Paul sat on the edge of the lounge, the tension that ran through the room was akin to when he lost his lolly with Pete Best. That time when Pete had 'accidentally' (but Paul knew it was on purpose)  smashed his guitar in Hamburg. 

John was watching the telly, his legs in that funny position, the one where his foot was at a horrid angle to his knee which looked dislocated if you were to walk in the room and not know he just sat like that, normal like.

Louise was asleep, as too, was the baby. Paul looked at the clock- nearly ten.

"Hey, we better get going" Paul stood and stretched, grabbing his coat, the studio was booked from 10.30 onwards. John ignored him and crossed his arms "What's the problem John"

"Other than you shagging my wife and acting like you're the baby's father..... nothing"

Here we go again Paul mused. Lou was adamant not to out and tell John that she and he hadn't been shagging for ages, well months, well eight weeks, yea that's two months with four weeks per. It was more me laying there, he thought, letting Lou get her rocks off if truth be told. Oh it was a grand shag alright, and it was really oddly sexually gratifying and was definitely a turn on watching her work her stress off with that huge gorgeous belly so soft and tight lingering over him, but he'd much prefer to bang a non-eight-month pregnant Lou any day. Hang on, not Lou, I mean a non-pregnant girl.

"What the fuck are you mumbling about Macca" John looked up from his position with a bored scowl. Paul looked back at him in horror, had he just said all that, out loud ..

"Just ..... it's time, that's all" Paul recovered his mettle and slipped his leather coat on, the rain had appeared and the day sat gloomy and dull outside the window.

"Alright alright, bloody slave driver. I'll tell Louise" John struggled to his feet. Paul stood with his hand on the doorknob of the front door and an addled grin on his dial watching as John clumsily slivered off the lounge suite.

John looked tired, probably not as tired as Lou and babe though. No, John was probably tired cause he were out shagging some dollybird from the club til all hours. Paul also picked up on Johns choice of words.....John calling her Louise meant; either they'd had a blue or he was winding him up because of the Paul-Lou shag-a-thon.

"Should you?"

"What? Talk to my wife, Paul?"

"Why do you start with all this my this and my that then? You don't give two flying fucks about her any other day, make up your mind would ya" Paul steamed back, John was a right prat. Like a kid not sharing a toy with another kid then discarding it when he was alone "And I'm not just saying it because me and 'er shagged months ago, either!"

"Well thanks for the heads up on the shagging calendar but mind your mouth on the other" John threw his coat on "We have a deal. I'm her husband, she's my wife"

Paul rolled his eyes, John was a flaming drongo how he was acting. Lou would be surely sick of his crap soon. "Well go on then, say goodbye to Missus Lennon" Paul tittered as he gestured with a wave towards Lou's room "I'll be warming the motor" John watched McNoying jump over the gate then walked towards Lou's door.

The door pushed open and the bed dipped under his weight. 

Paul, much to Johns annoyance, was right, again.

Lou rolled over, her face a little less puffy than earlier. John grabbed her diary from the bedside table, still she didn't hide it- she never learnt. He flipped it open. 

Pages that should be full of her scribbled words were clear, days slipped through his fingers as he turned page after empty page, he frowned, Lou's diary was her outlet. If she wasn't laying all her fears, wants, joys in these pages, what was she doing with them.

Her eyes opened and she saw him put the diary back, he smirked as she registered his intrusion, then she closed her eyes tight again when she remembered how he had yelled about the baby's wailing.

"Hey Lou" John used two fingers and pried one eyelid open "Anyone home?"

Lou batted him away and looked past him at her baby, she could just see the little girl's tiny ear and dark hair through the sides of the cot. She couldn't take it anymore; not if John was going to lose his lolly too. It took all her might not to dissolve into a heap on the floor as it was. "What do you want, I took her out when you yelled" Lou spoke quietly, weary tired, marked defeat in her voice.

John sat upright on the bed, he had been leaning over her to grab a pillow but now he put space in the way again. "I came to say we're off" He peeped over the cot at the little beauty lying there "And ....and to say sorry. I should have helped, not yelled like that"

"No bother. The walk did us both good" she whispered as bub was stirring. Lou struggled to maintain her composure she would come undone if the screaming started again. All the hours in the day had started to tumble into one another and she wasn't entirely sure what day of the week it even was.

"Go back to sleep, I'll be home later. Maybe bring some grub, fish and chups yea?" John stood and watched Lou nod tiredly, eyes closing swiftly he then made his way back to Paul, who sat in the warm motor.

"So" Paul put the indicator on and drove off towards the studio, flicking ash out the small crack he had created when he wound the window down a quarter turn.

"So what Paul? Just lay off alright, for Pete's sake you have this incredibly annoying need to know it all" John snatched the cigarette packet off the dash and grabbed a smoke. Lighting it he began puffing away like a train, clearly annoyed at the whole crappy day...and night before.

"Look we all didn't sleep, alright. Baby screaming, Lou pacing, me..." He faltered what had he done. Nothing a big fat nothing. He flicked the cigarette out the window and lit another, Paul side-eyed him as he drove on towards the studio "Me... Well I put a pillow over me head and yelled for the baby to shut the f- up"

Paul waited, Johns rants needed to do just that- rant, more was going to come spewing out. A geyser of rants and ravings. John was oddly curious in that respect, the more he rambled and ranted, the more likely he was to have an epiphany and come to his own senses.

"The little 'en just doesn't stop- on and on, and bloody on. I don't think I can take much more of it, I've gotten no sleep whatsoever" John put both feet up on the dashboard and sat like that the rest of the way.

"And Lou, how do you think she is getting on with it?" Paul asked carefully, hoping not to anger John. He stopped at the traffic lights and gave John a quick questioning glance.

"I think...." John groaned to himself then admitted "I think she is on the edge of falling off a cliff"

"Really!?" Paul was quite curious; Lou was always, always the tight one. She had everything going on the straight and narrow, kept them all decent and on track. If she was shattering this was not good. "I thought she was coping, you know"

"Well she's not, and the more she does it on her own the worse it will get I suppose, I'm going to stay up tonight even if it bloody kills me"

"That's the spirit" Paul said jovially to which John turned and glared at him; trying to burn Paul's happy go lucky head off with his retinas.

"That's the spirit" John parroted sarcastically "I'm a bloody musician, not a baby sitter"

"You aren't actually a babysitter if the baby's yours, you know" Paul lit a smoke to cover the fact he was a little worried for his safety in the confines of the motor. Though, thankfully, he was now pulling into the studio parking lot. Safety mere moments away. Room to escape John and his glares. At least in the studio he had a bit better chance to get out of the buggers way if he turned on him with knuckles and such.

"Just...... Just don't, would ya" John got out of the car, hot footed it down the halls and finally ambled into the studio. Pushing through the heavy doors only to be met by George bashing on the drum kit and Richie trying to play guitar, both were shite. Give me strength John mumbled as he bent to pick his own guitar out of the black case nearest to him.

 *****

The session went surprisingly well; George having got all the bad drumming out of his body and made some surprisingly nice solos on his guitar instead.

They sat around the canteen now drinking tea and munching biscuits, it was just them so they each had a table to themselves.

"How's my little niece" George grinned, he liked that, he was an uncle. Uncle George, he was.

"Loud. Crying a ton.." John grumbled then brightened "but I'm sure it's just a phase, right?!" He smiled, Paul nodded back trying to give John a bit of moral support.

"Well perhaps she isn't getting enough tucker, my Auntie Gerties firstborn could eat-"

"Richard, if John wanted a two-hour story about some random aunt's children I'm sure he would ask you" George threw a napkin aeroplane at Ringo but it fell as soon as he tossed it.

"Go on Rings, it can't be all that bad now, can it" John just wanted the random chatter to continue, it helped take the guilt, he felt, away.

"Right ok, where was I ...firstborn yes, Gertie's kid was eating Weetabix at 2 months, hungry little thing she was, she was a right screamer prior, I believe"

"So, Rich, you're saying the babe might be a tad hungry from only eating out Lou" Paul replied in answer to Richie's story then realised his choice of words were rather cringe worthy. Wrinkling his nose in trepidation he awaited the lads retorts.

"Ewwww Paul for Christ sake you're talking 'bout my sister" George left the canteen, shaking his head violently, his unfinished sandwich and bottle of pop tucked close. Off to find a safer place to eat and not be sickened by Paul's awful choice of words.

"Oh.....you know what I mean" Paul's words trailed insipidly after George but he was out the door and up the hall in seconds.

"Way to go Paulie, you've now given the boy nightmares for a good fortnight" Richard stood up and dusted off his pants. "I'll go see if he'll recover enough for a few more hours in the same room as you...Eat out Lou...and you think I say stupid stuff" Richy shook his head disbelievingly and walked off to find George.

John was grinning, his mouth covered over. He slouched, leaning head down on his folded arms on the table on front of him trying not to giggle like a naughty school boy at Paul's turn of phrase. He then slapped his leg and stood up, hitting Paul on the back as he moved past "Thanks mate I needed that, but truly it was pretty ewww-y like Geo said"

Paul, worried his lip then grinned like a choirboy.

Eat Lou Out indeed.