I've Just Seen A Face {Ringo Starr}

Chapter 10

I avoided Ringo for the rest of the week but I guess he understood as he kept his distance. I was terrified about what was going to happen, if William found out, Ringo would be dead.

One morning I went downstairs looking around for one of my textbooks. "What ye looking for Pop's?" George asks while sat at the table eating his breakfast. I look at him. His smile was as sweet as ever. He was my favourite Beatle and seeing him right there, eating from- "That's my breakfast bowl." I cross my arms. He looks down at the soggy cornflakes. "I- shit I'm sorry, I'll pour it into another bowl." He panics and stands up and walks into the kitchen. "Well it's too late now isn't it?" I look at him confused. "No it's fine, I'm sorry, it was the first bowl I saw." He opens the drawer and grabs another bowl and pours his cereal into it. "There, I'll wash up your bowl too."

"It's no bother George. Really, I'll just do it myself." I look at the panic disappear from his face. "I've probably made you late for your classes haven't I?" He looks at me apologetically. "I- I don't start until this afternoon." I lie. In actual fact, I was going to drop out. If I was going to be moving away with Ringo I could no longer attend university, not this university at least. And plus, this was only to postpone my wedding to William.

George walks back to the table. "Right, sorry." He gulps and continues drinking. I walk out of the dining room and straight into John. "Elsie fuckin leave it- jesus Poppie-" he grabs hold of me. "Let go of me!" I pull away and breathe heavily.

"What's going on?" Ringo walks out of the living room holding the paper. "Look I gotta go Elly-belly okay? The spider will move out of yer room on its own." John hangs up. "It's nothing, Poppie just walked into me and I grabbed her arm and she just freaked." He shrugs. Ringo looks at me worried. "I-" I gulp and run upstairs.

"The hell did I do?" I hear John say. "It wasn't your fault." Ringo walks upstairs and knocks on my door. "Tiger? It's only Ritch sweetheart, are you okay?" He says as I pace around my room. "I'm fine."

"Can I come in?" He asks and I look at the door and tear up. "I-" I sniffle and breathe shakily. "Poppie I only wanna see if yer okay. Just let me in." I hear him try and open the door and it sends me into a panic. The images of William doing the exact same thing floods back into my memory and I hyperventilate and Ringo hears. "Poppie? Pops just calm down okay? I'm going to come in."

I tremble and my legs go numb and I fall to the floor as I struggle to breathe.

"Is everything okay?" John asks. "Something's wrong with her, I can't get into the room." Ringo panics. "Alrigh, alright." John walks into Brittany's bedroom and opens her drawers. "Hurry John." Ringo sighs and looks at George stood at the bottom of the stairs drinking the leftover milk from his cereal. "Everything okay?" He asks. "Uhm- can ye pull yer car up to the front of the house?" Ringo asks. "Course mate."

John comes back with the key and unlocks the door. Ringo bursts in to see me laying on the floor trembling, sweating and barely breathing. "Oh bloody hell tiger." He falls to my side. "Jesus Christ, who'd have thought, Poppie Alford, biggest Beatle fan I've ever seen." John chuckles.

"Not the time Lennon." Ringo picks me up and carries me downstairs. George pulls up with his car and looks at us. "Is she okay?" He asks while lighting a cigarette. "Just fucking drive to the hospital Geo." Ringo orders and sits in the back with me, struggling to stay awake.

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"A panic attack."

"A panic attack? What? Why? How?" Ringo asks while rubbing my hand as I lay in a hospital bed wearing an oxygen mask. "Some sort of trauma triggered it maybe? Anyway, I'll put her on some SSRIs, hopefully they should help." The doctor explains. "When John grabbed her arm." Ringo says.

"Probably." George says. "She looks so peaceful Ritch. How could she have trauma?"

"I- I can't say." He sighs. "It took her a lot of trust to tell me, I can't break that." He looks at me. "Pops an' I are moving out. We're going to get a place." Ringo says. "What? Did you finally shag? Kiss?" George sits up. "No, it's just with, well what's caused this, she needs to get away from it."

"It isn't the lad that came over the other day is it?" George asks and Ringo nods. "That isn't even the worst thing he's done to her." He rubs my hand. "Oh lord..."