<b><i>Ethan’s </i></b><b><i>POV</i></b><b>: </b>
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??
55
Two more days went by, and the time had finally arrived. We were taking Maria home, cancer free. All the research, all the tears, long nights, panicking, everything that led up to this very moment all felt insignificant. My baby sister was going to have a future, and I owed it all to this remarkable young woman. As my parents looked around the hospital room to make sure they had all of Maria’s things, I could see my mom’s eyes swell up. Walking over to her, I embraced into a hug, the tears now pouring out.
“<i>You </i><i>did </i><i>it </i><i>son</i><i>! </i><i>You </i><i>kept </i><i>your </i><i>promise </i><i>to </i><i>me </i><i>from </i><i>when </i><i>you </i><i>were </i>15. <i>Thank </i><i>you</i><i>, </i><i>thank </i><i>you</i><i>!!! </i><i>My </i><i>baby </i><i>is </i><i>healthy </i><i>now</i><i>!</i><i>” </i>
I hugged my mom tightly as she sobbed into my shirt. My dad then walked over with my siblings as we embraced each other all crying. Maria was in another room with ra and two of my staff doctors checking her vitals onest time before she left. After what seemed like an eternity, we all released each other and began fixing ourselves up to make sure we looked presentable before Maria came back into the room.
“Son, <i>I want </i><i>you </i><i>to </i><i>know </i><i>I’m </i>so <i>proud </i><i>of </i><i>you</i><i>! </i><i>All </i><i>of </i><i>you</i><i>! </i><i>Your </i><i>mother and </i><i>I </i><i>couldn’t </i><i>have </i>asked for <i>better </i><i>children</i><i>, </i><i>you </i><i>all </i><i>make </i><i>us </i>so <i>proud </i><i>to </i><i>be </i><i>your </i><i>parents</i><i>.</i>”
Elizabeth began wiping her eyes.
<i>“</i>Dad! <i>Stop </i><i>it</i><i>! </i><i>We’re </i><i>supposed </i><i>to </i><i>be gathering </i><i>ourselves </i><i>before Maria </i><ies </i><i>back</i><i>. </i>I’m <i>going </i>
to start <i>crying </i><i>again</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
Everyone in the room erupted inughter. Just then, Maria and ra both walked into the room. Her face shining bright, Maria looked at her family.
“<i>Hey</i>!! <i>What’s </i>going <i>in </i><i>here</i><i>? </i><i>You </i><i>guys </i>aren’t <i>crying </i><i>are </i><i>you</i><i>?</i><i>” </i>
“No!<i>” </i>
Answering too fast, Corey gave everyone away. Moreughter poured through as ra began to go over Maria’s discharge.
<b>15:16 </b>Sun<b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>7 </b>
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55
<i>“</i><i>So</i><i>, </i><i>even </i>though <i>Maria </i><i>is </i><i>cancer </i><i>free </i>and <i>extremely </i><i>healthy</i><i>, </i><i>I’d </i><i>like </i><i>for </i><i>her </i><i>to </i><i>still </i><i>take </i><i>it </i><i>a </i><i>little </i><i>easy </i><i>for </i><i>the </i><i>rest </i>of <i>the </i><i>year</i><i>. </i><i>I </i><i>have </i><i>her </i><i>discharge </i><i>papers </i><i>here of </i><i>her </i><i>medicinal </i><i>regime </i><i>I </i>would <i>like </i><i>her </i>to <i>follow</i><i>. </i><i>We’ll </i><i>have </i><i>her </i><i>take </i><i>her </i><i>medication </i><i>for </i>an <i>additional </i><i>90 </i><i>days</i>. <i>Afterwards </i><i>we’ll </i><i>do </i>a <i>follow </i><i>up </i>to see <i>if </i><i>she </i><i>will </i><i>need </i><i>to </i><i>continue</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
Ethan looked at ra, eyes filled with admiration, but his heart was definitely filled with
something else. Corey caught his little brother’s expression and smiled quietly to
himself.
‘<i>My </i><i>little </i><i>brother’s </i><i>really </i><i>in </i><i>love</i><i>. </i><i>Owen was </i><i>right</i>.‘
As everyone began to leave, Corey called out to ra.
<i>“</i><i>ra</i><i>, </i><i>do </i><i>you </i><i>have </i><i>any </i><i>ns </i><i>for </i><i>Christmas</i><i>?</i><b>” </b>
Everyone turned to face ra. A and Joseph moving to the front.
<i>“</i><i>Yes </i><i>dear</i><i>! </i><i>If </i><i>not</i>, <i>we’d </i><i>all </i><i>love </i><i>it </i><i>if </i><i>you </i><i>spent </i><i>it </i><i>with </i>us!<i>” </i>
ra smiled brightly, she’d nned on spending Christmas with Gloria and Casey at
Gloria’s parents‘ house this year.
<i>“</i><i>I </i><i>was </i><i>actually </i><i>going </i><i>to </i><i>Gloria’s </i><i>parents</i><i>‘ </i><i>this </i><i>year-</i>”
A cut ra off before she could finish.
“Perfect! <i>Her </i><i>family’s </i><i>estate </i><i>isn’t </i><i>far </i><i>from </i><i>ours</i><i>! </i><i>Could </i><i>you </i><i>stop </i><i>by </i><i>Christmas </i><i>day</i>? I’m <i>the </i><i>Rhinehorne’s </i><i>wouldn’t </i><i>mind</i><i>, </i><i>right</i><i>?</i><i>” </i>
ra looked at A’s hopeful face<b>, </b>unable to refuse. She smiled and nodded in
agreement.
“I’m sure <i>they </i><i>won’t </i><i>mind </i>at <i>all</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
“Excellent<i>! </i><i>We’ll </i>send a car <i>for </i><i>you </i>that <i>way </i>no one <i>will </i>have to worry about taking you <i>or </i>picking you up<i>!</i><i>” </i>
A gleamed with joy as everyone made their way out of the room. As everyone headed
<b>15:16 </b><b>Sun</b><b>, </b>Sep 7
:
outside, everyone hugged ra thanking her again for everything she had done. Suddenly, Corey spoke up again.
<i>“</i><i>Um</i>, Ethan. <i>Instead </i><i>of </i><i>her </i>doing <i>a </i><i>rideshare</i><i>, </i><i>why </i><i>don’t </i><i>you </i><i>take </i><i>ra </i><i>home</i><b><i>?</i></b><i>” </i>
??)
Ethan’s eyebrows furrowed, why was Corey making all of these suggestions? Elizabeth
chimed in.
<i>“</i><i>I </i><i>agree</i><i>! </i><i>Don’t </i><i>let </i><i>her </i><i>waste </i><i>money </i><i>on </i><i>a </i><i>rideshare</i>.<i>” </i>
ra held her hands up in protest.
“<i>That’s not </i><i>necessary</i>! <i>I </i><i>know </i><i>you </i><i>guys </i><i>want </i><i>to </i><i>get </i><i>home </i><i>and </i><i>cele-</i><i>” </i>
Joseph cut ra off.
<i>“</i><i>Nonsense </i><i>ra</i><i>, </i><i>we’ll </i><i>all </i><i>still </i><i>be </i><i>celebrating </i><i>when </i><i>he </i><i>gets </i><i>back</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
<b>55 </b>
Ethan watched as his dad smiled brightly at ra. Nodding her head, ra turned to Ethan who was looking at his family with a puzzling expression. Finally, he looked down
at ra. A smile on his face.
<i>“</i><i>I </i><i>agree </i><i>with </i><i>my </i><i>family</i>. <i>Please</i><i>, </i><i>allow </i><i>me </i><i>to </i><i>take </i><i>you </i><i>home</i>.<i>” </i>
ra slightly blushed as she nodded in agreement. After the goodbyes, Ethan could have sworn he saw Maria wink at him while Corey and Liz gave him a thumbs up.
‘<i>What </i><i>the </i><i>hell</i><i>.</i><i>‘ </i>
As Ethan and ra headed back to her condo, there was an electric tension in the air. Ethan looked nervously at ra wondering is she could also feel the tension. ra remained quiet, her face towards the window as she looked outside. Wanting to break the tension, Ethan turned the radio on.
“Do <i>you </i><i>have </i><i>any </i>favorite <i>type </i>of music?”
The question caught ra off guard. Thinking for a moment, she finally answered. “Neo- soul if that’s okay?”
15:16 <b>Sun</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>7 </b>
Ethan chuckled a little at her response.
“What’s <i>so </i>funny<i>?</i>”
:
<i>“</i><i>I </i><i>thought </i><i>you </i><i>would </i><i>say </i><i>something </i><i>like </i><i>ssical </i><i>or </i><i>Jazz</i>.<b>” </b>
raughed out loud.
“<i>Well</i><i>, </i><i>those </i><i>are </i><i>favorites </i>of <i>mine </i><i>as </i><i>well</i><i>, </i><i>but </i><i>there’s </i><i>nothing </i><i>more </i><i>soothing </i><i>that </i><i>neo</i>–<i>soul</i><i>.</i><i>” </i>
Ethan smiled at her response, it made him realize he wanted to know more personal things about ra.
“<i>Okay</i><i>, </i>so <i>that’s </i><i>your </i><i>favorite </i><i>music</i><i>. </i><i>What </i><i>about </i><i>movies</i><i>?</i><i>” </i>
ra shot a look of surprise at Ethan, was he trying to get to personally know her?
<i>Interesting</i>.
??
Smiling, ra began to answer.
<i>“</i><i>I </i><i>love </i><i>thrillers </i><i>and </i><i>dramas</i><i>, </i><i>especially </i><i>ones </i><i>with </i><i>great </i><i>cinematic </i><i>dialogue</i>.<i>” </i><fn3d0d> ??? ????? ???????s ??? ?????s??? ?? f?ndnovel</fn3d0d>
<b>55 </b>
That actually didn’t surprise Ethan, above everything else, ra was an intellectual. By the time they reached her condo, Ethan learned a great deal about ra. Her favorite
foods, colors, books to read. Each answer was more fascinating than the next. There was always a poetic reason behind her choices. In return, she asked him about his favorites, learning his favorite type of music was ssical, favorite foods were different variations of steak. They had a lot inmon when it came to favorite reads and movies. The conversation was definitely eye opening, leaving Ethan with one final revtion.
He was in love ra Rouleau.
After arriving home, the family was all in the grand roomughing and watching TV. As Ethan made his way in, everyone’s attention turned to him. Maria and Liz smiling brightly.
“ra make it home safe?”
…
55
Liz asked with glee in her voice. She could tell her brother was different. Finally, he realized what they all knew this whole time. Ethan nodded. Clearing his throat, he asked Liz and Corey if he could have a word with them.
As the stepped out onto the terrace, Ethan turned to his siblings, both of them smiling mischievously.
<i>“</i>I need <i>your </i><i>help</i><i>. </i><i>I </i><i>want </i>to <i>get </i><i>ra gift </i><i>for </i><i>Christmas</i><i>, </i><i>but </i><i>what </i><i>exactly </i><i>would </i><i>be </i><i>enough</i><i>?</i><i>” </i>
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