To Have and To Hold- Chapter 19

 UPDATE!!!!- Go check out this exciting new story on Planet Jackson's amazing site:
 
XXXD- Exciting new story of the chronicles published on my friend Planet Jackson's site. This one takes place around the same time as the first installment...actually before events play out all the way in XXX.  Michael cannot stay away from the club. But, as all things in life, his membership comes with a steep price. Will he be willing to risk his heart? (note:  this is NOT a MJ/LMP story!)
http://www.planetjackson.net/xxxd.html

Now- Back to TO HAVE AND TO HOLD


19

(Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay. After following actual events more or less in London, this story is now again going off into fanfiction territory. We all know how the real story went after London..so here is a different take. Thanks again to my trusted storyline adviser, PF, who nudges me and keeps me from getting too stuck. :) ~ E )

September 2, 1997, Los Angeles

“Lisa Marie? Are you still there?”

Lisa held the phone away for a second and tried to breathe.  Why was an automatic process suddenly more like forcing a hurricane through a straw? She thought she was finally getting over this weird virus she had been suffering from, but nausea started to rise once again like a venomous fog. As soon as the call had come in, she had known what the outcome would be. Damn! Why did she answer in the first place? Why did it always have to come down to this? Why did she have to be drawn in?

Yeah, not like this doesn’t kind give you official permission to involve yourself.

No, that was bull! She had done her part. She had called and tried to check on him. But he had not answered. Not her fault. What else could she possibly do?  Drop in with a parachute decked out in her swat gear? He had decided he didn’t need her anymore, obviously. Let him deal with this by himself. Or have the little wifie comfort him.

“I know it’s a lot to ask, but mother said he sounded horrible ,and I know he is taking this really hard.”

Shit, shit, shit…. Not the Katherine card! The one thing everyone caved to. Including herself. 

“Jan… I don’t know. We are barely on speaking terms. I doubt… I just don’t think… I’m not the right person.  I bet he’s messed up- I mean…it’s so fucking sad. And I know this must have hit him on so many levels. Why don’t you keep trying? He’d answer you…or your mother at least, won’t he?”

Lisa knew full well how Michael operated. And he had recently started to block calls even from his beloved mother, fearing one of his siblings had enlisted her on some new plot.  And while he professed to be close to Janet, at times he complained about her ‘constant pestering’ as well.  But this was different. Surely, he must know they only want to ensure he was ok. Only, Lisa knew he was far from ok. Despite feeling so cut off from him, she somehow still had a direct line to his pain.  And this was something he had feared. 

“You watch, Lise.  Something bad will happen. This is just not real. I mean, they way those paparazzi are hounding everyone. They are everywhere. We are hunted. You know that’s what it is….a safari. Just like I showed in Moonwalker. But worse. It’s lethal. And all for damn pictures that only tell lies anyway. Mark my words…something bad will come out of this, I got a feeling. They gonna kill someone in their greed to get those pictures. If not me, then someone. It’s gonna happen. Only logical. Mark my words.”

And damn, if he hadn’t been right on.  Who would have thought the person falling prey to those deadly vultures would be Princess Diana? Not just any celebrity…someone Michael considered a friend.  He admired her and probably had in the past had just a little crush on her.  So, this was personal.  He had to be a total mess.  Probably assaulted by emotions so strong he could not keep them at bay. And Lisa knew he didn’t cope well when it all broke through that granite dam. How often had she seen him under the rubble of his overwhelming sensitivity? Of course, when she had witnessed those avalanches, she had been the rescue dog rushing in, pouring her love and devotion from her bottomless medicine supply. Until he had become resistant to what she had to offer.

“All of us tried. Well, he won’t answer the phone half the time when we call on a good day. Always worried someone wants something from him. You know how he gets when his paranoia kicks in.”

Lisa rolled her eyes.  Yeah, she knew how he got. Of course, the reason he often avoided his family was because they usually did want something.  In the last couple of years, he had actually pulled away from Janet, too, which at one point seemed hard to imagine. Relationships were safer when the occurred according to his comfort level. He could pull back so far you’d even question if he was on this planet- but heaven forbid you didn’t take his calls!

“Janet…I don’t know what I can do. Really… I told you I tried to call him for two days now and he just won’t answer.”

“And he didn’t call you?  Not once? You checked?”

Well, Lisa wasn’t going to mention the barely coherent message she had awoken to on August 31.  He had been sobbing and hysterical- almost impossible to understand.  Lisa had just heard the news and had raced to her phone, not really surprised to find a missed call and a message from Michael.

Without thinking and going against her resolve to stay out of his live, she tried to call him back then…but didn’t get anywhere. She even tried to get in touch with his staff, but was told he was not taking any calls.

”Come on, Carlos. You know he wants to take my call. Just let me talk to him. I promise I will not upset him. Pinky swear.”

“Miss Presley, I wish, I could. He locked himself in his room and won’t see anyone. He didn’t even come out to see the baby. The nanny said he came out shortly during the night to spend time with Prince, but he went back to his room before any of us could talk to him. And you know he cancelled a show.”

All her alarms went on red. Despite their differences, she usually had access to him- well, not after the whole Australia fiasco, but since then. Even after she had fled London in her mad dash, he still had relented after several days and had called her.  He had been upset and distant, but they had been able to have some awkward conversations one of them usually cut short.  Still, it had been better than nothing.  Yes, it would have been healthier to go cold turkey, but it could not be done.  It was impossible to pull out the festering thorn.  To do that, to feel nothing, would be comparable to being dead.  At least the pain meant she was still alive.

And where there is life, there is hope. Is that the lie de jour, Lisa?

No, there was no hope for them.  Not as lovers…not as…whatever. But maybe, maybe …as friends.

Some internal part rolled her eyes.

Oh God, not THAT again.

Well, whatever they were, he was not a stranger and he obviously was in pain.  And who was she if not a sucker for a hurt soul.  And taking care of him was oh so much easier than dealing with her own snakepit of emotions.

“Janet… I told you I’ve been trying to call him. What do you want me to do, just pop in on him and blindside him?”

“Well, aren’t you gonna fly to Paris for something next week? Could you not possibly push up your trip?”

Lisa almost laughed. Oh sure. It was nothing. Just a small favor. What’s that among friends?

“I don’t know. I haven’t been feeling well.  I was actually gonna cancel the trip or push it back.”

Which certainly had nothing whatsoever to do with being deathly afraid of seeing Michael again. Or of not seeing him.  The last thought constricted her chest. Oh, God…so much for getting over it all.

Janet was quiet for a moment, obviously collecting her thought and  switching  into empathetic mode.

“Oh, Lise, I’m sorry, I forgot. You said two weeks ago you weren’t all that great. I thought for sure you’d be over it by now.”

So did she. But every time she started to feel better it got worse again. She probably had picked up some atrocious, persistent virus in London.  She tended to get sick when traveling.

Especially when travel included getting your heart blown up like a marvelous balloon- just before the pressure ripped it apart into blood soaked smithereens.  Looking into the mirror she misjudged to be an accurate reflection of reality, being told she was his love and his life once more.  Then, the top layer had crumbled and she had confronted the void and emptiness, realizing she had nothing but illusions.  Talk about being slapped by realism! Having to face that Michael would be a Dad again. And with that realization came the understanding that his connection to Deb was going to be more than a temporary inconvenience. A contract, he had said.  Just how many kids was she supposed to produce?  The woman was built like a Russian milkmaid, so she probably could mass produce little healthy Jacksons day and night. For years.  While Lisa slowly but surely would run out of gas in her circular holding pattern.  Unless she changed the flight plan. Maybe she’d be able to make it to another port before spiraling into another pit of hell.  How scary to crash into unknown lands, though.  So much easier to be familiar with the burial grounds.

And then there was his attitude about the whole thing, driving her insane. His inability to comprehend how insanely difficult this was for her. His insistence that he wanted her to be open to raise his and Deb’s babies as if it was no big deal. His accusation that she was heartless.  Well, maybe he was right. How in the world did he expect her to have any fiber of her heart left, when he had scooped it out with the rusty spoon of his supposed love, rendering her in some bizarre zombie state?  But if the idiotic organ was gone, what was the origin of that burning, pulsing, scathing agony?

And still…still she had not run that night.  When everything told her to jump out of the plane, she instead pulled the safety line and landed back in his arms.  Nothing felt as safe as being in Michael’s embrace, hearing him whisper to her that everything would be alright.  And no poison was more lethal.

Then, when she had almost convinced herself that maybe she could risk it all, Deb had called.  Yes, she could easily have not jumped into that bubbling vat of acid. But where would the fun be in that? Lisa, not self-destruct? Come on!  So, she had answered the phone, ready for bear. Or bitch.

“If you’re  calling to get me to congratulate on having aimed that turkey baster right, you’re too late.”

“Classy as always, Lisa Marie. And so ridiculous.”

“Ok, this convo is over. Your husband expects to see me so I’ll go back to my seat now.”

“You enjoy the show. And remember that’s all you are now: a distant audience in his life. I am in it- you are on the out. You can parade around with him and continue to play the fool, but I’m the one he chose to have a family with. And if it helps you to believe the artificial insemination lie, go for it. Whatever works for you. Just remember: what you give him, he can get by way of his hand or a blow-up doll. While I give him his dreams and his fulfillment.”

Lisa had hung up and almost had thrown the phone.  That stupid bitch! Why the hell could her lying ass still get to her?

Maybe, because she hit a nerve? Deb might be a joke, but in the end the real joke was on Lisa. Deb had the ring and the busy womb.  She had nothing. Fleeting moments.  Words whispered in the heat of passion that evaporated in the light of day. She was his little amusement on the side.  Sure, Michael might even have convinced himself that he loved Lisa, but he had a unique talent to lie to himself if an agenda had to be twisted till it fit his moral mold.

Talking to Deb had made one thing clear: Lisa needed to think.  And she could not do that with him around.  His light was too bright and induced too many hallucinations.  Maybe distance would let her adjust her view.  Time to take off the rose colored glasses. Shit, whom had she been kidding? It was time to rip the stapled on blinders off her eyes and hope she’d survive the pain.

“How ‘bout we just wait and see? I mean, he is hurting. He might just need time to grieve. And I don’t think he wants to see me.”

Coward! You are just afraid you can’t handle seeing him.

“Lisa, that’s nonsense. He loves you. He doesn’t love that wife or whatever she is. Glorified surrogate. Whatever. I know the situation is fucked up…”

Lisa almost laughed. Yeah, that was one way of putting it.  Lisa had not even shared Michael’s newest master plan or the fact that Janet was going to be an aunt again. She was not ready to read the pity in her friend’s voice. The thinly veiled, “Duped again, dummy!” statement she so richly deserved.

“I think he’ll be ok, I really do. He’s in the middle of a tour. He’ll be fine. Just fine…”

Maybe repetition would give the lie legs.

Janet sighed. “You know he cancelled a show. He never does that- not unless he’s sick. Come on Lisa…I can’t face mother unless I can tell her you’re on board. She has been bugging me for days.”

Then why didn’t Jan simply jet across the Atlantic herself?

“Janet, really. I think he will bounce back as always.”

Janet snorted in disbelief. Oh well…

Yeah, Lisa did not buy the lie, either. They both knew how crazy things could get when Michael was in extreme pain.  Lisa was unsure how much in the know Janet was, but she still had a weird feeling about a doctor being there. If all was well- what the hell did he need a doctor for?  Help him sleep? How? With what?

That stupid, senseless fear once again hit her stomach like a fist and triggered another wave of nausea. This one took her on a nice ride and made her see spots. Lisa barely was able to tell Janet to hold on, threw the phone on the bed and headed for the bathroom again. 

Lucky, nothing much happened other than some painful dry heaving.  After barfing earlier this morning, she had not eaten again.  Live and learn.  Lisa took several long breaths and washed her face before going back into her bedroom to retrieve the phone.

“Lise…shit, girl. You sound real sick. Now I feel horrible for piling all that on you. I’m sorry…I’ll figure something else out. And like you said, I’m sure he’s fine.

“Yeah…I keep trying to call him, okay? And if we don’t hear, I might fly out early. Just to be on the safe side.”

Sucker! Did she just barf her brain out and simply hadn’t noticed? 

“I don’t know. Maybe you should go to see a doctor first. You know, your surgery was not too long ago. Maybe you can fly that heartthrob Jackson in? And just think- I could totally hook up with him and marry him. And wouldn’t even have to change my name. How handy would that be?”

Lisa laughed while staring at herself in the mirror.  Yeah… this time she had gone against protocol and had seen a regular doctor.  She was not going to risk getting that sick again and scaring her babies like she had in May.

“Very. And don’t worry. I got it covered. I’m sure it’s nothing. And I promise I’ll keep on trying to reach Michael.  And please let me know if you hear from him.”

After hanging up, Lisa tried to call Michael’s number once again.  And of course it went right to the generic voicemail. This was maddening. 

“Dammit…why don’t you just answer the damn thing? If nothing else than to laugh at me for still caring.Stupid, fucked up idiot that I am.” She flung her phone across the room and it landed on her bed.  Yeah. Very impressive. Now she even sucked at anger outbursts.

“Lisa? Are you talking to yourself again?”

Great. Her mother had snuck in again.

“Hi, Mom. I wasn’t aware you would be by. Did I miss your call?” Lisa sat down, suddenly dizzy again. This was really not a good time for a maternal ambush, but no doubt her subtle disapproval would be ignored as always. Maybe if she dealt with whatever it was right in, her mother would find someone else to bother.  Unless this was a courtesy call, which was unlikely. Priscilla always had some sort of agenda.

“You look pale. Are you sure everything is fine? Did you drink that tonic we talked about?”

Oh, goody, the opening act was supervisory control packaged in the lovely wrapping of benevolent concern. The answer was not going to be well received: No, she had not. For some reason, Lisa had looked at the bottle, then poured it out.  And Michael’s warnings ringing in her ears had nothing to do with it. Nothing whatsoever.

“Yeah, sure. It was very tasty.Thank you…so much.” She tried her best to keep up the cool and remote look her mother hated. 

“You are a bad liar, Lisa Marie.”

“No, really. Why you think I’m all pale and shit? Because I destroyed that thing. All gone. I’m such a good girl.” Lisa smirked at her mother, leaving it to her to interpret her words however she wanted to.

Her mother gave her an odd look. Maybe it was due to indigestion from the tonics and potions  she probably had been drinking herself.

“So, who are you yelling at? You’re not trying to get in touch with that man again, are you?”

“What man? Am I banned from talking to half the human race again, mother? How about women that look like men?  What does your maternal edict read on that matter?”

“Very funny, Lisa.  Would it kill you to give me a straight answer for once?  I came by to check on you, by the way.  And, oh,  I meant to tell you. I had a run-in with someone who gave me the most interesting information.”

Well, must be great information since her mother bothered to hightail right on over.  Since checking in could very well have been accomplished by phone.  Of course that would have lessened the torture effect.

“If I ask what you heard, will you leave so I can rest?”

“Why don’t you sit down and hear me out. Maybe this will change your plans of trying to get someone to answer his phone.”

“I’m sure I have no idea what you are talking about. I was trying to schedule a cleansing procedure. You know how frustrated I get when I think stuff is full of shit.”

“Lisa! Really!”

Okay, her fun-meter was now officially on empty and her patience was running on fumes.

“Can you please tell me what you came here for? I got somewhere to be, so please make it quick.”

“Oh, I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to keep you. Didn’t you just say you needed to rest? Which one is it? Where are you going?”

To a place that employs people with actual medical licenses. But she didn’t feel like getting into a lecture about the dangers of mainstream medical care.

“Lunch with friends…So, you were saying?”

“What friends?” Priscilla raised an eyebrow with great difficulty.

“Friendly ones. – Your interesting news?”

Pricilla sat down on the edge of the bed and gave a fake sigh full of even faker concern. Oh great. What the hell was going on?

“So, I ran into the new Mrs. Jackson last week.”

Lisa’s shoulders tensed, but she remained perfectly still otherwise. The pounding in her temples and chest did not show, thank goodness.

“With a car, I hope.” Lisa kept a straight face despite her mother’s gasp.

“Lisa! Seriously! – It’s not her fault…she seems..nice… downright humble.”

Ok, this was funny.  Humble?

“I’m sorry, I must have misunderstood. I thought you hinted you ran into Debbie Rowe. But you must mean another new Missis Jackson. Did Jermaine get married again?”

“You know, Lisa, you might as well face that she is just another victim of the craziness that man imposes on everyone. He used her, if anything. She is not the heavy you see her as. She seems rather selfless to me.”

Alright, Lisa was getting seriously sick again… The amount of shit her mother was peddling was enough to compost a field of rocks and make it a hub of fertility.

“Yes, it was very selfless of her to offer her womb up to a married man.  I think we should write the Pope and nominate her for sainthood. Oh wait, we're not Catholic. Damn! Will he still listen to us?”

“Lisa- let it go. It’s not healthy to hold on to this anger.”

Well, the rising bile seemed to indicate it was not healthy to talk about Deb altogether. 

Lisa rose and grabbed her purse.

“Time’s up. I gotta leave. Thanks for the thrilling news.”

“Lisa Marie- did you know they are expecting another baby?”

Lisa stopped, her back to her mother.  Her shoulders straightened and she swallowed.

“Yes. I do.”

Silence.

Good. Obviously, mother did not expect that response.  And Lisa had not expected the pain at hearing those words spoken out loud again.

They are expecting another baby…

The words echoed inside to the rhythm of her frantically beating heart and convulsing stomach.

“Oh… I did not know."

So sorry to spoil all the fun, Mommy Dearest.

“If you’re hanging ‘round, please make sure to lock the door behind you. The kids will spend the rest of the day with Danny.” Lisa hoped she had deprived her mother of a response she obviously had craved.

“Lisa, I’m sorry I upset you.” Said the witch after she locked Rapunzel in her tower again.

Lisa closed her eyes and swallowed hard, blinking her tears away. No, she was not going to let this get to her. 

“You didn’t. I told you I knew. Nice of her to share the happy news with you, though.”

She heard her mother’s steps approach.  The fake concern was enough to make her gag. And not for one moment did she believe the two women had simply ran into each other by total coincidence. Debbie chose her allies well, she had to give her that. Of course, once you sell your soul to the  Devil, the rest was a piece of pie.  Too bad Satan hadn't thrown in a prettier face as he had for Dorian Gray. Michael had enough space to store the real canvas.

“Will this help you move on, finally, Lisa? No more trips to be with him?  Seeing he is only parading you around to help his image again? It makes you look…”

Lisa turned sharply, her face a mask now.

“What? Like his whore?”

Like when her mother made it oh so clear to her Dad that she was screwing someone else? Takes one to know one...

“Lisa Marie! That’s not what I meant to say.”

“Say nothing then, mother. And stay out of my love life. I might just surprise you and raise those babies with Michael. How would you like that?  Little half black babies all around the Presley Estate, and you can be the honorary grandmother.”

Priscilla blanched and horror spread on her normally immobile face. There! Lisa had done something to make the silicon move. It was a miracle. Also, her mother finally had shut up long enough to allow for an escape. Lisa slammed the door shut , just about ran down the stairs, and darted into her car.  When she drove off, she noticed her vision starting to swim in tears.  Blinking, and wiping her eyes in an almost violent gesture, she uttered a string of curses.

Why was this still getting to her? Why was the pain still so fucking fresh?  She should be able to move on, to accept what could not be changed. Own up to her own mistake- which was not cutting all the ties to him. It shouldn't be this hard. Why the hell did she have to still love him so much? Well, as soon as she’d know he’d be ok, she’d work on turning that idiotic sentiment off. There was no hope, no future.  So, maybe it was time to face the music and start mapping out the rest of her life in the darkness of her serenity.

+++++

Hours later, Lisa stared down at the lights glowing through the city’s evening fog. Glowing stars had broken the velvet canvas above, and she was trapped between two layers of twinkling illuminations.  This was how it must be like to swim between parallel worlds. Which one was real? Which one did she belong to?  What if the answer was, neither, and she was trapped in some vacuum? Forever prevented from rejoining the mundane, fake world below, but also being eternally banned from the promising splendor above. 

She had no idea how long she had driven around the bustling city, being pulled along in an automatic manner, not caring where the flow of cars transported her. Red light, green light…. Stop, go…  The path of least resistance.  The UFO in her mind had taken her up here.  When she looked around she realized she was close to the Hollywood sign.  It was a miracle she had not driven herself down a ravine, as she had absolutely no memory of how she got here. Self-preservation was a funny thing.

Her eyes fell onto the blinking light on her dashboard. How in the hell had it gotten that late? Was that the correct time?  Shortly after midnight?  Shit! The kids!

She had promised to check in before dinner.  Her fingers feeling plastic and unreal, she started to look for her phone.  Dammit! She never was able to find shit in that mess of a purse.  Gripped by impatience, she dumped the contents out onto the seat.  No phone. Another object caught her attention, and she held it up toward the faint streetlight.  Of course… she didn’t trust what she had heard from the horse’s mouth.  But for some reason, seeing this evidence had kicked everything into high gear.

The laughter startled her with its insane, almost hysterical tone.  When scanning her surrounding convinced her she was all alone in the rubber cell of her car, she knew it had been her own sounds bubbling from some deep, odd place inside.  At first, the fuse had been lit by the pure irony of the situation, before she realized some ancient, formerly declared extinct joy had broken out of the fossilized cage.  Fear jetted through her veins. No, joy was forbidden. Hope was a futile endeavor- one she had recently sworn off. Well, shit, she never was successful in kicking those damn vices.

Still giggling, Lisa gazed up, her eyes focusing slowly as more and more stars revealed themselves. Who was out there? Was it chance that lit the balls of gas?  Were they the playground for some omni-scientious, benevolent force as Michael believed, or was it all some giant joke played by the prepubescent brain of a powerful spirit regarding humanity through its magnifying glass, laughing his ass off as they scrambled about on the giant ant farm called Earth?

“Are you laughing yet, whoever is out there? Is it all a great joke?  I hope this is fucking amusing to someone out there!” 

Her voice echoed into the hills, answering itself, then throwing the question back into the universe.

“God never gives us more than we can bear, Lise. When I think I can’t go on, I gotta remind myself of that. There is a plan and all I can do is follow the path.” 

Oh Michael, how does it feel to be so filled with faith? 

She had pitied him for his childish notions, then envied him for the iron core holding him upright in times of despair and darkness.

“Now, now, little princess. Don’t you worry. Just look up into the stars and open your heart. God will hear you and answer in his own time. Things are never as bad as they seem.”

Daddy…

His voice so real in her head transported her back to sitting outside with him in the steaming night of Memphis. Rhythm, the dog they had owned since before she had been born had to be put down, and Lisa had been inconsolable. Unable to sleep, she had run out into the night, crying, calling out her sadness and loss into the night sky.  His hand had come to rest on her shoulders and she could swear she smelled his cologne near her now.

“It’s not fair, Daddy. God is not nice. He’s taking things that aren’t his.”

“No, Lisa, baby.  You got it wrong. All things are His.  This is all not real. One day we will get to go home, like Rhythm did, and then we know the truth of it all.”

She had turned and thrown herself into her father’s arm, and he picked her up.

“But you won’t go, will you, Daddy? Your home is here, with me. You will be with me forever, right?”

He gave her that crooked smile and his eyes shone at her in the semi-darkness. “Yes, baby-girl. I’ll be with you forever. One way or another. In the song of the birds around you, in the smiles of your babies…in the wind kissing your cheek.”

“Well, I rather you’re with me- just like this!”

Back then, she had not fully understood why her serious declaration had evoked a smile that was both loving and a tiny bit sad.

Wrapping her arms around herself, Lisa started to sob, barely noticing she was rocking back and forth. At times, the ever present grief knocked her on her ass. It was the crater she tried to hide with flowers.  Every now and then, however, the wind blew across the empty wasteland and revealed the ugly scars in the surface of her being.

In the smiles of your babies…

Daddy was so right.  He was there in Riley’s cheeky grin, and Ben’s serious gaze.  Every kiss from those familiar lips, every hug, and every caress was a message from him.  And now…

“Now, I’m fucked….. Oh shit…. Shit, shit, shit. What the hell am I gonna do now? This is so fucking ridiculous!”

And miraculous. 

Another voice rang out as if spoken right next to hear.  They had sat on another hill, surrounded by stars and darkness.

“I’ll never let you go, baby-girl, you know that right?  Not ever. I’ll always be with you. No matter what.”

How little had she understood how absolutely true his words had been. For better and certainly also for worse.  What about this? Which side of the spectrum would this fall on? Better? Worse?  Would this push him away finally?  What did all this mean for their future? Was this the final,indestructible bond that would never allow her freedom? Freedom she didn't want, anyway.  Only, at times, it seemed her captor was an unwilling host as well.

Talk about unanswered prayers...

God, don't you know you're a bit behind the time plan, here? Like several years?

Or was it all really more a logical result of human actions? Not that her own assessment mattered here all that much. How would Michael see this? Divine intervention or human error? Or worse yet, would he infer she had plotted and was trying to trick him?  Into what, though? She was well aware he wasn’t into polygamy. And she didn’t need his financial support.

Only his love...

Tears returned... What if his eyes would turn against her and take on that frozen, accusatory armor she feared and hated.

God, she could not worry about it. Not now. It was simply too big and too scary. So many things could go wrong…she could lose it all again. Just like before.

A sob escaped into the night, floating to heaven in a pitiful prayer for mercy.

Okay, Lisa Marie. Get it together.  You can’t sit here forever. You got shit to figure out. For better or worse.

Lisa wiped her eyes and reached for a tissue that had fallen out of her purse earlier. Noisily, she blew her nose.  She heard a little sound to her side and almost jumped out of her skin.  Two little eyes stared up at her, then scurried off into the bushes to her side.  Great. Now, her mere presence brought commotion to the little night critters in the hills. Well, time to get her ass back to the house before Danny or her mother called out search teams. 

Fuck…how would she break the news to them?  Well, the short and easy answer was that this was none of their business, so she didn’t have to worry about that. Not right away, anyway.

This was her business alone. For the time being until she figured out when and how to talk to Michael. 

Michael… Startling, she realized she said his name out loud.  And strangely, it gave her a measure of strength and comfort. 

Resolutely, Lisa pulled the mirror down from the visor.  “Great. I look like a fucking zombie. I better clean myself up before I re-enter the glamorous world down there. Don’t wanna be arrested for scaring the gentle souls of Hollywood.”  Her luck, some paparazzi would spot her, declaring her strung out on drugs and on the road to fill that empty grave at Graceland with her name on it.  She made a face and started to clean off the black smudges around her eyes.

Suddenly, a smile broke through and despite feeling silly as shit, she grinned at her own reflection like an idiot.  In her numbing shock, her perplexed, dissociative state, her disbelief and her fear, she suddenly was ripped to awareness by the blinding comet of pure light.  This was not simple joy as before, this was the revelation that no matter what the future would bring, she knew this moment of undiluted love was all hers.

+++++

Paris, September 1997

She pounded against the door again so hard her already sore fist screamed in agony.

"Michael, you better open the fucking door now! I have absolutely no qualms about making a damn fool out of myself. Plus, I told your team to call the cops and the fire departments and break this door down as you are out of your mind and a danger to yourself. And I'm gonna call the papers..and..."

Breathless, her heart beating in her chest erratically, she had raised her arm again to commence her attack on the door, when it suddenly opened and Michael stared down at her.

She froze in mid motion, her mouth staying open.

"And what? You, Miss Presley are disturbing the peace. What in the world are you doing here?"

Did he look annoyed? Surprised? Or was there a hint of humor?  Either way, gosh, he looked good. Tired, his eyes slightly red and puffy, his hair a mess, hanging loosely around his face, and unshaven, but still otherworldly amazing to her eyes.

Lisa closed her mouth and straightened, praying she was ready to meet the challenge. She wanted in- she was in. Well, almost.  And he hadn’t even made it particularly difficult. Gotta love the element of surprise.

"Can I come in?" Not waiting for an answer, she ducked under his braced arm.

Michael shot a dark look at Carlos standing behind her, then closed the door, leaning against it, facing her. Poor security- there would no doubt be choppy waters ahead for them later.

"Nice to know my team always announces visitors."

"They said you were not answering your phone and you dead-bolted the door again."

"I was in the shower."

"Which explains the hippie look. Shaving not part of the routine anymore?"

Michael gave her a tired, weary smile.

"Had I known I'd have company I might have shaved. But...You! I can't believe you're here... I been trying to call you. What in the world…"

He'd been trying to call? What messed up role reversal was this?

Suddenly, he stepped up and pulled her into a tight embrace. Lisa had not been sure what she would find or even what she expected, so the move startled her even as she clung to him like the last solid beam in a cataclysmic storm.

The past hours certainly had been spent in nonstop turmoil. After arriving back home, she had raced upstairs to find her phone, which contained several messages from Riley, Danny, her mother...and three missed calls from a number she did not recognize. 

Did he call? Why did he not simply leave a message?

Don't be silly! It was probably just a telemarketer informing you of your millions you won in the giveaway you did not enter.

In the middle of the night? Not likely. And that bizarre telepathic line she had to him was buzzing  like a beehive with activity. Not the first time...but they always seemed to know when... When what? When the other was in dire need? Or trouble..or both? Had he gotten the secret signal as well, and had it surpassed his grief and pain over Princess Diana's horrible death. If only she was that significant to him...

Keep on dreaming, stupid.

However, it was utterly possible her stock was about to sharply rise. Great. Just what she always had feared. Now, she'd never know.  Never be sure if he loved her for herself. On the other hand, she could delude herself into believing it. She was great at buying into mirages as long as she was not the lone inhabitant of the castle in the cloud. Maybe it was better this way.

The endless seeming flight was marked by dreamlike images of joy and connection, of hope, and love...alternating with nightmarish visions of Michael tricking her into surrendering the very thing he knew she'd die for. Of course, when she startled to some resemblance of an alert state, she could very well rationalize that the spooky monster in her mind was not born from any real experience but hatched from her very fertile viper's nest of fear and doubt.

This man, who we holding her tightly, making breathing almost impossible was surely not the monster her twisted psyche had conjured up.

Really, Lisa? You mean the very man who cruelly dangled a stranger’s offer over your head to force you into something you were not ready to do?

Well, distance and time had started to reveal a truth quite different from her previous conviction. When everything started, and before they lost their baby, she had been more than ready to have his children. It was not solely his desire causing her to promise the family he longed for, they both longed for. Lisa loved kids and loved Michael: her husband, her lover, her friend, and her confidant. Her everything. The person taking her on such an incredible flight, she didn't need anything but the feel of his hand in hers to fuel her energy indefinitely. Until she let go, feeling around in the darkness in blind desperation, asking for help in all the wrong places.  Her insecurities had been without measure, and she started to listen to those who affirmed that he could not possibly love her for herself. She was that unlovable in her own mind that the option  of him seeing her so totally differently was unlikely and improbable.  She had allowed outsiders to twist the image of the person next to her. Was it possible? Was it not that he had changed, but that she had adopted the doubts and images others had implanted in her ears like disgusting worms, digging tunnels to her brain, and worse of all, infecting her heart, devouring her trust.

So, now the unattainable riddle was hers to solve: what was real? Which version of Michael was the living breathing human being, and which was the hollow target of hatred created by people trying to steer her life through hatred and paranoia.

Lisa took a deep breath, inhaling his unmistakable scent. Suddenly, all tension left her muscles, all boundaries became mush.  She melted into his embrace, wanting nothing more than to be part of him. To never leave. Come hell, high water...or Debbie.

With the same vehemence he had used to grab her, he suddenly pulled back, holding her from him at army's length, glowering down at her.

"Do you have any idea what horrific agony you just put me through?"  His eyes were dark and stormy. 

What in the world was he so mad about? 

"By threatening to break your door in?"

A small smile escaped. "Silly. No, by not answering when I call you. You have no idea, Lisa. I already thought you were in some sort of alien detention center again. Pumped full of seaweed and nasty tonics. Having organs harvested or something..."

The barrage of his exaggerations made her laugh.

“Excuse me… Have you seen how many missed calls you had from me in the past days? How many messages? From me and from your family?”

“My family? What did they do now? Why can’t they just leave me the hell alone? Why do they involve you when…”

“Michael- your mother said she cannot reach you. Was I supposed to ignore that?”

Michael shut up and chewed on the inside of his cheek. “I talked to her today. I was upset…I…it…”

His contrite demeanor reminded her of a little boy trying desperately to make things right. No doubt Katherine made it clear she hated when he was out of her reach. She didn't need to add her lecture.

“Michael, I know you must have been upset. I’m so horribly sorry about Diana…I can’t even begin to imagine how you must feel.” Her voice softened, giving I'm a place to fall.

His eyes filled with tears, and he turned and walked into the suite. All bravado left and he seemed deflated. 

Damn! She didn’t want to upset him again. This was all still so very fresh for him.

“Do you want something to drink? You must be tired. When did you get in?” His voice was choked, and she could tell he was trying hard to regain his composure as he went over to a kitchen area. For the first time, Lisa looked around. Man-this must be the biggest hotel suite she had ever seen. And she had seen some doozies.

“I don’t know. Just now. I came straight over. So, I guess you decided to stay here at the George V after all, and not rent an apartment.”

“Yeah. It’s easier.  Water? Something stronger?”  He reached for the vodka bottle.

“No, water is fine. It’s too early to drink here…I think. I kinda lost track of time.”

Michael turned and looked at her. “It’s early my time, but not your time. Hey- are you sick? You look like you lost weight.”

“Isn’t that my line?”

Michael grabbed a bottle of water and approached her, his eyes now scanning her inquisitively.

“Very funny. Here. You don’t look well. You’re pale. Seriously, Are you sick again? Don’t you dare keep stuff from me. You know I always find out, and I can’t take any more bad news.”

Lisa took the bottle and averted her gaze, dropping herself down into the huge sofa.  Talk about keeping things from him…

Oh, Michael, you have no idea what’s about to hit you…and I have no clue how to avoid the impact.

Drinking kept her from answering, so she about drowned herself. Michael sat down next to her, his eyes still glued to hers, peppering her with wordless questions.

“Can you stop staring at me, please? You’re freaking me out.” She put the empty bottle on the coffee table. Gosh, he could be so freaking unnerving! And intuitive...

“I’m just so surprised to see you. I didn’t know when I’d see you again. After…after…London. I mean…you left and I thought…I was sure…And you’ve been so distant and cold on the phone…You scared the holy shit out of me.” His voice faded and she could tell he was close to tears again when he cleared his throat.

Lisa looked down, studying the carpet, which was, by the way, quite exquisite.

“It was just a lot to absorb.  I had to think…” Her words were a mumbled concoction of hot air. 

“And now…it’s all absorbed and you’re done thinking? All ‘cause I didn’t answer the phone? Wow… I got skills in making people do what I want by not doing anything.”

“No, Mike, not just because you didn’t answer the phone. One of your idols died in a horrible accident in a way you had basically predicted. And Jan heard you were going off the chain…I mean… You got me, I mean, us, worried” she huffed.  Yeah, all his fault she couldn’t stop worrying about him like some crazed brood hen.

His eyebrows furrowed. “Off the chain? What’s that supposed to mean? I’m not allowed to be destroyed? I’m not human and can’t be sad? Don’t start, ok…I wasn’t taking anything. I was upset, plain and simple…still am. I mean…shit…Lise…they hounded her into that tunnel and… They say she was awake when the ambulance got there…they say she talked.  She must have known she’d never see her babies again. And then…can you imagine…to wake up, and to have lost their mother. Those poor boys.”

A tear escaped his eyes, and he buried his face in his hands, crying silently.

Feeling choked up herself, Lisa rested her hand on his shoulder helplessly, as she suppressed her own tears.

Oh, baby, I do know. I know what it is to go to bed and your world is all in colors and full of glittering light and to have all the luminance sucked out as soon as you wake up. I know…

Michael suddenly stopped and looked up at her. One looked conveyed his understanding.

His hands cradled her face. “Oh, Gosh, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Lisa. That was so insensitive. I wasn’t thinking…Of course, you know… You would.”

He pulled her close again, and she rested her head against his chest, her heart constricted and tight.

“It’s fine, Michael. This is about you and your loss. I was so worried what this would do to you.  And when you didn’t answer any calls…”

“You decided to hop on a plane and go all Shining on my door?”

She smiled against the familiar feel of his t-shirt against her cheek. He did bring the crazy out in her. Even though it was usually pretty close to the surface anyway.

“That and I had that crazy craving for those chocolate crepes in the little place you took me to.”

Shit, did she have to use that word? She tightened slightly.

Lisa, you idiot…can you be careful. Stop letting down your guard!

He pulled back and stared at her for a minute, before a small smile entered first his eyes, then showed on his lips.

“God bless your sweet tooth, Lisa. God bless you for coming here. I need you so much. You don’t even know…”

Lisa reached out and touched his face. Michael caught her hand, bringing it to his lips, his eyes locked to hers.

“Michael…”  The touch of his hot lips infused her with heat and sparks. As always.

“I miss you. I need you. Don’t leave.”

“I just got here…” Her voice was a husky whisper. 

Michael’s face was now inches away. “What took you so long? I needed you something bad…”

Lisa could argue that he might have answered his phone to reach out to her, but suddenly all she could see were his lips and his eyes and all logical thought evaporated. Sure, she had planned to keep things friendly and clinical. Two adults having to deal with a difficult situation.  A friend rushing across continents once again to ensure her buddy was okay. Oh what wonderful lies live in the head when a hungry heart lusts for sustenance.

His kiss tasted of sweet sadness, of longing, of loss, and of love. It conveyed so much more than her taxed rational thoughts could ever process or contain, and she inhaled it until her lungs burst and drank it until she was intoxicated. His lips were like heaven against her, welcoming her home.  Only, whose home?  He was not hers, after all. Not by any stretch of the imagination.

The kiss stayed gentle and tender, his tongue barely touching her. Lisa could tell he was holding back, was trying to not get swept along.

They stayed connected, leaning against each other, their foreheads touching, their eyes closed.

“If I wake up and you’re not really here, I don’t think I can handle it…” His whisper spoke of his sadness and self-imposed isolation.

“I could pinch you…”

“I don’t know if I can handle more pain. You have no idea what happened… You were right, I’m off the chain. I can’t breathe. Can’t think.  Everything has crumbled down around me. I don’t know whom to trust anymore…” He reached for her hands, holding them in a tight squeeze.

Lisa’s eyes flew open, and she backed up slightly.  He didn’t take her offer of escape into silly humor.  Michael looked as if the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He looked older somehow. Weary.  Not broken…but certainly breaking. It seemed as if something else was going on here.  He had every right to be in pain over Diana’s death- but, searching his soul she thought to spot something more…something even deeper.  What else could affect him like this?

“Michael…where is the baby? Where is Prince?” she asked with a hint of alarm.

Michael blinked and straightened, but still held on to her hands. “Oh, he is in his suite next door. I got the whole floor. He is napping.  You ready to meet him?”  He was gorgeous with his love shining through every pore of his body. It was obvious how much he loved his son. The mere mention of him had totally changed his expression and released the death grip of all consuming tension.

“Unless his mother is here as well…” She hated to bring up the sore subject, but she was not up to another round with Deb.  Not after her little sneak attack of suddenly becoming buddy-buddy with Lisa’s mother. No doubt Priscilla has instigated the little hook-up, but Lisa doubted Debbie needed to work on the side peddling home Botox sessions to a wealthy lady who just so happened to be related to her husband’s ex. So, the meeting of the minds was one of opportunistic nature to both, without question. A new kind of poisonous symbiosis.

Michael’s face turned to stone and his eyes iced over.

Trouble in paradise?

“Michael?  Is your wife here? I don’t want to...”

“Don’t call her that, ok? It’s not funny, and I don’t want you to call her that.”

The almost violent outburst caused Lisa to stare at him.  What was this about? She had thrown the title at him before, and usually he just flinched and carried on.

“Look, I…I’m sorry for sounding sharp, but please… I don’t wanna talk about her. Or hear about her being my …you know…”  The sentence ended as if he could not bring himself to utter the words. Well, Lisa was used to her getting sick of hearing Deb’s name, or reminding herself of her legal title, but he acted as if he had eaten shit and was about to spit it out.

“Well, she is…”

He jumped in again. “She’s a lying bitch. She is a traitor and a manipulator…She…”  His eyes were spewing flames now, and his face became flushed. 

Christ! Well… that was…an accurate description of Miss Debbie Rowe Jackson.  In her book, anyway. The question was, who or what had thrown her rather sizable ass off the pedestal of pure friendship and honorable devotion?

“Okay… You wanna talk about it? What happened?  Last time we spoke you were all about contracts and all that jazz. What changed?”

Michael jumped up and started pacing the floor.  Is hands were fisted and he seemed to fight an inner battle.

Lisa watched him, being trapped between admiring his panther like stride and animalistic tension and worrying about what had so totally toppled his composure.  Shit, it must be bad, if he had suddenly decided to burn the book of Saint Deb after years of worship and sickening blindness to her motives.

“Everything changed, Lisa.  Everything. And I haven’t even had time to deal with it all. I found out the night before…before the accident. That stupid…stupid, idiotic woman. Such a …fucking, deluded bitch. How in the world did she think I wasn’t gonna hear…I wasn’t gonna figure it out. Like I can’t count?  What kind of idiot did she think I am?”

When he started cursing, her alarm level went up a notch higher, if possible.  She knew this…knew how he operated when he got this angry.  Well, with outsiders, he’d just put up a front. But with her…he’d rant for hours.  This was oh, so familiar and transported her back to a time when they were each other’s lone support systems.

Michael ran his hands through his hair and shook his head, having stopped in the middle of the room, staring down, then throwing his head back,  emitting a loud scream.

“Ahhhh! I’m so fucking mad. It’s all my fault. Me! Well..not all me. But still.  Shit! You were right. You know…. You had it right all along. People don’t do these kinds of things to be nice. There is always a motive. Always. But I trusted her. She was there for me. She had never sold me out… She had offered over and over…even after I turned her down, you know.  I mean…when she first brought it up… Anyway…Oh God. I should never have done it, Lisa. Never.”

Okay… This was akin to a  weird out of body experience. Had her plane crashed, and was she lying dying in the flaming wreckage of twisted metal and burning fumes? This could not possibly be real. This must be her brain firing in the final throes of death. Instead of her life flashing before her eyes, she witnessed the words she had needed to hear.  She was granted validation. From his mouth. No way in hell was this be actually happening!

“Michael…”

His pacing commenced, and then, suddenly he stopped once more. His back to her. He bent slightly, his face in his hands and he sobbed for several seconds.

“It was all one big, fucking lie…Why would she lie to me like that?  After everything. The money…the…the thing I had to do…”

Alarmed now, Lisa rose and carefully approached him.  He obviously heard her and turned sharply, facing her.  He looked as if he had ran a marathon, his chest heaving. She was afraid he’d have one of his panic attacks.

“Michael, please calm down…what brought all this on? What happened?”

He stood there, staring at her, biting his lip.  His eyes were somewhere else. Lisa reached out and touched his arm, causing his eyes to close.  She could see, could feel his effort to struggle for composure. Lisa stepped closer and helplessly wrapped her arms around him. She felt his heartbeat, his desperation, his anger…all his emotions poured into her, rendering her dizzy from the sheer violence of the storm.  He stiffened, then grabbed her and held her close to him once more, his hand in her hair.

What in the world haunted him in this way? Or who? Lisa had a feeling Deb must have stepped into some shit, and she was about ready to kick her ass for doing this to him. Whatever it was- how dare the bitch hurt him like this? After everything he had done for her. Everything he had thrown away.

No, you gotta stay calm. He needs you to be the mast in the storm he can tie himself to. You owe him that much.

It seemed to work, too. After what seemed like an eternity, his breathing changed again, becoming more rhythmic and even.

“It’s just too much. First I find out that I’ve been betrayed again, then I lose Princess Diana. Thank God, you came…”

Close to tears, scared for him, she raised her face to him. “Michael…what the fuck went down? Tell me. You’re freaking me out in a big way here.”

Michael swallowed and stepped back slightly.

“I can’t ever make this up to you, can I? Oh God, the pain I caused you. After you left…after I read your note…  I finally realized you might have left for good, you know. I know we talked…but you were so…so out of reach. And really, I thought, well, maybe that’s how it needed to be. That I couldn’t possibly finally have all my dreams come true and also have you. Sacrifice, you know?  I almost sacrificed you, again, to this dream, this lie… This lie she made me believe.”

“What lie, Michael? What did she lie about?”

Oh God…his reaction. His anger.  Could it be?  There was only one thing getting him this unhinged. Children. Especially his children. 

“The baby. She lied about the baby.”

The baby…

The room started to spin around Lisa, and she attempted to stay stable by making his eyes her focal point.

“What do you mean?”  Her voice shook from the mini earthquakes ripping her own versions of grand canyons into her soul.

He stopped and is expression changed.  Worry? How could he switch emotions so fast? He was giving her serious whiplash. Michael pulled her toward the couch. “Hey, girl… I’m sorry. I must have scared you. You look like you’re about to faint. Sit down… I’m sorry I went off."

Well, if he wasn’t gonna spill, she was about to go off. What in the world was going on?

“Michael!” She yelled, but complied. “I’m about to slap you- tell me what the fuck is going on!”

“She lied, okay? She fucking lied. There is no baby, Lisa Marie. She is not pregnant.” He yelled back at her.

Everything stopped. Total silence. Time stood still.  They were frozen. No words. This could not be true. Lacking total comprehension, Lisa stared at him, holding her breath.  Which seemed a safe thing to do, given all oxygen had left the room.

“What? Are you sure? How…”

“Oh, with my money, that’s how. She bought herself some compliance, the stupid, stupid woman. Thought I wouldn’t find out.  People try to pull shit, try to keep shit from me. Not the first time, either… Everyone always thinks they can pull one over silly, naïve Michael. And Klein…he was in on it. I never should have trusted them. Never! And you warned me.” He laughed in a strange way that sent shivers down her spine.

“I guess she got worried with all the media blitz about you and me. In London. And I guess she had her little spies around us.  Anyway…The invitro didn’t take. She lied and told me it did. And get this- she enlisted Klein to set up another procedure. Which is odd cause I didn’t know there weren’t any..any… specimen left.” Michael blushed.

Lisa could still only stare. His voice were like a strange echo in her ears, crashing into blocked pathways, not totally registering in her mind.

Fragments: Deb lied…no baby… No pregnancy… Lies…

“So yeah….I guess she thought I can’t count…and she’d just get herself knocked up later…I don’t even wanna know. And you know, it’s so funny, cause some lab tech called and asked when I was gonna supply more…eh…specimen…for another procedure.  That's how I found out. From a little sperm collecting agent.  Oh, but I put it all together real quick after and made some calls. Did she really think I wouldn’t find out? Like I wouldn’t notice I’m squirting into a bottle again?  Damn! Who keeps stuff like this?  How did she figure I’d forgive this? I mean, no big deal if it didn’t take…I mean, I'd have tried again, anyway, but to keep it from me? To flat out lie? To get my hopes up?  What kind of human being is she?”

Lisa’s mouth opened and closed. A fish on dry land, forced to evolve and walk. Dizziness took her again and spun her stomach violently.

“I’m so sorry. For everything, Lisa. For everything I put you through. It was so wrong. I mean, I have Prince…and he’s perfect. But this is it. I can’t ever trust her again. I have my lawyers looking into this now. I want an annulment. Or something. I mean…She lied.  She voluntarily kept vital information to hurt me. Or whatever. I don’t care why. It hurt me, anyway. And you know me…you don’t fuck with me like that. No one fucks with me like that and gets away with it.”

Lisa jumped up and raced for the bathroom.  She barely made it before being violently ill.  It felt as if her inside was being twisted and he stomach was being wrung out.  When things finally calmed down, she remained leaned over, trying to catch her breath.  Her eyes were squeezed shut, tears streaming down her face, and she blindly reached for the flusher. 

The blood thundered in her ears and Michael’s words danced on the violent rumbling, illuminated by flashes of lightening rendering her vision spotty. 

A hand on her shoulder.

Lisa bit her lip.

“Here…” Michael handed her a wet washcloth and pulled her up, leaning her against the wall, helping to clean her off.

Lisa managed to open her eyes and noticed that part of the noise she experienced was due to the water running. Michael took the washcloth from her and wet it once more. He wiped her forehead, eying her with concern.

“Man, you are some kind of sick. Are you ok? Is it from the flight? I knew you looked ill. I’m so sorry for just going on and on. But man… Anyway…here, I help you.” He gathered her hair behind her and Lisa bent forward and splashed cold water on her face, then rinsed her mouth.

“Okay?” He handed her a towel.

Lisa managed to nod.

“Hey, you want some tea? Or a doctor?”

“Michael…” she managed to croak out. Her throat felt as if it had been set on fire.

“What? Still sick? Just warn me and turn…”

She shook her head…

Michael cocked his head and looked at her. “What?”

This was so not going according to plan. Even if no official plan existed, this was not even close to any unformed strategy she could ever come up with. She had not been sure. Was not certain at all she could trust him with the truth. But shit…he had been hurt. He had been lied to. She knew that feeling. She also knew betrayal. And pain. Feeling alone and exposed.

There had been so much pain. It was time to heal.

“Michael…” Her voice sounded more stable.  Her heartbeat was strong and steady.  She took one more second and listened inside for confirmation. Yes, there it was. This was right.

“Lisa, you scare me. You’re quiet. You’re never quiet. Okay, that’s it, I’m calling a doctor. I’m not gonna have your mother up my ass if you get sick. Did you drink their shit again? What did they do… You better….”

Lisa smiled weakly. “Michael. Shut up a minute! I’m not sick.”

“Bull, you’re not sick. You fly in here looking like a ghost, and then you barf all over my bathroom and …lets go. You’re lying down while I call, and…” He grabbed her hand and started to pull her back to the couch.

Lisa stopped and pulled him toward her. “I’m not sick, and I don’t need to lie down. I’m pregnant, Michael. We’re pregnant.”

(to be continued)

 

©2012 Erika B Michaels. All Rights Reserved. This story is a work of fiction. Any names, places, and other identifying features are used in a fictional manner, for entertainment purposes only, and are in no way representative of actual events. This work may not be reproduced, copied, transmitted, or stored without expressed written permission by Erika B Michaels. All photos and images, mentioned songs or song titles are copyright their creators. ABSOLUTELY no disrespect is intended to any persons portrayed in this work.