(BL)Alpha Made Chapter 303: Richard won’t let you put up a fight

Andrew felt the tension raise in the room as the silence dragged on before Ford finally spoke up.

"Andrew, Maxwell, while I appreciate what you are attempting to do, you don’t need to. We can figure sothing out that would work for him and help you adjust to his new life." Andrew tried not to let that hurt him. It wasn’t just that Ford was drawing a line in the sand, it was more about the fact that they were feeling protective of Richard. That was completely understandable.

It just hurt that his first reaction was to try to cut Andrew out of that process as well.

Richard’s sigh from the bed had everyone looking towards him. He was giving his Dad a disappointed look.

"Do you really think you two, hell, you four would be able to handle what could potentially happen? Do you? Andrew had an on-call Doctor, imdiate visits, pheromones, drugs, everything that he could need at the tips of his fingers. That’s how he was able to get back his life, although sowhat changed, in about a month. That’s what I want." Richard said, not bending an inch. "I understand that you’re feeling overwheld, and hell, probably hostile, but it’s Andrew. Andy. The sa asshole who hid all of my favourite comic books when I was a kid and didn’t tell where they were until after I got Rose involved." Andrew’s lips twitched slightly at the reference.

Thankfully, Richard’s words had a big impact, and Andrew watched as the Gates relaxed. Ford and May were going to be the hardest to sell this to, but they seed to deflate at Richard’s words.

May covered her face with her hands, looking ashad, as did Ford.

"I’m sorry Andy. It wasn’t aid at you. It was a knee jerk response." Ford apologised, sounding miserable. Andrew forgave him easily. While it had hurt, it had been fixed almost right away. No other feelings had been hurt since it had been cut off rather quickly.

Andrew felt a soft smile touch his lips and he sighed.

"It’s okay. I didn’t expect a good reaction when we announced it. We’ve been scheming, and sches aren’t always viewed positively." Andrew said and Maxwell chuckled.

"Sches are my forte." He said casually, but Andrew could tell that while everyone else had shifted, Maxwell had not. He was still a bit upset, but he wasn’t going to let it impact his conversation with them.

No, Andrew was going to have to calm him down later.

Rose glanced between Andrew, Maxwell and Richard, before she spoke.

"Is my place just...not acceptable?" She asked quietly and Richard gave a heavy sigh.

"You’re trying for a kid, Rosie. I’m not getting in the middle of that, and while your place is big enough, again, you’re trying for a kid. If I’m with Andy and Maxwell, I’m not going to feel as much of a burden." His parents flinched, but Andrew got it.

"We could use it for research, docunt every part of it. While ogas manifest more often right now, that doesn’t an we have all the data." Andrew offered, and Richard seed to brighten. Rose glanced at Andrew, and Andrew gave her a wink when Richard was distracted by sothing.

She swallowed, seeming to get what Andrew was trying to say. Richard was putting on a rather brave face, but the man had to be freaking the fuck out. Andrew had put on a brave face, and he’d nearly killed himself thinking he could handle everything on his own. Andrew didn’t want the sa thing to happen to Richard that happened to him. So, if it ant having awkward conversations with the rest of his family, he would do it.

Even if it made him out to be the bad guy.

"So. Please tell you didn’t buy a house for ." Richard said, interrupting the mont between Rose and Andrew. Maxwell spoke up, chuckling.

"You know that you aren’t the sole reason. You’re the reason we revisited it so soon after the horrible interaction we had, but you don’t need to feel like we did it just for you. You aren’t that important." Maxwell said and Andrew spun to stare at him. Horrified, Andrew hadn’t expected that response from him, but Richard just burst into laughter.

"Thanks, Max." He said, his eyes watering so much that he had to move his glasses to wipe them. "Wow. That was cold blooded. You really had siblings, didn’t you?" Richard joked and Maxwell’s smile was smug.

"Well how else were you expecting this to go? I know damn well how stubborn Andrew is, and I know that probably cos not just from his mom, but also the environnt he was raised in. I’ve also worked with you long enough, Dr. Gates, that I know what I can say, and what I should say. You aren’t going to accept help if you think we went out of our way to do, so we didn’t. Andrew I found a house we like, and we’re willing, no, forcing you to move in with us so we can get you the help you need." Maxwell said, shrugging.

May and Ford were at a loss, Rose looked like she was fighting laughter, and Jordan? Jordan gave in.

He bent, laughing at the whole situation. Maxwell seed proud of himself, and Andrew felt his shoulders relax further as Richard grinned.

"Okay. So, I’m sorted for when I need to get out of here. Now, when am I getting out of here?" Richard asked, and that was the harder question to answer. Maxwell glanced back at Dr. Liu and Dr. Spencer. Both won entered the room again, and this ti, they suggested that they needed to speak with him alone.

Richard’s happy facade faded and he looked pale. Hollow. Small on the hospital bed as they were all leaving. Andrew’s hand was enfolded in Maxwell’s, giving him the comfort that he needed while they left Richard alone to speak to the Doctors.

Andrew had a pretty good idea as to what they would say, as did Maxwell. But the rest of the family?

May was the first to approach them.

"Is there anything wrong?" She asked and Maxwell glanced at the Doctors before shaking his head.

"No. Doesn’t appear so. They would have told sothing if that was the case, but it appears that things are going smoothing with his manifestation. Or, however smooth it can be. We’ll have to keep him for, at a bare minimum, a week. He’ll be able to work though, even if it’s just from the room. We can’t have him exposed to too many pheromones, but we’ll have to make sure that he can handle ours at the very least. Yours as well, of course. I don’t expect that you’ll stay away, and we wouldn’t expect that of you unless he reacts poorly." Maxwell clarified and May nodded.

She was the biggest concern, since Ford was a beta, and Rose was married and bonded.

"Okay. Okay. Is there...any problems between family mbers when soone manifests later?" She asked carefully, tentatively, and Maxwell smiled.

"Not usually, and especially not for ogas. Sotis with step siblings or step parents, but normally that can be worked through. I can’t see there being any issues with you, especially since you are such a close family." Andrew was glad that Maxwell was the one speaking about this. He was more familiar, this was his stomping ground.

Andrew had a sneaking suspicion that he’d already gotten an oga doctor on call as well for Richard, and he wondered how that was going to go. Or if the Doctor was also for Maxwell, but he was using Richard as the reason for getting them.

Andrew didn’t mind, he was just glad that Maxwell truly had no issue with this. Or, if he did, he wasn’t telling Andrew about it and Andrew was going to have to prod him about this when they finished with work today.

May looked like she was exhausted. She probably hadn’t slept since they had taken Richard off of his dication. Probably none of them had.

"Thank you for telling that. Now, onto the bigger question. When did you buy this house?" May asked, straightening herself a bit. Maxwell chuckled, pulling out his phone and checking the ti.

"Well, since Andrew and I filled all the paperwork, with Kim’s assistance," this was the first ti Andrew was hearing about that part, "about 8 am this morning, if they accepted our offer." Andrew felt his eyes widen. He had no idea it could go that fast.

May and Ford were shocked as well.

"That’s...not normally how that works." She said carefully and Maxwell laughed.

"I am aware, but the seller wasn’t exactly normal either, and understood that we had a tight tiline. So did Kim, which was why we went through her since she knows how Andrew’s money works the best, and I didn’t want to get in trouble with the big guy for buying the house with my money. It’s in our na, together, and we bought it outright. No mortgage, no nothing. Which helped the process quite a bit." Maxwell said and Andrew stared at him.

Maxwell turned and gave him a wink. "Surprise." He told him, smiling and Andrew just sighed.

"You offered what they suggested?" Andrew asked and Maxwell snorted.

"Hell no. I offered them another $50 000. I will not be called stingy. That was the only reason the paperwork was delayed till this morning." Maxwell said confidently and Andrew wanted to laugh.

That was very much like Maxwell. He could tell that the others were a little shocked, but they were also getting to know Maxwell. He was that kind of man.

"We’ll get the keys this afternoon since the inspector was ready right away, and they weren’t living in the property, as we were aware from our tour." Andrew nodded in confirmation. The house had been empty.

"Will it take long to get the small modifications that we wanted done to the house for Richard?" Andrew asked Maxwell and Maxwell gave him a look.

"Take long? Baby, do you know who you are talking to?"