I'll Cry Instead

Chapter 27

"What are we playing, luv?" Paul asked the excited child weakly before he coughed into his shoulder, which caused Sally to wince slightly, for she knew he wasn't doing as well as he pretended.

"We're playing "Go Fish," Paulie. Do you know how to play that game?" she inquired as she fanned the cards out in the middle of the floor.

"Oh, yes. It's one of my favorites," he grinned as he took a look at his cards. He instantly noticed that he had a match of almost every card, but, not truly caring about beating any of the sweet girls, he didn't react in a triumphant manner at all, nor did he discard the matches like he should have.

"Good!" Cathy answered as she too looked at her cards, as did Sally and Jackie, the latter of which sitting on the right side of Paul, for Cathy was sitting at his left.

"Who wants to go first?" Sally questioned whilst she watched her daughters (noticeably Jackie) give Paul endearing looks.

"Well, Paulie should go first, Mum," Cathy immediately responded. "He's sick after all."

Paul felt his cheeks flush at Cathy's sweetness towards him before he replied, "That's very kind of you, Darling, but you're the one taking care of me, so you should go first."

The bassist then gave the three girls a grateful and loving smile before he looked back down at his cards, feigning an expression of deep thought, for he wanted to appear mildly upset at his hand of cards.

Sally couldn't be more pleased with the kind-hearted lad. She had always taught her girls manners and selflessness, and Paul was the perfect example of such virtues.

"Good lad," she muttered as she reached across the scattered cards in the floor to give his warm hand an affectionate squeeze.

Paul gave her an embarrassed smile as he tilted his head down, for he was too humble to meet her gaze, which only made the mother's endearment towards him grow.

Jackie watched the scene unfold in awe, trying to hold back the urge to pull Paul's feverish body into her arms and give him a heart-felt hug. Seeing that she couldn't do that, she instead gave him a subtle smile.

"Cathy, you heard him. It's your turn, then," Sally spoke up as she shook herself back into reality.

"Yay!" Cathy cheered as she looked to Paul. "Paulie, do you have a...Queen?"

"I surely do," the Beatle winked as he gave the girl his Queen.

"Yes!" she hurrahed as she discarded the match beside her. "Your turn, Mum!"

"Alright," Sally grinned as she made eye contact with Jackie. "Do you have a seven?"

"Nope!" Jackie smirked as she gave her mum a cheeky facial expression. "Go fish!"

"Ahh, drat," the secretary and mother sighed dramatically as she snapped her fingers together.

"Ya can't win 'em all, Missus," Paul teased as he managed a mischievous grin.

"Well now, there's that famous Beatles teenage rebellion I read about in the newspapers," Sally quipped back as she gave him a wink.

"Right feisty one, she is!" Paul giggled, which caused the three girls to join him before Sally leaned forward and gave Paul a light slap on his arm.

"Am I going to have to put you back to bed, lad?" she aggravated him whilst Jackie prepared to take her turn.

"Not until it's nighty-night time," the bassist replied in a babyish tone as he made his huge eyes even huger, his lips curling into a pout.