Borrowed Time: Saving John Lennon - A Beatles Fanfic

Chapter 21 - WHATEVER GETS YOU THROUGH THE NIGHT

December 5, 1980

"Hey..."

Holly stirred from a deep sleep, her eyes still closed.

"Hey... sleepyhead."

Opening her eyes, Holly was greeted by the sight of John sitting on the edge of her bed. He was haloed by the early morning sun pouring in from the window behind him.

"What time is it?" Holly asked as she stretched her arms over her head.

"Early. 7:30." John was still wearing the same clothes from last night. "Yoko worked things out with the Soho Times, and I ended up on the phone with them all fucking night." He shook his head, "I'm beat."

"So you haven't slept at all?"

"Nope. I was gonna have a bite to eat and then take a nap. Yoko and I are due in the studio again this afternoon," John yawned. "I thought you might wanna join me for brekkie, cause Yoko's dead asleep already."

"Sure, just give me a few minutes to get ready," Holly replied.

Holly quickly dressed and then headed down the hall to John's apartment. John's housekeeper, Rosaura, was busy preparing breakfast, and Holly joined John at the kitchen table.

"I talked to Fred last night. He should be getting that vest at some point today," John said. "He asked me about a million questions, though. Asked me if he should look into getting added security or a personal bodyguard."

Holly looked up from her plate. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him not to," John answered simply. "He wasn't happy about it, but I don't pay him to be happy, do I?"

Holly laughed and took a bite of her eggs. "So listen, I'm gonna stay a bit scarce today. I know you have a lot going on with recording, and then the Rolling Stone interview. I'm gonna keep my distance so I don't end up somehow being photographed. "

"You're not gonna stay with me?" John asked. "But I need you to tell me what to do!"

"Just do what your schedule tells you to. Other than wearing the vest and maybe mentioning how you've got a weird ominous feeling, just do what you would normally do." Holly stood and took her empty plate to the sink.

"Where will you be all day? What if I need to reach you?" John was starting to look like a lost child.

"You won't need to reach me, John. You'll be fine," Holly laughed. "I'll probably just pick up some new clothes to wear and maybe even do a little sight seeing. New York is a little different forty years from now."

Rosaura began to clean up the kitchen as Sean's nanny, Helen arrived. The apartment slowly began to buzz with activity and Holly took that opportunity to head out. As she was leaving, John pulled her aside and made her promise to come back and stay the night at the Dakota again.

••••

After a day of wandering around 1980 Manhattan, Holly made her way back to the Upper West Side, walking through Central Park in the unseasonably warm December afternoon. She soon found herself in a very familiar location.

The small area near the entrance on West 72nd Street looked basically the same as how Holly knew it, with one blaring omission. Benches lined the walking path like usual, but the path itself was missing the Imagine mosaic. Of course there was no reason for it to be there, as it was placed in memoriam to John a few years after his death. There was no sign labeling the area as "Strawberry Fields" and no buskers playing Beatles songs on their guitars. It was simply a thoroughfare.