Stay the Night

Chapter 16

July 1st, 2002

“So do you know what's going on?” Michael was asking.

Mariah was at the airport with Wayne, waiting for Morgan to pick her up. Once she got off the plane, she called Michael to tell him what was going on and after Karrin handed him the phone, Mariah explained to her husband why she was in New York.

“Yeah.” She sighed, rubbing her temple with her free hand. “Morgan said the cancer spread everywhere. There's nothing else they can do for him.”

“Oh God, I'm sorry to hear that.” Michael said sympathetically.

Mariah pursed her lips, glancing around for Morgan. “I need you to come home.”

“Baby-”

“Michael, I don't give a damn about your tour right now.” She interjected. “This is my dad, my kids grandfather. I need y'all to come home.”

Michael huffed. “I wasn't gonna say anything about the tour. All I was gonna ask you was do you think the girls need to see him like that?”

“He said he wants to see them.” She explained.

There was a pause as if Michael was weighing the pros and cons of bringing the kids to see their dying grandparent.

He finally replied. “Alright. I'll be out there.”

“I'll see you when you get here.”  

July 5th, 2002

Michael watched as Mariah folded up some of her father's clothes and stacked them on the empty hospital bed. Her movements were stilted, and her face was devoid of any emotion. He took the clothes from the bed and put them down in a plastic bag.

Alfred passed away the night before with most of his family around. Alfred's mother had decided to stay at home because she couldn't take seeing her son in such a state. Both Katherine and Pat were present and Michael wasn't surprised to see his mother bawling once Alfred died. As much as he hated to admit it, Alfred had made his mother happy. What did surprise him was Pat's reaction.

The woman typically had a flair for the dramatic but she'd remained stoic, as if she were in some type of stupor. After a while, Pat decided that she and Katherine should take Michael and Mariah's kids for the day to ease their minds, while Alison and her husband went for lunch. This left Michael and Mariah to clean out the hospice room. Mariah hadn't spoken most of the day and he was a little worried.

Mariah picked up another pair of pants and pulled a note out of the pocket. Her eyes darted across the page before she dropped the pants on the bed and made a beeline for the door with the note in hand. Michael bit his lip pensively.

I wonder what that was about.

Michael crossed the room and started to finish up what Mariah was doing. He picked up the last of Alfred's things and a piece of paper fluttered to the ground. He put the clothes on the bed and reached down to pick up the crumpled sheet of paper.

Dear Alison,

Ever since you were a little girl you've always been special to me. Even when your mother couldn't see your potential, I always knew that you'd grow into an intelligent young woman.

Intelligent? Was this before the drugs?

From the moment your mother brought you home, you were my entire world. You and Morgan mean everything to me and I regret that I couldn't spend longer with you two.

Uhh...

I know parents shouldn't have favorites but since the divorce I felt a distance between myself and Morgan and I can't even say that I know Mariah and I do feel that I am closest to you. I'm not even entirely sure if I can consider her a daughter to me and there's many reasons for this. I never trusted your mother when she brought your sister home and I believe my mother when she says that Mariah may not be my daughter.