Just as Roxanne was stumped, the man’s figure appeared in the doorway.
Upon seeing the woman on the bed, Lucian furrowed his brows.
With just a glance, he could already see that the woman’s fever was worse than the previous time.
“Mr. Farwell.” When Roxanne realized she could not avoid him anymore, she had no choice but to greet him in an aloof tone. However, that was all she did before averting his eyes, for she did not intend to speak much to him.
When Lucian sensed that the woman was still trying to keep a distance from him, his eyes darkened. Then, he turned to the side to say to Sonny, “Please take a look at her.”
Sonny nodded in response and stepped forward to give Roxanne a checkup.
Roxanne knitted her brows when she saw the unfamiliar man appear in her bedroom. But as her mind was fuzzy from the fever, she could not react in time to his action.
“This is the Farwell family’s family doctor. I brought him over to take a look at you,” Lucian said in a low voice.
A trace of resistance appeared in Roxanne’s eyes.
The Farwells’ family doctor is here to give me a checkup? What’s going on?
“It’s fine. I’m a doctor myself. I know what my condition is,” she coldly rejected. “If it’s serious, I’ll go to the hospital myself.”
Lucian furrowed his brows and tried to make her drop the tough act. “If you can get up, will you be talking to me while lying down now?”
Roxanne was taken aback.
As her fever was high, she had no strength. Moreover, she could not get Lysa in time to help her up into a sitting position when Lucian entered.
If she were to force herself upright immediately, she would only expose her condition to him.
Yet, she did not know how to accept Lucian’s goodwill.
Just as she was contemplating how she should reject him, the man uttered, “Essie will be in a bad mood while you’re sick. What happened previously has already made her condition unstable. I don’t want her to be affected again.”
The girl at the side went along with his words and nodded fervently. She grabbed Roxanne’s arm and said with concern, “Ms. Jarvis, doctor.”
The girl’s eyes were still red, and so was the tip of her nose. The sight of her ached Roxanne’s heart.
Roxanne simply could not bring herself to say no after how he had used Estella as an excuse and after seeing the look on the girl’s face.
After a few seconds of silence, Roxanne finally agreed to it.
The two boys, Archie and Benny, were relieved to see their mother agree to let the doctor give her a checkup.
They were afraid that their mother would resist the doctor alongside their father.
When Archie and Benny saw Sonny walking over, they quickly stepped aside to give him space.
After a thorough checkup, Sonny turned to report to Lucian, “Ms. Jarvis is having a fever because she has been overtiring herself recently. That’s why her immune system has weakened. Moreover, she caught a cold, and that’s why she’s burning up so badly. I must go back to prepare to give Ms. Jarvis a drip.”
Lucian nodded before letting his gaze land on the woman on the bed. Regret tinged the look in his eyes.
Roxanne had only caught a cold because she had been drenched by the rain the night before.
He was partly to blame—the rain had been heavy, and he should have insisted on sending her to the parking lot.
He also could have handed her the umbrella, as he would have been fine going under the rain for a while.
When Roxanne sensed his gaze, she lowered her eyes, not wanting to look at him.
She, too, knew that she was having a fever because of the tough act she had put up the day before.
Maybe he thinks that I’m only making things worse for myself with that false bravado.
A sense of self-deprecation danced across Roxanne’s mind at that thought.
Not long after, Sonny entered from outside with the items needed for Roxanne’s IV drip.
After setting up everything and inserting the needle into Roxanne’s hand, Sonny turned to say to Lucian, “Ms. Jarvis will need to undergo a longer IV therapy than usual. She might need someone to look after her and change the IV bag.”
Hearing that, Roxanne quickly said, “Lysa, I’ll have to trouble you tonight.”
Naturally, Lysa would not reject her. Just as she was about to reply to Roxanne, someone interrupted her, “I’ll stay.”
The moment those words were out of his mouth, the expressions of everyone in the room changed.
Lysa was surprised as she remembered how averse Roxanne had been to keeping Lucian in the house. Even the two boys were not too willing to have Lucian stay. However, Lucian was the one who brought the doctor, so Lysa could not say much about the matter.
She cast a stumped look at Roxanne.
Roxanne drew her brows together. “There’s no need for that; just having Lysa change the IV bags for me will be fine. Mr. Farwell, you’re a busy man, so it’s best for you not to waste your time here.”
Archie and Benny chimed in, “We’ll help take care of Mommy, so thank you, but no thank you on your offer, Mr. Farwell.”
They only wanted the doctor to give their mother a checkup; it did not mean that they were going to let their father stay.
In contrast, Estella was a little disappointed.
If her father were to go back, she surely would not be able to stay either.
She was worried sick about Roxanne.
Lucian swept his gaze across Estella’s face before his eyes drifted back to Roxanne. “Essie surely won’t come home willingly with me with how sick you are, and I won’t be at ease letting her stay alone. So I’m going to stay tonight no matter what. Lysa, please bring the kids to rest.”
Lysa looked at Roxanne dubiously.
Roxanne was looking at the girl beside her.
Estella was pursing her lips, and Roxanne could see the worry the girl had for her. Estella muttered in her high-pitched voice, “I won’t go if Ms. Jarvis isn’t well.”
With that, she lay down on the side of the bed and clung to Roxanne’s arm.
It was Estella’s first time cuddling up to Roxanne.
Thus, Roxanne could not bring herself to ask the girl to leave.
Furthermore, she was sick. Lucian was definitely not going to leave after a brief persuasion from her.
A beat later, Roxanne gave Lucian a silent agreement to stay.
At that, Lucian’s gaze softened. After asking Sonny the things he should pay attention to, he went downstairs to send the doctor away before returning and sitting silently on the couch in Roxanne’s room.
The children stayed close to the bed and chatted with Roxanne.
Soon, Roxanne felt groggy and fell asleep.
Lucian asked Lysa to bring the children to rest while he stayed behind to take care of her.
As he had to pay attention to the volume in the IV bag, Lucian barely slept a wink that night.
The next morning when Roxanne woke up, she was still a little dazed. It took her a few seconds before she recalled that Lucian had stayed back to take care of her the entire night.
Roxanne raised her head to glance at the IV bag, only to realize that her IV therapy was done. Lucian had taken a chair to sit by the side of her bed, and his hand was holding onto her wrist to stop Roxanne’s hand from moving while she slept.
Perhaps she had instinctively moved her hand when she woke up, for the man’s eyes slowly opened. She could see that his eyes were bloodshot, and it was clear that he did not rest much the night before.
When the two pairs of eyes met, Roxanne blinked and quickly averted her eyes.
“How do you feel?” came the man’s slightly hoarse voice.
Only then did Roxanne turn back to look at him. “I’m much better. Thank you, Mr. Farwell.”
Compared to the day before, Roxanne could feel her strength returning.
Lucian inclined his head. He knew that she did not wish to speak much to him, so he only informed her about the reminders Sonny had told him. He then stood up and left the place with Estella.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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