"And this just goes here, with a little more glue here. Then I'll put this neat hat on you and you can lie back," the technician smiled at Maggie. She looked around the room. It didn't look like a hospital room but it didn't really look like a bedroom, either. Mama was sitting on another bed in the room beside Maggie's and was smiling at her.
"Can I take a picture of you, Bug? I can show you what this all looks like."
Maggie nodded and Mama pulled out her phone and took a picture.
"Can I send it to Papa?" Mama asked. Maggie nodded again, smiling. Then Mama showed her the picture and Maggie laughed.
"I look silly, Mama!" Maggie laughed. The technician smiled.
"Okay Miss Maggie, I need you to lie down and I'm going to put this tube under your nose. I know it looks funny, but we also want to check how you're breathing at night. Does all of this feel weird?" The technician asked Maggie. Maggie giggled and nodded.
She lay back on the pillow and hugged Uff. Mama said she was allowed to bring Uff and Turtle so when the technician was all done, Mama came over with Turtle and covered Maggie with it before tucking the rest of the covers over Maggie.
"Can you sleep with me?" Maggie asked, uncomfortable in such strange surroundings.
"I can't, Bug. But I can lie with you until you fall asleep. Okay?"
"But why can't you stay?" Maggie whined.
"I'll be sleeping in that bed right over there. I already brushed my teeth so unless I have to go to the toilet, I'm not leaving this room. But, Bug, you have to sleep in your bed alone. They want to see what happens when you have a nightmare."
Maggie clutched Uff. Her bottom lip stuck out.
"Don't be sad, Bug. I'll be right here in your bed until you fall asleep. I brought Magic Treehouse or Geronimo Stilton. Which should we read tonight?"
"Genonino Stilting!" Maggie said, mispronouncing the name, but too adorably for Debby to correct.
"Geronimo Stilton it is," Debby said, getting off Maggie's bed and rummaging through the small suitcase she'd packed for the two of them for the night.
The technician fit the tube under Maggie's nose, smiled at her and poked her little nose with a smile. Maggie smiled back at her.
"You have a very cute little nose Miss Maggie. I might have to keep it in my pocket!" The technician pretended to take Maggie's nose and Maggie laughed. Debby watched this easy interaction between the technician and Maggie and smiled.
"No!" Maggie laughed. "I need my nose! It helps me smell!"
The technician took a deep breath.
"I think you smell pretty good. Like strawberries," she said.
"I have strawberry shampoo and Mama gave me a bath before we came here!" Maggie said.
"Oh my. I could just eat you up! I love strawberries!"
Maggie got a serious look on her face.
"I'm not for eating," she said.
"Phew!" The technician said. "Because I'm not that hungry. And I don't usually eat little girls or little boys. Or people, for that matter."
"People aren't for eating," Maggie smiled.
"Nope. I like chocolate and spaghetti," the tech said.
"Me too! I gived Mama and Papa one of the chocolates that Dr. Kate let me have because sharing is nice. And Mama and I had pasgheti and meat bulbs for dinner!"
"No Papa at dinner?" The tech asked.
"Papa and Unca Tyler are working very hard on their music. Papa was at Unca Tyler's and Aunty Jenna's for dinner. He said he's going to meet us for breakfast in the morning when we finish here," Maggie said.
"Oh. Your papa makes music? What kind? Does he play an instrument?"
"My papa plays drums with Unca Tyler. And Unca Tyler plays piano and yucky lay lay. And guitar. And he sings."
"Very nice. Do you play any instruments?" She asked.
"I play the drum at school in music class," Maggie yawned. "Like Papa."
"Very cool. Okay, Miss Strawberry Maggie," the tech said, making Maggie giggle. "You are all hooked up. Your mom can read you a story and stay with you until you fall asleep but she's going to be sleeping in her own bed, okay?"
Maggie nodded, and hugged Uff closer.
"Who is this handsome fellow?" The tech asked.
"This is Uff," Maggie said, holding her stuffed dog up. "Unca Tyler and Aunty Jenna and Rosie gived him to me when we went to a court and Mama and Papa made me their forever Maggie."
"Uff is an interesting name. How did he get such a unique and special name?"
"I gived it to him," Maggie said, as if that was the most obvious answer.
"Oh. Well, of course," the tech smiled. "Okay, you two, I'm done. Maggie, do you see that camera up on the wall?"
Maggie looked and nodded.
"We're going to be watching you while you sleep. All these wires are going to tell us what your brain is doing while you're sleeping and this tube under that very cute nose is going to tell us how well you're breathing while you sleep. You'll have your mama in the bed beside you and if we see anything that makes us worried, or you need anything, we can also hear you. So if you need us, we'll be here. Although you also have your mom. Okay?"
Maggie nodded, still a little unsure about all of this, though.
"Good night, Maggie," the tech said, smiling as she left the room.
"Night," Maggie replied quietly.
"Okay, Bug," Debby said to Maggie, lying down on the bed and opening the book. Maggie put her head on Mama's shoulder while she read to her. She was certain she wouldn't be able to sleep since she had all sorts of goop in her hair and weird things stuck all over her. But, while Mama was reading to her, her eyes dropped closed and Maggie was asleep.
Debby got off the bed and retreated to her own, after tucking Maggie in and kissing her forehead, where she wasn't covered in wires.
Debby plugged her phone in and texted with Josh for a while until he had to get back to work. Debby tried not to worry about Maggie and her nightmares tonight. But she couldn't help it. That's what moms do.
Eventually, Debby turned out the light and tried to get some sleep herself.
YOU ARE READING
Magnolia Blooms
FanfictionMagnolia (known to family and friends as Maggie) is seven years old. Two years ago, her life was changed when she was tossed out of her parents car, in a garbage bag. She was found by none other than Josh Dun of the band twentyone pilots. She was a...
