Break Me One More Time [McLennon]

in which paul finds linda

The nightmares didn't stop, and Barney had said that it would be a while, but they still worried Paul. Every night he would wake John and then they never talked about it.

Paul was looking skinnier and skinnier every day and he was finding that he wasn't nearly as hungry as he used to be. Soon he wasn't eating any breakfast, he was eating an apple for lunch, and maybe a peanut butter sandwich or a bowl of cereal for dinner. John was itching to say something every day, but he stayed true to their agreement.

This went on for a few weeks and all was well. Paul was lying in wait for October at this point, ready to find out what John's realization had been back in Hamburg.

Barney's visits were becoming pretty infrequent. Paul hadn't seen him in a few weeks.

It was almost the end of August and it was almost time for Mike to go back to school, so Jim invited Paul and John over for an end-of-summer dinner.

"I'm glad we're going to your dad's house for dinner," John said on the way to Paul's old house.

"Yeah?" Paul said. "Why's that?"

"Because you'll actually eat a real dinner for once," John said.

"John," Paul glared at him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," John said. "I meant we. We'll actually be eating a real dinner for once."

"Okay," Paul said. "Thank you."

John pulled the car in the driveway and parked it was then turned the car off. "Alright," he said. "Let's go." They got out of the car and headed into the house.

"Hi, dad," Paul greeted.

"Hello, Paul," Jim smiled. "Hello, John."

"Mr. McCartney," John said and reached out to shake Jim's hand.

"Mike, come downstairs!" Jim called up to his youngest son. "Paul and John are here!"

Mike came down the stairs. "Hey, Paul. Hey, John."

"Hi, Mike," John and Paul greeted together.

"I'm making white rice with vegetables and gravy - with no meat whatsoever!" Jim said and smiled at his eldest son. "It's almost done. How does that sound?"

"Delicious," Paul said.

"Fantastic," John agreed.

"Thank you, dad," Paul smiled.

"No problem at all, Paulie," Jim said and turned to the stove to finish making dinner.

"Hey, guess what!" Mike said.

"What?" Paul smiled at his brother.

"I learned how to play a whole song on the guitar!"

"Serious?" Paul said and Mike nodded. Paul grinned - his brother was seventeen and, even though he was seventy one back home, he seemed so grown up. So it was refreshing to see him get so excited about something like this. "Alright, then. Let's hear it."

"Yeah, I need to hear this," John said.

"I'll go get my guitar," Mike nodded and ran up the stairs.

"Hey, boys," Jim said. "Did you read the paper this morning?"

"No," John said and Paul shook his head.

"Oh, it's terrible," Jim said as he turned the stove off and walked over to a table in the corner of the kitchen that held a vase and a newspaper. "There was this really awful car crash a few blocks away. Some woman who just moved here from America with her daughter last month, her engine blew out and there was so much smoke and she couldn't see. She swerved and crashed into a tree and the engine ignited. It took a whole team of DNA specialists to figure out who she was. Luckily, the paramedics got their quickly and her daughter was saved but she had bad burns and she's only a baby - poor thing. But according to the paper, the doctors are saying she'll live."