The Game The Started the Change

Chapter 15: Loving Touch

"Alright little missy, we expect to hear from you more often." Mary Cooper told Penny as they got ready to board the train.

"I'll try, Mary. You know I can get very busy and I'll forget." Penny responded.

"Oh shush you." MeeMaw shooed Mary away. "Moonpie, will make sure she stays in contact. Besides, they have a train to catch. We don't want to keep them long."

"We will see you all soon." Penny tried to soothe Mary's obvious worry. She really did not want to promise anything that she couldn't follow through on.

Missy gave Penny a hug and George Jr., picked her up and spun her around before kissing her on her cheek.

"If you ever need a big brother to come out there and help with anything, you let me know. I'll be there. I may not have the best relationship with Shelly, but I do still care about him. I know you're going to be my sister-in-law at some point. So I am starting now, sis. And I don't care what the others say. If you can make Mary cry herself to sleep with happy tears every night for the last week, then you're my sister in my book." George's voice was thick with emotion. It made his Texan accent a bit thicker too. If she hadn't met Sheldon, she could easily see herself with this Cooper.

"Thanks George. I appreciate it." Penny gave him a bit more squeeze around his waist before letting go and turning back to Missy. "I guess I'll be seeing you more often?"

"Oh yes. Raj is such a sweetie. And because I'm Sheldon's twin, he is now able to talk to me. Even if he doesn't consider me a sister, it still works out. Which is awesome. I have a few things to wrap up here before I head out there again. I might even consider staying for a while. I just don't know yet." Missy hugged Penny again before heading off to talk to Sheldon.

Penny smiled as Sheldon pulled his sister into a hug. He was really coming along in the hug department. It was so good to see. Plus the shocked look on Missy's face before the tears came was priceless to see. Penny had managed to snap a picture of it before Missy cried into Sheldon's shoulder. Those two have needed this for a long time.

"I told you that you're a God send, right?" Mary whispered in Penny's ear as she hugged her from behind so they both could watch the beautiful vision of the two twins finally being twins.

"Yes Mary. You have." Penny turned around to look at Mary. " George said I have made you cry every night. He did say it was from joy. Do you have a quick explanation?"

"For the first time in Shelly's life, he is hugging his family. He has not fought the meal prayer, he has held my hand without gloves, and he is smiling a genuine smile that I have never seen before. He is truly happy and... well look at him. He is holding Missy. They may be twins but it's always been the other way around. And that was only when he was really upset. Then add in the fact that it's in public. He's kinda making a scene. Most others are as well but..." Mary gave Penny a huge happy yet watery smile. "When you have been trying and failing his whole life to get him to do this, to finally see it is priceless. I always wondered if I had failed him somehow. If I didn't teach him as I should have. But I've watched him with you. He has taken everything about how to treat a women, and has put it into action in his own Shelly way."

"I don't think I completely understand." Penny frowned a little. "But you didn't fail him at all. He is a great man, who has taken what he has experienced from childhood and what you taught him, and applied it in such a way that makes up who he is. He loves you just as much as his MeeMaw. It's in what he says automatically that I can see that. But with Sheldon, I never have to worry about being cheated on, hit, beaten up, on purposely hurt. He speaks honestly, bluntly sure but honest. And he is all of those things because of you, Mary. He respects women but knows they are strong too. How can he not with two strong Cooper women to look up to. He took what you went through with his father to heart. And bluntly refuses to do the same to anyone else. He can accurately describe what it felt like to be in a home that fought all the time. So he vividly knows what any child of his would be going through. And wants none of it for his own. But... he also knows what he does want. And that's to have a loving family. Despite your flaws in your marriage, he never felt unloved or lacking. Well except for some really intelligent conversation. I know he has mentioned he would prefer Beverly as a mother but I don't think that is really the case. I think it's more that he wants to have a stimulating conversation with anyone. Especially from you."