Upon hearing this, Logan and Samantha were somewhat dissatisfied but said nothing further. After all, Lance was right; the children were still young and better off staying with their parents.
Thus, every weekend, the elderly couple would come to take the children out to play. Deanna and Lance had more time to themselves.
Half a month passed quickly. A light snow fell in Cloudmere, and the temperature plummeted, marking the official arrival of winter. As a result, Deanna stayed indoors at the manor because she was afraid of the cold.
Meanwhile, Old Hughes received an unexpected visitor. Seeing the old man sitting in the guest chair, his face darkened instantly. "What are you doing here?"
"Still angry?" The old man put down his teacup and looked over helplessly.
Old Hughes glared at him and snorted, "What do you think? I kindly introduced a doctor to you, and your Walsh family managed to offend Deanna. How am I supposed to face her now?"
Indeed, the visitor was none other than Old Walsh, who had recovered somewhat. Seeing his old friend so angry, Old Walsh showed a bitter smile.
"I know my family was wrong. As soon as I felt better, I came to apologize to you personally and to thank and apologize to Dr. Deanna."
"You want to see Anna? She probably doesn't want to see you now," Old Hughes retorted bluntly.
Old Walsh didn't deny it and just stared at Old Hughes without speaking.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Old Hughes felt uneasy under his gaze and raised an eyebrow in question.
Before Old Walsh could answer, a thought flashed through Old Hughes' mind. "You old fox, you want me to arrange a meeting with Anna for you?"
"Hughes, for the sake of our decades-long friendship, help me this once," Old Walsh pleaded with a wry smile.
Old Hughes refused without hesitation. "No way. If you want to see her, do it yourself. I don't want to risk my relationship with Anna because of you."
If it weren't for Anna's good nature, the incidents caused by the Walsh family would have been enough for her to distance herself from him. Helping them now would be too much.
Old Walsh saw through Old Hughes' thoughts but had no other options. He could only try to persuade his old friend with reason and emotion.
In the end, Old Hughes couldn't resist his persistence and agreed to contact Deanna. "I'll try, but I can't guarantee she'll see you."
"I understand. Just make the call. I'm sure Dr. Deanna will come," Old Walsh said with a relieved smile.
Old Hughes found it strange. "Why are you so sure Anna will see you?"
"Because Dr. Deanna is a very responsible doctor," Old Walsh replied confidently.
Old Hughes snorted but didn't deny it. He picked up his phone and called Deanna.
Soon, Deanna's cheerful voice came through the phone. "Old Hughes, what's up?"
"Anna, Old Walsh is here and wants to see you. He's at my pharmacy now. Will you come over? If you don't want to see him, I'll handle it," Old Hughes explained honestly while showing his bias.
Deanna was surprised by this news. Old Walsh had come to Cloudmere and wanted to see her...
She hesitated for a few seconds but eventually agreed. "I understand. I'll be there soon."
Despite their strained relationship, he was still her patient, and she couldn't ignore that.
Half an hour later, Deanna arrived at Hughes Pharmacy. The receptionist Ava greeted her warmly. "Deanna, you're here. Old Hughes is in the lounge."
"Thank you," Deanna smiled and headed to the lounge.
As she entered, she saw Old Hughes and Old Walsh sitting on opposite chairs and noticed Hassan was also there.
"Old Hughes, Old Walsh, Mr. Hassan," she greeted each of them and then focused on Old Walsh, subtly observing him.
In the month since she last saw him in Jando, Old Walsh looked much better. His once gaunt face had filled out and gained some color.
Both Old Hughes and Old Walsh stood up to welcome her.
"Dr. Deanna is here."
"Anna is here."
Hassan nodded at her with a smile. "Miss Jones, long time no see."
After some pleasantries, Deanna sat down next to Old Hughes and asked, "I heard Old Walsh wanted to see me. What can I do for you?"
"It's nothing serious. I just wanted to thank you personally and see if I need any further treatment," Old Walsh smiled warmly at her.
Deanna frowned slightly but didn't refuse and conducted a follow-up examination.
A few minutes later, she withdrew her hand from his pulse and said calmly, "You've recovered well. No further medication is needed; just focus on dietary supplements."