For a minute all Leonard could hear was the rushing of blood in his ears. Baby? Penny?

"What…what happened?" He managed to croak. The nurse looked at him sympathetically. He realised she assumed he had been the father. "We're not sure right now, it seems the pregnancy may have been ectopic. The baby was growing in her fallopian tube, and it caused some bleeding. You can see her now, if you like?"

Leonard tried to digest what she'd said. "Um, could I have a few minutes, please?" The nurse nodded then left him. Raj crept in shortly after.

"Dude, what's happening?"

Leonard shook his head. "I think I'm having a nightmare…"

A few minutes later and Leonard knocked on Penny's door before sticking his head in. "Um, are you up to visitors?" Penny was sat up slightly in bed, looking exhausted and pale, hooked up to various drips and machines. She nodded at him to come in.

"Hey." "Hey."

"Are you ok? You scared the hell out of me. Us."

Penny gave him a small smile. "Sorry. I'm ok, really." Her voice was hoarse, and her eyes were red and gave away the fact that she'd been crying. He decided not to mention it. It would be weird if she hadn't been crying. He took her hand and she squeezed it weakly.

"Did they tell you what happened?" she asked, not looking at him. "Yeah" he replied, looking at their entwined hands.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was going to, actually. Tonight."

Leonard's heart sank. So, not a declaration of undying love, then. Penny had asked him out to tell him she was pregnant with another man's child. "That's ok…it's not really any of my business anyway…"

Penny sniffed back a few more tears. She still couldn't meet his eyes. "I'm sorry, Leonard. I do care for you. But…"

"Hey, it's ok, really…you don't have to explain. I know." He managed a half smile at her. He didn't want her to feel bad after everything she'd been through. He bit back the question he was dying to ask. Who's the father? Really, not appropriate right now. He found himself running through possibilities in his head though, and coming up pretty short. Come to think of it, there hadn't really been many awkward moments in the corridor recently; it used to be he'd often be leaving for work as Penny was waving off her latest suitor, but it had been pretty quiet for a while now.

"Um. Anyway, I'd better let you rest before the nurses come and kick my ass…I just wanted to…y'know. I'll come back tomorrow."

"Ok Leonard. Thanks…you're a good friend."

He started to walk away, then stopped, turned back and gave her a quick, embarrassed kiss on the cheek. Eyes down, he said "I'm glad you're ok. And I'm sorry about…everything." She smiled, squeezed his hand. Whispered a small thanks as another tear slid down her cheek.

Yep. Always the good friend, he thought as he left. He reached the car park and expected to see Sheldon in the car, waiting for him. He was going to apologise for shouting at him; he knew how these situations made him feel, he shouldn't be so hard on him. And he really needed to talk to someone about this, even if it was Dr Whack-a-Doodle. But Sheldon wasn't there, the car park was empty. There was a note on his windscreen: Your keys are at reception. The codeword is my favourite amino acid. Dr Sheldon Cooper.

Bat-crap crazy.

...

Sheldon stood in the foyer behind a large plastic plant and watched Leonard get the keys from the receptionist. She didn't even ask him for the code word; he would be writing a harshly worded letter to the hospital managers about the ability of their employees to follow simple instructions. He waited until Leonard had left, then headed upstairs. He located Penny's room easily, knocked softly.

Knockknockknock… "Penny"

Knockknockknock… "Penny"

Knockknockknock… "Penny"

He heard the tired smile in her voice. "Come on in, Sheldon."

He opened the door, and felt a little shocked at how weak and vulnerable she looked. So different to the vibrant woman he was used to. He stood by the bed and, tentatively, reached out and placed his hand on hers. She looked up at him. He was looking at her so tenderly, so concerned, she felt herself start to cry again. Hot, silent tears ran down her face.

"Sheldon…I'm so, so sorry."

He looked pained. "Penny, please. You have nothing to apologise for."

She cried harder. "But I do, I really do. I'm sorry. I lost the baby, Sheldon. I lost our baby."