The Silenced Drummer

Chapter 23: Received

"S-sincerely... Harold Refay..."

By the time John had finished re-reading the letter, Paul was sitting on the edge of the bed, head held in his hands.

Hands shaking, John set the letter down on the nightstand, staring at the tooth that sat next to it.

He took in a deep breath and sat down next to Paul.

"T-this is bad..."

Paul laid back on the bed, hands resting at his sides as his teary eyed gaze fell on the room's ceiling.

"It's all my fault..."

The statement made John lie down next to him.

"It's not... we all needed to go out and do something together."

John's words did little to calm Paul down.

"Still... I should have noticed..."

"Noticed what?"

"T-that either of them went outside... I mean, George probably didn't know what he was doing and... and..."

"Shh."

John wrapped an arm around Paul and brought him closer to his chest.

"Ringo... I don't even know what he could have done to tell us..."

The guitarist let out a shaky breath.

"But... at least he didn't do anything to them..."

Paul's eyes widened.

"T-that's just what... what he wrote down..."

Tears started to escape his eyes know as he thought of the implications.

"W-what if he... he's lying?"

"He didn't lie last time... but..."

John put a hand in Paul's hair as the bassist held him in an embrace.

"Nothing's stopping him from doing so..."

Paul looked John in the eyes, seeing that he too was starting to tear up.

"I... I don't e-even want to k-know what he d-did already..."

The bassist buried his face in John's chest, and the older man shuddered at the thought.

"Well... t-that tooth already proves that he did something to... George..."

Once John finished, Paul let out a quiet whimper.

"H-he couldn't h-have... have d-done anything else..."

He looked up at John.

"C-could he?"

For once, John could not find an answer.

Instead, he patted Paul's back as the bassist started whimpering again.

"I w-wish I could say no..."

"I... I c-can't i-imagine what... what they're g-going through."

John knew that this train of thought was not healthy for the both of them, but it seemed almost impossible to ignore it.

Letting the first of his tears fall, John finally gave in to the distress that covered the both of them.

"N-neither can I..."

John clenched his teeth as he heard Paul begin to cry, and, almost as if on reflex, he felt himself fall over the edge too.

Paul's whole body shook with fear and grief as reality once again crashed down on him.

John was able to keep his body still, but his demeanor as a tough and brave man crumbled as he listened to the cries of someone who he loved with his whole heart.

It was the second time that he had to feel such a thing already, and he couldn't choose which one was worse.

Last time, it had been because Ringo had almost died, and that his life, along with theirs, had been changed forever.

Now, it was because that two of his best friends were nowhere to be found, and that they were now in the hands of the one man that that they all despised.

And even worse?

Ringo and George's lives were at stake now.

And there was nothing that they could do about it.

As the sun began to set outside the hotel room, John and Paul continued to cry in each other's arms, hoping and praying that they would be found before it was too late.