Chapter 117 He Hasn't Changed
"Had someone pick it up for me," Ethan said.
While helping out at Prairie Horizon Medical Center, some nurses had added him on WeChat. One of them did jewelry on the side, so he'd asked her to get it.
Carol took the bracelet and smiled. "Thanks." But she didn't put it on—just placed the box in her drawer.
The gesture felt like a needle to Ethan's heart. He walked over and sat behind her. "Carol, this year I'm not going anywhere for the holidays. I'm staying here with you."
"Suit yourself," she said indifferently.
"But after the new year, I'll probably get transferred back. There's a medical team in Phoenix City—they've been waiting for me to return."
Carol was brushing her hair. She paused, then nodded. "Then you should get back there quick. I can tell you're a doctor with a real future. Go back and do good work."
Ethan's heart ached again. He took a deep breath and couldn't help pulling her into his arms. "Carol, come with me."
Carol smiled. "I don't want to leave."
"Can't you let him go? He's been gone for years. You're throwing away the rest of your life staying here—will that bring him back from the dead?"
"And what if I go with you?" Carol asked. "What if you change your mind later and want to break up?"
She and her boyfriend had made promises too. He'd said after his discharge, he'd marry her. But right before the wedding, he'd wanted to break up.
Ethan promised, "Carol, I'm not the type to just change my mind. If you come back with me, I'll treat you well for the rest of my life. Only you."
Carol placed her finger on Ethan's lips and smiled. "Those kinds of promises—you can't make them too soon."
Ethan fell silent. He knew he couldn't convince her. After sitting with her a while longer, he left her room.
...
Ethan knew he couldn't stay in Stoneford Town forever. He had a mother and sister. His mother was overseas for now, but eventually he'd need to bring her back to be near him. After his father died, she'd struggled to raise both of them—he owed her a better life, a comfortable retirement.
And realistically speaking, the education and healthcare here were nowhere near Phoenix City's level. He couldn't let lovesickness root his future family in a place like this.
Ethan spent a painful night wrestling with it all. The next day he caught another ride to work at Prairie Horizon Medical Center. He was currently helping the oncology department treat a patient.
Normally a case like this would transfer to the provincial hospital, but this patient's insurance covered way more at Prairie Horizon Medical Center than at the provincial one, so he flat-out refused to leave the province. So Prairie Horizon had called in everyone with the right skills.
After drawing blood and running tests that day, Ethan and the department head walked out together. The head let out a breath. "Today went smoothly, at least. Hopefully this tumor doesn't turn malignant."
"Has our hospital only treated this one case?" Ethan asked.
"Strictly speaking, yes. Most patients get their results here, then transfer somewhere else for treatment." The head paused, remembering something. "Actually, no. There was one other who got treated here for a while, but he ended up dying. He was military."
"Died halfway through treatment?"
"Yeah. Malignant tumor. I estimated he had maybe a few years left. He said there was no point transferring, he'd just get treated here. But before we could even do surgery, he died. Made him a martyr. I've carried that with me—never forgotten it."
"His family didn't know?" Ethan asked.
"From the start he asked me not to notify family. And after he died and became a martyr, I didn't know if the illness had anything to do with it—like maybe he knew he was dying anyway so he threw himself into danger. What if it affected his reputation? So I never told his unit either."
Ethan suddenly realized something. "Can I see his medical records?"
"Sure, everything's archived on the computer. I'll pull it up for you."
The head assumed Ethan wanted to reference the case, so he pulled up all the test results and lab reports. And Ethan saw the name on the records—it was the same man Carol both loved and resented.
...
That night, Ethan came back early—the diner hadn't even closed yet.
"What are you doing back again?" Carol asked. Three hours round trip, back and forth every day—could his body even handle that?
"Carol, come inside with me for a minute."
"What's going on?"
"I have something really important to tell you."
Carol saw the document envelope in Ethan's hand and figured his transfer orders had come through. He was here to say goodbye. So she gave Lily some instructions about closing up, then followed Ethan to her room.
...
Inside, Ethan pulled over a chair. He had Carol sit on the bed while he sat facing her.
"Carol, the reason you won't leave Stoneford Town—you want an answer, don't you?"
Carol's expression darkened. "Didn't we already talk about this last night? Why are you bringing it up again?"
"You've stayed here because you don't think your husband could've changed his mind. But you're not entirely sure, so you've trapped yourself. You won't believe another man could love you, right?"
Carol glared at him. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Your husband always loved you. The reason he broke up with you was because he didn't want to drag you down. He was afraid you wouldn't be able to let him go. But what he didn't expect was that you really couldn't let him go—you followed him here."
"How do you know that?" Carol asked.
Ethan handed her the envelope. "See for yourself. There was no other woman. No emotional affair. He just knew he didn't have long to live, so he broke up with you. He was a good man, an honorable man. He wanted you to live well, not trap yourself here forever."
Carol looked at the documents, her fingers trembling. She finally managed to grip it and open it. The diagnosis had come back a week before he'd asked for the breakup. As she read, tears streamed down her face.
Ethan knew this would be part of the process, so he didn't try to hold her. He just let her cry. He'd quietly asked Rick about it before—Carol's husband had died fighting border criminals in a deadly confrontation. Six gunshots. Whether he'd been sick or not, he was a hero through and through.
...
In Phoenix City, early the next morning Amelia had Cathy go wake Matilda again, saying she wanted breakfast. Matilda got woken up before six a.m. She was not happy.
She repeated to herself three times: This is your husband's mother. This is your husband's mother. This is your husband's mother.
Only then did she swallow her anger and go downstairs.