The Day Ethan Cole Got Sick — And Greyhaven Refused to Let Him Be Alone
Chapter 5
By morning, Ethan’s fever had dropped slightly.
He woke to sunlight.
Real sunlight.
The first he’d seen in days.
He stayed in bed for a while, listening.
No rain.
No wind.
Just distant gulls.
His phone contained six messages.
Walter.
June.
Claire.
Sam.
Caleb.
And Lily.
He opened Lily’s first.
GET BETTER ETHAN!!!
There was a photograph attached.
A badly drawn picture of a person lying in bed.
Beside him stood a much smaller person holding what appeared to be a giant spoon.
Ethan laughed.
Then coughed.
He stared at the drawing again.
Something about it warmed him.
He placed the phone beside him.
A few minutes later, Walter called.
“How do you feel?”
“Better.”
“Temperature?”
“Lower.”
“Number.”
Ethan gave it to him.
Walter paused.
“Good.”
“You sound disappointed.”
“I was hoping you’d admit you were dying.”
“Sorry.”
“Can you eat?”
“I think so.”
“Good.”
Ethan expected the call to end.
Instead, Walter said:
“I’ll bring breakfast.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know.”
The line went dead.
Twenty minutes later, Walter arrived.
He brought coffee for himself.
Ethan’s favorite breakfast from the diner.
And a bag of fresh fruit.
Ethan stared at it.
“You’ve been talking to June.”
Walter smiled.
“Obviously.”
They ate at the kitchen table.
Ethan wasn’t hungry.
But he ate.
Walter didn’t watch him.
That was considerate.
They talked about work instead.
A boat.
A broken transmission.
A customer who had complained about a repair that wasn’t even theirs.
Normal things.
Ethan realized how much he’d missed normal conversation.
Not questions about his temperature.
Not whether he had taken medicine.
Just conversation.
When Walter left, Ethan stood by the window.
He watched him drive away.
Then his phone buzzed again.
June.
Lunch later. Don’t argue.
Ethan smiled.
For once, he didn’t.
