:Nurse Howard:

Penny leaned weakly against her car. She had made it through her shift without throwing up or passing out, but if she was brutally honest, she wasn't sure she could drive. She closed her eyes for a moment to catch her breath. She just needed to get home. She had the next three days off. Plenty of time to get over whatever bug this was.

"Penny? Are you okay?" She looked up with bleary eyes to see Howard standing a few feet away. He approached slowly, looking around the parking lot. "Um, were you mugged?"

She opened her mouth but a bout of coughing overcame her. She bent at the waist trying to catch her breath between coughs. One hand gathered her hair back while another patted her back firmly. After several breathless seconds she raised back up and drew in deep gulps of air.

Howard placed a hand on her forehead and hissed. "You're burning up!"

Before she could reply or object Howard steered her around to the passenger side of the car. He practically shoved her into the seat before rushing back around to pick up her purse. He jumped in and searched the purse for her keys. Penny fumbled in her apron and then held them out.

Howard started the car and pulled out quickly. By the time he got three blocks away, Penny was out cold. He thought about calling Leonard, but his three friends were at a physics conference in Sacramento. Bernadette was still quarantined, which was why he had intended to have dinner alone. The only other person he could call was Sheldon's girl-slash-friend Amy, and he hesitated to do that.

He wasn't blind to the fact that whenever Amy was around Penny looked a bit creeped out. More so than she ever had with him. So, what to do? Two blocks later Howard sighed and hoped that his course of action didn't end with him in a body cast.

Penny groaned, cringing at the sharp stabbing pain in her head. She felt hot and cold all at the same time. She had vague memories of someone place a wet cloth on her head, holding her up to take some truly horrid medicine, and rubbing her back as she retched into a waste can. Was Sheldon home, then? No one else ever took care of her like that. Leonard had a tendency to disappear whenever someone coughed.

A cup touched her lips and she drank greedily to sooth her cotton-ball mouth.

"Whoa," a voice said softly. "Not too much or you'll throw up."

She focused on Howard with surprise. "You?" she asked with a croak.

A blush crept up his cheeks. "It's no big deal," he said with embarrassment. "It was either me, the hospital or Amy," he told her.

Penny was too sick to be diplomatic. "Thank god it's you, then. Remind me to hug you if I live."

Howard sagged with relief. Maybe she really wouldn't kill him when she got better. "Go back to sleep," he teased. "You're delirious."

Penny eased her legs over the side of the bed and carefully stood. She was weaker than she liked, but not as weak as she feared she would be. She glanced through to the living room at Howard, snoring away on her sofa. She looked at the clock by the bed and grimaced. Four days, sick as hell, and Howard had stuck by her the entire time.

She would never have believed it if she hadn't lived through it. Howard Wolowitz had a heart of gold underneath that creepy candy coating. She stripped off her pajamas and stepped into the shower. She turned the water to lukewarm to help wake herself up and leaned against the shower wall.

Howard jerked awake when he heard the closet door close in Penny's bedroom. He headed into the kitchen and started a kettle of tea. By the time Penny had shuffled to the couch he had oatmeal and toast ready as well. Penny turned on the TV and surfed until she found an episode of Firefly. Howard looked at her with surprise. She shrugged and sipped her tea. He grinned and settled back to watch the show.

Leonard rubbed his eyes, sure he was having a nightmare. Sheldon tilted his head and looked at the scene before him curiously. Raj wished he had a beer. Leonard reached out and slowly shut the door again. When they had gotten back from their convention, Leonard had eagerly crossed the hall to say hi to Penny. Now that his relationship with Priya was over, he had hoped there was a second chance for him and Penny.

Seeing her sleeping on her sofa, her head on Howard's shoulder, an arm around the man's waist made his eyes hurt. Even worse, Howard's chin was resting on Penny's head, his arms wrapped around her shoulders.

"Do you think they…" Raj asked hesitantly

Leonard shook his head quickly.

"They what?" asked Sheldon.

"Nothing!" Leonard insisted a bit loudly.

"Got horizontal," Raj teased. "Did the bedroom boogie. Knocked boots. Played hide the…"

"Enough!" Leonard exclaimed loudly before stomping into his apartment.

Sheldon looked from Penny's door to Leonard's retreating back. "Hide the what, Leonard? Has Penny lost something? Should I help her find it?"

"Shut up, Sheldon!"

Raj grinned, enjoying Leonard's discomfort. "I wonder what really has been going on," he mumbled in a low voice to Sheldon.

Sheldon rolled his eyes. "There are used tissues overflowing the waste can. Penny is pale and has dark circles under her eyes. There is a thermometer and a bottle of cough medicine on the coffee table. Obviously she has been ill."

Raj looked impressed. "You're like a real life Sherlock."

Sheldon nodded smugly. "Besides, Howard called two days ago because Penny wanted me to sing Soft Kitty to her." At Raj's look of surprise, Sheldon smirked. "You aren't the only one who likes to see Leonard annoyed."

Raj gave a surprised bark of laughter before following Sheldon into 4A.