The Royal Contract

She had a long day at the hospital. She had too many patients, and her attendees were quite demanding with their orders. She had no time to sit down and relax as she dealt with her duties.

She could not help but breathe a sigh of relief when her obligations were over. She could not wait to come home and relax on her couch.

"Are you done with your shift?" Her friend asked when they bumped into each other in the locker room while she was changing into her casual clothes.

She turned around to see Bernadeth opening her locker. She could only assume that her friend had just arrived for her duties.

"Yeah, I could not wait to hit my bed. It had been a toxic shift." Roseann complained to her friend, who fully understood what she had gone through.

It was natural for resident doctors to do all the work of their attendees. And some of their superiors could be abusive at times.

Then, she slumped on the bench in the middle of the small pathway and tried to take a few deep breaths. It had been an exhausting day.

"That bad, hah. Now, I am not looking forward to going in." Bernadeth lost the smile on her face as her pending doom loomed over her head.

Then, she sat beside her on the wooden bench as she fixed her things and changed into her uniform. But no matter how they felt, they knew they still had to go with it.

They had to sacrifice their social life, family, and everything in between if they wanted to be doctors. That was the price they had to pay for success.

"Maybe things would be different in your shift." She tried to be optimistic for her friend, but she doubted.

There seemed to be an epidemic of flu, and patients were flying to the hospital like flies. The emergency and outpatient waiting line was still full when she left her last station.

"Don't jinx it and make it worse." Her friend said as she pulled her scrub suit over her head.

Then, they started laughing, knowing there was much less they could do to change reality. And Roseann should expect the same tomorrow upon returning to her duty.

"Well, I have to go." She grabbed her things and stood away from her friend. "See you when I see you." That was the best they could do.

Sometimes, they could only share a few minutes during coffee breaks or changing shifts. But they would bond when they had the same off-duty schedule. A rare occasion that they made the most of if they could.

"I have a ticket for a basketball game. Are you up for it?" Bernadeth asked before she could exit the door.

"Sounds great. Count me in." Roseann told her friend, looking forward to spending a day with her.

She would have to work on fixing her schedule to fit into the basketball game. That was easy since she had several vacation days coming up.

"I guess I will see you then." She said as she walked out of the locker room and toward the exit. She went to where she had parked her bike and unlocked it.

Soon, she was cruising on the side of the street, avoiding the faster vehicles on her way home. She wondered what her sister was doing while she was at work.

It was also partly why she was in a hurry to go home. She wanted assurance that her sister was ok while she was gone. It was her first day to be alone on her own.

"Yeah, that is a great idea." She suddenly said to herself as she stopped in front of her apartment.

She was thinking of inviting her sister to the game. She knew she could find another ticket for her. But would Rosella like it?

However, before entering her building, she noticed a parked car not far from where she stood. Of course, she recognized it.

What was he doing here? She thought as she examined the make of the car and checked the plates, confirming it was his.

But the answer was obvious. David was here to visit her sister. That was the only logical answer to her question.

"What now?" She wondered if she should go to her apartment. Or should she just let them be alone?

Her feet decided to spy on them as they moved slowly into her hallway. She carefully took her keys out of her bag and opened her door, cautious not to make the door creak.

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She told herself she just wanted to make sure that things were ok. After all, Rosella still had no idea who David was. From their last conversation, she was still apprehensive about believing everything they told her about her life.

But who could blame her sister? She believed she might feel the same way if that happened to her. Her sister was living in a world full of strangers. How hard could that be?

"So, you work as a lawyer." She heard her sister ask her friend while they ate something at the dinner table.

It seemed they were in a deep conversation as they failed to notice her presence as she stood silently by the door.

"Yes, I own a law firm, and I also work as a defense attorney." She heard David explain to her sister what he did for a living.

After seeing her sister and David together, she decided to leave to give them time alone to get acquainted again.

She guessed she liked David but not enough to destroy his relationship with her sister. She loved her sister too much to hurt her.

"Did you dream of becoming a lawyer?" She heard her sister ask, but Roseann did not wait to listen to his answer.

She gently closed and locked the door, leaving the two. She turned and left, ending up at the bar where she and her friends usually hung out.

But after several glasses of her usual, she did not want to drink alone anymore. It was depressing. And she did not come here to wallow in pain. No.

She came here to celebrate. She was happy for her sister and David. At the same time, she needed a place where she could hang out so she did not have to disturb them.

"Sorry, Roseann, but I am out on a date. But if you..." She stopped her friend from ending his sentence, knowing he would leave the girl for her.

"No need, Roy. I just thought you might be bumming around your apartment." She thought she could crash at his place to pass the time.

She tried her other friends, but all of them were either working or out. Nobody could keep her company. When she scanned her phone again, she found a name that had caught her interest.

Should she call him or drop by his apartment? It had been a while since she last saw and talked to him. But at that moment, she did not feel like being alone.

"Surprise him." Her mind nagged at her.

She guessed there was no harm in dropping at his place unannounced. Besides, she had no better thing to do than sit here and drink herself to death.

She grabbed her bag and paid her due before saying goodbye to her pal behind the counter. Soon, she was in a cab, cruising across the city to reach his place.

"What are you doing?" She asked herself again once her alcohol-intoxicated mind slightly cleared up as she sat in the backseat of the car.

She began to doubt her decision to rush across town to see a man who might not want to see her again. Was she jumping from one mistake to another?

"That would be..." She hardly heard the driver as her silly mind debated whether to proceed with her plan or return home to her apartment.

However, she believed the latter was not an option. Therefore, she grabbed a few bills from her bag and paid the man behind the wheel. Then, she exited the car.

Before she could change her mind, she noticed a man swaying on his feet. He seemed drunk and unable to balance himself. Then, upon closer inspection, she realized she knew the man.

"Adam." Quickly, she rushed to his side before he fell to his knees. She grabbed his large, heavy arms and placed them on her shoulders to help him on his feet.

However, he was too heavy for her, and they almost stumbled and hit the building door. Thankfully, she managed to lean on the jam, balancing their weight on her shoulders and arms before they fell.

"Roseann?" He asked when his face turned to look at his savior. "What are you doing here?" He slurred in his drunken state as his eyes narrowed at her.

"Well, I was in the neighborhood. I thought of checking on you." She shifted his weight slowly to help with their equilibrium before assisting him into the door.

"It seems I am just in time to rescue you again." Remembering the first time they had met. "Come on. Let me help you up into your apartment."

Slowly, she guided him into the elevator until they were safely inside. A few more, and they would be in his apartment.

"And why are you drinking this time?" She asked, remembering the last time she saw him. At least this time, he made it home without passing out on the street.

"Serena." He spoke a name she had never heard before. She wondered if it was the same girl he talked about when she first met him.

And what was her involvement in his current situation? Was she a girlfriend, past or present? And why did she keep falling for guys that already belonged to someone else?