"Papa, the water tastes funny," Maggie said.
"It's the medicine in the water. Please try to drink it," Papa said.
"It tastes too funny. I don't like it," Maggie scrunched up her nose.
"Take a big mouthful and just swallow it. Don't think about it," Mama said.
Maggie stared at the cup of water in front of her. Her bottom lip started to tremble.
"But it's yucky and I don't want it!" She wailed. Debby sighed.
"I know it's yucky, Bug. What if I got some juice and you took a big drink of water and then some juice. Want to try that?" Papa asked. Maggie shook her head.
"The water tastes bad. I don't want to drink it," she insisted.
"If you drink the water, they won't have to put more medicine in your I.V.," Papa said. "Can you try a little more?"
With the saddest face Josh could ever remember Maggie making, she took a big pull from the straw and swallowed. She burst into tears.
"It's so gross!" She cried. "I don't want anymore."
Papa kissed her head.
"You did good, my little Pumpkin," he said soothingly. He took the mostly full cup out to the nurses and showed them what Maggie had managed to drink.
"She needs to finish it," the nurse said.
"She can't. She's tried. She can't finish it," Josh said.
The nurse came out from around the nurses station, took the cup from Josh and went into Maggie's room.
"Miss Maggie," the nurse said brightly. "Your dad says you can't finish your water."
"It tastes funny. I don't like it," Maggie said, curled up into Debby.
"I know kiddo, but there's medicine in there that will help the doctor see inside your tummy."
"I can't!" Maggie cried. "I can't drink anymore! I'll throw up."
The nurse put the cup on the table knowing that bribing this patient with sweets wouldn't work. The whole reason they were doing this test was because she wasn't eating.
"Maggie, I know it tastes funny but the medicine they'll have to put in your I.V. might make you feel like you have to pee your pants. Can you try one more sip? For me?"
Maggie shook her head.
The nurse sighed and looked at Josh and Debby with sympathy.
"Okay little one. That's fine. I'm gonna have to tell the doctor you couldn't finish it. Okay?"
Maggie nodded.
"Will the doctor be mad?"
Maggie hated making anyone mad.
"No. He'll just have to find a bit of a different way to see into your tummy. He might have to put some medicine in your I.V. But it's okay. It's normal. Not everyone can drink the water drink. Okay?"
Maggie nodded again.
"Alright superstar. I'll let the doctor know and then we'll come get you for your test in a little while, okay?"
"Okay," Maggie said quietly.
The nurse took the cup out with her. Josh pulled Maggie onto his lap. He could feel her bones. She'd lost more weight than could be healthy. He sighed.
The three of them watched TV while waiting for Maggie to be taken downstairs to the CT scan. When the porters came with the wheelchair, Maggie got nervous again.
"Can I carry her down?" Josh asked. The porter said he could, but he'd accompany anyway. Josh picked Maggie up, her hip bones digging into his side.
The ride down was quiet. Maggie kept her head on Josh's shoulder. Her thumb had found its way into her mouth. Josh stroked her hair and hummed at her. It made Maggie drowsy. She closed her eyes while her Papa walked down the hallway with the nurse and the wheelchair man.
"Okay, Miss Maggie," the nurse said. "Your dad's going to put you down on this bed, okay?"
Maggie nodded and her Papa put her down very gently. He smiled at her and gave her a kiss on her forehead.
"I'm just going to be back here, okay, Peanut?" Papa said to Maggie.
"Okay," Maggie whispered around her thumb. Papa smiled again.
Josh moved away and behind the screen where he was shown to stand. The technician and the nurse talked to Maggie, had her wiggle down a little. Josh heard her giggle, which made him feel a little better.
Maggie startled a little when the bed moved into the machine. The nurse had told her to put her hands over her head and lie very still. Maggie was a good listener and she wanted to show the nurse how good a listener she was.
"Okay, now, Maggie," the other person in the room said. "I'm going to put this needle into your I.V. and it's going to make you feel like you might have wet your pants. You might also feel warm in your throat and head. I promise, you didn't pee your pants and it will only last a minute or so. Okay?"
"Okay," Maggie said, wanting to put her thumb in her mouth again.
Maggie lay on the machine and looked around without moving too much. She thought she was going to go all the way into the machine, but instead, she only went in as far as the top of her tummy. So her head was all the way out and she could see her papa if she moved her head just a little.
Suddenly, Maggie felt warm near her belly. Like the person said, it felt like she wet her pants, but her pants weren't wet. And she felt warm in her throat, too! Just like the lady said. Maggie giggled.
"Stay still, please, Miss Maggie," the nurse said nicely.
"Sorry," Maggie apologized.
They took more pictures and the warm feeling only lasted a minute or so. Then, the bed moved again and Papa was picking her up from the bed again.
"That wasn't so bad, was it, Bug?" he asked. Maggie shook her head as she put her head back on his shoulder and her thumb back in her mouth. Maggie was tired.
Back in Maggie's room, Papa put her on her bed and Maggie held Uff and Turtle, curled up and fell asleep.
She was tired all the time, now.
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...
