Jarrod glanced sideways, his expression unreadable.

“Thanks for stepping in,” he said quietly.

Joseph nodded toward Jarrod’s bandaged arm. “You need to have that dressing changed soon?”

Jarrod murmured an affirmative.

Maurice let out a long sigh. “You really went all in, didn’t you? So worried about Sylvie getting hurt, you didn’t even think about yourself.”

The drone-with its payload-had to weigh at least 130 pounds, heavier than Sylvie herself. It wasn’t surprising Jarrod had thrown himself in the way without hesitation. No one expected, though, that in the chaos, with the light completely blocked out, he’d end up protecting the wrong person.

At least, thank God, Sylvie hadn’t been hurt.

Hearing Maurice’s words, Sylvie frowned a little, her face a mix of concern, relief, and something like gratitude.

Joseph, for his part, was still a bit shaken by the whole thing. If Jarrod hadn’t made that mistake, Elodie would have been the one injured.

He hesitated a moment, then asked, “So what exactly happened? How’d you end up grabbing the wrong person?”

Jarrod stirred his bowl of soup with a spoon, his face calm and composed. “The rotor wash was so strong, I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I lost track of direction.” Joseph nodded, understanding. A drone that size could do real damage.

“Did the doctor say how long you’ll be stuck here?” Sylvie asked.

“About a week, give or take,” Jarrod replied after a moment. His wounds weren’t just surface-deep—a bone was cracked too. His right arm was useless for now. Maurice lounged back on the sofa, biting into an apple. “As long as nothing vital got hit, you’ll be fine.”

Sylvie fell quiet, thinking. Suddenly, she looked up. “By the way—what’s Dr. Warwick’s specialty?”

“Why?” Joseph glanced up from his phone.

Sylvie hesitated, then said thoughtfully, “It’s about my mother’s follow-up treatment. I was thinking of finding someone more experienced. I’ve heard Dr. Warwick’s pretty renowned internationally, but I’m not sure exactly what his field is. Joseph, aren’t you friends with him?”

Joseph looked momentarily surprised by her candor. But he’d already arranged for Elodie to meet with Elias for another consultation.

“Yeah, we’re friends, but I’m not sure about that stuff. I can’t make those decisions for him.”

A flicker of disappointment crossed Sylvie’s face, but she managed a small smile. “It’s all right. We’ll figure something out.”

A little later, Sylvie stepped outside to take a work call.

Maurice took the opportunity to lean in and inspect Jarrod’s arm. His skin crawled at the thought. “That’s not going to scar, is it?”

Jarrod had already opened his laptop and barely looked up. “Could happen,” he said nonchalantly.

Maurice whistled in disbelief. “You know, Elodie must have a guardian angel. You basically took the hit for her, and she didn’t get so much as a scratch. That’s insane luck.”

A drone like that could’ve caused real harm. For her to walk away untouched-it had to be pure luck.

Jarrod tapped at his keyboard with his left hand, not even bothering to lift his gaze. “Is that so? Didn’t notice.”

Maurice figured that made sense. In that moment, Jarrod had only been worried about Sylvie-no way he’d have been thinking about Elodie.

Something occurred to Maurice, and he looked around the room. “She hasn’t been by, has she?”

Joseph looked up as well.

Jarrod answered slowly, after sending off a few work emails. “No, she hasn’t.”

Maurice’s jaw dropped. “She seriously hasn’t shown up? Even if you meant to save Sylvie and it went sideways, she should at least come see you. What’s her game?”

Usually, Elodie would’ve jumped at the chance to play nurse-staying by Jarrod’s side day and night. This was the perfect excuse.

And she just… didn’t take it?