Carry On (A Beatles Fanfiction)

Chapter Sixteen

"John? Is that you?" I said, stifling a yawn.

"What are you doing up?" He asked in a dismal tone. I flicked on the lamp and almost shrieked. His face was all bruised and bloodied up, was worse than Paul's!

"John Winston Lennon! What happened!" I cried. He looked at me funny, obviously not remembering having divulged his middle name to me.

"You're not my mother, Ashley." Was his response.

"True, but oh my God, at least let me help you." I said.

"Fine." He agreed. I took him into the kitchen and made him sit while I dug out the first aid kit from under the sink.

"Do you want a tea or something?" I asked him.

"Sure. Why not." He seemed very closed off. So I put the kettle on before going to him with the first aid kit. I popped it open on the table and took a couple swabs and dabbed them in alcohol. He watched me looking amused.

"You should be a nurse, Ashley." He teased lightly.

"Don't go complimenting me yet. This is gonna sting like a bitch." I warned him. He looked alarmed at me.

"Language, miss Ashley!" He teased, warming up finally.

"Oh like you'd be offended." I rolled my eyes and attacked him with the swabs. He didn't yelp or anything, but he gritted his teeth. Of course he was just trying to be a man.

"So, do you wanna tell me what happened?" I asked as I cleaned his face up. He was silent for a moment or two.

"Fine, I went after the uni kids Ringo described." He said what I figured from the beginning.

"Ah...how on Earth did you find the exact ones?" I asked.

"After hours of looking for a blonde guy in a uni blazer." Was his 'well duh' answer.

"Did he admit to beating up Paul?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, after I punched it out of him." He growled.

"I see. So where did this all come from then?" I gestured to his face.

"The punk was tougher than I thought...He called me terrible names, Ashley." He said, his tone of voice getting all low and vulnerable suddenly.

"Terrible names? You realize it's just a uni kid, right? What's the matter to the whole grand scheme of things?" I said as I finished. His face looked better than it did, just a little purple. I went to stop the kettle as he sat there staring at the floor.

"But that's the fanbase really. Young people..." He trailed off. I'd never seen John like this before. I didn't really know how to take it.

"What did he say to you, John?" I said, sitting down next to him and plunking his tea in front of him.

"He said the only reason I avenged Paul was because I was his boyfriend." He said. I almost choked on my tea. John and Paul had an inseparable bond, anyone knew that. They were like brothers. But gay? This was the early 60's. That wasn't even near accepted back then, I could understand why John was upset by it. It was deemed an insult to him.

"Oh...wow...well he had a lot of nerve." I said.

"I don't act like that, do I?" He looked at me with worried eyes.

"John, no. You don't. You sought justice for your friend and that's commendable. Just next time don't go off all half assed about it. Just, call the police next time, alright?" I said, reaching into the first aid kit for some bandages.

"Fine, mother." He said, perking up again. That tease twinged at my heart. Mother. It's what he called his wife, my grandmother. I swallowed hard and tried to not let my mind go there. Instead I just pressed hard on a bandage to cover one open cut still on his left cheek and then he did yelp.