When Josh opened his eyes again, he was in a hospital.
A thick bandage wrapped around one arm, and an IV needle was inserted into the other.
“You’ve got an insane amount of stamina.”
Mark, who had just arrived, clicked his tongue in disbelief.
He launched into a long-winded explanation—detailing Josh’s condition upon arrival, the procedures he underwent, the injections he received—but to Josh, it all blurred into one thing: “I got a lot of shots and treatnt.”
Only half-listening, Josh rummaged through the small bag of personal belongings Mark had brought. The first thing he checked was his phone.
A few ssages had co in while he was unconscious. One was from Emma.
[Call
when you can. I need to ask you sothing.]
It didn’t seem urgent.
I’ll deal with it later.
Thinking the sa as last ti, Josh skimd through the rest of his ssages.
anwhile, Mark’s report was finally wrapping up.
“You’re fully vaccinated now—rabies shot, tetanus, all done. Luckily, no broken bones.”
Mark sighed as if relieved before adding with a smirk,
“But seriously, what the hell were you thinking, going up against a pack of coyotes? C was completely wrecked watching that. The guy went pale as a ghost when you collapsed. Even Laura was shocked—said she’d never seen him panic like that before.”
Josh felt weird hearing that.
Chase had been that shaken because of him?
Not knowing how to respond, he forced a vague smile and quickly changed the subject.
“So, when can I go back to work?”
“Hey, slow down. What’s the rush?”
Mark raised a hand, gesturing for him to calm the hell down.
“They’ll monitor you for another day. You’ll probably be cleared tomorrow. Take it easy. Get so rest. Maybe call your kid. You probably miss him, right?”
“…Yeah, I do.”
The first thing that flashed in his mind was Pete—but oddly, Chase’s face overlapped with his.
Josh quickly shoved the thought aside.
“So? What the hell happened?”
He had a lot of questions.
Mark exhaled, then began explaining.
“The problem started at the hospital.”
Josh wasn’t surprised.
Mark continued,
“The chocolates we ate were drugged. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything too serious—everyone recovered after a few hours. Henry got hit the worst, though. The guy ate the most, so he hallucinated the longest. Took twice as long to snap out of it.”
Josh barely reacted.
Not surprising. Henry ate everything in sight.
Mark sighed.
“Seth and I just felt off for a while. I told Henry to stop eating free shit without thinking. Thankfully, Isaac didn’t touch them at all. Though, honestly, Henry bringing back two full handfuls of that stuff made testing the contents a lot easier.”
Josh didn’t care about any of that.
He was focused on one thing.
“…So who did it?”
His mind imdiately went to Stewart.
But Mark’s answer was unexpected.
“The staff mber who gave us the chocolates.”
“…What?”
Josh’s voice ca out sharper than intended.
Mark nodded.
“You know that extremist cult that targets Extre Alphas? Turns out, the guy was one of their followers. That hospital also runs a research center on Extre Alphas. He infiltrated the place to steal information. We just happened to be his latest target.”
Josh frowned.
“…Chase isn’t the only Extre Alpha who gets treated there.”
Mark agreed.
“Yeah, but they switch targets all the ti. He probably wanted soone flashy. More impact, more attention. Even one successful attack would’ve been enough to make headlines.”
Mark smirked.
“And co on, C? If they pulled it off, the whole world would’ve lost its mind.”
Josh’s spine went cold as an image of Chase’s lifeless body flashed through his mind.
He refused to entertain it any further.
“…Was he working alone? Any accomplices?”
“Just him. He waited until C had a check-up scheduled, then contacted his group. They planned it for a while. You saw the truck, the gun—it was well-prepared. Too bad for them, it failed spectacularly.”
Mark’s tone was smug, but Josh wasn’t satisfied.
“…And what about the doctor?”
Mark blinked.
“…Who?”
“Chase’s personal physician. Stewart.”
“Oh, that guy.”
Mark shrugged.
“They already investigated him. He’s clean.”
“…What?”
Josh’s voice sharpened.
That was bullshit.
There was no way he wasn’t involved.
Mark continued, unfazed.
“They checked every hospital employee. All clear. They ruled it as a lone actor.”
“…That makes no sense.”
Josh’s gut told him otherwise.
Mark noticed his expression.
“…Sothing bothering you?”
Josh hesitated.
“…He was the only one who knew which road we’d be taking.”
And if he was aware of the drug’s effects, if he had access to personal details about Chase, then planting bait wouldn’t have been difficult.
Mark scratched his head.
“Isaac said the sa thing.”
“…Isaac?”
“Yeah. Apparently, Stewart said so weird shit. Asked about our team, ntioned drug side effects, and made so anti-Extre Alpha comnts.”
Josh tensed.
But Mark just shrugged.
“Still, nothing we can do. Cops cleared him. The staff mber said he asked for the route himself. Apologized for it, but it wasn’t considered a privacy breach.”
“…And you’re just accepting that?”
Mark yawned.
“Could just be a gut feeling. Not like we always like the people we work with.”
Josh had no response.
Mark clapped his hands together.
“Look, let the cops handle it. We focus on our job. Got it? Need anything?”
“…How’s C? Any injuries?”
“He’s fine. If you’re this ssed up, he’d better be.”
Mark paused, then smirked.
“You know what’s weird, though? After you collapsed, he tried to follow you to the hospital. We had to drag him back.”
Josh froze.
…What?
Mark scoffed.
“Dude never cares when people drop dead around him. But he lost his fucking mind when you went down. Even Laura thought it was weird.”
“…He must have still been hallucinating.”
Josh dodged the topic.
Mark tilted his head.
“Maybe.”
Josh shrugged.
“Like hell C would give a damn about his bodyguard.”
Mark laughed.
“True.”
Josh steered the conversation away.
“So… I can head back tomorrow?”
“Take your ti. C’s schedule got delayed. He’s resting at the mansion. You’ll report there when you’re discharged.”
Josh nodded.
“…Thanks.”
Suddenly, Pete’s face flashed in his mind.
“…Hey, Mark.”
“What?”
“Can I get discharged tonight instead? I’ll co back tomorrow for the checkup.”
Mark raised a brow.
“Why?”
Josh scratched his head.
“…I wanna see my kid.”
Pete burst into tears the mont he saw him.
“DADDY!”
Josh barely caught him as he threw himself into his arms.
Pete sobbed into his shoulder, soaking his shirt with tears and snot.
Josh didn’t mind.
“…You should’ve called.”
His mother sighed, crossing her arms.
“And **your body—**honestly.”
Josh smiled.
“It looks worse than it is.”
Pete sniffled, peeking up at him with red, puffy eyes.
Josh pressed a light kiss to his cheek.
For a split second, he thought of Chase.
What’s he doing right now?
Is he still shaking? Still seeing things?
Then—tiny hands patted his cheeks.
Pete bead.
“Daddy! Let’s play airplane!”
At the Sa Ti—Chase’s Mansion
Mark stood awkwardly, unable to speak.
Chase was seething.
His jaw clenched, and he gritted his teeth.
“…What do you an, he took a leave?”
His low voice was dripping with anger.
Mark hesitated.
“Well… He had to stay in the hospital for another day anyway. So instead of wasting ti there, he went ho to visit his kid. His mother lives nearby.”
He added unnecessary details, hoping it would help.
It did not.
Chase’s fingers trembled as he clenched and unclenched his fists.
Then—
“FUCK!”
He cursed, standing abruptly, then began pacing.
Mark winced.
Technically, security scheduling was his responsibility. He had every right to approve Josh’s leave.
And Chase had no reason to be this mad.
Mark pressed his lips together.
Did sothing happen between them?
He tried to figure it out, but nothing made sense.
Even if Chase was a lunatic, he wouldn’t ignore a life debt.
Mark sighed.
“He’ll be back as soon as his checkup’s done. …If you need to talk to him, I’ll make sure he reports to you imdiately.”
Chase froze.
He stood there, silent, his gaze narrowing.
“…You’re sure?”
Mark didn’t know what that ant.
But if Chase was asking whether Josh was coming back, then—
“Yes.”
Chase’s expression loosened—just slightly.
He exhaled harshly, rubbing his temples.
“…If you’re lying, I’ll fucking kill you.”
Mark bit his tongue.
Why would I even lie about that?
But he simply nodded.
“Yes.”
Chase cursed again, then collapsed into a chair, scowling at the food Mark had brought.
After glaring at it for a while, he finally picked up his fork, stabbing at the now-cold al with a disgusted expression.
Mark took that as his cue to leave.
Fast.
Josh’s Visit Ho
The mont Pete saw him, he burst into tears.
“DADDY!”
Josh barely had ti to brace himself before Pete threw himself at him, clinging desperately.
Pete’s small body shook as he sobbed loudly, soaking Josh’s shirt with tears and snot.
Josh let him.
“…You could’ve called.”
His mother sighed.
“I know you’re busy, but—”
She trailed off, her gaze scanning his bandages.
“…And your body. Honestly, Josh.”
Josh smiled.
“It looks worse than it is.”
The coyote bite was deep, but it wasn’t critical.
He had several stitches and a lot of scratches, but he’d had worse.
“This kind of thing was common in the military.”
His mother gave him a sharp look but said nothing.
Pete hiccupped, sniffling.
Josh rubbed his back gently, shifting him in his arms.
Pete’s red, puffy eyes looked up at him.
Josh pressed a light kiss to his chubby cheek.
And suddenly—Chase’s face flickered through his mind.
What is he doing right now?
Is he still trembling? Still hearing things?
Josh’s thoughts paused when tiny hands patted his cheeks.
Pete bead.
“Daddy! Let’s play airplane!”
Josh chuckled.
“Wanna sleep with Daddy tonight?”
Pete’s eyes widened.
He bounced excitedly, hitting Josh’s arm repeatedly.
“Yes! Yes!”
His mother sighed.
“You’re staying for dinner, right? Emma’s coming too.”
“As long as it’s early.”
Pete climbed up his shoulders, giggling.
“Let’s go! Let’s go!”
Josh pretended to stagger.
“Oh no! Where am I going?”
Pete laughed.
“Right! Right!”
Josh spun in circles, making Pete shriek with joy.
For the first ti in days—Josh felt content.
…But a strange emptiness lingered.
What is Chase doing right now?
Chase’s Condition
Mark was uncomfortable.
Chase glared at him, untouched food sitting in front of him.
“…What do you an, he took a leave?”
Mark shifted.
“He needed an extra day at the hospital anyway, so he—”
“I don’t care.”
Chase’s voice dropped to a dangerous level.
His fists clenched on the table.
Mark hesitated.
“…You do realize this isn’t unusual, right?”
Chase ignored him.
His jaw tensed.
His fingers trembled.
And then, quietly—
“…FUCK.”
Mark didn’t understand.
What the hell was going on between them?
He forced a smile.
“Look, Josh will be back tomorrow. I’ll make sure he reports to you first.”
Chase froze.
Then, slowly—
“You’re sure?”
Mark blinked.
“…Yeah.”
Chase exhaled harshly, rubbing his temple.
“If you’re lying, I’ll fucking kill you.”
Mark barely held back an eye-roll.
“Sure. Go ahead.”
Chase didn’t respond.
Instead, he stabbed his fork into his food.
Mark took that as his cue to leave.
Josh’s Unexpected Encounter
The next morning, Josh took Pete with him to the hospital.
Even though he was still sore, spending a whole day with Pete was worth it.
The check-up was quick.
“You should co in for regular treatnt. You had a lot of stitches. You’ll scar, but considering it was a coyote bite, you got lucky.”
Josh thanked the doctor and scheduled his next visit.
Then—since he was already out—he took Pete for ice cream.
Pete was thrilled.
Josh let him run around the park after.
And that’s when he saw him.
A familiar man sat alone on a nearby bench.
He was thin, holding a pudding cup in his hand.
A grown man, eating pudding alone in public—funny, but Josh didn’t laugh.
Because Chase wasn’t okay.
His face was pale, his hands shaking.
Josh watched as Chase blankly stared at nothing—completely zoned out.
Even when pudding dripped onto his leg, he didn’t react.
Josh exhaled.
Pete was busy playing—so he stood up.
He walked over.
“…Hey.”
Chase flinched violently.
Josh raised an eyebrow.
“Are you okay?”
Chase blinked rapidly.
Josh crossed his arms.
“Do I need to call 911?”
“…N-No.”
His voice shook.
Josh frowned.
“…Wait a second.”
Now that he was up close—
“…Have we t before?”
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