Sweet Magnolia, Can You Hear Me?

Twenty

Possible trigger warning (self harm)

"Hello?"

"Hey Maggie."

"I recognize your voice."

"That makes me incredibly happy, Mags."

"Ju... Jude? Your name is Jude?"

"Yes, Maggie. My name is Jude."

"You haven't called in a while, right?"

"I haven't called for two weeks."

"I'm glad you're calling now."

"So am I, Mags."

"I'm very sorry for what I did, Jude. Some days are just bad, you know? They're bad and I don't want to hear the stuff in my head. I know I shouldn't have done it. My head was so loud. It was so loud. Too loud."

"I understand, Maggie. Just please don't do it again, alright?"

"There's a nurse watching me every minute of the day now. Even when I'm sleeping."

"They're there to keep you safe, you know."

"My mother explained it to me. I'm a danger to myself. They visited for the second time the other day. My mother was angry and my father cried. I made my father cry."

"He cried because he loves you, Mags. He doesn't want to lose you."

"He kept saying he couldn't lose me like he lost Eric. What does that mean?"

"I think you should ask a nurse that question."

"Oh, okay. I made Lindsay cry, too."

"Lindsay cried?"

"She's the one who found me."

"Oh."

"I just remembered what my mother kept shouting at me. She kept saying things like 'how could you do this to me again?' and 'I thought you learned the first time'. Have I tried this before?"

"...Yes. It was before, when you weren't in the hospital."

"What did I do? I have scars on my arms... Is that what I did?"

"Yes."

"Who found me that time?"

"Your brother and I found you."

"I suddenly don't feel well. Sorry."

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