I do not own Dirty Dancing.

Chapter Twenty Six

POV Penny

Doctor Houseman

"Now, don't stop taking those pills just because you feel better. Take them until they're all gone," Doctor Houseman said as he handed me the bottle of medication. I knew nothing about medicine, and anybody was better than who I'd had last night. Unquestionably, I take the pills.

"Thanks," I mutter weakly, stashing the bottle on my nightstand. There weren't enough ways for me to thank Doctor Houseman, or Baby for that matter. Baby had already paid for the abortion, and filled in for me despite knowing nothing about dancing. On top of all that, when I was bleeding out, she went to get her Father, a real Doctor.

Doctor Houseman walked out, leaving me to my own devices. I was doing much better than last night, though to be honest it wasn't a high threshold, and didn't need to be babysat. Even if I was temporarily bedridden. Though it seems I wasn't meant to be alone this morning, because shortly after Doctor Houseman leaves, there is a knock on my door.

My visitor let themself in. I see white Keds, a floral skirt, a white blouse, and a head of curly brown hair. Baby. "Hi," I say in greeting. My voice sounds soft and pitiful. I hated being this weak, but for now, I would just have to live with it.

"Hi," She said in return. Quietly. Baby shut the door. "You look much better," She remarked.

"You just missed your Father," I tell her. "He's such a wonderful man," Baby says nothing about the mention of her Father. Doctor Houseman had been mysteriously quiet while he was here this morning, particularly at my mentioning Baby, and how grateful I was that she'd gone to get help.

Baby had no cares for who she associated with, but her Father did. He didn't want her around us, probably more specifically Johnny than me. After he treated me, they'd probably had a fight. Baby does nothing to disprove my theories by steering the subject away from her Father. "I'm sorry," She says, "I didn't realize..."

I shake my head. "No, you couldn't have. It's okay," It hadn't occurred to me that Baby would blame herself for what happened. She agreed to help us believing she was doing the best for me. But Baby had no way of knowing that the Surgeon was a fake. It wasn't her fault. The only people at fault were Robbie and the Surgeon.

Someone knocked on the door. Both Baby and I look to see who it is, but they let themself in. "Hey," Johnny grinned.

"Johnny," I breathe. He'd just made my day. Don't get me wrong, Baby and I had become good friends. But Johnny had always been like an older Brother to me. He was always looking out for me, trying to cheer me up. I loved him like family.

For the first time since coming in, he sees Baby, and his smile faded. I knew for a fact that the both of them had massive crushes on each other, and normally, both would've looked happy at seeing each other. Instead, he looked grim, and she looked disappointed. It sparked a curiosity in me, making me wonder what had happened last night that would have them looking that upset.

As if sensing my curiosity, Johnny tried to distract me, asking, "So, how're you doing?"

I smile brightly. I would ask him later. "I'm okay."

"Yeah?"

"Doctor Houseman says I'm gonna be fine. I can still have children," I say. Johnny knew that someday, I wanted kids, wanted a family. To him, this was not an odd thing to be said. It was however, very odd for anyone else.

"Oh, Penny, that's great. That's really great," He told me. I look to Baby on the other side of the room. She looked very uncomfortable. I realized, that she could very easily get the wrong idea about that conversation, even though she knew we weren't a couple.

I decide to change this subject in an effort to break up the tension in the room. Most of it was between those two idiots who had no idea how the other felt. "So. How'd it go last night?"

"Good," Johnny answered concisely. It was clear he didn't want to talk about last night. In fact, he hadn't looked at Baby since he first got here.

I look to the woman herself, hoping she will give me a better answer. "Fine," Baby answered, "I didn't do the lift, but it was good."

Oh no.

I should have seen it sooner. I should have been able to tell from how they looked at each other. She was disappointed he wasn't happy to see her. He had looked upset because he was probably trying to avoid her. Johnny had tried to avoid the discussion of last night altogether, like he wanted to forget it completely, whereas she had sounded completely besotted at the mention of it, more so than ever before. Johnny had slept with her.

My idiot friend had slept with Baby.

If I had to guess, after Doctor Houseman had left, he took Baby with him. They had an argument, and she probably went to Johnny's cabin as a means of making her Father mad. She told him how she felt, one thing lead to another and...

Oh, eww! Why was I thinking about this? It didn't matter how it had happened, it clearly had! I couldn't have been happier that Johnny had found someone who made him happy, but long story short, if someone found out about this, Johnny's ass was grass, and Max was the lawn mower.

Quietly, Baby speaks up. "Well, I guess I... I guess I'm gonna go. Bye,"

Baby walked to the door, watching Johnny all the way. "See you," He muttered, as she closed the door. Once she was gone, Johnny sat down nest to me. He knew what was coming, but before I can say anything, he turned the conversation back to my health. "So, he says you're gonna be fine, right?"

"Johnny, what are you doing?" I asked, cutting right to the chase. I wasn't going to let him get away with not talking about this, to Baby or to me. This was something that needed to be talked about, however little he wanted to do it.

Johnny is typically stubborn in his response, "Don't worry about Max, I'll tell him your Grandmother died, or something,"

Two could play at this game. I bring up something I know he can't avoid, "How many times have you told me 'Never get mixed up with them,'?" He had told me time and time again that dating a guest wasn't worth the risk of getting fired. And now, here Johnny was, doing the exact opposite of his own advice.

Johnny froze. When he looked at me, his eyes were icy cold. Colder than frost on steel. His eyes had always been nice for me. That blue gray color had always seemed playful to me, I had never given him reason to be this upset. I had seen his eyes turn to angry fire for Robbie, I had seen them melt for Baby. For Bungalow Bunnies his eyes had become electric with spite. But I had never seen his eyes go cold like this, and certainly not for me. And all I had to do was suggest, even if I didn't believe it, that he should stop seeing Baby.

"I know what I'm doing, Penny," He responded venomously.

"You listen to me," I say. Johnny needed to hear this. "You gotta stop it. Now."

Johnny sighed, his gaze softening. He looked to the floor. This time, when he spoke, his voice wasn't bitter. It was almost painful. "I can't, Penny. I care about her too much." He looked back to me.

This was good. He had admitted how he felt about her. I soften. Baby was good for Johnny, and I didn't want him to stop seeing her. I just wanted him to be careful. He was my friend, and I worried about him. I had to make sure he understood how risky this was. "She's a great girl, Johnny. Wonderful. But she's a guest. We have rules." Johnny looked back to the floor. "Baby looks at you like a school girl with a crush. She is hopelessly in love with you. Any fool can see it, Johnny."

He released a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I know."

Insistently, I continue, "If you aren't careful she's going to get her heart broken. Neither of us want that. Look, Johnny. Whatever happened between you two last night has left her completely love struck. I'm just guessing that the name Baby doesn't fit her anymore. If I'm right, and you don't talk to her soon, she's going to feel like you used her."

Johnny nodded. He knew the words as well as I did. He knew that Baby needed to know how he felt about her. He knew it all too well. When I spoke, my voice was soft. "I know you don't want her thinking that," Silently, Johnny nodded. "If she weren't a guest, I'd say fine. But as it is, you shouldn't. You could lose your job, and her heart will be broken. You're lucky no one's found out about you two."

I know I am trying his patience. What I have said is no information he didn't already have. So I try to hurry it up, and finish what I've had to say. I sighed. This was the most difficult part. "I know I can't stop you. But if you decide not to see her anymore, don't just dump her like she never meant anything to you. We both know that's a lie. Talk to her. And if you're going to leave, tell her why,"

Johnny stood up, his patience spent. "I'll see you later," He says as he leaves.

I lay there on my bed, finally alone, wondering just what he was going to do.