EuropeNovelWhen Elodie woke up, she felt weak and lightheaded, her limbs heavy as lead. As she stirred, Freya's voice rang out in relief, "You're awake! Are you feeling okay? Anywhere still hurt?" Elodie turned her head. "Why are you here...?" Freya helped her sit up, fussing over her. "My brother and I brought you to the hospital. He's gone to print your test results. We were worried something was wrong, so we had them run every check-" "What floor is he on?" Elodie's face changed. She threw off the covers and got out of bed.
Freya blinked in surprise. "He's right on this floor." Ignoring the lingering ache in her body, Elodie hurried out.
She made straight for the self-service printer in the hallway. Sure enough, Joseph was there, waiting as the machine spat out paper.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtElodie rushed over and yanked the report out before he could react, clutching it tightly.
"You're awake?" Joseph looked both surprised and concerned. "What are you doing out of bed?" Her heart was still racing, and she pressed her lips into a tight line. "Where's my ID?" Joseph, caught off guard by the frost in her gaze, hesitated a moment before handing it over. "Sorry. It was urgent. I went through your bag to get your ID without asking." She studied his expression-nothing out of the ordinary. He hadn't noticed anything unusual in the report. Only then did she finally breathe out, just a little.
She couldn't, wouldn't risk it. If Joseph found out about her condition, Jarrod would know soon enough, and then everything would spiral out of control.
If Jarrod learned the truth, he'd never let her keep her dignity. He might even go to her family, use her illness as an excuse to break things off, and she couldn't bear for things to end like that.
"Thank you." Elodie wasn't ungrateful. "How much were the medical bills? I'll transfer it to you." Joseph could sense the distance in her tone. He pressed his lips together. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing. You still look pale, though. The test results are out- shouldn't you talk to the doctor?" "It's just a fever. Nothing serious," Elodie replied, her voice cool and final.
Joseph watched her, troubled. "But when you were unconscious, you kept crying out in pain..." He remembered how frail she looked, curled up even in her sleep, whispering softly as if shielding herself from sinvisible threat.
How much pain had she endured to end up like this? Elodie didn't explain. She simply said, "Thanks for today. Still, sendthe total cost later, please. I want to settle up." Joseph understood the message-she wanted no ties.
"...Alright. If you're feeling better, lettake you home. It's late," he offered.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmElodie shook her head. "That's not necessary. I'll call a cab." Her cool detachment drew a clear line between them. Joseph pressed his lips together, an unexpected sting of defeat in his chest.
"...Okay. Take care on your way, then." He didn't insist.
Elodie said goodbye to Freya and left.
Thank goodness it was just a false alarm. She had no idea how she'd have explained things otherwise. Joseph watched her go, her figure retreating down the hallway.
Freya nudged his arm. "You're acting weird. Don't tell me... do you like Elodie?"
Joseph frowned, ruffling her hair with exaggerated annoyance. "Don't be ridiculous. Grown-ups Business isn't for kids. And if Elodie heard you, she'd be pissed." Freya let out a tic sigh. "True. She really doesn't seem to like you much." Joseph: "..."
A moment later, his phone buzzed-a transfer from Elodie. Two thousand More dollars. More than enough. She clearly didn't want to owe him a thing. He stared at the screen, frowning, lost in thought.
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