Maggie's nightmares didn't go away and she kept going to see Dr. Kate. Mama and Papa did find, though, that even though Maggie was still having nightmares, and some nights they were really bad and it was hard to wake Maggie up, so far they hadn't had any repeats of the time Maggie stopped breathing.
"Good morning, Bug," Papa smiled one morning as Maggie came into the kitchen before breakfast and school.
"Morning, Papa!" Maggie smiled.
"You slept okay last night, huh?"
Maggie nodded and sat at her place at the table. Papa put a bowl of oatmeal with brown sugar and butter in front of Maggie. It was warm and sweet and just what Maggie needed on this cold November morning.
"We're going to go to Uncle Tyler and Aunt Jenna's for Thanksgiving next week. What do you think?" Papa asked.
Maggie's eyes lit up and she smiled and nodded through her spoonful of oatmeal. Papa laughed.
"Very nice, Maggie May," he laughed.
"Maggie May?" Mama said as she came into the kitchen. "I like the sound of that."
Mama gave Maggie a kiss on her head and stole a spoonful of oatmeal.
"Mama! That's my breakfast!" Maggie laughed.
"Oh. Is it? I'm sorry. You want it back?" Mama pretended she was going to throw it back up.
"No, Mama!!" Maggie laughed. Mama smiled at her and kissed her head again.
The three of them ate breakfast and then Papa helped Maggie into her warm jacket and helped her with her shoes while Mama got her lunch together. The three of them left the house, with Jim of course, and walked to Maggie's school.
Throughout the day, Maggie was attentive and listened to her teacher. Mrs. Donovan was talking about Thanksgiving and what it meant. Maggie didn't know who the pilgrims were or why they were called pilgrims, but she listened to Mrs. Donovan tell them Thanksgiving stories.
"Who has plans for Thanksgiving?" Mrs. Donovan asked.
"We're going to Uncle Tyler and Aunty Jenna's for Thanksgiving," Maggie said when Mrs. Donovan called on her.
"On the bus with beds?" Steven asked.
"No," Maggie said. "They live in a house, silly! We're going to their house!"
The rest of the class talked about the plans their families had. A few classmates were going out of state to see family. Some were having their whole families at their house.
"Mama?" Maggie asked on the way home from school.
"Yeah, Bug?" She looked up at Maggie perched on her papa's shoulders.
"How come we don't have more family?"
"We have family. Papa's parents, Nana and PopPop. And Uncle Jordan and Aunts Ashley and Abigail. And my parents and Uncle Chase," Mama said.
"But they're not coming to Uncle Tyler's are they?"
"No. We're going to spend Christmas with Papa's family."
"Why?" Maggie asked.
"Why not?" Papa said, smiling.
Maggie had no response to that. Papa had a point.
They got home and Mama went through Maggie's bag and lunch bag.
"Maggie," Mama said. "You didn't eat your lunch."
"I wasn't hungry," Maggie said, chasing Jim who had grabbed her shoe from the front door.
Debby looked at the lunch she'd packed and saw she hadn't even eaten her snacks. It was just one day, so Debby wasn't going to worry, but it was unlike Maggie not to eat anything at all during the day.
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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...
