I spun around and looked at my surroundings closely, trying to identify where I was. I took small steps as I walked around the unknown room. Something inside of me was telling me to walk straight ahead, and I obeyed my guts. They led me to a mysterious door that I hesitated to open. I had no idea what was behind it, or what I was doing in this place. One thing I knew is that my instincts wanted me to find out.
When I pushed the door open, the first person I saw was Michael, sitting on the edge of a king sized bed, holding his skull in his hands with his elbows on his knees.
"Michael?" I called, but he didn't answer nor did he look up to me. "Honey, it's me," I told him, as I walked closer to him. Still, he didn't move. When I finally reached him, I put my hand on his shoulder, but I couldn't feel it there. "What the hell?"
Suddenly, Michael moved again to take the phone on the nightstand in his hand. He had been crying, I could see it in his eyes. The pain, the sadness... This is all I could see on his face. He sniffled back his tears while dialing a number quickly, and waited for the person to pick up the phone on the other end.
"H—Hale," he painfully said through the phone, and his voice broke.
I frowned, utterly confused by the scene that was unfolding before my eyes. How could I be in the same room as him while I was also the one at the other end of the phone? How could I touch him without feeling him?
"I—It hurts," he went on, and he started weeping. "I—I can't go on like this, I need my pain killers. I'm in pain, I—I can't sleep and I feel so lonely. I need the pain to stop," he cried even more, so much that he wasn't able to speak another word.
The sight broke my heart and brought tears into my own eyes. My entire being was filled with pain as I brought a hand to cover my mouth. Tears started to stream down my face, as I squatted in front of him. I put my hand on his knee and looked at his empty face. Every trace of happiness was gone, and it was replaced by utter pain.
"I—I miss you, a—and I need you," he told me through the receiver he had a tight grip on, like his whole body was tensed. "I need you t—to keep me sane right now, I feel like I'm going crazy. Please, I need you," he cried in agony, and I cried along with him, feeling this burning sensation in my chest.
"Michael," I whispered, rubbing his knee even though either of us could feel it.
"I'm coming for you Michael."
"Hale! Oh my God, Hayley open your eyes," I recognized Hayden's voice calling me name, but I didn't react right away.
"Brit come on, stay with us," another voice I recognized as Carl's encouraged me. "What did she say?"
"I—I don't know, something about Michael. P—Please Carl do something for her," Hayden begged in a worried voice, and I finally opened my eyes at this very sound. "Hale! She's back!"
"Come on Brit, keep your eyes open, you can do this," Carl encouraged again, and I tried my best to do as told.
For some reason, I was exhausted, and it was hard for me to stay awake. I looked at my surroundings, and realized I was on a gurney with my brother and Carl on each side of it. The look on their faces alarmed me a bit: there were, without a doubt, worried sick about me. Hayden had a tight grip on my hand, and it's like every color had left his face.
We arrived in a room, and I immediately recognized my surroundings: we were in a trauma room in the ER. No matter how dizzy I felt, I recognized my work place right away. I felt weak, like my whole body was giving up on me, like I had been drained of all of my energy at once. I could barely feel my muscles, and everything around me was blurry.
"W—What happened? I need to find Michael," I weakly said, as I tried to get out of the gurney I was lying on.
"No no no, Hale. You can't go until we know you're fine," Hayden disagreed, preventing me from moving any further.
"He needs me," I tried to fight with him, but I was way too weak to even push him away.
"Brit, you need to stay in bed until we know you're fine!" Carl sided with my brother, as he pushed me back to make me lay down again. "Let me examine you, don't be a pain in the ass."
"I'm fine," I told him, pushing his stethoscope away from my chest. "I need to see Michael, he shouldn't be alone," I told him, tears gathering in my eyes.
"Hale, please, let him," Hayden begged me, as he took my hand back in his. "I thought you'd never wake up, I need to know you're not going to fall into yet another coma."
When I took another minute to identify the look on my brother's demeanor, I realized that fear was written all over his face. From that moment, I stopped fighting and let Carl examine me. I couldn't be selfish and refuse assistance, if this could reassure my brother, then I'd go through anything Carl wanted me to do, starting with a basic check up.
"Follow the light," my boss asked me, flashing a little flashlight in my eyes. "Your pupils are responsive. But you have every symptoms of mental and physical exhaustion."
"We all know this happened because of the visions," I said in a weak and low voice. Even speaking was a huge effort I had to make. "I'll be okay, as always."
"You've been working way too hard these days, Hayley. You keep on accumulating night and day shifts, this can go on like this forever. When you're not at work, you barely have time to rest, and this is not okay," Carl told me.
"At least you managed to change Michael's future now, huh? That's why you blacked out like this?" Hayden asked, and I turned my head in his direction with a sorrowful expression. "Right?"
I shook my head no, unable to find the words to say. When I ended up unconscious in the past, it was because I somehow managed to change Michael's future, in a way or another. This time, from the visions I remembered I had, nothing changed. Evan was still willing to make Michael pay for what he thought was going on with his son, and Michael was still the same broken man I saw in my previous visions.
"Could it be possible that the visions hit her harder because she's physically exhausted? Her whole body is exhausted, maybe it wasn't strong enough to bear the visions?"
"I—I yeah, I guess that's possible. That could explain the nose bleeds as well," Hayden said, as he rubbed the back of his neck. "But what did you see, Hale? Was it bad?"
I nodded my head, and gulped hard at the memories. "I saw Evan and Michael arguing around a table with some other people I didn't know. He seemed empty, like he wasn't himself anymore. I've never seen him that depressed in the past," I narrated. "Evan was determined to make Michael's life a nightmare, and he's going to succeed if I don't find a way to stop him from doing so."
"It's too dangerous for you to be around this family, we have to find another solution," Hayden said, pacing the floor by my bed. "The visions are way too strong for you to handle them. This event is going to be a major part in Michael's life and career, it will destroy him, and I think this is the reason why the visions are that strong, and why your nose starts to bleed."
"But how am I supposed to keep them away from him if I can't be around them? There's got to be a way, I can't—"
"You need to stay with him," Carl chimed in, cutting me off, and I looked on the other side of the bed in his direction. "You need some time off to get better and to deal with your visions."
"W—What? Carl, I can't just take some time off of work, the kids need me a—and you need me to!" I argued, sitting up. My head spun a bit as I probably moved too fast, but I ignored it. "I can't leave. I'll be fine, really. I know how this works."
"Did you hear a single word I said?" Carl spat, seriousness written all over his face. He wasn't having it. "I told you you were physically and mentally exhausted, and this has nothing to do with the visions. If you don't rest, the consequences could be worse. I'm not asking you for your opinion, as your boss I'm telling you you won't be working until you feel better, and that's final."
I didn't have the strength to argue with him, no matter how much I wanted to. I could feel I wasn't at my best lately, and that work wore me out, but it was hard for me to admit it. Being a doctor was what I did best, it was the only thing I was good at, so being away from the hospital was always tough for me. I felt helpful there, like I was doing the right thing.
"I'm going to call the babysitter, I'll be right back," Hayden announced, and I grabbed his hand before he could leave.
"Go back to Andy, Haze. I'm in between good hands here, you've done enough for me tonight," I told him sincerely. "Thank you for having my back, and for taking care of me. I don't know what I would have done without you."
"That's what I'm here for, don't thank me," he smiled slightly, but I could see he was worried about me. "Are you sure you want me to leave, though? I'm sure the babysitter—"
"I'm positive," I assured him, giving him a smile back. "I'm awake now, there's nothing to be worried about. I'm okay."
"I'll take her home myself," Carl reassured him, and he nodded his head, giving in. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to her."
I took Carl's hand in mine, and gave him a smile too. I was getting emotional because of all the support they both showed me. At that moment, I felt lucky. Lucky to have them both in my life, to have a family that supports and cares for me no matter how different I am, to have a brother that gets me like no one could ever get me, and to have a best friend that dealt with my crazy life without ever judging me.
"Thank you guys, so much," I cried softly, squeezing their hands tightly.
"Don't mention it," Carl squeezed my hand back.
"Call me this time, okay?" Haze asked me, pointing a threatening finger in my direction, and I nodded. "Take care of yourself, I'll come by with Andy whenever I can," he said, and I smiled at the mention of my nephew.
Hayden kissed me forehead once, and left the room reluctantly, closing the door on his way out. I turned my attention back to Carl and he sat down next to me, on the edge of my bed. He took my hand again, and looked down at it for some long, silent seconds.
"I know how important your job is to you, but you're important to me too. You heard Hayden? He said that if you weren't that weak, then maybe the visions wouldn't have hit you this hard," he said with thick worry in his voice. "I love you like my own sister, Brit. I can't take the risk to losing you yet another time, and I need you to understand that."
"I know that. It's just... You know how useful I feel when I'm around the kids. I belong there, and it's always hard for me not to be able to do what I'm good at," I sighed heavily, looking down for a second before I looked at him again. "But I understand your concern, and I'll take the time I need to feel better. I promise," I assured him truthfully.
"Thank you," he smiled faintly before he pulled me into a warm hug. "Alice needs her Maid of Honor, and I need my best friend at our wedding."
"And I wouldn't miss it for anything in the world," I chuckled a bit, as we pulled away. "Your Best Man and your fiancee are waiting for me at home, and it's getting late. Would you mind taking me home?"
"I have to let Baker know I have to leave for a bit, and we can go," he announced before he disappeared.
***
Carl parked his car in the driveway in front of the loft, and helped me out of the car, ignoring me when I told him he didn't need to. It is true that my whole body was sore and that my legs were heavier than usual, but still, I could walk by myself. I didn't try to fight back, though. If it could reassure him to do so, then I didn't mind.
"Let's be clear, it was nothing but a sudden drop in blood pressure. Nothing to be worried about. Right?" I asked Carl as we were climbing the stairs. "I need to rest for a bit, and to relax. That's it."
"Well, it's pretty much the truth anyway, so yeah, right. I won't mention the nose bleeds nor the fact that you stayed unconscious for a while to Michael."
"Yes, I don't want him to be worried about me, so it's best if we don't tell him that," I said, as I took my keys out of my purse.
When I came in, all the lights were off, except for the TV that was on in the living room. Carl helped me take my coat off, and put it on the hanger by the door. I walked further in the loft, only to see Michael asleep on the couch. I smiled at the sight, and turned to Carl to motion him to keep quiet with a finger over my lips. He pointed to his and Alice's room, letting me know he was probably going to see his fiancee and explain what happened before going back to the hospital.
I squatted by the couch, and stroked Michael's hair gently, before I laid a kiss on his forehead. I made sure to put a blanket over his body, and he didn't move an inch. He seemed so peaceful, in total opposition with the face he had on in my visions.
I pushed those morose memories away, and turned around to turn the TV off. After the tiring day Michael had, I didn't want to wake him up. Just like me, Michael needed to rest as much as he could, especially after he slept only a couple of hours the night prior.
"Brit!" Alice exclaimed, out of nowhere, and I immediately stood back up and motioned her to keep her voice low. Her face was completely distorted with worry.
"Kitchen," I whispered, pointing in the said direction. I took one last look at my boyfriend, and he was still fast asleep. As soon as I arrived in the kitchen, Alice took me in her arms, and squeezed the living hell out of me. "Al, I'm okay."
"I'm so glad that you're here," she told me, not letting go of me. "Thank God Hayden was there with you. Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yes. I just need some rest, and I'll be fine," I reassured her, as we finally pulled away. "I'm going to take some time off of work to rest. And I need to keep an eye on this one," I told her, tilting my head in Michael's direction. "He needs me. More than ever."
"What did you see? Was is that bad? Did anything change at all by your being there?"
"No, nothing. In the vision I had, the kid's father was still determined to make his life a living hell, calling him a pedophile and shit like that," I told her in a low, as I sat down around the kitchen island. "He's going to alter his career and his whole life with his lies, Al."
"Jesus," she whispered in a barely audible voice, as she sat down on a stool next to me. "What's the plan now? You can't take the risk to be around them again, it's too dangerous."
"It is," I nodded, and brushed my hands over my face. "I'll think about a new plan. Right now, I just can't think straight, there's too much information in my head, and I'm exhausted."
"Let me fix you something to eat," Carl offered kindly, and I grabbed his forearm.
"No, you're going back to the hospital. You did enough for me, other people need you," I told him, and he didn't argue with me. "Go. I'm okay, Al is here, and Michael is here. I'm safe."
He nodded his head a bit, and gave a kiss to his fiancee before he left the kitchen. After his departure, Alice made sure to fix me something to eat, since I didn't have time to taste what June had cooked. I felt bad towards her, because she put a lot of efforts in this dinner, and even invited Hayden to her table. However, my conscience quickly reminded me that she never stood up for Michael in my visions, and didn't stop her ex husband from spreading his lies, which made her an accomplice to his sick move.
"Hayley?" Michael's voice was heard from the living room, as I was eating my bowl of Cap'n Crunch cereals.
Before I left the kitchen, Alice told me that she'd leave us some privacy and hugged me goodnight before she went back to her bedroom. When I came back in the living room, Michael was sitting on the couch with his hair all over the place.
"Hey," I smiled a bit, as I sat next to him on the couch. "I'm sorry we woke you up."
"No, I'm glad you did. I'm sorry I fell asleep, I wanted to stay awake until you come back, but sleep got the best of me," he apologized, as he took my hand in his. "It looks like you had a good time, it's pretty late," he said, as he looked at the clock on the wall. It indicated midnight.
"Actually, I uh, I was at the hospital," I told him, looking at our hands on his lap.
"Oh, you had an emergency? What happened?"
"Well uh, you could say that," I told him, becoming uneasy. It was quite difficult to say, because I knew he would start worrying about me at the second I told him. "The emergency was me."
"What? What do you mean it was you?" he asked, sitting up straight again. I had his full attention. "D—Did something happen to you?"
"I need you to stay calm, okay? See? I'm fine, it was nothing," I started, squeezing his hand to try to reassure him the best I could. "It was just a little drop in blood pressure. It happens, and Carl gave me some time off so that I can rest. There is nothing to be worried about, okay?"
"B—But why didn't you call me? And who took you to the hospital? Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, he was confused, and he was panicking a little bit.
"Michael, baby, breathe," I asked him, putting my hand on his cheek. "I didn't call you because I was in between good hands. Hayden was there, and he is the one who took me to the hospital, he was at the dinner too. He took me to the ER and we went straight to see Carl," I narrated, and he listened closely to each of my words. "I am fine, believe me. I just need some rest, and I'll be fine."
"Is this related to those migraines you have?" he asked with concern.
And here comes the same old lies.
"Uh no, it's not. I just worked too hard without listening to my body."
Michael nodded slowly, and he sighed heavily, intertwining his fingers with mine. "It's quite silly but... at some point, I thought I was the one causing you those migraines of yours," he said, and my eyes widened, as I felt my heart falling in the pit of my stomach at his words. "I know, it sounds stupid but... I started wondering why this happened whenever you were around me."
I stayed mute for some long seconds, not knowing what to answer to that. I didn't expect that at all, and I wasn't prepared to answer this either.
Say something. Anything. And fast. He's starting to stare.
"I uh, n-no! Why would you think that? As I already said, they always happen out of nowhere, you're not causing them," I tried to reassure him the best I could, ignoring the panic inside of me. "But Hayden helps me deal with them, so there's nothing to be worried about."
"Yeah, I'm glad you had your brother with you tonight. Hayden is a real blessing," Michael sincerely said, and I was relieved when he switched topic. "It makes me feel a little bit better to know you weren't alone. I'm sorry I wasn't there to take care of you, though," he apologized, looking down.
"Don't beat yourself up, as you said, I wasn't alone," I told him and gave him a little smile as I tilted his chin up. "And you're here now, it's all that matters."
"I'm going to take care of you as much as I can," he promised, before he placed a gentle peck on my lips. "Did Carl allow you to come to Africa with me, though? It's going to be a long and tiring trip, and I don't want you to jeopardize your health because of—"
"I'm still coming," I cut him off, and as he was about to say something more, I put my finger on his lips. "Hush. We're leaving in three weeks, I'll have plenty of time to rest before that. Don't worry, okay?"
He nodded his head slightly, giving me one of his little smiles. "Come here," he beckoned, as he pulled the blanket for me to put it on my body.
I snuggled close to him, as he secured his arms around me. I circled my arms around his waist, and put my head on his shoulder, as his reassuring vanilla scent invaded my nose. He placed a kiss on my forehead, and softly, he started humming some tune I didn't know. I stayed there with my eyes closed, and listened to his soft voice as I enjoyed the feeling of his hand rubbing my forearm under the blanket.
At that moment, I forgot about everything that happened for the previous hours. Michael's presence soothed me, it made me feel at ease. It is what I needed to get better, I could feel it in my guts. He was the cure to my aches.
"I was thinking about something," I said out of the blue, and Michael stopped humming. I turned my body to be face to face with him, and put my hands on his thigh. "You know, when we were talking about me moving in yesterday?"
"Oh boy... You changed your mind? You don't think you'd be willing to come live with me at Neverland?" he asked right away, and I shook my head, giggling a bit. "What is it then?"
"I was just thinking... Since I'm on sick leave, what do you think about me spending my time off there, with you? You know, to see how it goes?" I asked, praying deep inside of me that he would accept.
Of course, it was not the only reason. This was also a stratagem to keep an eye on him, and make sure he didn't leave the property on his own, and end up meeting Jordan. I needed to come up with a plan, and I knew it would be easier if I was around Neverland to do so.
"So you're asking me if you can come live with me for the next few weeks? Or am I dreaming?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with joy.
"That's exactly what I'm asking y—"
I couldn't even finish my sentence that Michael had crashed his lips against mine, his large hands on both sides of my face. "I love you," he said in between kisses, and I smiled at his excitement. He was over the moon, and that alone made my heart happy and filled with love.