How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

Jarrod's brow was deeply furrowed, his vision shrouded in darkness.

Elodie's panicked voice barely pulled him back to consciousness for a fleeting instant. With great effort, he lifted a trembling hand and gently touched the back of her head. "It's all right... Andrea and the others will be here soon. Don't be scared..."

His voice was barely a whisper, thin and weak.

But to Elodie, every word felt like a needle piercing her heart, the ache spreading through her chest and lungs.

Ignoring the searing pain in her arm-likely fractured from the impact-she scrambled off Jarrod's body. Her hands shook as she reached for his, completely lost as to what to do. "Tell me where it hurts, Jarrod. Please, open your eyes and look at me."

She desperately tried to find the source of his injury.

But she barely dared to touch him.

After all, her entire adult weight had crashed down on him from the second floor. The damage to him had to be severe.

Even though she was already as light as she could possibly be.

Jarrod's eyelids were unbearably heavy; her words barely registered in his mind. Suddenly, Elodie's hand came away slick and warm with blood.

The heat of it made her heart clench painfully, and her face turned deathly pale. That warmth meant he was still bleeding-badly.

She knelt at his side, body shaking with cold, her expression crumbling. Her voice was hoarse as she called out, "Ivan! Andrea! Hurry, bring the car! He-he needs a hospital, now!"

car screamed around the corner; she jumped out, visibly shaken, and immediately hefted Jarrod onto

wailed in the distance as chaos erupted

her shoulder, climbed in

the

for them, and Jarrod was rushed into surgery at

operating room, her

hung limp at her side, trembling, but she just stared at the closed

arm was clearly

examined Elodie's arm, frowning. "How did

eyes fixed on the surgery doors, swallowing hard

"That high? It's only

cut straight into Elodie's

It was true.

Jarrod hadn't shielded her with his

doctor wasted no time.

Her eyes were red and burning as she turned to Andrea.

and nodded solemnly. "Don't worry,

did Elodie register the

no longer move it

was a night

Malcom, his face was drawn