Hide Your Love Away: book two

Chapter 6

(Lucy) 

Me, George, Anna, John, and Paul walk into the house and see Dylan and Ringo sitting on the couch, they look sad. "John tell him." Ringo says. We all sit in the chairs and couches in the lounge.

"Tell me what John."

"Fuck... Macca... Prudence is eight months pregnant... not four. She... she called me last night and told me not to tell you. I'm sorry... she doesn't think the baby's going to make it." Paul slaps John and starts crying. "Why did we need to tell him like this Richard."

"Because we called her... she's in labor." We all sit in silence and wait for a call from the hospital, watching the clock. Ticking in our ears,  mocking us. After an hour and a half of silence the phone rings. 

"Hello!?" Paul answers, "Yes take the call... Lucy. It's for you." He looks heartbroken.

"I need you to tell everyone for me... even Paul I can't. Are you all together?" Prudence asks me.

"Yes Pru...Whats going on?" She asks me to repeat what she says to the group and so I do. "The baby was developing very slowly...she... she was in a lot of pain." They all listen to me with sinking hearts. "It was a girl... she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl who she names Julia Nicole... Julia Nicole McCartney." I say with tears in my eyes. "She had to have surgery to give birth and.... her heart stopped. That's when she saw..." I start crying hard at the words she's saying.

"Come on Lucy Lu... Tell them for me." 

"Her heart stopped and that's when she saw our Mom. Holding a laughing Julia telling her to come back to us. Julia survived five minutes after birth and then her lungs collapsed... Julia is going to be cremated like our mother was." 

"Thanks little bitch...can I speak to Paul now. I need to hear his voice." I hand Paul the phone, tears streaming down his face. Everyone else is crying to...except George. I don't see him anywhere. 

I go up to our room and find him in an empty bathtub with a half empty bottle of whiskey and a razor against his wrist. "George?" I ask and he looks at me with sad eyes. He drops the razor and I run over to him. He climbs out of the tub but falls to the floor. I sit on the floor behind him brushing my fingers through his shaggy hair. He subs into my chest. 

"This isn't fair...THIS ISN'T FAIR!" He screams, scratching at the cut on his wrists. I hold his arms and he looks up at me. "This isn't fair to any of us sunflower... this baby was a sign of hope for prudence and she was a sign of hope for me... I was getting tired of fighting my anxiety alone and she helped me keep fighting. Lucy your sister is so wonderful and kind she doesn't deserve all of the bad things happening to her." He starts crying again and I hold him close.

"I love that you care for my sister...Please don't hurt yourself because of this. She seems calm about what happened. She saw my Mom George... My mom is looking after that little one." He leans his head up and kisses me, his mouth tasting of alcohol and cigarettes. 

"I'm sorry love.... sometimes I just wish I weren't around anymore. You make life better though... but sometimes it's still too much." I help him to bed, taking off his blood stained clothes. I put away the whiskey and hide his razor. Then I crawl into bed next to him and he sings me to sleep. " You don't realize how much I need you, Love you all the time and never leave you. Please come on back to me. I'm lonely as can be. I need you."