Kiss Me if You Can Novel Completed - Chapter 102

The hospital was quiet. In the corridor, where not a single person came and went, Josh stood with a few other security guards. Chase was lying in a hospital room, and the only people with him were his manager, Laura, and the head of the security team. Everyone else was ordered to wait in the corridor.

On the hurried journey to the hospital, Chase hadn’t opened his eyes once. Completely unconscious, his breathing was so faint that it seemed as if he had died then and there. Of course, that was an unacceptable thought. Josh mentally prepared himself for immediate CPR and even brought a portable defibrillator. While guarding him in the car, countless thoughts swirled in his mind. But what was most strongly imprinted in his brain was the red blood staining various parts of Chase’s body.

Fearing that Chase might choke on his own blood, Josh placed his head on his thigh. He didn’t forget to hold his head to one side with his hand to keep it steady.

Fortunately, he didn’t vomit blood again while unconscious. The only problem was that he didn’t open his eyes the entire time.

Barely reaching the hospital, they immediately took Chase to the emergency room. Despite doctors surrounding him and performing all sorts of tests, Chase remained unresponsive.

Josh inwardly cursed himself for constantly having ominous thoughts, but the thoughts continued ceaselessly. Chase’s bloodless face kept flickering before his eyes. The red blood that had stained his entire body did the same.

My God, did all the blood in his body drain out?

Hoo.

Josh sighed, placing a hand on his forehead, and only then realized he was trembling. It’s okay, the doctors will do something. He reiterated the same words to himself, trying to comfort himself. He’s at the hospital, so he’ll be fine. He’ll be okay, he’ll regain consciousness soon.

Any moment now.

“Josh.”

Startled by the call, he looked up and saw Mark looking at him. His furrowed face showed concern. Mark asked Josh, who was blinking blankly, “Are you tired? Were you very surprised?”

“Me? Oh… No, just a little.”

He tried to deny it but stammered. Mark frowned as if he had expected it and opened his mouth. “For you to react this much, C must have been quite something earlier. Laura even said some people cried, didn’t she? She said they might even need trauma therapy.”

It wouldn’t be common for ordinary people to see someone vomit so much blood and collapse in reality, not in a movie. Moreover, he had collapsed, covered in blood, without any warning, so talking about trauma was understandable.

But Josh’s case was different. Before becoming a security guard, he was a soldier and had witnessed many repulsive sights and gruesome scenes. While he might feel pity, being surprised or panicking just because blood was overflowing before his eyes was impossible. In any situation, Josh was accustomed to keeping a cool head. He was trained to immediately set aside emotions and move his body in such situations, without even having to deliberately try to remain calm.

But.

Josh looked down at his hands again. At first glance, there seemed to be no problem, but when he focused his gaze, he could see the faint trembling of his hands. Realizing that, a chill ran down his spine.

“Is he still unconscious?”

Instead of answering, Mark looked at the hospital room door and nodded. “Yes, probably. If there was any change, we would have known immediately.”

As he said, there was no sign from inside the door. At the very least, if Chase had opened his eyes, Laura would have immediately called the medical staff. But the fact that it was still so quiet meant his condition was unchanged.

Hoo, Josh sighed deeply. In the ominous silence, the closed hospital room door showed no sign of opening, and time continued to pass.

Chase regained consciousness more than half a day later. In the meantime, the security guards either slept or rested at a hotel near the hospital arranged by Laura. Josh, who had to leave his post due to a shift change, fell into a light sleep and then woke up to a call in the early morning, rushing to the hospital.

“Josh.”

Laura, also looking tired as if she had been resting and received the call, greeted Josh. “I’m sorry to bother you during your rest time. Mr. Miller was looking for you… He won’t listen even when I tell him you’re off duty. It seems Mr. Miller relies on Josh a lot.”

“It’s fine.”

Josh replied simply to her flustered addition. More than that, he wanted to see Chase first.

Fortunately, Laura seemed to have concluded her own guess as to why Chase was looking for Josh. Their private conversation in Steward’s consultation room had been a big catalyst. After that, she would step aside without much suspicion whenever they spent time alone or when Chase called Josh. This misunderstanding was welcome, so Josh didn’t bother to correct it.

As he hurried his steps, Laura, who guided him to the hospital room, stood at the door and spoke. “I contacted Steward, and since there are limited doctors who can consult on these symptoms… he said it would be best to come as soon as possible for an examination. Mr. Miller said he would decide after meeting Josh first.”

Josh flinched his eyebrows but raised his hand without a word. He knocked twice in rhythm, and as he paused before opening the door, Laura silently watched him. Just before the door closed on him as he entered the hospital room a moment later, she whispered softly, “I’ll get ready to go to the hospital.”

“At this hour?”

Josh asked, surprised. It was already past midnight, and for Steward to offer a consultation at this time was good news on one hand, but on the other, an uneasy feeling resurfaced. Laura replied nonchalantly, “Steward often stays up all night in his lab. Other people besides Mr. Miller sometimes receive emergency consultations too.”

She must be talking about extreme Alphas.

Josh reluctantly nodded and closed the door. Before he turned around, a scent greeted him first. Feeling the sweet pheromone scent envelop him, he slowly turned his head, and Chase, lying on the bed, immediately came into view.

The moonlight streaming through the large window revealed Chase’s bloodless face. Josh’s heart sank for a moment. The image of him covered in blood filled his vision.

Had he ever been this afraid?

Josh stood rooted to the spot. He hadn’t been this tense even when passing through dangerous minefields. For the first time, he understood the fear of losing someone. And at the same time, what Chase meant to him.

He couldn’t react properly to the unfamiliar sensation when Chase suddenly moved.

Ah.

His closed eyelids slowly lifted, and the eyes hidden beneath gradually revealed themselves. His purple eyes had deepened, almost turning black. Josh silently watched him blink several times, furrowing his brows, trying to focus.

“Joshua.”

His voice, lower than usual, emerged from his parched lips. The hoarse voice made Josh’s heart ache even more. Ahem, Josh cleared his throat and finally moved, approaching the bed. Chase simply watched Josh approach, motionless.

Finally stopping, Josh quietly looked down at Chase. A face utterly pale, devoid of any color, met his gaze. Josh felt his mouth go dry and swallowed with difficulty. He raised a hesitant hand to Chase’s cheek and spoke.

“Chase.”

“What were you doing with Laura?”

The words, ‘Are you okay?’ that he was about to ask were immediately cut off by the abrupt question. Josh belatedly realized that Chase’s eyes were bloodshot as he spoke in a heavily strained voice.

“…Doing what?”

“You two were talking, I saw everything, so don’t lie.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Chase began to cough. A startled Josh quickly looked around. As he moved to find water, Chase suddenly grabbed him. Josh instinctively turned his head and found Chase gripping his wrist with incredible strength, even as he coughed violently. Despite repeated harsh coughs that sounded like he was about to vomit blood again, the hand gripping his wrist so tightly that his fingers tingled didn’t loosen at all.

“I was trying to get you some water.”

Josh said, but Chase couldn’t reply due to his coughing. His answer was evident from his unyielding grip. He was holding him so tightly that his hand had lost all sensation. Finally, Josh turned back and sat on the edge of the bed. Only after confirming that he wasn’t leaving did Chase finally loosen his grip. He didn’t let go of Josh, but his murderous glare softened a little. Seeing that, Josh gave a wry smile.

“That hurts.”

He gently chided, then lowered his head and kissed Chase’s lips. Along with the sweet pheromone scent, there seemed to be a faint smell of medicine. Josh, feeling sorry for him, asked, still with his lips pressed against Chase’s, “Are you okay? Why did that suddenly happen?”

Then he deliberately added playfully, “Surely you didn’t throw up blood just because you were jealous of Laura and me.”

“…”

Chase said nothing. He only tightened his grip on Josh’s wrist again. Josh unconsciously furrowed his brows and said, “I’m just kidding,” pulling his lips away.

“We were just talking about work. …If you throw up blood every time you get jealous of everyone I talk to, you’ll be a corpse soon.”

Josh lifted the wrist Chase was holding and kissed the back of Chase’s hand, which was gripping him so tightly that his knuckles stood out. With his lips still pressed against Chase’s, he looked down at him and added mischievously, “If you die, you won’t be able to interfere anymore, will you? Even if Pete gets a new daddy or mommy.”

Seeing Chase’s eyes widen, turning pale, Josh quickly corrected himself. “I’m kidding. I just mean, don’t get sick.”

Chase still looked at Josh with wide, disbelieving eyes, his face pale. If he left him like this, he really seemed like he would vomit blood and faint again.

Even so, getting like this because of jealousy is absurd.

“You heard, right? We need to go see Steward.”

Josh quickly changed the subject and asked seriously, “If you don’t want to see me talking to anyone else, you need to get well quickly. We need to find out the cause first.”

“…It’s nothing.”

Chase stubbornly mumbled in his still hoarse voice. But his voice was so strained and low that it was hard to hear, and his face was even paler than before. It really seemed like something serious would happen at this rate.

“If you don’t know the cause, then see Steward. There’s no other way.”

Josh also felt uneasy dealing with him, but as Laura said, that man was the only one who could examine Chase’s condition right now. Chase also seemed to know that he was in no state to be stubborn anymore and fell silent. Josh stroked the disheveled hair from his forehead, as if to comfort him. He briefly looked down at his neat forehead, then impulsively kissed it.

“It’ll be okay. That’s why we’re going to check.”

At Josh’s comfort, Chase silently wrapped his hand around Josh’s neck and pulled him closer. Only when their lips met did Josh realize that Chase was tense.

“I’ll be by your side, Chase.”

Mwah, Josh kissed his lips and pressed his forehead against Chase’s. “I’ll never leave. So don’t worry.”

Still, Chase’s expression didn’t change. If Josh left the room now, Chase would be alone again. Anxious about Josh not being in sight, imagining all sorts of things, in a maddening state of unease.

Josh, who had been quietly watching him, spoke. “Chase, should I mark you?”

At those words, Chase’s eyes widened. Josh felt both pity and adoration at his already large eyes widening several times over, and for a moment, he didn’t know what expression to make. He continued speaking quietly.

“If I mark you, I won’t be able to mark anyone else for the rest of my life. Not until one of us dies.”

Josh paused, then added mischievously, “How about it? Will that make you feel a little more at ease?”

Chase, who had been unresponsive until then, opened his mouth. “…You can… do that?”

At his disbelieving expression, Josh gave a wry smile. “I was originally planning to do it after the wedding… but I guess there’s no choice. There are many ways to hide it, like makeup. Alpha or Omega actors with marks do that when they’re filming, right? We can set the wedding date slowly… I guess after filming ends would be best? Work comes first, after all.”

Chase, still looking dazed, asked, “But, is the mark okay?”

Josh shrugged one shoulder. “It would be very troublesome if you started throwing up blood every time I talked to someone.”

For a while, Chase said nothing. He just stared at Josh without even blinking. But Josh could clearly see his purple eyes slowly deepening in color. Chase opened his mouth but couldn’t make a sound. After several more attempts, he finally spoke.

“…I love you, Joshua.”

After barely saying that in his hoarse and strained voice, Chase closed his mouth. But that was enough. Josh tilted his head and pressed his lips against his.

“I love you too, Chase Miller.”

His heart pounded as if he wanted to get on top of Chase immediately, but he quickly clenched his fists and held back. Instead, he pulled his lips away and smiled gently.

“After we see Steward, let’s mark you right away when we get back.”

What would happen if he marked Chase’s ear? For a moment, the reactions of the members and staff came to mind, but he could think about that later. It felt like a public declaration, and Josh felt a little embarrassed.

First, I should tell only Laura and Mark. They definitely need to know.

As Josh got off the bed, Chase immediately tightened his grip on his wrist. But this time, unlike before, Chase soon let go of Josh. Just then, there was a knock. Laura, who had been waiting, was signaling that everything was ready.

Josh bent down and kissed his lips again. And Chase, releasing his hand, turned and silently watched Josh’s back as he left the hospital room. Josh looked back one last time and smiled faintly. Chase also smiled back, but a dazed expression still lingered. Feeling an unbearable adoration, Josh quickly left the hospital room. He thought that if he had hesitated for just a moment longer, he might have really pounced on Chase on the hospital bed.