Chapter Ten:

It was a Wednesday the Funeral, I laughed when my dad told me. A Wednesday, same day we met. Stupid fucking coincidence.

It was the Tuesday before when I was working out what do to.

I wasn't going to speak, I had made sure to tell Mimi that. I didn't want to cry in front of my family and John's, I couldn't do it, I just couldn't.

I was pacing my room when my dad opened my door telling me someone was here to see me, I thought it was George or Ivan or hell even Mick but when I walked down to the living room I was met with big, sad blue eyes.

"Ringo?" I said in shock.

The small man I had met in London walked over to me and hugged me tightly around the shoulders. His thin arms held me in a strong embrace, his face pushed in my neck as he tried to control his breathing so he didn't cry.

"Shit Paul, are you-shit are you ok?" He asked me.

I was glad my dad had left the living room as Ringo and I sat down.

"I'm good, better than I was when I found out." I answered honestly.

"I-I talked with John's aunt and she said I could attend the Funeral." Ringo smiled sadly trying to sound adult and proper.

"That's…That's brilliant, John would love that." I said and smiled at Ringo encouragingly.

Ringo and I stopped mid conversation when George came running in. He stopped dead in his tracks and laughed nervously.

"Hey" He waved, his face flushed in embarrassment.

"I'm Richard but you can call me Ringo." Ringo smiled largely and I saw George's eyes widened in recognition.

"Oh! Yeah I know." My younger friend smiled back.

I stared at Ringo and George and couldn't help but let my thoughts wander back to John and that world he had described to me in London.

'We've found each other all right.'

I felt my heart ache and my hands twitch.

'John was right'.

I suddenly got off the couch and smiled sadly at my two friends.

"I need help with something."

I arrived at the Funeral with Mike and my dad. I dragged them over to were George and his family was sitting with Ringo. I sat beside Ringo, George was on his other side and I braced myself for the Funeral. I tried to ignore the way my father was looking at me, like I was glass but eventually I grabbed his hand and held on tight.

Mimi stood up at the podium, very graceful and poised but I could see her mask breaking.

"John" she began. "Was simply a menace, he loved getting into trouble and annoying you as much as possible." Mimi stopped for a moment and laughed, I could only guess memories were flying through her head faster than the speed of light "But he was so gentle and loving and so, so, so strong and just as stubborn-just like his mother, who he loved so much and she loved him in return." Her voice broke; she wiped away tears as she carried on. "You couldn't have found a better person than John, or a more pure heart, he was so many things and-" that's when Mimi started crying.

My finger nails dug into my dad's hand and I saw Ringo's shoulders shake.

"I love him, I will continue to love him. When the police ran me to-to tell me about the crash, as soon as they mentioned his names I just said 'Oh what's he done now.'" Mimi cried again but managed a fond, nostalgic smile. "I just-I just love him." She said simply.

One of Julia's little girls-Jackie-helped her off the podium and hugged her tightly.

Pete Shotton was next.

He had demanded to be let out of the Hospital to attend the Funeral. He was thin and sickly looking, but his blonde hair was done up in the Elvis style he and John always wore and that made me smile.

"John was my best friend. He was a pain In me arse most of the time but he meant more to me than anyone else-sorry mum." I heard small laughs coming from the people around me. I leant my head against my dad's shoulder.

"He was a trouble maker; he must have been a Teddy Boy in a past life, or a pirate. John was one-no, the best best friend anyone could have. He cared about people like none of us will never do, he's the only person I know who would have given his soul to you, he's better than all of us. Much better than me." Pete had tears streaming down his face and so did I.

"After his mum..died, he changed. Changed for the worst, he was still smiling and being as arse but he was sad…that is until he met Paul." I lifted my head up from my dad's shoulder in shock while Pete just looked at me with a proud, thankful smile.

"John didn't look at anyone the way he looked at Paul. And he was so happy, so if I hear anyone say he….he k-killed himself I'll battle the lot a ya." Pete shook his fist in mock warning before he started smiling.

"I'm probably going to die….but if I don't, if I wake up from another coma I'll tell the doctors to put me back under because I don't want to be in a world without John Winnie Lennon." I tried to keep in my sobs as Pete had his mom help him off the podium. I saw Pete smile at me and I cried harder.

Mimi got again and beckoned me to come up.

Me got up and Ringo and George followed closely behind.

As I stood at the podium George tuned his Guitar and Ringo Sat at his drums (which had been there all through the service).

I glanced at George quickly, he gave me the thumbs up but I felt a tug at my heart when I saw the tears on his cheeks.

"I-I met John on a Wednesday you know." I winced at how dumb I sounded. "He wouldn't stop staring at me and then he asked me out, only a few minutes into meeting him. The nerve he had, that John." I looked at all the people and tried my best to smile through my tears.

"He..He did love me and I our love story was….was like all love stories, it'll die with us so I won't go into detail and tell you all because it's between us. Only us. I just wanna say that-that I did love him, he changed me and yes he was pain but hey so am I so we blanched well. He and I-we knew each other and I need him like mad." I felt tears stream down my face and I knew I was near breaking down.

"I'd go through all this again just to spend more time with John. It was short but I had the most wonderful with one of the world's my talented people. Did you know he could sing? And play? And write? Well he could and he was bloody good too." I took a large intake of breath and moved the Mic to the piano and Sat down.

"I wrote this song for him, it's called 'Golden Slumbers'".

Tears fell onto the piano keys as I started playing.

Once there was a way,

To get back homeward.

George started to strum slowly on his Bass Guitar and I felt sure of myself for the first time.

Once there was a way

To get back home.

Sleep, pretty darling,

Dot not cry

And I will sing a lullaby.

Ringo started to play and my heart clenched in sadness because God, John would have loved to hear it.

Golden slumbers,

Fill your eyes

Smiles await you when you rise.

Sleep pretty darling

Do not cry

And I will sing a lullaby.

I saw Mimi crying and my dad hugging Mike and I looked at the coffin and I felt sick and sad and safe all at the same time but I continued to sing and play through the tears that were streaming down my face.

Once there was a way

To get back homeward

Once there was a way

To get back home

Sleep, pretty darling

Do not cry

And I will sing a lullaby.

We stopped playing and for a slight second I could almost feel John grinning at me.

I looked at George and Ringo and felt suddenly at home.

In the end John was right, I laughed inwardly at the oddness of everything.

We all were together and I just wished it was in a different way.

I hopped of the piano and was engulfed in a group hug by George and Ringo. We held into each other as we walked off the podium. I cried into Ringo's chest while George was trying to get his Guitar off around his neck, He eventually took it off but immediately dropped it. George spent five seconds just staring at the instrument on the floor. I let out a tired giggle as George kicked the instrument in frustration, Ringo dropped his head and I heard a small, sad laugh escape his lips.

Ringo wrapped his arms around both me and George and we laughed.

Is it weird if I say I felt John with us? Because I did and that made me smile.

He would be calling us queers but he'd then kiss me and we'd all laugh.

I spared one last glance at the shiny, black coffin before I sat down, hugging my dad tightly.