Ray was on the porch the moment they pulled up, rocking in his chair with a mug of coffee that had probably gone cold an hour ago. His eyes brightened when he saw Meadow step out of the backseat. “Took y’all long enough,” he called out.
Meadow forced a smile and rushed up the steps, leaning down to hug him tight. “Daddy, we got here as fast as we could.”
“You still slow,” Ray teased, but Meadow heard the worry under it.
Meadow could barely focus. She had one thing on her mind, and her fear surged the moment her feet touched the wooden porch.
“She inside?” Meadow asked quietly.
Ray nodded. “Yeah…she’s in her room.”
He didn’t say anything more, and that silence told Meadow everything she needed to know.
Her heart dropped.
She didn’t even glance back at Zaire. She pushed the screen door open and rushed straight through the living room, ignoring her hunger, ignoring everything that wasn’t Magnolia. She moved down the hallway fast, breathing too hard for someone who hadn’t run.
When she opened the door, Magnolia lay curled on her side, her hair frizzy from sleep and her fingers absently picking at the blanket like she was searching for a memory inside the fabric.
“Mama,” Meadow whispered.
Magnolia blinked slowly, unfocused, before her gaze drifted toward Meadow. She stared for a long moment like she was studying a stranger she wanted to love but couldn’t place.
Then her face softened.
“Oh…” Magnolia whispered. “The girl from the story.”
Meadow’s chest tightened. Her throat closed instantly. “I’m not the girl from the story,” she said, voice breaking. “I’m Meadow. I’m your daughter.”
Magnolia nodded, but the confusion didn’t fully clear. “You have the same eyes,” she murmured, “pretty eyes.”
Meadow swallowed hard and sat on the edge of the bed. “I missed you, Mama.”
Magnolia reached up and touched Meadow’s cheek with trembling fingers. “You look tired, baby.”
Meadow laughed, fragile. “I’m fine.”
That was a lie.
She wasn’t fine…she didn’t even feel like herself.
Her mama didn’t recognize her…again.
Not fully at least…not the way she needed her to.
It sucked that she’d had a wonderful weekend just to be hit with reality. Some would think she should’ve been used to it, but living with fragments of a person was something she’d never get used to.
Zaire stood in the doorway - quietly. As just a presence she could feel even without turning around. His posture softened when he took in the scene - Magnolia was weak and disoriented, Meadow was crumbling in slow motion, and Ray was standing behind him with worry etched deep in his face. To think, there was just a piece of the sun in Meadow’s eyes yesterday…now, her gaze was completely overcast.
Zaire didn’t move until Meadow leaned forward enough for him to notice her shoulders were trembling.
Then he stepped in.
He didn’t touch her. He just moved to her side and stood with his hands clasped in front of him, grounding her with his presence alone.
Ray walked in behind him and cleared his throat. “She didn’t sleep too good last night,” he explained quietly. “Been a little confused this morning.”
Meadow nodded without looking at him. “Did she eat?”
