dcheleven

�Lisa, blast it all� answer the damn phone.� Mike shouted into the receiver that kept ringing, over and over. Usually, her phone relayed the phone from her house to her car, to her mom�s house, (God please don�t let anyone answer there). He felt the woman seated across his hips raise to dismount and he grabbed her waist to stop her.

�I really should be going.� She stammered shyly.

Yes, but no, yeah okay, no, stay� He wished his mind would decide which he wanted more, for her to stay where she was, or to leave� What was the point of her leaving really? Faith wouldn�t be back tonight. Probably not at all.

�Answer the phone for heaven�s sake� No please stay� I�m sorry for before.� He heard the switch from the house to the car as it made the complete rounds again and continued to ring, and ring. He sighed, please pick up the phone� then the switch again to Pricilla�s house� damn, don�t pick up the phone, this was getting very annoying� Man, wouldn�t Pricilla get a kick outta this mess? Still the incessant ringing. He felt the shift of weight as the woman on top of him settled in and lay herself across his chest.
�Owwwww�. Uuuuggghh�� and a quick breath and a gasp� �Get up!� He made himself breathe through the sharp, stabbing pain in his side as he coughed and squeezed his eyes shut to block the lightening bolt of pain. As he regained his composure, he pushed the nurse unceremoniously off and continued to concentrate on the phone, paying little attention as she adjusted her dress and buttoned up the front of it� even less attention when she turned to leave the room.

The switch again, this would be her office phone� one ring, two rings�.

�Hello?�

�Lisa, man�� he sighed a long breathe of relief unaware until that very moment just how much tension had built up. �Where the hell have you been?�

�Avoiding the phone� What�s up?�

�Hey sugar, I need your help.� He rattled off the entire scenario pretty much just the way it had unfolded and she listened silently until he had finished.

�And why, just asking, do you really think I would care to help you with this? Haven�t I told you that someday something like this would happen? Someday there would be someone who wouldn�t put up with your shit? Someone who you desperately want with you�?�

�Yes, but� please Lisa��

�Tell me why I should.�

His mind raced frantically trying to think of what he could say that would swing her to his side.

�You know I�m teasing you� sort of� I meant what I said about someday, someone�but stop giving yourself a coronary, you know I�ll help. I�m not sure exactly what you want me to do.�

Mike took a deep breath.

�Please go to my house and stop her��

�Stop her what?�

�Stop her from leaving. What da ya think I mean, stop her what�� He heard the beeping on the other end, another call� damn.

�Wait just a min�.�

�Lisa� no wait� ignore it damn it!!!� Click, the phone went dead, as she answered her other call. �Oh for Christ�s sake��

The door to his room opened and a nurse carrying a tray of little plastic cups filled with blessed relief from pain, nearly slid to her rear on the ice-cream, still a gooey mess by the door as she stared at the sight of him, exposed on the bed. Quickly he grabbed the covers and pulled them up smiling sweetly at her stunned expression. The phone clicked again and Lisa came back on the line.

�Well. You�ll never guess who that was.�

Mike took the cup the nurse offered and the glass of water she poured from the pitcher on the stand by the bed.

�Who?� he gulped and swallowed at the same time, giving his voice a drowning quality and making the pills stick halfway down. Another mouthful of water and he winced as the pills dislodged and slid down his throat.

�Our little friend is looking for a place to stay� My, my, isn�t this interesting?�
�No it is NOT interesting� Lisa, please. Tell her to stay home.�

�Well, Mike, I�m not sure it would do much good. At least if she�s by me, you�ll know where she�s at, hummm? Get some rest. I�ll come see you in the morning. Maybe bring you home, if Mona�ll let me.� Click the line went dead again, only this time for good.

He hung the phone back on the cradle and turned to drift off to sleep. Soothed and comforted once again by the little white pills.

Early the next morning Mike awoke to the sensation of pressure on his arm from the cuff that was tightening� Damn, they give you stuff to help you sleep then wake yo ass up at 5 am in the morning. The pretty dark eyes stared down at him.

�Just changing shifts, gotta check and make sure out little ron-de-vous last night didn�t get you pumpin� too hard.� She smiled. Mike grinned back and closed his eyes, trying to fall back to sleep. �Hey, sleepy head.�

He felt her hand shaking his shoulder and winced.

�Sorry.� She smiled shyly, having forgotten about his shoulder. �There is a woman outside who would like to ask you something.�

Mike raised his eyebrows.

�Ask me what?�

�Well. Her son. He�s upstairs on the pediatric floor. He�d really like to meet you, would mean a lot to him.�

�Okay. Send her in. Alright?�

She nodded and bent down to kiss his cheek.

�I�m sorry about last night.�

�YOUR sorry.� He rolled his eyes hoping she would take it the right way, even though he meant it another way. �No, no, I�m sorry that all happened.� Boy you wouldn�t believe how sorry. He thought to himself. He touched her hand as she turned to leave and she turned to face him again. �Better go let that lady in now, okay?�

�I�m so sorry to bother you, Mr. Jackson� The frail looking woman, probably in her mid-30�s shyly approached the end of the bed. She wore a battered coat and well-worn jeans looking for all the world like she hadn�t slept in ages.

�It�s no bother, really. Please tell me about your� son is it?�

�Yes sir.� She smiled and the warmth of her smile filled the room. In a life that must seem far away now, Michael imagined a once beautiful woman who could light up a room with her very presence. What a difference a year or two of heartbreaking tragedy could do to the human countenance. But still, when she smiled there was evidence of a glorious soul waiting, praying for the torture to end. �My son is upstairs now, he comes and goes, it seems like he�s been here an awful lot lately though, he has leukemia� more than anything though, he�d really like to meet you. If it wouldn�t be too much trouble��

�Please. It wouldn�t be any trouble at all.� Mike began to try and get out of bed. �Okay, maybe you had better get someone to give me a hand�� he smiled at the woman who had come to the side of the bed to grab him before he fell, suddenly taken by the pain in his side. �Damn ribs�� he mumbled as his new acquaintance walked out the door.

Michael spent the rest of the morning in Cedar-Sinai�s pediatric unit visiting, hugging, signing autographs, and listening to the children and laughing and playing. At one point, a young mother of a small girl in an isolated room down the hall from the large lounge where Mike was holding court with the children that had come to see him, approached� her daughter would be seven years old that week but the doctor�s and her family feared she might not see the day. Michael quickly made his way to the room where several of the child�s family stood about, shocked at the presence that had entered their midst, and along with many of the children who had followed him there, he sang �Happy Birthday� to the little girl who grinned from ear-to-ear and clapped with glee at her own personal serenade. As the morning wore on and the emotions that surrounded him began to take their toll on him, Mike said his good-byes to his young friends and their families, but not before handing an envelope to the mother of the boy whom he had first gone to see.

�This might help some, I know how draining it must be for you and your family. Please� if you have any needs in the future, there is a number inside you can call, please feel free to use it. Okay?�

The woman simply nodded as tears streamed down her cheeks and Michael patted her hand before turning to leave.

Mike returned to his room to be greeted by an un-smiling Debbie.

�What are you doing here? I thought Lisa was coming to give me a ride home.�

�Well. Surprise, surprise� I�m your appointed taxi. Let�s go. I left the kids with Mona so I could come and haul your butt home. I told Lisa to mind her own business, your kids are anxious to see you. So whatever your little plans were with Ms. Presley, forget it, don�t think I don�t know how much time you spent with that��

�Don�t you dare say it�� Michael warned, glaring at her� Who exactly did she think she was telling him what he could and could not do?

Debbie returned his glare never one to back down, he could never intimidate her�

�As I was saying� Don�t think I don�t know� how much time you spent with the �ex� Mrs. Jackson when you were supposed to be married to ME!!!�

�Do you mind terribly, if we discontinue this topic of conversation? Please what�s over is over. You weren�t exactly there for me either� most of the time you were busy off playing with your friends. Don�t think I don�t know how you laughed behind my back and just how faithful you were my darlin��

Before he could even blink she was on him, her mouth covering his� she sure did love a good fight, and she usually knew how to win. He giggled, and pushed her off a step.

�You don�t play fair!� But even before the last word was out her lips covered his mouth again and her hands slid past the waistband of his pajamas finding him ready for her and eager for her accustomed method of warfare. He stumbled backwards toward the bed, missing at first and nearly falling, held up be her hands, grasping the one particular area of his anatomy that he�d rather not be supported by in a fall. His second attempt made it to the bed and he managed to wiggle his way up on the bed, his pajama bottoms sliding off as he slid up and Debbie remaining on the floor by the side of the bed, kissing his thighs as shivers of pleasure ran though his body with every touch of her lips. He grabbed the sheets and tensed with the thrill of her tongue as it licked the tight, warm, skin of his balls, he felt as if he would surely explode right then and there when her lips teased the tip of his penis. He groaned and moaned as she slipped her mouth over him, but stopped just short of the shaft. Playing, taunting him. Watching him plead with his hips and moan, tearing at the sheets on the bed until finally grabbing the back of her head and pushing himself with an explosive force deep into her mouth. Filling her warm, moist, willing mouth with his body and flooding the back of her throat with the taste of him.