Lily Carter. Ethan stood up immediately. That’s us. Lily looked at Clare before moving. Will you still be here? » she asked. Clare blinked a little caught off guard. « Uh, yeah, » she said softly. « I think so. » That was enough, then took Ethan’s hand and followed him down the hallway, but she looked back once. Clare was still watching her, and for a second, neither of them looked away. The examination room was small and too bright. Lily sat on the bed, swinging her legs slightly as the doctor checked her wrist.
« Looks like a mild sprain, » he said. « No fracture. We’ll wrap it. She’ll need to rest it for a few days. » Ethan let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. « Thank you. » Lily barely reacted. She wasn’t thinking about her wrist anymore. Ethan noticed. « You okay? » he asked her quietly. She nodded, but her eyes said otherwise. Clareire is sad, » she said simply. Ethan leaned back slightly, rubbing his face. « Yeah, she is. » Lily looked down at her bandaged wrist.
« Why do people get so sad? » Ethan paused. « That question again. The kind that didn’t have a clean answer. » « Because life doesn’t always go the way we want, » he said slowly. Lily thought about it. Then she asked, « Is that why mom left? » Ethan froze. That one hit harder than anything tonight. He looked at her carefully. She wasn’t upset. She wasn’t even emotional. She was just asking, trying to understand. Yeah. He said quietly. Something like that. That wasn’t the full truth, but it was enough for now.
Lily nodded, accepting it in the simple way children do. Then Clare didn’t do anything wrong either, she said. Ethan looked at her. Really looked at her and for a second he didn’t see a child. He saw someone trying to make sense of pain without blaming anyone and that shook him. Yeah, he said softly. She didn’t. Yeah. A few minutes later, they walked back into the waiting room. Clare was still there. same seat, same posture, but she looked up the second they walked in like she had been waiting.
Lily smiled immediately and walked toward her. « It’s not broken, » she announced. Clare’s face softened. « That’s good, » she said. « I told you you’d be okay. » Ethan stood a few steps behind, watching them again. « This time, he didn’t feel uneasy, just thoughtful. » Clare looked up at him. Good news? She asked. Yeah, he nodded. Just a sprain. Kids are stronger than they look, she said. Ethan gave a small, tired smile. Yeah, I’m starting to realize that. There was a pause.
Then Clare looked down at Lily again. Guess you’re stuck with him a little longer, she said lightly. Lily smiled, but didn’t laugh. Instead, she said something that caught both of them off guard. I don’t mind. Then she looked at Clare. But he needs someone, too, Ethan exhaled sharply. Okay, that’s enough, he muttered under his breath. But Clare didn’t laugh it off. She just looked at Lily like she didn’t know how to respond to something so honest. And maybe she didn’t want to.
The clinic had gone quieter again. The earlier tension didn’t come back, but something else had taken its place. something softer, less defensive, like the room itself had changed shape after Lily’s words. Ethan stayed standing near the chairs, unsure if he should sit again or just leave it be. Clare noticed his hesitation. « You can sit, » she said gently. « It wasn’t a command, more like permission. » Ethan nodded and sat down, keeping a bit of distance, but not as much as before.
Lily, meanwhile, had already claimed the space between them like it belonged there. Naturally, she swung her legs, looking back and forth between Ethan and Clare like she was watching something unfold that only she fully understood. So, Clare said carefully, « You two live nearby? » « Brooklyn, » Ethan answered. « Not far from here. You queens, » she said. « Moved there a while ago. » A pause followed. Not awkward this time, just neutral, like they were two people slowly stepping around the edges of something they weren’t ready to name.
Lily tilted her head. « Do you live alone? » Ethan almost laughed. « Lily, » but Clare answered first. « Yes, » she said simply. « I do. » Lily accepted that without hesitation. « That must be quiet, » she said. Clare blinked once, then gave a small, almost invisible smile. Yeah, sometimes too quiet. Ethan noticed the way Clare said it. Not sad exactly, just honest. Like she wasn’t trying to impress anyone with strength anymore. Lily leaned back against Ethan’s arm. « Dad says our home is too quiet, too. » Ethan raised an eyebrow.
« I didn’t say that. » « Yes, you did, » she replied instantly. Clare actually smiled this time, a real one. Small, but real. Ethan noticed it, and for some reason, it stayed with him longer than it should have. A nurse walked by, calling out a few names. The waiting room was slowly emptying now. Night was moving toward morning without anyone really noticing. Clare glanced at the exit door once. Ethan saw it. « You waiting for someone to pick you up? » he asked.
