Love Contract

Chapter 80 Taking Care Of The Patient

Mary's mind went blank. She had said goodbye to Victor reflexively and watched as he turned around and left.

Her hair stood on end as she felt someone's gaze burning holes through the back of her head.

William was standing behind her. There was a tense silence.

Unable to bear it, she quickly faced him. "Boss, I'm sorry I..." she began. He didn't respond, hands still buried in his pockets. Slowly, he retreated back into his office.

"Oh my God, Mary!" Jane's eyes followed the boss as he entered his office. She whispered excitedly, "It was Victor, wasn't it? Why was he holding your bag? Is something going on?" Jane blinked excitedly at her coworker.

"It's nothing," Mary replied. Her head had finally stopped spinning. She smiled at Jane. "I ran into him outside, and we spoke briefly. I must've forgotten my bag, but he was kind enough to bring it in. That's all, really! We should get to work now." Mary hoped that would be enough to satisfy her.

"Oh, I see," Jane smiled. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to hide her disappointment. Curiosity still burning, she reluctantly returned to her seat.

Mary gathered her thoughts. She snuck a look at William in his office. It didn't seem like anything was off.

"Ahem..." William couldn't stop coughing at his desk. He tried not to overthink it, but it seemed like his cold was getting worse.

Leaning back in his chair, he looked at the bulky bag of medicine on the table.

He thought back to what happened earlier. Mary had tried giving it to him in the car, and his response was to angrily send it flying around the vehicle. She then ran out, lips trembling slightly. William had a sinking feeling he had gone too far.

William sighed to himself. He got out of the car and picked up the medicine boxes and bottles that were strewn in the back seat.

When he arrived at the office, Mary was nowhere to be found. He had gone out to look for her but didn't find her. It turned out she was with Victor.

His throat tightened at the thought, and he was met with sharp pain. Additionally, it seemed like he had lost his sense of smell. William groaned and rubbed his temples. He grabbed the bag on the table, tossing it into his drawer with a scowl.

'So what if you bought me medicine?' He clicked his tongue. 'Thoughtless woman!'

"Mary, I'll be leaving now." Her bag perched on her back, Jane waved goodbye to Mary with a smile.

"Okay," Mary nodded.

"I'll be off too, Mary," Kevin said, standing beside Jane.

"You two...leave together?" Mary asked. Her eyes darted between the two of them with a knowing twinkle.

"Well... Yes." Kevin scratched his head bashfully, avoiding eye contact.

"Are you two...?" Mary trailed off and waited for their response.

"Mary," Jane grumbled. "Our... Our relationship isn't steady yet!"

"What? Why do you say that? !" Kevin asked incredulously. "Didn't you agree to be my girlfriend? !"

"You — !" Jane was rapidly turning beet red. "I-I'm not talking to you!"

She huffed, making her way into the elevator.

"Jane! Hey, wait a minute! Jane!" he called. Kevin scrambled after her. "Mary, we'll be leaving now!" he yelled over his shoulder. "Okay! Go and chase her," Mary laughed.

When did those two start going out? She didn't even notice until now!

Mary looked down at her watch. It was time for her to get off work as well.

She peeked at the CEO's office. His light was still on. 'He must be working late again, ' she thought. Mary didn't know how he did it, working with a cold. Not for the first time that day, she wondered if he took his medication.

"Ah, well." Mary sighed and packed her things. As she was about to get up, the light in the boss's office was turned off.

The door clicked open, and out stepped William.

"Bo... boss." She stood up from her desk.

"Well..." William closed the door behind him. "Ahem... We are going back to the family house tonight," he said.

"The family house?" Mary was startled by his request. She asked, "Has Father come back?"

William shook his head. "No, not yet....ahem... We'll be there first."

"Okay," Mary nodded. She followed William downstairs quietly.

"Ahem..." He coughed again. She observed him from the corner of her eye. "Your cold seems to be getting worse," noted Mary. Chewing on the inside of her lip, she asked, "Do you want to see a doctor first?"

His eyes narrowed upon hearing her question. "No," he said coldly.

"Okay." Mary's shoulders sagged. She felt helpless. William hardly cared about his health, and, despite her efforts, it seemed pointless trying to say anything.

He walked next to her, glancing at her now stoic face. When Mary didn't say anything more about his sickness, he felt like a bucket of ice water had been poured on his head.

'Mary...you really... You really have gone too far! Just worry about Victor!'

Climbing into the driver's seat, William felt a wave of drowsiness. 'Do I have a fever?' he wondered, rapidly shaking the thought away. That was highly unlikely. He had always been in good health.

William blinked his sleepiness away and started the car.

The drive lasted nearly two hours. Night had fallen by the time they arrived at the house.

He parked the car, and they both got out.

"Well..." William had taken two steps away from the car when he felt his knees wobble. Vision spinning, he lost his balance and nearly fell to the ground.

Mary was quick to catch him. "William! What's the matter?" Her figure bent under his weight.

"I'm fine..." he croaked. "Ahem...it's nothing."

"Oh, my God!" Mary's one hand gripped his arm while the other flew to his warm forehead. "You have a fever! Let me help you in," she said, ushering him to the house.

William felt light and dizzy. He allowed Mary to support his body's weight. 'It turns out I really do have a fever!' he chided himself.

"What happened?" The butler, Webb, walked out of the house. Once he saw William's crumpled form, he hurried over to help them. "Young master! You're burning up!" he cried, slinging the man's other arm over his shoulder.

"He has a fever," said Mary with a frown. "Uncle Webb, please call the doctor. Tell him to come as soon as possible. Don't worry, I can help him up."

"Okay," nodded the butler. Webb hurried to the living room to phone the doctor.

With the help of several servants, Mary helped William to the bedroom.

She took off his shoes, socks, and coat. Carefully, she put him on the bed.

Mary felt regret and shame climbing up her throat as she watched him sleep, his face flushed.

'Why didn't I notice his fever earlier? Damn it!' Her frown deepened as she scolded herself.

There was a soft knock on the door. "Madam, I brought some hot water for the young master to drink," said one of the servants.

"Thank you." Mary took the water from the servant's hand. She stood by his bedside and gently called him, "Here, William, have some water. You'll feel better after you drink it."

"Okay..." William sat up slowly, not bothering to open his eyes.

Mary held the glass to his mouth, her hand resting softly on his back.

"Drink it slowly," said Mary. "The doctor should be coming soon."

As if she had magically summoned him, Webb came and entered the room with the doctor.

"Madam, the doctor is here."

"Doctor, please come and check on him. His body temperature is so high!" Mary led him over to the bedside.

Nodding, the doctor took out a thermometer to check the sick man's temperature.

"39 degrees," he said frowning. "How did he get such a fever?"

"I... I didn't notice it." Mary's nails dug into her palm. She felt another pang of guilt. 'People lose their temper when they're sick. No wonder William was angry today. I was too careless.' All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

"Madam, don't worry too much." Webb comforted her, "Young master is a very healthy man. I'm sure he'll be fine soon."

"Yes, you're probably right," said Mary. The physician cleaned a spot on William's arm with an alcohol-soaked cotton pad, before expertly inserting the needle into his skin.

"Alright." The doctor straightened up. "I'll prescribe him some antipyretics," he said, taping a small piece of cotton over the injected area.

"Is he alright now?" asked Mary.

"I can't be sure yet." The doctor took out a box of medicine from his bag and said, "These are the antipyretics. If his fever doesn't go down after four hours, have him take one."

"Okay, thank you." Mary took the package, turning it over in her hand.

"And here are some anti-inflammatory pills," the doctor continued. "He should eat something, like porridge, and take the pills after."

"Yes, I'll ask them to prepare a meal for him," said Mary. "If possible, wipe the patient's body with some rubbing alcohol and water. Alcohol baths usually help in bringing down the body temperature."

"Right," Mary nodded, making a mental list of all the doctor's advice.

"I'll be off then." He smiled warmly at her and packed his things away.

"Take care, doctor! Thank you again."

"Doctor, let me see you off," Webb said, escorting him out of the room.

A servant quickly brought over the things needed for an alcohol bath. Placing it on his bedside table, she asked Mary, "Madam, would you like to eat dinner first?"

"No, thank you." Mary waved her hand. "Please make some light porridge. I'll have some with William later when he wakes up."

"Okay, madam."

The door closed gently. It was just the two of them now. Mary took a deep breath and began removing the rest of William's clothes.

"William, I'm just going to wipe your body to bring your fever down," said Mary, working at his shirt. "I'm not trying to be improper..."

She felt the blood rushing to her cheeks.

His bronze skin peeked out from under the small buttons of his white shirt. She continued until there was only one button left and steadied her breathing. Mary moved to place her hand on the smooth plane of his stomach but was stopped abruptly.

"What are you doing?" Despite William's

weariness, he was still quite powerful. His eyes were open now, and he was looking straight at Mary, her hands hovering just above his torso.

"I... I'm just going to wipe your body." She blushed a deep red at his gaze. "It should reduce your fever. Now let go of me!" she said, tugging her hand out of his.

He frowned at that and slowly loosened his grip on her hand. A headache throbbed dully, and he shut his eyes.

Mary dipped a clean cloth into the diluted alcohol basin and washed him, not daring to look at his physique for too long. Anytime her fingers brushed against his warm skin, she moved away as if it burned her.

It wasn't because of his fever, no. Mary couldn't stop her mind from racing.

Biting the inside of her lip, she thought back to that night. Albeit her initial reluctance, it was her first time being intimate with a man. Now, that same man lay partially undressed underneath her. 'Oh, God...' Her heart pounded loudly in her ears.

William's sense of touch only heightened as he shut his eyes. He felt not only the wet cloth but her smooth hand grazing parts of his skin. 'Both are cold, ' he thought, dazedly.

'Mary... What are you doing? Where are you wiping?!

Damn!'

his heart cursed. William cracked his eyes open at the ceiling. His gaze fell on Mary, who was mopping his body with a flustered sort of focus.

"Alright." His voice was hoarse. "Ahem... You can stop wiping now..."

Candy GSmgB