19. Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby

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Well, half past nine, half past four,

Fifty women knocking on my door.

Everybody's trying to be my baby...

Everybody's trying to be my baby, now.


'He's not coming, is he?' Cat asks for the third time as she leans her head in her hands, elbows resting on her knees, sitting on the chair in our hotel room. She has tears in her eyes, which she's blinking back furiously, but her mascara has started to run. She touches the corner of one eye with her little finger and then absently wipes it on the skirt of her peach coloured dress, leaving a black mark. My heart breaks a little bit for her. I swear I'm going to slap George when he arrives. If he arrives.

'He'll be here soon,' I say, with more conviction than I really feel. I catch Ricky's eye and he raises an eyebrow at me. He turns away, inspecting the knot of his tie in the mirror on the wall. I try to smile reassuringly at Cat. 'He's probably just got stuck somewhere,' I tell her. 'I mean, their lives are so... so busy, aren't they?'

'Stuck somewhere without phones,' Ricky murmurs and I shoot him a look.

'Do you think so?' Cat asks, putting her little finger to the corner of her eye again, still trying to blot her running mascara.

'Yeah, of course,' I say. 'Why don't you pop and fix your make up and then I bet he'll be here by the time you're ready.'

Cat forces a small smile and stands, smoothing her dress down. She leaves for the bathroom and Ricky sighs, annoyed.

'They'll give the table away if we don't go soon.'

'I know, but what do you want me to do? The three of us can't go.'

'We'll go, just you and me.'

I look in the direction of the bathroom. 'I couldn't just leave Cat. She's upset.'

'You're all heart, Hannah.'

I frown at him. I don't know why Ricky wanted to do this. I don't know why George agreed to it, when he clearly didn't want to. He's had all day to come up with some excuse to get out of it. He could have called and said he was too busy, he was ill, anything. Standing us, and more importantly, Cat, up like this is just not acceptable.

Cat reemerges from the bathroom. She sighs and forces a small smile. 'Guys, I think I might just go home,' she says. 'I don't think he's coming and there's no reason to let it spoil your Valentines day.'

I frown at her. 'Oh Cat, no. We could -'

I'm interrupted by a knock at the door. 'Ah, the prodigal Beatle,' Ricky says as he answers it. He opens the door wider to reveal George, finally. He stands, looking sheepish, outside the door. He's smartly dressed. They seem to go everywhere in suits these days. He holds six red roses in his hand. 'You only just made it in time,' Ricky tells him.

'Sorry,' George says, stepping in. 'I got uh... delayed. We went to meet our bodyguard's family, at his home and we didn't get back til later than I thought we would...'

'Bodyguard?' Ricky echoes. 'Is that the life of a Beatle? I'm quite glad we don't need bodyguards,' he says back to me and Cat. 'Then again, we have got Hannah. I don't think anyone would try anything with her around. Look at her now, how angry she looks.' He gives me a wry smile. I return it with a withering look.

George offers the flowers to Cat. 'Sorry I'm late,' he says to her, sweetly. 'I brought these for you...'

Cat takes them from him, smiling widely, all traces of tears long forgotten. 'Thank you, they're beautiful.'

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