Audrey Hepburn's Pearls: Part I

Chapter 38.4: 1968, Georgina

Chapter 38.4: 1968, Georgina

 

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock

Safety knock.

Groggy and exasperated, I got up from my bed. My body protested, pain shot up my hand. 

Ow, fuck.

Knock-knock-knock-knock-knock

What time was it? Did I have clothes on? Quick check. No. Just underwear. What should I wear? It was the safety knock, so I could... With one hand in a struggle, a nightgown went over my head, the one from the night previous, still on the floor in a pool of silky fabric. Pretty lace. A small twinge of better feeling went in my heart at the sight. 

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK-

"In a minute!" I called. The knocks stopped. I groaned at myself, the sleep going far away. Who was that? What were they doing here? It was still dark out. How many hours of sleep did I get? My body told me not very many. Goddammit.

My injured hand shook, trying really hard to put my engagement ring on my opposite hand. No damn way I was going to not wear it, injury or no injury. I let out a little groan in the effort, but I got it on in the end. Sighing, I left my bedroom, feeling the new light blue carpet under my bare feet in the living room.

Pausing, I tried to wake myself up a little bit more. Really, who was that? What were they doing here? It had to be before 6am. 

Maybe...was it Frankie? 

A small bit of joy filled me, but then...

No, his knock was six. Not five.

Dammit.

Knock-knock-knock-knock-knock!

Okay, already.

I leaned against the door, looking through the peephole. My eyes widened. What the fuck-?! My hand fumbled with the lock, fumbled with the doorknob, ridiculously hard to work in such a state of panic-

Swung open, the sounds of Cha Cha's sobs were echoing in the hallway, echoing into my apartment. Slumped against the hallway wall, Paulie was staring at the ceiling.

Why had I waited? Why had I paused to put on my fucking nightgown? My fucking ring?

I raced out into the hallway, shoving Paulie onto my shoulder, wincing in the pain of my hand but it didn't fucking matter. Cha Cha was hiccuping, holding his shirt like the child he was, bunched in front of him. He was so scared. How the- how the hell- why were they here like this? What- what happened?

Paulie. Paulie was staring at the ceiling like he couldn't see anything. 

"Georgina... Georgina help us..."

"There's no 'us', Cha Cha. Get inside."

"Georgina..." he hiccuped, wiping his tears with the back of his arm.

"Go, sweetie. Come on, baby, go. Get inside."

"Okay..." he hiccuped again and stumbled inside, walking in a flurry to the couch, collapsing on it, crying his baby tears.

Struggling, I dragged Paulie inside. He wasn't going to help me at all. His head dropped to his chest, leaning on me even more with his body weight. 

"Fuck you, Paulie," I spat at him in a whisper so Cha Cha couldn't hear. Not caring, I laid him on the carpet, hoping against hope he wouldn't vomit on its newness. What the fuck was he on? Why the fuck was Cha Cha here like this? Why?