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.