Love and Weakness (Third Part of "Love In The Spotlight") MJ Fantasy

Chapter 21: The Doctor

Two months later

Neverland Ranch- Santa Ynez, CA

Michael's POV

I glanced at the clock impatiently for the third time and tapped my foot. What could she possibly be doing in there? I have a really nice dinner set up for us outside and she's going to make us miss our own date.

I knocked on the bathroom door for the millionth time. "Babe? We really gotta get going now..."

She didn't respond and I sighed, turning the door knob. She told me not to come in but I have to know what's taking her so long. I peeked my head inside and saw her doubled over the toilet, puking her guts out.

"Oh my god!" I exclaimed, rushing over and pulling her hair back. "Are you okay?"

She couldn't answer me because she was mid-vomit, and she continued to retch into the toilet for a few more minutes. Once finished she sighed, wiping tears from her eyes, and pulled herself off of the ground.

"Are you alright?" I asked her as she walked to the sink to brush her teeth. She nodded with a blank stare. "Zoe this is the third time this has happened..."

"Fourth." She corrected me.

"And you haven't been eating well. Do you think you could be..." I trailed off.

She looked over at me. "Oh lord, I hope not. I'm not ready to go through that again..." She said, shoving her toothbrush into her mouth.

I suddenly noticed a patch of slightly irritated skin on her chest. "What happened there?" I asked, pointing it out to her.

She looked down at her chest, her eyes widening a little as she examined the inflamed skin. "I have no idea."

I sighed. How did I notice something like that before her? It's her body. "I'm taking you to the doctor."

"Tomorrow?" She mumbled through a mouth full of toothpaste.

"No, right now."

She scrunched her eyebrows. She rinsed her mouth and spit into the sink before looking back at me. "What about dinner?"

"It's okay... We'll just do it another day."

"No..." She said with a sad voice. "I know you wanted it to be special. Let's go to the doctor after dinner..."

"The office closes in an hour."

"Well let's go tomorrow then. I don't need to go to the doctor right this minute, Michael. I'm sure I can make it another day."

I gave her an unsure look. "I don't know..."

"I'll be fine, baby. Really..." She assured me.

I nodded. "Fine. But we're going to see Dr. Harding first thing in the morning."

She smiled, happy that she got her way. She stepped towards me and pecked me on the lips sweetly. I screwed my face up and turned away.

She frowned. "What?"

I clenched my nose. "Vomit breath." I teased.

She gasped and slapped my arm. "Shut up, I just brushed my teeth!"

I shook my head. "Brush them again."

She giggled and flicked me. "You asshole..."

I smiled and kissed her cheek. "I'll be waiting for you downstairs. Be sure to use mouthwash."

"Michael, you jerk!" She exclaimed as I ran out of the bathroom giggling. I heard her footsteps as she chased me so I picked up the pace, dashing down the stairs. I slid into a hall closet, waiting for her to come down so I could jump out and scare her.

I heard her running down the stairs, but suddenly her footsteps stopped. I covered my mouth to keep from laughing. She's probably scared because she knows I'm hiding. Her footsteps picked up again, but much slower this time. I scoffed. She's such a scaredy cat.

I held on to the doorknob, waiting for the perfect moment to pop out. Just as I was about to seize the opportunity...

"Michael..." She called in a weak tone.

I gasped and pushed the door open, finding her clutching onto a wall to hold herself up.

"Babe, what's happening? Are you okay?" I panicked, hurrying to help her stand up.

She took deep breaths. "I feel so... Exhausted..."

"We have to go to the doctor now, Zoe."

She shook her head. "Dinner..."

"Dinner can wait. We have to go."

She didn't argue, probably because she was too fatigued to talk, as I informed my security that we needed to get to Dr. Harding's office.

Ronald K. Harding's office- Santa Barbara, CA

Dr. Harding stepped into the room with a smile and a clipboard. Zoe sighed nervously as he sat on his stool and faced us.

"Alright, I've got the results from the pregnancy test and... Looks like your oven is bun free..."

Zoe and I sighed in relief at the same time. It's not that I don't want another child, I just worry that Zoe's body wouldn't be able to handle two pregnancies back to back. Especially at a time like this. She hasn't been eating a lot, and she's losing weight.

"So what's wrong then, Doc? Why am I having all of these symptoms?" Zoe asked.

"Let's figure that out." He said, adjusting his reading glasses as he stared down at his clipboard. "So you've been experiencing, nausea, fatigue, and loss of appetite... Correct?"

"Yes."

He nodded. "Anything else strange going on that you can think of?"

She looked up at the ceiling as she thought. "Ummm, no-"

"What about the patch on your chest?" I mentioned.

"Oh yeah, I do have this really weird red patch on my chest. It's kinda painful, too."

He looked up abruptly. "May I see it?"

She nodded, pulling down her shirt slightly so he could observe it. "I'm actually not even sure how long it's been there..."

He scrunched his eyebrows. "Is it alright if I touch it?" He asked. She nodded in approval and he raised his hand to press down on the area. "Does it hurt when I press down?" He questioned.

She winced a little. "Yeah, especially a little lower. Toward my breast."

He stood up straight and grabbed his clipboard, scribbling something down. "How old are you again?"

"34..." She responded, seeming a little anxious. I'm starting to get worried too. "You don't think this is anything serious, do you?"

"Um... Give me just a second, alright? I'll be right back. Sit tight." He said, exiting the room.

I looked at Zoe. "What do you think the problem could be?"

She shrugged. "I don't know... He's scaring me."

"Have you ever dealt with anything like this before? Maybe it's no big deal."

"I had eczema really bad once. But I was just a little kid. And I'm pretty sure it never made me sick."

I nodded, my heart beginning to beat at an abnormal speed. "I'm sure it's something simple..." I assured her, attempting to assure myself as well.

We sat in silence for a few minutes before Dr. Harding came back in the room. He took a deep breath and sat on his stool once more, but something was different about his demeanor. He wasn't smiling or laughing as usual. He had a very stern and serious look on his face.

He flipped through a few papers on his clipboard before looking up at Zoe. "Mrs. Jackson, have you ever had a mammogram?"

Her jaw dropped. "A m-mammogram? No... Why?"

Her reaction confused me. "What's a mammogram?"

Dr. Harding looked at me but didn't hold my gaze for very long. "It's a machine that scans for cancerous lumps in the breasts..."