Brave

Chapter 20: Holiday

"Well, we're on our way!" Ethan enthuses as he grabs my hand playfully. "This should be fun."

I nod in agreement as I secretly hope that he won't let go of my hand. His touch is so warm and reassuring. I close my eyes and lean my head against the seat. Ethan's hand remains firmly gripped around mine. I think I must doze off for a few moments, until I feel the train lurching out of the station. I lazily turn my head toward the window and watch the farm fields of MSU streaming by.

"Are you hungry?" Ethan asks.

"Starving!" I reply gratefully.

He offers to get food and bring it back for me, but I insist that I want to accompany him to the dining car. Walking on the train is a little more challenging than walking on firm ground, so Ethan offers me a few tips about keeping my balance, placing his hands on my hips for good measure.

The dining car is bright and cheerfully decorated with blues and greens. There is a small bar where we place our orders, and then we make our way to the booths. The nice thing about traveling by train is that every seat has a view.

My hamburger is perfectly delicious. My mind flashes back to that first night Ethan visited me in the hospital, when he shared his burger with me. He catches the smile on my face.

"What?" he asks.

"Just remembering when you shared your dinner with me at the hospital. It seems like such a long time ago."

He agrees and tells me, "You've made astounding progress, Sarah. Really. I haven't seen many people bounce back as quickly as you have."

Another blush overtakes my face, something I wish I could control. "That means a lot, coming from you, you know. Thank you." He nods warmly. "I just remember thinking that I must have looked like hell after lying for there for however many days, with greasy hair and probably bad breath."

"Not at all," Ethan laughs a good-natured laugh. "You're beautiful. And I've thought that from the very first moment I laid eyes on you."

I look down uncomfortably. "When I was dying?"

"Yeah," he sighs. "Even when you were dying. I saw it in your eyes. Courage. Tenacity. Strength."

"Thank you," I whisper, swallowing the lump in my throat. No one besides my parents had ever called me beautiful.

Back in our seats, I doze off again quickly. In addition to rushing around this morning to get ready, I had stayed up far too late last night, trying to decide on clothing. It's the 4th of July weekend, and it's bound to be scorching in Philly. I knew I had to pack shorts, but I wanted a pair of jeans in case I'm feeling self-conscious at some point.

When I awaken, I realize that I've been resting against Ethan's shoulder and that he had put a blanket around us. I open my eyes before I move, not alerting him that I'm awake. I watch as he peruses a random catalog. I start to giggle when he spends far too much time on the page containing a bizarre-looking helmet that claims to regenerate hair.

"Are you worried about hair loss?" I question.

"No, just wondering if people ever buy any of these gadgets. I mean, how does this company stay in business?"

"I don't know," I laugh. "What time is it?"

"About 5:30. Hungry for dinner yet?"

"No, not really," I tell him. "But if you're hungry, you can go ahead. I will probably wait a few hours."

"I'll wait too, then." He smiles. "Did you have a good nap?"

I nod. I lean away from him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to use you as a pillow."