Deanna couldn't sleep well in the second half of the night because she was preoccupied with her thoughts.
When morning came, the two little ones woke up and saw their mommy sitting at the bedside playing with her phone. They immediately went over to her.
"Mommy, you're awake."
"Mommy, how are you feeling?"
Seeing the concern in their eyes, Deanna's heart softened.
She put down her phone and gently ruffled their black hair. "Mommy's fine, don't worry."
"That's good to hear."
Chloe snuggled into Deanna's arms.
On the other side, Lance had woken up.
He saw the mother and children talking but didn't interrupt. Instead, he took out his phone to contact Xavier and asked him to bring some breakfast.
Not long after, Xavier arrived with breakfast.
During the meal, Lance looked at Deanna with concern and asked, "How are you feeling? Do you need to stay in the hospital for another day?"
"No need, I'm fine now."
Deanna shook her head, indicating that she was fully recovered.
Seeing this, Lance nodded. "In that case, I'll have Xavier handle the discharge procedures."
"Thank you."
Deanna didn't refuse and thanked Xavier.
Xavier waved his hand. "No need to be so formal, Dr. Deanna."
With that, he turned to handle the paperwork.
Later, when everything was settled and Deanna had packed up, they left the hospital together.
On the way back, Lance frowned slightly and kept moving his neck as if he was uncomfortable.
Deanna noticed and realized it was because he had slept on the sofa last night to take care of her. She felt a sense of responsibility.
After all, if it weren't for taking care of her, he wouldn't have slept on the sofa.
Thinking of this, Deanna offered, "Mr. Mercer, why don't you lie down? I can massage your neck so you'll feel better when we get back."
Lance was taken aback by her suggestion.
It was clear he hadn't expected Deanna to say that.
But he didn't refuse because he was indeed very uncomfortable.
Following Deanna's instructions, he lay down.
As soon as he did, the unique scent of a woman mixed with a faint smell of disinfectant wafted into his nose, stirring his emotions.
Deanna remained unaffected.
At this moment, Lance was just a patient to her.
While massaging him, she advised, "Mr. Mercer, make sure to rest well when you get back. Don't overwork yourself. Your body is just starting to recover; you can't afford a setback."
"I understand."
Lance nodded in response, his voice a bit hoarse.
Chloe and Gregory watched their interaction from the side, exchanging glances and giggling quietly.
To them, it seemed very likely that their mommy and Uncle Lance would end up together, which made them very happy.
Xavier, driving in the front, saw this scene through the rearview mirror and was equally astonished.
Was this really the Mr. Mercer who kept women at arm's length?
Thinking about it, he glanced at Deanna without drawing attention and decided to be even more courteous to her in the future.
Who knows? She might not only become the mother of Mr. Mercer's children but also his future boss's wife.
Deanna was unaware of their thoughts.
After a few minutes of massaging, she withdrew her hands. "That should do it, Mr. Mercer. You can get up now."
Lance sat up and moved his neck around, feeling much better.
"Thank you. I feel a lot better."
He looked at her gratefully.
Deanna smiled and shook her head. "It's nothing. No need to be so formal."
The two little ones quickly chimed in.
"Uncle Lance, mommy is right. You don't need to be so formal."
Hearing their soft voices, Lance's smile widened even more.
After a while, the car stopped at Deanna's neighborhood entrance.
Getting out of the car, she said goodbye to Lance with the two little ones in tow.
"Mr. Mercer, take care and rest well."
"Uncle Lance, goodbye! Remember to come play with us next time."
The two little ones were reluctant to part with Lance but obediently said their goodbyes.
Lance waved and promised, "I'll come visit you when I have time."
With that, he instructed Xavier to drive away.
However, instead of going home to rest, he went straight to the office to work.
Since he had spent a day and night at the hospital taking care of Deanna, there was now a lot of work piled up at the company.
What Lance didn't expect was that someone had informed Samantha about him taking care of Deanna.
"Are you saying Lance left all his work yesterday to take care of a sick Deanna and even stayed overnight at the hospital?"
Samantha couldn't believe what she heard from the butler and repeated it.
The butler nodded. "Yes, that's correct. Dr. Deanna seems to have a close relationship with Mr. Mercer. He also appears very concerned about those two children."
Hearing this, Samantha frowned deeply and didn't look pleased.
She recalled what Deanna had confidently told her at the Wright family banquet before and couldn't help but laugh sarcastically.
"I underestimated this woman. She's truly skillful at playing both sides!"