More Than Friends

Visiting Hospitals and Orphanages

Barri's POV
One day Michael and I  were at a hotel suite. Isabella was sitting on the floor with us. All of a sudden she got on her hands and knees. She grabbed on to Michael and pulled herself up. Isabella was standing up! I got up and held her hands. She put one foot in front of the other. Isabella was learning to walk! "Honey, do you see this?!" "I see it, but I don't believe it." "Yeah Isabella is growing so fast." Isabella continued to practice walking. It was August. Michael didn't have to perform so we decided to go to a hospital and an orphanage to visit the children. Michael loved to visit the children. It was from the goodness of his heart. We decided that Isabella was too young to go. So we kissed Isabella goodbye and handed her to my mother. We went to the hospital. The kids looked so sad. That is until they saw Michael. Then their whole demeanor changed. They got really excited. Michael passed out toys and autographs. There were a few kids who were very sick. They were isolated. Michael went to see those kids.
Michael's POV
There were some sick kids. Then there were some very sick kids. One was named Tina. I went to see her. "Hi Tina." She slowly turned her head to look at me. She smiled a huge smile. "Hi. You look so much like the real Michael Jackson." "That's because I am the real Michael Jackson." Tina set up. "Really? I used to listen to your albums all the time, until I got sick." "Well maybe you can still listen. See, I brought with me a few copies of my bad album." I looked around. There in the corner was a record player. I turned on my album. I started dancing. Tina was laughing. "I want to dance too." So Tina got up and started imitating me. I started laughing. "Michael, do the moonwalk." So I moonwalk right into my wife. "Oh!" "Sorry baby I was moonwalking." "I understand." Tina mimicked my moonwalk. The nurse talked to me. "Mr. Jackson this is incredible. She hasn't been this happy since she got here." I walked back over to Tina who now started singing the way you make me feel. "Hi Michael. I love this song!" "I'm glad. Well I have to go." "Why?" "There are other patients who would love to see me." "Okay." I took out a poster with me on it. I put my autograph on it. "This is for you. Now to get you a toy. How about this teddy bear?" "Okay. Is that lady over there your girlfriend?" She pointed at Barri. "That's my wife." "Oh. Her stomach looks a little big and a little round." "Yeah we're going to have another baby in about 4 months." "So you already have a baby?" "Yeah. Well I have to go now. Bye." "Bye Michael." She smiled and waved. I waved back. A few tears slipped down my face. Barri noticed it. "What is it honey." "Why are these kids sick? They are supposed to have there whole lives ahead of them." "Now honey there are numerous reasons why kids are sick. No, they don't deserve to have all these illnesses, but it's out of our hands. You're doing the best you can. Okay?" "Okay." "Now dry your face." I dried my face and went on to the next kid.  There was a kid named Lance. He was very skinny. "Let's go visit that kid." "Mr. Jackson I don't think that's a good idea." "Well why not?" "He is an angry child." I was already in the child's room. "Hello."  "Hi." He had a frown on his face. "Are you coming to tell me to just die too?" "No." "Well you might as well. Everyone else does. I have so many tumors that no one knows how I'm alive. My parents stopped visiting me. Why are you here?" He started swinging his arms. I caught them. "Whoa! Listen I'm here because I care. I brought this autographed poster of me and a toy." "For me." "Yes." "Well maybe I'll try really hard to get better since there is someone who cares." "That's the spirit." "Is that lady your girlfriend?" He pointed to Barri. "That is my lovely wife." " Her stomach is a bit puffy. Is she having a baby?" "Yes, well I have to go now." "Bye Michael." "Goodbye." I got in the limo with my wife. "You've done a good thing today. You've put a smile on the kids face." "Yeah, but it still sad that they're sick." "Look the orphanage." Barri pointed to the orphanage. We got out the limo and walked in the orphanage. "Oh Mr. Jackson, what a pleasant surprise!" "Hello. I just wanted to visit the children." "Oh certainly. There all over here." The kids gasped in shock. "Michael Jackson!" I passed out albums and pictures and toys. "Mr. Jackson why don't you go over to the other room and the kids will join you in just a second." I was skeptical, but I obeyed them. Quite some time passed. "Baby, what's taking them so long." "I don't know honey." Just then the kids came in. "Well Mr. Jackson we were working on a little project. We're finished now. Would you mind reading the kids a story." "Oh no, not at all." So I started reading. "The hero without a cape. There once was a hero who didn't where a cape. He had a microphone instead. When he was younger his father made him work hard. His mother taught him to be kind. He grew up and he was the best performer ever. But he is our hero because of his charitable work. He gives children toys and posters and albums. That's why our hero is Michael Jackson." I was moved almost to tears. "Thank you. I love it." "The kids will now sing a song for you." So the kids started singing, first the soloist. "I'm gonna make a change, for once in my life. Gonna feel real good, gonna make a difference, gonna make it right. As I turn up the collar on my favorite winter coat this wind is blowing my mind. I see the kids in the street, without enough to eat. Who am I to be blind, pretending not to see there needs? A summers disregard, a broken bottle top and a one man's soul. They follow each other on the wind you know. Cause they got nowhere to go. That's why I want you to know," Then the rest of the kids started singing. "I'm starting with the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to change his ways and no message could have been any clearer, if you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make that change." They sang the course again. Then I started feeling the song. I started singing. "That man that man. The black man got to make the change, the white man got to make the change." "Got get right while you got the time cause when close your heart then you close your mind." "That man that man. Stand up some body. Stand up somebody. Stand up for me brother. Stand up for me sister." "Change." The kids finished singing. "You guys were amazing." I clapped for them. "Just face it. You were probably listening to yourself." "No I mean it. You guys were fantastic." "Guys did you here that. The greatest entertainer in the world said that we were fantastic. Maybe we'll get adopted tomorrow ." "Yeah." All the other kids replied. I just smiled at them and waved goodbye. I got in the limo and burst into tears. Barri rubbed my hand. "They called me a hero. I'm no hero. They're still at the orphanage." "Honey you did all that you could do. You made them happy." "Why did there parents give them away." "Maybe they were too young or too poor. There could be a lot of reasons why they gave their kids up. They did it because they thought it would be the best opportunity for their kids." "My dad raised 9 kids on hardly nothing." "That's true." "I know I would never give up my kids." "I know honey." We made it back to the suite. I opened the door. Isabella got off the floor and walked to me and hugged me.  "Hey Isabella. Did you behave? Where is nanny?" She just looked at me." Barri looked at Isabella. "OMG, why do you have blood on you?!" She took Isabella out my hands. After a while she came out the bathroom. "Honey, I didn't find a single cut on her." "That's fantastic." "Well then whose blood is it? Mom! Mom!" Barri started walking around. She walked into the kitchen in the suite. "Mom, what happened?! Are you alright?!" "Calm down. I'll be fine. You need to relax, you've a baby on the way, so calm down." "You're right mom. What happened?" "Well I was getting Isabella some food and I dropped the jar. Then I slipped on the food. I didn't think much of it. So I cleaned up the mess I made before Isabella got hurt. She walked over to me. She bumped into my leg. That's how she got blood on her. At this point my leg was killing me. I couldn't stand on it anymore. So I slid to the floor. Now it's swollen." "How long have you been on the floor." "Oh since the morning." "I'm going to get you an ambulance right now." I dialed the ambulance. They came and got my mother in law. Barri and I and Isabella followed in my rented limo. We waited in the waiting room. Finally the doctor came out. "Are you here for Mrs. Williams?" "Yes, I'm her daughter." "Okay. We found a piece of glass in her calf. Now it did some nerve damage. So we are going to do a surgery to remove the glass and to repair the nerve damage. I'm going to be completely honest with you. She may never walk again." The doctor walked away. Soon the surgery was over and we went to see her. "Hi mom." "Hey Barri. Michael please don't send me back to Indiana." "Of course not." "I want you to know that I will still do my job to the best of my ability." "You just rest and get better. Okay?" "Okay." We turned to leave. "Hey Barri." "Barri turned around. "Yes mom." "I'll admit I was wrong." "About what?" "I tried to make you two break up. Now I know that I couldn't have asked for a better son-in-law. Forgive me?" "Of course." We went back to the suite. Time passed. My mother-in-law got out the hospital. August flew by. It was my birthday and my daughter's birthday. Some of my family came by. They knocked on the door. "Mom! Janet!" I gave them a hug and they hugged Barri. "Oh look at that stomach. Are you having another baby?" "Yes ma, I'm five months pregnant now." Then my mother looked at Isabella. "Who is this pretty little girl?" "Mom this is Isabella." "She got so big." "Where's Latoya?" "Too busy dating her boyfriend." "Boyfriend?" "Yeah that Jack Gordon. I have a bad feeling about him, but Latoya is grown so I have to let her do her. Your brothers are with their families and Randy is out doing his thing. Joe didn't want to come. I know I wanted to see my baby on his birthday and my granddaughter." "Well it is so good to see you. Isabella wave at your other grandma and Aunt Janet." She waved. "Hey Katherine." "Oh hey. Barri why is your mother here?" "She is the nanny." "Oh. Why didn't you ask me to be the nanny?" "No offense, your husband is crazy." "And hers isn't." "Look, at Neverland she is far from her husband. Don't take it personal. It's nothing against you. You can come to Neverland whenever you want." "Fine." "Let's celebrate." "Um." "I mean let's eat some cake and Icecream." We sang Happy birthday to Michael and Isabella. Security came in. "Mr. Jackson we just thought you would want to know that the little girl Tina got better. She got out the hospital. In fact, a lot of the kids got out the hospital." "That's fantastic." "Yeah and a lot of kids at the orphanage  got adopted." "That's wonderful!" "Happy Birthday Mr. Jackson." "Thank you." Security left. "Let me guess you're still visiting hospital and orphanages." "All the time Janet. Hey Baby did you hear? Some of the kids got better and and some kids got adopted." "Yeah I heard honey." "This is the best birthday ever." Barri looked at me like I was crazy. "I thought you said that me giving birth to your daughter was your best birthday ever." "Oh yeah. This is my second best birthday ever." We all laughed and ate cake and Icecream.
------------------------------------------------------ Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed. Stay tuned for more updates. As always HEAL THE WORLD.