How a Dying Woman Rewrote Her Epilogue

Elodie's fever kept coming back, and she never regained consciousness.

Everything she'd been through lately had pushed her to the breaking point, and in

the end, her body just gave out.

Jarrod stayed by her side all night.

By morning, he'd already called Rosemary and Emile, asking them to get to the

hospital as early as possible. He made sure Esmeralda and the others didn't get

left out, either. He knew they were Elodie's closest friends-they deserved to

know what was happening, and he didn't want them kept in the dark.

If he was being honest, part of him just wanted as many people there as possible,

hoping that maybe their presence could give Elodie some strength.

Elodie came to for only a brief moment before she was wheeled into surgery.

Jarrod forced himself upright and, using his wheelchair, made his way to the

doors of the operating room.

His grandmother arrived soon after. Seeing Jarrod in the wheelchair, she

approached, her eyes full of concern as she studied him for a long moment. "At

least you're stepping up," she said quietly. "Your mother told me you've made up

your mind?"

Jarrod nodded. "This is the best option we have."

She hesitated, almost as if she wanted to say more, but finally just sighed. "I used

to hope you two would give us a child. But now, with Elodie's health like this,

matters more than her getting better. As long as you don't

of us have

in her life to

do to

gently. "You know

far from perfect, but when he said he'd do

grandmother let out a worried

arrived

signed the surgery

"Let me do it. If she wakes up, she can blame me for making

decision for her."

eyes filled with tears. To her, it just

been nothing but suffering. With

help but be anxious.

arm around Rosemary and gave Jarrod a

finished signing his name, Jarrod

Every nerve in his body was stretched taut, and a

panic gnawed at him.

never thought of himself as someone

now, his hands wouldn't

in scrubs and prepped

over and

eye. "We'll do everything

can," he promised.

to

after a

turned and disappeared behind the

a finality that made

so strung

barely move; her

together in

she begged God

noticing her

posture, started nervously digging