Ethan looked down at June’s face, his eyes taking in the dark red flush on her cheeks and the listless way her head rested on my shoulder.

He took a step back from his mother.

The heavy wool coat slipped completely out of his hands and dropped onto the empty blue chair behind him.

“I am not leaving, Mom,” Ethan said.

Sylvia gasped, stepping back as if he had struck her across the face.

“What did you just say to me?” she asked, her voice rising an octave.

“I cannot leave,” Ethan said, his voice quiet but firm enough to carry across the waiting room.