With Michael

Chapter 20 - Never Can Say Goodbye

23rd of November, 1991
Brooklyn is 25, Michael is 33

Michael: "Something's wrong," Brooklyn cried. "Michael, it hurts."
I quickly crouched down in front of her.
"What hurts?" I asked.
"Everything." she answered.
I rubbed her knee, "Tell me what you're feeling."
"It feels like really bad cramps."
"I'm gonna pick you up, okay? Hold on to my shoulders." I said, putting my arms under her body.
She screamed when I picked her up, making shivers run down my spine.
I ran as fast as I could out of the theater, trying to get quickly the Neverland guest house, where my bodyguards were living.
I knocked loudly on the door and waited impatiently.
"Just a second!" Brandon yelled. A few moments later the door opened, revealing his confused face.
"Mike? What's wro-" he said, but I quickly cut him off.
"Get us to a hospital. Now."
My bodyguard took one of the cars' keys and closed the door behind him.
Brooke clung onto me tighter as she groaned in pain.
"Wait here."
He started running to the parking. It wasn't too far from the guest house, but it was still wasting precious time.
Two minutes later a black SUV stopped in front of us.
I carefully put Brooke in the car and got in next to her.
"What the hell is going on, Mike?" Brandon asked.
"I don't know. Just step on it." I answered, pulling my wife onto my lap in hopes in would calm her down.

~

As soon as we got to the hospital Brooklyn was taken away from me. They checked her into a room, mostly for me, so I could wait for news without being exposed too much.
I prayed as much as I could that nothing bad would happen.
For the last hour I've been pacing back and forth, without being told anything.
A knock on the door made me jump. Brandon had a small smiled on his face as he stepped in, "I called the other bodyguards, they're on their way."
"Thank you, Brandon. Any news?" I said.
He sighed and shook his head.
"Your mother's on the phone, though." he held out his mobile phone for me.
I took the device from him and put it to my ear.
"Michael?" I heard my mother's soft, soothing, voice.
"Hi, mother." I told her.
"Michael, Joseph and I just turned on the television, and we saw pictures of you at the hospital. They're everywhere. Are you okay? What happened?" she asked in panic.
"Mother, I'm fine. It's Brooke, something's wrong with the baby." I said, rubbing my face.
"Oh, honey."
I sighed and noticed a tear fall down my cheek.
I was scared. Scared of losing out little Destiny, but I was mostly scared to lose my wife. They didn't tell me anything.
They're fine. They're both perfectly fine.
I looked up as a doctor walked in and cleared his throat.
"Mother, I need to go."
Before she could say anything, I hung up the call and gave Brandon his phone.
"Mr. Jackson, it's a pleasure. I'm Dr. Wright."
I shook his hand, "How's my wife?"
"Please, sit down," he said. "Your wife is fine. But, unfortunately, she lost the baby."
My heart sank and my head started spinning. Oh, no.
"Mr. Jackson?"
I shut my eyes closed, taking a few breaths.
"How- Why did this happen?" I asked, a bit shaken.
"I believe you're aware of your wife's Anemia. Well, pregnancies in women with Anemia cause different reactions to the body. Every woman's body is different, making it react differently. In your wife's case, it looked like a blood pressure drop. The fetus didn't get the amount of blood supply it needed. I'm sorry."
It felt like he actually took a knife and put it in my back. Everything we planned, everything we did to have a baby, gone.
I put my face in my hands.
Brooklyn.
I knew her, she was probably beating herself up because of this.
"I need to see her." I said.
"Of course, come with me." Dr. Wright smiled.
He opened the door, exposing four of my bodyguards: Brandon, Bill, Dan, and the newest member to the team, Jaden. I hired him a few weeks back.
"Brandon, you're coming with me." I ordered.
He walked close to me as the doctor led us through the hospital halls.
"She's in here." he stopped in front of a room.
"Thank you." I shook his hand again.
I took a deep breath before opening the door, knowing what I would fine.
My wife was crying into her pillow and was curled up in herself.
"Oh, Brooklyn." I said, walking over to her, and embracing her in a long hug.
"I'm so, so, so, sorry, Michael." she cried into my shoulder.
I put my lips to her neck and hugged her tighter.
"Shh, this isn't your fault."
"Don't say that, you know it is. My stupid body is responsible for this."
I caressed her hair as I felt my own tears running down my cheeks and fall onto her shoulder.
Brooke sniffled, "They said I need to have surgery to take her out."
I flinched at her words, pulling away from her. She avoided any contact with my eyes.
I sighed, "Brooke, look at me."
She only looked always.
I grabbed her face in both of my hands and her eyes locked with mine instantly.
"Don't blame yourself." I said, sternly.
Her already teary eyes filled up with tears, again.