What Is Life? - A George Harrison FanFic

Chapter 4

Finally, George spoke.

"You are completely hammered," he said "I should have stopped you, but you looked like you could handle yourself."

I grew embarrassed.

"I promise I didn't intend," I stopped and opened the car door to throw up into the street. I returned to our conversation even more embarrassed. I just did that in front of George Harrison of the Beatles.

"Babe," he said "it's okay, I just don't think I can take you back to your hotel like this. I feel a sort of responsibility now to take care of you. If I let you walk back in there knowing you don't have anyone there with you, and something happens to you..." he was very concerned.

Did he call me 'babe'? was all I was thinking before things started fading in and out.

Quickly I felt my world go dizzy and I knew I was passing out. I couldn't control it now that I drank an entire bottle practically by myself.


When I woke up I didn't know where I was and for a moment I panicked. Then I looked around and saw that I was in a bedroom under the covers in my same dress. There was a robe laid out for me for when I woke up. It was still dark outside and I still had a headache from getting drunk. But I was awake now and my memories were coming back to me.

I was with George when I lost consciousness and he must have taken me here, to his home.

I took off my dress and put on one of his shirts to be a little more comfy and walked into the bathroom in the room. When I saw what I looked like in the mirror I almost jumped. How had I not scared him away? I took off the smeared makeup I had on and rinsed out my mouth. Next I grabbed the robe to put on and then walked out of the room to see where he might be. I wanted to thank him but saw what he was talking about when he said his home wasn't small.

I did see a fireplace on in the foyer below and walked down the stairs to see if he was nearby tending to the fire.

He was laying on the sofa by the fire just staring up at the ceiling. He hasn't noticed me yet. I was embarrassed but grateful that he had taken care of me and not just thrown me to the curb.

Then a floor board creaked as I stepped down and his head turned in my direction.

He sat up and I walked over to him.

"Can I apologize?" I asked him, "I had no idea.."

"No." He said simply, cutting me off, "you do need to know your limits but it's never going to be your fault that you are completely hammered, my thoughts just kept going to someone at the hotel taking advantage of you and I didn't want that to happen."

"I appreciate you, George."

I sat beside him and gave him a hug. He looked like he needed one after the stress I caused him. There was a brief moment that he seemed drawn to my face and I wanted so badly to kiss him as well but we still didn't establish what this was between us. And I caused too much embarrassment to complicate things further.

I broke away and grabbed his hand to pull him up with me, "I'm feeling better so, please go back to your bedroom and get some sleep, I'm the guest and I will sleep on the couch."

He just stood there and laughed and then looked at me.

"You look beautiful without makeup," he said disregarding my plea.

"George, stop doing that." I said feeling a spark between us.

"Doing what?" He challenged me.

"Making me look at you and see my entire world flashing before me, as if somehow I crossed the pond over to England and now suddenly the man of my dreams is standing here before me in his mansion, just the two of us..."

He stopped me from babbling by kissing me. He was a delicate and passionate kisser. And I was so in awe at the man that he was that I just fed into it and kissed him with the same amount of passion.

When we finally broke apart I hugged him tightly and he carried me up the stairs back to his master bedroom.

He sat me down on the bed.

"Get some sleep," he said to me, "my house, my rules alright? I will put out the fire and get some sleep downstairs and we can talk about what happened just now in the morning. I want you to have a clear mind and be honest with me about how you feel."

He finished his rant and was gone. I figured I'd better obey him before he showed me an even stricter side of him. I slowly fell into a deep happy sleep, thinking about George.


When I woke up there was light shining in the window and I remembered clearly what had happened last night. I had wondered if George thought I would forget or regret kissing him. I walked back out into the hallway and down the stairs as I had done the previous night.

"Lauren?" He called out and I followed his voice through a hallway and down to the kitchen. It was big and looked so grand. He was standing there all cleaned up and cooking pancakes.

"I hope you like pancakes?" He said sweetly.

"I do," I said kindly "thank you for doing this, you have no idea how hungry I am after throwing up my dinner last night."

He nodded and served me a plate and I sat at the bar on one side and ate while he finished and cleaned up before joining me.

"This must be all so strange to you, I'm trying not to scare you away," he admitted.

"Are you joking," I said "I'm the one that feels as though I've been a burden on you, you shouldn't have had to bring me here or let me wear your clothes, or sleep on the couch."

"I have a guest bedroom or two," he said "but I wanted to be down here, so you could find me when you woke up, if you needed anything."

"That's what I mean, George," I said to him and looked into his eyes, "why do you care so deeply, why didn't you just drop me back at the hotel, find someone you could trust to get me to my room and leave me be?"

"I don't trust anyone," he admitted, "and I hold some responsibility for not telling you to stop after your 3rd glass of wine."

Him being this kind to me was too good to be true, I almost didn't think any of this was real.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and George went to see who it was and then came back.

"Would you like to hide upstairs and I will get rid of them or would you like me to ignore them." He asked and I knew he meant it was the other guys, here wanting to see George after the vacation he skipped out on.

"I'll go upstairs," I nodded, "but take your time I have nothing else to do today, you've already done so much."

We were in agreement that we couldn't let them know I was here, they would not understand that we don't even know what it is going on between us.

"But I will get rid of them fairly quickly," he said "or I will suggest we go somewhere and leave you here to enjoy whatever you'd like to do. I don't want you locked up and hiding."

He was a true gentleman.

....

I heard some chatter downstairs but wasn't fully listening. I was walking into George's closet looking at all he had and there were a lot of clothes. He seemed to have a nice style, he didn't really need me, maybe just the others did. I wanted so badly to pull something out and create something for me to wear so that I wouldn't be stuck wearing the same dress from yesterday.

I decided I would stay in his shirt for now and just relax in his bed. It wasn't long after that he returned and I quickly jumped up.

"They are headed to John's, he doesn't live that far from here," he went to his drawer and put something in it and walked back toward me, "I told them I needed to drive to the city to take care of a few things and I'd meet them there this afternoon. That gives you time to decide if you want to be back at the hotel or if we want to say I ran into you and invited you with."

Of course he left that choice up to me. He knew I'd be embarrassed if they knew I slept here last night. I was truly grateful for him.

"I wish we didn't have to drive back into town," I admitted, "but I do need a shower and a change of clothes."

"But what about John's?" He asked, "I really think you would enjoy the company of his wife, Cynthia. She is someone that could explain what she's been through because of our fame and someone you can trust to talk to."

"I would love to meet her, and I do want to spend time with all the guys, but what are we doing?" I wanted to figure it out before we got ambushed.

"There's no rush on anything," he ignored the question and grabbed my hand, "but let's hit the road we have a couple hours drive there and back and whatever time it takes you to get ready once we are there."

After ushering me to the bathroom to get my dress back on and then quickly out to his car, he peeled out and down a road so we could begin our drive to London. Now that I was conscious I was able to see the beautiful sights and each time I looked up at George I would notice a smirk on his lips, but his sunglasses hid the beautiful brown eyes that I've grown to know very well.


"Go on," he sent me up into the hotel while he decided he'd better stay in the car, "I'll be back for you in 30 minutes, is that enough time?"

"I'll be quick," I promised but knew I'd need to literally run around to beat that deadline.

I got into the hotel suite and ripped off my clothes. I danced around with happiness in my heart as I waited for the shower to heat up and then I jumped inside as fast as I could and finished washing up.

Next was my makeup. I remembered that George had told me I was beautiful without it and so I went for a light natural look. Then I grabbed one of my favorite designs and threw it on. I felt fresh and like the model that I was as I walked down the hotel hallway like it was my own catwalk.

As I then passed the hotel lobby I heard someone call out for me.

"Miss! Miss Woods!" The voice called and I turned around to see a frantic lobby attendant running up to me.

"Yes?" I asked "what is it?" He looked pained.

"We have over a dozen messages to get a hold of you, there have been phone calls for you."

"Well what do the messages say?" I grew concerned. I had just talked to Darry the day before and he was flying across the United States for some event or issue. I wasn't sure how I would even reach him wherever he was.

"Just that you need to call and it's urgent and important," he again said frantically.

I decided to call Darry's office in New York.

His secretary answered and it sounded like there was a lot of commotion.

"Davis Residence," she answered.

"Ruth," I shouted into the phone, "I was told to call, what is going on?"

"Is this Lauren, oh there you are!" There was pain in her voice.

"Is everything okay?" I wondered, the suspense was killing me.

"Are you somewhere where you can sit down?" She asked, "we have some terrible news to share."

"Yeah just spit it out, you're scaring me," I said to her.

I began to wonder if George was growing anxious and wondering if I wasn't coming. I had promised to meet him outside 2 minutes ago and I was now playing a guessing game with my Agent's secretary.

"... there's been a plane crash." She said and after that my mind started to explode. I knew plane crashes were not good, they were more rare these days but the mere occurrence of one meant death.

Darry was supposed to be on an airplane today. My heart dropped and I felt faint.

"Lauren, are you there?" She asked.

"Is Darry.... dead?" I asked her and there was silence on her end this time.

".. I'm so sorry," she spoke through the phone and I could hear her crying.

I started to sob. I spoke to her for a few more minutes and found out that Jenna was okay, thankfully. But a piece of my heart was ripped out of my chest. He was supposed to be on a flight back to London, to be here with me and plans changed. Because he didn't come... because he didn't get on the original flight and instead flew from New York City to San Francisco, he was no longer on this earth.

I felt my world crashing down on my shoulders. Why did I have to get this news. I knew I needed to return home but was suddenly petrified about the thought of getting on an airplane.

I no longer could breathe and I ran back to my hotel room and collapsed into the king sized bed.