He Saved Me

Chp 55

Michael's POV
     Our first destination was England. I've been here several times throughout the years, so I felt like I'd be a sturdy "tour guide" for the kids. I tried my best to create a disguise for myself, to make our outdoor adventures go a little smoother. We still had our body guards with us, no doubt. People will recognize me no matter what. Or worse, they recognize my kids and instantly know I'm there too. But for the few people who don't pay attention, a disguise comes in handy.
     We were driving around and came up near Buckingham Palace. "This is where the Queen of England lives," I informed them. The older kids already knew this, but my little Mia was in awe. Her big brown eyes were glued to the window, and her mouth was left a little open. She was clearly fascinated.
     "Didn't you meet Princess Diana and Prince Charles during your BAD Tour?" Blanket asked.
     "I sure did. Lady Diana and I were friends," I smirked. My kids don't realize how cool I truly am sometimes 😎.
     "You were friends with a REAL princess?!?!" Mia asked astonished.
     "I was," I chuckled. "Did you ever hear about Princess Diana?"
     "I think I did in 2nd grade. She's the blonde lady with the blue eyes, who wears tiaras right?" Mia asked excitedly. I couldn't help but laugh at how innocent children can be. She easily turned a monumental figure of the 20th century, like Princess Diana, into just any other blonde woman with blue eyes.
     "Yes, and she was a very nice and generous person. She helped a lot of people," I informed her. As Mia asked me more questions, I couldn't help but reminisce all the times Lady Diana and I talked. We were like kindred spirits. We talked about making the world a better place and our love for children. It was a beautiful friendship with an untimely end.
     "I wanna be a princess too," Mia squealed.
     "You already are one, my princess," I gushed as I caressed her cheek with the back of my hand. And instantly, Paris made a gagging sound.
     "Why do you and Mia always have to be so cringe? We get it, she's your little girl," she said while rolling her eyes. I faced her and gave her a disappointed look, for ruining a good and peaceful moment. She lowered her gaze, knowing better than to continue.
     "Hey Prince, do you smell that? It smells like something is burning," Blanket snickered. The boys burst out into laughter, insinuating that Paris was jealous of  mine and Mia's relationship.
     "Shut up Blanket, no one was talking to you!" Paris responded annoyed.
     "And Dad wasn't talking to you either," Blanket shot back. "He was talking to Princess Mia."
     I rubbed my temples with my eyes shut, while my older 3 bickered like little kids in the back seat. All I want is a peaceful vacation. Is that too much to ask for? The yelling got louder behind me, forcing me to step into this. "Hey! Cut it out!" I said raising my voice. This caught everyone's attention, causing everyone to go silent.
See, I don't like being the "big mean Dad". But sometimes the kids leave me no other choice. We continued to drive around some more historical landmarks, before getting off at one of the medieval castles that are open to the public. We made our way in, and explored every nook and cranny of the castle. All 4 of them were fascinated to say the least. I love looking at my babies' faces when they learn something new. Their faces light up and their eyes twinkle. It's the most beautiful thing.
After our long adventure on the streets of London, I decided to end the day by paying a visit to a children's hospital. Back in the day, this was always my favorite part of touring and traveling. There's nothing better than giving back and helping someone in need. It could be as simple as giving a sick child a toy, or just talking to them and letting them now there's someone out in the world rooting for them. I wanted to pass this compassion on to my own children.
My older 3 visited a few hospitals with me before, but not as many as I'd like. This would be the first time for Mia. But I had to prepare her little heart for some of the things she was about to witness. "Do you know where we're going now?" I asked facing Mia.
     "We're going to the children's hospital, you already told us like 5 times Dad!," Blanket answered instead.
     "Blanket, I'm talking to Mia. And boy... you better lose that attitude quick," I said sternly while shooting him a look that meant I was serious.
     "Sorry," he mumbled quickly before sitting back and leaving me to my conversation with Mia.
     "We're going to a children's hospital Daddy," Mia smiled. She was clearly happy, that for once she wasn't the one being reprimanded.
     "We brought a lot of toys and gifts for the children there," I informed her. "It's going to make them so happy. Some of the children there are really sick, so this will mean the world to them. When you go in there, you must be polite and say hello to all of them. You can introduce yourself if you want. You know some of them, will probably have lots of tubes and wires attached to them to help them. Some might look very sick and sad. You must smile no matter what ok? And under no circumstances are you to ask them about their illnesses. Understand baby?" I explained.
     "Why not?" Mia questioned.
     "Well, it's not nice. We're going there to help them forget about their scary and sad situations for a little while, not remind them of it. So remember, be polite and greet them. Do not make any faces, do not be disrespectful, do not ask personal questions. They're very kind to let us spend some time with them, so be on your best behavior. This goes for all of you. Understand?" I asked.
     "Yes," all 4 replied.
     "Daddy, are you going to adopt someone today?" Mia asked innocently.
     "Huh? Why would I adopt someone today?" I chuckled at her silly question. I was pretty confused at her abrupt question.
     "When you were visiting a hospital last time, you adopted me," she explained. I realized the correlation in Mia's head made sense to her, understandably so.
     "No babygirl, that was different," I chuckled while running my fingers through her curls.
     "How?" she asked. I let out a sigh, not really knowing how to answer this. I didn't really have an answer, other than the fact that this was fate. I truly believed this was meant to happen. Mia was supposed to be my daughter. I felt a connection with her from the second I saw her in the hospital. I wanted to protect her from all evil, and raise her with love. But she wouldn't understand all of this just yet.
     "You were always meant to be my daughter, and I was always meant to be your father. We just got a little lost along the way to find each other at first. But God made sure we did. Does that make any sense?" I asked eagerly.
     "Yeah I get it," Mia responded looking confused. I knew she didn't understand, but she wanted to act grown in front of her siblings. It's okay, I'll explain it better another time, when I'm more prepared.
     "Daddy, are we there yet?" Paris asked from the back. We were in this car for hours now, all of us were starting to get quite impatient.
     "We're here Mr. Jackson," the driver replied shortly after. I looked out the window to examine the premises. Thank God, for once the paparazzi weren't notified about our visit. This would make it easier for the kids to walk around. We made our way into the hospital, as I crossed my fingers hoping for the best.