Hi! Sorry this took so long! It was a tough chapter! And I honestly have no idea what the next one is going to look like so it might take a while. I apologize in advance. I also might not be able to write much because I have a four hour orientation at a new job tomorrow! Yay! But also booooo! It doesn't help that a new trimester is beginning in like three weeks in school. I'm really sorry!
George stood up from the bottom of the closet with his hands still on my bare waist. I reached up in my tiptoes and kissed his lips, feeling better about him being the father of the baby. He had that connection and I felt it too. Something was drawing me towards him even more than before. Maybe it was the baby?
Before we could get any farther in our kissing, I felt nauseous once again and pushed George away from me. "Whut's wrong?" He asked frantically.
"I need tah get outta here. I'm gonna puke, George" the guitarist turned the lock and opened the door for me, but stayed behind.
I ran into the bathroom as fast as I could and dove for the toilet. I emptied my stomach as I had done days before but this time, I did not pass out. "Hey, passengers looks like we've arrived at our destination: Washington D.C. the capital of our country" I heard the train engineer say on the loudspeaker.
"We're in D.C!" Paul exclaimed once I came out of the bathroom. I walked down the corridor of the train to mine and John's room. I was guessing that since we reached our destination, I would have to get my things but when I walked into the room, John was inside getting his things.
"Oh . . ." I said awkwardly. My husband turned around for a mere second then went back to what he was doing. "John, look-"
"No, Maria. I don't wanna talk about it" he picked up his suitcases and left the room, leaving me with two that I would have to take out myself. I needed to change first though.
After making sure that the door was closed, I pulled out one of my nicer dresses to put on. It was the same dress that I was wearing when I met George. It held so many memories that I wanted to cherish dearly to my heart.
"Oh goodness" I had already pulled my current dress off when I heard the voice. I turned around in my bra in underwear to see Ringo standing in the doorway with his hands over his eyes. I shook my head.
"It's okay, Ringo! Ya can come in!" He took his hands away but kept his head down as he closed the door behind him. He took a few steps forward but stopped and looked everywhere around the room except at me.
"Um, Brian sent me in 'ere tah tell ya to uh come with 'im when we leave" I pulled the nicer dress on over me but changed my mind and pulled out pants and a shirt.
"Why?"
"I dunno! He probably wants tah give ya more errands" I nodded and pulled the shirt on.
"John probably told 'im he doesn't want me around" I completed my outfit by tucking my shirt into my bright blue pants.
"Why would 'e tell Brian that?"
Knock, Knock.
"Who is it?" the door opened and George's head peaked through, just the person I'm always happy to see.
"Hi, Georgie" I said with a blush on my cheeks. George's face responded in the same way.
"Hullo, Maria" I looked into his brown eyes and lost myself for a moment; a long moment because Ringo had to interrupt.
"Pardon! Ya were sayin' sumthin' Maria!" I snapped out of my thoughts of George and looked at my Beatle sibling.
"Oh! Right . . . I had a fight with John about twenty minutes ago about me being knocked up" Ringo's face twisted in thought.
"I guess that explains it . . . he came out of that storage room looking pretty heated and 'e looked pretty angry when 'e came out o' 'ere too." I nodded, John was so stubborn.
"Uh," George piped up, taking my attention away from Ringo, "I came in 'ere tah see if ya needed 'elp with yer bags" I shrugged.
"Thanks, luv, but I can handle them" George shook his head and wrinkled his forehead.
"Not when yer responsible fer another human bein'!" without another word, George picked up my bags and walked out of the room.
"Awww," Ringo expressed after George left.
"He really didn't need tah do that" I picked up my handbag as Ringo waited for me by the door.
"Ya gotta let people take care of ya now, Maria" Ringo crossed his arms, looking serious again, "Yer livin' fer two now." I shrugged at his statement then followed him out into the hallway.
"So where can I find Brian?" I looked around the train but there were too many people.
"I don't even know where George is and we just saw 'im" Ringo leaned up on the tip of his toes to see over the crowd's heads. "I can't see" Just as he said that, Brian emerged from the crowd.
"There you two are!" Brian looked frustrated again as though someone was poking him constantly in the back.
"Oh, 'ello Brian!" Ringo waved innocently.
"This is no time for that, Ringo! We need to go!" It seems like we're always late. Brian grabbed Ringo to pull him through the crowd and I followed the two of them out of the train's nearest door.
On the platform, there were people crowded, moving back and forth, everywhere. "Ringo! Wait!" my cries were drowned out by the screaming of people upon seeing Ringo coming. I had lost him and Brian in the crowd. I continued to follow the screams until I reached where Brian was pushing Ringo into a car. "Brian!"
"Maria! What did I tell you? We're late!" I felt even worse than I did before, I was causing the band to be late again.
"I'm sorry, Brian. The crowd held me back." Brian put his hand to his forehead with frustration as the car with the band started moving behind him.
"Whatever, Maria. Just get into the car" I looked behind the manager to see another car had driven up to take us. I walked past Brian and he put his hand on my back to lightly push me.
"Brian, I'm really sorry that I kept ya 'ere" I looked down at my small knees while I sat in the car. "I've just been slower lately." I touched my stomach, "I think it could be the baby."
"Yes, the baby . . ." I looked at Brian, feeling more tension in the back of the car than there probably was in the engine, "I wanted to talk to you about that."
"Whut?"
"Have you thought of going home? You'll be moving a lot on the road which probably isn't a good thing with the baby" I was stunned. Going home? I couldn't even think about going home.
"No, I haven't thought about that . . . I'm sorry, Brian, I can't go home" I looked out the window at the cloudy day, which did look a lot like Liverpool.
"Why not?" His eyes were confused and angry.
"Brian," I turned my whole body to look at him, "I can't leave 'ere cause me whole family is 'ere! Ringo's like me brother, John's me 'usband, Paul is like me brother-in-law, and George-" I stopped. What was George to me?
"George?" he was watching me suspiciously.
"George is my best friend. I could say anythin' tah 'im and 'e understands completely. There's no one in Liverpool like that waitin' fer me" I looked into Brian's eyes to find what he was thinking, to see any sign of sympathy for me.
"Alright, fine." He waved a hand at me and I smiled, "This is going to be an issue then."
"Oh, I could kiss ya, Brian but I know that would make ya 'ate me more" he shook his head and I hugged him instead. He didn't enjoy that either.
"Well, I guess I can't put you to work anymore since you're so . . ." he looked down at my stomach with his eyes, "fragile."
"I'm not that fragile . . ." I covered my stomach with my hands. Brian turned to the driver.
"Could you take us to the hotel?" the driver nodded.
"The hotel? Why? The band doesn't go back till late!" Brian shook his head with a smile.
"Oh, Maria." he patted my stomach. Why do people think they can do that with pregnant people? "You need to rest now that you're carrying a little monster inside of you" I crossed my arms again to keep him away from my stomach.
"Alright, fine" I crossed my legs too and looked out the window, not anticipating the rest of my day at all.
After I got to the hotel, I took a shower, realizing that I hadn't bathed for a few days now. I examined myself in the full body mirror to see the effects of my pregnancy. I turned one way and pushed out my stomach, it didn't look bigger but maybe it was? I pushed up my breasts, wondering about the effect that it had on those. Those seemed larger, and a little harder than usual.
I wrapped a robe around my body and walked out into the living room. I picked up the phone and decided to order room service. After all, the band was paying for my stay here. "Hullo, may I order room service, please?"
I sat down on the couch after ordering and watched a little of the tele. It's been days since I've watched the news but every local channel talked about the Beatles being in town to play at the Washington Coliseum. I felt like I couldn't escape my life with the band. One of those channels caught my attention because I saw an all too familiar face among the people.
There I was, standing between John and George as the five of us walked out of the hotel. I didn't notice how obvious my love for George really was but you could clearly see it in the photo. All I was doing was looking up at him, but that simple gesture showed so much affection. The sad part is that I was holding John's hand while I looked up at George.
"Who is this mystery woman traveling so closely with the Beatles?" the news reporter's voice came from the tele but he couldn't be seen. All they showed were photos taken of my favorite family then they would zoom in on my face.
"Room service" I turned off the tele, feeling sick from my secret being out into the world.
"Hullo" I opened the door for the bellhop and he rolled in with a cart of food for me. I couldn't help but notice how young he was. I only noticed because he noticed my curves.
"Um, he-hello" I smiled and he blushed red.
"Oh, ya want a tip, right?" I picked up my purse from floor and pulled out a twenty dollar bill, the only thing I had.
"That's uh, not necessary, Miss" I handed him the twenty but he didn't take it.
"Go on! Take it! I bet ya work pretty hard. Ya deserve it" he took it from me and mumbled a thank you at my bare feet.
"Um, you can just call the front desk when you're done" I smiled.
"Thank you" he left my room, shaking with every step.
Once the door closed, I attacked the food on the cart without even taking a plate out for myself. I was eating for two people now, so I would need two plates full, right? It made me feel like some kind of monster, eating almost the whole cart. I felt so moody too, if anyone walked through that door asking for food, I'd have to fight them for it.
After I ate, I wanted to cry. It had dawned on me that I was almost completely alone and I wasn't just alone at the hotel, I was alone socially. Brian hates me, John hates me, I can't tell how Paul feels, and I can never be around George long enough to express my love. It was like Ringo was the only one I could rely on in front of the others.
Tears started to come down my face as I thought of home. When I was only nineteen, my family started to push me away because I was going to marry a man just like John. Fortunately, I had realized the mistake and left him at the alter. He had beat me the night before. Sure, my family was happy then that I had left him but they were ashamed of me when they met John, my official husband.
It was the worst day of my life. The shame, the embarrassment, the glares. . . It all killed me inside and even John told me to stay away from them. He said that I would be better without them. I was so in love with him that I listened. I wish I hadn't.
A few hours later, and after I called the front desk to take the cart back, the room's phone rang. I hesitated on picking it up but when I did, I was glad. "Hullo, Maria!"
"George!" my heart skipped a beat and my stomach seemed to jump with it. "I'm so 'appy tah 'ear yer voice."
"And I tah yours" he chuckled a little and I sat down on the couch with a sigh. Even being on the phone with him gave me the same thrill as being in his presence. "So, um . . ."
"Yes?" I leaned forward in anticipation. He wasn't usually like this on the phone. He was usually awkward and quiet like he was afraid to tell me.
"We're off fer the night, do ya wanna sneak out and spend some time with me?" I looked down at my robed self. Go out like this? I looked at my stomach, I felt bloated.
"Okay!" I heard myself say, "I'll um, meet ya at yer 'otel again?"
"Well, actually, Maria . . ." George chuckled again.
"Whut? Whut is it?!" I felt heat rise in my body with anxiety.
"I'm callin' ya from the front desk of yer 'otel" I smiled, he knew I would say 'yes' to his offer so he came before hand. That's why he could talk to me so freely.
"Oh, George" I sighed and shook my head.
"Whut?" I laughed at him.
"I just really luv you" I smiled then said, "I'll meet ya down there."
"Why don't I just come up?" I was taken back. George come into my room? The last time he came to my room, we had almost been caught. That was a risk I was willing to take.
Not even five minutes later and George was knocking at my door. I opened the door and his lips were against mine once again. He pulled his jacket off from his arms and threw it on the floor. His hands caressed my skin as I pulled his head down to my lip level. I was enjoying every bit of it when we fell on the couch but when his hands started to untie my robe, I stopped him.
"George" I licked my lips to taste the last bit of George that was on me. He pulled back from above me, clearly understanding of the situation.
"Yes, luv?" He pushed my still wet hair off of my face and sat back on the opposite side of the couch.
"I don't want us tah be all about sex. Can we do sumthin' else?" George smiled, he must have another plan in mind.
"There's a small little club down the street we could go tah" I bit my lip, clubs in America could be different than clubs in Liverpool. I really needed to get out though. How old was I? That doesn't matter!
"Okay, that sounds fun" we both stood up from the couch but George laughed.
"Are ya goin' out lookin' like that, Maria?" I looked down at my outfit.
"Whut? Ya don't like me silk robe? I 'eard they're in now!" I laughed at my joke and George kissed my forehead.
"Yer so adorable" I smiled and walked into the bedroom. What could I wear? What do people wear to clubs? I reached into my bag and pulled out a dress that I hadn't worn yet. I wasn't quite sure about it because it wasn't like my usual style which fits to my curves. This dress didn't cling, it just hung down above my knees like a paper bag. The sleeves on it went down half way above my elbow and were a solid black unlike the rest of the dress, which was covered in white polka dots. "How do I look?" I spun for George after I walked into the kitchen.
"Gosh, Maria . . ." red spots began to appear on his cheeks as he straightened his black tie awkwardly.
"Whut? Ya don't like it?" I frowned and dropped the dress from my fingers. I knew this was it, the end of him loving me, the end of it all. . . .
"No, yer the most gorgeous creature I've evah been with" his palm touched my cheek lightly and he kissed my lips like he had done before.
We left the hotel, hiding our heads down low like masks among ordinary people. I explained to him why I needed to hide my head because I would be attacked by paparazzi too. Even as I told him, I could see the worry and anxiety in his eyes. Was he thinking the same thing I was, that Brian would kill me? Or could he be worried about us being caught? The photo was very revealing.
"Here it is" George opened the door and we walked into the hallway. The live music was blaring in our ears and I was reminded so much of when I danced with George.
"It looks promising" I smiled and he continued to lead me down the hallway where another door waited for us. George opened the door for me then followed me closely inside the club.
He led me to the back of the large room through the crowd to the bar. I sat down in a free bar stool but realized that there were no others around me, meaning George had to stand. "Oh, I'm sorry" I looked up at him with a frown.
"That's okay, luv, ya need it more than I do" boy was this club packed! George ordered a beer and I ordered a water as I looked at the dance floor. "Do ya wanna dance?" George sipped his beer.
"That would be fab" I smiled and he put his beer down on a coaster next to my water. He held out his hand to me like a gentleman. I pushed myself off of the stool and put my hand lightly on his. His hand closed around mine and pulled me with him to the floor.
My fingers fit perfectly through the spaces between his and his hand lay perfectly on the space of my back. He pulled me closer with every step until our hips were grazing against each other's. He swayed me back and forth so easily as if I was his guitar on stage. He could play me so well with his fingers on all of my strings.
He leaned down to rest his chin on my shoulder, and I moved my hand up to the back of his head. I ran my fingers through his hair and he started to sing to the music that we were dancing to. He kept swaying slowly even though the song was a fast pace. We were like that for a few minutes, tuning out the world and creating our own music with our feet until George stopped.
"We need to leave" George whispered into my ear. I pulled away so I could see him.
"Whut?" my eyes went wide with fear when George wouldn't look at me.
"Come on" he pulled me hard towards the bathrooms, forcing me to follow him. He brought me into the men's room and into one of the dirty stalls.
"Why did ya bring me in 'ere?" George kept me close against the wall with his finger against his lips.
"I brought ya in 'ere cause I saw the other three walk in" my heart stopped as I thought of the possibilities. They were all here. The three of them. Not just Ringo and Paul, but John also.
"Oh no" I clutched my stomach and fell to the ground at George's feet. My head lurched in the toilet. "Oh no, oh no, oh no!" I screamed at the toilet as George rubbed my back. I felt his touch and turned around quickly to look at him. I grabbed onto the colour of his shirt and pulled him. "John'll find us, George! He-He'll kill you! No, he'll kill both of us and hurt me again! George, what're we gonna do?! He'll kill us! He will! He will! He will!" I let go of him and slumped to the floor with my knees on either side of me.
"Maria" he took my shoulders in his hands and pulled me up from the floor, "nuthin' is gonna 'appen tah us. We're gonna get outta 'ere without John seein' us." He nodded his head to make sure I understood what he was saying. How could I not trust him? His eyes showed me the honesty.
"Okay" I nodded my head and he took my hand in his again. He led me out of the stall and through the bathroom door to the crowded bar. I could immediately pull out the three boys from the crowded pub; Ringo was dancing and laughing with two girls on the dance floor while Paul was sitting within a circle of girls that watched him intently.
Seeing John really hurt. He was sitting at the bar, with a woman-not a girl-caressing the top of his hand. I knew that look in his eyes, it was the same look that he gave me when we met. I had a feeling that this was going on, but it somehow hurt more seeing it happening. When I looked up at George though, the pain went away. I knew that John and that woman-or any other woman he had cheated on me with-could never hurt me as long as George was beside me.
"Come on, Maria" George pulled me along through the crowd, swerving to avoid the drunk dancers. We both kept low so we could avoid the eyes of anyone who would recognize us.
I followed him without turning back. We were so close to the door but someone grabbed my arm. The whole hand fit around my arm with the fingers leaving nail marks under my jacket. Fear filled my abdomen as I was pulled both ways. George stopped and looked at me with the same fear. When I turned around, I was expecting to see my cheating husband, catching me with George.
"Do you know where the bathroom is? Sorry I pulled on your arm, I was stuck in the crowd." my whole body relaxed as I looked into the eyes of the young boy. George smiled too, then pointed to the bathroom. "Thank you" the stranger said, letting go of me and rushing to the bathroom.
"That was close" I sighed as George led me out of the club. To my surprise, he started to laugh. "Why are ya laughin'?"
"Yer face!" He poked my nose then pulled me close to him. "Ya looked so scared" my face was smothered into his chest and I could smell every bit of him.
"I thought I was gonna lose ya" I whispered the words into his ear as his arms wrapped around my waist.
"But ya didn't" he sighed, "I'm grateful" we started to walk down the sidewalk. I decided we didn't really know where we were going but George did. He always knew the way whether it was laid out in front of him or if he made his own path. The right way was always in front of him. He rambled on for most of the time, saying things that were crazier than life itself and others that made perfect sense. I believed that he didn't really know what he was talking about but he said what he felt like saying. I had never heard him say so much.
We ended up in front of the hotel I was staying in. I was so surprised when I saw it's big doors laid out in front of me. Was our night over? Did George intend to bring me back here? His face looked sad when I looked up at him. Or could it have been nerves?
"Is our night ovah?" I asked him politely. His mouth curved up into a smile.
"Only if ya want it tah be" I was a little confused. Why did he bring me back to the hotel if our night was not over?
"What are ya gettin' at?" I raised an eyebrow and George wrapped his arms around my waist.
"I wanna spend the night with ya, Maria" he looked down at the small space between our chests. I followed and saw my little baby bump. "I want us tah be like a real couple."
"But John-" George cut me off angrily:
"Fook John!" he pulled away from me with his arms flying in different directions, "I'm sorry, Maria, but 'e doesn't really luv ya. If 'e did, 'e'd be 'ere instead of me" I nodded my head while looking at my feet.
"I know, I really do. I'm sorry" he lifted up my chin and said:
"So is it a 'yes' or a 'no'?" I couldn't help but smile through the confession of my dying love for John.
"Yes, I'm gettin' really sick of sleepin' alone" he lifted my hand with a smile and kissed my palm sweetly. His lips were warm against my cold skin. He held onto it and led me through the lobby. We walked into the elevator that would take us to my room.
He took the moment of loneliness to kiss me closely. The hand that was holding mine crept into my blonde locks while the other slid across my leg. I suddenly could not hold the urge inside anymore, I wanted to touch him everywhere, but I wanted him to officially be mine. He could leave me any second like this. But how could I scare him by pushing out such a suggestion? So I kept to myself once again.
He brought me into the room to the bed where I immediately sat down. My legs burned with fatigue and my arms went limp but George's fingers traced along my arms as he kneeled on the floor in front of me. He slipped my shoes off of my feet and traced his thumb against my knee. He leaned forward and kissed the spot where his thumb was. I watched his hands as they and he moved further up my legs. It was not long before his chest was up against mine.
Anxiety strangled my stomach. Was it the baby? Was I suddenly afraid of him? He began to unhook his bottoms while kissing my neck. I wanted to have him again so badly but I knew I would not be able to enjoy it like this.
"George" he stopped what he was doing and pushed himself up from me to look at me.
"Yes, luv? Is sumthin' wrong?" I nodded. "Whut?"
"I'm afraid" I could not look in his eyes. What would he think of me? I did not have as much confidence as he did.
"Afraid of whut?" he gently rolled off of me to give up on having sex with me. As long as that is all he was giving up on.
"I'm afraid that I will not be a good mum" tears spread to my eyes while I stared at the ceiling of the hotel bedroom. "Whut if the baby 'ates me? Whut if I drop 'im? On 'is 'ead?!" I rolled onto my side to look at him.
"Oh, Maria" he slid his thumb from my nose to my ear to wipe my unnoticed tears and tuck my hair back, "you'll be a brilliant mum. That babe will be lucky tah 'ave ya as a mother and no matter what 'appens, I'll be 'ere tah 'elp ya" he put his hand on my tummy and closed his eyes. A smile appeared on his face.
"But, George-" he put a finger to my lips and "shush"ed me. I watched his eyes open to meet mine. In that short moment I could see that his words were true and that he really did care for me. More importantly, he cared for the child inside of me. "Oh, Georgie" I pulled him to my chest and wrapped my arms around his neck. He breathed in the scent of my hair while hugging me tightly. "I love you" I whispered into his ear.
"I love ya too" he breathed out warm air on my neck and rubbed my back. The repetitive motion left my eyes fluttering for sleep. The whole day weighed on me-the tears, the dancing, the baby-it all hurt but felt great at the same time. George loved me and I loved him and we had this great thing living inside of me but why was the only thing I wanted to do was sleep? My body obeyed my mind and I drifted off into the deepest sleep I had slept for a while.
Yay! Good ending! But what could happen next? When will John find out? We'll find out some time! Just not yet! Sorry!