The weeks bleed into a month and that month slowly slips into another. Delaney knows he's being stubborn, to a point, but why should he have to be the one to apologize first? Why does he have to be the one to call first? He's always been the one to give and give and get—

"Mr. Richards?" The softness of the nurse's voice cuts through his racing thoughts. "The doctor will see you now."

Delaney, nods as he stands, a sharp jerking, nervous motion, and crosses the threshold into the examination room. He sits on the table, crossing his legs at the knee. The sterility of the room does not afford him anything to focus on to keep his mind from racing, and once again, he finds himself replaying the last night he saw Elias. Sadness sits heavy in his heart, an inexplicable longing and yearning serving to steal his breath before it leaves his lungs. He presses the heel of his palm into his chest, inhaling shakily as he tries to control his emotions. He can't stop the single tear that spills from the corner of his eye, but luckily before the others fall, there's a knock on the door and the doctor peeks his head in.

"Delaney. Nice to see you again. How are we—," he pauses, his nose crinkling as he sniffs the air. "Mmm, did you have a breakup recently?"

Delaney swipes away the tear and snaps, "How is that information pertinent?"

"Your scent output is quite strong, well not as strong as the—Ah, never mind." The doctor shakes his head as he puts on latex gloves. "It's been a couple of months on hormone boosters. How are we feeling?" He asks as he sits on the round stool in front of the examination table.

"Like nothing has changed," Delaney sighs heavily. "I'm emotional, but it's situational. I've not been wearing scent blockers and yet no one can pick up on my scent unless I'm apparently emotionally distressed."

The doctor nods as he rifles through the most recent blood work. "Unfortunately, this dosage is the highest that has ever been safely tested on an omega with your condition. I was hoping for positive results but—,"

Delaney holds up his hand, cutting off the doctor mid sentence. "I don't need to hear anything else. Tell me what titration is going to look like so I can go."

"Well, you can stop taking the medicine immediately. The side effects are uncomfortable but not life threatening. You'll experience something similar to a heat; emotions will be heightened, the pain will be significant, but there won't be any of the...other...urges." He scribbles on a prescription pad and tears off the sheet, handing it out. "Pain killers." He turns to the computer and quickly types out a letter. Once it comes off the printer, he hands it out to Delaney. "A note excusing your extended absence from work."

Delaney stares down at the doctor, a look of incredulity on his face. "Extended?!"

"Yes. Since the hormones have been trying to aid your body in regulating, the absence will cause you to experience a lengthier 'cycle'. Please, take the pain medication as prescribed, rest, and don't make any important decisions during this time." The doctor sighs softly, heavily, as he favors Delaney with a sad smile. "I'm really sorry this didn't work for you. You would have made an amazing parent." He pats Delaney's knee as he rises to stand. "If there are any of the complications listed on your aftercare paperwork, please come to the emergency room right away."

The lump in his throat keeps Delaney from speaking. He fights back the impending onslaught of tears welling up in his eyes. He was stupid to have hope.

He doesn't know how he makes it out of the hospital and has no recollection of walking to the smoking section, but as his hands fumble for his lighter and cigarette case, he has a strong sense of deja vu. He holds his breath as he waits for a deep, pleasant voice to offer a lighter.

It never comes.

"You're actually taking time off from work?!" Tristin practically shouts.

Delaney has his cell phone cradled between his ear and his shoulder as he pulls leftover take out from the fridge. "Yes. I am. The doctor confirmed nothing has changed so I spent two months taking medication that made me constipated, excessively horny, and rather irritable for nothing," he snaps. He inhales a breath and exhales softly before apologizing. "I'm sorry. It's not your fault. But yes, on top of receiving the same devastating news in an entirely different way, the doctor told me I would also have symptoms similar to a heat but more intense and for a longer period of time. That is why I originally called..." he trails off as he listens to the background noise. Ambient music is loud enough for him to pick up. "Where are you?"

"On a date," Tristin happily replies. "And yes, Malik this one does count as a date."

Delaney feels the familiar twinge of pain. It's hard for him to be around Malik most days, but he does well to hide his emotional discomfort. However, realizing that Tristin is now courting someone, has left Delaney painfully aware of how single he is and how desperately he hates that. He musters up something he hopes passes for happiness and says, "Congratulations. I'm happy for you."

"You aren't right now, love, and that's okay. But what can I do to help you through this?"

Delaney exhales softly, "Nothing. I'll be fine. Enjoy your date." He disconnects the call before Tristin can reply. He tucks the phone in the pocket of his sweats and grabs the containers and a pair of chopsticks. He curls up on the couch and eats cold takeout as he watches trashy daytime television.

Sharp pain shooting through his abdomen has him gasping awake. His cry is a strangled sob as the same sensation lances through his gut again and he struggles to breathe as nausea crashes into him. He's never experienced a pain so intense that it causes him to become sick and honestly, as he's hunched over the kitchen sink, which he barely made it to in time, he's oddly grateful. The feeling is blinding as waves of intense pain relentlessly wash over him, one after the next until he's collapsed to the floor, sobbing.

"It's not fair," he cries out.

And it isn't. Yet he hasn't given himself the space to feel this since his heat. Tears stream down his cheeks long after the pain finally subsides and in between the loud sniffles and him trying to catch his breath, he has a moment of clarity.

I'm not just crying over the physical pain.

Delaney has not allowed himself to even think about Elias in the past two months. But now, as he's curled up on the kitchen floor, the dull throb of heartache resurfacing once again, he admits that he misses the man so much. The tears won't stop falling and all he wants is to just hear Elias' voice again. Just once.

He pulls himself up on his feet and slowly shuffles to his couch to grab his phone and begins to dial.

I'll block my number and just listen to his voicemail...

However, Elias answers after the first ring.

"Hello?"

The phone almost slips from Delaney's fingers as the sound of Elias' voice meets his ears.

"Hello? Anyone the—Dee?" His voice sounds small, hopeful even, as he says the pet name.

"Why didn't you ever call?" Delaney finally asks.

Elias stutters a sigh as he softly responds, "I don't know."

"That's not good enough, Eli," Delaney's voice breaks. "Why didn't you chase me?"

"I don't kn—I do know but I cannot have this conversation right now. We're in the middle of the dinner rush. Can I call you back later?"

"No."

"Oh. Okay."

"No. I mean," Delaney pauses, wincing as the dull ache intensifies to something barely tolerable.

Elias picks up on it right away and concern is heavy in his tone. "Are you okay?"

A cold sweat breaks out on Delaney's brow. Through gritted teeth he starts to answer, but the room tilts forward, slowly, and he's confused until he realizes aloud, "I think I'm about to pass out."

"What? Delaney, are you okay?!" Elias sounds nearly frantic, and the last thing Delaney hears before he hits the floor is Elias repeating his name.

When he shifts in bed, his entire body aches, every muscle and joint crying out in protest. His eyes gradually open, blinking rapidly against the bright fluorescents. The pungent odor of cleansers makes his nose crinkle. He swallows thickly and croaks out, "Where am I?"

"Dee?"

He turns his head towards the sound of the voice and when his eyes focus, they shoot wide as he takes in Elias.

"Eli? What are you doing here? Where am I?"

Elias' eyes are red rimmed and swollen. His complexion is slightly gray and his hair is a lot longer on the top, the fade having grown out as well. "Hospital," he softly replies.

That explains the strong stench of ammonia...

"Why?" Delaney tries to sit up again and winces in pain as he sucks in a sharp breath. This causes Elias to fly to his feet, sending the chair he's sitting in slamming into the wall behind them.

"What hurts? Are you okay? Well obviously you're not. Should I get a nurse? What hurts?"

Delaney takes a deep breath and hoarsely whispers, "Why are you here?"

"We were on the phone. You said you were about to pass out and the next thing I know there was a loud noise and the sound of shattering glass. I was worried so I came over. When you didn't answer I—well," Elias pauses as he looks away, dragging his hand across the back of his neck. "Well, let's just say I owe you a new door."

Delaney's mouth falls open. "You broke down my door?"

Elias nods slowly. "Yes. I banged on your door and you didn't answer." As an afterthought he adds, almost defiantly, despite the thick undercurrent of fear chipping away at his voice, "And I'm glad I did too because when you passed out, your arm hit your coffee table. You broke it and your arm."

To say he's embarrassed is an understatement. "God I'm so—," he can't find the words so he stops searching for them. The silence between them is palpable but Delaney is the first to break it when he notices the sling that holds Elias' other hand close to his side. "You broke your hand breaking down my door?"

Elias looks down at his arm and shakes his head, his lip twitching with a small smile. "No. That wasn't hard to do at all. Albeit I shouldn't have done it because..." he gestures to the sling. "I had surgery about six weeks ago."

Delaney recalls their first conversation. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You didn't break my hand when I was a kid."

Delaney turns his face from Elias to compose himself. Seeing the alpha again hurt. Badly. He wants nothing more than to hold and to be held by Elias, but he knows that ship has sailed. They haven't spoken for two months.

Elias pierces the silence, "Delaney, I—"

"Knock, knock," a chipper and familiar voice calls out. Delaney's OB/GYN pulls back the curtain and stands next to the bed, interrupting their conversation. "Delaney, my deepest apologies. I should have realized that with your biological make up, the—," he stops, seemingly just now becoming aware that Elias still remained in the room. "Ahh. I didn't mean to interrupt. I can come back later?"

Elias glances from Delaney to the doctor and shakes his head. "No, I'll leave."

"Don't go," Delaney blurts out. The thought of being without Elias so soon again has him panicking. "Just, finish what you were going to say, doctor."

The doctor hums softly and continues, "Mmm, well, with your biology, I should have realized the side effects from stopping the hormone boosters would have been more extreme for you."

From the corner of his eye, Delaney watches Elias' eyebrow arch in question. He ignores it as he converses with the doctor. "I'm a medical anomaly," he sarcastically quips.

"No, there are plenty of omegas with your condition. Just none with your exact levels. Now that you're awake, we're going to do some testing so we'll keep you here until the it's complete and we receive the results. So please, rest. And as for you" —he scowls over at Elias—"you're lucky the orthopedic hand surgeon is a close friend of mine who owes me a huge favor. He'll be here shortly to reset your hand. Refrain from breaking down anything else. Got it?" He leaves the room, muttering under his breath.

Delaney's eyes flash with anger as he looks up at Elias. "You broke your hand again? After just having had surgery?"

"Technically...yes," he admits.

Delaney's humiliation grows and he snaps out, "What are you? Stupid? Why would you risk injuring yourself to break down my door when you could have called the leasing office?"

Without missing a beat Elias simply states, "Because I love you."