If Not For You

Get Back

YEAR: 1967

It's a week after the wedding Loretta headed back to New York. Everything was happy until one morning, while I was reading the morning paper, everything went south.

"GEORGE!" I yelled from the dining room.
"What?" he yelled back as he ran down the stairs. He saw me crying into my hands. "What's wrong? What happened?"
"Jojo's dead..." I cried.
"What?" Tears rushed to his eyes. "How?"
"Drug overdose..."
"I didn't know he did drugs,"
"He did them with Brian..."
"Is Brian alright?" I continued reading the paper and began crying even more. "Well?"
"They're both dead," my bottom lip began quivering.

George gave me a tight hug and we began crying into each other. As we cried, Dhani came downstairs for breakfast.

"Mum...dad...what's wrong?"
I sniffled my nose and pulled away from George.
"Uncle Jojo and Brian, are, are," I stuttered.
"Are what?"
"They're dead," George finished.

Dhanis eyes watered as he ran to us. He latched onto our legs and we all fell to the ground. We huddled into one another and cried.

"Dhani, do ye wanna stay home from school?" George asked.
"Yeah..."
"Alright," he gave us one last hug and got up from the floor. "I gotta head to work," he sighed.
"Alright...bye,"
"Bye love," he said while giving me a kiss on the cheek.

After George left, Dhani and I got up from the door and continued with our day. As he sulked at the table, eating his breakfast, I was in the living room trying to call Loretta.

"Hello?"
"Loretta..."
"What?"
"Jojo died..."
"What? No, no, he couldn't have,"
"Loretta, he O.D."
"My Joe doesn't do drugs!"
"Loretta! Him and his boyfriend O.D!"
"Oh my god," she cried.
"Its okay to cry," I said while tearing up.
"So how was yer honeymoon," she said trying to change the subject.
"It was fine I suppose,"
"Ye really love him, ye just don't know it yet,"
"Loretta, my feelins for Georges aren't gonna change. I might've had a crush on him in high school but that's all he is to me...a simple crush,"
"So what are ye gonna do?"
"I don't know... I'll figure somethin out. So how's the bar?"
"Its good actually. A lot of people miss ye,"
"Well hopefully I can seem them again one day,"

Months passed and I tried my best to gain feelings for George, but I was unsuccessful. One night, I was lying in bed, waiting for George to get home, then I snapped.

Oh my god...I need to get out of here! I can't stay here with a man I don't love! I'm wasting my life!

As I thought to myself, I began packing up a small suitcase of my belongings. Once I had my bag packed I went into Dhani's room and woke him up.

"Dhani," I said while lightly shaking him.
"Mmm..." he tiredly moaned.
"Get up, we're leavin,"
"What?" he mumbled as he sat up in bed.
"We're leavin!"
"Where are we goin?"
"New York," I said while packing up a duffle bag for him.
"Why?"
"Cause, Loretta needs us," I lied.
"Is dad comin with us?"
"Yeah, he'll meet us there..." I lied.
"Okay," he pouted as he climbed out of bed.
"C'mon, hurry up!"
"Okay!"

About an hour later we were at the airport, ready to board the flight to New York. Once we got on the plane, Dhani fell asleep. The flight to New York was really long, Dhani and I slept most on the time. When we arrived in New York, Dhani was still kind of tired so I carried him out of the airport. I got a cab which took me to my old apartment. I climbed the three flights of stairs, Dhani still sleeping in my arms. I went up to the apartment and knocked on the door. After a few minutes Loretta finally opened the door. When she saw me her eyes widened and I began crying.

"What are you doing here?" Loretta asked with a scared tone in her voice.
"I messed up," I said while crying.
"Get in here," she said while dragging me in. I set Dhani on the couch and followed Loretta to the kitchen. "What the fuck did you do!" she yelled.
"Ye lost yer accent," I chuckled.
"Don't change the subject! Penny! What did you do!"
"I freaked out and left George!" I cried.
"Does Dhani know that he's never seeing George again?"
"No! He thinks George will be here in a few days..."
"PENNY!"
"IM SORRY!"
"You need to go back!"
"I can't..."
"Then you at least need to send Dhani back,"
"He's not gettin my son!" I shouted.
"You're forgetting, that its his son too! Penny, you need to go back!"
"I'm sorry, I just can't..."
"Fine," she sighed. "Work starts in 30 minutes,"

GEORGE'S POV:

As I got home from the studio, something seemed off. Every thing was turned off, even Dhani's night light, which was odd. I walked inside the house, no one was home, but Penny's car was still in the driveway.

"Penny!" I yelled throughout the house. "Dhani!"

As I walked into the kitchen, I spotted a note on the counter top.

George,

I'm sorry you had to find out this way. I don't love you and I'm sorry, I had to leave and I have taken Dhani with me. Maybe we'll see each other again but for now I just need some time away from you and Liverpool. I'm sorry.

As I set the note back down on the counter, I began crying. I decided to call Paul, he rushed over as soon as I hung up.

"George, are ye okay?"
"No! My wife walked out on me and took my kid!"
"George I promise it will get better,"
"Ye can't promise that..."
"Yes I can! We're gonna find Ber and work all of this out! Did she say where she was goin?"
"No," I handed him the note.
He began reading the note then his face went white as a ghost.
"I know where she is..."