Day 2, August 3rd, Prompt 213: OQ with COVID/quarantine
If there was one thing that Regina Mills was sick of, it was the entire year of 2020. It was by far the hardest year in her tenure as mayor, and it was still far from over. It was only the first week of April, but three weeks of quarantine had her questioning everything — her ability as mayor, her sanity, if Henry and Roland were learning anything in virtual school, whether the virus would end, or if Robin would become infected in his samaritan efforts with his Merry Men.
She tried her best to push her worry aside. She put on a brave face to all the changes she and the residents of Storybrooke faced in the pandemic, doing her best to convince herself she was a competent elected official in the position she filled.
Which is why Regina found herself working tirelessly from home in the spare bedroom she converted to an office. She conducted her meetings on Zoom, and she broadcast her daily COVID update from there as well using the equipment donated from the local news station. With City Hall and the majority of Storybrooke businesses shut down, the town looked to Regina for guidance and hope regarding the rising COVID cases and their continued stays at home. The amount of attention and media presence were not her preference, but her daily broadcasts did seem to help morale, so she continued them.
"I would like to remind each of you to please stay home as much as possible," Regina said, her eyes on the camera. "I know this is a trying time for many of us, but the best thing we can do to stop the spread of this illness is by staying home and staying separate from one another. We must flatten the curve. Within the last twenty four hours, we've had another three test positive."
She paused for a moment to allow her statement to sink in. "This is why I continue to reiterate the importance of staying in when possible, and wearing a face covering if you must go out for essential services. I also want to take this time to thank our essential employees in Storybrooke. Your efforts to keep our needs met in the middle of this public health crisis do not go unnoticed. That's all for today. Stay healthy and safe, Storybrooke. I'll see you tomorrow."
With her speech finished, she hit the button on her laptop to stop broadcasting. She stood, shutting the camera off as she walked the perimeter of her office, looking outside her window to gather her thoughts before her next meeting.
Deciding to check on the boys, Regina headed to the first floor. She poked her head in Henry's bedroom on her way down, finding him parked at his desk participating in a Zoom class. She felt her heart twinge at the sight of him. Her boy had adjusted well to virtual learning, but Regina hated that it was during his senior year. It pained her to see him missing milestones and being stuck at home during such an exciting and pivotal time in his life. Storybrooke High had cancelled prom at the end of the month, and a virtual graduation ceremony would likely take place in June versus an in-person one. A final decision on graduation would be reached at her meeting this afternoon with representatives from the school board, but Regina already knew the likely decision with the continuing quarantines. Still, though, she remained hopeful for her graduating boy.
She headed to the first floor and grabbed water from the fridge. On her way back up, she stopped to check on her step-son and his progress with school. At nine, Roland struggled more than Henry with virtual learning, and he required more supervision and guidance compared to his older brother. This proved difficult with Regina still working full-time and Robin being needed in the field. Roland slacked off more often than not, getting distracted easily and wanting to spend his time on other things.
Regina found Roland sprawled out on the living room couch. His school tablet was forgotten on the coffee table, and he was once again engrossed in Animal Crossing instead of his assignments. Regina stopped in front of him, her hands going to her hips.
"Roland," she said warningly. "You need to participate in your classes. Put the game away."
He groaned loudly, attempting to look around her at the screen. "I don't wanna," he said. "It's too hard." Then, after seeing Regina's eyebrows raise and the flash of displeasure in her eyes: "I don't understand the fractions, Momma."
Regina turned the television off and popped the Nintendo Switch out of its charging hub in one swift movement. "This will be coming to my office with me," she said. "I expect you to log on your tablet and ask your teacher for help. You know that Miss Mary Maragret will help you if you ask."
Roland crossed his arms and pouted. Regina stood for a few seconds longer to show she meant business, and he grabbed the tablet from the coffee table to power it back on. Within a minute or two, he was logged on Google Classroom listening to Mary Margaret rattle on about the fractions he so despised.
Regina finished her last meeting of the day at approximately 5:15 p.m. As soon as everyone signed off, she closed her laptop and removed her bluelight glasses, wishing that there was a way to go back to in-person meetings. She was not a fan of the technical issues or those who did not know proper Zoom etiquette. It was hard to be taken seriously sitting in her home office with someone's dog barking or a child crying in the background. Roland had also popped in on her meetings twice, not understanding that his interruptions were keeping her from doing important work. He was finished with school, and he assumed that Regina should also be finished with work.
She headed downstairs to the kitchen, wracking her mind for what she could make for dinner. Now that she was responsible for three meals a day for everyone, she ran out of ideas quickly. She also felt more exhausted after a day of Zoom meetings than she ever did working in-person at the office. Not only did she work as the mayor throughout the day, she also had to play teacher with Roland and Henry whenever they needed help with school. It was a lot to expect of one person, and she felt cracks splintering in her calm and collected facade.
She walked in on Henry preparing a homemade pizza. He already had the dough on the pizza pan, and he turned to smile at her as he opened the jar of marinara sauce. "Hey Mom," he said. "You're finally done." He nodded at the counter covered in pizza toppings. "I went ahead and started dinner. Robin should be here any minute."
"Thank you," Regina said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "What would I ever do without you?"
She watched as he added the sauce and toppings to the dish. It seemed that her teaching him a thing or two in his younger years had paid off, and she wouldn't need to worry about him going hungry next year at college living in his dorm.
If he even attended in-person, that is.
Henry looked up, almost as if he could hear her thoughts. Regina dreaded the question she knew he would ask: "Did you guys make a decision today? About graduation?"
"Yes," Regina said. "For now, we are going to wait until mid May to make a final decision. If our COVID numbers don't increase by tenfold, we will conduct an outdoor ceremony on the football field with each student limited to four tickets."
"And if they increase?"
She pressed her lips together before responding. "Then the ceremonies would be virtual."
Henry nodded, his expression hardening at that statement. Regina knew how disappointed he was with this turn of events, and how much he wanted to physically walk across the stage. He hid his emotions and turned back to the pizza. Regina watched him place the pan in the oven and set the timer, not meeting her eye again.
The front door opened then, signaling Robin was finally home. Regina turned to see him ducking inside, his mask still on. She saw his eyes crinkle with a smile at the sight of her, even if she couldn't see his lips.
"Daddy!" Roland yelled, running into the living room to hug his father.
"Hey, Ro," Robin said, giving his boy a quick spin and pulling his mask off. "How was school? Were you good today?"
"School was bo-ring," he replied, putting an emphasis on the word. "All we did was talk about fractions and the environment. I almost fell asleep!"
Regina stepped in the living room to peck Robin on the cheek. She turned to face Roland. "We also had some issues with being off-task today, but we resolved that rather quickly. The Nintendo Switch will now stay in my office throughout the day."
Robin gave Roland a look. "We've talked about this," he said. "Tom Nook and Isabelle will still be there after you've finished your lessons. School comes first."
"I know," Roland said, hanging his head. When he looked back up, his curls were cutely blocking his eyes. "It's just so hard. I don't like being on the computer. I miss my classroom."
Regina pushed the curls out of his eyes. "I know you do," she said softly, pulling him into a hug. "I don't like the computers either. I miss being in my office and attending my meetings in-person."
"You do?" Roland asked, looking up at her.
"Yes," she said, squatting down to his level. "We all miss the way things were before. It's certainly a lot harder to focus and do your work from home, but we'll get through it. I promise." She paused to nudge him playfully. "Also, if you're good tomorrow and complete all your classes, I'll consider trying that new game you and Henry are obsessed with. The one you wanted me to play with you so badly?"
"Yay!" he squealed, his face lighting up. "You'll love it, Momma! We even got Auntie Zelena and David to play with us."
Henry walked into the living room, a smile on his lips. "Robin can play now too," he said. "It's how we're all entertaining ourselves during quarantine."
Regina narrowed her eyes at them playfully. "How do I know you all aren't planning to gang up on me on my first try?"
"I'll help you," Roland said, his grin growing even bigger. "I'll teach you how to be a crewmate and an impostor. I won't even kill you if I'm the impostor your first time, I promise."
Robin laughed at his boy, and Regina looked over at him, playfully rolling her eyes. "And what is this game called again?"
"Among Us," Henry said, just as the timer went off for the pizza. "I'll tell you all about it over dinner. It's really not that hard of a game to master."
Dinner was finished. The table was cleared, leftovers put away, and the dirty dishes were in the dishwasher. The hum of the appliance let her know that Robin remembered to start the load.
Her boys were certainly spoiling her this evening. After hearing every little detail of the Among Us game, Robin offered to clean up afterward, saving Regina from doing the chore herself. Perhaps her exhaustion and stress level were more obvious than she realized. She gave in quickly, retreating to the living room couch with a glass of wine to try and relax.
Robin joined her after a few minutes. Regina could hear Henry upstairs talking on the phone to his girlfriend Violet, and Roland had disappeared to his bedroom as well. Regina had given him his Nintendo Switch back, and he was off to see about beating Tom Nook again. Roland was quickly becoming a serious gamer, wanting to spend as much time as possible on the game systems. Normally, she would protest the excessive screen time, but she allowed it tonight. She didn't have the strength or desire to fight, and she didn't have another activity for Roland to do instead of the Switch. Besides, she needed some quality time with Robin, just the two of them.
As soon as Robin sat down, Regina leaned against him and nestled her head into the crook of his neck. She breathed in the woodsy smell of his cologne, already feeling herself relaxing with him close and home with her at last.
He kissed her hair. "How was work?"
"Ugh," she said. "Long. How was your day? Where and who did you work with today?"
"We went to the nursing home," Robin said. "We heard the residents were struggling with their families unable to visit due to the quarantine, so we did window chats with them. They loved it. It really seemed to help their mood and hope for the future."
She couldn't help but smile, wondering how she got so lucky to find a husband interested in the welfare of others. Robin was always acting out of the kindness of his heart, insisting on giving back to those in need. It seemed that the pandemic had only amplified that desire for him, allowing him to do even more to help the community. Regina was thankful for that.
"Now," Robin said, pulling away and turning to face her. "We need to talk."
Regina looked at him quizzically, unsure of what he wanted to discuss. "Alright," she said, turning to face him as well. She allowed him to take her hands in his, her heart thumping at the seriousness of the moment.
"Milady," he said. "You know that I love you, and that I care deeply for you. I can always tell when you're stretched too thin, overly anxious, or struggling to cope." He reached out and lightly touched the dark circle under one of her eyes. "Please tell me how you're really doing. No sugarcoats allowed."
His gesture was so sweet, and the worry for her in his eyes nearly made her emotional. Struggling to keep her tears in check, Regina cleared her throat before speaking. "I'm exhausted," she admitted, biting her lower lip at her confession. It troubled her to admit she was struggling, but she trusted Robin more than anyone. "I was in back-to-back meetings all day without any real resolutions. No one knows what to do or how to handle this pandemic." She paused to rub her temples before continuing. "I tried to check on the boys in between each meeting, but sometimes I didn't have the chance. It's hard to be in two places at once."
"I know it is," Robin said reassuringly, rubbing his thumbs on the backs of her hands. "But you're doing an amazing job."
Regina scoffed, not believing she was doing anything near amazing. "Roland ended up missing the majority of his math class before I caught him on the Switch. Mary Margaret counted him absent."
He continued rubbing the backs of her hands in small circles as she ranted, knowing she needed to get the words out and off her chest. He stayed silent and let her ramble about the things that were bothering her, knowing she wouldn't open up like this to just anyone.
"I just don't know what to do," she said. "I question every decision I make. I worry about the kids and whether they're learning enough from home. I worry about the businesses in Storybrooke who are struggling with the shutdown and whether they will ever recover. But then I hear about all of those who are sick and suffering, all of those that we've lost. As much as I want normalcy, I question if it will ever exist again."
A tear slipped out of the corner of her eye despite her best efforts to contain them. Robin wiped it away gently, tilting her chin so she would look him in the eye.
"Regina, my love," he said. "You are doing a phenomenal job with the resources and knowledge you have of the virus. It's an unprecedented time. No one knows what to expect, but you're human. It's okay if you find yourself struggling with the shutdown. So are the rest of us."
She sniffled. "What about Henry?" she said. "What if he can't walk across the stage in June because of the shutdown? Or what if Roland falls behind academically? You know how hard it is for him to stay on task with his ADHD."
Robin embraces her, allowing her to cry against his shoulder. "You're worried if Henry resents you," he said. "Because you're the one who shut Storybrooke down."
She only nods against his shoulder. She can't bring herself to speak, and she doesn't want to alarm the boys upstairs.
"Henry may resent the situation, but he doesn't resent you," Robin said. "You know that. Henry has been very mature and understanding of this pandemic from the start. He was the one who taught Roland to wear his mask in public and was even reluctant to go to school before the shutdown." He paused to let his words sink in. "You're a great mother, Regina. Don't let this pandemic steal your joy. Henry will get his moment to graduate, even if it's not on the timeline and in the way we expected. And Roland will adjust to the virtual learning. We just have to keep working with him and find what works best for him."
They sit in silence for a minute. Regina collects herself and leans back to look into the blue irises of the man she loves so much. "Have I ever told you that you're the greatest?" she said, kissing his cheek.
"Hmm," he said playfully. "I don't seem to recall those exact words. Care to elaborate?"
She swatted at him, looking toward the television. "You pick something," she said. "I know you're tired of my rom-coms. Whatever you want to see, I'll watch it."
Robin grabs the remote from the coffee table. "Let's YouTube a tutorial," he said, his eyes laughing. "You're gonna need it for our Among Us game tomorrow."
A/N: Hope you enjoyed! I will post the second part tomorrow for the third day of OQPromptParty!
