I'll Cry Instead

Chapter 22

"Yes, it's Paulie, Treacle," Sally cooed as she patted her daughter's trembling back.

"But why i-is he h-here?" she whimpered between sobs as she looked to her favorite Beatle, who appeared awfully sick, with watery, blue eyes.

"Well," Sally started as she pondered over what exactly she was going to tell the young girl. Eventually, her mind decided upon the right thing to say and she replied, "Paulie's just a little sick right now, Dear. He was outside in the snow, so we thought he needed to come inside to the warm. That's all," she finished with a reassuring smile.

"Oh," Cathy mumbled as she wiped her tears away. "I don't want him to be sick," she then frowned as she inched closer to Paul's sleeping figure.

"Well, neither do I, Treacle, so that's why we're gonna help him get better," Sally explained as she allowed Cathy to leave her previous position of being on her mother's lap to standing beside the couch where Jackie was still holding Paul as if her life depended on it.

Upon hearing the words 'help him get better,' Cathy was exquisitely excited, for she always loved to pretend she was a doctor.

"You mean we get play doctor to him?" she beamed as she began to jump up in adoration.

"Shh, shh," Sally told her youngest, trying to quiet her down before...

"Mum!" Jackie suddenly gasped as she motioned worriedly towards Paul, who was beginning to stir.

Sally, in full nurse mode now, abandoned her place on the couch and crouched next to Paul.

She and her daughters watched in apprehension and awe as his doll-like eyelashes began to flutter opened as a soft moan emitted from between his blue-tinted lips. As his eyelids parted, his large, hazel eyes squinted, for the sudden light was too much for them to handle.

Not having a clue where he was as his eyes attempted to focus, he mumbled feverishly, "Lads? Where am I?"

Taking her nurse roll, Sally spoke in a very calm, professional tone as she looked down at Paul sympathetically and worriedly.

"Paul?" she spoke. "Can you hear me?"

Obviously startled by the unknown voice, Paul's bloodshot eyes snapped all of the way opened to see who was speaking to him.

"Who are you?" he croaked as his blurry gaze met Sally's alert one.

"My name is Sally, Paul, and I'm here to take care of you," she soothed as she patted his hand.

"But, where's me mates? Where's..."

"Shh, Paul," Jackie whispered as she brushed his dark hair off of his sweaty forehead. "We found you in the snow and brought you to our house. We don't know where your mates are, I'm sorry," she finished as she looked to her mother with pleading eyes, as if she was begging for her to say something.

"Yes, the phone is dead and we can't call anyone," Sally also explained, taking her daughter's queue as she motioned towards the telephone. "The blizzard knocked everything but our lights out."

Paul didn't respond immediately, his eyes closing again briefly, which led the three to believe that he had drifted back to sleep. Eventually, though, he dragged his eyes back opened to see Sally.

"Thank you," he rasped as he noticed he was being cradled, apparently by whoever had spoken to him just moments earlier.

His puzzled expression instantly prompted Jackie to explain who she was as she made her face visible to Paul, who looked up at her with glassy eyes.

"Remember me, Paul? I'm Jackie. The girl who stayed with you when you got hurt," she said with a small smile, a blush playing upon her cheeks.

It seemed to take Paul a minute to comprehend her words, as if he was trying to reflect on who had been with him on that awful day. Suddenly, an expression of recognition flashed in his eyes and he looked to her with amusement, which quite surprised her.