✴️

|Santa Barbara County|
|Neverland Ranch|
|Sunday, January 20th, 1987|
|7:00 am |

Michael

A loud buzzing sound interrupted my sleep. I slowly opened my eyes, looking at the clock that was still buzzing. It read 7:00 am which meant it was time to get up and get ready. Even though I was still tired from Prince waking me up last night, I was very excited for the day ahead. I carefully sat up, reaching over to stop the timer. I look over to Prince, watching him sleep peacefully.

I smiled a little, and didn't realize that the  stare I had turned into a long gaze. I actually prefer Prince like this, than actually being awake. He actually looked kind of adorable, and he slightly snored when he slept. I shook my head, knowing when he woke up, that would all change.

I placed my hand on Prince's shoulder, shaking him gently. He didn't budge, then I shook him a little harder.

"Prince, wake up." I said, not wanting to raise my voice too loud, and he still didn't wake up. I sighed, then I tried once again, shaking him once more but this time even harder.

He stirred, moving a little. Then he slightly opened his eyes, quickly holding a hand up in front of his face, trying to shield his face from the sunlight.

"Come on, get up. We have to get ready. The car is going to be here around 7:45."

"I don't wanna." Prince whined, laying his head back down.

I rolled my eyes, snatching the covers off of him. He groaned loudly, then sat up fully, and turned his head to look at me.

"What the fuck, Michael!?" He shouted, I cringed at the sound of him yelling, it was too early for that.

"It's too early in the morning for you to be yelling." I said tiredly, then turned my body, placing my feet on the floor and standing up, "I'm serious, go get ready."

"You don't tell me what to do. I decide when I'll go get ready." He said, I turned around, crossing my arms while I looked at him.

Ten seconds later, he finally got up from the bed. He walked towards the door and he said, "Now I'll go get ready." Then he walked out of the door, heading into his room. I shook my head at his stupidly, cracking a small smile, trying not to laugh. Then my smile brushed off two seconds later, and then I headed into the bathroom, beginning to start my morning routine.

〰️

When I was finished, I went into the closet and skimmed through my outfits. I looked at the outfit that I wore about two weeks ago at the American Cinema Awards that I had attended with Sophia Loren. But I shook my head, disregarding that thought, that was a bit too fancy.

Then I looked to my left, and came across a nice green button up with black slacks next to it. That could work, I took the clothes off of the hangers and undressed, then threw them on swiftly. I looked up, seeing the collection of Fedoras I had lined up on top of the clothes. I reached up, grabbing one and placed it on my head.

I walked out of the closet, heading out of the room. As soon as I walked out of the room, Prince opened the door, walking out of his room, and we came face to face.

I looked him up and down, seeing what he was wearing as he did the same. I sighed, feeling very under dressed.

"Damn." He chuckled, then he looked down at what he was wearing, "I feel over dressed."

"Are you kidding?" I laughed, also looking down at what I was wearing, "I feel under dressed."

He slid on his shades dramatically, and shrugged, "Well looks like you need to work on your style."

I rolled my eyes playfully. Please, I have style. Lots of it.

"Whatever." I say, looking down at my watch, seeing that it was time to go, "Alright, the car should be here. Let's go."

Prince nodded and he followed behind me as we made our way out of the house. The limo pulled up just as we were walking out. When it came to a stop, I opened the door and slid right in, with Prince sliding in behind me.

The partition that was in the limo rolled down and revealed Bill and Wayne in the front, since I had requested only for them to come. I felt like I didn't need heavy security for this occasion, but then I started to have second thoughts since Prince was along with me.

"Hey, Michael-" Bill said but then stopped talking when he saw Prince, once again. He had no idea he was going to be here, and I gave them both a look, once again, telling them that I would explain later.

Bill slightly nodded and cleared his throat, trying to ease the awkwardness. Then I began to introduce them.

"Prince, this is Bill and Wayne, my bodyguards." I said, "Bill, Wayne, this is Prince, my friend."

Both of their eyes widened when I said friend, and it looked like it was hard for them to believe. But they shook it off quickly, and waved at Prince, greeting him.

"Nice to meet you." Wayne said for the both of them. Prince had a closed smile, waving back.

"Nice to meet you, too." He said politely.

"Mike, are you sure we shouldn't call the rest of the security team?" Bill asked, and I shook my head.

"No, we should be fine." I said, and Prince snapped his head at me, piercing his eyes through the side of my head.

"Alright, if you say so." Wayne said, then shortly after, rolled up the partition.

Prince slapped my arm, I winced at the pain, rubbing it.

"Are you crazy, Michael? We need extra security. Just the two of your guards isn't gonna cover the both of us."  He shouted but in a whisper tone so it wouldn't be too loud.

"Relax." I sighed, still rubbing my arm, "I wasn't going to assign more security originally since I was the only one going, but since you're here and I invited you on kind of a short notice, I couldn't make those arrangements."

"They just said they could call them." He replied, I shook my head, waving him off.

"In all honesty, that's what they always say in situations like this." I said truthfully and shrugged, "Calm down, Prince. We'll be fine."

He leaned back in his seat, took a deep breath, calming down, "If I get mobbed, then I'm suing you."

"Whatever." I playfully rolled my eyes, leaning back against the seat and enjoying the ride that came ahead.

〰️

Prince

After about an hour, we finally arrived to the hospital. I don't know what I got myself into agreeing to come. I was actually kind of nervous, this was my first time visiting a Children's Hospital. Even though I didn't mind being around Michael's neices and nephews, and Big Chick's kids when he worked for me, I didn't know how I was going to do with other kids. I could tolerate them, but I always wasn't too fond of them, and it slightly had something to do with my childhood. Not only that, I wasn't sure how they were going to react.

My music, was mainly targeted to adult audiences, anyone who was eighteen and up. Even though I knew I had younger fans, like children who listened to my music, my fan base was mainly dominated by adults. So I wasn't sure if I was going to get a good reaction or not, hell, what if I get no reaction if they have never listened to my music? I've heard situations where parents wouldn't even let them step foot towards my records, knowing how sexual they could be. I was feeling a whole bunch of emotions at the same time and didn't know how to handle them.

Just like I had predicted, and Michael's bodyguards as well, there were thousands of screaming fans lined up outside of the hospital.

"I think we'll be fine." I said, mocking Michael's voice. He rolled his eyes, and looked over at me.

"Shut up." He said, turned his head back to look through the window. He sighed, realizing he had fucked up on making the decision to not have heavy security.

One of Michael's bodyguards, who I believed was Bill, rolled down the partition and asked, "Are you sure you want to enter the hospital this way?"

Michael shook his head, and asked "No, is there a way we could get in entering from the back?"

Bill nodded, "We'll see." Then the partition rolled back up, and the car continued to roll down the street, making a turn, heading towards the back of the hospital.

"Maybe next time you should listen." I remarked, Michael shot me a glare and then ignored me, looking out the window.

Then the car finally pulled up to the back of the hospital, coming to a complete stop. Michael's other bodyguard, Wayne, stepped out of the car, free from any fans and opened the door for us. Michael scooted to the left, stepping out while I followed behind, stepping out. Then, Bill got out of the car, walking over to open the door for us, so we could officially walk into the hospital.

We said our thank you's as we stepped in, and since we were in the back of the hospital, we had some walking to do to get to the front. Wayne and Bill stood behind us as we continued to walk, and when we finally made it to the front, we saw a bunch of nurses, and doctors looking out the window, waiting for our arrival.

Michael and I looked at each other at the same time, and chuckled, then I said, "Sorry we're late, we had to go through the back."

After I said that, everyone's attention was grabbed as they swiftly turned around, slightly startled. Some of their mouths were wide open, and they all looked at the both of us in shock. They knew Michael was coming, but they had no idea I was coming along, so by the look on their faces, they were completely starstruck to the fact that they couldn't even speak.

See, Michael? I told you this wasn't a good idea. They look like they're gonna have a heart attack! I said in my head.

But then after a good silent ten seconds, everyone took a deep breath, calming down, then everyone came up to us, one by one, finally introducing themselves.

The last person who came up to introduce herself, was a short, petite, white lady with red curly hair. Her name tag read "Melissa" and she nervously held her hand out, and Michael shook it with a smile on his face

"H-Hi." She stuttered, "I'm Melissa. Sorry about that, we were already nervous and very excited that Michael was coming to visit, so seeing you here as well just took us by surprise."

I chuckled, shaking her hand next politely, "It's alright, I kinda expected that. Hopefully you guys don't mind, I'm very happy to be here."

"Of course not!" She waved me off with a huge smile on her face, "The kids are going to be so happy that you came. Follow me, please."

Michael gave me a side eye, which looked like it said for someone who's happy to be here, it took a lot of convincing. I nudged his side, and he winced a little, but no one noticed. Then, we followed behind the friendly nurse. After three minutes of walking, we came across a door and she twisted the knob, walking in.

"Kids, I have a very special surprise for you."  The nurse said with a very excited tone in her voice, then she opened the door further, letting Me, Michael, Bill and Wayne in. Every single one of them gasped, and the look on their faces were priceless. It took everything in me not to laugh, because they had to be one of the best facial expressions that I had seen in my life.

Then they all screamed very loudly, and Michael and I busted out giggling, waving at them all. Before you knew it, they all ran up to us, showering the both of us with hugs. My heart melted instantly, and I bent down to their level, hugging each of them back while Michael did the same. Out of the corner of my eye, Bill and Wayne were looking down at the both of us sweetly, not feeling the need limit the space and ruin the beautiful moment.

Michael and I were so caught up and having the best time with the kids that we didn't even realize that we spent a good twenty minutes in the room. We signed autographs, had silly conversations with the kids, and goofed around with them, which melted my heart even more, even camera men were all over the room, capturing the precious moment. Some of the kids were Baldheaded, showing signs of cancer, many were pale in the face, due to having a sickness that I wasn't quite sure what it is, but they were all clearly going through a very rough time at the moment, which made my heart break. So the fact that Michael and I were able to make them smile, and forget about all the pain just for a second, and enjoy being happy for once, really meant a lot to me. Michael was right, this trip was worth it. I regret and take back everything I said about kids before, because visiting this Hospital, quickly changed my perspective on that.

As I was having a conversation with one of the nurses about one of the kid's health condition, I felt a tug at my pant leg. I turned my head to the left, and looked down to see who it was. It was a little dark skin, African American girl who had light brown eyes, who was baldheaded, also showing signs of cancer but had a beautiful smile plastered across her face, disregarding that, looking very excited to see me. She was wearing an oversized 'Purple Rain' shirt, and she was holding my 'Parade' record towards me with a marker in her hand.

"Can you sign this for me, please?" She said in her adorable voice, and I looked back at the nurse, excusing myself as she nodded, wanting me to do so. I looked back down at her, smiling as I knelt down to her level.

"Of course, babygirl." I said, gently taking the record and marker out of her hand so I could sign it, "What's your name?"

"Dejah." She said with a smile, I smiled back, nodding while I looked down, singing the record.

"Dejah?" I repeated, loving the sound of her name, "That's a very beautiful name."

She looked down, and I could tell she was blushing, and she giggled, "Thank you."

"So how old are you, Dejah?" I asked, setting the record and the marker on a small table next to us after signing it, putting all my attention on her.

"I'm seven now! It's my birthday today." She said excitedly, my eyes widened a little and I gasped. All of this was truly too much for my soul to take.

"No way, your seven? You're getting so big! Happy birthday, babygirl." I smiled widely, holding the both of her hands, "Did you get any cake?"

She nodded her head quickly, with a huge grin, "Yes! Do you want some?"

I laughed, kindly rejecting her offer, "No thanks, have all the cake you want, sweetheart. What kind of presents did you get?"

"Just a bunch of toys." She shrugged, "But you being here, is the best present I've ever had."

My heart melted once again, and then she wrapped her arms around my neck, giving me a hug. I instantly wrapped my arms around her, embracing her tightly. We hugged for a long twenty seconds before we slowly pulled away.

"I have another surprise for you."  I said.

She giggled and crossed her arms, "What?"

"Turn around." I said with a grin, she then turned around and waited. I reached behind my neck, and unhooked the golden chain that I was wearing, then I placed it around her neck, gently hooking it onto hers.

She looked down at the chain, and she gasped. She slowly turned around and looked at me with a surprised expression on her face, and I chuckled in reaction.

"Now I know you have the Parade album and the Purple Rain T-Shirt." I said, "But I thought you could have something a little bit more personal to remember me by. My mother got me this, a very long time ago, it was something I wore as good luck the first time I ever stepped on stage. Now, I couldn't think of anyone else more special to have it, than you."

Dejah smiled sweetly at me, then her face softened, and she reached out and gently wiped off a tear that I didn't even know was running down my face until now.

"Why are you crying?" She asked kindly, but in a worried tone.

"I'm sorry." I laughed a little, wiping the rest of the tears I didn't even realize were slipping down on my face, "I'm just happy, that's all."

And I was, I truly felt happy, which I hadn't felt for a long time. Being here, and seeing all these kids made me realize something. Each and every single one of them were going through pain, but they were fighting as hard as they could so everything would be alright in the end, and so that they could be free. I saw some of myself in them, and I immediately had a change of heart. For a long time, I had been dealing with pain and issues on my own, but if I just let go, and fight for myself, everything would be okay. I realized that I truly wasn't alone, and that it was okay to let yourself be happy, even when the going gets tough, because God always has a plan at the end of the day, and there will always be a light at the end of the tunnel.

I felt like I was changing, for the better. As I continued to talk to Dejah, I turned my head to the left, and saw Michael holding a baby boy. He was gently rocking the baby, looking like he was singing a song to him, with a huge smile on his face. Two seconds later, Michael looked up from the baby and made eye contact with me. Unlike any other stare down we had, this one was different. My blood chilled, my heart was beating out of my chest, and I felt like my whole body went numb, and I felt a strong connection between us that I had never felt before. He smiled at me, and I smiled back sweetly, feeling like we were the only two people in the room.

"Prince?" I heard Dejah say, then I snapped out of the trance that I was in, going back to normal. After that, Michael quickly snapped out of it too, putting his attention back onto the baby.

I couldn't exactly put my finger on it, according to what just happened, but I shook it off, forgetting about it, continuing the conversation I was having with Dejah.

An hour later, we said our goodbyes to the children. We went to different rooms, visiting more kids and meeting more people before our visit came to end. Michael and I, along with his bodyguards, went through the back to get to the car. Once we were outside, Wayne opened the car door for us, letting us inside and we both slid into the car.

We sat in silence for a couple of seconds before Michael spoke up, smirking at me, "Wanna say you're sorry?"

I furrowed my eyebrows, giving him a look, "For what?"

"About not wanting to come to the Hospital." He said, "And how you said the kids were going to complain and be whiny." He mocked in my voice.

I rolled my eyes playfully, sadly having nothing to argue with that, "Fine, Michael. You win, I was wrong. You happy?"

Michael shrugged, leaning against his seat, looking satisfied, "If I just got you to admit that you were wrong, then I'm more than happy."

I chuckled, shaking my head and leaned back against the seat as the car finally took off.

〰️

|8:00 pm|

We had finally made it back to Michael's house not too long ago. Michael and I spent most of the day in the studio as promised, discussing some of the music and how it was suppose to sound. It took a minute to get all of the instrumentals the way I liked it, before I finally started to record. Even though we had completely different music styles, and I can't believe I was saying this, but Michael was truly a great partner to work with. He was helping me record the song every time I sang into the microphone. The time we spent in the studio was so productive that we actually got two of the tracks that were on my album, done, and all the stress that I was feeling before was gone. I was confident that I was going to finish all of the music just in time for the release date.

We were currently in the kitchen, eating dinner and we were having a silly conversation.

"Does your mom and dad ever call you asking for money?" Michael randomly asked, I nodded with a laugh, cutting to the chase.

"All the time." I said, feeling amused. Even though I didn't mean to say it that way, it was the truth.

"How is your family, by the way?" Michael asked, taking a sip of his water.

My heart slightly dropped to the floor, and I looked down at my plate. In all honesty, I barely kept contact with my family. Coming from a very broken home that I grew up in, it was genuinely hard to maintain a good relationship. I talked to my Mother from time to time, but not all the time. I can't even remember the last time I talked to my father, and I talked to my sister, Tyka, sometimes, but she was on and off in abusing drugs, that it was really hard to keep in contact with her most of the time. I was genuinely worried about her, and whenever I had the chance, I would make sure to check on her, but with my schedule being so jammed packed, I rarely could do that.

"Um.." I said, "They're okay." I lied, truly having no idea.

"You sound unsure." Michael chuckled, setting his glass down.

I stayed quiet, and Michael's face softened, noticing that I was getting a little sensitive about this topic. Shortly after, he cleared his throat and tried his best to lighten up the mood.

"So, do you have any siblings?" He said innocently, having no clue that it was only making me feel worse. I sighed, then I placed my fork on the plate, getting up and taking the plate to the sink.

"Did I say something wrong?" Michael asked in a worried tone, "Prince, wait."

I stopped in my tracks, then I turned my head towards him, and smiled small, "You're fine. I'm just going to head upstairs and get ready for bed. Goodnight, Michael." I said, trying to cover up the best way I could that I was hurt.

He showed a guilty look on his face as I walked up the stairs, heading into my room, closing the door.

〰️

|3:00 am|

I quietly made my way downstairs, trying to not wake up Michael. All the lights were turned off, and I was holding a flashlight, trying to see where I was going. I tossed, and turned all night, struggling to sleep and I eventually gave up. Something that had always helped me coped during times like this, was to play the piano. And since the piano Michael had was far away from his room and he was asleep, I thought it was the perfect chance for me to play it.

As I came across the room that had the piano, the room was so bright that I didn't even need the flashlight. The window showed the bright moonlight, glistening onto the piano. I shut the flashlight off, smiling to myself.

I walked to the piano, and quietly sat myself down. I took a deep breath, placing my fingers on the keys, and let the music take over me. I found myself playing a song that I could never get through, which was my father's song, Computer Blue, since it always reminded me about the memories from my childhood and the pain I suffered.

As I continued to play the song, I felt my blood turn cold, and my eyes starting to water. I started to get flashbacks and pictures in my head. I thought of the times where my mother and my father dangerously argued, the times where my father put his hands on me and made me feel the worst pain, the times where me and my sister Tyka held onto each other tight, hoping the screaming and the terror would stop. My lips started to tremble, but I held my sobs in, determined that I was going to finally finish the song, after so many attempts of trying.

I felt someone slowly approach me from behind, but I didn't pay attention to it, as I continued to play. The memories started to flow throughout my head all at once, and it began to feel like too much. Tears flowed down my face, and the mysterious person, sat beside me, watching me play. When the ending of the song finally came to a stop, the memories soon flew away, my head was clear, my fingers stopped pressing onto the keys, and my breathing pace went back to normal. Then, I felt a hand touch my shoulder.

I sniffled, feeling the tears continuing to run down my face as I saw Michael, with a comforting smile, but with a soft look on his face.

"It's okay to cry, Prince.." He said reassuringly, then just like that, I let myself go, and started sobbing uncontrollably.

Michael pulled me closer to him, placing his hand on the back of my head while the other one was on my back, embracing me tightly.

Finally, The pain that I felt for years, was let go.

I felt free.

"It's gonna be alright.." Michael said softly, caressing my hair as I sobbed into his shoulder, "Everything is going to be okay."

✴️

Authors Note
Up at the top is the song that Prince's father wrote, you should give it a listen. It's very beautiful, and it's the song Prince was playing in this chapter. If it doesn't show up, search "Prince Father's Song" on YouTube.