The White Coated Man

52

I got to the door and knocked loudly. She came to the door and smiled warmly at me.

"I've been expecting you, my Paulie," She ushered me inside as the wonderful scent of fresh cookies reached my nose. "How have you been?"

"Oh, Mum, I've missed you so much!" I couldn't help it, I was starting to tear up.

"Don't cry, Paulie!" She wiped my cheeks of the fresh tears now falling quite rapidly, then wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me tight. It was the best feeling in the world! I hugged her back and rested my head on her shoulder. In that moment, all my forgotten memories of her and Dad comforting me and my little brother when we were small, through scary storms, nightmares, and bad days at school came flooding back.

Only when she pulled back, I realised my hands were slightly bleeding from earlier. She saw, too, and insisted upon wrapping them up. She took her time, gently folding the cloth over my palms. 

"I'm so proud of you!" she said sweetly. "I've seen everything! From the Cavern up until now, I'm so proud of you!"

"You have?" I was really excited. "What advice do you think would be the best right now?"

"With Klein trying to take over?" I nodded. "I know you've been fighting him, and with good reason, but it's hurting the band. It's going to be alright if you're patient, just let it be."

I let that sink in and a tremendous weight lifted from my shoulders. I felt a million times better than I had been for the past year.

But then I had to ask her, I had to. "What do you think of Linda?"

"She's a nice girl, the poor thing. It was so good of you to step up and help her! She's been through way too much," She looked me in the eye. "Can you give her a message?"

"Sure,"

"I want her to know that when Heather died, she never left her side. Her spirit is always around her, sometimes even protecting her," I was speechless. "Please tell her that,"

"Of course,"