Magnolia Blooms

6. Level of Concern

Debby kept looking back at Maggie as she drove to the doctor's office. Josh sat in the passenger seat looking through his phone. Tyler had sent him a few sounds he wanted Josh to listen to, then he'd write the drum part that Tyler couldn't quite fit in. He seemed unconcerned about the seven year old in the back seat.

"Josh," she said quietly.

"Hmm?" He said, not looking up from his phone.

"Why aren't you more worried?"

"About what?"

"About Maggie."

"I'm worried. Of course I'm worried. But I'm not going to dwell on it until there's really something to worry about.  Right now we have a healthy seven year old who has nightmares."

Debby frowned. Did Josh forget about the 'scary room'? The monsters?

Debby pulled the car into the medical centre parking lot and into a space.

"Okay, Bug," she said, opening Maggie's door and undoing her car seat. "Time to go visit Dr. Peterson."

Debby tried to stay upbeat and enthusiastic. Maggie frowned at her.

"I'm not sick. Why are we going to Dr. Peterson?"

"To talk to him."

"About what?" Maggie asked.

"How to help you sleep better, Bug," Josh said, picking his daughter up and tickling her stomach. Maggie giggled. Concern then came over her face.

"Is there going to be needles?"

Maggie was not a fan of needles and had finally been caught up on her vaccines. But that didn't improve her attitude towards them.

"No, Bug," Josh said. "Dr. Peterson is just gonna talk to us and listen to us and ask you some questions and talk to you, too. No needles. You shouldn't even need to change into a gown."

"Okay," she said, putting her head on Josh's shoulder.

Maggie liked Dr. Peterson, but she didn't want to talk about the monsters and the nightmares. They were scary enough at night. Maggie was wishing she'd brought Uff. Or Turtle.

They checked in with the receptionist and sat in the waiting room. Maggie wouldn't let go of Josh, so he held her in his lap. He was rubbing her back while they sat and waited.

"Maggie!" The nurse, Carla, said coming out from the back. "Look at you! You're so big!"

Maggie smiled just a little bit.

"Dr. Peterson is ready for you," Carla said.

As they walked back, Carla asked if they could check Maggie's weight and height. Maggie looked at Josh. Last time they'd checked her weight and height, she'd gotten needles.

"You promised no needles," Maggie whispered to Josh.

"No needles, Bug. I promise," Josh said.

"No needles today, Miss Maggie," Carla said. "But, we just want to make sure you're still growing."

Maggie reluctantly let Josh put her down and she stepped on the scale for Carla. Carla wrote down her weight and then measured her height and then told Maggie she could get down. She pretty much launched herself at Josh, who picked her up again.

"Good job, Miss Maggie," Carla smiled. "You're growing just right."

Maggie smiled, a bit.

They waited in an exam room, Maggie still pretty much clinging to Josh.

Dr. Peterson came in a few minutes later.

"Hello Dun Family. How's things? I see Maggie is still growing and gaining weight. Good job kiddo."

Maggie smiled a little bit.

"So, what brings you all in here today?" Dr. Peterson asked.

"Maggie has started having these horrible nightmares," Debby said. "Every night, a few hours after she goes to bed, usually after we have. She wakes us up screaming. It's been going on for two, maybe almost three weeks now."

"Maggie?" Dr. Peterson said. "Are you having nightmares?"

Maggie put her face into Josh's chest and nodded.

"You don't have to be embarrassed," Dr. Peterson said. "Lots of kids have nightmares. Can you tell me what the nightmares are about?"

Maggie shook her head.

"She mentioned a 'scary room' and monsters with faces that look melted and hundreds of teeth that are dripping something that might be poison," Debby said, looking at the notes she'd taken over the weekend.

"A scary room? Maggie, can you tell me what the room looks like?" Dr. Peterson asked.

Maggie shook her head.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Josh said soothingly. "Dr. Peterson wants to help."

"I don't 'member," Maggie whispered.

"Okay," Dr. Peterson said. "Can you tell me anything about the monsters?"

Maggie shook her head again.

"Do they have melted faces?"

Maggie nodded ever so slightly.

"Do they have lots of teeth?"

Maggie nodded again.

"Are they boys or girls?"

Maggie shrugged.

"Maggie?" Dr. Peterson said. Maggie looked at him. "Do you remember what your dreams are, but are afraid to tell us?"

Maggie shrugged again. She didn't want to talk about the dreams. They scared her and Mama and Papa might get tired of them and throw her away, too.

"Okay. That's okay. Maybe you'd like to talk to a friend of mine. Her name is Dr. Kate and she talks to children like you who have very bad nightmares. She's very nice and you can sit with her and talk and play with her toys. She has some really cool toys. Would you maybe talk to her for me?"

Maggie shrugged.

"Okay. I'm going to ask Dr. Kate to call your Mom and Dad and set a time for you to meet her. Okay?"

Maggie nodded.

"What do we do about the nightmares?" Debby asked.

"I know you're not going to love this answer, but nothing, for now. Not until Kate has had a chance to talk with Maggie a few times. I don't like medicating children for sleep disorders they may not have. Maggie's nightmares could be repressed memories from before she came to live with you. She's at an age where she might be realizing the way she was treated before you found her."

"How do we try to, I don't know, make them happen less frequently. I can handle losing a little sleep, but Maggie is still growing. She needs good, restful sleep, and she's not getting it."

"It's frustrating, I know. But you're just going to have to wait it out a little while longer. Kate is amazing and she has helped kids from situations much worse than Maggie's."

Josh looked down at Maggie who was still hiding her face. He couldn't imagine situations worse than Maggie's. And there was so much they didn't know.