Happy Birthday, John Deacon, wherever you are I hope you know how truly incredible you are 🎉🎂🎸
April 1985
"Hey!" Adam runs down the school hall to catch up with Alice, Hazel and Lucy, "Did you hear Molly got sent home?"
"Again?" Alice frowns, they head out of the school towards the gate.
"That's the third time this week," Hazel states.
"Was it for the same thing?" Lucy asks but Rami and Joe interrupt her reply.
"Hey, guys, what's happening?" Joe grins, slipping a hand into Hazel's.
"Hey, Joe, Rami. Adam was just saying that Molly got sent home again," Alice chuckles inwardly, Joe is always far too happy for this world.
"Her migraines again?" Rami asks Lucy's question slinging an arm around Lucy's shoulder. He finally plucked up the courage to ask her out at the beginning of the school year and they make a cute couple.
"Yeah, mum says if it continues she'll call the doctor," Adam confirms their questions, "Hopefully they can get them under control before we start exam year in September."
"I'd come over and see how she is but there's a band meeting at Miami's office and for some reason, dad says he wants me to be there," Alice wants to see her girlfriend, make sure she's alright but she promised her dad she'd be there.
"Don't worry, I'll tell Molly." They all go their separate ways to get home, Alice catching the tube to the office.
A woman at reception shows her to Miami's office when she gets there. Alice likes Miami, he's fun to tease and has become another uncle to her.
"So why am I here? Have you finally come to your senses and realised you need me in the band?" She grins, taking a seat beside John.
"No," Miami rolls his eyes, chuckling, "It is about getting the band back together."
"You sure because I can sing or I can take Brian's place I can play the guitar?"
"Not a chance," Brian laughs, "Just remember who taught you, Ally."
"Alice, shut up," Roger silences his daughter, "What's going on is we want to get Freddie back for the live aid gig."
"That charity gig thing," Alice has heard about the gig and is dying to go so she can take photos, "What have I got to do with it?"
"We want you to go with Mary and try to convince him to come back," John pipes up.
"What makes you think I'll be any help?" She hasn't spoken to her uncle since she called him a hypocrite.
"We know that the words you said last year settled some guilty and doubt in his mind and we hope that seeing you might help him to realise the truth," Miami continues, "There will be something in it for you if you can get him home."
"Oh yeah, what's that?"
Miami holds up a V.I.P pass, "The chance for you to be Queen personal photographer on the day and V.I.P passes for your friends."
"Cool. Okay, but when am I going?" She doesn't care that this is a bribe, she'll take it.
"Tomorrow after school once you finish for the Easter holidays, you'll fly out with Mary."
------
Molly hadn't been at school again the next day, Adam said that his mum has given her the day off and they're going to the doctor that afternoon.
Once again Alice can't go and see her girlfriend, Roger picks her up from school and takes her to the airport.
Arriving in Munich with Mary, they hop into a taxi, "So what's the plan?" Alice asks, she assumes Mary knows where they're going because she doesn't have a clue.
"We'll drop our bags at the hotel then we'll head to Freddie's house. Then depending on how it goes, I'd like a good catch up with you after, maybe we can go for dinner?"
"I'd like that," Alice never sees Mary anymore but she'll always remember her as the woman that rescued her from the puddle.
After dropping off their bags, they grab another taxi to the house, Mary asks the man to wait. They get out of the car and raced for the door to get out of the pouring rain.
"What if Paul's here," Alice worries they don't stand a chance of getting Freddie back if Paul is there.
"We have to try," Mary knocks on the front door but no answer, Alice looks through the large window and sees Freddie asleep on the sofa.
"Mary," She points to him. Mary then knocks louder on the window waking him up.
Her knock gets his attention, he sits up shocked to see both of them there but races to the door, "Hey."
Freddie pulls Mary into a hug, "Come in, come in out of the rain." He turns to shut the door then pulls Alice into a hug. "What are you two doing here?" Alice doesn't let go of the hug, she really has missed her uncle, more than she knew.
Mary answers for them, "We haven't heard from you in so long and we were worried about you." She looks about the room.
"No, I've been working that's all."
Mary sighs seeing the mess of bottles and food containers, "Freddie, you're burning the candle at both ends."
"But the glow is so divine," Freddie follows her gaze to the white powder on the table, "Being human is a condition that requires a little anaesthesia."
"We've missed you," Alice mumbles into his chest.
Freddie pulls her away to look at her properly, "And I've missed you, I've missed you both so much. But look at you, you've grown so beautifully. I have to stay and finish this second album. I need you both, stay! Both of you stay here with me."
"What about Queen?" Mary shakes her head, "Miami says he's been trying to contact you about live aid and you won't take his calls."
He frowns, "What's live aid?"
"He's been keeping our calls from you," Alice whispers.
Mary jumps in, "You haven't heard, Freddie it's the biggest concert there ever has been or ever will be. It's for the famine in Africa"
"Perhaps Paul thought it would be a distraction from my work, that's what's important, that I finish this album. Stay with me and I'll be alright."
"Freddie, I can't stay."
"Neither can I uncle Freddie, I have school."
"Of course you can, I need you both."
"Freddie, I'm pregnant. And Alice has school." Freddie looks betrayed and Alice backs away from him.
"How could you?" His tone is all too similar to the day she yelled at him.
"Freddie, this has nothing to do with you." They are interrupted by Paul's return.
"Mary, Alice. What a pleasant surprise." He invites his friends in then continues, "Wish I knew you were coming to stay."
"We're not staying," Alice snarls at him, Mary follows her to the door but Freddie comes after them.
"Wait, don't go. Alice," He grips her shoulders holding her in place, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I said back at the Lodge, I was lost, lonely and confused but that's no excuse."
"You didn't need to be lonely, Uncle Freddie," Alice looks at the floor then back up at her uncle, seeing the pain in his eyes, "Queen is your family. You helped me find my true identity, I'm happy now and I have a girlfriend because of you. There is a lot more in between that wasn't as good caused by that argument but I'm sorry too."
Freddie lets Alice get in the car and races round her to Mary, who is already in the car, "Wait, Mary, I'm sorry. I'm happy for you, truly I am. I'm just frightened."
"Freddie, you don't need to be because no matter what you are loved. By me, Alice, Brian, Deaky, Roger, your family. We're your family and it's enough. These people don't care about you, Paul doesn't care. You don't belong here, come home."
He nods shutting the car door, Freddie stood there in the rain as the taxi drives away. Paul tries to call him back in but he doesn't go, "Why didn't you tell me about live aid?"
"I didn't want to waste your time."
"You should have told me?" Freddie suddenly remembers what Roger told him about Alice being under the drum riser because of Paul, "Why didn't you tell us you saw Alice before she ended up under that drum riser?"
"That? That was years ago, Freddie, why are you bringing it up now? The silly girl ran away from me when she came out of the toilet."
There it is the proof he needed, "But you said you hadn't seen her leave the toilet."
"I um..." Paul shutters realising he's blown it. "I did, you forgot. You're always forgetting things and what are you worrying about her for? Besides she's alive isn't she."
Freddie snaps, "Enough! I can let the live aid thing go but you never hurt Alice." Alice means a lot to him, she is a daughter to him and he won't have her hurt, "What if she had died? You would have been the last person to see her and maybe it would have helped us find her sooner. I can't let that go, your out."
"What do you mean?"
"I want you out of my life"
"I'm out, just like that? After what we've been through you should see the photos I have. I know who you are Freddie Mercury."
"You know Alice was right, you're a rotten fruit fly coming to feast on what's left. Well, there's nothing for you to feast on anymore so fly off, do what you want with your stories and photos. Just promise me that I'll never see your face again." He walks away from the house, Paul calling after him.
------
Alice sat at home at the end of the Easter holiday watching an interview with Paul. She watched the entire thing with her dad.
Roger receives a call just minutes after the interview ended, she sat there trying to make sense of the one-sided conversation until he puts the phone down, "Who was it?"
"Miami."
"What did he say?"
He sighs, "Freddie wants to talk to us."
Alice grins sitting up in hope, "You said yes right? When are you meeting him?"
"We'll give him a chance, we're meeting him on Monday." Alice knows they're all annoyed and there's a chance Freddie will let them down but this is progress.
The phone goes again a few seconds later and Alice gets up to answer it this time, "Hello?"
"Alice."
"Molly? Hey, how are you feeling? I've hardly heard from you in the past week, did you get your results yet?" Alice went to see Molly the day after she got back from Munich but she didn't have the results back from her tests with the doctors.
"Yeah I got the results um... can me at our bench in the park near your house?"
"Sure I can, when?"
"Now, I'm calling from a phone box at the train station in your village, I'll meet you there." Molly hung up and Alice stares at the phone.
A hand on her shoulder makes Alice jumps spinning around, "Christ alive dad! You could give someone a heart attack snacking up on people like that."
"Sorry Monkey," He chuckles, "But I'm not the most light-footed person in the world, I thought you heard me coming. Who was that?" He changes the subject.
"Molly, she asked me to meet her in the park around the corner. I think she got her test results back, but I have a bad feeling I don't want to know the answer."
"You want me to come with you?"
"No, I'll be home soon. Thanks though," She slips her shoes on and heads out the door.
It doesn't take her long to get to the park, she sees Molly already sat on their bench by the duck pond, "Hey," Alice pecks a kiss on her cheek, grabbing Molly's attention.
She looks up from the floor, trying to smile but her eyes are filled with tears, "You might want to sit down for this."
Alice does just that, that bed feeling turns to dread in the pit of her stomach, "What did the results say?"
Molly bits her bottom lip, wondering whether to stall or get straight to it, "Alice, the doctors diagnosed me with a brain tumour."
"Cancer?" Alice whimpers but quickly tries to be positive, fearing that isn't the end of Molly's news, "But it's treatable yeah? Like mine, you can have surgery to remove the tumour and then chemo or radiotherapy? I'll help you fight it."
"No, Ally," Molly squeeze her hand, "It's stage 4 and untreatable. They will do what they can to make sure I'm comfy but I need you to help me enjoy the time I have left."
"But," Alice feels her heartbreaking and has to drag the next question out, "How long? How long have the doctors given you?"
"12 to 18 months." That felt like a bombshell, like all the air in the world was sucked out of Alice's lungs. Molly, she's already come to terms with it, she got the results the day after Alice went to see her but it took her by surprise so she knows what Alice is feeling.
"There must be a mistake. 12 months?" Alice clutches her chest, panic set in.
"Ally, breath," Molly tries to calm her down, showing how to breath deep breaths in and out, "That's it, I don't want the tears. I know how much time I have left now and I'm going to use it to do everything I've ever wanted to. I want the last year of my life to be full of memories, fun and laughter. I want to go to a Queen concert, I want to take you to prom next year because I'm going to hold out for that, I want to see you become a photographer, see you in your element photographing anything you can."
"I can sort the Queen concert but you have to promise me that you will turn up to prom, it's rude to leave your date hanging," Alice laughs sadly, she sees that Molly has already accepted her fate.
She doesn't really remember what happened after that, Alice only comes back to reality when she stops in the living room of her house.
Roger noticed her stood there, eyes red and puffy, "Alice, what happened?" He guides his daughter to the sofa.
Molly's news hits home and Alice sobs, "She has cancer. Molly has a brain tumour."
"Hey," He tries to reassure her, "They'll treat it like they did yours."
"No, they won't," She shakes her head, "It's a stage 4 brain tumour, untreatable. She's been given 12 to 18 months."
Alice looks back up at her dad tears rolling down her face, "She's dying, dad, and I can't do anything to help her." She breaks down in Roger's hold, he doesn't know what else to do other than hold her, he hadn't seen this coming.