Chapter 6- It Happens a Lot
"Who's Baby-Face?" asked Annette, handing Peter a cup of coffee.
Peter opened his mouth to speak but Mildred stopped him. "Your ribs are broken Peter. What you need is to drink that coffee and rest."
"And have a shower, you're covered in blood and stink of sweat," Annette added 'helpfully.'
"ANNETTE! Really?" Mildred scolded.
Peter just laughed despite how much it hurt. "It's okay, I probably do smell."
"What did I say about not talking young man?" Mildred scolded yet again. "Now you sit there, drink that coffee and don't tell us anything until I say you are ready. Now, I'll go and attempt to save this shirt, and you Annette, will sit on the couch and make sure he doesn't move at all."
And this is exactly what happened, Mildred went to clean Peter's shirt, Peter drank his coffee and Annette sat and stared at him.
Once Mildred was out of earshot, Peter spoke up. "Is she always so motherly to strangers who stagger into her house covered in sweat, blood and tears?"
Peter had hoped that Annette would laugh at that, but she still seemed to be in shock over the whole thing. "She was a nurse in World War Two," Annette then picked up her coffee and started drinking it before asking, "Do you feel better?"
Peter moved his shoulders just enough to look like a shrug. He didn't feel better. His ribs were screaming, the cuts in his chest were stinging, and the coffee tasted stale, but that wasn't what was worrying him most. He was most worried about his friends. Why had BabyFace not killed him? What did he want? "Yeah, a bit better," he lied.
A few hours went by, during which Mildred decided that the best place for Peter's shirt was the trash. Annette made tea and Peter was forced to lie down in the spare room and rest. Just after lunchtime, Peter emerged from his room and informed Mildred and Annette that he was no longer going to lie there helpless, because he needed to find his friends. Mildred tried to usher him back into the spare room, but Peter insisted, so everyone ended up back in the living room drinking tea again.
"So, first things first, Peter," Annette sighed, "Who is BabyFace?"
Peter breathed in and explained all that had happened last time the Monkees came across BabyFace, about Micky impersonating him, about him escaping from prison, and everything else. Mildred and Annette were shocked.
"So," Mildred quivered, "Does this sort of thing happen to you and your friends a lot?"
"Oh no!" said Peter.
Mildred and Annette starred.
"Sometimes?" he offered.
The two of them continued staring.
"Okay!" Peter caved, "A lot."
Suddenly, Annette was in action, "So, we must return you to your friends!"
"Well, at least tell them where I am. And ask them how they are..."
"But first, you need a new shirt," Mildred threw in, standing up, "You can't wander around like that, you know."
Peter nodded and Mildred departed, soon returning with a thin, white button-up shirt that looked a tad too big for Peter, but it was something. He put it on and the three of them began planning what to do next.