Ringo's Requiem

Chapter 15: Telling the Truth

Ringo kept his gaze on the studio's floor as he sat down, tears slowly trickling down his face as George sat next to him, putting an arm around the drummer.

The images of what had happened not even an hour earlier were burned into Ringo's mind, and he could do nothing but think them over as he continued to stare at the floor.

In front of Ringo and George, Paul stood, staring down at the pair as John held Ringo's note in his hand.

The two briefly looked at each other before John opened his mouth.

"Ringo... we..."

Ringo waited, closing his eyes, knowing all too well that John would just scold him.

"We... First w-want to know..."

First?

There was more than one thing they wanted from Ringo?

"H-how long?"

Ringo did not need John to elaborate on his question.

Slowly, he raised his head up, slowly opening his red and wet eyes, staring at John and Paul, both of whom looked down at him with a strangely caring look.

"A... A v-very long time..." Ringo answered after a moment, his head lowering down once again, not being able to gather the strength to continue staring at the guitarist above him.

"I... I c-can't really r-remember now..."

George sighed, patting his head as he shuffled even closer.

"Um..." Paul started, his voice quiet.

"Why... w-why didn't you t-talk to... a-anyone before... you know?"

Ringo swallowed.

"N-no... No one w-would understand..."

George, John, and Paul all looked at each other in shock.

"I... I d-didn't w-want to cause t-trouble... I d-didn't want people to know t-that... that I was..."

Ringo took in a shaky breath, his tears starting to fall faster.

"M-Maureen... she... s-she wouldn't..."

"Shh."

George whispered into Ringo's ear when the drummer began to whimper softly.

"We understand."

John and Paul both knelt down to the pair on the floor, John presenting the note to Ringo in the process.

"You... w-why did you think that... this w-was the best thing to do?"

Ringo shook his head.

"I... I d-don't know..."

His whole body began to shake.

"I j-just couldn't... the... the p-pain... the loneliness..."

He sniffled.

"It... I-it felt t-there... t-there was n-no reason to g-go on anymore..."

John set the note down onto the floor.

"Why did you think that there wasn't a reason?"

Ringo, staring to breath deeply, opened his eyes to stare at John.

"It d-didn't even feel like you... no, we didn't know each other anymore..."

"We?" George asked after a moment.

Ringo's gaze fell to the floor.

"I... A-all I saw w-was... m-madness. The Beatles I k-knew were... l-long gone..."

Ringo paused, a sob escaping his mouth.

"M-me... Me b-best friends in t-the whole w-wide world were... were n-no more, e-even though they were s-standing right in f-front of me..."

He once again sniffled.

"I d-didn't approach you l-lads for help because... I d-didn't want to cause e-even more drama, and... And I didn't e-even know if you w-would take it seriously..."

John and Paul moved in closer.

"Ringo..." Paul started.

"You don't need to be afraid of us. Even if..."

He glanced over at John, who stared back with the same guilty look.

"E-even if it looks like we a-are mad at each other, you should still come to us. We still care about you."

"We always have," John said.

"And we promise that we always will," George stated, stroking Ringo's hair as the drummer continued to sniffle.

Keeping his gaze on the ground, Ringo opened his mouth.

"B-but then... W-what do w-we do now?"

He paused, taking in a breath to steady himself.

"A-are we... are you lads j-just going to... t-to continue this? T-this band's p-pretty much on its deathbed a-already..."

He coughed.

"S-sure... you all say t-that everything's g-going to be fine, but... e-even though I'd l-like to believe it... I..."

He sighed.

"I'm n-not sure if I c-can."

Ringo slowly raised his head up, staring at each of the other Beatles in turn.

After a moment, George, John, and Paul all joined in in a group hug.

Ringo blinked rapidly, tears still sliding down his cheeks.

"Ringo, we will fix this," John stated softly.

"No matter what it takes," Paul said in the same calming tone.

"We all still see you as one of our dear friends," George stated.

Ringo's eyes were wide, feeling the other three Beatles caress him gently.

This was something that Ringo wasn't expecting.

They weren't angry.

They weren't dismissive.

They weren't arrogant.

Instead, here they were, being the kindest and most caring that they had been in a very long time.

John, Paul, and George still cared about Ringo, and they all still cared about each other.

As Ringo came to that realization, he let out a shaky breath, eyes closed as he wrapped his arms around his friends, finally feeling the blackness in his heart begin to fade.

He had found the light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel, and now, he knew that he'd never have to go through something like this ever again.

All would be well.

As the four continued to hug, Ringo's lips curved upward in a small smile, his tears slowing to a stop.