Chapter 270
Hearing Suzy enter, Derek stirred beneath the blankets and slowly opened his eyes.
The moment he realized it was her, his tense expression softened.
"Suzy... I’m kind of sleepy."
"You’re tired again?" Suzy reached over and brushed his hair back, resting her palm against his forehead.
His temperature felt completely normal.
Since it was around midday, she assumed he was simply ready for a nap. Derek occasionally slept after lunch, and she thought little of it.
"Then get some rest."
With that, she let him drift back to sleep.
Evening arrived before anyone realized how much time had passed.
As dinnertime approached, Derek still hadn’t woken up.
Leonard waited in the living room for a while, but eventually his stomach began protesting loudly.
Rising from the couch, he sighed.
"I’m going to drag that kid out of bed. He’s been asleep all afternoon. He has to be hungry by now."
He walked to Derek’s room and knocked firmly.
"Derek, dinner’s ready."
No response.
He knocked again, harder this time.
"Derek, get up and eat!"
The room remained silent except for the distant howl of wind outside.
A deep crease formed between Leonard’s brows.
Without waiting any longer, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The curtains were tightly drawn, leaving the room nearly pitch black. Only a narrow strip of hallway light spilled through the doorway.
Derek lay curled beneath the blankets, half his face buried in the pillow.
Leonard crossed the room and patted his shoulder.
"Derek. Come on. Wake up."
The instant his hand touched Derek through the blanket, his expression changed.
Even through the thick bedding, he could feel an unnatural heat radiating from him.
A knot formed in Leonard’s stomach. He immediately reached for Derek’s forehead.
His skin was calding. The temperature beneath his palm felt almost feverish enough to burn.
"Derek! Derek!"
He shook him harder.
Derek merely frowned and mumbled something incoherent.
His eyes never opened.
Leonard hurriedly switched on the bedside lamp.
Warm amber light flooded the room, revealing a face so pale it looked almost bloodless.
His lips were dry and cracked. Sweat dampened the strands of hair plastered across his forehead, yet despite his pallor, an unhealthy flush stained both cheeks.
Without another word, Leonard spun around and rushed from the room.
"Suzy! Thomas! Get in here!"
The urgency in his voice cut through the apartment like a knife.
Both of them hurried over immediately.
"What happened?" Suzy asked.
A cold sense of dread had already begun spreading through her chest.
"Derek has a fever. A bad one."
Leonard’s voice was tight with concern.
Suzy bolted into the room.
The moment her hand touched Derek’s forehead, her heart dropped.
The heat was alarming.
Drawing a deep breath, she forced herself to remain calm.
She retrieved a thermometer from her storage space and slipped it beneath his arm.
The next few minutes felt endless.
Finally, the device beeped. She pulled it out and stared at the display.
39.8°C.
"I have fever medicine."
Her movements became hurried. She dug through her supplies, found the medication, then poured a glass of warm water.
"Derek. Open your mouth. Take your medicine."
Half-conscious, Derek obeyed and his lips parted slightly.
Suzy placed the pills inside and carefully helped him swallow them with water.
His throat bobbed once. Then he slipped straight back into unconscious sleep.
"He was completely fine before. How did he suddenly end up with a fever this high?"
Leonard stood beside the bed, his brows knotted into a deep frown.
Thomas remained silent.
He pressed two fingers lightly against Derek’s neck, then lifted one eyelid to check his condition.
His expression darkened.
"This didn’t start recently," he said quietly. "He’s been running a fever for a while."
The words made Suzy’s chest tighten painfully.
Her thoughts immediately returned to earlier that afternoon.
When Derek had complained about being tired, she had assumed he simply wanted a nap.
She had even checked his temperature but it had seemed normal.
Had she overlooked something? Or had the fever risen unusually fast?
Biting down on her lower lip, she pulled out a bottle of spiritual spring water.
Pouring a small amount into a cup, she leaned toward him again.
"Derek, drink this too."
There was no response.
Carefully supporting his head, she pressed the rim of the cup against his lips.
Some of the water trickled into his mouth. After a moment, she saw his throat move. Only then did she continue feeding him until the cup was empty.
Setting it aside, she wiped the moisture from the corners of his mouth.
Her fingertips brushed against his cracked lips. The sinking feeling in her chest deepened.
"He took the medicine. He drank the spiritual spring water too. The fever should come down."
Leonard placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
The three of them remained beside the bed.
Outside, darkness settled completely over the world, only the bedside lamp remained lit.
Its muted golden glow illuminated Derek’s pale, flushed features and made him look heartbreakingly fragile.
Time passed slowly.
Again and again, Suzy reached out to check his temperature.
Each time, the heat remained.
If anything, it seemed worse.
Then, at the worst possible moment, Leonard’s stomach growled loudly.
The sound broke the tense silence.
"Uncle Leonard, you and Thomas haven’t eaten yet," Suzy said softly. "Go have dinner. I’ll stay with him."
"Fine. We’ll switch with you after we’re done."
Leonard was genuinely starving.
After a brief hesitation, he dragged Thomas toward the dining room.
Once they left, Suzy remained alone beside the bed.
She replaced Derek’s cooling patch with a fresh one.
Then she used chilled spring water to gently wipe down the exposed skin on his neck, arms, and face.
Not long afterward, Leonard returned.
"Suzy, go eat. I’ll watch him."
She shook her head immediately.
Her eyes never left Derek’s face.
"I’m not hungry."
"Even if you’re not hungry, you still need to eat."
Leonard folded his arms.
"You’ve been sitting here for hours. If you keep this up, you’ll collapse before he recovers."
Suzy opened her mouth to argue, but before she could, Leonard firmly ushered her toward the door.
"Thomas, take her to eat."
Hearing his name, Thomas approached.
When Suzy met his worried gaze, her resistance weakened.
He and Leonard were already concerned enough.
She couldn’t add herself to the list.
Managing a faint smile, she nodded.
"Don’t worry. I’ll eat."
"Come on."
Thomas took her hand and led her away.
Dinner had already been prepared.
Knowing she would probably have little appetite, Leonard had left her a simple meal consisting of warm rice porridge, several side dishes, and a plate of her favorite sweet and sour ribs.
She sat down and lifted a spoonful of porridge.
The temperature was perfect.
Yet when she swallowed, it felt as though something were lodged in her throat.
The second spoonful went down even harder.
Thomas ate quietly beside her. He didn’t try to persuade her. He simply kept an eye on her from time to time.
Eventually, she managed to finish half the bowl.
That was all she could force herself to eat.
Seeing the anxiety she could no longer hide, Thomas spoke gently.
"You can go back. I’ll clean up here."
Gratitude flashed across her face.
She hurried back to Derek’s room.
The moment she entered, she looked toward Leonard.
"How is he?"
Leonard slowly shook his head.
"No change."
The light in her eyes dimmed. Silence settled between them.
After a while, Leonard suddenly spoke.
"Suzy, didn’t you say you already gave him spiritual spring water?"
"Yeah."
"Then why is the fever still this bad?"
His confusion was obvious.
In Leonard’s mind, the spiritual spring water had always been almost miraculous.
A simple fever shouldn’t have been able to resist its effects.
Suzy lowered her eyes.
"I gave it to him."
Her voice grew quieter.
"But it doesn’t seem to be working."
That was exactly what frightened her most.
This was spiritual spring water.
She had watched Derek drink it herself.
He had been perfectly fine that morning.
So why had he suddenly developed such a severe fever?