I was on the fourth floor in a private room. They brought in the baby and he stayed in my room. I held him in my arms for the longest time. I laid him down gently up against me on the bed. I kissed him so often that I think that was why he remained so red. I was beaming as I looked down into his soft sweet face. The nurse took him into the nursery whenever nightfall came around. I didn’t really mind though. I needed my rest. I slept the entire night.
I woke up the next day at around noon. I felt sore every where. I heard a lot of commotion going on out side. Finally three men followed by the head nurse and a string of candy stripers and busy body nurses entered my room. George, Richard, and John ran over to my bed. John kneeled by the bed kissing me and hugging me until I thought I’d suffocate. When John finally realized that I wasn’t going anywhere he pulled out a small velvet covered box. The head nurse managed to clear out my room. I told her George and Richard stayed. She agreed that that was the best choice as well.
John got down on his knees. At that sight I looked over at George questioningly. He shook his head. Obviously John didn’t know about the baby. George and Richard hadn’t told him. I looked back at John. Tears flooded my eyes as he began to speak:
“Charlie, I should have done this six months ago. I’m a wreck without you. These past months have been a living hell for me. I don’t won’t to ever be without you again. I would give up anything for you. I want you to know that. I don’t know why you left and I don’t care, I just want you back. Will you marry me?”
I looked down at him my eyes full of tears. Something broke in his face and he reached for me clutching me as hard as he could. I cried out when he accidentally pushed in my stomach a little. “You aren’t going to die are you love? Please you can’t die,” He moaned.
George and Richard had their hands over their mouths trying to keep from laughing. John shot them a warning glance and then noticed that I too was laughing. I paged the nurse and told her to bring in the surprise. John looked at me confusion all over his face. I gave him the best answer that I could, “John, you have to know everything before I can say yes. A lot can happen in six months.”
George and Richard just laughed. The nurse brought in the baby and John passed out cold on the floor. George and Richie were rolling on the floor and the nurse got out her smelling salts. I was holding our son when John came to. George and Richie were looking down at the tiny wonder that was in my arms. John just stared, completely dumbfounded.
“The answer is yes if you will have me. Now I’m going to need help with finding a name. I was thinking of John, Charles, Winston, or Julian,” I said while looking down at my little bundle of joy, then I looked up at John and continued timidly, “I was hoping that Lennon would be his last name too, but I made George and Richard swear not to tell you unless I told you first. You don’t hate me do you?”
Finally John gathered his wits about him. He looked down at our baby and just smiled the biggest, happiest smile I ever saw. “This’s why you left?” He said, his voice full of amazement, and then he continued, “Why didn’t you tell me that you were preggers? Oh, love, all this time I’ve been angry with you and myself thinking that I’d fucked up again, and now this? I’m so relieved.”
“George, Rich, do you think you could give us a minute? The head nurse will take you to the nurse’s station and keep you from harm. I need to say something to John.”
They left promptly, escorted by the head nurse. I looked at John and then down at our sleeping son.
John reached down and gently took the baby’s tiny hand. “I like John Charles Julian Lennon, and we can call him Julian, after my mother,” He said lost in thought. He then remembered the ring and put it on my finger. “I like that too John, that’s what we’ll call him, but I have something important to say and I want you to understand this,” I sighed, hoping for the strength to continue.
He kissed me and then looked at me with full attention. His beautiful piercing brown eyes gazing into mine. I took a deep breath as I began to speak, “John, I’m not a strong person. I run from problems, and I’m like my mother in that sense, but I had a reason this time. I didn’t want to hurt or scare you by telling you about the baby. I also didn’t want to bury you into a marriage and family life that you weren’t ready for. I won’t run again. I love you too much for that, and I have responsibility, a lot of responsibility. I love you, and I’ve missed you so much. I don’t ever want to leave again.”
“I won’t let you leave!” He sighed and then continued, “When are you getting out of here? I want to go to a magistrate’s office as quickly as possible! Oh and when we get off tour, just one more month, I’m going to come back here and whisk you off and back to London. What do you say?”
“Yes. I think I can get out tomorrow. When do you and the guys have to get back?” I asked.
“We have to meet Paul and Brian in Texas in about six days. We can get married in two days! Well do you think you can handle that? My Charlie will be Mrs. Lennon in two days!” John shouted.
Just then George and Richard rushed back into the room. “I don’t care if she did have a great set of knockers I wasn’t about to let that bird give me a check up!” Richard gasped. George was doubled over laughing and then managed to gasp, “Next thing would have been ‘Bend over and cough’ or something more probing!”
Richard began to blush. That got John and me laughing, then I began to say a few “Ouches” from laughing so hard. Oh the tiring stomach ache you get from labor. I gave George the keys to my apartment, considering he and Richard were the only ones that knew where it was and then I sent them home. Visiting hours were over unfortunately.
I was dismissed from the hospital at around three or so and John helped me home. I held the baby during the drive. John kept moving the blanket aside. He said something that I will never forget. “You’re going to be a little rocker just like your dad.” I smiled and leaned back in the seat.
I had a bassinet and crib and I’d made one of the guestrooms into a nursery. I had some baby clothes thanks to Jenny and Audri, not to mention somethings Anne gave me whenever her grandson grew out of it.
When we got back to the apartment John took Julian and we went up to our floor. He was beaming when George opened the door for us. John got Jules situated in the nursery, and I sat down in the kitchen while Richard fixed some tea. There were two beds in the guestroom, so George and Richard were squared away and John and I would be perfectly content in my room. John came into he kitchen and flopped down into the chair next to me. We all had a good chat over a cuppa, when I heard a knock at the door. I answered it, and there was Jenny and Audri.
“We wanted to see the baby. Hey, how are you handling it?” Audri said.
I grinned at her and said that the baby was an absolute darling. They hadn’t noticed the ring! I escorted them into the nursery before they saw who was in my kitchen. They “ooed” and “awwed” over the baby. I just beamed with pride. “He looks just like him, Char,” They sighed. John walked in behind them. He grinned and I tried to keep a straight face.
“They still call you Char, eh? Well by now they should know that its Charie, or do I need to show them the proof?” John grinned wickedly. He grabbed me and pulled me close as my friends looked on in complete shock. I kissed John as he spun me around. “My little rocker is going to be the teen dream when he’s older,” He sighed.
“Just like his father,” I finished.
Jenny and Audri got over their initial shock until they saw George and Richard. They nearly threw a fit, but I reminded them of the baby and they held onto to some shred of sanity. When they found out that John and I were going to get married tomorrow they nearly reached hysterics; they had to go out into the hall that time. Eventually Jenny and Audri left and then Anne stopped by to look in at the baby. She was a bit surprised when I introduced her to my fiancé. Who could blame her though? I was marrying the man of many girls’ dreams.
That night we sat up late looking in on Julian and watching the tellie. I can’t really remember what they were watching. I was too busy lying in John’s arms. Eventually sleep got the better of me and I remembered waking up in John’s arms on the morning of my wedding day. I jumped up in bed and felt a sharp pain in my stomach. John and I ended up in the shower together and then I realized I had nothing to wear. Never to fear though. The guys had gone out the day before I was dismissed from the hospital, to buy a dress. Richard told them to pick one out that was two sizes larger from my original size. He was right in his assumption. I thanked him for the advice, and I admired myself in the lovely, long, white gown. It was gorgeous. They’d also gotten something for Julian to wear. We went to the magistrate’s office (as John called it) with all of the necessary papers. The guys were all dressed up and Richard held Julian during the ceremony. John had gotten a pair of lovely white gold wedding bands. Although the ceremony wasn’t elaborate I thought it was the most magnificent event in the world, aside from Julian’s birth.
After the ceremony we hurried to a taxi, but we were met by a half a dozen reporters. Richard and George hurried to the car to keep Julian out of the mob. John and I tried to get through but the reporters and fans were being pushy. After being blinded by what seemed to be hundreds of flash bulbs we made it to the car and then headed straight for the apartment. A few reporters were there, but we made it to the building quickly and safely. When we reached the floor John picked me up and carried me over the threshold. He looked like he was going to say something but I gave him that “you say anything about my weight after what I’ve been through I’ll kill you” looks. Any road he kept his mouth shut. Richard put the baby in the nursery. Actually John and I had planned on going out to dinner that night, but that seemed a bit out of the question. Besides I wasn’t really up to going out and I was quite content watching John bottle feed Julian. I took a few pictures and for once John looked natural. He wasn’t posing for the camera, he was concentrating on caring for his son. There were no funny faces for the camera, just endearing moments of a growing family. It was a shame that I only had three more days with my new husband, and he only had three more days with his new wife and son. Three more days and then the guys had to go to Texas to continue with a month’s worth of touring.
Julian woke up twice in the middle of the night. I rushed to him every time he cried and I was followed by John almost immediately. John usually fed him, while I did most of the nappy changing. Jules did throw up on John a few times, but John just grinned and took it. He wanted to be there for our son. He didn’t want to be like his father and run the first chance he got. I was glad to have John back in my life and in one month I was going to be back home in London where I belonged. My passport was still valid and I couldn’t wait to get back home to England where I belonged. In the morning there was a phone call for the guys. It was Brian and he wasn’t to thrilled to have a newly wed Beatle on his hands. He wanted some answers. This was their last tour and that was it. They were all ready for packing it in, well all of them except Paul, he still wanted to do the touring as long as it didn’t involve any life threatening situations, and the “Jesus Christ” comment John made last year wasn’t to helpful, especially in the Bible belt South. Brian wasn’t amused to find John a family man just three days after leaving him and the tour behind because some ex-girlfriend was in serious condition. I doubt that Paul was exactly thrilled either.
I didn’t care much about any of that though. Throughout my life I never knew what love was, now I knew. I finally had the family I wanted. John was going to be there for me and the baby. I was so happy that night when I fell asleep in John’s strong caring arms. I snuggled closer to John. This was how life was meant to be. I wasn’t meant to grow up in a hell hole like Devil’s Pit and I wasn’t meant to spend my life as a single parent. I was finally living my dreams.