Of Diamonds and Dreams

Chapter 17

For just a moment, his attention was diverted.....just long enough for Tony to slip out of his grip, but he began to stumble, clearly disoriented after receiving so many direct hits. Michael heard Kevin shout for Cassandra to stay where she was as the bodyguard headed back down the stairs to intercept her. Michael's focus could then return to Tony, who was several feet away from him by then, but he wasn't through with him yet. He took a couple of long strides toward Tony, grabbed the front of his jacket with one hand and hammered his face full force with the other.

Michael was prepared to beat Tony to a bloody pulp, but Jimmy finally saw his chance to intervene. He grabbed Michael by the arm and pulled him away from Tony, who took the unexpected opportunity to flee, heading for the stairs at the other end of the hallway. Michael struggled against the much larger man's hold, his fist still swinging ineffectually in the air. He yelled, "Let me go! I'm gonna teach that bastard to NEVER lay a hand on my woman again!!"

Jimmy held on tight to Michael and growled, "Not here, man! There are reporters crawling all over this place!"

Suddenly, a scream echoed from the stairwell below and they heard Kevin yell, "Cassandra! No!"

Michael felt all the blood draining from his face as he finally yanked himself free of Jimmy's grip and ran toward the stairwell shouting, "Cassandra!"

He flew down the stairs, his heart beating so hard that it felt like it might explode out of his chest. He saw her lying on the floor at the foot of the stairs with Kevin hunched over her seemingly lifeless form and he felt as if his breath had been forcibly sucked from his lungs. He reached Cassandra's side and shoved Kevin back, the poor man landing with a thump on his backside a few feet away. Michael gathered her limp body to his chest and cradled her in his arms and cried, "Oh, God! Cassandra!" Tears streamed down his cheeks as he buried his face in her hair sobbing, "Cassandra....please, God.....no!" Then he yelled to no one in particular, "Somebody call an ambulance!"

Kevin put a tentative hand on Michael's shoulder and said quietly, "Jimmy went to get the paramedics who were on duty tonight. He'll be back with them in just a couple of minutes. Hang on, MJ."

Michael could barely register Kevin's words as he continued to stroke Cassandra's face and hair. He wailed, "Baby...I'm so sorry! I should never have left you alone like that! Babygirl, please, wake up!" Then he began to pray out loud, "Merciful God, please....if you never give me another thing in this life, please bring her back to me! She's everything I've ever needed......."

Kevin said, "MJ, Jimmy's coming. I hear them down the hall."

Michael's head whipped around toward Kevin and his voice cracked with emotion when he asked, "How did this happen?"

Kevin replied softly, "She tripped on her dress coming up the stairs. I couldn't get to her in time. She hit her head pretty hard on the floor."

Michael groaned as if in pain and asked, "How far did she fall? Where was she?"

With tears in his eyes, Kevin replied, "Just a few steps up. Not far. Michael, I'm sorry! I tried to get to her. I was just two steps away! I told her to stay where she was. God, Michael, I'm so sorry!"

Michael sobbed as he held Cassandra close to his chest and pleaded, "Come on, babygirl, you've got to open your eyes for me!" Then he leaned back and shouted to the heavens, "God, please let her be okay!" Michael was distraught beyond anything he'd ever felt as he rocked Cassandra in his arms keening, "No...no...NO! I'm sorry, baby...I wasn't thinking...I'm so sorry...if anything happened to you, I'd die!"

Kevin said, "Michael, the paramedics are here."

He kept rocking her back and forth, oblivious to everything and everyone else. One of the paramedics leaned down to touch Michael on the shoulder and he flinched from the touch, not wanting to let go of Cassandra. The man said, "Sir? Mr. Jackson? You need to lay her back down so we can help her. It'll be okay, just lay her back down."