Afterward, Roxanne visited a nearby restaurant for lunch. Perhaps she had wolfed down her food too fast or was exhausted from work, as Roxanne fell into a daze and nearly fainted at the entrance.
Luckily, one of the restaurant employees grabbed her in time and helped her to regain her footing. After saying thanks, Roxanne headed back to the research institute.
She felt rather unwell for the rest of the afternoon. Yet, she pushed herself to complete all the required tests on the medicinal herbs. It was already nightfall when Linda came to check on her.
“Dr. Jarvis, is there anything else I can help you with?” Linda followed the distinctive work culture from abroad and adhered strictly to the working hours. She would not take the initiative to work overtime if it was not necessary.
Before knocking off, she would usually check. on Roxanne if she was still in the research institute. If the latter did not need her help, Linda would leave work first. Roxanne shook her head and said, “Nope, I’m about to leave as well.”
Right before walking away, Linda noticed Roxanne’s pale face. “Are you suffering from work fatigue, Dr. Jarvis?”
Genuinely feeling a little unwell, Roxanne said, “Perhaps. It’s a busy period for me, but things will be fine once the pharmaceutical manufacturing process is back on track.”
Linda was getting worried. “If the medicinal herbs are all good to go, I can take care of the rest. You should rest at home for two days, Dr. Jarvis, for you don’t look very good.”
Upon hearing that, Roxanne hesitated for a few seconds. Yet, in the end, she rejected Linda’s offer. “It’s okay, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”
After putting away all the tools used for testing, Roxanne grabbed Linda’s hand and ushered her to the door. “Come on, let’s leave together. I’m ready to call it a day.”
Linda said nothing and followed her out of the research institute. As soon as they got out, Roxanne saw Lucian waiting for her by the car. He hurried over the moment he saw her coming out. Linda flashed him a polite smile before leaving. “You’re here? Why didn’t you tell me earlier…”
Right after Linda left, Roxanne felt slightly lightheaded and swayed on her feet. Frowning, Lucian quickly strode toward her and grabbed her by the arm. “What’s wrong?”
At that moment, she knew she was unwell. Despite that, she tried to keep calm so as not to make Lucian worry. “It’s nothing serious. I overworked myself lately, but I’ll be fine after getting some rest.”
Lucian scrutinized her intently. Moments later, he said with a gloomy look on his face, “You don’t look well.”
Roxanne recalled Linda saying the same thing. too. Do I really look that terrible? As she looked up, she was met with his gaze, and she could see how worried he was. “It’s nothing. I’m a doctor myself, so I would know if I were sick.”
She sent Lucian a comforting smile and added, “It’s getting late. I bet the kindergarten has dismissed the children. Let’s go pick them up now. With that, she went ahead and walked to the car. Lucian observed her from the back as his expression grew increasingly grim.
It was not his first time seeing her knackered and bushed due to work. Yet, he had never seen her so exhausted to that extent.
Not only did she look pale, but her lip color had also gotten a few shades darker. She looked completely drained of energy!
The only conclusion he could arrive at was that Roxanne had fallen ill. She’s just trying to force herself to appear strong because the pharmaceutical manufacturing process is finally showing some positive progress.
At that thought, Lucian swiftly made his way to the driver’s seat and drove off. “I’ll get Cayden to pick the kids up. Let’s go to the hospital.”
