Chapter 62 Uneven Distribution

I've been on hiatus for a few days needed to stretch the threads in my mind for a while. I just got an email that Nicole, (WeBuiltthePyramids), has published another chapter of Parental Ambition on Fanfiction. If you haven't you should give it a read. It's remarkably well done and she is very talented. If anybody hasn't figured out the disclaimers are a warm up. I just write what I'm thinking and let the muse wander a bit. It's been a remarkable journey writing this piece. The ability to keep it going in new or odd directions has been fascinating to me. But all things come to an end as Beverly has just found out. Perhaps we'll go on a little longer but who knows. One last thought, Macy I miss you where have you gone? I'm going to post all your reviews and story soon. That said. Let's begin shall we.

November 7th 2025

Intricate Purgatory

Leonard Hoftstader PhD sat at his desk his concentration flawed. The numbers on the spreadsheet in front of him for department budgets and funding requests a blur. It had been four weeks since his mother had suddenly passed. The cremation had taken place the cremains shipped to his bother. He had grieved, broken down, let his anger have its day but he was still stuck. To find that she had cared was the most tormenting. He found himself having a new respect for the kind of discipline it must have taken to pull away. But what had she proved and what had she gained? The work was incomplete he knew. She had never gotten a chance to finish it.

She had told Penny she had hoped she could get it done but now it sat out there like an orphaned child. Like his own childhood interrupted and incomplete. Leonard knew he could move forward. The process was ingrained in him. But there it was he couldn't let her work wither on the vine. He had her laptop. It had all her journals and observations going back to the beginning.

What Leonard doubted was if he had the courage to finish it. He doubted he could do an impartial analysis of himself to finish the work. He was a physicist not a psychologist. He only knew of one person that might be able to finish it but it wasn't his field and Leonard thought he may be ill equipped to deal with it. Sheldon Cooper had more insight into his mother and her work than any human being in existence.

There was a certain guilt involved if he dumped this on his friend. He was fragile as it was. Leonard had brought him back from being broken once. That probably couldn't be done again. No it couldn't be Sheldon he had probably been feeding his mother evaluations from the years he had lived with Leonard. He would have to look outside his group. Leonard would need to find a research psychologist to take on the project. That gave him pause. To finish the work this outsider was going to want to crawl into Leonard's mind and have a look around. Leonard was a very open person about most aspects of his life but his relationship with his mother and family was not one of those aspects.

He sat back in his chair and let the wheels turn for moment. Now at least he had some semblance of a plan he'd talk to Penny about it then start looking for the right scientist. He looked back at the budget spreadsheet in front of him and then at his calendar of meetings for the day. The other elephant in the room reappeared, was it time to retire?

His phone buzzed with a text, Penny had her doctor's appointment today.

"It's looking good, got the shot today good for a whole year."

He felt himself smile. Penny was healthy and had apparently decided to get the one year shot for birth control that part of life should get back to normal. They had both been down for quite a few days after Beverly. Penny had actually gone to see her therapist one afternoon the next week. She was adjusting fine more worried about him and Lisel than herself helped her. She was always at her best when she cared for others. Leonard thought he was putting up a pretty good front himself. The grieving process wasn't his problem, he had grieved for his mother, he was having a harder time grieving for little Leonard, that happy little boy in pictures where had he gone to?

Lisel had been very quiet for a few days. She drew pictures of her and Beverly doing things she thought they would have done. Leonard had let her put them in the Beverly's album when she asked. Then she had moved on. She had created a few memories to go with the few she had of her grandmother and her mother and moved on. Penny talked to her a lot. She reassured her that her parents were healthy and still young and that they would never leave her. Lisel had made them both promise.

Leonard knew she had a deeper reasoning on the subject. She was far too intelligent to know that it was a promise they could keep forever. It still seemed to help her and it made him happy that she was happy again. That should be enough for him he knew but he also knew he needed to do more. He had to finish it.

Entwined Solace

Penny sat with Chelsea on the couch going through her mail and schedule. Matisse was sleeping in the bassinette next to them. Penny looked at next week. She had three appearances to make. Two talk show interviews and a fund raiser for the Humane Society one evening. A pretty low key week but she'd have to arrange childcare for them. Then she'd see if Leonard would go with her to the fund raiser. They really did need to start getting out more again. Since Beverly's death they had been staying close to home not even going to the apartment in Pasadena.

Her morning doctor's appointment had went well she decided she would take things into own hands.

"Chelsea I need you to pick up Lisel this afternoon and bring her to the apartment in Pasadena."

Chelsea looked a little surprised, "Sure no problem I love picking her up but what's going on in Pasadena?"

"We're going to spend the weekend at the apartment do you mind staying with the dogs this weekend or do you have plans?"

Chelsea grinned, "I'd love to stay here for the weekend, a little pool time would be great."

"Okay then I need to get the baby and a bag packed up and make a couple of calls"

Penny picked up her phone and made a call, "Hi Mrs. Perry I need you to do something for me."

Rearrangement

Leonard finished the budget spreadsheet and sent it the finance department. He looked back over at his schedule for the afternoon as he watched all of his meetings from noon on disappeared. He hit the refresh icon and they were all replaced with an out of office appointment that just said 4A. His phone buzzed with a text, it was from Penny.

"You have new appointment Dr. Hoftstader 12:30 you know where and give Mrs. Perry the rest of the day off. Be There!"

Leonard sat back and smiled seems things were looking up. He looked at the time 11:30 well at least she gave him an hour.

Retracing

Penny parked her car in one of the 4A reserved spaces at the apartment. She looked over to the street and saw no press and smiled. She saw that Leonard was already there his Toyota parked in the space. She smiled down at Matisse as she got her out of the back with her bag and went in the new entrance down to the basement. She took the elevator up and as she exited saw the door to 4A was open. She walked in to see Leonard behind the kitchen island tossing a salad and smiling at her. On the coffee table was large arrangement of flowers mostly daisies her favorite but wild flowers and orchids also.

He just looked at her with The Smile on his face.

"I see you're a little early honey, lovely flowers and making me lunch too."

She gave him what she knew was his favorite smile and closed the door. Penny took Matisse out of her carrier and placed her gently in the bassinette next to the couch. She fussed for moment and was back asleep. Penny took off and dropped her coat on the couch and kicked her shoes off. She walked over slowly to the kitchen with just a little more wiggle than usual in her step. Leonard was still smiling as he turned and her arms went around his neck. The kiss was soft but intensified as she pulled him tighter to her. She pulled back and turned out of his embrace but grasped his hand and tugged him toward the hallway.

"I'm not really hungry for food right now sweetie just you."

Leonard started to speak and she shushed him, "It's taken me years to teach you when not to talk let's just go with that. Tish baby monitor please. Come on stallion."

When the baby cried 40 minutes later Leonard unwound himself from Penny and grabbed his robe and got Matisse from the living room. He came back in to Penny sitting propped up on the pillows under the sheets from the waist down. Her hair was a wild mess that was very enticing. She had a smoldering smile and a very soft look on her face. Leonard handed her the baby and she started to feed her. Penny looked back up at him and patted the bed beside her.

"Looks like you caught a break Hoftstader before round two."

Leonard lay down beside her resting his head next to hers and his hand on her tummy. "Yep I finally caught a break." He thought about a similar line from years ago, the first time when it was awkward. He smiled about how comfortable and exciting it was now. He knew she was thinking about the same moment and they both laughed.

He studied her for a moment as she looked down and rocked the baby as she suckled.

"So what gave you this quite wonderful idea?"

She looked up and gave him that crooked little grin he liked, "I thought we needed to get back to our roots. This place and Pasadena we're staying the weekend. Chelsea will bring Lisel after school. We'll need to go shopping and figure out what we want to do but we're doing it here."

Leonard realized how right she was that they needed to be in this home. Start looking at where they wanted to go now. This was the best place to start that process.

"You're right as usual Penny this is the best I've felt in weeks."

She handed Matisse to Leonard and got out of bed. She grabbed her bag and headed for the bathroom. She gave him a wicked leer over her shoulder as she went by.

"Are you sure it's just not the sex? See if she'll go back down for a while. I'm going to straighten myself up."

Leonard took the baby into the living room and rocked her gently. She usually went back to sleep after she ate and this time was no exception. He still held and rocked her for several more minutes just smiling down at her. Leonard put her down gently in the bassinette and turned to the hallway to see Penny standing there.

She had on a full Wonder Woman costume with a high quality black wig and all the accessories. In her hand was a Green Lantern costume. She had the wicked little grin on her face.

"We're doing New Year's Eve over as it should have happened, come on stallion."

Sometimes you have to go back to the roots to get started again.

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