The Silenced Drummer

Chapter 2: Permanent Loss

     The hospital hallway was silent as John, Paul, and George all sat next to each other. Nervous glances were shared between the three musicians as they all waited for when the door to their right would open. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, the bassist spoke in a shaky voice.

" H-how long have w-we been waiting?" Paul said. 

" Probably an hour," came John's response. He tried to sound professional, but his voice was raw. 

George tried to think of something to say.

" I... Hope that h-he's going to be all right," the young guitarist said as he looked down at his new suit. Brian had given him a spare one upon seeing the blood that had leaked onto the suit that he had been wearing when the shooting happened. George was thankful that he had not chosen to wait with them. 

Brian was currently waiting in a car that was parked outside the hospital, along with Mal and Neil. Even though they had not witnessed the attempted murder of the drummer, George was sure that they were all as shocked as he was.

George shifted in his seat. The uncomfortable silence had once again returned. He looked to his right. The door blocked all sounds from the room that lay beyond it. Knowing what was going on behind the door, George let out a short sigh and closed his eyes as he turned his head away.

John held Paul's hand, which was wrapped tightly around the armrest of the uncomfortable chair. The guitarist kept looking around, trying to find something to focus on. When his gaze meet the bassist's face, his eyes became glossy.

He couldn't bare to see Paul trying to hold back tears, especially when he was just crying in his arms earlier that day. He cared for Paul in a way that made him seem special. But even though Paul and he were close to each other, John knew that the both of them also cared for their bandmates. No matter what happened, he wanted Paul to feel as alright as he could be.

Paul looked back at John. In a matter of seconds, he took his free hand and grasped John's arm. 

" Everything's g-going to be alright, Paul," John whispered.

George looked over at the two. His mind was a jumble of worry and anticipation has he shifted his gaze to stare forward. He knew that, no matter how this day ended, something was going to change. He wasn't sure what, but he hoped that Ringo would at least still be with them. 

The three Beatles all lost the track of time as the day went on. It wasn't until the door handle jiggled that they were all put out of their thoughts.

A nurse walked out of the room, making sure to close the door before any of the three visitors could see what was inside. 

Clearing her throat, she looked at the three men.

" You three are Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison, right?" 

" Yes," George, who was the closest to the the door, said. He, along with Paul and John, stood up. Paul walked forward, bringing John with him.

" Well, we have Ringo on sedatives right now. We will be transporting him to another room so that the three of you can see him when he wakes up..." The nurse paused.

" Though, there is something... that I need to tell you..." George felt himself grow tense at the words. 

John took in a breath to calm himself.

" W-what is it?" He asked quietly. 

The nurse looked at them all, an expression of sorrow appearing on her face.

The three Beatles all stared at her, waiting for her response. They all went white when the nurse spoke.

" H-his vocal cords were all cut by the bullet. I a-am sorry that I have t-too tell you about this, but... he will never be able to speak again..."