You and Tequila

Chapter Forty-Seven

With slightly quivering hands, Regina sets down the orange bottle on top of Archie's desk, her eyes cast down to nothing but the ugly floor. She releases the bottle with a shaky breath and clasps one hand over the other in front of her abdomen. She very clearly hears Archie click his tongue, but she just can't find the strength to look the man in the eyes.

"Nurse Ruth spoke with me this morning," Dr. Hopper begins in his more authoritative tone, but Regina just nods in return. "You didn't take one."

"It was in my mouth," she honestly rats herself out because she swore last night, no more lies.

"But you spit it out."

"I did, but-"

"No, enough with the buts," he sternly says and gestures for her to take a seat on the couch. "You have to stop with the negativity if you ever want to survive."

Regina cautiously perches herself on the edge of the couch, preparing herself for a brutal scolding that will ultimately lead to her expulsion from the clinic. She's been warned enough times that this facility does not tolerate using and would result into being kicked out of the program.

"Regina, look at me," Archie urges, persuading those puffy eyes from a night of crying to tentatively crawl in his direction. "You did not swallow that pill. This time is always crucial when weaning people off prescription drugs, most people cave and relapse, but the fact of the matter is, that in the end, you stopped yourself. You were strong enough to spit out that pill and end the vicious cycle. You need to realize that and applaud yourself on not caving and actually swallowing that pill. You did not break your sobriety and that is something you should be celebrating now, not dwelling on something that didn't happen."

"But I almost caved, I was so close-"

"Stop," he sighs heavily and rips his glasses from his nose. "There are no what ifs, right now. We are just stating facts, you did not break your sobriety. Say it," he demands, but she just blinks up at him curiously, like she doesn't actually believe in his words right now. "Say. It. I did not break my sobriety."

"I...I did not break my sobriety," she meekly repeats his statement, still so full of self-doubt because mother's voice is there again, reminding her that she's not worthy. "She didn't answer again," her mouth blurts out without her consent, causing her to appear mortified by her own loose lips.

"Emma."

"Yes."

"Finish the sentence, accept the things..."

"We cannot change," Regina annoyingly fills in the blank like requested.

"Exactly. You cannot change the past or force her to answer the phone, you've done all you can do and when she's ready, on her own time, she will call you again."

"I highly doubt it," she grumbles under her breath.

"Well, then it's over and you need to move on, but right now, your main concern is your sobriety, not a past relationship. You need to better yourself before you can even think about being a stable partner in a relationship," he explains strictly, but there's still that sweet and gentle tone lingering behind his words that express just how much he actually cares.

Suddenly, he's standing up from his chair and walking toward the door, piquing Regina's interest for the moment. She leans a little further, hoping to catch a glimpse as the man opens the door and smiles at whomever is waiting on the other end.

"Well, it's so nice of you to finally join us," he cheerfully says through a goofy grin and reaches over the threshold for a split second. "Regina, I have a little bit of a surprise for you today," he excitedly announces, prompting Regina's heavy heart, lazy from yesterday's strenuous activity, to beat just a little faster.