Broken Promises

"Michael, where's Michael?" Janet said softly. The family stood around Janet's hospital bed. Janet rested with her eyes gently closed. Michael stepped up and took her hand.

�� "I'm here." He said. Janet managed to smile.

�� "Do you feel any pain, Dunk?" Michael asked.

�� "Michael I'm fine," Janet said. She opened her eyes slightly. "I don't feel anything." Michael lowered his head and kissed Janet's hand. It became apparent to him that Janet didn't know that she couldn't walk again.

�� "Michael, I'm fine.....Michael?"�

Michael looked up.

�� " Am I okay?" Janet asked.

��� "Janet Jackson," Crystal said in disbelief as she watched the news. "Not being able to walk. It's unreal. UNreal."

��� "Yeah. I know Michael is shaken up about it." Jeff� told her. He sat down next to her and put an arm around her.

��� "Stop talking about him. I know you really want me to start trusting him. He does not need me. He has Lisa. And I'm not mad at him at all."

��� "Girl, for the last time. Michael is not in love with Lisa. Trust me on this." Crystal sighed heavily.

��� "You know what?" Jeff took out his cell phone.

��� "What are you doing?" He smiled.

��� "Hello? Let me speak to Lisa, please."

��� "Jeff, no!" Crystal laughed.

��� "I'm tired of you and Michael not being together. You are the one thing that's going to help Michael and---"

The TV caught Jeff's attention. He put the phone away.

��� "In related news, Michael Jackson is expected to make a press conference concerning mistreatment by his record label. We will have more updates as we get more information."

Jeff smiled. "There's my proof."

Michael gazed at the family. They all nodded at him. It was funny how they put it all on him to tell Janet the news.

�� "Umm...Dunk," Michael started. Tears came to his eyes, making everything blurry. "The reason why you can't feel anything is because.....you're paralyzed from....from......" Michael took a deep breath as the tears start to fall down his cheeks. Janet knew what he was trying to say and tears started to build up in her eyes. ".....from the waist down...." Michael sobbed.

Janet lifted her arm and wiped a tear from Michael's cheek with her finger. She swallowed hard.

�� "I'll be fine....don't cry....everything will be okay...." She said.

Michael couldn't stop crying. It was like another wonderful dancer taken away. He knew if it had ever happened to him, it would be his worst nightmare.

�� "Why are you so damn mean to him? You never change." Rebbie said.

�� "I'm not being mean to him." Jermaine said. "He just needs to learn how to take a joke."

Michael said nothing as he looked out of the window.

�� "Mike, ease up a little. Ya can't help that you look like a....." Jermaine stopped and snickered.

�� "Driver, can you drop me off at Neverland instead?"

Michael said suddenly. "We're about to pass by it."

�� "Sure thing." the driver stated.

�� "What a big baby." Jermaine said.

��� "Michael's home!!!!!" Jeff shouted, taking Crystal out of a romance novel she had picked up.� Crystal sighed deeply, stood, and went to the door.

�� "Michael, I'm so sorry," Jeff said. Michael took off his brown leather jacket and shook his head. He went to hug Crystal. Crystal caught Jeff's look.

�� "Told ya." He mouthed.

�� "Cristy, I wanted to come home, just to see you." Michael said, his voice shaking a little.

�� "Yeah," Crystal said, not making eye contact. "I thought you were going to do a press conference, exposing Sony." Michael gazed at Crystal, his eyes wide. Tears began to come to his eyes.

�� "I cancelled it."

�� "You what?" Jeff cried.

�� "I couldn't do it, Jeff!" Michael said, voice quivering uncontrollably.

�� "What do you mean you couldn't do it??" Crystal said in anger.

�� "I was scared! At the lobby in the hospital, there was this magazine called US Weekly, and they had an article about how crazy I was!" Michael cried. He was crying now. Jeff and Crystal were silenced.

Crystal shook her head.

"I don't believe this.""I'm sorry, Cristy! I really am! I just couldn't do it! If I did, I could just imagine all the stories they would write about me, just imagine all the jokes they would make!" Michael sobbed.

�� "You promised me," Crystal said. "And you chickened out! Michael, I know I've got a disease in my body that is slowly eating away at my organs! Now could you imagine how that feels like? To know that you could die?? I don't understand how you could be scared to do a freakin press conference! I don't understand!"

�� "Cristy....I tried....I just..."

�� "Tried my ass!" Crystal shouted. "Go fuck Lisa Marie!" Michael watched in horror as Crystal ran up the stairs.

Jeff put a hand on his shoulder.

�� "Mike, I understand. You've been through a lot of emotional stuff and I understand how you can be scared. " he said softly. "It's okay. But Mike, I think the main issue is Lisa Marie......what was..."

�� "Jeff," he said wiping his tears. "I do not want to be with Lisa. I dont' want to see Lisa ever again. But I'm weak to her because we have a history together. There is still some attraction.....but she needs to let go."

�� "Mike....I don't think Crystal trusts you at all." Jeff told him.

James typed a story that he carefully thought up about Michael Jackson. Michael won't even know what hit him when the story spreads around.