:Rollercoaster of Emotion:
Leonard trudged along wearily as Penny bounced around the lot. Okay, so bounced wasn't exactly accurate. More like waddled. Not that he would EVER say that out loud. Again. A heavy sigh escaped him as she went from tree to tree, searching for the perfect one. Surely somewhere in America there was a mall that sold Hello Kitty pink Christmas trees! Why did she have to have a live one?
"Sweetie! Look! What do you think of this one?" she asked brightly.
Leonard shuffled over and nodded hopefully. "Perfect. Incredible. Buy it so we can go home."
Penny's eyes filled with tears and her bottom lip trembled. Panic filled him as she started to sob loudly. "You hate it!" she cried loudly.
Heads began to turn toward them as he quickly wrapped his arms around her waist as far as he could. "No!" he said soothingly. "It's a beautiful tree! I love it. It's the best tree on the lot. We better buy it before someone else wants it."
Penny looked up, dashing away tears angrily. She glared at everyone within a few feet. "You guard the tree," she said firmly. "No one else is getting my perfect tree!"
Penny moved away as quickly as her rotund form would allow. A man pushing a baby in a stroller and holding the hand of a second toddler looked at him sympathetically. "Good job. It only gets worse," he whispered encouragingly. "Just keep apologizing, and it goes faster."
Leonard's shoulders slumped as he waited on one of the workers to come carry the tree to the car. He was exhausted trying to keep Penny calm. Pregnancy had her on a rollercoaster of ups and downs. Only a couple more weeks, he reminded himself.
Howard and Raj were waiting in the lobby to help get the tree upstairs when they got back. Unfortunately, pine trees don't exactly bend very well. They all stared at the 8 foot tree, stuck in the first bend on the stairwell.
"What do you mean it's stuck?" Penny demanded angrily. "You three are scientists, dammit! Get my tree upstairs! I need it!"
They looked at each other, then the tree and then finally, Penny. Howard cleared his throat nervously. Penny was standing a few feet away, legs apart, fists on hips. She was sure scary for a mother-to-be. "We could cut it in half," he suggested.
"Oh no, you don't!" Penny said, taking a step closer. "I don't want it ruined!"
Leonard shook his head. "Penny, it's too big. Maybe if we…"
Penny burst into heaving sobs and tears began to pour from her eyes. Leonard slumped wearily against the wall. Raj took two steps further away from the crying woman. Howard sighed and walked over. He took her hands in his and tried to be comforting. "Penny, we won't damage the tree. Maybe if we got a crane…"
"I don't care about that stupid tree!" Penny sobbed, throwing her arms around Howard's neck. "My water broke!"
Howard looked down at the puddle forming around his shoes with worry. Leonard struggled not to pass out. Raj whipped out his phone and dialed 911.
Penny smiled tenderly down at the little girl in her arms. The door opened and Leonard, Howard and Raj peeked in. They moved silently into the room, their arms filled with balloons, teddy bears and flowers. Penny laughed at the wariness in their expressions. She knew she had been horrible this last month.
"How is she?" Leonard asked softly.
Penny adjusted the blanket and shifted so they could see her daughter. "Shelly Marie Queen, meet your uncles."
Raj reached for her and Penny let him pick her up. He carried the baby over to the sofa and sat down, Howard quickly joining him. Penny smiled as Howard counted toes and Raj cooed gently.
"She looks like him," Leonard said with a smile.
Penny nodded and leaned her head back. "Yep. She has my nose, but his coloring."
Leonard picked up her hand and smiled. "He'd be pretty proud."
Penny looked down at the engagement ring on her other hand and sighed. "I miss him so much," she whispered.
Leonard thought about the day Sheldon had finally gotten up the nerve to tell Penny how he felt. It had broken his heart a bit to see them together, but the sight of his normally reclusive friend opening up and loving someone… Well, he had to admit, they were good for each other.
Penny thought about the day he had given her the ring. He had been so nervous that when he went down to one knee, he almost fainted. When she had said yes, he had swept her into his arms and kissed her breathless. Dinner had lain forgotten on the table as they spent the rest of the evening locked in each other's arms.
Unbidden, more painful memories crowded in. The phone call about Meemaw passing away. The fear as she watched the news about the plane crash outside of Austin. The mind numbing grief of burying the both of them on the same day. The heartbreak mixed with joy when she saw those two pink lines a week later.
Leonard squeezed her hand, drawing her back into the here and now. "You still have us," he reminded her. "And now you have Shelly."
Penny nodded sadly. "I couldn't have done this without you three."
Leonard kissed her forehead and walked away to call Mrs. Cooper back and let her know about Shelly. Penny watched her friends smile at her baby. She twisted the ring on her finger, around and around. She and Sheldon should have had more time together. They should have been allowed to love each other longer. But at least she had her daughter. She still had her memories. It wasn't enough. But it would have to do.
A/N I didn't want to wait and post this one closer to the holiday, so it's going up now. Sorry for the downer, but I wrote it at work after putting up the store's tree. Not sure why, because I was really in a very good mood.