Nowadays Every Night: Chapter 4

"Julie, you okay?"

"I think so," she answered, shaking her head.

"Hold still," said Jonesy, pulling off her helmet.

"I'll go get Graham," said Gilliam.

"What's he getting Graham for?" she asked.

"He's a doctor."

"Is he? Really?"

Mike nodded.

"Didn't realize that!" said Julia.

Eric peered at her, and asked, "You alright, darling?"

"I think so. I don't know. Got a headache I know that."

Graham knelt in front of her, still wearing his King Arthur costume. "What's happened?"

"Julia cracked her head."

"I walked into something or someone ," she answered. "I think. Almost expect to see birds round my head like the cartoons."

He peered at her. "How's your vision?" he asked. "How many fingers do you see?"

He held up his hand in Julia's line of sight.

"Three."

"Where'd you hit?"

"Up here," she said, putting her hand on the side of her head. "It hurts a bit."

She was relieved the lads had all appeared round her, gave her a kind of safe feeling.

I wonder if this is what Connie meant by them closing the gates. Kinda seems like they're protecting me. From what? Looky-loos?

Graham continued examining her. "You don't have any bleeding, which is good, no bumps, which is even better," he said, as he touched her, Julia noting what a nice touch Graham had, it almost made the pain go away. Lovely doctor indeed.

Michael and Eric both seemed to follow the proceedings, John knelt on Graham's left, Jonesy on Graham's right, Michael and Eric on either side of Julia. Gilliam between Jonesy and Eric.

"I think you're gonna be just fine, Julie," said Graham, finally letting her go. "Just have a nice little bruise there."

"Okay. What'd I hit if you don't mind me asking?"

"The wall."

"The WALL!" she said.

Michael nodded. "I yelled a warning at you, but I don't know if you heard me."

"I did, Meep. I just didn't realise."

"That helmet saved your clumsiness from being worse," said Graham.

Julia blushed red. "I have a tendency to not be very graceful," she said softly.

"'Tis alright," smiled Eric.

"You should see ol' Johnny," said Jonesy. "He's the clumsiest of all."

John nodded, with a smile on his face.

"I think we can call it a day," smiled Gilliam. "Went really good I think."

Jonesy smiled proudly.

"I for one am looking forward for what I hope is hot water waiting for me," said Michael. "A lot of times, Jules, there's a mad mad dash back to the hotel they've got all of us up in. Everybody wants to have a bath to get out of this gear and be human, but a lot of times the hot water gets all used up. Not the same."

"I used it all once! ONE TIME!" protested Gilliam.

"Bet only Maggie believes that."

"Better hurry lads," said Graham. "I think the rush's begun."

Julia looked forward to the same, as they all left, especially looking forward to being with Eric again.

"Mind sharing with me again, love?" he'd whispered as they'd gotten in the little van, or people-mover as Michael called it, that the Pythons were using for transportation.

"Wouldn't mind a bit," she'd replied, as Eric slipped an arm round her shoulder, Julia leaning in to him.

That night was a quiet one, Julia content to have, as the Beatles put it, gotten back to where she once belonged.