Upon hearing Old Hughes' words, Old Walsh immediately understood that his relentless granddaughter must have offended Deanna.
Thinking of this, he looked at Deanna warmly and smiled, "Dr. Deanna, my granddaughter has been spoiled by my eldest son and daughter-in-law since she was a child. Please don't take it to heart. I'll have her apologize to you later."
"Just an apology?"
Old Hughes was clearly dissatisfied upon hearing this.
Old Walsh found his reaction amusing and said, "I know what you're after. You have your eyes on my collection of medical books."
"Who cares about your old medical books," Old Hughes denied instinctively.
But in the next second, he changed his tone and said, "However, if you're willing to lend them to us, Anna and I are not petty people. We can let this go."
"I have no objections. I'll have the butler show you the books later," Old Walsh promised with a laugh.
Deanna found Old Hughes' antics amusing but was pleased with the outcome. After all, as a doctor, one can never read too many medical books.
After some light-hearted banter, Deanna began to seriously check Old Walsh's pulse.
A moment later, she released his hand and gave her diagnosis, "The toxins in your body have been completely cleared, but the inflammation in your lungs has flared up again. It will take another two days of treatment."
"Thank you, Dr. Deanna," Old Walsh said politely.
Deanna smiled and began the day's treatment with Old Hughes assisting.
Nearly an hour later, the treatment concluded.
Old Walsh felt noticeably lighter and praised Deanna, "Dr. Deanna, you're so young yet so skilled. By the way, how old are you? Are you married?"
"What are you asking that for? Do you have some ideas?" Old Hughes looked over defensively.
Old Walsh didn't deny it and said, "Indeed, I do. Miss Jones, I think you must have met my grandson. What do you think of him?" He looked at Deanna as he spoke.
Deanna was taken aback by the sudden shift from medical matters to personal ones and didn't know how to respond.
Just then, Old Hughes spoke again, relieving her of the awkward situation.
"Forget it. Anna is already taken. Your grandson doesn't stand a chance!"
Deanna was even more confused. When did she become taken?
She looked at Old Hughes in astonishment but saw him giving her a knowing look and a slight smile. She chose not to say anything.
Old Walsh misunderstood and said regretfully, "That's a pity."
"It's better this way. Your family is too chaotic for Anna," Old Hughes quipped before changing the subject. "Alright, let's go see those medical books."
Seeing his friend's eagerness, Old Walsh laughed and scolded, "The books aren't going anywhere. Why the rush?"
Despite his words, he called the butler to take Deanna and Old Hughes to the study.
As they stepped out of the room, they saw Hassan standing in the hallway.
"Hassan, what are you doing here?" Old Hughes asked first.
Hassan respectfully replied, "I heard my grandfather calling for the butler and thought something was up, so I came to check."
He paused and looked at Deanna before asking, "Miss Jones, how is my grandfather's condition?"
Deanna didn't hide anything and explained.
"His condition has improved. With two more days of treatment, he should be fine. However, if he gets poisoned again during this period, his lungs and liver will deteriorate further, affecting his lifespan even if we manage to save him."
This wasn't an exaggeration but a true reflection of Old Walsh's condition. She had withheld some details earlier to avoid stressing him out due to his age.
Hassan's expression turned cold upon hearing this. "I understand, Miss Jones. I'll find out who poisoned him as soon as possible."
Deanna nodded.
Old Hughes, growing impatient, urged, "Are you done talking? If so, let's go."
He directed this at Deanna.
Deanna smiled and said, "We're done. Let's go."
Hassan misunderstood their conversation and thought they were leaving. His face changed instantly.
"Old Hughes, Miss Jones, where are you going?"
He asked anxiously.
Deanna and Old Hughes found his reaction odd.
Old Hughes explained, "Your grandfather agreed to let us see his collection of medical books. Do you need something?"
"Oh, you're just going to see the books. No problem then," Hassan said with an embarrassed laugh upon realizing his mistake.