Comfortably Numb

Chapter Three - The Thin Ice

"Wh - wh - wh - " was all Gary could manage.

Phoebe came into the flat. "Who're you? What are you doing in our flat?"

Yvonne smiled at Phoebe. "Hello, Phoebe. Gary, would you introduce us?"

"Wh - wh - wh - "

"This is Yvonne, Phoebe," said Noel, who was sitting on the sofa.

"Alright, Yvonne, what are you doing in our... Wait a minute, I know you. I met you at Gary's HQ once."

"His HQ?" asked Yvonne, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, that was it. It looked like a shop with all sorts of junk in it. You're Gary's Number One."

"Well I thought so. But maybe I was just his Number Two..."

"Sorry?"

"Phoebe, this is Yvonne Sparrow," said Noel quietly.

"What? You're his sister then?"

"No, dear," said Yvonne, unable to keep a tremble out of her voice. Now that she'd met Phoebe, she didn't feel angry at her anymore. After all, it wasn't her fault. "Didn't Gary tell you that he was already married?"

"He said he'd been married, but it was all over. To someone called... Marilyn. Yes, that was it, Marilyn Munroe."

Yvonne snorted with laughter. "Marilyn Munroe? He told you he was married to Marilyn Munroe? In his dreams!" Phoebe looked confused. "No," Yvonne went on, "he was married to me. Yvonne Sparrow. Before he ever met you."

Phoebe looked shell-shocked for a moment. Then she said, "Oh, I get it. You're an old flame of Gary's and you've never got over him, so you come round 'ere with this cock and bull story to try and split us up. Go on Gary, tell her to sling 'er 'ook."

"I can't," Gary whispered.

"What d'you mean, you can't?"

"I can't because she's telling the truth. I'm married to both of you."

Gary drew in a long drag from a cigarette. He was shaking all over. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," he was saying over and over again.

"You're sorry?" Phoebe screamed. "You've been lying to me for the past eleven years and all you can say is you're sorry?"

"I never meant to hurt you. Or you," he added, turning to Yvonne. "Or anyone. I had... two lives. And they never touched. They never could touch. Until... until now. I'm so sorry." In tears, he rushed out of the flat, past Michael who was coming up the stairs.

"Dad! I - Dad!" Michael called after him as he rushed down to the lobby and outside. Michael went into the flat, to find his mother, Reg, Noel, his baby sister and a strange woman in expensive clothes there. "Mum, what's going on? What's the matter with Dad?"

Reg knelt down and spoke quietly. "Michael, son, we've got some serious news to tell you. Can you be brave?"

Michael nodded.

Gary didn't know where he was going, or what to do. He just had to keep on walking, in the hope that the movement might clear his head enough for him to know what to do next.

As he often did when he'd had a tiff with Phoebe, he headed for Hyde Park. There he traced a footpath which led towards a little cafeteria. Sit down and have a coffee, he thought, then things might be a tiny bit clearer.

But before the cafeteria came in sight, the path vanished. So did the park. And the light. And the ground.

He was falling in pitch blackness for a second or so. Then he hit a hard floor and was knocked unconscious.