It was three days later that John was sitting beside Paul's sleeping form, again, and Paul's eyes began to flutter open. And he turned his head slowly to the side and he looked straight at John and smiled.
"Paul," John breathed. "You're - you're okay."
"On the contrary," Paul grunted. "The pain is killing me."
"Nurse!" John yelped.
In a few moments, a nurse with fiery red hair hurried into the room and saw that Paul was awake. "Oh my goodness!" She raced to his side and pressed a button a few times, upping his dosage of pain killers. "How are you feeling?" She asked.
"Like I've got a hole ripped straight through my insides," Paul spoke through clenched teeth.
"Understandable," the nurse nodded. "I'll let the doctor know you're awake. He'll be in to check on you in a little while." And then she left.
"How long was I out for?" Paul asked.
"Four days," John said shakily. "Four days."
"Is Mike okay?" Paul said concernedly.
"Jeez, Paul." John laughed. "You were stabbed! You had a blade shoved through your stomach! And you're asking if Mike is okay?" John shook is head in complete and utter disbelief.
"Well, is he?" Paul asked. "He was really sick."
"Yeah, he's fine." John nodded. "George and Mimi are looking after him. Taking care of him. He's worried about you though. He's called everyday and all he does is ask how you are and have you woken up yet and what are the doctors saying. He just goes on and on and on for a good ten minutes and then Mimi tells him he had to go back to bed and so he says goodbye and says to call the moment you wake up."
"You should probably call then," Paul raised an eyebrow.
John nodded again. "Yeah," he reached for the phone that sat on the side table and phoned the house.
"Hello?" George's voice travelled through the phone.
"Hey, Georgie." John greeted.
"Oh, God." George breathed shakily. "Did it happen? Is he dead?"
"No," John laughed. "No, he's not dead. He's awake!"
"He's - he's awake?" George couldn't believe it. "He's awake! Mike, he's awake! He's awake, Mike! He's wake!!"
"He's awake?!" Mike's voice shouted. "John, is he really?!"
"Yeah, he is." John handed the phone over to Paul.
"Hey, Mikey." Paul gave a small smile.
"Oh, thank God, you're okay!" Mike laughed for joy. "When are you coming home?! You need to come home now! Can I come visit?! Can you come home right now?! I need to see you right away!!"
Paul grinned weakly with tired eyes. "I've got to rest up before I can come home," he said with a yawn. "But I'll get out of here as soon as I can. I promise. You've got to get some rest, too. Are you feeling any better now than you were a few days ago?"
"Yes," Mike said. "And I feel ten times better knowing that you're alright. See you soon."
"I'll see you soon, Mikey." Paul said tiredly, then handed the phone back to John.
Mike handed the phone back to George who was absolutely giddy. "So, he's really going to be okay, John?"
"Yeah," John nodded. "Yeah, I think he is."
"Well, I'm going to go." George said. "I've got to make sure Mike gets some sleep and I'm sure he'll be able to sleep well tonight. And I'll tell Mimi. She'll sleep better knowing. And I will, too."
"See you soon, Georgie." John smiled.
"See you, Johnny Boy."