The Wolowitz Conclusion
Chapter four
It seemed like Leonard, Penny and Megan had been waiting for hours for Megan's surgery, watching, it seemed, as all the children with her on the ward were dripping away and she was the only one left. She hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and it was now five o'clock in the afternoon. Penny was getting fed up with the constant 'I'm hungry' and 'please can I have some thing to eat' from Megan and was just praying that it wouldn't be much longer, just as she nipped out to use the bathroom…
"Megan Hofstadter?" a familiar voice called as she threw the cubical curtain around her almost like she was dancing with it "I'll be your… Leonard? I thought I recognised the surname"
"Stephanie?" Leonard smiled, surprised to see his ex-girlfriend "I thought you moved away"
"I did" Stephanie smiled back at her old lover, he had aged a bit but he was still the handsome man that had taken her over a year to get over "but I moved back recently"
"how are you?" Leonard didn't really know what to say "this is my daughter, Megan"
"I'm good" Stephanie nodded "looks like you're in the wars, Megan"
"Daddy, do you know her?" Megan asked before burying her head into his shoulder again "she knows your name"
"oh yeah" Leonard chuckled "we go way back"
"where's Mommy?" Megan started crying again, the ever intuitive eldest Hofstadter cub was getting super nervous again "I want to see Mommy"
"here I am" Penny had heard Megan through the curtains and did the same dance with them that Stephanie had done just a few moments earlier "Stephanie?"
"Oh, hi Penny" Stephanie's heart dropped slightly, she assumed from the fact he had a daughter that there was a good chance there would be a Mrs Hofstadter, but didn't expect for it to be Penny "nice to see you"
"you too"
"wow" Stephanie looked Penny up and down, her huge bump was evidence that her and Leonard were still very much together, "not long to go?"
"about three weeks" Penny rubbed her belly protectively "can't wait for little Hof number four"
"four?" Stephanie was obviously shocked, she didn't realise Leonard had it in him
"yep" Leonard smiled cheekily, winking at his wife "Megan is eight, Elliot is five, and Alice is three, then we have this little one"
"wow" Stephanie had run out of words, but looked down at their ring fingers "you two got married?"
"we sure did" Penny smiled smugly, Stephanie had always been jealous of Penny, she knew Leonard held a candle for her, even when they were together "now back to Megan"
"oh yes" Stephanie refocused "I'll be doing the surgery, do you have any questions?"
"will I die?" Megan sobbed again rubbing her face into Leonard again "I don't want to die"
"of course not" Stephanie answered "oh she's so cute"
"thank you" Leonard smiled, hugging Megan as tight as he could "she's a little nervous"
"look, Megan" Stephanie bent down and stroked Megan's cheek "I promise you, there is nothing to worry about, I mend a lot of broken legs and you'll be absolutely fine"
"what's going to happen to me?" Megan wiped her eyes and shifted from Leonard's arm into Penny's "what are you going to do"
"you're going to go to sleep" Stephanie reassured her as best she could, she had had a similar conversation with many children in similar situations over the years "and I'm going to fix your leg"
"can Mommy come?" Megan asked, trying not to cry "I don't want to be on my own"
"of course" Stephanie smiled, sensing that Megan was starting to relax a bit "she'll be there when you got to sleep, and she'll be there when you wake up"
"okay"
"thanks, Stephanie" Penny smiled "she's never been in hospital before"
"its okay" Stephanie appreciated the thanks, especially considering their history "we get this all the time, oh, and congratulations on the pregnancy"
As Stephanie turned away, her heart skipped a beat, what a blast from the past that had been, she always thought of Leonard as the one that got away, unfortunately, she was still looking for the one, and had come back, partially, to try and track him down and see if they could try again. Stephanie never thought for one minute that he'd be married with kids, and especially not to Penny. Stephanie paused for a minute and gathered her thoughts, Megan was obviously very special to Leonard, and this made her very special to Stephanie too, she must make sure that Megan was treated to the best care possible, after all it wasn't every day one of the staff's kind of ex step children was being treated.
It wasn't much longer until Megan was wheeled down to the OR. As Penny followed she felt another contraction that took her breath away. She'd been having contractions all afternoon, but she had tried to put it to the back of her mind, she needed to be there for Megan at the moment, any other issues would have to wait, but they were getting stronger and closer together.
"Time to go to sleep now, Megan" Stephanie smiled at her "let's count to ten… one, two, three… and she's gone"
"please look after her" Penny begged with tears in her eyes "she's my miracle"
"of course, Penny" Stephanie smiled "we deal with little miracles all the time"
"thank…" Penny started before groaning as her waters broke "oh no"
"it's okay" Stephanie smiled, "lets get you a wheel chair and get you to maternity"
"oh no, not today" Penny burst into tears "what am I going to do, please help me"
"Penny, look at me" Stephanie took her hands in a similar way that Leonard had with Megan "I'll deal with this, we'll get you to maternity, I'll get someone to get Leonard to meet you in maternity and I'll look after Megan, she's going to be in surgery for about three hours so don't worry and then I'll get a message to maternity"
"thank you" Penny collapsed forward onto the bed, where Megan was in a anaesthetically induced sleep, and started screaming out in pain "I don't think we have two to three hours, I need to push"
"okay" Stephanie took Penny by the hands again "now, truthfully, how long have you been having contractions?"
"truthfully?" Penny asked "since about midday"
"Penny, you should have said" Stephanie scolded her "we could have helped you before now, let me take a look"
"have you delivered a baby before?" Penny demanded "I want someone who knows what they're doing"
"I've been delivering babies for years" Stephanie lied "let me take a look"
"okay" Penny reluctantly agreed, clambering into the wheel chair that the porter had grabbed from outside "I need to push now"
"you're right" Stephanie agreed, shocked to see what was going on "the baby is crowning"
"Leonard, I need Leonard" Penny begged halfway through a push "please get him for me"
"I've sent someone" Stephanie reassured her "now come on, Penny, push"
It took five pushes for Leonard and Penny's fourth child to come into the world, a little boy, he made his entrance just as Leonard was ushered through the door by a poor, unsuspecting porter, that collapsed at the sight
"oh god, Penny" Leonard grinned proudly "it's a boy, another boy"
"what just happened?" Penny looked at him "is the baby here?"
"he is" Leonard laughed seeing his ex-girlfriend holding onto the baby that his wife had just given birth too "he's gorgeous"
"oh" Penny smiled as Stephanie handed the now screaming baby boy to her "look, Leonard, its Kristian"
"it is" Leonard smiled, he knew how much she wanted to call her son Kristian, however, last time Penny insisted that Leonard could chose, so he had chosen Elliot, "baby Kristian Hofstadter"
"suits him" Stephanie agreed, "now, can you let me get on with your daughter's leg, we've told maternity you're coming"
"thank you Stephanie" Penny smiled, cooing at her new son "so how many babies have you really delivered?"
"One" Stephanie admitted "his name is Kristian Hofstadter"
"I thought so" Penny laughed "thank you for staying calm"
"thank you for delivering so quickly"
Amy: Hope Megan is okay, let me know what's going on
Both Amy and Bernadette had texted Penny in their group chat now, and neither of them knew about baby Kristian. It had all happened so fast, Megan had been put to sleep and then, almost immediately, Kristian had been born. If she was honest, she knew she was in labour, but didn't want to admit it and leave Megan alone. She didn't think for one minute that he would be born then and there she thought she had hours to go.
Penny: Surprise, surprise, you're aunties again xxx
Amy: What?
Bernadette: you're kidding
Penny sent a photo: nope, Kristian Michael Randall Hofstadter, he was born in the anaesthetic room once Megan had been put to sleep for her operation
Amy: how is Megan?
Penny: she's fine, in recovery now, Leonard is with her, it'll be six weeks recovery though
Penny put her phone down and rolled over in her hospital bed. Kristian had been taken to the nursery and Leonard had gone back to be with Megan when she woke up. Penny felt sorry for Megan, she had promised she would be there when she woke up and now she was laying in maternity while Megan was waking up without her. Penny knew Leonard would look after her, but it wasn't the same as having her Mommy there. Penny picked up her phone again, the group chat between the three of them was going mad, but this text would be for Leonard
I hope Megan is okay, tell her I love her, I miss her and I'm so proud of her xxx
I will. I hope you and Kristian are okay too xxx
He's in the nursery. Gonna take 5 mins, doc says we can go home tonight xxx