I'll Cry Instead

Chapter 16

"Wakey, wakey!" were the nasal words that pierced through Ringo's ears.

The drummer rolled over with a groan and squinted his tired, blue eyes opened to be greeted with John Lennon's brown, almond ones, which held a certain expression of 'I would like to aggravate you in every possible way available to me.'

"Good morning, Bongo," he leered as he gave his signature Lennon smirk. "Brian wants you to get up because he wants to see how Paulie is feeling about tomorrow," he then explained with a glance to the still sleeping bassist.

"And how does that involve me?" moaned Ringo with a yawn.

"Brian ordered breakie for the special occasion," the rhythm guitarist replied in the accent you might remember as 'Betty.'

"Oh, that changes everything," Ringo said sarcastically as he began to stretch.

"Yep!" Lennon cried in fake enthusiasm as he pranced over to Paul's bed. "Come on, Macca, wake up! There's food in our room getting cold!" he proclaimed as he shook the unconscious Paul.

With a few more shakes, slapping, and jumping on the bed, John finally collapsed in exasperation, for he still hadn't managed to wake Paul up, which surprised him to say the least.

"What the heck is wrong with him?" he sighed, trying to sound casual, but, in reality, he was beginning to worry a bit. "He wouldn't wake up if a gorilla broke down the door and demanded lower taxes!"

"He's probably just exhausted, John. He hasn't been sleeping well lately," Ringo explained, not thinking, as he walked over to Paul.

"I didn't know that. I thought he was doing better," John frowned whilst staring at the drummer with wide, concerned eyes.

"Oh, he is!" Ringo diverted quickly as he realized that he was giving away Paul's secret. Blast his foggy, morning brain! "He just didn't sleep well the other night," he added in a nervous, shaky voice. "Otherwise he's been sleeping great!'

"Oh," was John's reply as he picked up on Ringo's strange behavior. "Why are you acting so weird?" he asked flat out, not beating around the bush whatsoever. He was John Lennon, after all.

"Me? Weird? Nah, John! I'm just kinda jittery about tomorrow. Y'know, it's been awhile since we've been in front of the press," he smiled, thinking that his explanation was sufficient as he tried to wake Paul.

"Ahh, I see," the younger man remarked, not at all convinced but trying to sound it. "Well, you know there's nothing to worry about. The press won't be after you, anyway. They'll be after poor Macca here," he added with an exhale of regret for his best mate.

"Aww, don't say that, Johnny. Maybe they'll take it easy on him," said Ringo, his brow furrowing, as he glanced down at Paul's sleeping figure, innocence prominent in his slack profile.

"Yeah, I hope," John replied, sounding as if he was miles away. Ringo nodded.

The two Beatles sat in an awkward silence for a moment before John spoke once more, just waking up from his daydreaming.

"Well, the food probably is cold now. I guess we really need to wake Paul up."

"You're right. Sorry, I don't know what came over me," the drummer apologized as he shook Paul again. "Come now, Paulie, open your eyes."

Not a single response from the deeply asleep bassist. It was then Ringo began to get seriously worried that he had given Paul too many sleeping pills. What if Paul didn't wake up ever again and it was all his fault?

"Come on now, Paul, wake up!" he pressed, his tone becoming more frantic as he shook Paul furiously.

"Whoa, now, Rings, don't hurt him!" John intervened as he pushed Ringo's arms off of Paul.