Coma

Normalcy is lost

The house was still, quiet, dark. Everyone lay asleep except for her. This is how Maggi found most of her nights off from work. She never knew why she was always such a night owl or why days frustrated her, especially warm sunny days. At 22 Maggi had found herself with one 3 year old daughter and two step children, a 10 year old boy, and a 7 year old girl. She adored all 3 and her husband dearly, but she couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. The once daring vixon had been softened into the small town life of a wife and mother by her college sweet heart. Truth be told her and Jason hadn’t even met at college originally. They matched on an online dating site, hooked up once, and didn’t think anything of it again. That is until Maggi fell pregnant. So the story goes that thankfully they were actually meant for each other and Maggi felt extremely blessed to have been given an amazing father and husband in one, still yet she had her reservations. All her life Maggi was an outspoken, sexy, southern treat with her long red hair, burning hazel eyes, plump lips and a full bum to match. Her ivory skin never embarrassed her because she loved the way it would glow in the darkness tangled up with a new lover. Now, as she looked in the mirror she couldn’t help but notice every flaw. Her once broad shoulders that carried her plump bosom high, had sunk with nurturing her daughter. She looked at her once glowing eyes with devastation as they had now dulled by the bags underneath them from lack of sleep. Her hair was always pulled back into a bun now and had lost its shine. Maggi never cared to be a typical house wife or mother and in all honesty, she wasn’t the best at it. She would let her children run a muck in the house all day and not clean an ounce till her nights off, which is why she found herself alone tonight, with a house full of dishes, grime, and laundry, yet again. She sighed as she took one last glance at herself feeling battered before she started her routine of catering to her family once again.

Jason was a typical man, very old school and set in his ways. He had inherited a decent enough 4 bedroom trailer house from his father when he had passed. Jason was also an avid hunter. Maggi found it odd that he was always hosting such large hunts and bringing her an army to feed during deer season, but being from a family who harvests in the Deep South she didn’t think it was too odd. He was a native man, tall, lean, his skin would get dark in the summer but the rest of the year he was just as pale as Maggi. He kept a beard to hide his aging face, and a guarded heart believing that no one, not even his beloved Maggi should see emotion from him. He had one tattoo on his chest of his family brand. Maggi also thought it odd that everyone, literally everyone in Jason’s family had the same tattoo somewhere. Still yet she tried to chalk it up as major devotion and didn’t ask questions often. There were many things Maggi wondered about the family she had married into. They were extremely close and given she had moved from Kentucky to Alabama to start her life a close knit family was new to her. They also had maids, or workers, they called Cow hands. Maggi asked Jason once why they had “slaves” as she’d called it when it’s the 21st century. Jason didn’t say anything, instead just gave her a glance and that was enough for Maggi to not ask again. She wasn’t sure what it was about Jason that made her once fiery spirit dwindle, but it was nice for a change. Being in charge and chasing after the unknown in life became exhausting, and for the first time in her life, Maggi was just coasting. The idea that Jason’s family was so loaded they had their own butlers, and maids, and cow hands. Or the fact that per requirement of the family she had to work for the tribe in some way or another was unsettling, but at least she was cared for. Although what always brought these thoughts back up and haunted her during her most waking hours of the night was, “if we are so stinking rich, why are we the only ones in the family living in a double wide?” It was true that Jason was the only family member who seemed to branch off even in the slightest and didn’t want to always rely on inheritance, Maggi loved that about him, but was still curious as to why. She layed her constant burning questions to rest and decided to make a cup of coffee and watch the sun rise.

“Alexa play wake me up before you go go” Maggi knew this song always got her kiddos up whether they liked it or not. Jason on the other hand was a different s********e how for the past 4 years he was able to awaken before Maggi could realize it. Just another odd occurrence. She poured his coffee as he sat at the kitchen island and then announced they would be having omelets with hash browns and asparagus for breakfast. Cereals were a sugary death trap and not allowed in this house, Jason had made that very clear, at least until he was off to work that is. Maggi sat Jason’s plate and coffee in front of him then proceeded to set another plate and a cup of milk for their son, Grayson, on the island. The girls had their own smaller table at the end of the island Maggi sat a plate and a glass of milk in front of a very sleepy Kay when just as always the monster had awoken. At just 3 years old Ezra was already so much like her mother. Red headed and filled with a burning passion for, well honestly just about anything or maybe nothing at all. The only thing she had gotten from her father was his tall lanky figure and the petrifying silence and death glare when she was angry. She came wobbling into the dining room and sat at the table. When Maggi carefully sat her plate in front of her the fit commenced. “I want cereal!” Maggie’s heart began racing, worried Jason had caught on until she remembered her cover up. “She gets that crap one time at a friends house and suddenly she’s hooked. That stuff is awful for you” Jason huffed and walked back into the master bedroom to get ready for work. Maggi consoled the confused Ezra and winked at Grayson as Jason kissed everyone good bye for the day. As soon as she heard the truck start she grabbed each one of the children’s untouched plates and scooped them out into the pig trough. She grabbed the secret stash of fruity pebbles and all was right with the world again.

“I have to go to the Doctor today so you three will be staying with Grandma just for a couple hours until I get back” Maggi had scheduled this day for months in advance praying it would never come. Jason had decided he wanted another child, which meant Maggi had to get her birth control removed. There were many unpleasant feelings for Maggi, but the main one being she wasn’t ready for a fourth child. She was snapped out of her thoughts when a worried Grayson asked “are you okay?” Even at 10 years old Grayson was incredibly intuitive and so light hearted Maggi often wondered how Jason was capable of creating such a caring human. “I’m fine I just have to have a little check up! Now let’s brush our teeth and get ready for the day!”

Maggi arrived at the doctors office promptly 15 minutes before her appointment. Even though she preferred the night time she couldn’t stand being late for anything. She admitted to her physician she was nervous about the removal of her birth control, but was reassured removing an IUD was usually painless and quick. The Doctor stepped out of the room while she removed her clothing and got as comfortable as possible on the table. Once Maggi was situated on the table her worries were soon shifted back to her husband and his mysterious ways. “Just once” she thought. “Just once it’d be nice to have some clarity, or understanding or even an emotional reaction from the man, like in the beginning”. Her thoughts were shut off when she realized something had gone wrong. The easy removal process had not gone as planned and Maggi was now feeling clammy, seeing black spots, and an excruciating pain in her lower abdomen overwhelmed her. “She’s hemorrhaging, the device has attached itself to the uterus.” These were the last words Maggi heard before she lost consciousness.