George pulled away quickly, wiping his eyes frantically, "I... I what?"

"You swallowed a whole bottle of sleeping pills... my sleeping pills." Ringo said, smoothing George's hair back in an attempt to be soothing as George's world took a turn for the worst. An even larger torrent of tears released themselves and he drew back into the bed, drawing his knees up as John raised the bed into a sitting position for him. Ringo rubbed small circles into his back as George cried, wiping at his eyes incessantly to try and get rid of them, although they were replaced with more tears seconds later.

"No... no if that's the case then I should be dead." George whimpered, "Why would I not be dead."

"Because we found you in time." John said, his tone becoming dangerous as the anger surged back to make itself known.

George, his head resting on his knees, looked over at John and Ringo tiredly, "I wanna be dead." He muttered, eyes begining to close.

"Why George?" Ringo couldn't help but ask.

"I don't wanna be alive..."

"What a stupid thing to say." John snarled in disgust.

George's breathing hitched and he started crying again, "If I'm so stupid then why wont you let me die? Make the whole planet smarter..."

"George..." Ringo's voice was tinged with heartbreak, but before he could say anything else the door opened behind them.

"George!" Brian practically ran in, hurrying to stand by George's bedside, "George are you allright?"

"What a stupid question." John sighed, leaning back into his chair.

George looked at Brian tearfully, more sobs racking his thin frame. Brian sighed and took his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"George you're allright."

George shook his head, "No I'm alive! And I didn't even know I commited suicide so I don't know what I did wrong!"

Brian looked taken aback by the exclamation, but didn't let go of George's hand as he cried.

"George you're gonna have to calm down or the nurse will give you a sedative." He said gently. George just shook his head, burying his head in his knees and crying softly.

A knock on the door alerted everyone to the Doctor's reappearance. He entered, holding a clipboard against his chest as he looked it over. He glanced up and saw George sitting up, the doctor offering a gentile smile as he took Brian's place at George's bedside.

"I see you're awake Mr. Harrison," Doctor Malkins said, "How do you feel?"

"Go away..."

"Not well I see."

Another wave of sobs broke through George's chest and he shook with sobs, "I wanna die..."

"I see, Mr. Harrison I'm going to give you something to help you sleep. Maybe when you wake up you'll be a bit calmer."

"I want Ritchie..." George mumbled through a fresh wave of tears, and Ringo frowned as the doctor approached George's IV stand. Taking a bottle from his coat he filled a syringe with the sedative, injecting it into George's IV and then stepping back. He turned to look at the Beatle's manager.

"Alert me or a nurse when he wakes up again, and do not leave him alone."

Brian nodded, looking worriedly at George as he began to subbcum to the medicine. Ringo slid past him to hold George's hand as he fell back against the raised mattress, his eyes struggling to stay open and his legs falling straight as he became weak. Ringo bit his lip, wiping away the last of George's tears with the pad of his thumb.

George let his head bob up and down as his body began to weaken, and the last thing he saw was Ringo as he pressed the button on the bed to lower the mattress again, saw his blue eyes fill with tears as George's closed, darkness overtaking his senses.

He was glad to leave again, except now he couldn't feel Ringo's protective hand holding his.

Paul was still asleep when the door opened again to reveal Mr. Asher appearing to look in on things. He smiled kindly at John who nodded, having been the one to call him and thank him in a moment of gratefull loonacy. He had to wonder now why he even made a call like that except he was so overwhelmed he really didn't know what he was doing anymore.

Ringo had not let go of George's hand since he'd fallen asleep, his face grey and hard. He wanted to cry so badly but the tears refused to burn his eyes, refused to let him find some sort of release from the pain he was feeling right now.

Mr. Asher sat down next to John, "How is he?"

"Suicidal..." John said, shrugging, "Kept crying over how he was still alive till the doctor put him to sleep."

"He's just mixed up right now." Mr. Asher said, "When he wakes up just be gentle."

"John Lennon gentle," Ringo sneered from his seat beside George, "That I'd pay money to see."

John frowned but Mr. Asher just placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

Paul moaned from his seat and opened his eyes wearily, "What's this about payin' money? George didn't damage something did he?"

"Not physically." Ringo spat.

Paul frowned at him before looking over to see John and Mr. Asher wathcing him.

"What?" He asked.

"I believe you forgot something this morning." John snickered as Mr. Asher grinned. Paul frowned and looked down, to see his blue and grey pin striped pajamas covering his body. He paused before looking at the others to pray for gratitude he'd taken the slippers off before Ringo and John had come over.

"I'm sexy in anything I wear." Paul shrugged tiredly, "And anyway, not like I can leave right?"

"Sure you can." John sniggered, "But I'm sure George will aprecciate the fact you chose him over your clothes."

Paul merely rolled his eyes and closed them again, lying back, "Truth is, I'm just to comfortable to move."

"I figured as much," John said, the amusement begining to fade.

"Ringo kept me all night on the phone, can you blame me?"

"Sorry for being worried for my band mate." Ringo snarled angrily, his voice heavy with emotion. He tried to hide his shaking hands in his lap, looking at the tile.

"Right... I was just joking Ringo." Paul said.

"Ringo, maybe you should go home for awhile." John said, "You've gotten the least amount of sleep out of all of us, I'm sure you could use some."

"I'm not leaving George." Ringo said.

"You're no good to him like this."

"Like what?"

"Like you're about to explode." John said.

Ringo glowered at the rythm guitarist, not moving at all. Mr. Asher cleared his throat and leaned forward.

"George is going to be going in and out of conciousness for the next few days Ringo, he'll be confused and he'll probably say things he normally wouldn't because he's so frazzled. Now, to be able to deal with this you're going to need to be at your top game, and right now you're not. Go home, get some sleep, and come back in a few hours. We'll call you if he wakes up and you're not here."

When Ringo still didn't move John sighed and stood up, pulling Ringo to his feet. He gently seperated George's hand from his and directed him out the door.

"John please... I don't want to leave him..." Ringo begged, "He wouldn't even be here if I'd actually watched him like-"

"He would have done it anyway." John said, "There was nothing you could have done to stop him from trying Rings. Now stop being a prissy bird and move!"

To insulted and upset to come up with a retort, Ringo let himself be led to the car and sat down inside it. Then John started it and they started driving. It was awkardly quiet, Ringo preffering to watch what was passing him through the window then say anything. The sky had gone gray overhead and threatened rain with a thunder clap here and there.

"Do you want me to stay...?" John asked, finding Ringo going back to the apartment where George had almost died just... wrong somehow.

"No... no it's fine." Ringo mumbled, getting out and slamming the door closed, "I'll be by later I guess." John flinched at the venom in the drummers voice but nodded, only driving off when Ringo disapeared through the door, slamming it closed.

Ringo stood in the entryway like a statue. They'd left the lights on when they'd left, been in to much of a rush to remember to save electricity...

A violent burst of thunder from outside snapped Ringo back to reality, sending him to snap the front light off as he walked slowly through the hall, shedding his coat and leaving it on the ground where it landed. He did the same with his sweater and shoes and flopped onto his bed in his t-shirt and jeans, eyes burning but still not crying.

After twenty minutes of laying there Ringo decided this wasn't working. He sat up, his muscles aching and his whole body tinged with exhaustion. But every time he closed his eyes he saw George with that bottle... saw George falling backwards as he attempted to leave everyone and everything behind... saw him cry and whisper how scared he was as the light dimmed in his eyes. Ringo whimpered and laid back down, pulling the covers over his head in some sort of attempt to hide from the dark feelings in his heart.