Half an hour later, Deanna finally finished preparing the medicinal cuisine.
She didn't plan to deliver it to Lance herself. She didn't want to stay in the hospital and be pestered by Braylon.
"Dr. Cohen, could you please take this medicinal cuisine to Mr. Mercer?"
Without giving Braylon a chance to refuse, Deanna placed the bowl of medicinal cuisine into his hands.
Braylon was stunned and looked at her blankly. "What about you, Deanna?"
"I'm going to buy some herbs. We're out of a few ingredients for the medicinal cuisine."
After saying this, Deanna turned and left the kitchen.
Braylon headed to the ward.
When Lance saw him delivering the medicine, he frowned immediately. "Why are you here? Where's Dr. Deanna?"
"Uncle Braylon, where's our mommy?" The two little ones looked over in confusion.
Braylon, not realizing the gravity of the situation, smiled and said, "Your mommy went to buy some herbs."
Then he handed the medicinal cuisine to Lance. "Eat up. Deanna and I made this together."
Lance took the bowl but didn't start eating right away. He looked up at his friend and said seriously, "Stop pestering Dr. Deanna. If she doesn't want to take you as a student, she has her reasons."
Braylon's eyes turned resentful. "Even you don't believe in me?"
"I never did. Traditional medicine isn't easy to learn, especially ancient medical arts," Lance said bluntly.
Braylon was indignant but before he could say anything, Lance shot him a warning look. "If you have so much free time, I can talk to the director about giving you more work."
Braylon swallowed his words and muttered under his breath, "Putting love before friendship."
Lance heard it but didn't argue. It was true.
At two in the afternoon, Deanna finally returned. Seeing that Braylon was not there, only Lance and the sleeping children, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Lance noticed her expression and couldn't help but laugh. "It's the first time I've seen you afraid of someone."
"You didn't help me!" Deanna glared at him playfully.
Realizing her voice was too loud, she lowered it and said angrily, "You're not much of a friend. Think about why I'm in this situation."
Lance looked at the flustered woman and rubbed his nose awkwardly. He couldn't tell her he did it on purpose. Instead, he smiled lightly. "Don't worry, he won't bother you anymore."
"That's more like it." Deanna smiled in satisfaction.
Lance's gaze softened as he looked at her. Then he changed the subject and asked in a low voice, "Can I take a bath now?"
Deanna was taken aback by the sudden question. "What's wrong?"
"I feel uncomfortable. It's been a while since I bathed," Lance said, frowning.
Deanna couldn't help but laugh. "Your wounds have healed a bit but there's still a risk of infection. You can't bathe yet but I can bring some water for you to wipe yourself down."
"Wiping is fine," Lance agreed, as long as he could clean himself up.
Deanna quickly brought hot water and soaked a towel in it. Lance watched her actions with a glint in his eye.
When she looked over, he feigned discomfort and said, "Can you help me take off my clothes?"
Deanna hesitated but didn't refuse. Lance's chest wound made it difficult for him to move.
However, as she reached out to unbutton his shirt, her heart raced and her cheeks flushed uncontrollably.
Especially as each button came undone, revealing his well-defined chest muscles.
Deanna's breath hitched and her gaze became unfocused. Lance noticed her reaction and smiled softly, his voice husky and teasing. "Are you satisfied with what you see?"
Deanna's mind went blank. "Who's looking at you?" she stammered, avoiding his gaze.
Finally unbuttoning the last button, she quickly stepped back and turned away from him. "You can wipe yourself down now. I'll wait outside."
As she was about to leave, Lance called out to her.
"Wait, I need your help with one more thing."
"What is it?" Deanna asked without turning around.
Lance's eyes twinkled mischievously as he said, "I need you to help me wipe my back. You know I can't move much because of my wound."