After a bout of laughter and play, Julia gave Deanna a packet of cold medicine before taking the two little ones to rest, in case that Deanna caught a cold. She did this to ensure Deanna could have a good night's sleep.
The next morning, Julia brought the two little ones, all tidied up, to find Deanna. They knocked on her door for a long time but received no response. Just as they were about to find the inn's staff to get a spare key, Lance's deep voice came from behind them. "What are you doing?"
"We came to get Deanna for breakfast, but there's no sound from her room. So I was going to get the inn's staff to give us a spare key," Julia explained briefly upon seeing Lance.
Lance frowned slightly and then gave Xavier a look. Xavier understood and went downstairs to find the inn's staff. For a moment, only Julia, the two little ones, and Lance were left in the hallway.
Lance noticed the unusually quiet demeanor of the two little ones and greeted them. "Why are you so quiet today?"
"Not in a good mood," they replied out of politeness.
Lance raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why are you in a bad mood?"
"Because Mommy punished us and won't let us go out to play," Chloe said, looking at him with a resentful expression that seemed to say it was all his fault.
Lance understood and guessed what had happened. A hint of helplessness and apology flashed in his eyes as he offered, "I'll take you out later."
Chloe's eyes brightened instantly but she quickly shook her head and declined politely, "Uncle, thank you for your kindness, but it's not necessary."
Lance frowned, seemingly surprised by the little girl's refusal. Before he could respond, Gregory interrupted, "Uncle Xavier is back."
Xavier returned with the spare key from the inn's staff. When they opened the door, the scene inside made everyone's heart skip a beat.
Deanna was lying on the floor, unconscious, with an abnormal flush on her face and heavy breathing.
"Mommy!" The two little ones were terrified and ran over in a panic.
Julia and Lance also walked into the room with serious expressions.
"Deanna, what's wrong? Wake up," Julia knelt down and tried to wake Deanna by gently shaking her.
Fortunately, Deanna did wake up but her consciousness was unclear. She weakly asked for water. Julia then noticed how hot Deanna's body was. "Oh my God, she's burning up!"
Before she could check Deanna's temperature, Lance pushed her aside with a worried look. He carefully lifted Deanna from the floor and placed her on the bed. "Water!"
Almost immediately, Xavier handed over a glass of water. Lance held Deanna and began feeding her water slowly. After drinking some water, Deanna's tightly furrowed brows relaxed a bit.
"Go get a doctor. You, bring a basin of cold water from the bathroom. Until the doctor arrives, we'll try to lower her temperature physically," Lance instructed Xavier and then looked at Julia.
Both nodded and quickly went about their tasks.
At this moment, the two little ones, worried about their mother, approached Lance. "Uncle, will our mommy be okay?"
"She'll be fine," Lance replied firmly.
For some reason, hearing such a serious tone from Lance eased their worries considerably. They stood quietly by the bed without saying another word.
Soon after, Julia returned with a basin of cold water from the bathroom. She soaked a towel in the water, wrung it out, and handed it to Lance. Lance placed the towel on Deanna's forehead repeatedly until her abnormal flush subsided somewhat, though she was still feverish.
Fortunately, Xavier soon returned with a doctor. After examining Deanna, the doctor administered an antipyretic injection and advised, "Let the patient rest well for the next couple of days and try to stay indoors. The temperature drop here isn't conducive to recovery."
"I understand," Lance nodded.
The doctor then prescribed some medication and left. Lance stayed by Deanna's bedside to take care of her.
Xavier approached Julia and suggested softly, "Miss King, Mr. Mercer is here to take care of Dr. Deanna. She will be fine. You and Master Gregory and Miss Chloe haven't had breakfast yet. Let me take you to eat."
Unexpectedly, Julia glanced at him and refused without hesitation. "No way. I don't trust your boss at all right now. I need to stay here and watch over Deanna. Don't forget why she got sick in the first place."
"We're not leaving either," the two little ones echoed firmly.