The Sound of Silence | Paul McCartney ✅

33

Paul hurried along the hospital corridors beside the gurney where Adaline lay. She was breathing, and responsive, but the emergency room doctors had assessed that their baby was in distress, and needed to be delivered as soon as possible. The thought of being a father in just an hour or so terrified Paul, but he knew that he had to be strong, both for Adaline and for their daughter.

John was beside him, a strong hand on his friend's arm to show his support in the current situation and to keep his friend tethered to sanity, because otherwise he knew that Paul would lose it -

"Bloody Hell!" The doctors, nurses, Paul and John turned in the direction of the loud exclamation, "it's Beatle Paul and Beatle John!" The young man hurried over to Paul and John despite the fact that they were still rushing alongside the gurney. "Can I get your autographs?!"

He was running along beside them now. "Fuck off!" John yelled. "Can't you see that we're in a rush!?"

Ringo, George, Maureen and Cynthia, Jean and Henry had gone separately from John, Adaline and Paul, and were also on their way to the neonatal ward.

"She isn't waking up -"

Paul let out a loud sob and buried his head in John's chest. "What does that mean, Doc?" John asked.

"It means she can't push." John waited for the doctor to elaborate. "Which means that she'll need a caesarian-section operation in order to give birth to this child." He paused. "We need Mr McCartney's consent."

"Do it!" Paul yelled.

"You need to sign a form -"

"Just take her up and I'll sign the damn thing!" Paul bellowed, standing up straight and fishing around in his pocket for a pen. A nurse held out a form for him and he signed his name with a flourish. "And if it comes to it, save Adaline." The doctor nodded and immediately gave the order to bring Adaline up to the surgical ward.

"Come with us, Mr McCartney - you can be in there when the baby is delivered."

Paul followed them.

* * * * *

Cecily Mary McCartney was born at thirteen minutes past midnight on January 1st 1964, weighing a healthy 8lb and 6oz.

* * * * *

"You're doing great," Paul encouraged as I held Cecily to my chest, desperately trying to get her to latch on so I could feed her.

"She won't drink."

"She might not be hungry." Paul offered in reply.

"Well of course she is," I answered. "I carried her for nine months, and let me tell you, I know when she is hungry." After another twenty minutes of trying to get her to feed, I gave up and handed her to Paul, pulling my hospital gown closed.

"The others are out in the hallway," Paul said as he gestured to the open door to the ward. "Want me to ask them in?"

I watched for a few seconds as he held Cecily to his chest, cradling her closely and whispering the sweetest of things to her. "I'll protect you, baby girl... you're my world... daddy loves you more than life itself."

"No." I answered. "I think we should have some time for ourselves right now... as a family."

Paul nodded in agreement, handing me Cecily. "I wanna see you with her." I held her closely and kissed the top of her head, smiling softly at the little sprig of brown hair that was already on the top of her head. Brown like Paul's. She was his double - her eyes were brown, her hair was brown, and she had his nose. "Marry me."

In surprise, I looked up at Paul. "What?"

Paul swept his tongue across his lips, wetting them before he spoke. "You're holding our little girl," he said, "and all I can see is the absence of a ring on your finger. I want you to be my wife - I love you, and I will forever. Adaline, I want you to be my family forever; you, me and Cec, and hopefully dozens more children."

I laughed quietly at his last remark, "I'd be a fool to turn you down." I answered. Paul grinned and reached over Cecily to kiss my lips. My heart leapt in my chest as I realised that I was truly happily. "But we're not having dozens of children. Six is my lot." I told him firmly.

Paul laughed quietly, noticing that Cecily was drifting off to sleep. He was a natural at parenting. "Six is fine with me... but maybe we could push it to seven?"

"We'll see."

Ringo walked into the room and looked over at us. "S-sorry - um, Mo wants to know if she can come in and see the baby...?"

"Give us a ring, Ringo."

"What? Why?" Ringo asked, looking at his hands and clasping his fists to protect his rings as if we would saw them from his fingers, one by one.

"My fiance doesn't have one yet."

Ringo cheered loudly as he pulled a ring from his finger and threw it across the room to Paul, who caught it. "Shush!" I hissed at Ringo, though not unkindly. I gestured to Cecily Mary McCartney, who was asleep in my arms. Ringo put a finger to his lips.

"Congratulations you two," he whispered. "I'll tell Maureen that she'll have to wait." We thanked him quietly and he left the room.

Paul took my left hand from around Cecily and slid the ring onto my fourth finger.