"You need a lawyer, Pen, this has to stop."
"I don't want a lawyer. I can't afford it."
Penny looks at Johnny who is holding up the business card. He and Billy are trying to convince Penny to make a lawsuit to get Robbie Gould arrested.
"Pen, come on, let us help you, besides this is Baby's lawyer, not mine."
"Baby… perfect Baby."
Penny snorts as she spits out the words. Johnny looks at Penny, she sees his frustration and she looks away. Johnny looks at Billy who lifts his shoulders up.
"Pen."
"I don't want to hear it."
"Why can't you be happy for me?"
"Why? Because for the thousand's time, you manage to sleep with your assistant."
"You know there's more than that between Baby and me."
"I know you won't last anyway. You'll never change because you don't know what love is."
Johnny lays the card down on the table next to the bed. Penny looks at it for a second and inhales deeply.
"I know I've been neglecting you, but I'm going through a change, a good change, and I thought that at least my best friend would be happy for me, but if you can't be happy for me, then maybe we shouldn't be friends anymore."
She looks back at him with tears in her eyes. She never had thought that her best friend would choose a girl over her. Billy looks at Johnny as well, he cannot believe what he just heard.
"You don't mean those words, cuz."
"I wish I could say that, but I'm not going to put my own happiness aside because of a stupid jealousy. I've always been there. I've always put everything aside, for both of you. I've dedicated my life to both of you, and what do I get in return? A cousin who I haven't talked to in a month, and a best friend who gets jealous because I'm finally changing and having someone who loves me for who I am? My best friend who, for years, is telling me to stop being a womanizer and start having real relationships. Then I get a phone-call from my cousin because my best friend is laying in the hospital. I get the feeling of guilt for not being attentive enough, even my girlfriend told me that I haven't been so attentive to my best friends who I call my family. I came here because I care, and because I love you and I want to help, but what do I get in return, huh?"
He looks at Billy with teary eyes, then he looks at Penny who is crying but not looking at him.
"I can't do this anymore. If you ever change your mind about taking the lawyer, just tell him Baby's name, the lawyer will do your case for free. I'll leave you at peace for now, you need rest."
Johnny turns and walks to the door, crying, on that moment I come inside the room. I look at him and see his face. I start to frown. He sees me and grabs me into a tight hug.
"What's going on?"
"I want to go home."
"Can you wait outside for a moment, please?"
"I will, but not too long please, I hate hospitals."
"Of course."
He gives me a soft kiss and went outside. I look at Penny and Billy. I see Billy trying to sooth a crying Penny. I start to frown, what in the world has happened here? They see me coming.
"Haven't you done enough already?"
"What are you talking about?"
"I just lost my best friend because of you."
Wait, what?
"What did Johnny say?"
"Well, basically he said that he hoped that we would have been happy that he has finally changed and that he choose you over us if we can't accept that."
Huh? I am so very much confused right now. There is more to this, Johnny is not someone who just choose sides and drops his best friends for god knows what reason. I know he loves them. They are his family. I look at Billy who inhales deeply and then at Penny again.
"Billy?"
"Yes?"
"Can I talk to Penny alone, please?"
"Sure, but I want to say one thing."
"Go ahead."
"I do hope that you're true, and that you won't hurt my cousin."
"I will never hurt your cousin."
Billy inhales deeply and walks around the bed. Penny looks at us.
"You know what, why don't you just stay and hear me out as well?"
He nods at that, and I see a smile appearing. One of approval it seems. I went to the bed and look at Penny. I can see she is angry with me.
"I get that you're angry."
"Angry? No, I'm not angry, I'm disappointed."
"Why?"
"Because I thought you were better than what you did."
"And what did I do?"
"You slept with Johnny, it's all he wanted."
"Are you sure about that?"
I see her thinking while she searches my face. I am not smiling now. I want her to see reality, and I know deep down she knows it is more, there is more, that Johnny has changed for the better.
"You know he's a womanizer, Baby."
"He was, and you know that as well."
"I'm not sure he has changed."
"Can you tell me when in the last three weeks he had hooked up with someone?"
She snorts and shakes her head.
"Right, you can't because he didn't, and you know that. You see him changing. I don't know where this is coming from, Penny, you're his best friend. I thought you of all people would have been happy with him changing."
She looks at the cast on her leg and thinks of what has happened tonight. She had wished that Johnny was there too, she was terrified when Robbie came to her and started to punch her. She knows that Billy tried everything he could, but Johnny is stronger, and she feels safer when he is around. I am watching her. I can see she is upset about something.
"Penny, what's really going on?"
"You won't understand."
"I can't understand when you don't say anything."
She looks back up at me, Billy is looking at us, surprised about my way of handling the situation.
"I don't know, seeing him changing is just weird. First I thought it's something good, well, it's good because he finally stopped sleeping around."
"What did you feel when you saw us in the dance room?"
"Jealousy, and I don't know why, but I got jealous."
"I get it, you see your best friend finally changing, finally becoming happy while you still are a hot mess, wishing you could have the same as he has, right?"
She starts to cry again. I move a little closer and take her hand. She looks at my face. I take a tissue and dry her tears. I start to smile at her. She keeps looking at my face.
"It's stupid and childish, I know."
"Maybe, but it's understandable, and you know? If you take my lawyer and make this a lawsuit, so you finally can be rid of your stalker, believe me, a whole new world will open up for you."
"It doesn't mean I will find love."
"I'm sure you'll find someone who is good for you, Penny, you need to give yourself a little more credit, I know how amazing you are."
She snorts about that. Billy came closer and she looks at him, he smiles at her.
"Baby is right, Pen."
"I know, but I lost Johnny for good."
"You haven't."
We look up and see Johnny standing in the room. He has heard the last bit of the conversation.
"You'll never lose me Pen, but you got to know that I will always choose Baby now. I love you and I love you too cuz, but Baby is my number one, and I hope you can accept that."
Penny sniffs as she cries, he looks at her face and she looks at him. He starts to smile and came closer. He leans in and gives her a kiss on her forehead. She dries her eyes.
"I'm so sorry."
"Me too, for not being there for you."
"I'll take Baby's lawyer."
He nods and looks at me, he takes my hand and gives me a kiss.
"Just say my name and tell him he owes me."
Penny looks at me and I wink at her. She became curious.
"I'll tell you another time. We need to go, I told my father I wanted him to do a checkup on Johnny, so I think he's waiting for us."
Johnny sighs deeply. Penny and Billy became curious about that. Johnny sees their faces.
"What? I only got a little sore, I'll be fine."
Penny starts to giggle between her sniffs. Johnny rolls his eyes.
"Billy?"
He looks at me and nods while he smiles.
"Make pictures from Penny and from yourself, for my lawyer, it will help."
"I will, and thanks for helping."
"I'll do anything to help, and we'll get to know each other better soon. I want to take you all out for dinner if that's okay?"
"Sure, fine by me."
I look at Penny. I see her starting to smile now, she reaches out to me, and I take her hand.
"Thanks, Baby."
"You're welcome. We'll be visiting you later today, okay?"
"That would be nice."
"And no more jealousy. You'll find love soon too."
Johnny quickly gives Penny a kiss on her cheek and hugs his cousin shortly before we leave the room.
"Wow."
Penny looks at Billy when he said that. She smiles a little and takes her purse to get her phone. He looks at her and smiles.
"I never saw that coming."
"She's good."
"Real good, she's more mature than any of us."
"Yes, how weird that is to admit."
"Can she really handle Johnny?"
Penny has taken the business card and looks at him.
"Yes, I have to admit that she handles him better than I can."
"He truly has changed, if he puts his girlfriend on the first place."
"He has, and I know the jealousy is stupid, but I've seen them the last three weeks, or at least the times that they were at the company. I have seen them growing closer. She knows how to react to his moods, and she understands him better than we do."
"What do you mean, the times they were at the company?"
"Johnny has been at her place a whole week the week before last week."
"Really?"
"Yes, his mother was in town, and he needed a safe place so he went there, actually, I told him to go there because he would be safe there, and his father has told him to stay there for as long as his mother was in town."
Billy nods as he understands. She gives him her phone to make pictures.