~Bella's POV~
"How did you cope with your mother passing away?" I ask Katherine as she runs her fingers through my hair.
"I had to realize that she's gone but not completely gone. Like, she's not here physically but she's always here spiritually. Bella, dear, your mother truly loved you and I know that she'll always be watching over you. She's in a better place now" she says softly as I weep in her arms and Michael rubs my back.
"I feel so bad for Jasmine. She'll never be able to know her grandmother from my side!"
"Shhh, it'll all be okay. You can tell Jazz about your mother and show her pictures when she's older and tell stories about her." Mama K says in her soft voice.
"Thank you Mama K. You've always felt like a mother to me. Is it okay if I call you Mom sometimes?" I ask and she nods.
"Of course, sweetie."
"Would you like to talk about your mother now so you can have a little bit of closure?" Michael asks and I nod, wiping my tears away.
"I remember when I was little, like 5 or 6 years old, she used to braid my hair all the time and sing to me. She had a beautiful voice. She could've done well as a singer. Anyway, we'd sit down outside in the grass during the summer and have a little picnic together while my father was at work. She'd always talk to me and encourage me to express my feelings all the time and when I talked to her about anything, she'd listen and understand. After we were done our picnic, we would chase each other around and play games and go to the beach. I always had so much fun with her. She was my best friend." I smile as memories of my mom from my childhood flooded my mind while tears flooded my eyes.
"And whenever I was sad or lonely, she'd always give me the warmest hugs and softly sing "I'll Be There" to me. She knew how much I loved that song and she'd always try to cheer me up with it. She would always tickle me like crazy too. She knew every ticklish spot on my body by heart. Every time she'd make me laugh she'd always do a little giggle that always warmed my heart because that showed that at the moment, she was truly happy. A lot of people didn't know this but there was one time in her life when she was really depressed and needed love. It was when I was really young and she'd always tell me that I'm the one thing that could make her really happy. Even though she had lots of other children, she'd treat me special and she would tell me that I'm her favourite child and that I'm her angel that dropped from heaven and that I'm her gift from God."
"Aww, that's really sweet. Now I can see why you were so close with her." Katherine smiles.
"Yeah. She was my best friend, my hero. I love her so much." I sniffle.
Joseph walks in with Jasmine in his arms and looks at us.
"Here's your kid" he mumbles, putting her in Michael's lap.
She coos at Michael and reaches up to touch his face, giggling.
"Hey, my little sunshine!" Michael coos at her and she giggles again.
"Da. Da." She coos then shoves her thumb into her mouth.
"What did she just say? Did she just say her first words?!" I gasp.
"Oh my gosh! She did! Can you do it again? Can you say Dada?" Michael coos.
"Da. Da" she giggles.
"My baby's growing up so fast!" I smile.
"Bella, Michael. You both should probably go home and relax. We'll keep Jazz overnight so you can relax and try to sleep." Mama K says, rubbing Jazz's head.
"Okay, thank you Mother. We'll come get her tomorrow. I love you" Michael says, handing our little girl to his mom.
"Thanks, Katherine. This means a lot. Love you." I say, kissing her cheek.
"Love you too, honey. Hope you feel better soon. Try to get some sleep." She says, giving me a side hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Bye, babygirl. Be good for Grandma!" I coo as I kiss Jazz's forehead.
We leave the house and hop in the limo to go back to Neverland.
The whole limo ride, I just stare out the window, emotionless.
Michael rubs my leg and I look over at him. He mouths 'I love you' to me and I smile at him before turning my gaze back to the window.
We get home after about 2 hours and we walk into the house in silence until Michael speaks up.
"You can go upstairs and I'll be right up to cuddle with you."
I nod and go upstairs.
I walk over to the closet in our bedroom and find my big box from my childhood that says 'Special Memories' on it.
I blow the dust off of it and sit on the bed with it in my lap. I open it up and stare at the things inside.
I pull out my baby blanket that my mother bought when she was pregnant for me and put it around me. I look inside the box once again and I can't help but cry. I pick up all the pictures and start looking through them. I stare at a picture of my mom as more tears stream down my face.
In the picture, she's sitting in the grass and I'm sitting in her lap with her arms wrapped around me and we're giggling about something. I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was when I was only 5 years old.
I feel the bed shift beside me.
"Looking at pictures from your childhood?" Michael asks and I nod.
"How old were you there?" He giggles.
"Five" I answer.
"Aww, you're so cute! How old was your mom there?" He asks.
"Well, she had me when she was turning 21, so, 25 turning 26." I whisper.
"I remember this day. It was the day after my 5th birthday and my mom promised me that she would always be there for me. On my birthday she said that every year, the day after my birthday, we would spend the whole day together. Just us and nobody else. I remember when this photo was taken, my dad took it from a distance because he thought it was so cute and he wanted to take a picture because he believes that the moment lasts forever if you take a picture. The necklace I'm wearing in the picture, I still have it" I say, digging through the box looking for it.
I find a small rectangular shaped box that has an 'I' on it for 'Isabella' and open it up. I give it to Michael and he picks up the heart-shaped necklace.
"Oh it's a locket?" He asks.
"Yep. Open it."
He opens it and looks at the picture.
"It's the same picture! Aw, that's sweet!" He smiles and I nod.
He puts it back and I pull out one of my mother's belongings.
"What's that?" Michael asks.
"It's my mom's sweater that I bought for her when I got my first job. It still smells like her too." I say, taking a sniff of the sweater.
I burst into tears even more and Michael rubs my back.
"Aw, wanna cuddle? I'll keep you warm and you can keep talking about your mom if you want." He says and I nod, putting all the stuff back.
I put it in the corner of the room and walk over to the bed where Michael is already waiting for me underneath the covers.
I crawl in and snuggle up to his chest as he hugs me tight.
I cry into his chest as he starts singing some new lyrics.
"When I am with you, I am lost for words. But I am, speechless. Speechless. That's how you make me feel. When I'm with you, I am far away and nothing is for real."
He finishes a couple sentences and kisses the top of my head.
"That was beautiful." I say.
"Thank you. It's about you" he says softly.
"Michael?" I whisper.
"Yes, babe?"
"Never ever leave me, please? I can't lose you. You and Jazz are the last things I have left." I sniffle.
"I promise. I'll be here forever. I'll never leave you. If I end up passing before you, I'll always be with you spiritually. I'll never leave your side" he whispers as I drift off.
"I love you, Michael" I whisper before falling asleep.