(BL)Alpha Made-Chapter 285: Overstepping

Andrew left the room shortly after. He left Ford there, with the staff who were taking care of Richard while Dr. Liu and Maxwell followed him into the hallway.

He knew he was short of breath, his heart was a drum in his chest and his hands were sweaty. Maxwell said nothing about the dampness of his palms, and instead held on tighter. At some point when Andrew hadn’t been aware, Mr. Newman had come back and lurked in the back.

Now that they were in the hallway, he spoke quietly to Maxwell. He could tell that Maxwell had forgone a few big meetings to be here with him and that only made Andrew feel like shit. He knew that Maxwell was doing his best to make it not that obvious, but Andrew could tell. He didn’t want to be an obstacle in his way.

He also knew if he said that out loud, Maxwell and everyone else would beat him up.

"Dr. Nice." Dr. Liu started, startling Andrew from his thoughts. He was surprised by her tone and how soft it was. Andrew unconsciously squeezed Maxwell’s hand.

"Yes?" He said in response. She seemed to hesitate for just a second before she pushed ahead. Her hands were calm, stable, and her eyes were looking into his eyes.

"I just wanted to comment that your reaction...seemed on the extreme side. I don’t mean to prod, but I was curious to know if mental health was considered in your treatment plan for after you manifested?" Andrew’s jaw tightened but Dr. Liu didn’t stop speaking. "We consider it quite seriously here. Since in most cases, whether it be a sudden manifestation or a sudden heat, both can take quite the toll on an omega. I am not as familiar with alpha manifestations, so please forgive me on that. I also don’t think Dr. Smith is the kind of Doctor who would neglect that aspect." She was right.

Michael wasn’t the kind of man who would neglect that aspect. In fact, Andrew was pretty sure there were some moments where he had tried to broach the topic, but Andrew had pushed it aside. No. Andrew hadn’t pushed it aside, he hadn’t even recognised that he was trying to have that kind of conversation, and with what he had been turning into, getting him to talk against his will was a hard task.

"Well, uh..." Andrew trailed off. He was feeling a mixture of emotions inside. He was slightly filled with regret and worry, since he didn’t want to paint Michael in the wrong light. He was a good Doctor. A great Doctor. He didn’t want to hurt his reputation. At the same time, he didn’t like having this conversation with Dr. Liu of all people. He didn’t know her well, and the fact that she had seen his reaction was...upsetting. "He did. He did bring it up." Andrew said slowly.

Dr. Liu wasn’t an idiot. She understood almost immediately what Andrew wasn’t saying, and she sighed.

"I don’t mean to say anything negative about Dr. Smith, Dr. Nice. I’m just worried about you. I know he probably broached the topic, and I also know that you aren’t like most alphas, but that you do have a feeling you are quite stubborn. While that may be the case, I am going to overstep here and say that whatever happened, you need to seek therapy for. It’s fresh enough that you can try to speak on it, and if you aren’t planning to press legal issues, I would do it sooner." Andrew’s eyes widened at her words.

"Legal action?" Andrew asked, confused and Dr. Liu sighed.

"Dr. Nice, it doesn’t take a genius to understand that you reacted poorly in a medical environment. Whether it was a blend of the situation or not, I can tell that whatever happened when you manifested something terrible happened. Either something went wrong, or there was someone who did something wrong." Dr. Liu said. Her gaze was hard, and Andrew felt his body begin to shake.

He had no idea it was that obvious to others, and it honestly terrified him to realise that others could see exactly what it was. From the way that Dr. Liu’s expression shifted, she seemed to realise how shaken he was.

"Uh, Dr. Nice, the likelihood that the others saw your reaction the same way is quite low. Most of them just assumed it was because he was a newly manifested omega, and you are a newly manifested true alpha. They didn’t...they wouldn’t see your reaction the same way." She leaned in, speaking to him quietly. Andrew sucked in a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down while Maxwell chuckled.

"Dr. Liu," she straightened at hearing her name coming from Maxwell’s lips. "Please be mindful of where we are. Others could overhear us." He warned softly. It was a quiet threat, and it was enough of a warning that Andrew was able to breathe easier after a few seconds.

"I’m okay, Max. I’m just...surprised." Andrew murmured quietly and Maxwell snorted. He was beside him, but clearly his conversation with Mr. Newman was over and Andrew could see the tail end of the other man turning down at the end of the hallway, probably going back to the elevators.

"Surprised? You’re shocked, and Dr. Liu is overstepping in your care. While she has every right to do so when it comes to Richard, that doesn’t hold true for you." Maxwell’s tone was clipped, light. Angry. Andrew let out a soft sound while Dr. Liu bowed to Maxwell and Andrew.

"I apologise. I was just worried. I feel like any normal human would be after witnessing Dr. Nice’s reaction." She said, speaking towards the ground. Maxwell let out a snort.

"Right. Okay. It’s fine, Dr. Liu. I appreciate that you care so much, but please focus that attention towards Richard, and not my partner." Maxwell’s voice was tight, hard, and Andrew glanced between the two of them. It felt like Maxwell was telling Dr. Liu to fuck off as politely as he could and Dr. Liu was hearing that loud and clear.

She raised her head up, nodding solemnly.

"Of course, Mr. Beckett." Andrew felt a little bad. That wasn’t how he wanted the conversation to end. He didn’t hate that Dr. Liu had spoken to him out of concern for him. He was just truly surprised and shocked. That was it. He kind of liked that she had seen that he was in a bad way, and wanted to know if he was getting help.

He wasn’t, but he now knew that he had to. Especially if he wanted to be around Richard more. He had a feeling that this wouldn’t be the last time that he would be triggered by something related to manifestation. It was a gut feeling.

Maxwell tugged on his hand.

"Now let’s get you back to work. I’m sure the other ladies would like to know what’s going on." Maxwell muttered, casting a look in Dr. Liu’s direction before he pulled Andrew towards the elevators. Andrew, nervous, glanced behind him at Dr. Liu and gave her a small wave. She waved back.

Andrew remained quiet as Maxwell stewed. He stewed the whole way to the elevator, the whole way up the elevator, and even as they walked down the hallway to his office. He only stopped outside of the door, where both Dr. Cox and Dr. Piper was able to see them, but Andrew held up his hand, halting them from approaching.

Maxwell hadn’t opened the door. His face turned down in a frown, his jaw tight, and when he finally turned to face Andrew, his perfect, pretty face was twisted, upset. Andrew just wanted to kiss him until that expression deteriorated.

"Did you want to go to therapy?" He asked, his voice sharp. A blade. Andrew wasn’t sure what to say.

Did he want to go to therapy? Andrew wasn’t sure if there were that many people who wanted to open up emotional wounds. In fact, he felt like that was a ridiculous thing to say. But, he could tell that it was a rather serious issue to Maxwell, so he gave it some serious consideration.

"I...don’t know. I feel like...there is a chance it could help." Andrew said slowly, carefully. Maxwell’s expression darkened.

"So I haven’t been taking good care of you?" Maxwell asked. Andrew looked at him in confusion. What? How did this very smart man make that kind of jump? Andrew shifted, turning his back to the window and his coworkers to face his partner. His boyfriend. The man who meant the world to him.

"Angel, where is this coming from? What are you saying? That’s so silly of you to say. You are taking perfect care of me, but we can’t say that there isn’t something that got messed up because of the situation surrounding my manifestation." Maxwell’s lip trembled, and Andrew realised that maybe he wasn’t hardening himself so that he could confront him. He was hardening himself so he didn’t cry at work.

Andrew glanced around, trying to remember all of the silly little notes he’d made. Where broom closets were. Andrew eventually said ’fuck it’ and yanked the door open to their office, went to Richard’s desk, grabbed the keys to the storage room and pulled Maxwell inside once the door was unlocked. There, he wrapped Maxwell up in his arms. Holding the smaller man.

"It’s okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you." Andrew told him and Maxwell let out a half sob. Andrew’s heart broke at the way he clung to Andrew once Andrew had them behind closed doors. Andrew’s heart ached and he felt like a piece of shit.

Maxwell cried softly, quietly, and Andrew just held him. They didn’t say anything for a long time, and Andrew didn’t think he needed to. It was clear that at some point, Maxwell didn’t agree.