It's All In The Cards

Disclaimer: I don't own The Beatles, or anybody connected to them. I don't own anything connected to The Beatles. I'm not making any profit off of this story, just trying to expand my writing skills while having a bit of fun.

Author's Note: Yes, I'm starting yet another story before I have the others finished. Sorry. I got this idea from reading "Five Things You (Probably) Shall Never See In A Beatles Fanfiction" by The Starkiller. It made me laugh a bit, I agreed with several things on it, and I decided to try to make number 4 happen. Go check it out, I love it. Hope you all enjoy!

Ch. 11

By the time that George, Ringo, and Paul arrived in New York, Gardenia had disappeared again.

John yelled at the doctor, begged him, bribed him, but all that he would say was that Gardenia had signed herself out and left. The boys felt rather desperate to find her, but they had no idea where to start. John was being badgered by the press, and the arrival of the other Beatles sent them into a frenzy. They couldn't search without being followed and eventually gave up. They went back to their homes and waited for the frenzy to die down, keeping in contact as much as they could.


Another 20 years passed before any of them saw Gardenia again. She had kept a close eye on all of them, a closer eye on her deck of cards. She heard about George's attack and how he had survived it, but still kept watch on the news, dreading the possibility of him still getting cancer.

George, distracted by family, work, and the search for Gardenia, had quit smoking years before. He explained to Olivia that Gardenia had been a good friend to all four Beatles, that she had liked her privacy and staying out of the spotlight, and that she had disappeared one day only to reappear and save John's life thirteen years later. On November 29th, 2001, George got the strangest feeling that he was being watched. When nothing happened, he began to wonder if he was just paranoid.


On November 30th, 2001, Gardenia woke late and dressed in a nice outfit before making the trek to Friar Park. She had moved back to England after saving John's life, hiding out in an apartment and working as a secretary. As she made the journey to George's home, she wondered how he would react to her appearance after so many years.

Taking a deep breath, Gardenia rang the doorbell. She heard footsteps, then the door swung open to reveal George.

"Hi."

His mouth dropped open in shock.

"Gardenia? Is it really you?"

"Unfortunately yes, but I hope you won't hold that against me."

He recovered from his shock enough to let her in, leading her into a spacious living room and sitting beside her on the sofa.

"How are you?"

"Happy. There was a cancer scare last year, but it turns out that I'm cancer-free, completely healthy."

She smiled at him, resting a hand on his arm. He grabbed her hand as if afraid she would disappear.

"What happened to you? Brian died and you didn't show up to the memorial. You just vanished for years, then I got a phone call from John saying that you had saved his life and were in the hospital and nearly died. By the time I got there, you had gone again."

"I'm sorry. I really am, but I wanted to stay out of the limelight and the presence of all four Beatles in my hospital room would have drawn the attention of the press."

George considered that while Gardenia studied him, not wanting to miss a moment of seeing him when she wouldn't see him again for a while. He finally spoke.

"If I call the guys, will you stay to see them?"

"Yes."

He hurried off to place the phone calls. While Gardenia waited for his return, Olivia entered the room.

"Hello, who are you?"

She rose to greet her.

"I'm Gardenia, an old friend of George's. Pleased to meet you."

They shook hands just as George returned.

"George, I was just meeting the friend that you told me about. When did she get here?"

"A few minutes ago. Gardenia, I talked to the guys."

She winced.

"How mad are they?"

"Ringo seems to be happy, as does Paul, but John yelled something about a plane ticket and hung up."

Gardenia sank onto the sofa.

"Wonderful. This ought to be a cheerful reunion. Would you prefer that we meet elsewhere?"

He shook his head.

"I don't think he's mad, honest. John was a bit…disturbed, when you disappeared that first time. You were a constant presence for years, someone he thought he could rely on, then you vanished. It was a bit much for him."

Gardenia took a deep breath and exhaled.

"How long do I have?"

George sat beside her and took her hand.

"The only one overseas right now is John. Considering how quickly he hung up, the day after tomorrow at the latest."

"I…I need to go home for a while. Olivia, it was nice meeting you. George…"

She felt herself choke on the words. He nodded, giving her a warm hug.

"Give me your address and I'll tell you when I know more about arrival times."

She gave him her address and left, hoping that she could have just a little more time with the boys before leaving.