This Boy - Mclennon

Chapter 24: It's All Too Much

~Paul's~

I fumbled with the bags in my arms to open my front door, dropping one on the ground. "Bloody hell," I mumbled to myself as I reached down to pick it up. I shoved the door open with my hip and quickly went into the kitchen to put the food away. I put the kettle on and began putting the frozen items away. Something caught my eye, though. I looked into the hall to notice muddy, wet foot prints. I raised an eyebrow. Gin was asleep on the couch, it couldn't have been her. The footprints were too big to be Mike. He knows better than to leave his shoes on in the house anyway. I began to rack my brain, immediately coming to the conclusion that Jim was in my house. I took a deep breath and followed the footprints up the stairs and realized they went into the bathroom. The door was open a little bit and the light was on. I took another deep breath and walked in.

John was floating in a bath full of bloody water. I stopped dead in my tracks, as I stared at him, what I saw changed.

It was John, putting me in the bath, fully clothed. Something that had happened a long time ago. I saw him slapping my face lightly to wake me.

I shook my head and saw John in the tub again. "Fuck," I ran and crouched beside the tub, pulling him up. "Johnny, John, please wake up," I began to lightly slap his face as he had done to me, so long ago. His eyes slowly fluttered open. "Paul," he muttered quietly and weakly. "What happened?! We've got to get you to the hospital," I said as I tried to lift him. He flinched as I wrapped my arms around his back. "Johnny you've gotta tell me what happened," I tried to speak calmly. "J-Jim, me back," John was white as a ghost as he spoke. I sat him up and noticed an oozing wound. "Bloody hell he did this to you?!" I was panicking now.

"What's going on up here?!" I heard Gin yell as she came up the stairs. "Call an ambulance, the police, someone!!" I screamed and held John, picking him up carefully and wrapping a towel around him. He could barely stand on his own, he lost too much blood. I put his trousers on him and didn't bother with a shirt. Gin stood in the door way, wide eyed and shocked. "GIN!" I yelled to snap her out of it. "I'll call!!" She yelped and ran down the stairs to the phone. John collapsed into my arms. My heart was racing as fast as it possibly could. His eyes fluttered but they were locked on me. "Macca," he whispered. "I'm here love, I'm here," I held him close. "M'love, my beautiful boy," John whispered before closing his eyes. "John? John?!" I shook him a little, feeling my body begin to shake in fear.

"Excuse us," I heard behind me. I spun my head around to see three paramedics. One began pulling me away from him. "No!" I yelped, not wanting to let him go. "Son we need to get him help." The one pulling me said. They put John on a stretcher and began taking him down the stairs. I chased after them, only to be stopped by two officers. "We need you to stay here for questioning." The taller one said. "No! He needs me!" I yelled and tried to shove passed. "Please let him go." Auntie Gin said sternly behind me. "Who did this?" The shorter police officer asked me. "My father, Jim McCartney," I said, my eyes still on John who was now being taken outside. "Go on then, kid." The taller officer said. I looked over to Gin, who nodded. "I'll stay, go with John." She told me.

I ran outside and hopped in the back with John, who was still unconscious. The paramedic was feeling for a pulse. "I've got a faint pulse here, starting CPR." He yelled to the other paramedic. Just like that, the doors were closed and we were flying to the hospital. I watched in horror as he paramedic gave John CPR.

I felt so unbelievably helpless.

When we arrived at the hospital, they wouldn't allow me into the room with him until they could stabilize him. I stood in the doorway, as far as I was allowed to come, and what I saw changed again.

It was me laying in the hospital bed, battered, bruised, broken and concussed. John was sitting in the chair next to the bed holding my hand, looking extremely tired. "Paul please wake up, please, I need you, m'love... don't leave me..." John was muttering over and over again. It sent shivers down my spine, and I felt a piercing pain in my ribs, the ones that never healed properly.