny picked up his pants. He glanced over at his clock and saw that the time was only 7:40. But it felt like hours had gone by. Penny was on the ground next to the bed and had picked up one of Leonard's legs, like she was dressing a little kid. She pulled his leg through and Leonard was using his right hand to tug on his pants. Within seconds, they had successfully gotten both his legs through. Leonard stood up with his pants halfway on and sheepishly looked at Penny. She looked back up at him and almost started laughing at the look on his face.
Leonard started backing away from her. "I…think I can do the rest myself."
She moved toward him. "Don't be silly, Leonard."
She pulled his pants up and her hands ended up around his waist. Leonard tried to avoid Penny's eyes. He had turned bright red, breathing even harder than ever. She held her hands around his waist for a few seconds and looked up at him. Leonard saw her seductive smile again. Or did he? "The pain's making me delirious," thought Leonard. But he couldn't stop these thoughts that, out of nowhere, made him feel…aroused. Penny stayed there, on the ground, hands around Leonard's waist, just staring up at him. It was like she was unwilling to let go. Or was she? She was about to zip up his pants when he jumped back. Penny started laughing.
Leonard turned around and pulled the zipper up. He tried to dismiss his embarrassment. "Shut up. You can't blame me. It was getting a little…personal."
Penny stood up and watched him as he tried to button his pants with one hand. He sighed in frustration. "Forget it. Let's go."
He walked toward the door but stopped suddenly when he felt Penny's hands around his waist again. She grabbed him from behind, turned him around, and shoved him up against the wall next to the door. Penny swiftly brought her hands down to his pants and buttoned them, her eyes not once leaving Leonard's eyes. Was that her smile again?
Penny continued to stare into his eyes for a few seconds before speaking again. "Let's go!" Penny chirped.
She walked out of the door. Leonard felt frozen again for about a minute, but made himself walk out of his bedroom. He could barely put one foot in front of the other. "I think I'm going insane," whispered Leonard. But Leonard didn't know that Penny heard what he just said.
Penny looked back at Leonard and smiled, seeing him struggle to walk. "I'm going to go change really fast, okay?"
Leonard nodded quickly as she ran out of the apartment and into hers, leaving both doors open. He grabbed his keys from the bowl next to the door and walked out of his apartment. Before closing the door, he wondered how none of this woke up Sheldon. He quickly dismissed the thought when he felt another sharp pain in his hand and gently closed the door. He turned around to see if Penny was ready yet and was surprised to find her directly behind him. He jumped backwards and hit the apartment door with a small yelp.
"Oh! Sorry, Leonard. I didn't mean to scare you. Come on, we have to go."
She grabbed his arm and they rushed down the stairs and into Penny's car.
Leonard just remembered something. "Wait, Penny, what about your work?"
"Leonard, that's the last thing you need to worry about right now. I can take another day off, it's okay. Besides, your hand is going to get infected if you don't get it treated." She saw Leonard nodding and they made their way to the emergency room.
The doctor informed Penny and Leonard that he had a second-degree burn on his hand, and would need to wear a bandage for the next two weeks or so. The nurses had given him painkillers, which instantly made Leonard feel significantly better. The painkillers made him lightheaded and he almost fell over the second they stepped out of the doctor's office. Penny was forced to support a majority of his body weight as they walked out to the car. Leonard had his arm wrapped over Penny's shoulders and Penny was holding him with both arms. Despite Leonard tripping over the stairs of the hospital three different times, Penny managed to get Leonard safely into the passenger's seat of her car without doing anymore damage.
In the car, Leonard had been drunkenly babbling on about how funny his head and hand felt. He would turn his head and stare at Penny with a huge smile on his face every other minute. Penny smiled back at him each time. After ten minutes in the car, Leonard started feeling carsick. The traffic jam didn't help at all. That constant starting and stopping was even making Penny feel sick. Leonard didn't want to say anything. He felt embarrassed enough about making her take care of him, when all she wanted was a cup of coffee that morning. He didn't want to get anymore difficult for her.
The traffic was driving Penny crazy. She dreaded having to brake after moving only three inches. But she was more worried about being sick in front of Leonard. She couldn't imagine how embarrassing it would be if she threw up in front of Leonard. Until she suddenly realized Leonard's carsickness. She promptly looked at him and saw him looking like he was going to be sick. "Leonard, are you okay?"
He struggled to speak. "I'm fine, why?"
The moment he opened his mouth, she knew that he needed to get out of the car, and fast. "No you're not. We got to stop someplace."
"How? We're stuck in the middle of nowh—." He stopped, putting his hand to his mouth.
"Leonard!"
He stuck his head out the window and gagged a few times before throwing up what was left inside of him. Penny rubbed his back and tried not to make eye contact with any of the other vehicles around them.
Leonard leaned back in his seat and wiped his mouth. "Just when I thought I couldn't look anymore stupid…"
"Leonard, stop. Are you okay?"
"Great! I enjoy being humiliated in the middle of traffic." His voice was getting shaky, and he felt like throwing up again.
Penny looked at him, worried. Leonard leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes.
"What are you doing?"
"Trying to make myself sleep. It usually helps whenever I'm carsick."
After a few minutes of Leonard tossing around and taking deep breaths, he was asleep. Penny occupied herself in the traffic by listening to his calm, slow breathing.
When they arrived at their apartment, Penny turned off the ignition and turned to Leonard. She was about to wake him up, but stopped. He looked so peaceful. She didn't want to disturb that peace. Penny sat there, in the car, just staring at Leonard. She watched his calm breathing, his chest rising and dropping with every breath. She freaked out for a second when his chest dropped and didn't rise again. He wasn't breathing.
"Leonard?" Penny said softly.
She was about to shake him awake, screaming his name, until she remembered why he wasn't breathing.
"Oh, that's right," whispered Penny. "…his sleep apnea."
But it still scared her, seeing Leonard suddenly not breathing. Within seconds, he gasped and took a deep breath. She let out a sigh of relief. She continued to sit in her car and watch him. He breathed in and out, clutching his bandaged hand. After another ten minutes of watching Leonard sleep, Penny gently shook his shoulder. "Leonard, wake up."
Leonard stirred and opened his eyes. He glanced out the window and over at Penny. "Are we home?"
She smiled at him. "Yes, sweetie."
Leonard sluggishly walked up the four flights of stairs, leaning his arm over Penny's shoulders for support. He felt so tired he unknowingly rested his head against Penny's head while they were walking up the stairs. Penny didn't say anything; she only smiled and in response, leaned her head against his.
When they got to Leonard's bedroom, Leonard crawled under the blankets and before drifting off to sleep, gratefully smiled at Penny. "Penny, I can't thank you enough. This is going to sound cheesy, but no one has ever cared for me like you did today. I really appreciate it…"
With that, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep before Penny could say anything else to him.
She stared at him for a few seconds, deeply touched by what he just said. She felt tears forming in her eyes. "Leonard, honey, that's not cheesy at all. Thank you for being so considerate."
Penny gave Leonard one final hug and a kiss on his forehead before leaving his bedroom. She walked out of the apartment, happier than she had ever been in a long time.
She loosened her grip on Leonard's hand and looked down. She saw the scar on his left hand that the burn made. She looked at his face and saw the same face she saw in the car that very day he burned his hand. She saw the same peaceful, sleeping face. Penny was in denial. She wanted to believe that he was just sleeping. That when she woke him up, he would wake up and say the same thing, "Are we home?" She wanted so badly to hear him say that and tell him, "Yes, sweetie." She wanted this nightmare to be over. She couldn't take it anymore. She slowly picked up her hand and shook Leonard's shoulder. He wouldn't respond. A nurse was about to go into their room to check up on Leonard and Sheldon, but stopped when she saw Penny talking to Leonard.
"Leonard…wake up. Come home…please. Leonard…"
She knew she had to say it. She wanted to say it. But her heart ached to say the words, because she had a sinking feeling that he would never hear her. That he would never hear the words he's wanted to hear all his life.
In a small voice, she whispered, "I love you too, Leonard."
She rested her head on his stomach, once again, struggling to stay awake; she didn't want to sleep in fear that she would never see him again. But she couldn't stop her eyes from closing and she drifted into a deep sleep.
Penny dreamed about being with Leonard. She saw him in her dream, as handsome as he always had been. She smiled at him, sliding her arms under his arms and gently kissing him on his lips before resting her head on his shoulder. She felt his arms wrap around her back, hugging her tightly. Penny felt Leonard's hand gently stroke her hair. But something felt different…what was it? She couldn't figure it out. He continued stroking her hair. Something was unusual, something out of place, something that didn't belong. Was it Leonard? It couldn't be; she had never felt more comfortable with Leonard than during this very moment. It must be something else. That "something" was pulling her away from her dream. It was pulling her away from Leonard. She heard something. Someone was breathing, but it sounded off. It sounded…rough and raspy.
Leonard was shaking in his bed. His breathing still irregular and raspy. He looked down at Penny, who was sleeping, her head on his stomach. His hand was stroking her hair.
Penny stirred. As she awoke, she still felt someone stroking her hair. It took a few seconds for her to realize that the person stroking her hair wasn't in her dream. She realized it was this "something" that felt different. Her heart beat faster and faster as she slowly opened her eyes. Leonard was staring down at her, his hand still on her head, fingers combing through her shiny blond hair. She let out a small gasp, not believing what she was seeing right now. Is he with her now? Her Leonard? Is this a dream? After being silent and staring at him for what seemed like hours, she spoke up.
"L-Leonard?"
Leonard looked at her with the kindest eyes, attempting to smile with the tube in his mouth.
"Oh my God, Leonard. Please tell me this isn't a dream."
She started to cry, hoping that what she saw in front of her was in fact, real. She was afraid it wasn't; but Penny saw a certain warmth and humanity in Leonard's eyes that made her think otherwise.
Leonard grabbed her hand and squeezed it, his other hand wiping tears away from her face. His hand was soft against her rosy cheeks. She took in the warmth radiating from Leonard's hand. That's when she knew this wasn't a dream. Leonard was there. Penny cried even harder, but for the first time in a long time, she was crying tears of pure joy.
Leonard wanted to say something. He wanted to tell Penny one more time that he loved her. He wanted her to hear. He groaned, attempting to speak, his voice shallow and soft through the tube in his mouth, but Penny put her hand to his cheek and stopped him. "Don't talk, sweetie."
She held Leonard's hand to her chest, and Leonard felt her heart beating rapidly. She sniffled and cried, and after taking a deep breath, almost yelled through her tears, "I love you, Leonard. I love you, I really do."
Leonard felt himself start to cry. Tears were rolling down his face, and Penny could see him smiling. His hand tightened around Penny's hand. He couldn't talk, but Penny knew exactly how he felt.
Leonard turned his head and looked at Sheldon, who was still sleeping. Leonard didn't know how Sheldon was doing and assumed the worst. Penny saw Leonard looking at him.
"Leonard, Sheldon's okay. He's going to be fine."
He looked back at Penny, his eyes smiling at her.
"Do you want me to wake him up?"
Leonard was reluctant at first; he didn't want to wake his friend up, he wanted Sheldon to rest. But he badly longed to see his best friend again. He slowly nodded.
Penny let go of Leonard's hand and walked over to Sheldon's bed. She gently shook Sheldon, who woke up immediately. At first he looked confused, wondering why Penny woke him up. What was going on? But she smiled at him and pointed to Leonard. Sheldon turned to look at his friend and his mouth dropped, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Leonard?"
"Hey, buddy," thought Leonard.
Sheldon stared into Leonard's eyes, deciphering what his friend was trying to say to him. "Buddy…" And Leonard smiled. Because Sheldon knew. "You're okay?"
Sheldon had a shaky smile on, feeling a million waves of relief going over him.
The same nurse that brought Leonard back from the brink of death had glanced through the glass window to Leonard and Sheldon's room. She saw Leonard awake, and rushed inside. Penny heard the door open and glanced behind her, smiling happily at the nurse. "Is he going to be okay?"
The nurse was smiling, and Penny knew. She paged the doctor, who came in shortly after. The doctor and two other nurses had spent the next twenty minutes around Leonard's bed. Penny was sitting off to the side, still holding Leonard's hand. Sheldon couldn't stop smiling, because he was confident that Leonard was going to be okay. The doctor checked his vitals three times, confirming Leonard's condition with each of the nurses.
When the doctor was done, the nurses left the room and looked up at Penny. He had a smile on, which made Penny even happier than ever.
"Is he okay?"
The doctor smiled. Leonard was looking back and forth between Penny and the doctor.
"This is really a miracle."
Penny squealed softly, kissing Leonard's hand.
The doctor ripped out a piece of paper from his notepad and gave it and a pen to Leonard. "How are you feeling?"
Leonard's hand was shaking, but he brought it to the paper and drew a small happy face on it. Penny giggled and smiled at Leonard.
"That's good. We're going to keep a close watch on you for the next few days, but everything looks great so far. It's really remarkable."
He gave one last smile to Leonard, Penny, and Sheldon before leaving the room.
Over the next few days, the three of them had spent hours each day talking to each other, Leonard writing what he wanted to say on a small whiteboard each time. Leonard had gotten his strength back and became as lively as he always had been before the accident. Ever since Leonard woke up, Penny had been smiling the entire time. She finally saw the person she wanted to see after so long. She saw the same Leonard that was her best friend, the same Leonard she loved. Howard and Raj had been given the good news, and Sheldon's mom was called. Penny had asked Leonard a few times about how they could contact his family, but Leonard always looked down, and drew little squiggly lines on his whiteboard. Penny got the idea that he didn't want his family to see him, so she let it go after the third time.
But the only problem was Leonard's breathing. It didn't seem to change. He was still breathing irregularly, occasionally feeling small shooting pains in his chest. They had asked the doctor about it several times, but got the same answer each time, "Be patient…" The answer seemed confident, but the look on the doctor's face had a hint of worry. Penny was concerned that Leonard's lungs wouldn't heal, but Leonard drew her a happy face each time, bringing a smile to Penny and Sheldon's faces.
Howard and Raj hadn't seen Leonard since he woke up because they were always busy at work or otherwise preoccupied. But Penny got a call from them saying that they could finally come to see him. Leonard was excited to see them and had been drawing on his whiteboard all day. Penny had no idea what he was possibly drawing on his whiteboard, but smiled at his concentration. When they finally arrived at the hospital, Leonard welcomed them with an elaborately drawn "Hello," which immediately made everyone laugh.
The whole gang was together again, each of them talking randomly, Raj conveying his words through Howard, and Leonard writing on his whiteboard. Howard and Raj would not stop glancing over at Leonard. They were happy to see their old friend, but something was missing. Was it his irregular breathing, restricting his ability to speak? Was it the multiple machines surrounding him and seemingly sucking his soul away? Was it some sense of despair in his eyes, worried that he would never be able to breathe regularly again? They didn't know. And neither did Penny or Sheldon. Leonard seemed to be his old self, but with a missing variable. Or some paradoxical equation with an undefined solution. Although their conversations sounded like the ones they would always have around the coffee table in Leonard and Sheldon's apartment, Penny, Sheldon, Howard, and Raj were worried about that missing Leonard-variable, feeling that there was something strangely awry. Every now and then, in the middle of their conversations, either Howard, Raj, Penny, or Sheldon, would ask if Leonard was okay. He would respond each time, with an "I'm fine." After the tenth time of being asked that same question, Leonard looked at each of them. He saw that his friends were worried about him, but he had no idea why. He felt great, the inability to breathe aside.
"Why are you guys asking, what's going on?" Leonard wrote.
They were all silent for a moment, each pondering what to say. The four of them looked at each other, back and forth, until Penny decided to say something.
"Leonard, sweetie, we're concerned about…" She looked at Howard, Raj, and Sheldon. "Your breathing hasn't gotten any better, and we're very concerned."
Leonard nodded thoughtfully. He couldn't think of anything to say. Truthfully, he was just as concerned as the rest of them. But he wanted to stay optimistic. Finally, he wrote, "Have a little faith."
After another few hours of talking, Leonard told Howard, Raj, and Penny to go home. Leonard didn't want them to leave, but he made them go. He saw that Penny's clothes hadn't changed since the day he woke up the first time, and didn't want to know how long she had been in the hospital without a shower or a change of clothes. He assumed she hadn't showered in days, but she still smelled amazing, to Leonard. Howard and Raj left, but Penny stayed in the room. She didn't want to leave. What if something happened to Leonard and she wasn't there? She couldn't bear never seeing him again.
"GO," Leonard wrote on his whiteboard. "And don't come back until you get some proper rest."
"I don't want to leave you," pleaded Penny.
But Penny couldn't resist Leonard's puppy-dog eyes and caved in. "Okay," Penny said reluctantly.
She hugged Leonard and kissed him on his cheek. Then she walked over to Sheldon and hugged him. Penny was about to walk out of the room, but couldn't help but take one last look at Leonard. She ran back to his bed and kissed him again. With that, she made herself leave and not look back.
Sheldon and Leonard were staring at each other. Sheldon couldn't stop himself from smiling, which made Leonard smile in return.
"I-I'm very happy you're okay, Leonard."
Leonard wrote, "I'm happy to see you, Sheldon."
Sheldon had to ask.
"I'm not usually one to concern myself with your love life. Or relationships in general, but, I couldn't help but notice a very obvious 'spark,' as the kids say, between you and Penny." He paused. "You love her, don't you?"
Leonard was touched. He started getting emotional. Sheldon never talked this way to him before. He never mentioned romantic relationships of any kind, even though Sheldon was fully aware of Leonard's love for Penny. Does Sheldon finally understand? Leonard replied to Sheldon's question with a slow nod and a slight smile.
Sheldon grinned back. "Good. Because I heard Penny say she loves you. And I know she meant it. Leonard…would you do me a favor?"
Leonard looked into Sheldon's eyes.
"For my best friend? Anything," Leonard wrote on his board.
"Don't ever let her go. You deserve her."
Leonard gave him a nod, and Sheldon nodded back.
…
Penny was back at the hospital within twenty minutes. She changed her clothes and took a two minute shower, and was back in Leonard and Sheldon's room with soaking wet hair. Leonard took one look at her and smiled at her appearance.
"Why are you back so early?" asked Leonard.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't be away for so long!" Leonard teasingly rolled his eyes at her.
Penny smiled at Sheldon, and Sheldon smiled back. She walked over to Leonard and planted a kiss on his forehead. They stared into each other's eyes until Penny spoke.
"Leonard, Sheldon, you guys should rest. It's late."
"What about you?" asked Sheldon.
"I'll stay here and rest, it'll be fine."
Penny pulled the chair closer to Leonard's bed. By then, Sheldon was already asleep. Leonard smiled at Sheldon, then held Penny's hand. He quickly fell asleep, feeling the warmth of her hand. She wrapped her other hand around his arm and rested her head on his stomach.
In the middle of the night, Leonard woke up to an odd change in his breathing. For some reason, it didn't feel right. He started panicking, fearing the worst. Leonard gently squeezed Penny's hand. She didn't respond. He squeezed harder. Penny let out a small sigh, but was still asleep. Leonard's breathing got short and choppy. What was going on? He softly shook Penny's shoulder and she groaned and opened her eyes.
"Leonard? What's going on? Are you okay?"
She paused and listened. His breathing sounded different, and it scared her. The look on Leonard's face scared her even more. "S-Should I get the doctor?"
Leonard didn't have time to respond. He started choking, and Penny immediately darted out of the room and yelled for help. She had an uneasy feeling the moment she woke up, and now she feared for Leonard's life.
"How could this be happening? Haven't I been through enough?!" thought Penny. "Please don't take my Leonard!"
The doctor rushed into the room, followed by a panic-stricken Penny. She was so scared, she felt like screaming at the top of her lungs. Sheldon had woken up to Penny's screaming and was freaking out. But Sheldon seemed to be calmer than before. He seemed to know, deep down, that nothing was going to take Leonard away from him or Penny. But he couldn't understand why he felt this way.
Penny was crying, but stopped suddenly when she saw the doctor smile slightly. She was baffled as to why he was smiling. Her Leonard was choking, and he was smiling? She wanted to scream at the doctor, but stopped. He obviously knew something she didn't.
Through her tears, Penny asked, "What's going on?"
The doctor removed the strap around Leonard's head that was holding the tube in place and said, "This is good news." Penny immediately brightened. "He's breathing on his own now, so choking is normal."
Penny was quiet, but mouthed, "Oh, thank God." She was smiling, as was Sheldon.
The doctor slowly and gently pulled the respirator out of Leonard's mouth and he stopped choking. Leonard took a few deep breaths, feeling relieved that he was okay, and looked to Penny.
His voice was still slightly hoarse and quiet, but he managed to say, "I-I love you, Penny."
Penny was smiling so much she couldn't feel her face anymore. She screamed out, "I love you, Leonard!"
She embraced him in a warm and loving hug as Leonard wrapped his arms around her. He didn't want to let go.
Sheldon looked over at Leonard and Penny. He saw it. That special spark between them. And he smiled. His friend finally got the girl of his dreams and Sheldon couldn't be happier. "Leonard?"
Leonard looked over at Sheldon. All Sheldon had to do was smile at him. And Leonard knew. "Thanks, buddy."
Sheldon moved his gaze to Penny. "Penny." She looked at Sheldon. "Congratulations. You couldn't end up with anyone better."
Leonard and Penny smiled at Sheldon before looking into each other's eyes. Penny bent down and kissed Leonard, her hands wrapped around his head. This was the beginning of something amazing for Leonard and Penny, and they both knew it.
Well, that's it. I apologize for those who wanted her to pick Sheldon, I had to put her with Leonard! Leonard's been fighting for her since the moment they met. I can't stand to see Leonard heartbroken, let alone write him heartbroken.
Oh, and I'm sorry if that little Leonard/Penny coffee story started sounding like "The Adhesive Duck Deficiency." That was completely unintentional! I hadn't realized it started to sound like the episode until I got to Leonard's closet. I wasn't even thinking of the episode while I was writing that story, I wasn't trying to copy it.
I hope you enjoyed the story and thanks for reading!