This is just magnificent. I love how you know it's Penny talking, but really, it's you Linnea. Everything just wraps up so affectionately and passionately. And the connection to "superhero" is something you've made your own.
You've delivered the message that health problems are just that - one more problem in life that needs dealt with. Life doesn't stop and can't. Love can even exist and with the right friends and loved ones, why, it can be almost effortless! OK, maybe not, but still, you developed a supportive, strong, and encouraging message. The marriage sealed Penny's future and her dad's support reigns supreme here.
Nicely done! What a story! And I'm glad I finally read the whole thing.

You go, girl! You're very brave for addressing a very important issue - health conditions change everything. Like alcoholism or taxes, health problems can be a social problem, and you acknowledge this in a very thought-provoking way. I like how you simply address the reader and your interruption into this story makes it very personal and even heartwarming.
I'm glad to have participated in your little journey and your superhero metaphor is absolutely correct - it DOES take a superhero to survive health issues.

I just love this. I love everything about this chapter. It's funny, annoying, sad, and funny again all wrapped into one! Your skills at conversations are better than mine and how everything flows feels so natural and honest.
I love how Penny tries to sidetrack the conversation with Sheldon and how he doesn't respond to her in a way she needs actually HELPS her.
And that final line... Sheise, kick a guy in the groin! What a powerful statement that is. And it's so simple. This chapter is FAR from boring and I can easily see everything here as important and thought-provoking.
Once again, Linnea, you have impressed me. You display a rollercoaster of emotions that doesn't disappoint. Well done!

Wow... We all need someone like Ruth in our lives. I love how you wrote her and the observations she makes are spot-on. I especially like how she suggests Penny talk to someone who isn't too close to her.

I also like that Leonard is also grieving in his own way. His love for her is being challenged right now and he has to face this medical issue with Penny (albeit not in the same way).

And that final sentence is so powerful. But Leonard's a smart guy and he can easily figure out the ramifications.

This is so intense and wonderful. Those two words aren't often used in my reviews. And you wrote this so seemingly easily. I'm very sure it was not.

To me, this is the most important chapter, so far. How do you deal with this news? How will it change your life? WILL it change your life? And we see supporters don't know what to do, but WANT to do something. I love the reactions here and her employer is very generous. This is an engrossing look at what medical conditions can do - yes, they change things AT FIRST, but will it last?

Your English is much better here and you can tell that you focused on how important this chapter is. I'm proud of what you've accomplished here and the ending leads to even more discoveries. How will this turn out? Of course, we think the worst, but will it really be?

Oh wow... You see, when people have a medical condition, the fact that it can have multiple causes and/or factors, makes dealing with it a multi-faceted issue. Your knowledge of this is incredible and I can see why you wanted to address this. The doctor is appropriately cold and I love, love, love the last line.

"Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars..." - wow... Just wow.

All in all, this is a heartbreaking look at medical diagnoses that either help or, more often than not, hinder. And your progression and hopping through time is especially poignant here. Nicely done!

Ah, medical anxiety... It's a tune we all know. That moment of dread, fear, trepidation, procrastination, and whatever else you want to throw in can easily consume you. But I like that Penny is going to the office alone. We see her strength but also her doubts. And we see that she's convinced she will be alright, at least according to her.

But with medical recovery, isn't that the most important thing? And you display this so well, so easily. This is pretty much an introspective chapter and I like her thoughts on this. Leonard is pretty much in the background but still important. The superhero line was well-placed and meaningful. This is such a good story!

Relapse. When you have a chronic condition, this term doesn't exactly apply. But in terms of this story, it does. We see Penny's struggles with her health and this time, she's on it. She knows to do something, even if it's just Coca-Cola.
And you're tantalizing the reader with more and more details of this tense and painful time in Penny's life. You wanted us to want more and we do. Well, I do.
And that final part to this chapter is both funny and thought-provoking. Combining the exhaustion of the medical system with the silliness of a person's name is a stroke of genius here. It's simple and effective. No more, no less. And it just works.
You may have called this a "filler" chapter, but we delve more into the world you want us to see AND feel. So, good job!

Well, it seems I was right. We have returned to the angst that you so love...sort of. Friends can help us snap out of funks, but when doubt is lingers, we forget to do one, little thing - live. This is an important chapter, both for the story and for us. I'm glad they dragged Penny out on a stormy day, only to have a pretty good day.
This chapter is why it's sooooo important to have friends. Friends that become family. Friends that are family. Friends that bother, annoy, intrude, love, share, and bother again. THAT's a family.

From the very beginning to the very end, this is just a joy to read. I LOVE how you write Sheldon so well. He's so exact and to-the-point and I'm surprised you had Sheldon instead of Leonard, get her. I like that you did that!

And that final line just says it all. I don't think this chapter "kind of sucks" at all. We often need these little reminders that friends can be family and that life needs to be lived. Not suffered. And it's so simple and honest here. Nicely done!

One of the things I've noticed about this story is that you took a classic comedy and turned it into a serious drama. The show doesn't do that often enough and with your story, I could easily see this happening.
And you're addressing serious issues here. Healthcare in America (as I imagine in Sweden) is important but flawed. And when news hits us, we don't always react the way we think we should. When news reaches Penny about her health, she's almost disappointed. All of her anxiety has just seemed to go away, but has it really? We don't really know...yet.
This chapter is fantastic. I just love how you return to the world of the living with this chapter. Gone is the gloom and doom...for now. And we've returned to humor and sweetness. This is great!
And that is a great name for a cafe!

Ooooh, the anticipation builds. I haven't seen much suspense from your writing, but this chapter definitely works. I like the shift from the elderly neighbor to the seriousness at the end. Her inner thoughts scream of anxiety, fear, and most importantly, herself.

So many times we have met people who are sick and tired of being sick and tired. And when you're powerless to DO anything about it, it makes the situation work. This is just phenomenal stuff and I can see that this story means a lot to you. I need to see who June Squibb is and looks like.

This is good stuff. I like that you're making this your own but still, we see the others in character. That's not easy to do.

From the stunning opening paragraph to the fateful conclusion, I feel so, so bad for Penny. And we finally see a breaking point for her. This was bound to happen. Coddling can only do so much and as far as I remember, Penny was fairly independent.

Her inner thoughts resonate here. She's struggling but just wants to deal with this on her own. Is that right? This is an engrossing look at what recovery can truly be like and she calls herself a coard and ungrateful. Is she? That's doubtful, but it's more important that that's how she FEELS. THAT's what's important here. And once again, you present this so well, so believably...

It's also ironic that when she finally gets alone time, she berates herself. It's almost like she's grieving. And in a way, she is. So what's a girl to do? Curl up with a Froggy and power through it. Nice. Harsh, but nice. This just feels so real!

"...we don't think you're telling us the truth about wanting to be alone." - **sigh**... I have always considered protective people to be a little problematic. The supporters WANT to help and help more, but in reality, they often want to help themselves feel better. You don't state it this way, but this is so, so clear here. However, Bernadette and company could be correct. Are they? Time will tell, but given the tone of this story, EVERYONE might be a little correct. THAT is what helps make this chapter work - that dichotomy of need and want can be difficult, especially to someone in medical recovery.

This is written like it just happened yesterday. And it's brilliant - it's real and honest and I can't imagine Penny's struggles here and don't want to. And at the end, we're see Penny is ambivalent about, well, everything. It's like she's surrendered to THEIR wishes when people don't really care about Penny's. That's a frustrating mix and it's presented here so well. Well done!

Oh... Those of us who have gone through medical issues understand this chapter. And you display it beautifully. I think her pain could've been expressed differently, but her loneliness and frustration are VERY clear here. I feel so sorry for her. And that's exactly what you wanted.

I loved that you even used the English slang 'Heck'. Awesome!

A totally believable and sad/inspirational chapter. We're seeing just how strong Penny is while she's struggling privately. Brilliant!