RWRB Oneshots

PTSD (hospital scene pre-relationship) 6226w

TW: School shooting

This Oneshot is based around a school shooting during Alex's childhood and how it affects him in the future (mainly during the hospital scene when there's 'gunshots')

Also, I screwed with the timeline a little

Alex hasn't always known he wanted to go into politics, he just knew it long enough that he pretended it was his original plan. He tells the press following his mother's campaign that she is his inspiration, that he wants to follow in her footsteps. Sometimes he says the same about his dad, the 'patron saint of same-sex bathrooms'.

Sure the power was great, the attention fun, but the people– the people are everything.

Quite simply, he has always wanted to help people. When he was five that meant being a doctor, when he was eight that meant being a firefighter and when he was 14 years old and trapped with a school shooter that meant being a police officer.

But those civil service jobs are surprisingly controversial when going into politics with his mother's campaign.

Not that it mattered anymore because he had a plan, politics and the youngest senator was his plan. Then he was going to change the gun laws, that was his long term, achievement of a lifetime plan. The one thing he truly, desperately wants to achieve.

Because why the fuck did a traumatised 17 year old child have access to an automatic weapon capable of firing hundreds of rounds in a second and slaughtering entire classrooms of children.

It was apparently just one of those days.

Alex has always had a bit of a caring-too-much problem about most things. Which in America, or rather American politics, sucked because he now had the influence to help people who couldn't pay medical bills, marry whomever they love, or help prevent school shootings.

But he couldn't help all of them.

So of course it was today of all days, when he was coming off a night of little sleep and nightmares thanks to the rock solid Kensington beds that Alex was visiting Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

Specifically to help ensure that a children's cancer ward had enough books.

Seems like he was going to have another sleepless night. Guilt was a powerful thing.

He and Henry, along with their respective security teams had taken over the entire floor. Within 20 minutes they had shaken dozens of hands, flustered nurses and left children gobsmacked at the presence of an actual prince.

It was a little insulting that they didn't know him, the first son of America, but they were Brits and Brits were weird.

Exhibit A: Henry was wearing a completely grey, bland suit to a children's ward.

Alex at least had the decency to wear a funny tie decorated with cartoon characters.

Unfortunately he had forgotten who knew about this tie, Cash had eyed him cautiously this morning, asked if he was alright. Logically, Alex knew from June and Nora's many interventions that he always wears something 'childish' whenever he misses Marcus. A reminder of their friendship that got frozen time.

But Alex would also like to point out that he wears this tie whenever he sees kids, especially those in hospital. Marcus had wanted to be a doctor, he probably wouldn't have considered his shocking grades at the time but it was Alex's way of honouring that dream.

Which isn't much of a difference but enough to make it about honouring Marcus and not grieving him. Or not about Alex's own trauma which he would just like to forget about today.