The Day Ethan Cole Got Sick — And Greyhaven Refused to Let Him Be Alone
Chapter 9
A week after the illness, Ethan woke feeling completely normal.
That should have made him happy.
Instead, he stayed in bed for a moment.
He thought about how strange the previous week had been.
Being sick had taken away his independence.
At first, he had hated it.
Then he had discovered something.
He didn’t actually lose his independence.
He simply discovered that independence and isolation were not the same thing.
He could still stand on his own.
He could still make his own decisions.
He could still live his life.
But there were people who would stand beside him when he couldn’t.
That wasn’t weakness.
It was something else.
Something he had never been taught.
Ethan got dressed.
Before leaving, he looked at the refrigerator.
Lily’s drawing was still there.
He smiled.
Then he headed toward the diner.
June looked up.
“You’re back.”
“Looks like it.”
She put coffee in front of him.
“Breakfast?”
“Yes.”
She smiled.
“No argument?”
“No.”
“Who are you?”
Ethan laughed.
“I’ve changed.”
“Don’t get carried away.”
He looked around the diner.
The same walls.
The same tables.
The same morning light.
But it felt different.
Because he was different.
