The phone to mansion began ringing on its jack, over and over. Dee looks out from the fridge but she sees a black streak, a black blur with incredible speed pass her by.
"Michael no!!!!" She shouts and she hurries to the phone.
The girls all stomp in their running trying to answer the call before Michael did. If he answered the phone, people would ask questions. That's not what the girls needed, it's not what the business needed.
"Don't answer the phone Michael!"
They all see the hallway side board next to the wall and the phone still ringing off the hook. But Michael stood staring at it and the girls looked confused.
Michael looks to them with blank eyes and he only says,
"It's Janet."
He picks up the phone as the girls exhale in relief. The air was easy until they hear Michael go back and forth,
"You're what?!?.....come again!?!?..."
He stared wide eyed at the floor and listened to her words with searching pupils,
"Janet, say that one more time so I know-......"
The girls all look to each other lost in what was going on and Michael continued.
"I think the hell not-....aint no body getting snippy! Janet Damita-...well-"
Michael was obviously upset, his downhome slang was dribbling into his speech.
"I could choke you-......uh-huh....Huh, yeah, I'll be waiting."
Michael slammed down the phone and he fades away with a poof.
The girls all scoff and Faith snorts, "Well that clears things up."
Michael appeared at the top of the stairs and he spits,
"My sister will be here momentarily. She has something to tell you."
The girls all smile surprised and Dee asks, "Well what is it?"
Michael looks with his nose up displeased and he mutters,
"I'll let her tell. She thinks I'm dumb. As soon as she got on the phone I could read it. I know exactly what it is."
The girls go throwing on something decent to wear but still in the dark to what exactly was happening. Janet was always a dandelion so it couldn't have been anything bad. Michael did tend to exaggerate when it came to things regarding his sister. He never liked the fact that Janet was even married. He never liked her having boyfriends. Even though the girls never understood it, it was something they were told constantly.
"Hey Dee, can I borrow your pearl stud earrings?" Shan asks stepping in as Dee straightened her hair still changing.
"Yeah they're in my chester drawers over there. You might have to dig."
Shan goes over, wrapped in her fluffy pink towel and she looks over her shoulder,
"I mean, seeing that we haven't seen Janet in months, do you think she's done well with her husband?"
Dee nods and she mumbles assuredly,
"I mean, I haven't heard other wise so, most likely. He's very foreign and exotic.."
Shan turns and she giggles,
"I hear he's a hunk too!"
She turns her attention back to the skinny jewelry drawer and she jumps out of her skin seeing Michael sat formed on the top of the frame, crossed legged.
"Stop that! He is not a hunk!"
"Jesus!!" Shan shouts in shock and she catches her breath.
"I don't care if he's from Spain with a garage full of Ferrari's and a bank full of cash, he's not getting jiggy with my sister!"
Shan still stood hunched over, recovering from the scare of her life and Dee sneers,
"So that's what this is about?"
Michael cuts her a look and says, "What?"
Shan sighs and says,
"Oh. I get it. You've got protective big brother syndrome."
Michael looks disgusted and he shoots, "I do not!"
Dee laughs and says, "Awww! Michael. You don't want anyone with Janet because you think no one is good enough for her!"
Michael turns beet red and he blushes defending,
"Hey! No! Don't do me like that, I'm not a child!"
Shan and Dee coo some more and Michael sighs in defeat,
"Okay, maybe I am a little protective of Janet."
He steps down invisible steps he forms from the top of the drawers and he lands saying, "Only because I know my brothers won't do it better. Me and Janet were a team."
Dee and Shan smile lovingly then Faith rushes in half dressed,
"There's a car pulling in the drive way!"
Shan and Dee look wide eyed as they weren't even close to finished with getting themselves together.
"Here." Michael says giving in, "I'll stall while you bannie hens get ready."
Michael mists and he forms himself down to the front door. The car pulls away but leaves Janet holding her sunhat as she looks around the yard on the stoop. She was always beautiful and now, she had a new beautiful curve going against her stomach.
"Get in here!"
Michael shouted and he swung open the door.
She looked over from her sunglasses and she smiled the widest she had in weeks.
"Well it's nice to see you too, Mike."
Michael sighed seeing her curved belly and he muttered,
"I outta kill him, ya know that?"
She steps inside the mansion and she takes off her hat.
"Oh Michael, stop that. Wissam is a good man. You'd like him."
Michael rolls his eyes and shuts the door, "Fat chance."
She cuts her eyes and she says,
"Don't your teeth chatter being that cold all the time?"
Michael crosses his arms and he says, "Janet, don't sass me-"
"No I will!" She says getting defensive. Her lip tightens and she begins to let her eloquent diction fade she gets a hand on her hip preaching,
"Are you the one having this baby? Huh?"
Michael sneers but she continues, "Are you the one dealing with morning sickness, back aches or being tired? Huh!!!"
"No!" Michael snaps and Janet continues the argument,
"One more time for the people in back, Mike!! Are you the one having this baby?!?!?"
He gives her a death stare and pouted lip getting the hint she was finished with his attitude and he says calmer, "No Janet, I'm not."
Janet gains her cool back slowly and she exhales saying,
"Thank you."
"CONGRATULATIONS!!"
The girls shout from upstairs as they race down fully dressed.
Janet smiles with her arms open and they embrace all cheering and cooing.
Janet reveals her bump and encourages the girls to have a feel.
"Awww!!" Shan cheeses, "When do you find out what it is?"
Janet smiles and places her hand lovingly on her belly.
"Oh, in a few weeks. Of course you and mother are going to be the first to hear."
Michael comes over spiteful and remarks,
"Oh but don't forget about the wonderful, husband Wissam! I'm sure he'll be first on that list too."
The girls could sense the sarcasm and Janet nods biting her cheek, trying to refrain.
"Yes, Mike. You're right. Wissam will know because he is my husband. Like it or not Michael, we are married."
Michael scoffs and says,
"Yeah, married in the wedding I wasn't invited to!"
Janet loses her regained cool and she picks up a nearby picture frame. She chucks it towards Michael's apparition and she shouts harsh, "How can you be so petty?!?!?!? You were dead, Michael!"
Michael lets the frame pass through him and it breaks onto the floor with a hard clack. The pieces shimmer in their now broken pile and Michael picks up the now forlorn picture of him and his brothers from the frame.
He looks to Janet with scorn and he growls, "I could choke you!"
The girls look sad at the shattered picture and they step back to let what ever would happen, happen.
"You might as well!" Janet argues, "Cause you've had me in quite the choke hold ever since I started dating Wissam. Anything else that you wanna throw in my face about him! Huh? What's so wrong with him?"
Michael starts to evade her with a smug, hateful look on his face and he begins up to his room, only to have Janet following him suite.
"Is it because he's not black? Is it because he's not an world famous, amazingly talented entertainer like you?! What is it?! Huh?!"
Michael turns in a harsh, violent spin and he shouts intensely towards his sister,
"BECAUSE HE IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU!!"
With a strong wave of his angry energy, every door in the mansion slammed at once with a thunderous boom. The girls all shuddered in fear and had never seen Michael so upset.
"Knew it.." one whispered.
Janet felt her eyes water as she was extremely tender hearted towards her brother. Warm tears fall down her cheeks and Michael's attitude changes immediately. His face grows sad and he instantly regrets shouting.
Janet begins down the stairs now crying with Michael chasing,
"Janet no!" He pleads remorseful, "Jan I didn't mean to!"
Janet grabs her purse and she leaves sniffing.
Michael stands heartbroken and the girls still stand taking it all in.
~~
All later that night, the girls heard not a peep from Michael. As he stood at the door after Janet left, he faded out of vision, then silence.
The girls traveled in their huddle up the stairs with long faces. Seeing Michael so angry scared them, and every little bump and creak in the stairs made them jump now.
The girls approach Michael's game room and all of them walk on eggshells getting close to the door.
"Do you think he's still upset?" Shan whispers barely audible. Faith shrugs, pulling her hoodie closer, "But I do feel Michael's cold."
Shan nudges Dee and she wakes up from staring at the floor. Dee exhales nervous, on edge and she knocks on the game room door. There was nothing, not a door knob moving, not steps towards the door. Nothing.
"Mike....." she calls out soft and pleasant, "Michael?.."
She opens the door soft with distrust, letting it screech with squeaky hinges. Dee steps in along with the girls.
Although, little did Michael know, they brought along a secret weapon. Paris Jackson steps in seeing them coax her in and she smiles.
She leans over to one of them saying, "He looks very pouty. Is he okay?"
Shan, Dee and Faith explain the situation and Paris nodded.
"Him and Aunt Jan always fought. Even when I was a baby. Here. I'll go talk to sour puss. He's sitting in the bay seat by the window."
The girls look up and see nothing but they knew Michael wanted it that way. He always hid in his invisible state when he was a sour puss.
Paris goes up on the upper level and she sits by the bay window. She smiled to the spot Michael supposedly sat and she cooed,
"Hi Daddy..." she scoot over closer and she nodded seeming to talk Michael
"Yeah I'm okay." She answered
The girls agreed to let them have their alone time and they left quiet and kept. The door came to a shut and Michael slowly came to full vision.
His sad eyes scanned the room and he says, "I feel so bad."
Paris watched him morph into his illusion and she says,
"Are you not happy for Aunt Jan, daddy?"
Michael huffed and said,
"I am baby, it's not that I'm upset. It's just that I feel Wissam isn't for Janet. It's very hard to understand when you are so young."
Paris shrugged and she came to her father's side. She pulls out her cellphone and goes to the gallery. She opens Janet's wedding folder and she begins to flip through images. She hands the phone to Michael beginning to illustrate,
"This is Janet's wedding. I was a flower girl even though I really hate wearing those frilly dresses. We had it in New York City. She let hardly no one inside but it was nice."
The picture showed Jan's venue and all the pretty lights inside the chapel. The white drapes that cascaded onto the floor and the colors of pale yellow and cream. The next picture showed Janet in her dress. Her sequined, form fitting gown and her small sheer veil. The next one showed, Janet and Wissam kissing after the ceremony as they traveled out to the long bodied limousine. Then came an array of pictures of Michael's sister smiling as she held Wissam's hand in the reception. Paris takes the phone and she looks to her father hoping he's getting the moral of the pictures.
He sighs and he says,
"I've clearly taught you much too well, Paris Elizabeth."
She smiles and eases, "Aunt Jan is happy, Dad. She's more happy than she's been in a while. And you know how long she's wanted a baby in her life. Sure, you may not be crazy for Wissam. But, Aunt Jan is. He makes her happy."
"And that's all that should matter."
They both said in sync and they smile.
Michael holds his arms out, pulling Paris into a hug and his grin grows. Paris notices him almost beginning to chuckle and she asks,
"What's so funny?"
Michael shakes his head and he lets Paris lean across his lap in the hug. She sticks out her tongue and he giggles,
"Don't you ever get married Paris. Not ever. I forbid it."
She snickers and remarks,
"Yeah, but you've been telling me that since I was seven, Daddy."
He nods and replies,
"But do you know why?"
"Why?"
Michael leans in closer and becomes almost scary in his tone, "Because I won't be there to put the fear of god into him for taking you away."
"But what if I brought him here?"
"Oh please do." Michael smirks making them both erupt in laughter.
~
"A baby shower, how long is it gonna take?"
The girls all sighed smiling to how impatient Michael seemed and Dee hung streamers from the curtain rods in library.
Faith held the bundle of streamers as Dee went along and she calms, "Michael, it's a party not a marathon. We're just doing it for Janet. She's given us so much."
Shan stirred around the ginger ale and grape juice concoction in the punch bowl.
"I'm just anxious to know what she's having! I bet it's a girl!"
She says adding ice slowly and Dee says over her shoulder, "I read an old wives tale somewhere that you can tell by the way a mom's belly looks to see what the baby is. Janet looks like she's carrying a boy."
The ladder Dee stood on begins to wobble and Dee shrieks. Michael zooms over with a blur and he holds the ladder.
"It's okay. Be careful, Dee."
Faith sighs and says, "As long as it's healthy, I'll be okay. I wonder what names she's got picked out."
"Ohh me too." Shan says setting up party glasses and setting out the cake.
Janet bursts in laughing with a different friend on each arm. Michael plays incognito and the girls flock to their new guests.
Janet wore a big over coat and the girls begin to try and peel it from her shoulders.
"Jan, it's 80 degrees out. Take this thing off." She shrugged Faith's hands away and she holds the buttons tight.
She smirks and says,
"So I went back to the doctor. Second trimester check up, ya know. Annnd.."
She slowly unties the belt around her waist for the coat and she opens both sides revealing the baby blue shirt underneath.
"I'm having a boy!!!" She shouts and the party erupts in joy. They each share a hug while Janet tells the immense story of finding out.
"Names, what are the names?" Dee asks as they all sit down for tea.
Janet crosses her legs and she rubs her belly lovingly.
She hums thinking and the girls see the resemblance. Michael's resemblance. That was Michael's hum and they smiled.
Janet wets her lips and she says,
"If I were having a girl. I would have named her, Rajeeyah. It means God's miracle. I've been trying to have a child for so long. It only seems right and it's Muslim to honor Wissam's heritage."
The girls all swallow a gulp of tea asking,
"Well, what will you name your son?"
Janet smiles like she had a secret only for herself. She nodded and said, "It will honor Wissam and myself, both. You will know. I promise."
~~
The guests to the baby shower gsve their gifts, shared their advice they made their grand exit. The girls began the routine of cleaning. They collected dishes and Janet pries herself from the sofa saying,
"I'll help you girls. Here let me wash those glasses. I've got It."
The girls all stand guard to the mess politely,
"No, absolutely not."
Faith begins and Dee continued,
"You are going to rest."
Janet smiled and Shan comes to her side, "You want me to help you to the West den?, we always watch t.v. in there. I don't mind."
Michael sees that the coast is clear and he appears coming down library steps. Janet smiled and she tells Shania,
"I believe I'm ready for a walk though, but thanks for the offer."
Michael steps closer as Shan walked away and he sighs.
Michael tsked to his sister and she smirks, "What are you on about?"
Michael giggled and he held out his hand, "Come on sis, let's go take that walk."
~~
"Now why would you do something like that?" Michael asks as he holds his sister's arm going across the bridge to the outside koi pond.
"What do you mean?" She asked squinting from the sun.
Michael shook his head and he says, "I read your thoughts. I know what you're planning. I just don't know why.."
Janet smiled ear to ear and she assured.
"Don't you like it? Its a good name."
She stops to rest on a stone bench looking across the lawn and Michael sat beside her.
"Eissa. It means 'God is salvation' I've leaned on God my entire life. He's helped me when others couldn't, helped me stumble in the dark trying to find the light."
Michael nodded,
"As strange as the name is I will accept it."
Michael cuts his eyes,
"But you know that's not the part I'm talking about."
She smiled again and said, "Eissa Michael. Also in the light of someone I've leaned on my entire life."
Michael found himself beginning to smile and Janet continued,
"Someone who has helped me when others couldn't. My big brother."
Her lip quivers and Michael worries, "Oh Jan, no more crying. What's wrong?"
She shook her head and her voice weakened. It shook in her words saying, "I just miss you, Mike. I miss you every day."
Michael fixed his illusion and he pulls Janet close. He rests her head in his shoulder as she cried and he eases,
"I miss you too, Jan. I'm sorry I've been so angry. Its just that you're my baby sister. I won't be so judgemental anymore. I know Eissa will be beautiful."
Janet sniffled and she grinned through her tears as Michael went on,
"As stuffy as it seems, fifty years old or not you're still little sixteen year old Janet Damita to me with jheri curls and hoop earrings."
She laughs and Michael smiles,
"We've always made a pretty good team and I'll always protect you like I always have. I haven't let even death stop me."
Janet chuckles and she mutters through a laugh,
"You're my bestfriend Mike. Not were, you are."
Michael rolls his eyes and tsks sarcastically, "Oh stop buttering me up. I'm not a lobster."
Janet punched his arm and he jokes, "I'm gonna tell baby Eissa all the embarrassing stories about you. Like that time I dunked your head in the birthday cake when you we're ten and you cried."
She growls and said,
"Momma had just bought that dress you were such a turd! Besides. I was gonna tell him about that time his uncle Michael ran into a gutter with a KFC bucket on his head."
Michael shouts passionate,
"That was Marlon! Not me!"
"Yeah but Eissa won't care."
~~
Janet went on through the rest of her pregnancy still visiting Neverland regularly. The girls were of course offering every chance they could to babysit. Janet delivered early on the third morning in January.
The girls sat by the door. Gravels were moving in the drive way and they all bounced back and forth to the stoop. They swung open the door and Janet carried in a baby car seat with a green patterned blanket covering the top. The girls helped with her baby bag dangling on her shoulder and they cooed in excitement.
Janet puts her bangs behind her ear as she sits down on the loveseat in the front parlor. She sits Eissa's carseat on the sofa beside her and she lifts the blanket.
The girls gather around but keep silent. Janet unbuckles his safety clips and she watches his baby fingers curl and he rubbed his nose sleepily. He let out a yawn and the girls gasp in awe.
He was adorable. The cutest ball of Jackson heritage they'd ever seen and Janet begins to bring him in her arms. She holds his head careful and she shushes him as he begins to squirm being woken up.
The girls feel a rush of cold air and they turn their heads. Michael stood in the door way and he watched eager from a far. His eyes were fixated on Eissa and Janet. He eases over, one step at a time. He lightens his footsteps to be quiet and Janet notices him. She smiled wide and she lays Eissa so he is shown to Michael. His head rested in the crook of her arm and Janet whispers,
"Meet Eissa."
Michael stops in his tracks and he stands frozen,
"Eissa Michael Jackson." Janet finishes.
Michael rubs his hands and he lowers his head. The girls look to him curious yet confused. Dee whispered careful and said,
"What's wrong, Mike?"
Michael looks down and he backs away, "I don't wanna scare him. I'll scare him. He won't understand what I am and he might see me a different way."
Janet shook her head and she looks to him, "Michael, he won't remember any of this. He won't have to understand anything for a long time."
She held out one hand to him and she begs,
"Right now I want my son to be held by his uncle. Now sit."
Michael half smiles and he takes a seat. Janet scoots closer and she leans in to put Eissa in his arms. Michael fidgets uncomfortable as Eissa squirms and he mentions,
"It's been so long since I held a baby."
The girls giggle at the picture perfect scene. Janet bends Michaels arms and she puts Eissa into the crook of Michael's arm like a cradle. Eissa kicks his tiny feet but slowly his eyes open. Janet smiled wide but Michael watched in disbelief. Eissa didn't act frightened. He looks up and his eyes fixate on Michael. There, Eissa holds out his tiny precious hand and he takes hold of Michael's finger.
Michael smiles his widest and he looks to Janet. She nudges Michael and says, "Now look. That means he's comfortable with you, he likes you."
Michael looks to Eissa and he still lied with dark brown eyes only for him and he yawned with still a clutch onto his uncle's finger.
Michael gasps silently and says,
"He thinks I'm alive. Little man thinks I'm real."
Janet giggles and she questions,
"Why wouldn't you be real? Living and breathing doesn't make you real, Mike."
Michael looks to his sister with bittersweet eyes and she kissed his cheek. The girls all held their hearts as the sight was so touching until Eissa began to make a fuss. He let go of Michael's finger and began to cry soft at first.
"No no no, don't cry buddy."
Michael eased but the tiny baby mewed more.
"Eissa, my love, don't start. You're okay, baby." Janet tried and Michael perked up.
"Here, I'll use a trick from when Paris and Prince were this little."
"What is it?" Janet asked curious.
Michael snatches the blanket from Eissa's carseat and he lays it over his shoulder.
Michael gently takes the baby and lays him so his tiny ear is over the side of his throat, he holds him to his breast and begins to pat his back lovingly. He shushed Eissa as he still cried and began to hum.
"Hum Frank Sinatra. Babies love Frank Sinatra."
Janet made a confused look and jerked her head forward in disbelief.
"What?"
Michael pats Eissa's back in rhythm to
"A Fool to Want You" by Sinatra and slowly Janet became amazed. Eissa was still fussy for one more moment, until he became so quiet and still. He placed his thumb inside his mouth as Michael rocked him humming beautifully. Eissa fell into a calm sleep. Janet tsks jealous and she says, "Now that's not fair." Janet begins to giggle.
Michael shakes his head and admits, "Three kids are a bit of experience, Janet. Believe me. Does he have any formula?"
"Michael, I breast feed."
"Jesus, I didn't need that image."