The Day Ethan Cole Got Sick — And Greyhaven Refused to Let Him Be Alone
Chapter 6
The next day, Ethan tried to walk outside.
He made it to the porch.
That was enough.
He sat in the chair.
The morning air was cool.
Greyhaven looked almost exactly as it always did.
A fisherman crossed the street.
The bakery opened.
A truck delivered supplies.
A dog barked somewhere.
Nothing had changed.
Yet Ethan felt different.
He had spent two days inside his own head.
There was no work to distract him.
No repairs.
No customers.
No errands.
No reason to keep moving.
That left too much space for thoughts.
He thought about the people who had visited.
Walter.
June.
Claire.
The messages.
The soup.
The medicine.
The stupid drawing from Lily.
None of them had asked for anything.
That was what bothered him.
He understood transactions.
You helped someone.
They helped you.
There was balance.
This was different.
They had simply shown up.
Ethan heard a bicycle bell.
Lily stopped outside the fence.
“Ethan!”
He looked up.
“Hey.”
She stared at him.
“Are you dying?”
“No.”
“Mom said you were really sick.”
“Your mom exaggerates.”
Lily frowned.
“You’re too skinny.”
Ethan laughed.
“Thanks.”
She held up a paper bag.
“I brought you something.”
“What is it?”
“Cookies.”
Ethan opened the gate.
Lily handed him the bag.
“My mom said you’re not supposed to eat too many.”
“Then why bring them?”
She shrugged.
“Because you like them.”
Ethan looked at her.
“Thank you.”
She smiled.
Then she pointed at him.
“Don’t get sick again.”
“I’ll try.”
She climbed back onto her bicycle.
Before leaving, she turned.
“Ethan?”
“Yeah?”
“Everybody likes you.”
Then she rode away.
Ethan stood there.
The words stayed with him.
Everybody likes you.
He wasn’t sure that was true.
But he was starting to understand that he mattered to more people than he’d realized.
