Johnny picked the picture of Josie he had dropped and looked at it again. He couldn't believe the words that had just come out of Baby's mouth. This couldn't be his daughter could it? "I think I misunderstood you."
Baby knew she had done it now. "No Johnny you didn't. This is your daughter."
Johnny looked at the picture again and then turned his eyes back to Baby. "I don't understand."
"Johnny, after I went off to college I found out I was pregnant with Josie." Baby was really afraid of what was going to happen next.
"Why wasn't' I told?" Johnny said as he eyed Baby. "If she is mine why wasn't I told?"
"I have no excuse for that. It all happened and sent me into a whirl wind. I felt you wouldn't understand." Baby said as she reached for his hand. "She looks so much like you."
Johnny pulled his hand from Baby's grasp. "For six years you never told me I had a daughter. How could you do that?"
"I am sorry. That is all I can say." Baby said with tears filling her eyes. "I made a mistake. I thought you would be upset with me or something."
"I have never done anything to make you think I would not give a damn if I had a child." He told her sternly.
"I know, again I am sorry." Baby leaned back in her chair afraid to move.
Johnny was hurt so deep down inside he couldn't stand it. "How old is she?'
"She will be six next week." Baby said to him.
Johnny looked at the picture one more time and could now see himself looking back at him. "She has my eyes."
Baby let out a little smile now. "Yes she does. She has a lot of your features."
"I have lived for years not knowing about her. Baby, I never thought you would do something like this to me. I have been hurt by a lot of people in my life but I never dreamed in a million years the woman who stole my heart years ago would be one of them." Johnny rose to his feet.
"Wait, where are you going?' Baby said as she jumped up herself.
"I need some air." Johnny threw the money down for the coffee and headed outside.
Baby followed him as she kept his back to her the whole time. "Johnny what can I say?"
"Baby, how would you feel if I kept a secret like this from you for six years?' He asked her sternly.
"I understand the mistake that I made." Baby tried to make him understand. "I was scared."
"Your father made you not tell me didn't he?" Johnny just knew that was the reason.
Baby turned him around to her. "He wanted me to tell you but I chose not to and he respected my wishes."
"She ever ask about her father?" He asked her with a tear in his eye.
"She is starting to." Baby put her hand on his face. "Would you like to meet her?"
Johnny jerked back out of Baby's reach. "I need some time to come to terms with all this."
"I don't have time." Baby said as she rubbed her for head nervously.
"Looks like you had six years worth of time." Johnny smarted off to her.
Baby knew she needed to tell him that he could be the only thing that could save Josie's life. "There is more."
"Oh God Baby! I can't deal with anything more." He said starting to walk back to the school. "Look just head on home."
"You not even going to give her a chance?" Baby asked him following her.
"Baby just out of the blue you come and tell me I have a daughter. How do you want me to act? You want me to jump right in and play daddy?" He could shoot bullets from his stare. "I don't think so."
"Look I messed up I realize that but Johnny this little girl needs you!" Baby said holding her picture up in his face. "I need your help!"
"Having financial problems now huh?" Johnny's tone was getting more and more hateful.
"How can you sit there and say that. Johnny Castle you know me better than that!" Baby was getting her own hateful tone.
"Your right Baby you have changed." Johnny walked off from Baby and left her standing there watching him.
"Johnny!" She called after him but he wouldn't stop. "Johnny!"
He made no attempt to stop as Baby quickly tried to catch up with him. "She could die Johnny!"
Baby had to say it. She knew of no other way than just to come right out and say it.
Johnny stopped and turned around. "What do you mean?"
Baby was fully crying by the time she caught up with Johnny and he seen the worry in her eyes. "She is dying and you could be the one that saves her."
Johnny was taken back by Baby's remark. "Explain."
Baby reached for Johnny's hand and he made no attempt to pull away. "She has cancer. We just found out."
"How am I the only one that could help her?" Johnny asked calmer now.
"I or nor my family is a bone marrow match for her. The doctors told me that you could possibly be her match." Baby found that hard to get out. "They want you tested right away."
"What kind of cancer is it?" He asked whole heartedly.
"Acute lymphoblastic leukemia. We tried chemotherapy but she has only gotten worse and they said she needs a donor ASAP." Baby told him. "Will you help me?"
Johnny did not know how to react. What do you say in moment this? He found out he had a little girl and that she could be dying, all in the same time. His mind was turning summersaults and didn't know which way was up. "Baby I am taken back by all this."
"I know you are Johnny, I can imagine." Baby responded. "I know you are upset with me but don't punish your daughter."
"I need some time." Johnny told her quickly.
"She doesn't have time." Baby tried to make him understand that. "Why don't you meet her?"
"Baby, if she hadn't gotten sick would you ever have told me about her?" He asked really wanting to know the answer to that.
"That I cannot answer." Baby couldn't. She really didn't know if she would have ever told Johnny.
Johnny was in a torn situation. He had never dreamed in a million years he would be hearing this from Baby. "I just would have never expected this from you."
"I know. We just have to face reality now." Still holding his hand Baby couldn't stop her tears. "I can't lose her Johnny."
Johnny was silent for what seemed like hours as he played all this over and over in his head. No one can ever accept a shock like this. Your world can change in just one moment. "Okay."
Baby looked Johnny in the eyes. "You mean it?"
"I mean it. I will help you." He said as he squeezed Baby's hand tight. "I will do what ever you need me too."
"Oh Johnny!" Baby leaped into his arms and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. "Please forgive me one day."
Johnny broke the embrace as the looked Baby dead in the eyes. "Some things are just unforgivable."
Baby understood where he was coming from and she could accept that. She had kept something so amazing away from Johnny and he had resentment toward her. Whatever the fact, he was going to be tested for Josie's sake and Baby knew now that she loved him more that ever. It's was a shame he didn't feel the same.
"Will you come up and meet her?" Baby asked as she wiped the tears from her face.
Johnny nodded as he tried to picture what she was like. "I would like that."
"Come up tonight!" Baby told him anxious. "If we leave now you can see her before she goes to bed. You could spend the night and spend the day with her tomorrow."
"Whoa slow down there." Johnny said as Baby's thoughts took off. "I have plans tonight."
"Oh." Baby managed to get out.
"I can come up in the morning or by the afternoon." He told her. "I have a dinner date and I really don't need to cancel."
"Yeah, okay. That sounds fine." Baby made it known in her tone of voice she was upset.
"Look Baby I will come tomorrow." He said again.
Baby looked up at him again and couldn't help but think about how handsome he was after all these years. "You are still an amazing man Johnny Castle."
"Thank you." He said with an uplifting smile.
"I know you are just going to love her." Baby was sure he would.
"I am sure I will." He told her as he motioned to the school. "I better be heading out."
"Yeah, I need to get home myself." Baby said uneasy now.
They started walking back toward the school together. They walked about two feet apart in silence till they reached the front steps. "I am going to check and see if they need anything before I go."
Baby pulled a piece of paper from her purse and wrote her phone number and address on it and handed it to Johnny. "Just give me a call in the morning and we can just go from there."
"Yeah, I will." He said with a pause or two in his voice. "Baby?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I might take you up on that offer tonight. That is if the offer still stands." He said smiling.
"Of course, but what about your dinner date?" Baby asked not really caring.
"I will just tell her something came up and that I will reschedule." He informed her.
Her? Baby didn't like the sound of that but what could she expect it had been six years. "That sounds good."
Baby followed Johnny to his apartment where she waited outside for Johnny to run up and grab a few things and make that phone call to cancel his date. Maybe things were finally falling into place and things could begin to look up for Josie. Baby had to make her well again, she just had too.
