Thanks to everyone that has reviewed the pilot chapter so far!

Okay, so I'm kind of on a writing spree because it's the weekend, but from now on I would expect probably a chapter every week (two weeks at the most). I would like to specify that this takes place after Penny and Leonard break up the second time, and before Bernadette and Amy come into the picture. I promise my upcoming chapters will have far greater attention to deal than these first few.

Time was passing very, very slowly. The doctors tending to Leonard had brought out her stubborn streak when they told her go home and sleep, to get over the initial shock of the accident, that this was going to take a while. Defiantly, she seated herself back in the sickly green waiting room. Every now and then she looked at the clock, expecting at least a half hour to have gone by, when in reality it had only been five minutes. Out of nowhere, she wondered what had happened to the old man she'd spoken to earlier.

More time passed. She was frustrated. Doctors were supposed to fix people. Why couldn't they fix Leonard?

Finally she decided that she had better take their suggestion, and informed the doctor that had taken her to see Sheldon that she was leaving. "Good idea, Mrs. Coo-Penny. We'll call you when Mr. Hofstadter is stable."

She stood outside the emergency room doors, wondering how she was going to get home. Flipping through her phone (which had miraculously remained intact in her pocket), she found Raj's number and sent him a text.

You up? Leonard, Sheldon, and I were in an accident. Need someone to take me home from the hospital.

He replied almost immediately, and if he was surprised it didn't show.

Be there in 5.

Although things were usually awkward with Raj since he couldn't speak to her, the silence was oddly comforting on the ride home. She was relieved that he hadn't brought Howard, who would've tried to take advantage of her in her vulnerable state. Seeming to forget his muteness, the only thing Raj asked was, "Are they okay?"

Sighing, she replied, "Sheldon's hurt, but doing okay. Leonard's bad."

He simply nodded and left her to her thoughts. At the end of the ride, he said, "I'll call their mothers."

"Thank you." Penny hadn't even thought about that. She wondered for a millisecond how Raj was going to accomplish that, then decided she didn't care as long as she didn't have to. A worried Mrs. Cooper wasn't what she wanted to deal with right now.

Penny glanced at the door of 4A as she let herself into her apartment. Staggering into the bathroom, she rested her forehead against the wall of the shower as she let the water run over her until it ran cold. Shivering, she wrapped herself in a huge pink bathrobe and perched on the side of her bed. Her phone was blinking like crazy. She had an idea who it was. She was right. Four missed calls from Mrs. Cooper, and two texts from Missy. She hadn't expected anything from Mrs. Hofstadter.

Grudgingly, she dialed Mrs. Cooper's number and was almost immediately greeted by Sheldon's hysterical mother. "Penny! Penny! That Indian fellow ya'll hang out with called and said my baby Shelly was in accident, what happened? Is he alright? Sweet sufferin' Jesus, I need to call my prayer group, book a flight, pack-"

"Mrs. Cooper!" Penny interrupted. "I don't remember exactly what happened, but I was driving- and- and-" Penny's stomach dropped. She'd been driving. Not Leonard. She'd told the nurse Leonard had been driving. Why didn't she remember this before? Her head spun, and she felt as though she were going to be sick. All of this was her damn fault.

"Hello? Penny?"

She fought back the rising nausea in her stomach before answering.

"Sheldon's hurt, but he's okay. Broken ribs, broken collarbone, and broken legs. They put him under for the night so he could sleep, but I saw him before they did."

"Sweet sufferin' Jesus," Mrs. Cooper repeated. "What about the other guy, Leonard? The Indian kid said something about him."

"Yeah. He's not good," she said bluntly.

"Ah," Mrs. Cooper replied softly. "Well, I'll ask the Good Lord to stay on both of their sides. Anyhow, I'll be there sometime tomorrow."

"Alright, Mrs. Cooper. I think Sheldon's going into surgery for his legs tomorrow."

"That don't matter none. You tell me when he goes in if I'm not there, ya hear?"

"I will." Penny heard the receiver click.

She dropped the phone and sighed from pure exhaustion. She'd assumed Raj had told Howard what happened, and that Mrs. Cooper would tell Missy, so she didn't bother to pick it up again.

Suddenly, every detail of the accident replayed itself clearly in her head. Leonard was in the front seat on their way back to the apartment. Sheldon was cramped into the back, once again rambling on about how dangerous it was to drive with the check-engine light on. She'd gone to the movies with them. She was going 43 miles per hour in a 40 zone, not speeding. The light had been green as she entered the intersection. Then a huge truck rammed into the passenger's side, shattering the glass of both windows. The car was spinning. Then everything was silent and still.

Deciding she was not going to be able to sleep in her own bed tonight, she fished out the boy's spare key from the chaos of her room and let herself in to their apartment. Locking the door behind her, she grabbed a shirt from one of Sheldon's drawers, and curled up with it in Leonard's bed. The hospital still hadn't called.

In the morning she woke with a vague unpleasant feeling, and an oddly comforting smell that she couldn't identify filled her nose. The events of the previous night-or rather, earlier that morning- came rushing back to her and she buried deeper in one of Sheldon's countless superhero shirts and pulled the covers of Leonard's bed closer around her. After fighting the urge to lay this way all day, she got up and checked the blinking light on her phone. It was a voicemail. She dialed 1 and heard the doctor in the white coat's voice.

"Penny, this is Dr. Warner from the hospital." So that was his name. "I'm calling to inform you that Mr. Hofstadter is currently stable, although he has fallen into a coma. He will be in the intensive care unit for the next few days. Visiting hours are from 9am to 9pm."

Penny let out a long sigh and some of the heavy weight pressing on her lifted. Leonard had pulled through the operation. But he wasn't out of the woods yet. She decided she'd better let Raj and Howard know and sent each of them a text that read,

Leonard's stable, but in a coma. Come to visit them today, Sheldon's getting surgery.

From Howard: Is Sheldor going to bitch the whole time?

She wanted to punch him, but realized making jokes was probably his way of dealing with the situation. She sent back, Just come.

Oooh, kinky.

She rolled her eyes.

From Raj: Let me know when he's out of surgery, I'll be there.

At least one of them cared.

Looking at the clock on Leonard's night stand she realized the time was well past nine o'clock. She didn't know if Sheldon's sedatives had worn off yet, but she knew she should probably get to the hospital as soon as possible. She thought she ought to bring both of them some things to make them feel more at ease in the cold, sterile hospital rooms, so she hurriedly pulled a few comic books from each of their respective collections, grabbed Sheldon's laptop and charger, and pulled a blanket of off each of their beds. While in Sheldon's room, she noticed a soft fluffy paw sticking out from under his bed, and she pulled it out to reveal a well-loved stuffed cat. Smiling to herself, she hid it away in the bag along with his laptop, and called a cab.