⇾𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐖𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐃𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 | 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐈𝐈

Chapter Forty-Six: Use Your Arms For Loving Me

when tf am I ever going to be on time? I was at a band rehearsal I'm so sorry.

March 22, 1967

When I finally woke up, I had no idea what time it was again. The sun was pretty high in the sky, though, so I figured it was pretty late in the day.

I sat up groggily and looked at the clock next to the bed.

1:00 PM.

I suppose that answered my question. I had slept just long enough to where I wasn't really tired anymore, so I got out of bed. Then, I remembered that I needed to finish cleaning the bathroom, so I decided to do that.

When I went down to get the mop, I was met with a slightly terrified-looking face. I took the mop and immediately scowled before walking away from John wordlessly. He got up to follow me, but I didn't acknowledge it in any way. I was too stubborn for that.

Instead, I just began to mop furiously. The first time he spoke, he asked, "What happened?"

"I puked," I said simply.

"Oh," he said in a mumble. He stood there wordlessly as I finished and left the room. "Donna, can you talk to me?" he asked desperately.

"I can," I told him. "But I don't really want to."

He groaned. "Oh, come on. It was an accident."

I wasn't mad at him for that. Not really. I just couldn't stop thinking about the horrible dream I'd had last night and how he wasn't here to help. I was mad at myself for being mad, when it came down to it.

"Did something happen last night?" he asked nervously.

I stopped in the middle of the hallway and he had to stop abruptly so as not to run into me. "Nothing important," I replied.

"Oh, you know you don't mean that," he said. I went back into the bedroom and sat down on the bed. I reached for the cup of water that was on the nightstand from last night.

"It's stupid," I said. "It was just a damn dream. I'm fine." I shoved him lightly when he tried to reach his hands out.

"Donna," he moaned persistently. "Please, tell me."

"I don't want to," I replied. "I just want to forget it."

He fell silent, an annoyed look on his face.

"I'm sorry," I said finally. "I'm sure it was worse for you anyway."

He shook his head. "I can't remember it actually," he admitted.

"Then it must have been a bad trip." I laughed.

"Maybe so." He paused. "I really didn't mean to," he said shamefully.

"I know you didn't. That doesn't stop me from thinking it's the dumbest thing you've ever done."

He frowned. "Yeah, alright."

"You know I love you, though," I cooed.

He smiled sarcastically. "Oh, yes, I know," he responded.

"When have you got to go back into the studio?" I asked.

"Tomorrow," he responded, sighing. "I can't wait until this album is done. I'll get a nice break and we can just relax. Doesn't that sound nice?"

I breathed out. "You don't even know how good that sounds," I told him. "But, hey, guess whaaat?" I judged him in the side teasingly.

"Whaaat?" he asked mockingly.

"Next appointment," I reminded him. "We get to know the gender."

"Yes, we do!" he burst out, clapping his hands excitedly. Looking at me for permission first, he knelt down and hugged me around my stomach tightly.

I laughed, then felt a light kick. "I think they like that, John," I said jokingly.

"I love you, I love you, I love you!" he chanted, kissing my stomach all over.

"Hey," I proposed. "Perhaps if you play for them, they'll hear you!"

His eyes widened in excitement and he jumped up and ran out of the room faster than I'd ever seen anyone run in my life. A moment later, he returned with a ukulele and a smirk. "I think our babies like the uke," he said jokingly.

I moved so that I was sitting cross-legged on the bed and he did the same, plucking each string to make sure it was in tune. "See if you can remember this one, love," he said to me.

"You and me / We go together like honey and tea / You and me / It's plain to see / So won't you be with me?" He looked up to see if I knew what he was playing and my face broke into a smile. He grinned before continuing.

"Why can't you see / Just what you mean to me? / It's plain to see / You and me / We're just meant to be / So won't you be with me?

"You and me / Sitting in a tree / Happy and carefree / We've got love's key / So won't you be with me?" He gave himself time to breathe by playing a few chords with no lyrics.

"You and me / And our family of three..." He paused and gave me an alarmed look. "Our family of one plus three!" he said instead, earning a chuckle from me. "Living happily / You and me / Can't you see? / We're just meant to me / So won't you be with me?

"You and me / We go together like honey and tea / You and me / It's plain to see / So won't you be with me?

"Why can't you see / Just what you mean to me? / It's plain to see / You and me / We're just meant to be / So won't you be with me?

"Oh, come, come to me / And only then will you see / Just what you mean to me / Come to me because we're meant to be / So won't you be with me?

"Yes, we've got love's keeey..." He dragged the note out a while, then abruptly stopped. "So won't you be with me?" A sequence of three closing chords followed. When he finished, I began to clap and we both broke into a fit of laughing.

"Did the babies like that?" He asked teasingly.

Almost as if they were trying to tell us yes, I felt another little kick, causing me to jump. We laughed again. "I guess they did," I told him finally.

"How about this one, then?" he asked before beginning his own version of the intro to "Soldier of Love," something I recognized immediately. "I'll need some help with the backing vocals," he told me and I rolled my eyes.

"Lay down your arms..." he sang and I tentatively jumped in.

"Soldier of love," I sang terribly and we both laughed.

"And surrender to me / Lay down your arms / And love me peacefully, yeah / Use your arms for loving me / Baby, that's the way it's gotta be.

"There ain't no reason for you to declare / War on the one that loves you so / So forget the other boys / because my love is real / Come off your battlefield."

I knew the words reminded us both of a simpler time.