Magnolia Blooms

36. Legend

The doctors checked over Josh and Debby and determined them recovered. They were discharged, even though they didn't leave the hospital.

Maggie was still unconscious.

"She's not unconscious," Debby said, peering at her little girl. "She's sleeping."

"What?" Josh asked. He looked at Maggie.

"She's sleeping. Look. Her eyes are moving under her eyelids. They weren't doing that before. She's finally getting good, deep sleep."

"But it's been two days," Josh said. "No one sleeps for two days, do they?"

"Maggie hasn't been asleep for the past ten days. She's been in... that place. Now she's finally getting some good rest."

The next day, Maggie opened her eyes for the first time since Christmas Eve. She looked around, her eyes landing on her mama.

"Hi, Mama," she said, quietly. Debby lifted her head and looked at Maggie.

"Maggie!" Debby jumped up. "Maggie, baby! You're awake!"

"I'm awake, Mama. I was thleeping, but now I'm awake," she said. Her lisp was back.

"You slept a lot," Debby said.

"Mama?" Maggie said.

"Yes, Bug?"

"I haded a dream. But it wathn't a real dream. And you and Papa were there, too. Mama?"

"Yes, my baby girl?" Debby said, gathering her little girl into her arms as she lay on her bed.

"The monthterth are gone," she smiled.

"I think you're right, my little Magnolia," Debby said. "You were so brave."

Maggie took a deep breath.

"Where'th Papa?" She asked.

"He just went to get us some coffee," Debby said.

"Okay," Maggie said, and closed her eyes again.

Maggie slept deeply on and off for the rest of the day. The next day, the doctors did some tests and determined Maggie was well enough to go home. Her very happy mama and papa couldn't wait to bring her home finally. And maybe finally get to celebrate Christmas.

Tyler, Jenna, Rosie and Jim were all waiting at their house when Josh pulled up with Maggie and Debby. Josh carried Maggie into the house, and Maggie smiled at her best friend who was bouncing and excited to finally see Maggie again.

"I missed you!" Rosie said, when Josh put Maggie down to take off her coat. Maggie held on to Josh for balance. She was a little unsteady on her feet right now, owing to having spent so much time laying in bed, not moving. Josh and Debby each took one of her hands and a very determined Maggie shakily made her way over to Rosie and gave her a hug.

"You have Christmas presents!" Rosie said. "You didn't open your presents!"

Maggie looked under the tree and saw the presents, still all neatly wrapped with just a light coating of dust since no one had been home in nearly two weeks.

Maggie didn't want to open her presents just now. She wanted to play with Rosie and Jim and she wanted to snuggle with her mama and her papa. And she didn't think it would be fair to open presents when Rosie didn't have any.

Josh smiled at his daughter's thoughtfulness.

The two couples and their daughters talked as the girls played, then ordered Chinese food and had dinner together.

Maggie started dozing off in the middle of dinner and Debby carried her upstairs to get her ready for bed.

"Thorry Rothie," Maggie said tiredly. "I'm thleepy."

"It's okay, Maggie. I see you later," Rosie smiled.

Debby came back downstairs a little while later, smiling.

"She looks really good," Jenna said. Debby smiled.

"She does. She slept so well and so deeply in the hospital. Oddly enough," Debby said.

"What happened to you guys?" Tyler asked, sitting forward in his chair.

"I don't know if we can explain it," Josh said. "Or that you wouldn't think us completely nuts if we did."

"Try us," Tyler said.

"We were," Josh shook his head. "Inside Maggie's nightmare is the best way I can describe it. We were in that room. What she called the 'scary room'. It was her old room before I found her."

"You're right. That does sound nuts," Tyler said.

"I told you. But that's where we were. And I think maybe Maggie's nightmares might be done. She fought her monsters."

"Her parents?" Jenna asked. "Her birth parents?"

Debby nodded.

"It was the strangest thing. It felt so real. She asked us to sing Stressed Out," she said.

"The Blurryface song," Josh interjected with a smile. "Her favourite song."

Tyler smiled.

"I played that song in your room when the three of you were ... gone? Maggie's vitals improved when it played. So I kept playing it. Over and over."

"We heard it. I think we heard it," Debby said with a smile.

"We just kept singing it to her, then we heard it when, I guess, you played it, and at some point this, like, light just, came from Maggie. She glowed. It was like a golden light almost. She told her parents, her birth parents, that they don't matter anymore to her, that they never loved her and she didn't need them. She fought them. And they disappeared."

Unidentified Couple Found Deceased in South Side Apartment

COLUMBUS, OH - The bodies of two adults, a male and a female, were found inside an apartment on January 10 after residents complained of a smell emanating from the apartment.

The identities of the deceased are not known at this time.

No cause of death has been established as there were no signs of foul play, no signs of forced entry and no signs of violence. The medical examiner's office is performing a secondary autopsy to try and determine the cause of death.

There was no identification found with either body or within the apartment, but a car parked in the spot assigned to the unit is registered to a
Thomas Roanoake of Dayton, Ohio.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Columbus Police.

➿➿

Josh read the morning news and came across the article about the two bodies found on the south side of the city. He showed the article to Debby who read it but didn't comment.

She smiled down at her daughter, who was happily sitting in the kitchen with the morning sun lighting up her features. She was eating a bowl of Froot Loops and, though she thought she was being sneaky, was also sneaking some to Jim.