A Mother's Promise

Chapter One

Olivia remains grounded in the same location on the sofa as daylight fades into darkness, dread flooding over her, a feeling she has experienced many times before. She hasn't seen her son Kyle since the morning, which she knows is never a good sign. Her fear grows worse, her heart beats erratically, and her palms become sweaty; she knows something is wrong, but she can only wait.

Olivia nearly falls to the floor when she stands up to prepare a cup of tea. Her body is sleep-starved and weakened. Olivia remains still as the door knocks, knowing who the culprits are, their knocks are seldom soft. Trying to regulate her breathing, she makes her way to the door, opening it just enough to see the two cops, but Olivia isn't surprised; this is becoming a regular event.

"Good evening, Mrs. Hanagh. May we come in?" One of the officers asked.

Olivia is taken aback for a while; they typically just call and inform her that Kyle is at the police station.

Olivia takes a step back and fully opens the door, allowing the officers to enter the sitting room. Still unable to find her voice, she attempts to interpret the cops' expressions.
She has never been uncomfortable in their presence; they are always polite and soft-spoken with her, but something makes her uneasy.

"Mrs Hanagh, do you want to have a seat?" The female cop asked.

"No, I am OK," Olivia responds. She couldn't sit even if she wanted to because her legs had frozen her in place.

"Mrs Hanagh, I am sure you understand why we are here." The male cop speaks.

Olivia inhales deeply. " Yes, what did he do?"

Kyle's arrest became a frequent event, and while it was seldom serious, Olivia was nonetheless upset about it.

"Mrs Hanagh, Kyle was arrested for being drunk and disorderly."

Olivia was not startled; she knew he would be released the next day with caution.

"Are you holding him tonight?"She inquired, anticipating the answer.

The male cop clears his throat and says, "Mrs Hanagh, Kyle had a seizure in the police vehicle and had to be rushed to the hospital because he lost consciousness."

Olivia felt her blood run cold, and her legs faltered, almost leading her to tumble to the floor. The female cop supports her and helps her to sit. She was aware that her son's lifestyle made a seizure potentially fatal.
Olivia suddenly leapt to her feet, shocking the cops in front of her.
"I have to get to the hospital," she cried.

The female cop clutches her arm but not in an aggressive manner.
"Calm down, Mrs. Hanagh; we'll drive you there now."

Olivia would never have allowed the cops to escort her any other time; the last thing she wanted was to give the neighbours anything else to gossip about, but now was not the time to protest; she needed to be by her son's side right now.
Olivia followed the cops to the car, trying to keep her steps steady while her body trembled with anxiety. Twitching curtains and gaping blinds made her uncomfortable. She climbs into the rear seat of the car, hears ringing in her ears, her head becomes foggy, and a wave of nausea washes over her. Feeling weak, she clutches the handle hard and lowers the window just enough to allow the night air to rush through and bring her back to her senses.

They arrive at the hospital, and Olivia is led to a family room to wait for the doctor who treated her son. Olivia sits anxiously waiting in silence, the only sound being the ticking of a clock, yet she is confident that if someone enters, they will hear her racing heartbeat.