PB, as you know, a lot of people here agree with you. Hard to argue that when he said, "I'm with you now, Pop," he didn't just mean that he was physically by his side.
I have a different take PB. As the novel and a deleted hospital scene inform us, Michael was the prodigal son. In II's flashback scene, that is reinforced.
Michael's words at the hospital and in Sicily are only familial; the prodigal son returns home.
