But she didn't. She remained standing there in silence right behind me. But by now, I didn't really care if she heard me or not. I was too fed up with all of it to keep it in! I felt my shoulders start shaking in the irregular rhythm of my hiccups, as all my frustration and sadness came out in silent, hoarse sobs. And I dug my face into the crook of my elbow, trying to avoid messing up the couch pillows with tears and, probably also soon, snot. I barely noticed that Michaela had sat down on her knees behind me. First when she placed her hand on my shoulder, I noticed that she was still there, but I quickly shrugged, in an attempt to push her away.
"O'boy..." she said quietly.
I wanted to roll my eyes. I wanted to throw a fit or curse her out. And I even wanted to slap her until her head started working again so one of Michael's other personalities could come through instead, because when he was like this, I felt like the loneliest person on the planet.
"Go away," I mumbled with a strained voice.
"Baby... Why are you crying? Tell me what happened."
I kept sulking silently, ignoring everything else other than trying to breathe without making noise.
"Please..."
I heard her shift and then felt the weight of her body when she sat down behind me. Then she pulled me around to face her, before she cradled me gently into a warm hug.
"Baby... It's me, Michael. Please don't cry."
But when it occurred to me that it finally was him that was holding me, wiping away my tears with gentle hands and who rubbed my back over and over, I cried even worse. Because the relief I felt right there and then, made me sob my whole heart out to a person I knew was there for me, unconditionally.
"I'm here, baby. It's alright now. Everything will be just right."
"I've missed you..." I managed to whisper into his neck, and he pulled me even tighter than before.
"I know, baby... I'm so sorry I wasn't there. What did I do? Did I make you this sad?"
He kissed my temple and stroked my back, whispering comforting words of love, while he waited for me to calm down a little.
"Yes... No. I don't know. I just had the worst twenty four hours of my life. Please just...hug me."
He rocked us gently back and forth for a while, before he let go of me just long enough to pull me up sideways onto his lap. Then he embraced me again, cradling the back of my head in his large hand, and I felt like he never wanted to let me go. And the feeling was mutual.
"Did Mr. Jackson do something to you?"
I giggled sadly.
"No, it wasn't him..." I started. Then I moved a little, so I could see his worried face.
"Have you ever been to Milan?" I finally asked.
Michael giggled a little too.
"To Milan? I don't know. Why?"
"Just..."
I cuddled up closer to him, if it even was possible, and hid my face in the crook of his neck. To think that he was another person only minutes ago, felt completely absurd now.
"Wait... I was there once a couple years ago, at a Police conference, I think."
"But... Did anything out of the ordinary happen?"
"What do you mean?"
I swallowed and continued hesitantly.
"You weren't at a fashion show by any chance?"
"A fashion show?! No, not that I recall. Why do you ask, baby? What have I done?"
"I don't really know what you've done or not, but you have another personality. One you don't know about. And I tried to find out as much as I could about her, but I wasn't sure what was imagination, and what was true."
"Oh," he said, but then;
"Wait! Her?!"
I smiled and laughed faintly.
"Yeah... Her name is Michaela."
"Michaela?! My new personality is a girl?!"
"A woman, to be more specific. And her full name is Michaela Divinity in Motion Jackson. But I was ordered to call her Diva. And Michael... She's such a pain in the ass!!!"
I started crying again, and I could tell that Michael struggled to process this new information.
"She's mean. She's rude. And she doesn't care about anyone else than herself. She didn't even care when I fell down the ladder!"
"The ladder?! You fell down a ladder?! Good grief, baby! Are you alright?!"
He held me so he could see my face now, and I felt how his eyes were roaming me up and down, searching for anything that could give him any answers. And when he didn't, he kissed my forehead and hugged me tightly while he started rocking us back and forth again.
"Yeah, I'm still in one piece. But I need to know if you ever went to a fashion show in Milan, because Michaela... She's really into fashion."
I didn't really want to tell him about the dress and the stilettos, but I just had to know the answer.
"Just like my sister..." he mumbled.
"What?"
"LaToya. She's quite a... A fashionista."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
"So you never...?"
"Now that you're asking, I think I remember something..."
Oh, no... It was true. Michaela was telling the truth! He had been walking around like a transvestite...
"My boss had an affair with one of my colleagues, a male colleague, and they got caught red handed inside one of the toilets at a bar. He got divorced shortly after."
Oh? That's it? No sequin dresses and high heels?
I raised my head from his shoulder, and looked into his eyes, the loving, brown eyes that were framed so beautifully with his perfectly arched, dark eyebrows. Eyes that I'd grown to love with all my heart.
"Oh, and my feet hurt like crazy Sunday morning when I woke up."
NOOOOOOOO!
"T-they d-did?"
"Yeah. I never found out why, though. Probably just strained a muscle or something."
"Y-yeah, probably."
He watched me intently, and then frowned.
"Baby? Is there something you want to tell me?"
Nuh-uh! You're so not gonna tell him, Gail! Tell him the other thing instead. Yeah, do that. And then forget all about what probably happened to him as Michaela.
"Yeah... There's one little thing," I said lowly.
"You are..."
I cleared my voice and dried my eyes.
"You're going to be a dad, Michael. I'm pregnant."
There was a stunned silence, where his eyes frantically searched mine to see if it was true or not, and I felt myself redden while a little smile pulled the corner of my lips upwards.
"You're...pregnant?! We're gonna have a baby?!"
His hand ran through his curls in disbelief, and I suddenly got worried he was getting mad.
"I-I'm sorry... I didn't think it was that long since I was at the doctors last time, and.." I started, but he stopped me with a short kiss and the widest grin I'd seen in a while.
"Sorry?! Baby, that's fantastic news!! Oh, my God! There's a little one inside you? That's gonna be... Oh, my God! I'm gonna be a dad! I've always wanted to be a dad! Oh, Gail! I love you so much!!"
He crashed against my lips again, but this time he elongated the kiss, and gradually deepened it. His hands were cupping my face, and he devoured my lips with his while his tongue begged for entrance against my teeth. I wasn't difficult to ask, because by now, he had me panting for air and I couldn't help but to moan silently. My core heated up, and it felt as if his hands were creating sparks of electricity, as they explored my body, pulling me closer to him. But when he came to my stomach, he lingered and broke our kiss. He caressed it gently and bit his lip, while his eyes altered between my eyes and his hand on my still flat belly.
"Hi there, little one. I'm your dad. I'm gonna watch you grow inside your mommy until your big enough to come out so I can hold you. And I can't wait for that day to arrive, because I already love you very, very much. Just as I love your mommy."
Tears of joy were now rolling down his cheeks, and I don't think I've ever seen him this happy. And like a snow crystal in the sun on a summer day, all my worries vanished, and was replaced with a peace I hadn't felt before.
"I love you too, baby daddy. With all my heart. But can you please start on your medication again?"