You Take My Breath Away - Brian May

20. "So Sad, Her Eyes"

"Hey, it's Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer!" Lettie said when Tina answered her knock at the  door of the boys' flat.

"Shut up."

Lettie laughed. 

Poor Tina must have rubbed the sunscreen off her nose during their beach day, for the tip of her nose got terribly sun-burnt, leaving it bright red, hence the out-of-season nickname. 

The friends had gathered at the boys' flat for a game night. They were currently in the middle of a heated round of Scrabble.

"That's not a word, Roger!"

"Yes it is, Fred!"

"Brian, look it up in the dictionary!"

"Already on it." Brian buried his head in the dictionary.

"Brian, Brian - always with your nose buried in a big, fat, boring book with too many big words," remarked Roger.

"Be nice, Rog, or I'm taking Fred's side on this one."

"Even if it is a word? Which it is."

"Yes."

"You wouldn't betray me like that!"

"Oh, but I would."

The phone rang while Brian continued to flip through the dictionary in search of Roger's supposed word.

"I'll get it-" Tim set down his beer and went to go answer the phone.  He returned a few moments later.  "Lettie, phone's for you."

"Me?" she said, surprised.

"Yeah, it's your brother asking for you."

"Okay, thanks." Lettie left the game and went to go answer her call. What could Chip possibly need that he would call her friends' house?

"Hmm, sorry Rog, but I think you're out of luck - that word does not appear in the good old Oxford English Dictionary." 

"Oh come on! Here, give me that-" Roger snatched the book from Brian and began flipping through it himself.

"Oh, no! This'll take forever," groaned Tina.

"Can the next person go while you look?" suggested Priya. 

"Lettie was next," said Mary.

"See, we have to wait for her to get back anyway." Roger didn't look up from flipping through the book purposefully. 

Lettie was shocked silent when she wandered back into the living room.

"Lettie, what's the matter?" cried Tina, noticing right away. 

"That was my brother, calling from the hospital. Dad's had a heart attack." She couldn't believe she was even saying such words.

"Oh my God," Brian cried. "I-is he all right?"

"He's at the hospital with Mum - he collapsed at the shop and they called an ambulance. Chip said he's stable."

"Are you all right?" Priya asked her.

"I-I think so... I'm just so shocked... I should be there."

"Of course, I'll drive you." Brian was already on his feet and reaching for the van keys.

"We'll all go." Freddie was on his feet as well, gesturing for the others to do the same.

"Oh, you really don't have to-"

"Nonsense, Darling, of course we do! What are friends for? Everyone up!"

With that, their Scrabble round forgotten mid-game, the group filed out of the flat and into the van. Lettie sat up front with Brian who, just as promised, drove. Even Roger didn't argue about his friend driving his prized van.