About an hour and a half later, Deanna finally finished preparing the medicine.
She brought the bowl of medicine out and handed it to Lance. "The temperature is just right; you can drink it directly."
Lance nodded and drank the medicine without a frown, finishing it in one gulp.
Deanna naturally took the empty bowl from him. "I've added a new ingredient to tonight's medicine. There might be some discomfort."
She reminded him softly, "If you feel unwell, let me know immediately."
Lance nodded. "I understand."
Deanna then looked at Xavier.
Xavier understood and quickly assured her, "I'll keep an eye on Mr. Mercer. If anything seems wrong, I'll contact you right away."
Hearing this, Deanna was satisfied and returned to the kitchen with the bowl.
After a while, Lance noticed it was getting late. He said goodbye to the two little ones, Deanna, and Old Ashley.
Although the two little ones were reluctant, they sensibly watched him leave.
On the way back, Xavier glanced at Lance, who was resting with his eyes closed, leaning against the seat, and felt a bit worried.
"Mr. Mercer..."
"I'm fine."
Lance knew Xavier was concerned about his condition because of what Deanna had said.
But he didn't take it to heart.
After all, over the years, he had taken a lot of medicine for his old ailments, and his body had built up some resistance.
However, when he got home that night, he realized something was wrong. He felt weak all over, a burning sensation spread throughout his body, and he became feverish and delirious.
It was Xavier who came to check on him in the middle of the night and found that his boss had a high fever.
He immediately contacted Deanna.
"Dr. Deanna, Mr. Mercer has a high fever and is now unconscious."
Hearing the urgency in Xavier's voice over the phone, Deanna, although worried, forced herself to stay calm and instructed steadily, "Mr. Nelson, don't panic. Measure Mr. Mercer's temperature and tell me how high it is."
Xavier responded quickly and measured the temperature.
In a few seconds, he exclaimed, "39 degrees! Dr. Deanna, should we take him to the hospital?"
Deanna's heart sank. This was worse than she had expected.
"I'm coming over now. Don't move him."
With that, she hung up the phone, got dressed, and headed out.
Old Ashley heard the commotion and came out from the next room. Seeing Deanna about to leave, she asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
"Mr. Mercer has a fever. I'm going to check on him. You should rest early; no need to wait up for me."
Deanna explained briefly and quickly left with her car keys.
She drove through the night to Hencard Villa.
The car she was driving was a van that had been sent for repairs earlier and had just been retrieved.
Upon arrival, Sam greeted her personally. "Dr. Deanna, you're here. Mr. Mercer is upstairs; Mr. Nelson is looking after him."
Deanna nodded and went straight upstairs, where she saw Xavier anxiously guarding the bedside.
"Don't be so nervous; I can handle this." She stepped forward and took Lance's hand to check his pulse.
Xavier felt relieved upon seeing her.
At that moment, Xavier realized he had come to trust Dr. Deanna deeply without knowing when it happened. He even believed that with Dr. Deanna around, Mr. Mercer would be fine. And indeed, this was true.
Meanwhile, Deanna finished checking Lance's pulse and understood the situation.
She looked at Xavier and instructed, "He's not in serious danger. As long as we bring down the fever, he'll be fine. Get some hot water and a towel; I'll use physical cooling along with the medicine."
Xavier nodded and quickly brought water and a towel.
Deanna sprinkled some medicinal powder into the water and instructed Xavier to remove Lance's pajamas.
Although this wasn't the first time Deanna had seen Lance's bare body, she couldn't help but blush.
She forced herself to stay calm and began treating Lance with full concentration.
Soon enough, Lance's temperature dropped significantly, and he gradually woke up, though still somewhat disoriented.
Sensing someone touching him, Lance suddenly grabbed Deanna's hand holding the towel and pulled her into his arms.
Caught off guard, Deanna found herself lying on his chest, momentarily stunned by the situation.
"Mr. Mercer?" she called softly.
But there was no response from above.
Unable to free herself, Deanna struggled but found that the more she struggled, the tighter his grip on her waist became.
"Mr. Nelson, help me out here."
Xavier quickly came over to assist upon hearing her call.
After much effort, they managed to free her. The wrist that Lance had grabbed was now red.
Xavier saw this and awkwardly defended Mr. Mercer, "Mr. Mercer is very vigilant. Dr. Deanna, please don't take it to heart."
Deanna nodded but couldn't help thinking about how strong this man was; he almost crushed her wrist. However, she didn't dwell on it and continued with the physical cooling treatment with Xavier's help.
By the time they finished, it was already 3 AM.
Seeing Xavier getting sleepy, Deanna advised him, "Mr. Nelson, go get some rest. There's no point in you staying here; I can take care of Mr. Mercer."