January 25, 1986
1:30 PM PST

Michael J Fox was feeling rather nervious, as he stopped in front of the house where little Natalie Schmidt was staying. Within the past few weeks, Mike had been deeply disturbed to hear of how that poor little girl had been abused in horrible ways. It was fortunate that the Department of Social Services finally decided to step in and take action. Mike was very troubled at the idea of being abused by your own parents.

"Hello," gushed a plump lady, as she answered that door. "Are you Michael J Fox?"

"I sure am," Mike replied, as he flashed the lady a lopsided smile. "Are you Pauline Hanson, foster mother to little Natalie?"

"That is me," Pauline said, smiling. "She's been looking forward to your visit all day. Why don't you go make yourself feel at home, while I go get her. Would you like a little something to drink?"

"Do you have Diet Pepsi?" Mike asked. "I'll have that, if it's available."

"We sure do," replied Pauline. "I'll return with your Diet Pepsi, after I go get Natalie. She really loves watching Family Ties, you know. She really likes Back to the Future as well. She wants to watch Teen Wolf - but I'm not sure I should let her watch it."

"I don't really like that movie, anyway," Mike replied. "I have to admit that I regret having acting in that film. I hope Back to the Future becomes a bigger hit."

"Make yourself feel comfy," Pauline replied, as she left the room.

oooooooooo

"Michael! Michael! Is that you?" squealed Natalie, as she skipped into the living room.

"Yeap, that is me," Mike replied. "Is your name Natalie?"

"Yes, it is," replied Natalie, as she threw her arms around Mike. "I love you, Mike!"

"I love you, too, Natalie," Mike replied, as she stroked the little girl's blonde hair. It felt so smooth and silky under his fingers. "So, how do you enjoy living with you new mommy and daddy? Have they been treating you nicely?"

"I love my new mommy," Natalie replied. "She gives me lots of hugs, and she always reads me a story before I go to bed. Daddy is very nice, too. He will often give me a piggyback ride, and he likes to tickle me. My other mommy was very mean."

"Yeah, I heard all about it," Mike replied, as tears filled his eyes. "Your other mommy was not a very good parent to you. I'm glad you don't live with her, anymore."

"She even locked me in a closet, and didn't feed me for a week," added Natalie.

"I'm so sorry about that," Mike murmured, as he began to cry. He hugged Natalie close to him, stroked her head, and let the tears fall.

"Hey, Mike, don't cry," Natalie said, very sweetly. "Everything is okay, now. I have a nice mommy, now - and I have a nice daddy, too."

"Yeah, that's nice, but..." Mike started to say. He couldn't stop crying, as he thought of how precious this little girl was. The idea that her own mother could even have the heart to harm her was very distressing. Mike held Natalie close to her, as he wept brokenly. Mike had always been very fond of little children.

After about fifteen minutes, Mike finally stopped crying. To his surprise, Natalie gave him a little kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, Mike," Natalie chirped. "Can I tickle you a little bit. It might make you feel happy. I love being tickled."

"Sure, go ahead," Mike replied, as he flashed the little girl a lopsided smile.

Natalie than ran her fingers up and down Mike's sides, and all over his ribcage, while Mike burst out laughing helplessly. Mike was very ticklish, and Natalie's little fingers were relentlessly attacking his torso.

"Please! Please, Natalie," Mike pleaded, through helpless laughter. "I'm not sure I can take it anymore. Please stop."

Natalie finally stopped, and he smiled at Mike.

"Can you tickle me, now, Mike?" Natalie asked.

Mike hesitated a little bit, wondering if it was a good idea. As he noticed Natalie looking at him expectantly, he then leaned over to attack Natalie's torso. Natalie was laughing helplessly, but she appeared to enjoy the tickling. After about five minutes, Mike decided that it was a good idea to stop.

"That was fun, Mike," Natalie gushed. "Hey, Mike, can I tickle your feet?"

Mike grimaced at the idea, and replied, "Nope, I'm afraid not. I'm way too ticklish there. Would you like to go to A&W with me?"

"That would be so awesome, Mike," gushed Natalie. "I love bacon cheeseburgers. I can eat two of them."

"Well, let's see how you do with one first," Mike said, smiling. "If you're still hungry, then we can order you a second one."

"Yes, our little Natalie has a very hearty appetite!" cooed Pauline, as she walked into the living room. "So, how long do you think you'll be gone, Mike?"

"Maybe about two hours," Mike replied. "She's a very sweet and precious girl. She said some really nice things about you."

"She wants us to adopt her," explained Pauline, "and I told her that we would look into it. She's a very well-behaved girl. She even keeps her bedroom nice and tidy."

"Good for you," Mike said, to Natalie. "I'm not too good at housekeeping myself. I should maybe work on being a being a little more neat, myself."

"She loves to help me clean, in fact," Pauline added. "She loves to help me cook, as well. Her teacher tells me that she's a very well-behaved little girl."

"She is very adorable," Mike said, smiling. "If you and your husband really would like to adopt her, I'll be more than happy to help the three of you out. Are you planning to take any more children in?"

"It's possible," Pauline replied. "Nathan and I are unable to have children of our own, so we would like to adopt Natalie as our own. It was so nice of you to come visit us, Mike. I can tell that you really do have a way with kids."

"I hope to, one day, get married and have kids of my own," Mike replied. "Anyway, I'll be back in a couple of hours. I just wanted to give her a nice treat. You guys are so lucky to be able to have a girl like her."

"Take care of yourself, Mike," Pauline said, as she hugged him. Turning to Natalie, Pauline hugged her and said, "Now, you be a good little girl."

"I will, Mommy," Natalie replied, smiling. "I love Mike. He's a really nice man."

Mike smiled to himself, as he scooped up Natalie in his arms, and carried her out to the car. Mike hoped to, one day, have a child just like her.