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!"

visibly shaken, and

wailed in the distance as

clutching her shoulder,

the streets

special lane was cleared for them, and Jarrod was rushed

her head ringing

but she just stared at the closed doors, not shedding

first to notice Elodie's arm was clearly injured. She hurried to fetch a

quickly examined Elodie's arm, frowning. "How did

swallowing hard against her parched

widened in disbelief. "That high? It's only a forearm

words cut straight into Elodie's

It was true.

Jarrod hadn't shielded her with his body, she wouldn't

wasted no time. "You'll need surgery right

she turned to Andrea. "Please,

situation and nodded

Elodie register the unrelenting pain coursing through her

could no longer move

a night of utter

drawn and ashen. He was out of