Michael
Friday August 14th, 1987 - Los Olivos, California
I stand by and watch as Doctor Mavens and two emergency respondents attend to Miya, who now lays semi-conscious on the living room floor. It feels like an eternity, but after about ten minutes I hear the doctor order the paramedics to take her upstairs and make sure she's comfortable.
"Is she alright?" I ask Doctor Mavens as she approaches me.
"She's okay," she nods. "The baby is doing fine as well."
I sigh with relief. "What happened to her?"
"A minor anxiety attack," she says. "Something made her panic, then hyperventilate and faint. All she needs is lots of rest, plenty of water and absolutely no stress."
"I'll make sure of it, Doc."
"I must warn you, Michael," she starts. "The first panic attack didn't have any severe effects because Yonela was not expecting a baby at the time. Now that she's pregnant, it's absolutely crucial that she's at her absolute best - she might not be so lucky if this were to happen again."
"I understand," I nod. "And I've also got a very strong hunch as to what's causing all this stress. I'll deal with the problem immediately."
"Please do," she responds with a nod before glancing at her watch. "I'd better get back to the hospital."
"Thank you so much for taking care of her," I say.
"This is what I live for," she smiles while hanging her stethoscope around her neck. "I also hope to see you both in excellent health next Friday. Until then, take care."
"Goodnight, Doc," I smile before we shake hands. The medics make their way back downstairs and straight out the door after greeting me politely. Doctor Mavens follows behind, and I wish all of them a safe drive before closing the door. I immediately make my way upstairs to check on Miya.
When I open the door to our bedroom, she's laying on her left side, facing the window and staring out into the wide array of stars that adorn the Californian night sky. She must hear me come in because she turns to look at me as soon as I shut the door.
"How're you feeling?" I ask quietly.
"I can breathe again," she teases, her smile faint and her voice nearly a whisper. "A little drowsy from the medicine, but I'm fine otherwise."
"Alright," I smile. "Are you hungry? That casserole's still in the oven. I could go and get some for us---"
"Don't worry about it," she says in a whisper. "I'll make breakfast hash in the morning."
"Okay," I say. She turns over so that her body is facing mine completely, and I kiss her forehead softly as she rests her head on my chest. There's a moment of quiet between us - not awkward at all, but peaceful for the first time in what feels like an eternity now. I take in a slow and deep breath, then exhale it slowly before Miya speaks.
"I remember," she says.
I frown slightly. "What do you remember?"
"The day of my collapse - I remember everything."
"You do?"
"Yeah."
"What happened that day?"
She exhales deeply, and I feel her body tense up against mine instantly. I instinctively start to rub her shoulder to try and comfort her.
"Talk to me, babe."
"It was late in the afternoon," she begins. "I went out for a walk by the pool, like I always did at Hayvenhurst. The sun had just gone down and it started to get a bit chilly, so I decided to fetch a small blanket in the guesthouse."
"What happened in the guesthouse?" I ask after she pauses.
"Nothing," she continues. "I couldn't find the blanket so I went back outside, but as I was walking..." A painful sigh escapes her. "I don't know why, but I started to feel abnormally queasy. The weather seemed to get even colder - I could almost feel my body stiffen slightly, like a kind of paralysis. Eventually I couldn't move, then my vision blurred... I blacked out."
I take in another long and slow breath before releasing it slowly.
"Next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital," she says sleepily.
"I'm just glad you're okay," I say, rubbing her arm still. "And from now on, I promise you this - nothing's ever gonna hurt you again."
When I receive no response, I know that she's asleep. Moving slowly so I don't wake her, I leave a kiss on her forehead before getting up and leaving her to rest. God knows I need my rest, too.
But how do I sleep knowing that the woman I love was drugged, and whoever did it is out there somewhere?
* * *
Yonela
Monday August 17th, 1987 - Los Angeles, California
It's late in the morning when Bill pulls up to the private entrance at Cedars-Sinai, which is heavily guarded by police to make sure no one comes near us as we go inside for my routine check-up. Just as well, this is the perfect opportunity to make sure that my health is at its absolute best before the wedding.
My God, it's only four days away.
We manage to get inside the building safely and out of public sight, and in the reception area I spot Doctor Leigh with her clipboard and my file.
"Hello there," she smiles as we approach her.
"Good morning, Doc," Michael smiles as I shake hands with her before he follows after me.
"Good to see you again, Doctor," I say as she beams at me.
"Likewise," she nods. "Are we ready?"
"Let's do this," Michael says giddily while I nod.
"Alright, then," Doctor Leigh smiles before leading us to a room at the end of the short passage.
Inside the room is everything one might expect - a bed, a table, two chairs, basic medical equipment and two machines. Doctor Leigh explains that one machine is to keep track of my vitals, and the other one is for the sonogram. After telling us about the procedure in brief, she begins to prepare the machines while I prepare for the scan.
In no time, I'm connected to the heart rate monitor and it begins to display the details of my heart and breathing activity. Michael holds my hand as the doctor squeezes the cool gel onto my stomach before starting the scan. It isn't ten seconds before a strong and fast thumbing sound echoes off the walls.
"We have a heartbeat," Doctor Leigh smiles. I turn to Michael and see joy on his face that no amount of words could explain. His joy makes me smile in turn before we both turn our attention to the screen where the doctor is looking. We watch closely as the vague image starts to sharpen, and we start to see our baby more clearly.
"Wow," I hear Michael whisper with his eyes glued to the sonogram monitor.
"See the head?" the doctor asks while pointing to it.
"Yeah," I say.
"There's a leg, and there's an arm," she adds while pointing out the respective areas on the screen. "If you look closely, you can see that the fingers and toes are starting to develop."
"My God, they are," a very excited Michael grins with glee.
"At this stage, if we look closely enough, we'll be able to know the baby's sex. Would you like me to tell you?"
I turn to Michael, who looks back at me questioningly.
"Anything you want, babe," I say to him, squeezing his hand tightly to assure him that I'm perfectly happy with any decision he makes. A short moment passes before he speaks.
"Please tell us, Doc," he smiles. I beam widely before turning back to Doctor Leigh, who is also smiling.
"Alright," she says. "I just need a moment, okay?"
"Okay," Michael says before kissing my hand. Doctor Leigh moves the scanner around my stomach, looking for the right spot before zooming in a little bit.
"She's got a really strong heartbeat, doesn't she?" the doctor asks.
Did she say "she"? Twice?
"Doc, did you just say she?" Michael asks excitedly.
She chuckles. "That's right, Mom and Dad - you're having a baby girl."
"Baby, we're having a girl," Michael repeats, the shock and excitement leaving him breathless as he plants what feels like a million kisses on my forehead. Speechless, I feel butterflies inside me at the thought of having a daughter with the man I love. This is the best news I've heard in a very long time - now I know what colour clothes to buy, what shades of paint to look for, what toys to order... and now Michael and I can start thinking about names.
Talk about tickled pink... we're having a baby girl!
* * *
It's just past one o'clock when we step outside of the consultation room to relax while my blood work gets done. It takes about an hour, so we decide to wait. All that excitement has made me quite hungry, though.
"We'd better get something to eat when we get out of here," Michael says as if he's reading my mind. Moments like this seriously make me question whether or not this man has telepathic abilities.
"Took the words right out of my mouth," I say teasingly. "What have you got in mind?"
"I wanna spoil my baby girls rotten today," he grins. "We'll get anything you want."
"Seriously?" I say, lighting up at the thought of my favourite three cheese and sweet bell pepper pizza with some kind of virgin cocktail.
"Sure," Michael smiles. "Just say what it is, and we'll get it."
"Can we get pizza?"
"Yeah."
"And can we get passion fruit and lemonade?"
"Sure."
"And... dessert?"
He chuckles. "Of course. What would you like?"
"Brownies," I smile. "The gooey ones that taste like mocha... can we get those?"
"You got it," he smiles before giving me another kiss on the forehead. "She's gonna be so beautiful, Miya. I just know it."
"Yeah," I nod. "I can't wait to meet her."
"Neither can I," Michael gushes as we head to the coffee shop for some cappuccinos to hold off the hunger.
"Make mine decaf, please?" I ask him. "I'll find us a table."
"Alright," he nods before I turn around and search the room for a good table. I spot one right at the corner of the shop and head towards it before taking a seat. After a few minutes, Michael comes to the table.
"I forgot my wallet in the car," he says with a bit of frustration. "They'll bring the coffee here, but I'd better go get it - can't open tabs at the hospital shops."
I laugh a little bit. "It's okay, babe. I'll wait for you."
"You sure?"
"Yeah," I smile.
"Alright," he says before giving me a kiss. "Don't go away - I'll be right back."
He rushes out of the quaint coffee shop, leaving me in chuckles before I pick up a magazine and start to browse through it. It isn't too long before a young waiter approaches the table with two cappuccino cups - both of them have black lids, so I assume that they're both decaf.
"Two decaf cappuccinos, extra froth and double cream," he says, confirming my suspicion as he places them in front of me.
"Thank you," I smile at him. He nods with a polite smile before walking back to his station, and I return my attention to the magazine. Almost immediately after he leaves, I notice that a third cup is placed on the table.
"Pardon me, Miss," I hear a man's voice say to me in a clear and strong English accent. "Are these seats taken?"
I look up and catch a bit of a shock.
"Please forgive me," the slim brown-eyed blonde continues. "I just saw you sitting alone and though you might like some company."
"I, uh..." My nerves kick in and I almost stutter from disbelief. Afraid to choke on my words, I simply gesture towards one of the three empty seats before closing the magazine and setting it aside. He smiles at me with the all too familiar toothy smile that could only belong to---
"I'm Robin, by the way - Robin Gibb," he says as he offers a hand for me to shake.
"Yonela Miya," I smile back, accepting his hand. "It's such an honour to meet you, Sir."
"The pleasure's all mine," he says. "Thank you for letting me join you - and please call me Robin."
"Of course," I smile sheepishly.
"Forgive me, but could you please repeat your name?"
"Yonela," I say again.
"My goodness, that's interesting," he smiles. "Is there perhaps another name that I could call you by?"
I try not to stutter. "My middle name is Juliette."
"Would I be wrong in assuming that you're neither American nor European?"
"Yes and no," I say. "I'm half-South African and half-European - half-French, to be exact."
His eyes widen in wonder.
"Is that so?" Robin asks me, his face beaming as I nod once more. "Would I also be wrong in assuming that you like a certain song of a similar name?"
I chuckle shyly. "Not at all, actually. I'm a huge fan of all your work - both with your brothers and solo projects, and 'Juliet' happens to be one of my favourite songs."
He gives a modest smile. "Thank you very much, Juliette."
"No... thank you, Robin."
He smiles at me once more before taking a sip of his coffee.
"Perhaps it's none of my business," he begins. "But what might you be doing alone at the hospital today?"
"Well," I start. "It might not be any of your business, but you seem genuine, so I'll tell you... My fiance and I are expecting a baby, so we're here for a routine check-up."
"Congratulations," he smiles. "And where's the lucky man?"
Just then, I spot Michael walking back inside the coffee shop.
"Here he is now," I say to Robin, who turns around to face Michael as he approaches the table. I assume they know each other quite well by the way they greet one another. They exchange handshakes and hugs before taking a couple of minutes to catch up.
"So this fine young woman is the fiancee you mentioned to Barry on the phone?" Robin asks Michael, making both of us blush a little bit.
"Yes, she is," he responds shyly. "I take it you guys have met already?"
"We have," I smile while they sit down. "Robin saw me sitting alone and offered to keep me company."
"That's Robin Gibb for you," Michael chuckles. "I'm glad to see the two of you getting along."
"Why, of course," Robin says. "Juliette is a very lovely lady, Michael. I can see why you're going to marry her."
"She really is amazing," Michael adds, giving me a smile. I blush wildly before taking a sip of my cappuccino. "How's Barry and Maurice, by the way? And Dwina and the kids?"
"They're all very well," Robin smiles. "Barry and Maurice are back at the hotel. I'm actually here because RJ's caught a bit of a fever, so I had to rush over. He and his mum are with the doctor now."
"Oh, I see," Michael nods. "Let's hope it's nothing major."
"Let's hope so," Robin says.
"When do you head back to Miami?" Michael asks.
"Early next week," he responds. "Things are relaxed with promos for the new album done. We've actually just come back from filming a video for the single."
"I'm assuming it'll be out soon?" Michael asks curiously.
"Yes, it should be out before the end of the month," Robin tells.
"Does that mean we'll be seeing you at the wedding?" I ask.
"Most definitely," Robin smiles. "And I believe congratulations are in order, Michael. You must be really excited about starting a family."
Michael blushes wildly, hiding his face and making Robin laugh a little bit.
"It's a dream come true," he says. "And I couldn't have chosen anyone better to share it with."
Smitten, I simply smile before looking down and taking another sip of my cappuccino.
* * *
A/N: Hey, my Lovelies! Hope you're doing okay...
We're going to a wedding in the next chapter! Hope you guys are as excited as I am to see what unfolds... Please remember to leave your thoughts in the comments section, and give a vote if you like this story.
Until the next chapter...
Meriam xx