The darkness consumed her vision. She could hear the growls, the angry voices. She could hear Edward, tone scathing and pointed. He was angry. Alpha was angry. She whined in distress; her omega restless to comfort her alpha but the heavy pull of the darkness of her drop kept her from seeking him out.
Arms wrapped around her torso, holding her tight and secure. She could hear a faint voice, muffled and far off like hearing someone from underwater. This voice was quiet, calm, gentle. The smell of omega, Yorkshire tea with a touch of sweetness filled her lungs. Louis. Her omega.
She tried to lift her heavy limbs to embrace him back but couldn't seem to coordinate her muscles, completely pliant in her dropping state.
All at once the yelling and harsh voices stopped. Alpha was gone. Panic flooded her chest, gripping her lungs like a vice. Edward had left her just like she'd feared. She was alone.
No, not alone. Her omega was here. Her mate
She felt his delicate fingers thread through hers, the familiar tingle of energy between their palms as
everything went silent.
A frosty breeze bit at her cheeks and fresh winter air filled her lungs, cleansing and refreshing. She looked up to see strings of lights hung in crisscrossing patterns above her head, twinkling and shimmering against the inky black sky. The smell of cinnamon and sweets wafted on the frosty December breeze. Music and joyful voices melded together into a nostalgic hum. The radiant wonderment, pure and innocent, of being a child at Christmas time flooded her being. A joyful simplicity that she often longed for.
She'd only seen scenes like this in movies, quaint holiday festivals in sleepy little towns. But this wasn't a movie, It was a memory. One of Louis' that he was sharing with her .Just like she had done for him when he'd been overwhelmed after learning of their bond. The warm blissful feeling flooded her consciousness, edging out the panic and grounding her through that glittering energy that crackled between them.
Louis clung to Ana, he could no longer hear the alphas but he could feel the intense emotions Harry was experiencing through their bond, the anguish and desperation and above all, the longing. It was confusing to Louis, bond or no bond, how could Harry have feelings for someone who'd been so cold to him. Who had looked at Louis with unadulterated rage upon learning of the bond with Ana?
They stayed like that, wrapped up in one another, for what could have been hours or even days, Louis couldn't be sure. The next thing he was aware of was strong arms pulling him from the couch as Ana was lifted from his lap.
He felt panicked at being separated from his omega. His heart raced and as he clung to the blonde, scrambling to keep her close.
"C'mon lou, it's alright." He heard Harry's voice, soft and reassuring.
No it wasn't alright. He'd promised her that he'd make sure she was ok. He needed to stay with her to make sure she was ok.
Harry could sense Louis' distress, and could feel him becoming overwhelmed.
Louis felt Harry's long warm fingers gently grip the back of his neck, feeling for that certain spot.
No. No. No. he couldn't go under. He needed to stay with Ana.
He barely felt the pressure to his omega spot before the soothing embrace of omega space enveloped him and Harry's arms held him close as he drifted into the calm depths.
Harry spent the entire taxi ride back to the hotel attempting to calm his omega. He was still reeling from the confrontation with Edward. He felt lighter in a way, finally able to release years of anger and resentment. But those feelings still lingered, like glowing embers from a bonfire, subdued but still white-hot.
He pushed aside his thoughts of Edward as he attempted to sooth Louis who squirmed and whimpered even in omega space, clearly distressed. Once in their suite, he undressed Louis and himself, tucking him into bed and keeping him pressed close to his body.
He tried soothing the omega with his voice, massaging his omega spot and scenting him but nothing seemed to offer any relief.
Harry's concern increased with each passing hour. Louis was still under, or at least unconscious. His distressed whimpering and writhing has only gotten worse. He stroked a hand over Louis cheek, pulling his hand away as though he'd been physically burned by the heat radiating from Louis.
Harry whipped the blankets off his omega, scooping him up bridal style and carrying him into the en-suite. He turned the tap on and let cool water fill the large tub. He placed Louis in the shallow water, using his hand to splash it onto his chest and arms as well. "Lou, Louis I need you to wake up now." Harry implored, beginning to panic when Louis' only response was the faint fluttering of his eyelids.
Harry shook his shoulders, splashing some of the water onto Louis face and calling his name. Louis spluttered, opening his eyes and looking at Harry with a glassy far off look.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief that was short lived as he watched tears slip down Louis' cheeks
"Hurts, Haz." Louis groaned miserably. "Please. Need her. Hurts so bad." He sobbed.
Harry shut off the tap and let Louis rest against the side of the tub. "I'm here, Louis. You're alright."
Louis shook his head weakly. Gut wrenching sob punching Harry straight in the chest. "Need Ana too. Please Hazza, please please..."
Harry felt the panic creeping in. The nagging fear he thought he'd done away with, the voice that told him he wasn't enough for Louis. Louis was asking for Ana. Another distressed whine rang out in the bathroom and Harry's alpha instincts snapped him into action. Louis had been in touch with Ana in the last few days. He had her number.
Harry bolted to the bedroom searching haphazardly for Louis' phone. He found the device tucked into the pocket of the coat he'd been wearing earlier. He punched in the passcode and searched through Louis' call log. He landed on an unsaved number with a New York area code, crossing his fingers, he hit dial and waited. The line rang several times before Ana's voice rang sweet and clear with her voicemail greeting.
He felt relief at having the right number and dialed it again, desperate to reach her and completely disregarding the fact that it was almost 3am. The phone rang again and Harry sent you a silent prayer to every deity he could think of for Ana to pick up.
————
It was the middle of the night when Edward woke. A sliver of light under the bathroom door shone bright in the otherwise dark room. The space in the large bed that Ana had occupied was empty. He was rolling over to go back to sleep when the sound of retching came from behind the bathroom door.
Ana's head was spinning and the rolling in her stomach wouldn't stop, made worse by the intense ache in her abdomen. She was on her knees on the hard tile of the bathroom willing herself to stop getting sick. Her skin prickled with sweat as feverish heat courses through her. Her body felt like a furnace but she couldn't stifle her shivers, bordering on convulsions.
The bathroom door clicked open and he heard Edward's footsteps approach. She looked up at him, head spinning more and causing her to screw her eyes shut at the new wave of nausea. "Edward." She nearly sobbed his name as she hung her head back over the toilet and was sick yet again.
Edward felt a grip of panic in his chest at seeing Ana in her current state. His alpha instincts propelled him forward, consumed by the need to care for his omega.
"It's alright, you're alright I'm here." He scooped her off the floor, instantly feeling the searing heat radiating from her skin. He carried her quickly back into the bedroom,laying her against the pillows on his side of the bed. He rushed back into the bathroom to fetch a cool flannel.
When he returned, he found Ana curled into the pillows, tears running down her flushed cheeks as little sobs escaped her lips.
"Where is he, Edward, please?" Her eyes were glassy as she tried to locate Edward in the room, clearly disoriented.
He pressed the cool flannel to her forehead, patting gently at the sheen of fever sweat that had formed on her hairline. He had never seen her like this before, so frail and confused.
"I'm here darling. I'm right here." Edward soothed.
In his efforts to comfort her he nearly missed the buzzing noise sounding from the bedside table. The buzzing noise stopped before starting up again. Ana's phone lit up, an unknown number displaying across the screen.
Edward grabbed the phone out of an impulse of instinct.
"Hello, who is this?" Edward answered, voice dripping with alpha authority.
"Edward?" A flustered and panicked sounding Harry replied.
"Edward, there's something wrong with Louis. Is Ana there?"
"Of course she's here, Harry, where the hell else would my omega be at 3am?"
"Can you get her please?!" Harry sounded desperate, scared even.
"She's sleeping, Harry not now." Edward lied, turning to look back at Ana shaking and whimpering unintelligibly.
"Edward please" Harry pleaded before he was cut off by Edward's huff of annoyance
"Harry, your inability to control your omega is not... "
"He's sick Edward! He's upset and sick, I've never seen him like this and he keeps asking for her. Please Edward! I think he's going through deprivation."
"Damn it" Edward rumbled, looking over at Ana's fever-shivering form. He hadn't considered it a possibility that the omegas could experience deprivation like they did with alphas but it did explain her symptoms, delirium, fever and pain all signs of worsening deprivation.
"Bring him to Mt. Sinai hospital. Ask for Dr. Elias White". Edward ordered "I'll meet you there."
Edward tossed the phone onto the bed before scooping Ana into a sitting position. She rested her head against his shoulder, too weak to hold herself in place. Maybe this was worse that he thought.
"C'mon love, up ya get." He lifted her gently and held her trembling body close.
"Eddy please." Ana sobbed miserably delirious from pain and her dangerously high fever.
Harry rushed into the emergency department of the hospital carrying a whimpering Louis. Several nurses descended upon them, whisking Louis away to the omega unit in the hospital. He sat in a stiff plastic chair in the corner of the waiting room, entirely unsure of what to do with himself and trying his damndest to fight the urge to be with his omega.
He rested his head in his hands, feeling the exhaustion settling in from the eventful evening. The beginnings of a headache throbbed at Harry's temples. He felt homesick for the first time in years and couldn't wait to go back to their home in LA,just him and Louis,after all this was over.
A small woman dressed in lavender scrubs called his name in the ER waiting room and led him to a smaller waiting area in the omega care wing of the hospital.
He stepped into the room, feeling relieved at getting away from the crowded noisy ER and finally being alone.
Harry stopped in the doorway, suppressing his frustrated sigh at seeing Edward sitting in one of the chairs.
Harry chose a chair on the far side of the small room, staying silent and avoiding Edward's gaze. He was too emotionally raw to face him again so soon.
The pair sat in tense silence for what felt like an eternity, each passing minute dragging with the weight of five years worth of hurt between the two men. The spectre of Edward's words, 'I thought I was protecting you' haunted Harry's mind and dredged up an emotion he didn't expect to feel after confronting Edward, guilt.
"I wish they'd tell us something." Edward's voice, gravelly and deep, broke the silence.
Harry responded with a noncommittal grunt, scrubbing a hand over his face. He was utterly torn between wanting to cling into Edward's lap and breathe in his wonderful calming scent and let his mate stroke his long curls until he no longer felt the churning anxiety he felt for his omega. The other part of him wanted to storm out of the room and find a place to wait as far from Edward as physically possible.
He knew Edward could sense his distress which made it all the more difficult to remain in the hard plastic chair of the small waiting room. He wasn't ready to deal with this yet, to put into words the tempest of emotions he felt toward Edward. More importantly he didn't know what any of it meant yet. Even if they were able to repair their mangled relationship to some semblance of its former self, would he stay? What would that mean for Louis or for Ana?
His gut twisted again at the thought of the omegas. Would separating them mean subjecting them to the same agony that Harry himself, an alpha, had barely survived?
He stole a glance at Edward, his rumpled pullover and jeans a far cry from his usual polished smart suits. His brow furrowed in concern, the same way Harry's did, as he studied the tile floor with an intense, unfocused stare. He could feel the worry Edward was feeling coupled with something else, some darker emotion that Harry couldn't quite identify. Dread, maybe? Or self-loathing even. It lapped at Harry's mind like waves on a lakeshore, ebbing and flowing through their resurrected bond.
Edward's words came charging back to him, hitting him like a gut punch, "I thought I was protecting you."
The thought brought bile up in his throat, threatening to be expelled from his already uneasy stomach. The pain Edward was feeling, the fact that he felt he had no choice and the look of hurt and worry in Edward's face now was almost too much for Harry. He needed to comfort his brother. His mate. He focused on the buzzing energy of the bond, conjuring what little control and calm he had and tried to focus it onto his connection with his brother.
But before he could find Edward in the bond, the door opened and another nurse in lavender scrubs stepped into the room.
"Edward and Harry Styles, please come with me." She said, tone neutral and giving nothing away as to the conditions of the omegas.
Before either Harry or Edward could ask, she turned and headed down the hall as both alphas hurried to follow.
When Louis woke, All he could focus on was the horrible pain radiating through his body, every muscle screaming in protest as he attempted to move. He was vaguely aware of voices speaking in hushed tones around him. His head felt fuzzy and limbs heavy, like he was under water, everything distorted and slow. He tried to open his eyes but his lids felt weighed shut. He stirred slowly finding he could move his hands and wiggle his hips a bit. He felt a large hand press firmly to his abdomen, holding him in place.
"Stay still for me darling." He heard a man's voice say though it still sounded distorted and slow.
He blinked slowly trying to focus his eyes around the bright lights above him. He was in a hospital bed, bundled up in cotton blankets. He looked down to see a man, an alpha with white hair with dark rimmed glasses, looking at him from the foot of his bed and asking questions that he couldn't focus on. He turned to his right to see familiar green eyes searching his face intently. A hand petted his hair gently as he whispered assurances to him "you're going to be fine, love, just relax."
Harry. Harry was here, he was safe. He let his body relax on the bed, drifting back to tranquil unconsciousness but something nagged at him, pulling him back from the edge of sleep.
His omega. Ana. Where was she? Was she ok? He could barely feel her through their bond, like trying to pick out a single voice in radio static. A distressed whine escaped his lips, he needed to get to her. Before he could take the thought any further, he felt Harry's plush lips press to his cheekbone. His silken voice whispered in his ear "she's alright, Lou, just rest now."
Across the hall, Edward sat in the hard chair against the wall watching Ana sleep peacefully. noticing the deep bruise-like circles under her eyes. How could he have been so oblivious to what had been going on with his own omega, not notice the immense stress she'd been under. He wanted to be angry with her for keeping such a monumental secret but instead he felt the grinding ache of guilt in the pit of his stomach. Why had Ana felt the need to hide it from him?
Edward was pulled from his thoughts by Ana gasping awake, monitors and alarms blared as she tried to sit up, her head spinning and a deep ache washing over her from her abdomen, nausea gripping her stomach. A hand attempted to guide her back down to her pillow but she pushed against it. Two nurses bustled through the door, adjusting monitors and IV lines as Edward attempted to calm his omega.
"Shhhh Ana love, please lay back down." Edward attempted to soothe her but she fought against him.
"Louis." She rasped, throat raw and dry. She attempted to swing her legs over the side of the bed. She had to find Louis. She'd felt him in their bond, he was close and he'd been very distressed. She felt a sharp prick at her left arm and turned to see a nurse with a needle pressed into the bend of her arm. She immediately felt warmth and drowsiness overcoming her. Relaxing fully onto the bed she felt the ache and pains subsiding and focused on the soothing hand in her hair accompanied by the deep timber of Edwards's voice telling her to sleep. She could still feel Louis and now another presence in the bond. An alpha presence that soothed them both. She surrendered to the chemical induced sleep with the reassurance that their alphas would keep them safe.
When Louis woke the second time it was much easier. Only feeling slightly drugged as compared to last time. His eyes blinked open slowly this time without the bright clinical lights. He was still in the hospital bed but the room was darker, bright lights dimmed and the ruthenium beeping of the monitors the only noise in the otherwise quiet space. Harry was sat In a chair pulled up to his bedside dozing with his head in his hands. Louis was still bundled in multiple blankets, no doubt at Harry's insistence, with only his hand left out with multiple IVs tapped in place.
He reached up to stroke his long chocolate brown hair. Running his fingers through the chestnut highlights that came from spending entire days in the California sunshine. Harry started awake and immediately took in the sight of Louis awake, cerulean eyes still sleepy but not glassy and confused anymore. Harry kissed the palm of his hand, avoiding the IV cannulas on the other side. He took a deep breath and looked at him for a long moment, eyes shining with unshed tears. "Hey" he croaked, throat dry from not speaking for however long he'd been out. "How long have I been asleep?"
Harry searched his face again, eyes flickering with an unknown emotion. "Just a few hours." He responded in a whisper.
He moved to sit up, a wave of nausea rolling over him, and was immediately met with Harry's hands on his shoulders keeping him down on the bed. "Just relax Lou" he implored. The doctors want you to rest as much as you can. You and Ana both." He added, as if sensing Louis' worry for his omega mate.
Louis let himself settle back against the pillow and felt the nausea slowly subside.
A soft knock sounded at the door and the white haired alpha stepped into the room.
"Good to see you're awake, Louis. How are you feeling."
"Umm ok I guess?" Louis replied unsure. He wasn't even clear on what had happened in the first place. One minute he'd been in a taxi with Harry and the next he'd felt like he'd felt like he was experiencing an intense stress drop.
Dr white stepped further into the room, checking Louis' charts and monitors.
"Is she ok?" Louis asked almost in a whisper as Dr.White took his wrist to measure his pulse.
He was hesitant to ask but his inner omega was going wild not knowing if his omega mate was ok. He could barely feel her through their connection.
She's doing very well, all things considered" Dr. White assured. "She's sleeping right now, that's why you don't sense her as strongly but that will improve in time, just like your bond with your alpha" He added, gesturing to Harry.
Louis' interest piqued. How had he known Louis was having trouble sensing Ana?
"Now since you're here, I'd like to go ahead and check you out if that's alright." Dr. White directed the question at Harry, a gesture of respect from alpha to alpha.
"If Louis says it's ok." Harry replied, he was Louis alpha but he'd always given Louis autonomy to make his own decisions.
Louis nodded in assent.
"Good. A new soul bond can be a physically taxing thing for an omega, as you and Ana found out tonight." Dr. White reclined Louis' bed flat as he spoke."
"As best we know, you and Ana experienced a particularly intense bout of deprivation tonight. I understand that you both experienced a fair bit of stress tonight and were separated afterwards?"
"Erm yes," Louis responded, putting it lightly.
"The deprivation you experienced is similar to the physiological response of an omega separated from a bonded alpha for too long, the nausea, fever, confusion. All those lovely symptoms are the same but in your case, developed in a very short time frame after you and Ana were separated.
"Lie back please" dr white instructed. Louis complied as the dr began shifting his blankets away from his abdomen. He pressed down in various places on Louis' tummy, asking if the omega felt in pain. Louis shook his head each time.
Dr white pulled the blankets back up and lifted the head of the bed back so Louis could sit up comfortably.
"Just a few more questions for you, When was your last heat?"
"November." Louis responded, recalling the particularly intense heat he'd gone through just before thanksgiving of this year.
"Are they regular?"
"No." Louis replied, suddenly shy at conveying intimate details to a perfect stranger, even if that stranger was a doctor specializing in omega care.
"I see." dr white stated, jotting down notes on Louis chart.
"Very good." Dr. White said, finishing his notes and putting away Louis' charts. I'll have the nurse get some blood samples for the lab and we should have you out of here soon."
Harry stood from his chair to shake the older man's hand but instead, Dr. white motioned for him to follow him out of the room.
"I'd like a word in private, Harry if you don't mind."
Harry glanced over at Louis, looking especially small and vulnerable in the bed with his oversized hospital gown that was partially falling off his shoulder. Leaving him went against every one of his alpha instincts but the stern look on the doctor's face told Harry he really didn't have a choice in the matter.
He followed the white haired man out of the room and into the brightly lit hallway.
He rounded the corner and immediately stopped upon seeing Edward leaned up against the wall of the hallway.
The pair locked eyes instantly. The intensity of the connection between them nearly palpable. Harry felt the same buzzing energy spread over every inch of his skin. It was truly unnerving the effect his brother still had after all these years apart.
Dr. White cleared his throat to get both alpha's attention.
"I don't think I need to tell either of you that a drop that intense isn't good for either of your omegas." Dr white started, taking off his dark rimmed glasses and polishing the lenses on his sleeve. Especially for Ana, he added, addressing Edward. "Two drops so close together have been especially hard on her, physically and mentally."
Dr white addressed both the alphas with a stern look. "Neither of you are to cause any undue stress to either omega at least until they've fully recovered and their bond has settled a bit, understand?"
"What caused this in the first place? And why was I not consulted when you first got the test results about the bond?" Edward demanded, anger creeping up like bile.
Dr. White sighed in response, slipping his glasses back on. "Ana asked that I keep it between us for the time being. I understand that yours and Harry's relationship doesn't make for an ideal situation for a bond of this nature. She wanted time to decide what to do before telling you."
Edward stepped forward, preparing to continue to berate Dr. white for not telling him about the bond but Dr. white continued, well practiced at handling worked up alphas.
As for what caused the drop for both omegas, it's a form of touch deprivation that mostly occurs in bonded omegas in pack relationships. My best estimate is that the soul bond between Ana and Louis produced more severe symptoms in a much shorter time frame. It's a good thing you got them here when you did since their conditions would have likely deteriorated quickly and can cause lasting damage.''
How do we keep this from happening again? Harry interrupted, desperate to make sure he never saw Louis in that much pain again.
There are medications that can be given to alleviate symptoms, but nothing that's been approved for long term use. My advice to you is that the two of them be kept as physically close as possible. They'll need direct contact for at least a full day, maybe more given the severity of the deprivation symptoms . But I can't impress upon you enough the importance that they be together during these beginning phases of the bond, deprivation like this, if left unchecked can be fatal for omegas."
Harry felt his stomach twist at Dr. White's words. He could never risk anything happening to his Louis and, oddly enough, he was beginning to feel that same protective instinct toward Ana as well.
"Both omegas are now in stable condition and I'm comfortable releasing them tonight." Dr white added, sensing the growing tension between the twin alphas.
"I'll leave you gentlemen to discuss the arrangements for Ana and Louis and I'd like to see the four of you once they've fully recovered."
Dr. White leveled a stern, almost parental look at both alphas before leaving to attend to his other patients.
Once again Harry and Edward were alone. Harry pulled in a slow deep breath, settling his nerves after trying to absorb all the information they'd just been given. He turned to Edward who looked similarly unsettled.
"So we have to keep them together." Harry started, stomach dropping at the implication of those words. They too would have to be together. He knew there was no way Edward would leave Ana, especially in her current state, and nothing on this earth could keep Harry from Louis.
He looked up to his brother, shocked at the forlorn expression on his face, finally worn down by the stress of the past 24 hours.
"Yeah. Yeah I guess you're right." Edward sighed as he turned back towards Ana's room.
"It'll be alright." Harry blurted. He'd meant it as a reassurance after feeling the devastating sadness seeping through their bond, but it came out as a question.
Edward turned back to his twin, a watery half smile on his face. "I don't know about that Haz, but I hope you're right."
Harry felt the wind get knocked out of his lungs at hearing the nickname Edward had used for him when they were young. It never failed to make him feel loved and cared for when his brother used it. He felt a faint flutter of hope at hearing Edward use the term of endearment, even if it hadn't been completely on purpose.
He quietly stepped into Louis' room, letting his gaze rest in the beautiful sleeping omega. He still looked pale but the flush of fever was finally gone.
"What are we gonna do, Lou?" He whispered as he sat at the foot of the bed.
He stifled his shuddering breath with his hand as he held back a sob. For the first time since his fight with Edward, he let himself cry, really cry. He cried for Louis and Ana, for the guilt he knew was consuming Edward, and for pain he felt himself. More than anything though he cried at the realization that no matter what any of them chose to do in the coming days, absolutely nothing would ever be the same between them again.