The Silenced Drummer

Chapter 3: Reaction

George stood still, trying to comprehend the situation. He was successful in not letting the tears escape his eyes in front of the nurse. 

"We tried everything, but... we weren't able to salvage anything. If the bullet had been smaller, the vocal cords could have been partially recovered. I... I'm sorry," The nurse stated, looking down for a moment.

John was the only one who had enough competence to speak.

"I think we all understand," 

The nurse gave the three men a sad look.

"Well, I need to go back in now. They will need my help to move him..." The nurse gave one last heartbroken glance before she opened the door just enough so that she could go inside.

When the door was closed, the three musicians all looked at each other. It was then that George let a single tear start to roll down his face. Paul wasn't that far behind.

"W-what do w-we do?" George asked. John, wiping his eyes before his tears could stream downwards, let out a shaky sigh.

"I think that w-we should just wait until he wakes up. T-then, we can think a-about it," Paul sniffled in response.

"H-he only became a p-part of t-the band two years ago. H-his... we b-barely had h-him sing any songs. W-why did this... have to..." Paul's breathing began to quicken as he buried his head in John's chest. John, for his part, held Paul in his arms and looked down at him.

John closed his eyes. The only other time where he felt this helpless was when his mother died. This time, he was able to keep his emotions in check, even though his mind was still reeling at the news. When he opened his eyes, he saw George holding a hand over his eyes.

"George?" He asked softly.

George did not answer. 

"George," He said again. George moved his hand down and looked at him.

His brown eyes were red as tears cascaded down his cheeks.

"W-what?" He asked in a quiet voice. Paul turned his head to the side upon hearing his friend talk.

"I..." John did not know how to continue.

"I just can't b-believe it..." George said, not caring how the other two would respond, "Ringo... m-my precious Ringo... why... why him?" He hung his head, eyes closing in the process.

"Why not me?" 

"George, t-there's no way you c-could have known about what was... going to happen," Paul tried to comfort the young guitarist.

"I know," came the response.

"It's just..." George sighed, not knowing what else to say.

Paul looked at John and pulled away from him. He walked towards George, who was now starting to sob. He placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're not alone, George," The bassist said. George tried to look at his face, but he was to nervous to do so.

John walked over, next to Paul.

"We all are feelin' the same way right now, you know," John placed an arm around George.

"B-but what about Ringo? H-how is h-he going to... to..." George heaved for a moment.

"We'll deal with that when it comes. Right now, we all need to get our minds focused," Paul said.

Both he and John then hugged George, who placed his arms around them as well. George finally started to cry. He didn't care who else would hear it besides John and Paul. His cries only became more heart-wrenching to listen to as reality came crashing down around him.

Ringo, the love of his life, had forever lost the one thing that George always enjoyed.

His voice.

How would his career as a member of The Beatles go if he was no longer able to sing? Let alone speak. What would happen if they were to make another movie?

How would Ringo himself react? 

That last thought made George grow weak physically.

"I-I need t-to s-sit down," he said when his crying died down. John and Paul both pulled away from him so that George could sit down on his chair.

No words were exchanged for a while. 

Eventually, the sound of a door opening caught the attention of the three musicians. 

The nurse, along with two doctors, came out of the room, moving a gurney with them. With a nod from the two doctors, the nurse walked over to the three Beatles.

"You all can come with me," she said. 

Quickly, George got up from the chair, wiping the tears away from his eyes before the nurse could see them. 

The three Beatles all followed the nurse and the two doctors as they walked through the hallway. 

George went up in front of the nurse to see Ringo on the gurney.

His eyes were closed as his chest moved up and down. On his neck was a huge scar that went across his adam's apple. His mouth was closed, forming a straight line across his lips.

John and Paul went up beside him. 

"He'll be okay George, he's alive," John said.

"I know," George said in response. 

They all continued to walk, going to another hallway in the process. Here, the doors all had a small window on them, unlike the ones in the previous hallway. 

As they traveled, George felt the eyes surveying them. He knew, by the surprised gasps, that most of the visitors and employees that he had passed had recognized them. He couldn't care less about being noticed by the public right now.

George only cared about the fact that Ringo was still alive.