Chapter 21- I miss you more than I can say (Part 1)

Michael's POV
It has been 6 months since Leigh passed away. Each day gets a little easier, but I miss her terribly. Luckily I have Michaela to keep me busy. My little girl never ceases to amaze me, she is just as breathtakingly beautiful as her mother. When I take her out with me, people gush over her. It fills me with such pride to have such a beautiful angel to call my little girl.

One morning I wake up to hear my cell phone ringing loudly, I sigh and roll over in bed.

"Hello?" I mumble sleepily.
"Michael? Hey its Kenny"
"Hey how are you?" I ask him
"Good. Good. I just got off the phone with AEG" I groan inwardly. They have been trying to convince me to resume touring for months now. I kept telling them I needed time. My wife just died for pete's sake! Give me time to grieve!
"What did they say?" I ask
"Oh just the usual. That its been six months and you owe it to your fans. Yadda yadda yadda" He says making me laugh a little.
"Maybe their right" I say suddenly.
"MJ don't commit to something you aren't ready for" Kenny warns me.
"No I feel like this is the right thing. Leigh wouldn't want me here hiding in my grief. The fans miss her just as much as I do. What better way to heal then to share the grieving process with them?" I pointed out.
"If your sure Michael, I can set up a meeting with AEG. But I suggest you let them know you want this done on your terms" Kenny advises me.
"Of course. I let them run the show too much the last time. Now its my turn." I say firmly.
"Alright. Give me 10 minutes and I'll call you back"
"Alright. Oh and Kenny?" I started
"Yeah Michael?" He says
"Thanks…" I told him. He chuckles softly.
"Not a problem." He says, hanging up. I paced the floor, and then walked into Michaela's nursery and watched her sleep. Her lips twitched into a smile and my heart melted.
"Daddy's little angel" I murmured softly, stroking my fingers through her silky hair. It was coming in thick already, the same deep shade of red as her mothers. My cell phone rang again and I walked into my room.
"Hey Kenny" I answered
"2:00 this afternoon MJ" He tells me and I sigh. "Are you sure your ready?" He asks.
"I want to do this. Something in me tells me its what Leigh wants" I answer.
"Alright. But anytime you feel uncomfortable or anything, you let me know alright. I care only about you in this whole thing" He says and I have to smile.
"You're a great friend. God Bless You Kenny" I tell him.
"Love you Michael" He says softly.
"Love you more" I answer back and hang up. I climb back into bed, rehearsing in my head what I am going to say to the AEG reps.

Later that afternoon
I paced the boardroom at AEG, glancing at my watch. 1:55. I was impatient. The reps walked in, one at a time and shook my hand, offering me their condolences.
"We're glad to see you Michael. Are you ready to start touring again?" One of the men asks.
"I am. But on one condition." I state firmly.
"What is that?" He asked.
"My first concert, I want it to be a tribute to Leigh. My fans all know her and have grown to care for her. I want to make sure that they get the chance to say goodbye properly" I tell him.
"I think that is manageable. " The man answered and I sighed in relief.
"We'll have to post some new ads and posters. But I think its doable" The PR rep said to the gentleman. They began to speak together. Basically what would happen is for 2 weeks before my first return concert, they would run a edited version of the This Is It commercial with information about Leigh's Memorial. There was also a website set up where fans could leave comments for her. Also it was suggested that I allow some fans to make speeches. I smiled, knowing exactly where I was going to go with that. What better place to honor Leigh, then to ask all her friends from the MJIFC. She had so many wonderful friends on there, I knew if I asked a few of them to make tribute speeches, it would be perfect. My mind began to race with possibilities, and I didn't hear the AEG rep speaking to me until Kenny poked me.
"Pardon?" I said
"We asked if there was anything else you wanted" The man asked.
"No that's the main thing" I told him.
"When would you like to start?" He asked
"How about January? That way I can spend Christmas with my daughter and my family" I asked.
"That is perfect. We'll meet again before then to make more concrete plans. Thank you Michael" The gentleman said, shaking my hand and then leaving the room.
"Well that went better than I thought" I told Kenny
"Yeah but the hard part is coming up" He points out.
I sigh softly. "I know. But it will be worth it in the end"