Wife's Bitter Revenge Against Neglectful CEO Husband-Chapter 169: Josh Walks Out

"What about the therapist who prescribed the medication?" Josh asked. "We have a lot of money. We can afford to cover her losses to have her care of King."

Oh, no, he didn’t. He was setting us up to let Dot finish what she started.

"Are you crazy?" Ben said. "Didn’t you hear what Teela said? The therapist prescribed this toxic cocktail to King. She should have her medical license revoked and not be hired at a premium to take care of him. No, I won’t agree, and unless something has changed, my opinion is the only one that counts. King gave me authority over the company and King’s medical care decisions in the event he is incapacitated."

Josh snorted. "It figures. He has a doctor for a brother, but he gives the bartender authority over his medical decisions."

"I’m a bit higher on the food chain than a bartender. You would know that if you bothered to talk to me more than twice since I was in middle school."

"I’ve been busy," Josh said.

"Which is precisely why King gave me the authority and not you. I make time for family and friends."

"That’s ridiculous. I always come through for family. You can ask Teela. She knows."

My eyes widened in surprise. Really? He had some gall asking me to testify on his behalf, considering how often he’d broken his oath to do no harm and my patient rights. Dosing me for a chemical abortion when I wasn’t even pregnant came to mind as the perfect example.

I ignored Josh and spoke to Ben. "Let me talk to Alec. I’m sure he can refer us to someone."

"Can I at least vet the new person?" Joshua asked.

Ben saved me from having to finesse an answer. "No. I’ll take responsibility. You can go back to saving other people."

Joshua threw up his hands. "I give up. Do what you want. Give me the pills. I’ll administer the dose." He held out his hand.

I was reticent to hand over the stash. To be honest, it wasn’t just the stash. I didn’t want to give him any of the pills. Josh could administer an overdose way too easily and use the excuse that he’d misjudged the dosage of this mystery drug.

"Min is with him. He can give him a dose."

"Fine. You don’t need me. I’ve got rounds." Josh threw up his hands and stormed out. The tail of his white doctor’s coat billowing behind him.

"That phone call was about something other than Crazy Code, right?" Ben asked.

I nodded.

"I could tell. Your demeanor changed when you returned. You were a lot quieter. What didn’t you want Josh to know?"

"How do you know I don’t want you to know it either?"

Ben smiled. "I think we know each other better than that."

I couldn’t help but return his smile. "I’d like to think so. It was a surprise and a relief to learn you have authority over King’s health care."

"Yes, it is. King isn’t a bad guy. He has hangups, but at heart, he means well. I’d hate to see anything happen to him. Besides, if something did, I’d be left running Heavenly Enterprises. I shudder at the thought. Running the nightclubs is enough of a challenge for me. I can’t imagine coping with all the responsibility King handles."

"Yeah, me too. I love Crazy Code, but I can’t see me running a company a hundred times as the size."

"So, where do we go from here?" Ben asked.

"We know King needs the pills. What do you say about giving him one tablet every two hours until we can get a professional on the job?"

"Considering his habit, I doubt a single tablet will do much, but it is a good place to start."

"Let’s go. I’m sure Min is waiting for you."

Min was waiting for Ben. I left the two men to watch over King while I went to the hospital cafeteria for a sandwich and a water bottle. I’d promised King I’d have dinner with him every night until I’d solved the mystery around his addiction. I was well on the way to doing that, but I wasn’t there yet.

When I returned, we debated how to get a pill into an unconscious man. Fortunately, a nurse came in to check King’s vitals. She was adamant giving an unconscious man any medication orally was ill-advised. King could choke. She finally suggested we might be able to crush the pill and mix it with water, then use a syringe to drizzle the liquid between the gums and cheek in the hope it would stream down King’s throat without choking him.

This was nerve-wracking. We had no business doing this, but the three people in the room with King at this moment were the most trustworthy people in his life. We had to try. We needed him to wake up first and foremost. The longer he was in a coma, the more concerned we had for his safety and full recovery.

On the upside, we were already at the hospital. If something went wrong, rescue was right down the hall, and the nurse was already on alert about what we were attempting. I was actually pretty proud of us when we got the slurry into King without incident, at least this time. Next time could be a different story.

Ben and Min stayed with me for a while to see if King miraculously woke up. This wasn’t a fairy tale, so it didn’t happen. I sent them to find dinner while I sat at King’s side, ate my sandwich, and talked to him.

"You should wake up now, King. This sleeping all the time thing isn’t like you. You like structure, and I’m sure the people at your company are freaking out without either you or Min at the helm.

"And King, I’d like you to wake up. While I don’t always enjoy what you have to say, I miss hearing your voice. I miss your handsome face so full of determination, and we aren’t done with this stalking business. If you don’t wake up, I will close down Bob Jones and see to it all your little spies are arrested. Do you hear me? I need you to wake up."

The sandwich wasn’t bad for cafeteria food. Filling, if nothing else. A little underseasoned. I finished the last bite and wadded up the wrapper, tossing it in the trash.

"Well, I had dinner with you, King. It wasn’t fancy, but it was good. I promised to eat with you every night until we figure out how you ended up this way. Be patient. I’m working on it as fast as I can, and it’s not just me. The whole team has your back.

"Hey, do me a favor. Stay away from Joshua and your therapist for a little bit. I promise I’ll fully explain later, but trust me, this is in your best interest."

Ben and Min returned. Ben handed me a pink bag with a ribbon handle. "This is for you. Dessert for my favorite bakery. I hope you like Italian cream cake."

"I love Italian cream cake. Thank you! What a treat after the day I’ve had."

"Yeah, I think it has been tough on everyone, especially this guy." Ben nodded his head toward King. "How is our patient? Any change?"

"Not a twitch."

"Well, you should go. Min and I will stay with him tonight."

"I should at least stay and help with the next dosage."

"Teela, look at the big picture. You should go and line up new medical care, and I think we should move him to a different facility, too. Can you ask Alec if he has a room?"

"Oh, I get it. Yeah, sure. I’ll work on that now. But Ben, what about the clubs? Don’t you need to go to work?"

"I have experienced managers that I trust. They can handle the clubs for a few days while we sort this out."

I gave Ben a hug. "Thanks, Ben. I feel a lot more comfortable with you and Min here."

I also considered hugging Min, but hugging a steel iceberg who could kill me before I blink seemed counterintuitive, considering he didn’t look particularly happy that I’d hugged his husband.

"Min, thank you for everything. I know you’ll take care of Ben and King. I’ll be back first thing in the morning."

"Send Jake," Min said. "You’re needed elsewhere."

I got it. Priorities.

I nodded and made my way downstairs, the weight of all the expectations wearing on me. First and foremost, I needed to speak with Alec. I still felt guilty about pulling Alec into King’s mess considering the harassment he’d endured at King’s hands, but King wasn’t well. Surely some grace should be granted for a sick man, especially one who wasn’t aware he was set up for an addiction he had little control over.

I could go elsewhere for medical assistance, but it would be a shot in the dark. At least with Alec, I knew I would receive his best advice. I also knew Alec was well-respected in his field. It was a good starting place for finding a cure for King.