With Michael

Chapter 21 - When It Hurts So Bad

25th of December, 1991
Brooklyn and Janet are 25, Michael is 33

Brooklyn: "Come back here, Jason! Chris, your son took my shoes!" Janet shouted.

I laughed as Jason ran with his little feet across the living room floor, with a pair of heels in his hands.

It was Christmas morning, and dad, Chris, Cynthia, Jason, Janet and Elizabeth with her husband, Larry, stayed here at the ranch the past week.

Michael said it would be for the best. He said we needed people around us after everything, and after being together, alone, for so long.

He was right. This past month was spent on us being together, we never left each other's side.

There was a lot of crying involved, too. I still felt too guilty about this whole thing, and I could swear he was hiding some feelings from me.

He always said he told me everything he felt, everything he thought, that night at the giving tree, but I still had doubts.

Deep down there was something he wasn't telling me.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I head Jason squealing as Janet hoisted him up in the air.

"Shouldn't we wake Michael?" Larry asked.

"No, he needs to sleep." I smiled.

"But auntie Bwooke, grandpa said that once everyone is awake we can open pwesents! If uncwe Mike won't wake up, we can't open pwesents!" my nephew pouted.

"Jason, let your uncle sleep." Cynthia told him.

"You know what, Jason? What if we wake him up together?" Janet offered.

"Jan!" I said, putting both of my hands on my hips.

She rolled her eyes at me, "Then you wake him up. I'm sure he got enough sleep."

"Okay, okay." I gave up.

I left the living room, making my way to our room.

I opened the door, and saw my husband gulping down water with a couple of painkillers.

He always took painkillers, ever since the Pepsi incident in 1984, it became a daily routine. Still, he would usually take a couple mid-day, never in the morning.

"Hey, babe." he grinned.

"Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?"

I pointed at the bottle of pills on his bedside table, "Since when do you take these in the morning?"

"Oh, I started not long ago. Don't worry about it." Michael said.

~

"Supersoaker number ten!" Michael smirked.

"You know what that means, right?" Janet said.

"A lot of Supersoakers around the house." I mumbled.

"You better watch out." my husband wiggled his eyebrows at me.

Jason climbed on the couch next to me, putting his mouth to my ear.

"Auntie Bwooke, let's get uncwe Mike." he whispered.

"Okay." I said.

While Michael was busy with the presents along with Elizabeth and my brother, Jason and I snuck out.

"Okay, we have four Supersoakers in our room. Let's go."

"Can I help?" Janet suddenly appeared.