The last person to show up in the movie theater to get interviewed by Michael and myself was a man in his early thirties, whose name was Mark Pierce. As footsteps were from behind us, I didn't turn around and focused on reading quickly his resume that was in front of my eyes.
At some point, the man arrived in front of the both of us, and Michael politely stood up to shake his hand. Of course, it was the usual: the man told him how he respected his work as an artist, and that he was truly honored to be there. As the humble man he is, Michael didn't say much, and just thanked him.
He then turned to me, and shook my hand as well. I gave him a sweet smile, and as I did throughout the afternoon, and introduced myself as Dr. Hayley Thames a pediatrician working at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
Mr. Pierce had beautiful icy blue eyes, which turned out to be quite destabilizing. Some of his brown hair fell freely on his forehead, but quickly he put it back in place with his hand. From what I could see according to his body language, he seemed a little nervous as he started to tap his foot furiously on the ground at the minute he sat down.
"I can hear you didn't lose your British accent," I noticed to lighten the mood. He needed to cool off, so I didn't want to interrogate him right away. "I would have loved to guess from which part of England you were from, but I read in your resume that you used to live in Manchester," I chuckled slightly, and he smiled back at me.
"I was born and raised there, indeed," he nodded his head. "Have you ever visited England?"
"I personally didn't get that chance, but Michael did," I announced, as I turned my head in Michael's direction. He was already looking at me. "Right?"
"I did. I love it there, the culture is entirely different from ours," he pointed out, and Mark agreed right away. "English people are so sophisticated. I am quite lucky to have Lady Diana as one of my friends. She is one of the most gentle and beautiful person I have ever met in my life."
"L—Lady Diana is your friend? Like... Our Lady Diana?"
"Yes," Michael giggled, and I smiled at his cute self. "I had the honor of meeting her before one of my concert in Wembley, back in 1988. She is the sweetest person."
"Oh, w—wow. You're definitely one of the coolest person on Earth," Pierce chuckled, and Michael started blushing a bit. He really couldn't take a compliment. "Oh! You do have a song called Dirty Diana, right? Did you sing it?"
"I didn't want to. I actually took it off the show when I knew she'd be attending the concert. But believe it or not, she is the one who asked me to sing it. It is one of her favorite song of mine," he giggled again at the memory, and I noticed that the potentially new member of Michael's medical crew seemed more relaxed.
"She is a true angel," he dreamily said, which I found pretty hilarious. When he realized that he was daydreaming, he cleared his throat and sat upright. "I'm sorry, I just love our princess."
"It's alright," I chuckled. "So I read in your resume that you have been a nurse for five years now. Is that correct?"
"It is. I spent my first year in Manchester, and then I moved to San Diego for personal reasons, and found a job there," he explained in a more professional tone.
"What motivated you to apply for this opportunity?" I asked, as I took a pen in my hand to write down what he was about to answer.
"Working with kids is fascinating, and I know Mr Jackson and I share the same fascination for children," he announced, looking at Michael for a split second before focusing on me again. "I have two kids on my own, and I would die if anything happened to them. Kids are way too precious to be in pain," he said, and I agreed with him by nodding my head. It was true. "Sadly I couldn't be affected in Pediatrics because they were lacking nurses in Orthopedics. But Pediatrics was always my first choice. This is what motivates me. The children and their well being," he explained in the most sincere way possible.
Michael and I exchanged knowing looks, and I returned to my little interrogatory. I had to ask him the questions I asked to the six other applicants, but I knew I'd pick him for sure. He said what we wanted to hear, but not just to please the two of us. He was sincere, and he had this sensitivity required when working with children. As a father, he sure knew how to act around them, and that was a pro.
The interview ended on a good note. Michael told him that we would call him by the end of the week-end to let him know if he got the job or not, just like he did with the others. However, this time, he knew that Mark would be working for him for sure.
Michael's security took care of the little group of applicants, and brought them back to their cars ar the entrance of the Ranch. It was just the two of us again, and we both let out a sigh of relief in synchronization when the calm and serenity came back. Michael had his arms crossed on his chest, and he was looking at me with insistence, which got me a little bit confused.
"What are you looking at?" I chuckled nervously, as I was quite intimidated by the way he was looking at me. He seemed fascinated by something on my face. "You know you're staring, right?"
"I'm trying to see something," he evasively said, as he squinted his eyes, like he was concentrating more on me. "It's here," he concluded after some long seconds he spent examining my face. He was in awe. "This is amazing."
"What's here? What's amazing" I asked, frowning. I was utterly confused at that point.
"I uh—I noticed something about you," Michael told me, and his shy self came back. "Whenever you talk about your job, or when you do something related to it – your whole face starts glowing. I—I know it may sound bizarre and even corny, and I don't know how to explain it but... it does. Your face lit up when you are able to do your job."
"It does?" I asked, surprised. I didn't know that my passion for my job was that obvious to Michael, but I was glad it was.
"It really does," he verified, flashing me this perfect smile of his. "This is probably one of the things I like most about you."
His compliment warmed up my heart, and I couldn't help but smile big at this. Michael was all about love and respect, and everything he told me went straight to my heart. His words had the power to make me feel confident, and to believe in myself. They were encouraging and comforting, and this was all I needed, and he knew it. He always found the right words to make me feel special.
"Hey um, I was thinking about something," Michael spoke again, and I could tell that he was about to ask me a favor since he became uneasy.
"What is it?"
"We agreed that the doctors we interviewed today wouldn't do the job, right?" he asked, and I nodded my head slowly. "Only Mark fits our expectations, but he is a nurse, so... Maybe– maybe you could be the interim doctor over here for a while? I—I mean I know you have a job, and that you live quite far away from here, b—but if you talk to Carl about that, maybe he'd allow you to um... work for me?" Michael's stammering was the cutest thing, and I couldn't help but smile at his shy self. "Don't make fun of me, I hate asking such big favors! I become nervous," he whined, and pouted slightly.
"Awww," I cooed, as I pinched his cheek gently, which made Michael laugh. He gently swatted my hand away from his face, but he kept it in his big ones and put them on his lap.
"What do you think?" he asked, as he was playing with the ring I had around my index finger. "I wouldn't bother you if I didn't think that you were the best person for this job."
"You think I am?"
"I don't think, I know you are," he smiled, as he finally looked in my direction. He let go of my hand, and looked deep in my eyes. "Hayley, you are the most passionate person I know, and kids are happy whenever you're around them, and you are happy when you're surrounded by children. This is what I want around here. Happiness, joy,...," Michael explained, and I knew he was right. "It's just a matter of a few months, just for us to have the time to find the perfect replacement for you."
I nodded my head, taking in everything Michael told me. "I'll have to talk about this with Carl and with the Chief as well."
"Does this mean you're willing to do it?" he excitedly asked.
"I'm willing to do this," I chuckled at his excitement. In return, he offered me one of the most beautiful smiles I ever had to witness. He was genuinely happy while we didn't even know yet if that would be possible for me to work two jobs: one in LA, and the other one in Los Olivos, which means three hours apart. "I know Carl is a nice boss, but I hope this won't be asking too much."
"Carl is definitely a great boss," Michael verified. "It makes me think of my dermatologist, Dr. Klein, and his assistant, Debbie. I became friends with her--"
"Debbie Rowe," I interrupted him, without wanting to. My words came out of my mouth without me being able to control them, just like it happened in the past. Shortly after that, while I was confused and panicking at the sight of Michael being taken aback by my contribution, voices started to invade my mind while the face of a blond-haired woman appeared in the back of my head. The piercing sound coming with the amount of information was unpleasant, and I tried my best not to look too in pain, and to focus on what Michael was saying instead of the voices that started to talk louder than him. I could see his lips moving, but all I could hear were the fragments of sentences that forced their way inside my head.
"Michael Jackson married his long time friend Debbie Rowe."
"...pregnant with the King of Pop's second child!"
"I am not in love with Debbie, mother."
"Hayley?" Michael asked with a concerned look on his face, as he put his hands on both of my knees. "Are you okay? Are you having another migraine? Do you need to lay down?" He started to panic, I could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice.
"N—No, I'm fine," I reassured, as I rubbed my temples. "I uh, I—I'm sorry, I zoned out," I said, as I was thinking about what lie I would use. I had just found out that Debbie Rowe would be Michael's second wife, and I was pretty confused by what I heard, even though it didn't hurt like the other visions I had the previous time I was at the Ranch. "I was just uhhh... I was remembering the time where I went there with Alice because she had a... uh—a suspicious mole on her back," I lied, and automatically felt horribly bad for doing so. "As Klein is one of the best dermatologist in town, she wanted to go there. I remember you friend's last name from that moment."
Michael was speechless. He kept on looking at me with round eyes, and I was relieved that he wasn't suspicious instead. He just seemed... impressed.
"She's his assistant, but still you remembered her last name," he said, and I shrugged innocently. "You have a way better memory than I have," he chuckled. "I can barely remember birthday dates. How do you do that?"
"I don't know, it's a gift I was born with, I guess," I shrugged. I was happy that Michael believed me right away without asking any questions.
I was becoming good at lying, and whether I liked it or not, I didn't have a choice but to keep the truth from him. I didn't want him to leave if I happened to tell him the truth about me and my ability. I wasn't ready to take that risk, he was way too important in my life. 0
"Come on," he clapped his hands together and stood up from his chair. "Let's go grab a snack and go to the amusement park. We deserve a little fun," he smiled, as he extended his hand towards me.
***
When we both came out of the Zipper and my feet touched the floor again, everything around me felt unstable, as if I was walking on floating clouds. It took me a handful of seconds to adjust to the gravity of the Earth again, and tried to keep my balance in the process.
"It wasn't that bad," I played it cool, while in reality, it was that bad. "No big deal."
"You're lying, you were scared," Michael laughed, as we were walking side by side around the amusement park. "Admit it."
"I wasn't scared," I contradicted him with an unsure tone. "I mean, I wasn't the one who screamed the loudest in there," I suppressed a laugh, as Michael looked at me with a shocked face: his mouth formed a O-shape, and quickly he put his hand in front of it.
"You did not just accuse me of being more scared than you, right?"
"What if I did?" I taunted, looking at him right in the eyes, as I walked backwards in front of him.
"Oh, you better start running, Dr. Thames," Michael smirked, and soon enough, he was chasing me around the amusement park. I let out a high-pitched giggle, and started running as if my life was at stake. "Come here! I just wanna talk!"
"Never!" I yelled back, as I looked over my shoulder at Michael who was getting closer.
When I spotted the Ferris wheel, I turned on my left and started running towards it. When the man who was in charge of making it work saw me and Michael, he shook his head with a smile on his face.
Without a hesitation, I took place on the Ferris wheel, completely out of breath, and started waving at Michael as a provocation to show him he lost... But what I didn't know was that he would ask his employee to stop the ride for him to go in the same basket as me.
"I gotta admit that you're a fast runner," Michael pointed out as he sat next to me. He put the guardrail in front of the both of us, and the wheel started again. "But you lost. I caught you."
"Easy there, mister. Without the help of your employee, you wouldn't have been able to catch me," I pointed out, and he bit his bottom lip while smiling.
"You're not giving me a choice anymore," he sighed, faking to be sorry. In a matter of a couple of seconds, Michael was attacking my sides with tickles, and I couldn't help but laugh my heart out, begging him to stop. I was extremely ticklish when it came to my sides and my feet, and I hoped it would have stayed a secret.
However, even though I hated tickles, there was something about this moment that I loved: the complicity between Michael and I became more and more natural, like I had known him for years, like I had been there, at that very place, my entire life.
When we reached the top, the ride stopped at the same time as Michael stopped tickling me. Our laughter died down, and I snuggled closer to Michael's side as I felt a cold wind blowing through my hair.
"Wow," is all I managed to say. I was at a loss for words when I witnessed the beautiful scenery just before my eyes. I could see the mountains and the rest of the Ranch from there, and everything looked so peaceful and beautiful. The brownish colors of the mountains melted perfectly with the greenery of the property, and the light blue color of the Californian sky.
"I shouldn't be doing that after what you told me, but I'm gonna do it anyway," Michael told me with a little smile, as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, and pulled me closer to his side. "Because I'm really happy to be there with you."
I giggled slightly, and took the hand that was hanging from my shoulder in mine, "I'm really happy to be there with you too... Even if you screamed like a little girl in the Zipper."
"Wait wh—" Michael started to put his arm away from my shoulders, but I prevented him from moving any further.
"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" I laughed at him, and instead, wrapped my arms around his thin waist like a leech. "I just love to tease you, I'm sorry," I told him, still laughing. My voice was muffled against the fabric of his shirt as I was holding onto him with exaggerated force.
"Now who's the little girl?" he asked, and I pulled away from him to look at him in the eyes.
"Not you," I said, trying to keep a straight face... But I miserably failed, and started giggling again. Michael shook his head at me, and giggled along with me. I could see how much he liked it when I was playfully messing with him. We were just the same on that point: we showed our affection by teasing the other.
"You're lucky you're cute. Come here," he beckoned and opened his arms wider for me to snuggle close to him. I didn't waste a minute, and put my arms back around his waist and laid my head on his shoulder. There was something reassuring about his scent, and being this close to his neck made me feel safer than I had ever been with him.
Gently, Michael was rubbing my back up and down to keep me warm. The movement of his hand put me at ease. I could have stayed there for hours; I didn't care if it was cold. It could have been snowing, I knew that I would have been fine, as long as he was there with me.
***
The day went incredibly fast, to my biggest regret. Time was flying by so quickly whenever I was around Michael, like seconds turned into minutes. But I planned on making the most of this weekend.
Just after we had the time of our life in the amusement park, Michael took me to the zoo to see the animals. That's where I met Bubbles, his pet chimpanzee that he rescued him from a cancer research clinic that bred primates for animal testing. I was touched to see how Michael treated him like a human being. He told me that, when Bubbles was younger, he used to sleep in a crib in his bedroom, and I found this incredibly cute. The zoo was full with animals, and Michael's love for them was sincere, and it was obvious that he would never let anyone treat them badly. They were safe here.
We came back to the main house when Michael noticed I was cold, and we both ate dinner side by side. As we were engaged in yet another conversation concerning the media, we were interrupted by one of Michael's maid that I was seeing for the first time. She announced him that his mother was on the phone. Of course, Michael first said that he would call her back, but I encouraged him to take that call, and he did and left the table after he excused himself. It was his mother, so, by definition, it was important.
I took advantage of the fact that Michael was in another part of the house to go behind the stove. I didn't know how long his call would take, but I wanted to surprise him with a homemade desert. Since his chef left to go home, I was all by myself in the giant kitchen.
"Okay, let's do this," I said to myself, as I looked at my surroundings. I had no idea where to find the essentials to make an apple pie, but I believed in my ability to snoop around. I'd eventually find everything I needed.
Luckily for me, Michael's mother seemed to have plenty of time to catch up with her son, since he came back jogging in the kitchen around thirty minutes later.
"I'm so, so sorry for this," he immediately apologized, even before he questioned what I was doing. "I didn't know it would take this long."
"It's okay," I reassured him, as I watched him approach the kitchen island behind which I was standing. "As you can see I found something to do in the meantime."
"I can see that," he observed, as he joined me. He took a piece of apple that I freshly cut, and put it in his mouth. "You're making a pie?"
"Yup! You told me earlier that kids call you Applehead, so I figured you liked apples," I shrugged, and Michael raised an eyebrow. "Yeah I know, this is the worst deduction ever," I laughed at myself, and Michael giggled along with me.
"I can't wait to taste it. I appreciate you doing that," he sweetly smiled, as he rubbed the middle of my back gently.
The more time passed by, the more Michael became tactile with me, and the more my body was reacting to his touch. Whenever his hand touched a new part of my body, it's like I discovered another inch of skin I didn't realize I had. It was sometimes so intense that my legs would go weak, just like at that precise moment. Since I was near the kitchen island, I had to stop what I was doing with my hands to put them atop the marbled surface to support myself, in case my legs wouldn't be able to support my weight any longer.
"It's the least I can do," I grinned, trying to make it look as if everything was perfectly normal. Michael bit his bottom lip, and took his hand off of my back to go back to his seat in front of me. "Is your mother okay?" I randomly asked, as I felt my legs coming back to their normal state little by little.
"She is... okay," he sighed heavily, as he played with his hands that were on the table. "She's just worried."
"Worried?" I wondered, frowning a bit. "About you?"
"She is worried about me, but I am not her main concern at the moment," he let me know, as I started to put the apple slices in the pie dish where I put my pie pastry beforehand. "My sister LaToya is dating this man... Jack Gordon. My mother disliked him from day one because she said that he was rude. She always has the best first impressions," he noted, and I smiled at his remark.
"Mothers often do," I chuckled, remembering how my mother used to be the same.
"Yeah, and Janet gave her another reason to let her think that she was right about him. Apparently my little sister is hanging out with one of Toya's dancers, so they both get to spend some time together. But Janet called my mother earlier today, and she told her that LaToya seemed terrified around her allegedly boyfriend," he narrated, and I could feel the worry in his eyes from afar. Mixed with anger.
"Terrified? As if he— as if he was beating her?"
"That's what Janet supposes," he nodded his head slightly, before he looked at me. "She tried to mention it to our sister, but she denied everything. She said he made her happy."
"And your mother doesn't believe that," I concluded, and Michael nodded yet again. "Of course."
"Exactly. She's very worried about her," he sighed, and I could see that he was concerned as well. "I—I uh, I told her to come over the Ranch tomorrow, is that okay with you? I didn't plan any of this, but I think she really needs me right now."
"Michael! Are you seriously asking me if you can have your mother come over? This is your home, of course I don't mind!" I scolded him gently.
It is true that I was quite surprised by the news, because I didn't expect to meet his mother anytime near soon. I thought it was way too personal for him to introduce a member of his family to a woman he had known for a month, but obviously, I was wrong.
"I just—I wanted to take you to the studio with me tomorrow. I wanted us to stop by there on our way back to your place," he regretfully said. "Our plans for tomorrow are completely changed now."
"Can we go there by night?" I wondered innocently.
"Of course. I booked studio C for the whole weekend. My team was there all day yesterday," he informed me, and a smile spread across my face.
"Then there's no rush. If your mother wants to spend the day here with you, then we'll spend the night in that studio," I shrugged. "See? No plans altered."
"I like that idea," Michael mirrored the same smile I had on.
"Good. Now tell me, what's your mother's name? You only refer to her as "mother" or "mom" in your book."
"Katherine. Katherine Esther Jackson," he let me know, and my smile slowly faded away. "Hayley? What's wrong?" and of course Michael saw it right away.
"I uh— wow. It's stupid... I-it's just that my mother was also named Katherine," I admitted, and shook my head slightly to keep my composure. "It's my middle name. Hayley Katherine Thames."
"My mother will definitely love you," Michael grinned to lighten the mood, and I gave him a small smile in return. "Katherine seems to be the name given to the most beautiful people on Earth."
Michael's mother was the most important person to him, so I needed to show her that all that mattered to me was her son's happiness, just like her.
This is what I was planning to do.
__ __ __ __ __ __
A/N: Okay guys, here is another chapter to have a closer look to Hayley and Michael's relationship. Things might become interesting after Katherine's visit 🤔
Feel free to tell me what you'd like to see in this story: I'll try to make it happen if it fits the storyline! Don't be afraid to leave comments, they help me see what you like/dislike. Thank you guys xo