Sheldon

She couldn't honestly say when it had happened, she couldn't really explain how it had happened just that it had. Even at that moment (the first peaceful one in the nearly twenty three past hours) she could only lie in the uncomfortable hospital bed reeling at what had transpired and where life had left her.

She looked at her hands spread across the sheets, pale peach against flannel and blue generic linens. Both too crisp and smelling far to little like home to allow her to sleep despite how completely exhausted she was. Her eyes scanned the wall she could see before falling upon the mesh and 70's coloured screen the nurses or doctors could drag across the rails. In the distance she could hear the hustle and bustle of a place that never slept but much closer she could hear his breathing and see his body slumped into the chair next to her bed. His long and lanky form folded in a way that must have been uncomfortable but sleeping nonetheless. If she had been up for over twenty three hours he was pushing thirty. A soft smile passed over her face as her eyes drank him in. His pants were brown today, his arms folded over his chest hiding the Aquaman logo she had a hunch was emblazoned there over the stark orange. She could not see the long sleeved T-shirt he wore underneath since a brown plaid blazer covered him. She felt her mouth frown a little. When he woke he would be annoyed that he had not taken it off and it would require extensive steaming to ensure it was not infected with air bourne diseases.

Turning her head she raised her legs, testing their strength. Sore but viable. As silently as possible she pulled the sheets back from the bed and turned her body. Easing gently towards the side of the bed she began the motions of moving. Trying her best not to disturb his vigil and instead of waking him she made her way towards the two little plastic baskets that he had obviously had wheeled in. He had probably sat down to wake her and fallen asleep himself. After all as pregnant as she had been and as careful as she had been there was no way her care could overshadow his intense neurosis.

When she had found out they were pregnant he had been terrified and locked himself in his room for two days, refusing to come out even for food. He had opted to use a delivery system sustained by Leonard and their other friends at Penny's insistence. When he finally did come out it took him three more days to stop avoiding her. However once the "cooling off period" had been established he seemed to jump into parenthood with the manic zeal he approached almost everything with, determined to become an expert within the limited amount of time he had been granted and treating her as a real live test subject. Penny had endured it the best she could, halfway surprised he had actually decided to acknowledge the paternity rather then opting for a more distanced approach. Abortion had been ruled out immediately (she felt his mother's influence had probably played more then a small hand in this decision). She herself had decided to keep the baby when it was born whether or not he had wanted to have a hand in its upbringing. From what she had seen he wanted far more then a hand. He had managed to insinuate himself into her life totally and completely.

So the past nine months had consisted of "exactly measured" diets, late night questionnaires and daily belly measuring. Somewhere in between wondering how the hell she had gotten herself tied to a man that she personally considered borderline insane and what the hell she was doing with her life she realized she was in love with him. The obsession became endearing, the diets were heartwarming meals, the questionnaires were nightly bouts of flirting and the belly measuring the highlight of her day. At some point, somehow she had discovered that she loved the strange man she had nicknamed Dr. Whackadoodle. Loved him so much that it spilled over in her heart and poured over the two little creatures placed in the separate plastic bassinets before her.

The two little bundles before her were sound asleep, their heads dark with more hair then she though possible on newborns, their little faces tiny, and perfect with the blankets denoting that she had indeed given birth to a boy and a girl. She wondered if he had found it amusing, even slightly. Neither of them had suspected twins, although in retrospect she knew her own Grandmother had been a twin and she did have twin aunts. She had heard that increased her chances. It hardly mattered. What mattered was he had been there, wrapped from head to toe in surgical gear, looking decidedly green however well enough to insult at least three nurses and her attending doctor to the point she could tell they were considering giving him the epidural.

He had refused to sleep the night before. After all it had been her due date and while Leonard was doing the driving (since Sheldon's attempts at getting an actual license had been horrible so far) Sheldon was determined that they would be prepared. So prepared in fact Penny had been certain that the car wouldn't have enough room for her in it. Still, he refused to sleep unless Leonard agreed to be "on watch". In the end he had stayed up all night long, gone into work and had been called back almost immediately as her water broke during his commute and Leonard was ferrying her away to the hospital. He had even taken a taxi to get to the hospital on time but when it had mattered he had been there by her side. She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't notice that there were two pairs of little eyes stared out at her. Penny felt her breath caught in her throat. So much so she didn't realize that she was no longer the only observer.

"Hello there babies," she whispered, waving her hands at them "I'm your mommy."

"They can't see you. Not really. Newborns usually open their eyes right away but lack the ability to focus. Right now you are a pleasantly coloured blur. However there is nothing that states that the parental bonding stage should not start immediately. Given the complications inherent in the delivery it would be wise to start the bonding process as quickly and efficiently as possible."

She sighed turning to look into his eyes. Noting that he was not really looking at her as he was staring behind her. His eyes were focused and analytical, not at all out of control. In fact the only indication that he wasn't his usual self were the dark bags smeared on his face and his slightly mussed clothing and hair. While he wasn't looking at her she did notice that he had one hand on her elbow, as if he were afraid she would skitter away if he let go.

"They're so beautiful The most beautiful babies I've ever seen." she whispered into the silence of the room.

"Comparatively there is no justification for that statement." he replied indifferently, "When Leonard, Raj, Howard and I went to the nursery they made the same assertions however I fail to see how our newborns are more physically attractive then other infants of a similar age. Is there something I do not understand? What are the parameters used for judging their appearances? Are we speaking in terms of geography? Our newborns are the most beautiful on this floor, this hospital, this state? How many children their age have you seen?"

"Sheldon, Sweetie..." she cooed, turning and pressing hands against his chest.

Immediately the tirade stopped and he looked at her, tilting his head slightly and giving her a questioning gaze. Smiling at him she rose on her tip toes ignoring the tension in her legs as she pressed her lips to his. His body tensed at first and then relaxed into the embrace nuzzling against her. He was will becoming used to public displays, even if the public consisted of two human beings that they had made in and even more gratuitous display of affection.

"They're beautiful because their ours you goof. I don't anymore reasons then that."

She could see his mind analyzing those words. Ready to argue the validity of them. Emotionalism vs. Logic. Rational thought against Irrational impulse. Still he just looked down at her and nodded in a sage way as if accepting the statement in all its faults before insisting that she get back into bed this instant and reminding her that it would take weeks for her to fully recover. She let him tuck her back in and watched her nurse for the first time before the a largish woman in scrubs wheeled the children back down to the nursery. She was sad to see them go however he stayed. Even without the babies present he stayed by her side. He never left.