Page 125 of Call Back

Colt’s hand tightened on my waist. “Maggie? How are you doing?”

“Fine.”

“Do you need to sit down? This is a lot to process on top of everything else.”

“I’m fine.”

A nurse emerged from the room and held the door open. “You can come in now.”

I looked past her and saw my mother on the hospital bed. She was a ghost of the woman who had raised me. Suddenly, I understood my mother’s choice. Her entire life, she’d balked against doing things any way but her own. It made sense that she’d want to leave this earth on her own terms.

Colt gave me a slight nudge, and I crossed the threshold, wondering how much time she had left. I needed to play a role, or I’d fall to pieces. But what role should I play? The answer was so obvious that I couldn’t believe it had taken me more than an instant to figure it out.

I would play my mother.

I steeled my back as I walked into the room. “Momma. I never knew you to be so dramatic. You’re supposed to leave the drama to me.”

She turned to face me and smiled. “You’ve had a monopoly on drama for years, Magnolia. Maybe it’s my turn.” Her smile fell. “Did you get the help you needed this morning?”

“Yeah,” I said. “It was all taken care of.”

Tilly moved to a chair in the corner and hung her head.

Colt put one hand on my shoulder and the other on the handrail on Momma’s bed. “I’m here for her, Lila.”

Momma lifted her eyes to Colt. “I lost her once . . .”

He held her gaze. “It won’t happen this time.”

“You two realize I’m right here, don’t you?” I asked, trying to sound annoyed, though I was secretly curious that they seemed to have had this conversation before.

Tilly laughed. “Don’t waste your breath, darlin’.”

Colt scooped up Momma’s hand. “Lila, don’t you worry. I won’t forget my promise.”

Tears filled her eyes and she mouthed, “Thank you. You’re a good man, Colt Austin. You’re finding your way. Don’t listen to the naysayers.”

He choked up and laughed. “Don’t be getting soft on me, Lila. I need you riding my ass.”

“Someone else is gonna have to take over that job.”

Colt leaned over and kissed my mother’s forehead. “Then I guess the job’s gonna have to stay vacant.” He turned around and gave me a hug, and I was surprised he seemed to need strength from me and not the other way around.

I held him close, closing my eyes as I pressed my cheek into his chest, his steady heartbeat in my ear reassuring me.

“I’ll be in the waiting room,” he said. “Keeping an eye on your brother.”

“Thanks,” I whispered.

As soon as he walked out, I immediately returned to Momma’s bedrail, resting both hands on it this time. “I don’t believe you. You raised me to never be a quitter.”

She sighed, tilting her head back to stare at the ceiling. “I’m not quitting, Magnolia. I’ve fought.”

“Do you remember when I had strep throat when I was in second grade?” I asked.

She chuckled, but it was weak. “You and Roy missed the Easter egg hunt at church. You were beside yourself. Your father hid a bunch of eggs at home for you two. He could never stand to see his Magnolia’s blossoms fade, he used to say.”

“I’d forgotten that,” I murmured. “But I was thinking about the antibiotics. The doctor gave me pills instead of the liquid, and I refused to take them. Do you remember what you said?”

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