Sheldon has developed an attraction to Penny and Missy wants to "fix" Texans still have a few things to learn, apparently.

Penny opened her door with a smile and waved Missy inside her condo. She took Missy's jacket and hung it up in the hall closet. "So, this is a surprise," Penny said with a smile. "I haven't seen you since our one session. Sheldon has told me you are doing very well, though."

Missy nodded, her cheeks turning a light pink. "Yeah, um, sorry about not keeping in touch better."

Penny laughed lightly and shook her head. "I'm not criticizing, Missy. Just surprised. We barely know each other. You have no reason to feel embarrassed. I'm simply curious as to why you asked to meet me in an informal setting."

Missy sat down on the sofa and turned to face Penny who sat down beside her. "I'm not looking for therapy. I've been doing really well with talking to my therapist and Shelly helps me, too. We even set aside a couple of hours every week just for that. I'm looking for advice. Personal advice, woman to woman."

Penny frowned slightly. "Missy, I'm not sure I know you well enough to give you personal advice. What may work for me personally may not work for you."

Missy sighed, frustration crossing her face. "It's just… I really like him and I want to know if he feels the same, but it seems like every step we take closer to one another, he takes two back!"

Penny stiffened and her voice lost it's friendly tone, becoming more professional. "Missy, are you here to ask me questions about Bo?"

Missy's shoulders drooped. "I really like him," she whispered.

Penny stood and shook her head. "This is not a topic for discussion," she said firmly. "Bo is my client. I will not betray his confidences to you or anyone else."

Missy stood, he eyes pleading with Penny. "I'm not asking for details of his therapy. Honestly, I'm not! I just want some female advice on how to move forward.'

Penny shook her head. "Missy, he's my client. I can't be objective in this. Anything I tell you is a betrayal of his confidence. He would not appreciate me talking about him to anyone else."

Missy wrung her hands with frustration. "I don't know what to do!" she said a bit louder. "I like him! I want to be with him! Wouldn't that make things easier for you, too? If he was in a good relationship, he wouldn't need therapy."

Clarity hit Penny then. "This isn't about Bo, is it?"

Missy's face paled and she looked uncomfortable. "What do you mean?"

Penny sat back down and pulled Missy down beside her. "Missy, being in a relationship does not fix a problem. It's never fixed any problem in the history of the world. Relationships create problems, not the other way around. Being with someone won't erase what happened to you. Being with someone won't make you whole. Missy, you can't fix someone else if you are still broken yourself."

Missy jumped up, anger blazing in her eyes. "It's not like that! I love him! I want to help him!"

Penny stood calmly. "Can you imagine a future together?" she asked softly. "Can you imagine growing old together? Can you see yourself telling him all about Sam? In bed, being intimate? Can you see yourself having sex with Bo?"

Missy opened her mouth a couple of times, but nothing came out. She tried to picture her and Bo in bed. Her stomach instantly rebelled and sweat broke out on her brow. Without another word she ran out of the apartment. By the time she reached her car she was almost blinded by her tears. Missy leaned over her steering wheel and sobbed loudly.

Was Penny right? Was she only interested in Bo because she was so screwed up herself? Was she using her attraction to Bo to hide from her feelings? There was no doubt in her mind that she liked him, but when she tried to picture them together intimately, the image had morphed into Sam pinning her down on the bed, slapping her for some imagined offense.

A light knock on the window startled her and she hit the car horn by accident. Missy looked over to see Penny standing beside the car, looking at her sympathetically. She bit her lip and lowered the window.

"Missy, go see Ginger. She's waiting on you at the office," Penny said gently. "I only told her that you were upset and might need to talk."

Missy looked down at her lap for a long moment. When she looked back up, Penny was already back inside her building. She took a deep breath, then another. She wiped the tears from her face with a McDonald's napkin and then started the car. At the end of the street she almost turned left and went home. With a sob she made a right and headed to her therapist's office.

XTBBTX

Sheldon took a moment to calm his nervousness before opening the door to the rec room and walking inside. He nodded to a few of the elderly people he had been introduced to before as he made his way over to the large table covered in puzzle pieces. He smiled slightly at Penny as he moved around to sit between Violet and Edith. Edith smiled at him with happiness, her tiny legs swinging freely under the table.

Violet leaned closer and showed him a new photo of her cactus garden. "Look! My Christmas cactus is blooming already!"

Sheldon dutifully nodded and gave her a small smile. "That is nice."

"Dr. Cooper!" He looked across the table at Martha with surprise. She was usually the quietest of the group here at the senior center. She wasn't part of the aggression group therapy. She had simply begun to join them whenever they met at the center. No one seemed to mind her inclusion. Once, he had asked Penny why she allowed the reticent woman to join them.

Penny had shrugged and said "I think she's very lonely, Sheldon. None of the other women mind. She isn't harming anyone, or disrupting therapy, so I see no reason to prevent her from joining."

"But she is not paying you for the therapy. Does that not bother you?" he had asked curiously.

Penny had shaken her head firmly. "These women do not pay me," she corrected. "All of them are on fixed incomes. They cannot afford therapy. In some cases their social security might pay for part of it, but it's not worth the paperwork or headaches. I donate my services to the center."

Sheldon had felt a bit humbled and impressed by that. He didn't know anyone who donated their time to help others. Even the donors at the university did so for the tax write-offs or bragging rights.

He gave Martha his full attention. "Yes, Mrs. Cornet?"

"My son-in-law showed me a picture of you," she said shyly. "You were very handsome in your tuxedo."

Sheldon looked at her with surprise. "Your son-in-law?"

She nodded, her shyness increasing as everyone paid attention to her. "Sidney. Sidney Seibert. He's the president of Cal-Tech. He showed me pictures of their last ball," she said dreamily. "It looked like so much fun."

Sheldon remembered the night differently. He had forced a smile on his face and a pleasant tone for his voice. It had been a long and difficult night, but he had been successful. "It was a nice ball," he replied.

Martha ducked her head and began sorting puzzle pieces, obviously reaching the end of her courage. Sheldon caught Penny watching Martha with sadness. It was unsettling to see her look anything but calm, or cheerful.

When the group finally disbanded an hour later Sheldon stayed behind to help Penny gather up the puzzles and clean the area they used. They worked in silence for several minutes before he cleared his throat and looked at Penny.

"Why are you worried about Martha?" he asked softly.

Penny sighed and stacked the coffee cups on a tray. "Because she doesn't have much longer," Penny answered barely above a whisper. "She has kidney failure, Sheldon. The head nurse told me earlier that she is now refusing dialysis. She is tired and just wants to spend her remaining days doing what she wants."

"Isn't there anything to be done?" he asked, appalled. "Can't they convince her to keep up her treatments?"

Penny looked at him steadily. "She is 81 years old, Sheldon. A grown woman with no mental handicaps. It would be wrong to force her to do something she did not want. She has the right to decide how to live or die. As sad as it will be to lose her, it would be a travesty to strip her of her right to live her own life as she sees fit."

Sheldon stepped closer to Penny, his heart pounding loudly in his ears. "Penny…"

Penny's phone began playing the chorus to Blake Shelton's Honey Bee. A wide smile spread across Penny's face and she quickly pulled her phone from her pocket. "Just a minute," she said happily. She hit a button and placed the phone to her ear. "Hey, hold on, honey. I'm with a friend." Penny placed the phone to her chest and looked at Sheldon. "What did you want to say?"

Sheldon swallowed and shook his head. "Just that I hope you have a good week. I'll see you next Thursday," he murmured before heading to the exit. He paused in the doorway and looked back at Penny. She was smiling again, the phone to her ear. Honey? Was Penny involved with someone? He had almost asked if she would join him and Missy for dinner on Saturday. It had never occurred to him that Penny might be in a relationship. With a heavy heart Sheldon left the center.