Later, in the living room, Michael sat on the couch with Stephanie, while Jesse and Danny sat next to her. Joey sat in a chair next to the couch.

“All of you, I know how you feel right now about missing Pam,” said Michael. “I’m missing someone who’s very close to my heart myself, too.”

“Really?” asked Stephanie. “Is it a member of your family?”

Michael shook his head. “No. It’s a friend of mine. His name was Ryan White.”

He then began to tell them Ryan’s story. “Back then, people didn’t know much about AIDS, or HIV. Because of their fears and prejudices, they shunned Ryan. But I didn’t. I understood what those diseases were, and I befriended him, as well as his mother, who I keep in touch with, and his younger sister, too. He also told me about how he was treated unfairly in the town of Kokomo, Indiana, where he used to live.”

Jesse was silent for a moment. “Wow. I had no idea that you were his friend.”

“I was,” said Michael. “And I shared many moments with Ryan - some happy, some sad and some inspiring.”