Kiss Me if You Can Novel Completed - Chapter 74

The road from the filming location to the hospital was incredibly quiet. Josh felt uneasy recalling that he had been attacked on this very road not long ago. His thoughts soon turned to Chase. He wanted to talk to him directly, but filming came first, so there was no opportunity. Instead, Laura had told him that there were no particular problems, so he could just get the same medicine he was taking. Fortunately, the changed medicine seemed to suit Chase well enough, as no side effects had appeared yet. Recently, he hadn’t been taking his medicine properly, and Chase’s condition seemed much more stable, so what about adjusting the dosage? He was curious, but at the same time, he didn’t quite trust the doctor. Remembering the strange smile on his face, Josh instinctively frowned. No matter how he thought about it, something seemed off. However, the police investigation results were clear. The conclusion was that Steward was not involved, so Josh could no longer voice his suspicions about him.

“Damn it.”

Josh cursed under his breath and pressed the accelerator. Still feeling uneasy, he sped towards the hospital.

“Welcome, you were Chase’s bodyguard, right? What was your name?”

Steward, who was sitting alone in the same desolate consultation room as last time, greeted Josh warmly as he was guided in. His kind voice and tone were exactly what you’d expect from a friendly doctor, but Josh still didn’t let down his guard and replied.

“It’s Bailey. I’m here to pick up Mr. Miller’s medicine.”

Josh diverted the conversation, giving his last name instead of his first.

“He says there are no particular issues with the changed medicine. I’d like to ask for the same prescription.” 

“Oh, really? That’s good to hear.”

Steward replied casually and then stood up.

“Then let’s go to the counseling room. The prescription is handled there.”

Josh thought it made sense, considering there wasn’t even a single writing utensil on the desk. Even so, wouldn’t it be quite inefficient to move between buildings like this? Josh frowned slightly as he walked across the large grounds, following Steward. Steward, oblivious to his doubts, familiar with the route, crossed the garden and entered another building. It was the same building where he had been offered the suspicious chocolate before.

“Hello.”

The receptionist, who offered a professional smile, was a different person from before. Naturally, the previous employee was nowhere to be seen. Josh considered asking about her but decided against it. It felt like prying, and he already knew the outcome.

“Ah, Mr. Steward. You have an appointment in 30 minutes.”

The employee spoke to Steward, who was heading to his counseling room. Steward glanced back and then replied with a smile.

“This person is just picking up a prescription and will leave quickly, so if they arrive, just guide them to my room.” 

“Yes, understood.”

The employee smiled at Josh again. Josh also gave a short smile and followed Steward. Last time, Isaac had followed, so Josh hadn’t known, but now, walking behind Steward, he felt a strange tension and oppressive atmosphere inside the building. The hallway, devoid of any decoration, had no windows, not even a single picture frame. All that could be heard were Steward’s and Josh’s footsteps. Josh thought that if someone had claustrophobia, they might have a panic attack here. And yet, Steward kept walking. He had no idea how long they would walk, or why the counseling room was so far away. At this rate, wouldn’t he develop a mental illness he didn’t have before? Just as he thought that, Steward finally stopped. When he opened the door and the scene inside came into view, Josh let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. Steward, who had entered first, opened the curtains, and bright sunlight immediately poured in. He waited for Josh to follow him in and then spoke.

“Would you like some snacks? Or tea?” 

“No, I’m fine.”

He didn’t want to eat a single peanut here. When he refused with a stiff face, Steward tilted his head and smiled.

“It’s a shame, I carefully choose snacks every time.”

Josh said nothing. His mind was too tangled, unsure how to deal with this inscrutable man. Leaving Josh alone, Steward walked around the desk to the back and opened a drawer. Preparing a prescription pad and a pen, he began to write without even looking up previous records.

“Don’t you need to check the prescription?”

Josh, feeling uneasy, subtly asked. Steward looked up and gazed at him.

“It’s fine, it’s all stored here.”

He tapped his head with his index finger and smiled brightly. Josh had nothing more to say and just shut his mouth. He just watched Steward continue to write the prescription, and then, still with his head down, Steward spoke.

“Why don’t you sit down for a moment? It’ll take a while. As you know, he takes a lot of medicine.” 

“…Is there no way to reduce the amount of medicine?”

He didn’t miss the opportunity to ask, but Steward, without even looking at him, replied indifferently.

“If he stops the medicine, he won’t be able to handle it at all. He might have seizures, and he’s so sensitive that we don’t know what he might do to those around him.”

After a brief pause, Josh spoke.

“He hasn’t taken much medicine for the past few days, and he’s doing well.”

Hearing that, Steward stopped his rapidly moving pen. He then looked up, and for the first time, the smile was gone from his face. Instead, Steward spoke with a suspicious expression.

“He hasn’t taken his medicine?” 

“No.”

Josh nodded and continued to speak to the best of his knowledge.

“He hasn’t taken sleeping pills continuously, and as far as I know, he’s skipped the intermittent medication a few times. But he hasn’t had seizures or acted threateningly towards those around him.”

 “…Oh.”

Steward just sighed that one word and blinked. Josh patiently added.

“Wouldn’t it be good to at least try reducing the dosage?” 

“Well… if that’s true, it’s really good news, but.”

Hmm, Josh waited silently for his answer, watching his thoughtful expression. His suspicion of Steward remained, but he also considered that as a doctor, he couldn’t help but be cautious. Hmm, Steward seemed to have reached a conclusion and then spoke.

“Then let’s do this. I’ll give you the medicine as previously prescribed, so don’t arbitrarily reduce it; just take it as is for now. Instead, come to the hospital as soon as possible on a scheduled date, and after appropriate tests, we can change the prescription or reduce the medicine. It’s not good to stop abruptly, as withdrawal symptoms can occur.” 

“Yes, that’s right. …Thank you.”

Anyway, it wasn’t a bad conclusion. When he thanked him unconsciously, Steward made an ambiguous expression and tilted his head. Josh realized he had made an inappropriate greeting but didn’t bother to correct it. When he feigned ignorance, Steward quietly looked at him and then smiled strangely.

“But how did you know that? That Chase was skipping his medicine.” 

“Just by chance, I saw that he had medicine left over a few times after some time had passed.”

At Josh’s quick thinking, Steward said, “Really?” and narrowed his eyes.

“Sleeping pills too?” 

“Yes.”

If he answered at length, he would only reveal more. Josh just threw out a short answer and shut his mouth. For a moment, Steward just looked at him without saying anything. Josh also remained silent. A chilling silence and tension continued. Josh pretended not to notice and met his gaze naturally. The one who couldn’t endure the pressure would lose. Of course, the loser wasn’t Josh. After watching him quietly for a while, Steward suddenly shrugged his shoulders. As if to say, that’s enough. And then he nonchalantly turned his attention back to the prescription.

“Anyway, it’s a relief if he’s gotten better. I was worried that no matter how extreme an Alpha he was, taking that much medicine would eventually lead to bad results.”

Josh felt strange hearing Steward say he was worried about Chase. He silently looked at him, and Steward added casually.

“I was thinking it might be time to stop the injections too. He takes too much oral medicine, and then extracts pheromones by injection… It’s unavoidable since he can’t have sex, but relying only on injections will eventually make his arm rot. It would be troublesome if he had to have his arm amputated, wouldn’t it?” 

“…What?”

Josh inadvertently asked back, feeling like he had heard something strange. Steward continued to write the prescription, speaking.

“Well, it’s not that I don’t understand. But to fall into his own delusion about something that doesn’t even exist and self-harm like that, it’s truly pitiful.”

At first, he didn’t realize what those words meant. It was a few seconds later that Josh grasped the meaning.

“What are you talking about? No way, then…”

Josh stammered in confusion and swallowed dryly. Suddenly, a chilling voice called out from behind him.

“To reveal a patient’s secret so carelessly, is that what a doctor should do?”

At the familiar voice, Josh instinctively turned around. Steward also looked surprised and stood up. An unexpected man stood at the counseling room door.

“Grayson.”

Steward’s voice echoed unusually loudly in the silence. Josh suddenly remembered the receptionist’s words about an appointment. It was Grayson. In the unexpected situation, he just stood there, blinking.