Christmas was getting closer and closer.
Julian was a perfect guest whilst staying with Sean and Charlotte in bustling, crowded New York.
"Why does he seem just 'way too cool' with everything that's happened?" She asked Sean as they rehearsed in their apartment. "And have you noticed that he refuses to take that amulet off?"
Sean tuned his guitar and, scribbled down a line for one of their new songs.
"I don't think he's coping Sean, I'm worried that at any time he's just going to 'crack'! You know? Go KABOOM!"
Sean had stopped and given her his attention, his full attention.
"What's your definition of KABOOM? Suicide? A mental breakdown?" He asked.
"I don't know!"She exclaimed "but why aren't you more worried about this, like you SHOULD be?!"
"What should I do?" Sean asked "I haven't noticed any signs that were meant to be red flags! We did talk about a week ago after he commented on Emmaline's Instagram photo of that grandfather clock and he told me he just really wanted some kind of reaction from her, and I have continued to tell him that if he feels the need to talk anytime that I'll always listen. He seems keen to be celebrating Christmas here with us!"
"Aren't we having Christmas lunch with your Mom?" She asked.
"Yes but it's 2018 Charlotte, that's water under the bridge, long gone!" He said.
"This Doctor of his, this Emmaline" she began "perhaps we need to get them to meet up again?"
"She is no longer his doctor, Charlotte" He corrected her, strumming on his guitar, trying to get the creative juices flowing "and I don't see what you are so worried about! Jules is fine!"
"Is he??" She snapped, snatching the expensive guitar from her partner, "I could just wrap this around your fucking ears! Listen. To. Me!"
A knock on the door caused them to stop mid fight, Julian soon peeked his head inside. "Uh, guys...I don't feel too good...can you tell me where the nearest hospital is? Or the nearest doctor's surgery?"
"T...tell...you?" Charlotte stammered, "we are taking you straight there!"
Charlotte's gut instinct was right, Jules wasn't coping. It had all been one big facade.
"What's the matter, Jules?" Sean asked a lump in his throat as they headed out the door and down to the foyer "talk to us Mate, we're here and you've got all the love and support you need from us!"
"Don't take me to the hospital they took Dad to!" He growled as Sean hailed a bright, yellow taxi.
"Talk to us, Julian" Charlotte coaxed gently. "What is wrong? Where's the pain? Is it physical or mental?"
"It's physical" He partially lied.
"Bullshit it is! Don't lie!" Sean snapped, to which Charlotte clobbered him over the head with her heavy handbag.
"How about YOU go back upstairs and write your fucking song and I'LL care about Julian and take him to get some professional help!" She snarled at him, sometimes she just wanted to choke the living daylights out of him.
Rubbing his now throbbing head he scowled at his girlfriend and turned to go back inside.
"Blood brothers, right?" Julian's voice stopped him.
"Blood brothers, Jules," He said in return "just come back into the foyer for a moment..."
They sat together in the foyer. The reception staff even left to give them privacy.
"I don't know what to do Sean" Julian began, playing with his amulet to calm him.
"You need to talk to me Jules" Sean encouraged tenderly as he gently held his brother's hand. "And if I can't help you, then we need to get you to someone who can! Are you depressed? Are you not coping? Are you scared?"
"I just keep thinking that Emmaline will fix everything and she won't!" Julian began. "She fixed the physical side of me, she fixed my injuries... But I sleep at night and I just wish Taweret would come back to me, that's why I snapped and snarled at you a week ago when you suggested I take off my bracelet, I'm worried that if I remove it, she'll be gone for good...I must sound like a total nutcase..."
"No, of course, you're not! You're one of the smartest guys I know! And I'm not just saying that because you're my big brother... Hey! Did you end up getting a new camera, Jules?" He asked, still holding his big brother's hand.
"Yeah, and it's a beauty! Top of the line, super expensive... but it can't bring back all my shots from Egypt and the others I had failed to upload onto my laptop! I had photos on there that I can never capture again!"
"Maybe you need to face your fears, Julian" he dared to suggest. "Go back to Egypt and you might find your inner peace there?"
"You want me to fight round two with that hippo?" He asked. "I don't think my body would be able to take it! It's not just what's happened Sean, I WANT a wife! I want to be able to squabble with the love of my life like you do with Charlotte!"
Sean was laughing, "Take her! I could do with a lot less of those bloody squabbles!!"
Julian smiled "you'd be heartbroken if you lost your Charlotte, brother of mine!"
"I totally would, wouldn't I?" Sean agreed, "I love the squabbles and everything that makes up 'us'!"
"Do you think she's out there somewhere, brother?" Julian asked.
"Of course she is! She's waiting and just wishing she had a fifty-five-year-old male to live with, who snores, sometimes leaves the toilet seat up and just in general, knows how to drive her up the wall! And you fit that criterion perfectly!"
"Well...THANKS..."
"But's she's not Taweret, Jules" Sean cut him off. "Taweret is an ancient Egyptian deity, that just happens to take the shape and form of a hippo!"
"But why did she come to me?" Julian challenged. "And how did I get my amulet if it wasn't her?"
For once, the son of John and Yoko did not have an answer.
"I've also been talking to Justin" Julian continued "and he's invited me to London for Christmas. It's been ages since I last saw him and I haven't been back home to the UK for years!"
"You do what you gotta do brother!" Sean agreed. "Just promise me you'll talk if you ever need to? Wake me up at some ungodly hour in the night or early morning if you have to, I don't care!"
Julian smiled "I will Sean, I will."
"Can you answer me honestly though, do you feel like you need to end your life?"He asked.
"Suicide? No, no brother" Julian said honestly "I just need to work things out with what happened and get my life back on track, and maybe that involves going back to Egypt."
"And Emmaline?" Sean asked.
"That path is even unclearer to me, I want to venture down it but I just don't know" he offered his thoughts.
"Emmaline could be the one you long to squabble with and grow old with!" Sean said gently.
"After having me as a patient, I doubt she'll ever want to squabble with me!" He said with a smile.