By Zephyria 
Ashley was the first to enter the hospital room, followed by Koi, the hospital director, the attending physician, and finally Grayson. Koi, his face full of worry at the sight of Dane lying with his eyes closed, opened his mouth.
“His consciousness had clearly returned…”
“We’ve given him medication to keep him asleep.”
The attending physician replied quickly.
“The extent of his injuries is so severe that the pain is indescribable. That’s why we’re using medication to keep him forcibly asleep. We plan to maintain this state until his condition improves.”
“I see…”
Koi’s eyes welled up at the doctor’s explanation. How much pain must he be in? To sustain such injuries for the sake of others…
Ashley, who had glanced at Koi wiping his eyes, feeling both touched and pained, put his arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer, as if to comfort him.
“So, what’s the situation now?”
Ashley asked, looking down at Dane, and the hospital director gestured to the attending physician. He immediately opened his mouth.
“His recovery is progressing quickly. He has injuries all over his body, so treatment will take quite a while, but at this rate, it’s still good on average. We expect that he will be well enough to not need to be forcibly sedated with medication in the near future.”
“And his consciousness?”
Ashley asked.
“You would have checked when he briefly woke up, right? What is his state of consciousness?”
“Ah, yes. It’s good. He clearly remembers himself, and his memories of the time of the accident are intact. There is some confusion, but it will all come back as his physical condition improves and he stops taking the medication.”
Until then, Grayson had not said a word. He was just staring intently at the man whose entire body was wrapped in bandages. When Ashley glanced at his son’s mask-like expressionless face, the attending physician, who had hesitated for a moment, spoke with difficulty.
“However…”
Everyone’s attention focused on him as his voice came out hesitantly, as if creeping out. The attending physician opened his mouth, looking as if he were a sinner.
“It’s not certain, but there is a chance of a disability. Since he was caught in an explosion… it’s almost a miracle that he made it here with all his limbs intact…”
“What do you mean by disability? Are you saying something is wrong with Dane’s body?”
Koi asked, his face turning pale, raising his voice. Grayson also widened his eyes and looked at the doctor.
“Explain it in a way that’s easy to understand.”
Ashley said coldly, and the doctor continued, sweating profusely.
“Well, as I said before, Striker is being kept in a state where he cannot regain consciousness. So, we haven’t been able to fully grasp all of his body’s functions…”
“Just get to the point.”
Ashley cut off the doctor’s rambling. The attending physician looked embarrassed and lowered his gaze.
“There is no reaction in his eyes.”
Everyone stopped moving at those words. In the heavy silence where even the sound of breathing could not be heard, the doctor continued in a very nervous voice.
“Even when we shine a light, even when we talk to him, he doesn’t react. The optic nerves may have been damaged by the explosion. We’ll need to do a thorough examination to know for sure, but if he doesn’t recover in this state…”
After swallowing hard, he makes his final conclusion.
“He will go blind.”
Only the regular beeping of the machines occasionally echoed in the quiet hospital room. No one opened their mouth. Koi, pale as a sheet, looked down at Dane, and Ashley, his expression hardened, fixed his gaze on the doctor’s face. And Grayson, who was standing at Dane’s feet, covered his mouth with a trembling hand. His wide eyes were shaking wildly. Suddenly, Ashley felt a faint Pheromone scent emanating from him. Grayson couldn’t take his eyes off Dane with his pale face, but Ashley clearly saw it at that moment.
Grayson’s ear twitching briefly.
Desire Me if you can
Even after leaving the hospital, Koi remained silent for a long time. Ashley was also deep in thought, so the two of them sat in the moving car without saying a word.
Koi was the first to speak.
“Ash, I have something to tell you.”
“Tell me.”
Ashley replied readily, without showing any sign of being disturbed in his thoughts. Koi looked at him with a determined face and opened his mouth.
“I want to give Dane Pheromone one more time.”
Ashley stared at Koi’s face without saying a word. A cynical voice flowed from his mouth, which opened slowly after a pause.
“Is this another notification?”
“I’m sorry.”
Koi apologized instead of admitting it. Ashley could clearly see that it was the same thing.
Ashley, who had been lost in thought again, let out a short sigh. In fact, after returning from pouring Pheromone into Dane last time, Koi had been suffering for several days. He suffered from high fever, fell asleep listlessly all day, and for a while, he even had difficulty getting out of bed and walking.
But to have to go through that situation again.
He wanted to immediately say that it was nonsense, but Koi’s will was firm. Ashley briefly thought about taking him away and imprisoning him, but he soon gave up. If he forcibly broke his will like that, Koi would be very disappointed. Ashley never wanted to see him disappointed in him.
But.
“I don’t know what will happen if you do that again.”
Koi shook his head at Ashley’s warning.
“No, it won’t be as hard this time. Dane’s consciousness has returned. I’m just trying to help him recover.”
He put his hand on the back of Ashley’s hand, as if to reassure him, and said.
“I won’t overdo it. You, Ash, are the most precious thing in the world to me. I will never do anything that will hurt you, never.”
That was true. Koi had proven that fact every time, every moment, until now. Shouldn’t he trust his partner by now?
Ashley, who had been silent for a while, looking at Koi, opened his mouth.
“If you’re not in this world, I won’t be either.”
“I know.”
Koi nodded.
“So, I will never do anything reckless. Trust me.”
At the repeated requests, Ashley finally let out a deep sigh.
“Have Steward stand by.”
“Steward? Why?”
Suddenly? Koi asked, puzzled, and Ashley replied matter-of-factly.
“Steward is the one who knows the most about Pheromones. If something happens to you, he can take action right away, and we need to ensure at least minimal safety.”
“……Okay.”
Koi nodded reluctantly. He was worried about revealing Dane’s Trait, but he couldn’t help it. It was truly an emergency situation. As if reading Koi’s thoughts, Ashley added.
“Doctors have regulations about maintaining patient confidentiality. He won’t break that, so don’t worry.”
“Okay.”
This time, he nodded more firmly. He thought it was over there, but Ashley opened his mouth again.
“And one more thing…”
Desire Me if you can
Grayson, who had prepared as usual in the morning and headed to the hospital, felt something strange when he entered the hallway. The medical staff were moving around more busily than usual.
What is it? Did something happen…?
When he thought that far, Grayson suddenly came to his senses. His face turned pale and he rushed to Dane’s room, and as he had feared, a number of medical staff were going in and out of the room.
“What, what happened? Did something happen to Dane? What’s going on?”
Grayson grabbed a passing medical staff member and shouted. But the man shook off his hand as if annoyed and quickly disappeared into the distance. Grayson, his face pale, looked around, and belatedly ran into the hospital room. His head was full of all sorts of ominous imaginations. Dane losing consciousness again, an electrocardiogram monitor drawing a straight line, and medical staff performing CPR…
When he had imagined the worst, he saw Dane beyond the busy medical staff. Dane Striker, still lying with bandages all over his body. He was not unconscious, and the monitor’s response was also smooth. Nor were the medical staff urgently performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation. They were moving around like ants, checking Dane’s condition and examining his wounds. Grayson’s movements slowed down and then stopped completely. Dane’s appearance in his line of sight was seemingly no different from before, but there was a clear difference.
He opened his eyes.
He was moving his eyelids very slowly, but it was an undeniable fact. He was fully conscious. Grayson stopped dead in his tracks and stared at him. His heart was pounding wildly. Could it be, could it be.
Slowly, Dane turns his head. Finally, their eyes met.
…Could it be.
Just as Grayson barely managed to think, Dane opened his mouth. A cracked voice flowed from his slowly moving lips.
“Puppy, what are you doing? Over there.”
The corners of his mouth relaxed loosely. At that moment, Grayson felt as if his heart had sunk and he almost collapsed.
173 – Title Without Number
“A series of miracles, there’s no other way to put it.”
Steward delivered his assessment with an air of nonchalance. Sitting on the examination room sofa, sipping coffee and talking on the phone, he looked every bit the leisurely gentleman enjoying a relaxing tea time. He gazed out the window at the bright blue sky and continued, as casually as if he were chatting with a friend on the phone.
“Who would have imagined that a Dominant Omega could save someone on the verge of death by pouring out Pheromones, and even eliminate the risk of disability? I had no idea the ‘bond’ between Dominant Omegas was this strong.”
Don’t forget the confidentiality agreement.
At the cool voice from across the room, Steward replied smoothly.
“Of course not. As always, I’ll keep it strictly confidential.”
He spoke obsequiously, but didn’t forget to subtly probe.
“I’d like to study this aspect further, but I suppose that’s out of the question?”
“Norman Steward.”
Ashley Miller called his name with a hint of anger. Steward quickly backed down, saying with a chuckle,
“I thought so. Understood. It’s a shame, I thought it might help Niles later on if I could study it.”
Deliberately adding that last remark, he said casually,
“Anyway, Dane Striker is currently receiving treatment without any problems. I don’t think you need to worry. They say he’ll be able to walk within a week or two, at the earliest.”
He added,
“Of course, no one knows about Connor Niles’ visit or the use of Pheromones, except for the medical staff member who was in charge at the time, as you instructed. Grayson visited after he left the hospital, so of course he doesn’t know either.”
“Alright.”
Ashley hung up immediately. Steward glanced at the phone, now silent, and placed it on the table.
Grayson hasn’t visited the hospital since. Ashley must know that too. But only Grayson himself knows what he’s thinking right now. That’s what Ashley Miller is worried about.
But if he improves this dramatically, won’t they naturally suspect Niles?
Thinking that far, Steward smiled faintly and brought the coffee to his lips. This is really interesting, he thought.
Desire Me if you can
“Ugh.”
At the short groan, the medical staff treating his wound paused and asked,
“I’m sorry, is it very painful?”
Hearing the concerned voice, Dane immediately shook his head.
“No. I’m alright. I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
He gave an embarrassed smile, then turned his head back towards what he thought was the ceiling. When he fully regained consciousness, Dane heard something unexpected.
“There may be some vision impairment, so let’s keep the eye patch on for now.”
According to the doctor, Dane had been at risk of losing his sight. Surprisingly, shortly after that assessment, his condition miraculously improved, and he overcame the danger of blindness. However, just in case, the attending physician recommended blocking out the light and monitoring his progress for the time being. Unable to avoid having bandages and an eye patch over both eyes, Dane couldn’t see anything around him. He had no choice but to endure, trusting the doctor’s words that he would be able to return to normal once his body recovered and he gradually adjusted to the light. Tedious, every single day.
Haaa…….
Once the dressing of the remaining wounds was finished and he was left alone, he let out a long breath he had been holding in. Now all the machines attached to his body were gone, and only silence surrounded him.
……It’s quiet.
Suddenly, he felt strange. Had it ever been this quiet before? On reflection, it wasn’t anything new. It was the same when he lived alone with Darling. Unless he went to a club and picked up someone for the night, this kind of quiet time was perfectly normal.
Why do I feel so empty……?
He couldn’t figure out the reason. The only possible explanation was that Darling used to be there, and now even Darling wasn’t.
Yeon-woo is taking good care of him, I hope…….
Cats weren’t allowed in the hospital. Yeon-woo, who came to the hospital after hearing that he had woken up, was saddened and told him that Darling was doing well.
“I was worried because he seemed depressed for the first few days, but he’s been holding up well lately.”
Yeon-woo and his children were all very gentle, so they would take good care of the cat. The second child had a mischievous side, but Yeon-woo and the first child would be there, so it would be alright. Dane thought so, and was able to relieve his worries about Darling. He would start rehabilitation soon. Once he could walk, he would be discharged immediately, so he had to go pick up Darling right away. He reaffirmed his determination.
But that was it. Before long, he had the same thought again.
……It’s boring.
The day was too long. Everything around him was terribly quiet. He almost preferred the days when he was just sleeping. He seriously considered asking them to put him back to sleep, when suddenly a certain face came to mind.
How is that bastard doing?
Dane had heard from the medical staff that Grayson had visited him every day while he was unconscious. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was also Grayson’s face. He hadn’t realized it for the first few days because he was out of it due to the treatment and often fell asleep, but when he looked back, Grayson hadn’t been seen since.
He came every day when I was asleep, but now that I’m awake…….
Dane frowned, but it was difficult to know the reason. Still not understanding, he just lay there.
“Who can understand what’s going on in his head.”
Dane deliberately muttered aloud. But all that did was make the silence in the room even more palpable. After the guy who had been chirping around him all day disappeared, Dane felt an absurd sense of emptiness. He must be busy with something. He dismissed any further thoughts and closed his eyes, enduring the long, silent hours.
Desire Me if you can
Late at night, the hospital was quiet. The lights illuminating the long corridor were sparsely spaced, casting long shadows of the occasional passersby. The hospital corridor, unusually deserted and even ominous, was quietly traversed by a man. The sound of his footsteps, rhythmically breaking the eerie silence, created an unsettling feeling, but the man didn’t care at all. He walked steadily, without wavering for a moment, until he reached a certain hospital room.
The man didn’t immediately open the door, but paused there for a moment. He seemed to be contemplating something, but the time was short. Soon, he grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, allowing the light from the corridor to spill into the room.
Closing the door behind him with a click, the man soon began to walk again. One step, then another, as he approached the bed, his lips tightly sealed and unmoving.
Finally, he stopped abruptly beside the bed and stood silently for a while, looking down at the man lying on it. The man who had been fighting death every minute and every second, wrapped in bandages and connected to all sorts of machines, was no longer here. There were far fewer bandages, and the wounds had also decreased. The man, breathing peacefully as if in a deep sleep, looked peaceful to anyone who saw him. Without any anguish.
……Haa.
The man looking down let out a deep sigh for the first time. Just then, the moonlight shining through the window illuminated his face. Grayson Miller stood motionless, looking down at Dane with a terribly distorted expression.
It had been almost ten days since he had come to see Dane. When he learned that Dane’s body had suddenly recovered and that he was no longer in danger of losing his sight—to be exact, ever since Dane, who had regained consciousness, had looked him straight in the eye—Grayson had not come to the hospital even once.
In the meantime, he had become noticeably thinner. He hadn’t been eating or sleeping properly. His hollow cheeks and the dark shadows under his sunken eyes all seemed to prove that fact. He must be exhausted from extreme fatigue, but surprisingly, his mind was clear. Grayson had come all the way here with such a clear mind. He could confidently say that his mind had never been clearer than it was now.
Yes, so my thoughts aren’t wrong now either.