𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬¹ ✓

One

Alone {Adj.} - having no one else present.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚

      𝓣𝓱𝓲𝓼 morning was no different than any other. The light shined softly through her bedroom window as her alarm clock blared into her ear from beside her.

She stretched out her limbs as she reached over, pressing the off button harshly. A groan escaped her lips as she sat up, her legs hanging off the edge of the bed.

She sat there for a good two minutes before deciding to get up and head to her sons' room across the hall.

Their home wasn't huge. A small two-story home that was big enough to fit the three of them comfortably. She hated to think about how she came to have this home though. All it did was make her angry and scared.

She knocked softly on the door before opening it slowly. As she walked in all she could see was her four-year-old sons sprawled across their beds.

She shook them lightly before going to their closet to get their clothes for the day.

"Ares, Apollo, come on guys, it's time to get up," she said softly as she placed a small shirt and jeans on the end of their beds. Apollo opened his eyes slightly, smiling as he sees his mom was the one waking him up.

Ares was still dead asleep in his bed, not trying in the slightest to get up so his mom could get him ready for the day.

"Good morning." Apollo's voice was groggy from his sleep. "Good morning sleepy head," she said with a chuckle as he lifts his arms so she could change him.

She reached over an arm, shaking her other son slightly to try to wake him up again. "Ares, bud, you gotta get up or else you're gonna miss bubble guppies." As soon as the words 'bubble guppies' left her mouth, he was up and awake.

His eyes threatened to close again as he sat up straight.

She chuckled as she finished changing Apollo and went to quickly change Ares into his clothes.

After getting them both ready for the day, she sat them on a blanket with some of their toys in the living room with their favorite cartoon playing on the TV as she goes to make them all breakfast.

She put bread in the toaster before running upstairs and changing into her scrubs for work.

She sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. The bags under her eyes were becoming more prominent by the day.

She put her hair up in a ponytail before heading back downstairs to make them eggs.

Once it was all finished she sat down with them on the floor to feed them while also feeding herself. She looked at her watch to see she thankfully still had a bit before she had to go to work.

"Hey guys, I'm leaving you with uncles Tony and Noah again today, okay?" She told her sons as she tried smoothing out Ares' bed hair. Apollo simply nodded as Ares cheered beside her.

Ares loved hanging out with Noah, mostly because he always went along with his mischievous.

After a while, she finished getting them ready for the day before heading outside and towards her friend's house just a few houses down.

She knocked on their door with a tired four-year-old rocking on his heels next to her and the other practically bouncing off the walls.

A few seconds later Tony opens the door still in just his boxers, having just woken up. "Hey Tony, sorry to do this to you again." She apologized as Tony bent down to pick up a half-asleep Apollo who immediately fell asleep on his shoulder.

"I told you already that we don't mind. You've got a lot on your plate, Olivia. We'll watch the kids while you go to work." he said making Olivia smile.

"Thank you, Tony. Seriously, you and Noah are life savers." She says before saying goodbye to her sleeping son, her other son halfway through the house to see his favorite person already, before heading off to work at the local hospital.

***

      "Olivia, could you go talk to Mr. Peterson? He's refusing to take his medication again." One of the nurses asked her as she walked up to her, tired from her rounds.

"Yeah, I got it don't worry." She said with a chuckle. Mr. Peterson rarely ever took his medication when asked and always gave the doctors and nurses a run for their money when it came to convincing him to take them.

"Hey, Mr. Peterson. I hear you weren't taking your medication again," she said nicely as she looked at the chart that the nurse gave her earlier.

The old man scoffed. "I don't need the medication doc. If it's me to go then it's my time to go." He says defensively making Olivia sigh.

She thought for a second before deciding to treat this patient the way she could her son.

"Looks sir, the medication isn't to keep you alive. It's to make the transition easier. Less painful." she lied. This man clearly didn't want to stay alive any other longer than he had to but he was too old to make decisions for himself anymore.

Legally, as a doctor, she had to do what his guardian wanted and his daughter wanted to keep him alive.

He thought for a second before crossing his arms with a sigh. "Bring me my water then." He said giving in. Believing her words.

With a smile, she passed him his water and the pills he had to take.

Before leaving she turned back towards him. "By the way, the nurse told me your daughter will be visiting today. Maybe talk to her about taking you off the medication if that's what you truly want." She suggested before going back to her post-op rounds.

***

      Her shift was close to ending. She'd been working nonstop all day. Going from patient to patient, even working in the pit for a while.

Just as she had sat down for a break, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see someone she hadn't seen in years.

Someone she had wished she never had to see again.

"Madam Lenoir. It's a pleasure to see you again." The man said. His face was void of any emotion as hers was filled with them all.

"Arthur. I haven't seen you in forever, I was hoping to keep it that way." She said, feeling all the same anger she had felt three years ago.

"You made a promise to your father, I'm just here to make sure you're alive and prepared to see it through." His words pierced her like a knife. She had dreaded this day since leaving her father's grasp.

"I'm a doctor Arthur. My job is to heal people, I can't just turn around and do the complete opposite." The man chuckled at her words. "You should've thought about that before you made that promise then. You know your father best, he's not going to care what you do now. All he cares for is whether you're gonna be strong enough to carry his crown or not and well both know what will happen if you're not."

His words sent shivers down her spine as he leaves the room, leaving her frozen and scared.

Just when she thought she could escape it all, her father comes to drag her back to it all, and this time it's do or die.

Rule or rot.