DASH

They asked Mina to take Lucas while they took a taxi to the nearest university hospital. Fortunately, by the time they arrived, Jihon was feeling better and was able to walk on his own. Which made him regret that he had come here with Jaekyung. Slowly entering the emergency room, Jihon was feverishly thinking about how he could sneak home, but nothing came to mind. He knew that Jaekyung would not let him go anywhere.

Jaekyung walked over to the reception desk and, without waiting for the nurse's question, said, "It's been a few days since severe gastritis, and now he's showing signs of dehydration.

"Are you a patient?" The nurse asked, starting to type on the keyboard.

"No, he's the patient," Jaekyung replied, pushing Jihong forward.

The nurse asked him for his date of birth and name, and then clarified: "Were you diagnosed with gastritis in the hospital?"

"No... I don't have gastritis," Jihon mumbled reluctantly.

"And what then?" The nurse insisted.

Jihong wanted to apologize with all his heart and run away, citing that he felt better. But he was well aware that he could not cope with Jaekyung. On the other hand, he was afraid that if he lied about the symptoms, there would be problems during the examination.

In the end, Jihon took a short breath and admitted, "I have side effects from pheromone suppressants.

Jaekyung frowned as if asking, "What are you carrying?" Jihon, ignoring the silent question, lowered his head even lower. And, bringing his face closer to the hole in the partition, he whispered: "I have a chip installed, and now the dosage of the drug is maximum.

"How do you know?" The nurse asked, her eyes rounded.

Jaekyung was silent. He didn't ask why he had lied about gastritis, but just stared at him. Which frightened me even more. Feeling his breath catch in his throat, Jihon blurted out with difficulty, "I asked for this dosage myself. In the hospital, I was warned about the possible consequences. Vomiting appeared immediately, after a day or two, so I realized that this was a side effect of suppressants.@@novelbin@@

The nurse, still looking puzzled, quickly tapped on the keyboard. Without taking her eyes off the monitor, she said monotonously, "The doctor will examine you and make a decision, but most likely they will immediately remove your chip and take blood for analysis. Within a few hours, you may experience symptoms of estrus, depending on your condition. In this case, you will either be transferred to a separate ward, or discharged forcibly.

Hearing about the heat, Jihon was confused: "So... so fast?

— This is possible. For some, symptoms appear after a few days, and for others, after a few hours. Do you have an app on your phone that allows you to roughly track your cycle?

The nurse mentioned an app that syncs with the chip and automatically tracks the user's heat cycle and pheromone levels. The program was designed for those who were planning a pregnancy and choosing the time to remove the chip. However, if the person was not going to remove it, there is no need for it, and almost no one has used it. Jihon, of course, didn't even think about it.

Jihong hesitated, not knowing what to say, but then Jaekyung interjected.

— Can I go directly to a separate room? Let's wait there and go through the inspection.

"To use a single room, you need to arrange hospitalization," the nurse replied. "This will require the signature of a legal guardian, that is, a spouse or next of kin.

"I'll sign it," Jaekyung said immediately.

"We are talking about a legal relative," the woman clarified, looking at him doubtfully.

Jihong wanted to object and stay in the waiting room, but Jaekyung, leaning over the counter, stammered, "What if something happens to him while we are waiting for the guardian?" Will the hospital take responsibility?

Despite his calm tone, there was a sense of threat in his words. Jihong was horrified and wanted to stop him, but fortunately, the nurse, apparently used to such situations, calmly clarified, "The guardian will not be able to come right now?"

"Yes," Jakyung said.

— Is the escort an adult?

After receiving an affirmative answer, the nurse glanced at Jaekyung, then silently picked up the phone and picked up the phone.

"According to the rules, you can't do that. But since the situation is urgent, sign as a proxy. Try to get your relatives to come as soon as possible.

"Understood.

The nurse called somewhere, and soon another employee came.

"The guardian will go to the reception of the main building, and the patient will follow me.

"No, I myself," Jihon began.

"I'll take care of it," Jaekyung interrupted. "Get up first."

"Change into these clothes and wait." Soon the doctor will come. The nurse escorted Jihong to the room on the fourth floor, pointing to the hospital clothes on the bed. As soon as she came out, he sank into his coat. The tension subsided, and all the strength left the body at once.

But this did not last long. The more time passed, the more anxiety grew. The thought that Jaekyung had learned about the lie made his heart pound and his breath stumble. Jiheong hoped that the doctor would show up before Jaekyung, so that he could somehow get out of it and hide the real cause of the overdose.

However, everything went wrong. Jaekyung entered the room with him and the nurse.

"A side effect of the inhibitor," the older man said, pulling on his gloves. "First, we'll remove the chip, then we'll do a blood test.

And then he took it out of the inside of Jihon's forearm, deftly treated the wound and sealed it with a plaster, and the nurse took blood for analysis. Jaekyung watched silently all this time, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

— When was the last time you changed the chip? The doctor asked as soon as the nurse left the room.

"First of all, could strangers leave the room?" Jihon said indifferently, buttoning the sleeve of his shirt.

The doctor looked around and noticed Jaekyung, surprised, "Didn't he come with you?" He claims to be your guardian.

"That's right," Jaekyung replied curtly.

"He's not a guardian," Jihon said sharply. "He just signed as a trustee.

Buttoning up, Jihong added, "I don't need to share my problems with strangers.

"Just talk," Jaekyung interrupted. "If it has to do with pheromones, I have a right to know. On any grounds.

His harsh tone and threatening words silenced Jihon. Jaekyung pushed himself away from the wall and continued, "Are you going to keep everyone waiting?" At such a busy time?

Jihong was well aware that this was a deliberate attempt to put pressure on him: Jaekyung knew all too well how much he hated to cause inconvenience to others.

"I'm sorry.

The man, nodding understandingly, repeated his question, "So, when was the last time you changed the chip?"

— A little over a month ago.

— That is, this is not a mistake of the hospital, but your own decision?

— Yes.

"And there was a reason for that?"

"Do you have to talk?" Jihon objected mechanically, but immediately regretted it.

"We need to know this in order to find the right treatment. For example, if pheromones are suppressed, but the effectiveness of contraception decreases, you can replace the drug with a stronger one, with an emphasis on progesterone control.

The doctor's unexpected patience and politeness only increased Jihon's embarrassment. He sighed tiredly and admitted, "I work in a sports agency... One of my athletes overreacts to my pheromones.

"Alphas usually take drugs to reduce sensitivity. Wasn't that enough?

"That wasn't enough," Jihon said, lowering his head.

The doctor did not answer, as if waiting for a more detailed explanation. Jihong added confusedly, "The previous hospital said it was probably an imprinting effect... Therefore...

"Oh, I see. A difficult situation.

Jaekyung interjected, "What's the effect?"

The doctor, after observing Jihon's reaction for a while, put his hands in the pockets of his dressing gown and spoke: "It usually manifests itself in alphas whose secondary sex was revealed in childhood. If the body has not yet had time to develop resistance to pheromones and has been exposed to them excessively, then they are "remembered". Even after years or decades, the body will react acutely to a certain smell. Now, thanks to chips, such cases are rare, but it used to happen quite often.

Jakyon's face turned pale in an instant. When he heard about the reaction to pheromones, he still had doubts, but the explanation put everything in its place. He instantly realized that it was about himself. Jakyung became an alpha at the age of 12, and during that period, the smell he smelled from Jihon in the pool turned out to be just that.

—…

Jihon, sitting on the bed and swallowing dry drool, muttered, "Yes, I used too much to suppress the release of pheromones as much as possible, being aware of the possible risks.

– What side effects have you noticed?

– Severe headaches, dizziness and frequent vomiting.

– Did you take any medications?

Jihon nodded and showed the drug he was using.

Which made the doctor frown: "Ah, an antihistamine. It is not strong, but long-term use is undesirable. In general, I understand your situation. The rest will be discussed after the blood test. It's going to take some time, so for now, I'll prescribe you a drip. You can see signs of dehydration, so it's better to rest.

As the doctor was about to leave, Jihong hurriedly asked, "When can the chip be inserted again?"

"This will be decided based on the results of a blood test.

"Can't you do it now?" Jihon got up from the bed, almost begging. — If you minimize the dose...

"You can't," the doctor interrupted.

— The problem is not in the dose. Side effects are a signal that the body does not perceive the chip. You left it unattended for more than a month. Now you can't. Until the hormones normalize, this is unacceptable.

— … How long does this process usually take?

– How long will it take for hormones to normalize? I don't know exactly. It is different for everyone: it can take several days, or maybe several years. But you definitely cannot take drugs for at least 2 weeks.

The doctor's firm tone made Jihon sink hopelessly onto the bed. When the doctor left the ward, the nurse came with an IV.

"The dripping speed can be adjusted, if you need something, press this button," the nurse said, setting the drip. And then she left, leaving the ward in complete silence.