Sheldon is discovering that the woman he knew has changed a great deal. She is no longer the vibrant, chaotic whirlwind he was accustomed to.

Penny grimaced to herself as she watched Sheldon attach the grips to the shower chair he had purchase at the pharmacy. He settled it inside the small stall in the bathroom and checked the reach on the new shower hose. He nodded to himself and looked over at her. She resigned herself to allowing him to help her undress and get into the chair. After all, for four days he had sponge bathed her. She still felt grimy, though.

She thought about asking him to send for Bernadette or Missy, but then she paused. If he wanted to play the martyr, then so be it. He'd get freaked out eventually and maybe then he'd finally leave her alone. Maybe then, things would go back to the way they had always been. With her all alone.

Sheldon stood beside the bed and bent to help her sit up. She was able to suppress her moan of pain. She hated the way the pain pills knocked her out, or left her feeling helpless, so she was trying to go longer periods without one. In fact, the last one had worn off sometime in the night, but she refused to ask for one until she really, really, needed it. Besides, Sheldon kept crawling into bed with her, and singing Soft Kitty. Maybe if he thought she was out of pain, he'd quit touching her so much.

She pushed away his hands when he started to reach for the pajama top she wore. She quickly undid the buttons herself and pulled it off. Her sports bra hid little, but he didn't seem to notice. He waited patiently as she sighed and finally wrapped her arms around his neck. He slowly stood, pulling her with him. His thumbs slipped into the waistband of her bottoms and he pushed them down expressionlessly. He dropped his left shoulder and slipped his left arm under her knees. As he picked her up, bridal style, the bottoms succumbed to gravity to fall on the tiled floor.

A few short steps toward the small stall and he set her on the shower chair. "If you need me, I'll be nearby," he said calmly.

Penny looked away from him and shrugged wordlessly. He shut the stall door and she picked up the shower head dangling beside her. She heard the bedroom door close and stole a quick glance to make sure she was alone. She swiftly turned on the water to hide the sound of her tears. Dammit! She hated this! She hated being weak! She hated being weak in front of him! She watched hot tears slip from her cheeks onto her legs. She cried harder when she couldn't feel them.

XXXXX

Sheldon breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth as he struggled to overpower his arousal. He silently willed away the erection straining against his pants. Slowly it wilted and he was able to relax somewhat. This was becoming a common occurrence. Nearly every time he carried her in his arms, his body reacted to her. Holding her close at night when she was unable to sleep was the hardest on him (no pun intended). He pushed off from the door and walked to the kitchen. He pulled eggs from the fridge and a placed a pan on the stove. Maybe an omelet will tempt Penny's appetite.

Eighteen minutes later he heard the shower turn off, so he slid the second omelet onto a plate and headed to the bedroom. He took a deep steadying breath and stepped into the room. Sheldon grabbed the large fluffy towels he had set on the bed and headed to the stall.

Penny didn't bother to cover herself. The sports bra she had pulled off was sopping wet. Besides it was Sheldon. He had always said he had no interest in anything remotely sexual. She was too numb to care if he saw her breasts.

Sheldon gulped when he realized she was topless. His hands shook for a second, and he forced his eyes to become fixed on her shoulder. He wrapped one towel around her shoulders and knelt to dry her legs and feet. She loosely placed her arms around his neck as he lifted her up and carried her through to the bed. He replaced the wet Depends with a new one and slid sweatpants up to her hips. He helped her sit up so he could put her slippers on her feet. He moved her to the wheelchair Bernadette had borrowed from her mom, a home health nurse, and turned to leave the room. "Breakfast is ready," he said simply.

Once he was gone, Penny pulled the towel from her shoulders and draped it over her head. She twisted it around her hair and reached for the bra and top he had set out for her. She wheeled herself into the living room and whistled for Whack. He bounded out from under the couch and she bent to pull him onto her lap.

Sheldon placed a plate on the coffee table and another on a folding tray beside Penny. He picked up the remote and held it out toward her. Surprise flashed across her face and after a moment she reached out and took it. She bit her lip for a moment and then sighed. She pushed herself over to the desk beside the bookshelf. She pulled open the bottom drawer and pulled out a dvd from the collection she had stored there. She put it into the player and turned it on. Sheldon was stunned to see the menu that popped up. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood wasn't something he expected her to have.

Penny started the series without a word. Sheldon couldn't remain quiet, though. "I am surprised. I never would have thought you would like this anime."

Penny's cheeks turned a faint pink. "It's okay. Not bogged down with aliens or space ships. Just soldiers, wars and lots of action."

Sheldon looked at her carefully. She was trying to appear disinterested, but the fact that she not only owned this, but kept it stored safely, proved that it meant something to her. He decided not to push her. For now.

XXXXX

They were on disc three when there was a knock on the door. Sheldon paused the show and stood up. Penny was stretched out on the couch, the pain pill she had finally asked for beginning to take affect. He opened the door and peered out.

"Well? Are you just going to stand there staring at me, Shelly, or are you going to let me in?"

"Mom?" Sheldon said faintly.

Mary Cooper stepped around him, dragging her rolling case behind her. She dropped the handle and hurried over to the couch. She sat down on the coffee table and picked up Penny's hand. "Oh, sweetheart!" Mary exclaimed softly. "I came as soon as I could."

Sheldon watched, hopeful that the thing he had been so desperately searching for, Penny's softer emotions, would make themselves known for more than a second. From everything his sister, Bernadette and Stuart had told him, his mom and Penny were close. It had sounded to him as if his mom had emotionally adopted Penny.

Penny looked into Mary's warm eyes and shrunk back. She couldn't take it. She didn't want them to care about her. She didn't want that responsibility. She cringed as Mary squeezed her hand encouragingly. Panic rose up inside her and she couldn't contain her emotions anymore. Tears sprang up and poured down her cheeks. Her heart raced at an alarming speed. The omelet in her stomach turned sour and suddenly she lost all control.

She didn't even have time to warn Mary.

XXXXX

Sheldon put away the cleaning supplies and looked over at his mom. She had changed into clean clothes and was now towel drying Whack, who was resisting vigorously. She looked at him with concern.

"So, want to tell me why you've come back?" she asked sternly.

"Penny needs me."

Mary studied her son carefully. Sheldon had always been such a mystery to her. Sure, she loved her boy, dearly. But for the most part, she understood him very little. "It would seem to me, that that would be the last thing you would concern yourself with. After all, you left everyone behind, Shelly."

He stiffened for a moment before turning to wash his hands. He held his tongue as he walked across the room to peer into the bedroom. Penny was sleeping quietly. He closed the door tight and turned back to his mom. He loved her, there was no doubt about it. But he was no longer a child to be coddled, chastised, or guided, either.

"No. I left ME behind. I left behind my phobias, my schedules, and my hang-ups. I left behind the men who betrayed me. I left behind the shattered remains of my career. But I never left HER. Not really. I was reestablishing my career. I was reforming my life. I was rebuilding myself into someone she could be proud of," he said softly.

Mary's eyes widened as realization hit. Her son loved this woman. Had he always? Did he even know he did? What about Penny? Did she have any idea what she meant to Shelly? Over the last two years, they had talked often on the phone. It started when she helped pack his belongings. It continued, at first with an email from Penny every two weeks, asking if she had heard from Shelly. Then a phone call every month or so. Then weekly calls, and even a few visits. They talked about life, their families, and just general things like tv shows they both liked. Never once had they discussed love.

"Shelly, what are you saying?" she finally asked.

Sheldon stood tall, and looked his mother in the eyes. "I am here because I could not bear to be anywhere else. For twenty-five years, my life was physics. I had family and former friends who I cared for. I was …content. When it all fell apart, she stood by me. She was appalled by what they had done. She tried to fix it by making them come after me and apologize. She tried to comfort me," he smiled slightly at the memory of Penny sitting beside him on his bed, struggling to make him feel better with the offer of pie.

"In all my life, only two people ever accepted me whole-heartedly, despite the fact that they did not understand me. Meemaw and Penny. She may not have always agreed with me, or understood me, but Penny always supported me. We fought, teased, argued, and pranked each other. I have come to realize, in the last two years that the reason we were able to do that, to antagonize each other indiscriminately, was because we knew, instinctively, that we would always have each other's backs. I did things for Penny that I have never done for anyone else, ever. Such as helping her make Penny-Blossoms, loaning her money, listening to her problems and actually trying to help. I have cared about Penny for far longer than I realized."

"Leaving her behind was difficult. It was the one thing I almost relented on. Not a day has passed since my departure that I did not think of her at least a dozen times. I love her. She is everything to me. Someday, I'll be the kind of man she will be proud of. The kind of man she will be proud to have by her side. I could not stand by while she is injured. She may not want me here. But she does need me. At least until she is well again."

Mary stood and walked over to her son. Her heart broke for him, seeing the pain and longing in his eyes. "Sheldon Lee Cooper, you are already a man to be proud of. You always have been. Penny knows that. If she wasn't already proud of you, if she didn't already care, your leaving would not have hurt as much as it did."

Sheldon leaned forward and place a kiss on his mom's cheek, much to her delight and surprise. "Thank you," he said. He bent and attached the leash to Whack's collar. The dog growled but moved to the door eagerly. Mary watched Sheldon leave the apartment and then went to the bedroom door. She looked down at the pretty little blonde who held her son's heart in her unsuspecting hand. Silently she prayed to her God that they figured it out soon. She couldn't bear for either of them to suffer much more.