Chapter Text
The oppressive silence in the elevator car was only broken by the thwacking that Ransom’s finger made against the twenty-fourth floor button as he impatiently watched the numbers above the door increase at a snail’s pace. The slow blink of the up arrow on the LED screen seemed to mock his uncharacteristic anxiety and he glared at it, daring it to go any slower.
Just as he was about to slam his fist against the button pad, the doors yawned open. The moment the gap was large enough to slip his broad shoulders through, he pushed past and stormed down the carpeted condo hallway until he reached an unassuming door - one that he’d walked through countless times before.
Rapping his knuckles smartly against the dark wood, he waited. Silence stretched through the long hall.
“Come on,” he muttered exasperatedly. Hasty fingers stabbed at his phone until a call went through. It rang.
And rang.
And rang.
And went to voicemail.
“It’s me. I’m at your door. Why haven’t you been picking up?” Ransom tried to swallow his rising irritation. “Look, I know I missed your call, but ignoring all my calls is - This is ridiculous. Open up. Let me in. There’s really no-” He huffed when the dial tone sounded and tapped redial.
In the silence, a rhythmic buzzing could be heard faintly through the unyielding door. She was definitely inside and ignoring him. Ruddy anger crept over his handsome features. Digging through his pockets, he fished out the landlord's copy of her key and entered her unit.
But what greeted him evaporated his ire instantly.
Normally, enticing tendrils of omega scent wafted around him, beckoning him in. Today, a faint, stale odour lay stagnant throughout the quiet condo. He had only smelled this once before. It was the unspeakable stench in the damp abandoned building where he propped a rapidly fading Fran in a shaky chair. And he had only one word to describe it.
Death.
Heart pounding, he tore through every room screaming for her, tracking dirt into each with his chaotic search. His pretty girl would surely rip him a new one for wearing shoes into her home, but he’d deal with that later. Finally, he found her small, still form in bed, as though she’d simply tucked herself in for a nap. The faint smell surrounding her, however, was undeniable.
“Sweetheart?” His voice wavered. Trembling hands turned her over and he nearly sobbed in relief when a weak groan left her lips. Her skin was clammy beneath his hands as he brushed unkempt hair out of her face. He’d hoped that his touch might rouse her, but her eyes remained shut and her breathing shallow.
He called 911.
Ransom’s nails were chewed to the quick as he paced back and forth in the emergency department. Several hospital staff had already attempted to remove the agitated alpha to the waiting room, but relented after having his displeasure roared inches from their face. His girl had been whisked promptly from the ambulance, through triage and behind a curtain partition. Though she was merely a few feet from where he had stationed himself, the distance was nonetheless unbearable. To make matters worse, the assault of strange scents surrounding his girl from the myriad medical staff made him want to put his fist through the nearest unsuspecting stranger’s face.
After an age, a woman in scrubs emerged from behind the curtain.
“How is she?”
“You’re…?” She scanned the file in her hand.
“Her alpha. Ransom Drydale. I should be listed as her power of attorney.” He lied smoothly.
“Right. I’m Dr. Renfrew. Come in and we can discuss your omega’s options.”
His girl. His beautiful girl. Lay unmoving and small in a bland, utilitarian hospital bed surrounded by a noisy mess of monitors. He tried and failed to pull his eyes away from the nauseating sight before him to focus on the doctor’s next words.
“Your omega has BAS. Bond Absence Spontaneous Atrophy Syndrome. You might have heard people call it ‘Pining Disease’. It can happen in 1 in 7 unbonded individuals and can lead to - well, basically her body will eventually shutdown. She’s deteriorating quickly and there aren’t many options here realistically-”
The storm of emotions Ransom had been choking down erupted, “Realistically, just get her the best treatment you have! Doesn’t matter the cost, I-”
“The best treatment is for her to be bonded.”
Whatever Ransom had been about to blurt out died on the tip of his tongue.
She continued calmly, “I realize that’s a life-changing decision, but it’s her best chance at a full recovery. The other options have a much lower success rate. So if you have discussed bonding together before, I suggest you do it now. While you can. You’ll need to decide quickly. Her condition is advancing rapidly so the window of time for saving her is narrow. Now, if that hasn’t been discussed, there are other options, like I said-”
But Ransom wasn’t listening as Dr. Renfrew described lab-cultured alpha androgens, lifelong treatment schedules, and end-of-life comforts, because here in this hospital, he had just been told he could have everything he’s been too afraid to want. Yet, it wouldn’t happen the way he wanted. If he bonded with her without her consent, he may finally drive her away and she would see him for what he was: a selfish bastard. The very notion that she might look at him with the same disgusted gaze he received from his family made him retch. She may become linked to him physiologically, but her heart would be lost to him.
And yet.
He couldn’t let her die. She only had one foot in the grave and already the world seemed dimmer. All because the idiots out there were too blind to treasure her properly and bond with her. It was unfair. And he couldn’t let her life end here. So if losing you meant you wouldn’t be nine feet under…
“I’ll do it. Bond with her, I mean.”
The doctor nodded at him with a small smile, “I know this isn’t the nicest setting for bonding-”
An ear-splitting scream rent the air and squeaking wheels could be heard turning a distant corner.
“-or the most private. But time is of the essence. I’ll leave you alone with her here. Bond. Then find me at the nursing station and I’ll arrange to move her to a quieter floor to recover.”
“A private room.” Ransom asserted.
She nodded in assent, moving to her bedside to fidget with the railings until she’d extended the bed width marginally. Gesturing to it, she gave him an encouraging smile before closing the curtain behind her, leaving him alone with his omega and the cacophony of every single person in the ER.
With a deep sigh, he balanced himself gingerly on the edge of the bed. If he had his way, he would have her in a plush bed strewn with rose petals, silk sheets glinting softly from the surrounding candlelight. It would have been unapologetically cinematic. Perhaps she’d let him show her later. For now, he leaned in and tenderly tilted her face away from him.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered against her skin, “I’m so sorry. Please forgive me,” and bit down.