He Saved Me

Chp 20

Michael's POV
I walked downstairs and found one of my staff members speaking to a lady in the foyer. As I approached closer to them, I cleared my throat to let my presence be known. The lady turned around and gave me a huge smile. She had dark curly hair down to her back. She was tall and might I add, quite attractive. As my eyes roamed around, it eventually spotted the wedding band on her finger. So close. I laughed in my head at how reckless my mind can be at times.
"Hi Mr. Jackson, Emily Gonzalez," she introduced herself as she lend out a hand. I shook her hand and smiled.
"Michael is just fine," I responded. I lead her to the dining area and offered her something to drink or eat. She said no to both. She took out a notebook and a pen, preparing for the session.
"Before I begin the session with your daughter, I was hoping to get some insight on her first. From a parental view. Maybe somethings you'd like me to focus on," she said.
"Well you know her history from our talk on the phone. You know she's been through a lot. The abuse, the constant neglect, I mean it's bound to take a toll on a young child," I said sadly. She nodded her head understandingly. "But I worry about how she's adjusting. She's voiced to me about feeling different from my older 3 children. She also refuses to let the nanny help her bathe and change her bandages. It's gotten to a point where I have to scold and punish her each time to actually get that done," I pointed out.
"Has she mentioned any discomfort to you about the nanny," Emily asked.
"No she hasn't. She's normally fine with the nanny throughout the day. Only when it's time to take a bath, Mia gives the nanny a really hard time. Her sleep has also been a mess. She refuses to sleep in her own room at night. Almost every night she's been sleeping with me. There were instances when I refused and I found her the next morning, sleeping in my older daughter's room," I said. As I mention Paris, I look at my watch and see it's close to 8:30pm now. Where is this girl?
"Has she said why she doesn't want to sleep in her room?" Emily asked.
"Every night it's a new excuse as to why she can't sleep in her own room. And last night things escalated when I forced her to sleep in her own room. I stayed with her till she fell asleep. But several hours later, she showed up in my room crying," I informed her.
"Did she say what was wrong?" Emily asked curiously.
"Well, she wet the bed. And I guess it was a mixture of fear and embarrassment that made her break down crying," I said with a strain in my voice. As I said these things aloud, it became more real. I wanted to help my little girl so bad, but it felt like it was out of my control. This whole situation felt like a dead end for me. She's hurting so bad and I can't fix it.
"Aw poor thing," Emily said sympathetically. "I'll try to get to the bottom of what's bothering her, don't worry."
"Thank you," I said simply.
"You also mentioned something scolding and punishing. What form of discipline do you use?" she questioned. Confused by her question I stared at her blankly for a second. She picked up on that and rephrased her question. "Spare the rod, spoil the child?" she said.
Kind of shocked by how she normalized spankings like it was ok, made me feel uncomfortable. "I don't spank my children. I don't believe in that," I stated seriously. "Time outs have always worked for them when they were younger. Taking away something valuable and lecturing goes a long way. I'm not gonna lie, when they get way too out of hand, I'll give them one or two hard smacks on their behind but that's as far as I'll go. Some empty threats on it being worse always gets the trick done. But no, spankings and whippings are not a parenting style I ever liked," I stated.
"Well it's good to know you're a progressive parent Michael. You won't believe the amount of parents I deal with, who swear by that parenting style," she shared.
"That's because those parents don't have any patience. They grab the belt and whip away their anger and frustrations on the children. Granted each child responds differently to discipline, but it's always best to work with a child rather than controlling a child," I said remembering my own childhood.
     "Does Mia ever act out? As in purposely sabotage herself?" Emily questioned.
     "Oh yes. All the time. That's what gets her into trouble to tell you the truth. She doesn't know how to deal with anger. When she's upset she lashes out and takes it out on people and things around her," I replied.
     "How so?" Emily asked.
     "Well, when she gets really upset she breaks things around her. Anything she could find. She has a destructive streak. When we were at a hotel in New York, she pretty much vandalized the walls in her room with paint. She can get very defiant when she wants to be, which eventually leads to me having to punish her," I informed.
Interrupting my meeting with Emily, Mia finally came down the stairs. In her sweatpants and a fuzzy sweater, she came down looking fresh and rejuvenated. I knew that bath would help. She stood at the end of the staircase waiting for instructions.
"Come here babygirl," I said. She walked over to me and held on to my arms, sort of hiding behind me. I thought Blanket and I were shy, but Mia is on another level. I nudged her to stand in front of me, not wanting her to be rude to our guest.
"Hi Mia, my name is Emily. I heard so much about you from your Daddy," she said sweetly. Mia fumbled with her fingers and snuggled into me. "How old are you Mia?" Emily asked trying to get her to speak. Mia looked at me, almost as if she was asking for permission. Why aren't my kids this obedient when guests aren't around?
"It's okay babygirl, tell her," I encouraged
     "10", she whispered.
     "Wow aren't you a big girl," Emily cooed. "Mia do you think it's ok if we do some activities? We can paint and play some games," she offered.
     "Oh Mia here loves to paint," I said sarcastically. Emily picked up on why I said that, and we both shared a short laugh. "Baby, why don't you sit here and spend some time with Emily?" I said as I got out of my chair and placed Mia there instead. She still wouldn't let go of my arm. "Sweetheart it's ok. I'll be right there," I said pointing to my office close by.
     Mia finally let go of my arm, as she tried to make herself comfortable. I brought the ladies some juice and snacks for their session. Before I left the room, I kissed Mia on the top of her head and gave her a hug. "Be good babygirl," I instructed. "Call me if you need me." I made my way into my office and glanced at my watch. 8:45pm and still no sign of Paris.
     Neverland is in a very suburban area. Hours away from anything Paris would want to do. I know she didn't take a driver with her since they're all here. Her car is gone too. Ugh! This girl stresses me out. I called her cellphone but no reply. I texted her a bunch of times and still no reply. I'm gonna kill this girl when she gets back! I kept staring out the window from my office, unable to focus on any work.
     Mia was still in her session. Every now and then I checked up on her to see how she was doing. After some painting and drawing, now they're playing uno. It's a tactic to get kids to start talking as they absentmindedly focus on something they enjoy. She seemed to enjoy herself. I'm glad she was making some progress. I checked my watch again. 9:50pm.
Just then, I noticed Paris's car pull into the driveway of the main house. I quickly ran out to have a word with her, not wanting our guest to feel uncomfortable. I was pissed to say the least.