When they heard this, everyone turned to see Sariah standing awkwardly at the clinic's entrance, a clear slap mark on her face.
Lance was also surprised and turned to ask Deanna beside him, "What's going on?"
Before Deanna could respond, Ava interjected.
"Mr. Mercer, you weren't here this morning, so you don't know how bad this woman is."
She then recounted how Sariah had conspired with others to ostracize Deanna.
Knowing that this woman was the main culprit who almost drove Deanna away made his expression darken with displeasure as he glared coldly.
Deanna naturally remained silent. It wasn't that she was cold-hearted, but since Sariah wasn't asking her for help, speaking up might lead to further complications.
Old Hughes, who was mentioned, also frowned and said indifferently, "If he's feeling unwell, you should send him to the hospital."
Sariah's face showed panic upon hearing this.
"Old Hughes, please, save my grandfather!"
She tried to approach Old Hughes to plead.
But Old Hughes had anticipated this and stepped aside.
Sariah fell to the ground, sobbing with her shoulders shaking, "Old Hughes, I know I was wrong. I apologize for my rudeness this morning. Please save my grandfather!"
Seeing the girl crying on the ground without any dignity, many around them showed sympathy.
Old Hughes frowned deeply. Before he could say anything, Sariah choked out again, "I came this morning for my grandfather's illness. He has been bedridden due to an old ailment. He stayed in the hospital for a long time without improvement, and the doctors finally suggested home care. But when I returned this afternoon, his condition worsened."
"Old Hughes, I truly know I was wrong. Please don't hold it against me. As long as you treat my grandfather, I'll do anything you ask."
Tears filled her eyes as she looked at Old Hughes.
Old Hughes' expression became complicated. Eventually, he softened, "You should apologize not to me but to Dr. Deanna, whom you falsely accused."
Hearing this, Sariah instinctively looked at Deanna.
Deanna was also looking at her.
Their eyes met briefly before Sariah began to apologize.
With her grandfather gravely ill, she couldn't care about anything else.
"Dr. Deanna, I'm sorry. Please don't hold it against me."
"Dr. Deanna, please save my grandfather!"
Others present couldn't help but sigh upon hearing this.
Many of them had been there in the morning and knew what had happened.
"Indeed, you can't do bad things these days; retribution can come at any time."
"Exactly. This morning, Miss Osborne was so arrogant. Now she knows she was wrong. Why didn't she think of that earlier?"
"I say, in these times, never offend a doctor unless you can guarantee you'll never get sick."
Many people were gloating.
Some even said that it would be understandable if Deanna didn't help.
"If I were Dr. Deanna, I wouldn't agree."
"Exactly. After such humiliation in the morning, apologizing now as if nothing happened isn't that simple."
"I think Miss Osborne is banking on Dr. Deanna being unable to refuse right now."
"If it were me, I'd be too ashamed to ask for help again."
"We can't say that; it's a matter of life and death."
People were talking all at once.
Every word reached Sariah's ears, making her even more anxious and panicked, with a hint of resentment deep in her eyes.
She had already begged like this; did they really want to watch her grandfather die?
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but cast a resentful glance at Deanna. No one noticed it since she hid it well.
Sariah quickly suppressed her turbulent emotions and continued to cry and plead with a remorseful look on her face, "Dr. Deanna, I'm begging you. Help my grandfather. If you're angry, you can hit me."
As she spoke, she stood up and tried to grab Deanna's hand.
Deanna was stunned; she hadn't expected Sariah to act like this.
Fortunately, Lance quickly pulled Deanna aside.
Sariah stumbled and barely managed to stand after several steps, crying even more deeply.
Deanna felt uncomfortable watching this and eventually softened.
Although she had no fondness for Miss Osborne, this shouldn't affect Old Osborne.
Given the gravity of the situation, she no longer hesitated and said sternly, "Where is your grandfather? Did he come with you?"
"Yes, my grandfather is in the car outside," Sariah quickly responded.
Deanna remained indifferent as she spoke, "In that case, bring him in first so I can take a look."