Bargaining

who: Ethan and Maddy
where: Hill Street Theater
when: late afternoon

Ethan had spent the early dawn hours after leaving Corey's nest looking for Dodge. The idea that Dodge had taken what Ethan had told him and run with it in an unheard of direction, going so far as to fake his own death, was ridiculous to him. Be a better leader and take your own name wasn't even slightly the same as burn down an apartment building and let everyone think you're dead.

And then Ethan found out what happened to the boys.

There were certainly worst places to be than the orphanage, but it had not been kind to him, and Ethan knew it likely wouldn't be kind to the boys either. There was a certain kind of obedience favored there, a certain kind of character, and after spending years making their own way as thieves and liars, most of them wouldn't have it. Of those that didn't get adopted out or get kicked out at eighteen, the rest would simply run away or worse. And that Ethan knew from experience.

As furious as he was, he had to get to Maddy before she found out things that weren't true. It was bad enough that Dodge had played carelessly with Maddy's emotions, but if she had for one moment grieved unnecessarily...

It had been a long time since Ethan had walked to the theater, and even longer since he'd climbed up the stairs and knocked on the door. His hand hadn't stopped throbbing since he'd left the library, and he wasn't even sure if Maddy would be here, but it was worth a try. If nothing else, it'd be the first stop in his search for her.

Maddy had left Roy's place not long ago. The older boy had seemed a little distant and distracted so they hadn't talked much. It was weird coming back to theater after being away from it for a few days. Everything had looked back to normal, the painting canvas still stacked where she'd originally put it. Her eyes had gone to the corner where the loose floorboard was and for awhile, she just looked at it. A boat load of complications she was still trying to get away from. So Maddy worked on ignoring it, changing into overalls and a slightly thicker shirt. The warm weather was going away and the attic was cooling down some and she wanted to be warm while she started work on the large scale pictures she'd take to the production people so they could decide what they wanted.

She'd been working for awhile when there was a knock on the door and Maddy looked at it nervously. "Who is it?" she called, carefully creeping over to hear better. If it was Dodge, no way in hell was she opening it, but she didn't have a peep hole to look through.

Ethan breathed a little easier when he heard Maddy's voice on the other side of the door. At least now he wouldn't have to look for her, but it wasn't like the news that he had to share was going to be a picnic either. "It's me," he said, knowing that the scratchy roughness of his voice (he smoked regularly and had hit puberty earlier than anyone) would distinguish him from any other visitors she might have.

Relief hit Maddy. Ethan was definitely one person she wouldn't mind seeing and she unlocked the deadbolt and opened up the door. She blinked rapidly in the dimness of the landing and gave him a small smile and opened the door more. "Hey, come on in," she said softly. She still looked tired, but not as bad as she did the last time they saw one another. She at least looked like she'd gotten some sleep. Which she had. "I'm just doing some painting."

Ethan hesitated a moment, then stepped into the attic. It felt strange to be in here, knowing what had taken place here, knowing how long it had been since he'd been up here himself. He kept his hands in his pockets, looking around, seeing the place where Maddy had been sitting, the paints and brushes all around the paper. She was working, and she didn't look devastated which, thankfully, meant that nothing about Dodge had reached her yet. "You should sit down," he told her. With his hands in his pockets, there was a tension in his shoulders that she would find familiar. Not explosive violence teetering on the brink, but a brooding darkness that would have been sitting on his back for a while now.

That got a frown out of Maddy and she took a step back. Not out of fear, but to get a better look at him. She recognized the set to his shoulders and the look on his face. It never meant anything good. "I think you should sit down," she countered gently and nodded over to her stool by the easel. "I'll be even shorter if I'm the one sitting." Her lips quirked a little bit and she reached out to tug his sleeve. "C'mon, please?" She was tired of the bad news and it showed in the tightness in her eyes but she was prepared for it. She just wondered what on earth it could be this time.

"You sit down then," Ethan said, letting her take his sleeve. He had to take his hands out of his pockets to crouch down in front of the stool, but he did his best to hide his battered hand. He didn't want to build up to the news this much, but Maddy was being Maddy and that meant stubborn.

"You're being stubborn," she pointed out but sat on the stool like he wanted her too and rested her toes on his knees. Her eyes found his hands and she noticed the fresh wounds on his right one and Maddy suppressed a sigh and reached down for it. "Did you hit something again?" she asked. She knew him. She knew how he was when he got frustrated and she wiggled her fingers. "Let me see." He was going to mess his hand up if he kept doing that.

"Dodge is faking his death," Ethan said, ignoring her request for his hand. Better to come right out and say it, rip it off like a bandage. "He's letting everyone believe that he's been killed, except you, me, and Corey. All the boys have been rounded up, and they're being sent to the orphanage." Maddy would know what it had been like there.

Maddy pursed her lips as soon as Ethan said Dodge was 'faking his death'. Well, that wasn't terrible. Unexpected? Certainly. As bad as she thought? No. Her thoughts drifted to the letter Dodge wrote her, asking her to help him become a better person. So had he really meant 'become a new person'? And the boys being rounded up to the orphanage... Well...

"The little ones will be okay there," she finally said. Patch and the other younger ones. Mud and the older boys would be more difficult though. "I thought you were going to tell me someone died. Really died." So compared to that, faking a death didn't seem so bad. "But if Dodge was going to shrug off the mantle, who was going to take care of the boys?" If they were little girls, Maddy would've been more worried, but being boys, there wasn't as much worry for that sort of thing. Maddy was fairly calm about this, which was somewhat out of character, but she'd spent the past few days with Roy and it was clear that some of Roy's 'logical' stuff had rubbed off on her. That and she was just so damn tired.

Ethan shifted his jaw, teeth grinding from one side to the other. "But everyone else is going to believe it. All of the people that give a shit about him, all of the boys, are going to think he's dead. You would have, if he hadn't wanted to tell you. It just doesn't make any sense." Ethan stood up, starting to pace, working out some of the flying energy in his body. "It's not like he led from the shadows. Unless he leaves the city, if he comes back, people are going to know exactly who he is and know that he's not dead. Prince of thieves, owner of the streets--isn't that what he prided himself on?" He ran his hands through his hair, wincing when his bruised, possibly broken hand throbbed. "I told him to change his name, Maddy. I didn't tell him to fake his own death. I didn't tell him that he had a right to decide what to do with the boys. Mud's not going to the orphanage. He's going to jail. And if I was still living in the apartment, I'd be in jail right now too."

Maddy watched him pace, quiet on her stool as he went on. Her shoulders slumped a little bit and she looked down at her hands, picking at a hangnail because she wasn't sure what else to do. The thing was, she wasn't sure if she'd believe rumors of Dodge's death if he'd decided not to have someone tell her, but she wasn't sure if that was because of the letter her wrote her or if she would just have too hard of a time letting go. "He told me he has to change a lot of things so he can change. I guess this is how he thought to do it," she said lamely. "He wasn't good for the boys. Not all the time." Sliding off the stool she went over to him and grabbed his hand -- the one that wasn't hurt -- and held on so he'd look at her. "I know you're angry and upset about this, but could you please sit down so I can wrap our hand up."

Change a lot of things so that he could change? And that meant the boys going off to the orphanage? That meant Mud ending up in jail? So that one boy could change? Ethan could feel himself getting angrier again, but it stilled for a moment when Maddy grasped his good hand. He stopped and looked down at her, frowning. He didn't have his hand in his pocket, so it was easy to see how the knuckles were bruised and swollen, blood crusted to the wounds and in streaks down his hand, his fingers oddly posed. "My hand's fine," he said, the same line he'd fed Corey, pushing his hand into his pocket now.

She looked up at him with a frown but she kept her hand on him and moved to hold onto his arm instead. "No, you're not," she snapped because it wasn't for a moment that she believed him. "I'm tired, Ethan. I am so very, very tired and I want to do something useful for once so will you please stop being your stubborn self and do what I tell you because I don't want to fight about this." Maddy didn't get angry with Ethan often, but her temper was short with everything that was going on. "Please, Ethan," she added on, softer.

It really wasn't often that Maddy got angry with him, and it was what got his attention more than anything. He looked down at her, frowning and earnest and tired. He could see it, how tired she was. They'd both been through a rough few days, Maddy arguably more so than him, but they were both incredibly tired. And Ethan didn't believe for a second that it was going to get much better any time soon. So a moment of conceding, just a moment of giving in and not being so tough, so stubborn, wouldn't hurt. Reluctantly, he pulled his hand out of his pocket, holding it palm up in front of Maddy. It was definitely the better looking side.

Rolling her eyes, she gave him a slightly annoyed smile and nudged him back so he was sitting on the bed. Turning away she grabbed the pitcher of water and some rags, bringing them back and sat down next to him and took his injured hand in hers. She ran her fingers over the cuts and bruising, much like she had in years past. "Wall again?" she asked. It was one of his usual victims when he was angry. Reaching over him she got the damp rag and started cleaning the wounds. She coughed a little bit and was going to lean against his arm but she was annoyed with him still. "What are you most angry about?"

"Concrete," Ethan confirmed. There had been no give in the wall at all, and the pain had radiated from his hand up into forearm, exploding in his elbow. He flinched as Maddy started to clean it, tightening his jaw and steeling himself so that he didn't make noise or pull away. "Dodge's ideas are always so ridiculous. It's like he goes right away to the most extreme solution. Kidnapping you, beating up Roy, taking your bed, faking his death. But this is different, and it doesn't make any sense because if he's not leaving the city, then as soon as he comes around again people are going to know who he is, whether he's calling himself Dodge or not. So all of the people who give a shit about him are gonna get hurt and it's not even worth it. And the orphanage was a shitty place, Maddy. Really shitty."

Even if Ethan didn't flinch or pull away, she could still feel his hand tense and she tried to be as careful as she could. His whole arm must be hurting him if he'd punched concrete. So while he talked about the situation, Maddy remained quiet, taking in all the things he was saying. It was extreme, faking your own death, especially if you were going to stay in the city. So why would Dodge do something like that? "It is extreme," she agreed with a nod. "the orphanage had its perks... Food, warm beds, medicine." She turned her head, coughing some and went back to his hand. Her throat was getting scratchy again, but Maddy wasn't sure if it was because her throat was dry or if she was getting sick again. "They'd be safe there. Sometimes I think about going back, when things are really bad, but I don't want to go through all that again." She did. When she was hungry and it was freezing in the attic and the wind whistled through all the cracks, she thought about Sister Mary Margaret bringing her hot chocolate and soup and whispering hymns to her. Of course, then she'd think of what would happen when she'd be healthy again and the better memories of the orphanage turned tainted once more.

"If Dodge is faking his death so the boys could go to the orphanage... why would he be doing that? Because like you said, he could just go by another name, but what doesn't make sense is that he's giving up everything. He's going to that extreme." She sighed and grabbed a dry strip of rag and started wrapping his hand up, still gentle and careful. "I'm mad that he didn't tell me himself. I wish we had more of an explanation, but we don't. I think sending the boys to the orphanage is a good thing. I think they're better off there than they are with Dodge leading them." And she said it. The orphanage was a better place than what Dodge was leading them through. "You can be mad at me too about it but if he wasn't going to change... I probably would've done something about it." She avoided looking at Ethan, hiding behind a curtain of white-blond hair and unable to fathom the kind of look he must be giving her.

Ethan was giving her a look, but it was more one of confusion and worry. Besides being with Maddy and getting into fights with December at his back, all of Ethan's memories of the orphanage were poor. The other kids hated him. The nuns hated him. He was fed and had a warm place to sleep, but every day was some kind of battle, every day he had to watch his back. But most of that was his own fault. It had been hard for him back then, and he was far more out of control than he was now, and considering the state of his hand and Charlie's face, where he was, that wasn't saying a whole lot. "If it's anything like it was when we were there," Ethan said after a moment, his voice tight as Maddy wrapped his hand, "then they'll leave easy enough if they want to. If they haven't fixed that gap in the fence yet."

Maybe he was just biased. He'd caused his own troubles at the orphanage, and had immediately assumed that life would be as hellish for all of the boys as it had been for him. But as long as they weren't too mouthy, weren't too violent, they'd be okay. As long as they didn't miss their freedom too much, what little of it they might have had as poor, hungry street kids. "I just don't think this is going to turn out well, Maddy. Once Dodge comes back... if he comes back."

"He'll come back," Maddy said as she wrapped his hand. "I'm sure he's in a confusing place right now and once he gets himself sorted, he'll come back." She chanced a look up at Ethan and frowned a little at his confused and worried look. "He loves the boys, he cares about you. And I'm still angry at him but I'm trying to just move on from it." Maddy sighed and dropped a kiss on his knuckles like she would when they were little. "Was the life you guys were living good? Even with Patrick? I don't know everythign that happened but I have my ideas. Do the little ones deserve that?"

The kiss on his knuckles took him by surprise, raising a bit of pink to his face. She'd done it when they were younger, but it was a little different now, when he hadn't been expecting it. He looked away, forcing himself to think about what she'd asked, the blush fading. "I don't know," Ethan said, looking back at Maddy with a rueful smile. "That's why Dodge was the leader, not me. It wasn't... good, when you're living like we do it's never really good, but it definitely could have been a lot worse. It was hard to always eat but we had an easier time of it together than anybody would alone. Patrick had things organized better than Dodge, but... it wasn't worth it, with Patrick, with what he was up to." He shook his head, looking away again. "You're right, though. The orphanage probably will be better for the little ones, as long as they get adopted out. They're too young to live life this hard."

Maddy looked at him softly and patted his arm. "Dodge did a lot of things wrong, we both know that. And maybe there might be kinks in the whole faking his death thing, but he's putting the boys first here and he's giving them at a chance at a life that could work for them. The orphange didn't work for us for different reasons. It doesn't mean it wouldn't work for them, right?" She stood and grabbed a ratty blanket to wrap around her shoulders as she coughed again. "I'm trying to be positive here. I understand what you're saying, Ethan, but I don't think you should be so angry. I know that's the knee-jerk thing, but I don't think you need to be angry here."

It still bothered Ethan. That Dodge had left, was going to let all of the boys think he was dead, was sending them away. In the end, it didn't matter that much, because the boys would escape the orphanage if they really didn't like it and go back on the streets... except without the security that Dodge had once given them. But if they stayed, they might get adopted out, and for once in their lives, have normal lives and families. The fact that Dodge most likely hadn't set the fire had eliminated the worst of Ethan's rage and now all he had left was a general feeling of uneasiness, his anger at Dodge for letting so many people believe that he was dead. He didn't want to hit Dodge anymore, but he still didn't approve of what was happening now.

He looked back at Maddy, taking note of the blanket she had curled around herself. He frowned at her, reaching over with his good hand to touch her forehead. "You're getting sick."

She batted his hand away with a scowl. "It's just the changing weather. Has my nose a little stuffy." She wasn't getting sick. It was just the weather.

"Maddy. Don't act like you're okay and just make it worse. I don't want you to disappear like that again." He let her bat his hand away, returning it to his lap. His other hand he kept still, bandaged up as it was. He could move his fingers, but not as much as he would have liked, not when he had to work at the mill the next morning. "Take care of yourself. Stay inside, stay warm."

"I passed out in a church and was kidnapped," Maddy said defensively with a sullen look on her face. "I didn't purposely go missing. How have things been with you? Besides the whole Dodge-is-faking-his-death thing?" She shifted around on the bed so she was leaning back on the pillows against the headboard, feet resting on his knee. "Where are you staying?"

"I'm not saying you did it on purpose. I just want you to be okay." He glanced down at her feet on his knee then looked back up, forcing himself not to think about it too much. "I've been staying with Corey. Snow and God don't hate each other as much anymore so it's not been too bad. I just feel like I'm taking up too much space, especially when Corey is still healing." He bit his lower lip, looking away, trying not to feel as guilty as he actually did. "Oh, shit--do you remember December, from the orphanage? I saw her the other day."

Maddy frowned at the abrupt change of subject. December? "That girl who hated everyone?" She had dim memories of December. The older girl had been intimidating but had been relatively nice to her, especially when she was worried about Ethan. "Where'd you see her at?" She'd been more Ethan's friend than hers, and that had caused a little jealousy on Maddy's part but it was always fleeting. She was a lot clingier when she was smaller.

"At the boardwalk. She works at the haunted house." Ethan had been close to December back then, but in a much different way from his closeness to Maddy. He'd protected Maddy, would have gladly laid down his life for her if life in the orphanage was truly that serious, but December could always protect herself. They'd gotten into trouble all the time and laughed about it, both of them bruised and battered and grinning. "She's a lot different from how she was then, though. But I guess we all are, huh?"

She was going to answer but Maddy coughed again, this time it was hard enough that it had her shoulders shaking. It made her eyes water and she wiped them when she was done. Her face was all red and she lay her head back, breathing heavily. This was ridiculous. "Yeah, I guess we are," she said once she'd caught her breath. "Maybe I'll go see her." It would be kind of awkward but it didn't hurt and Maddy figured she could try and expand the circle of friends she had. "So the Boardwalk is open again? Maybe I'll go on Sunday."

Ethan made a face, nearly scowling at Maddy. "You did not just say that you would go out after coughing like that." He scooted up until he was sitting closer to her, hand on her forehead again. "Maddy, you are getting sick. No matter how much you keep trying to deny it, you are, and you need to sit down and be careful with yourself before it gets worse. Do you have any medicine you could take?"

"I am sitting down, Ethan," she muttered but didn't bat his hand away this time. There was something annoyingly comforting with his hand on her forehead. It was always nice to know that she was cared about. "I'm always coughing, you know how I am." Maddy scowled some, sullen at the idea of actually getting sick. "My birthday's on Sunday," she muttered. "I can't be sick."

"I mean stay sitting down." He moved his hand away after a moment, brushing aside a few strands of hair that had fallen out of place while she was coughing. "And you're not always coughing like this. You're getting sick. Promise me you'll stay here and take care of yourself, at the very least until Sunday? If you go out now, it's just going to get worse."

Maddy pouted and wrapped the blanket tighter around her shoulders. She pulled her knees up to her chest and under the blanket and gave him a sullen look. "Tell me something good," she asked. "Or tell me a problem that I can solve so I can feel useful because I have to stay in bed." Her way of agreeing to his request-slash-demand that she stay in bed until Sunday and he better be damn grateful.

Ethan smiled a little, knowing that Maddy was agreeing, even if it didn't seem that way. "Something good, huh?" He looked down at his hand, flexing the fingers just slightly. How was he going to work with this? "Oh! I got a job. At the steel mill." He looked back at Maddy with a crooked little grin. "Top dog himself offered it to me. Told me I could come live in his house too, if I wanted to, but..." He frowned, shrugged. He wasn't worried that Alec wanted him in that way, but he still wasn't content to take the man up on the offer.

For the first time that day, Maddy gave him a brilliant smile and reached out to nudge his leg with one of her feet. "That's wonderful! My dad used to manage the mill. They've got his picture hanging up in the manager's office." She was absolutely giddy to hear that. A job at the mill. That would be good for him. "Mr. Ravenwood offered you a place at his house?" Now that, Maddy found pretty weird. "But what? You're not gonna take it?" In Maddy's mind, if some guy offered her a place to stay, it was because he wanted to secret and terrible things to her. Those kinds of things happened to little girls and boys, but Ethan was not the average street kid. He was the tallest person she knew and the strongest. It was really damn unlikely that some rich guy would want Ethan for his nefarious needs. Ethan wasn't one to be messed with.

"Really? Small word, huh? Alec knew my dad too--he was into boxing." Maybe he could mention Maddy to Alec; there might have been someone who knew her father that'd be willing to help. Unlikely, though, since if there was anybody, they'd have gotten in touch with her in the decade since the fire. "No, I don't think so. It just... it doesn't feel right, you know? Taking a handout like that. It's not just a room in somebody's apartment, he asked me to live with him in his mansion or something. I'll just save up and get my own place."

Maddy raised her eyebrows at him. "If you were a skinny little kid like me, I'd say that would be a good course of action, but... good luck just fell on your doorstep, Ethan. He's offered you a job and a place to live. That means you can save up the money you make to get your own place. That's what I'm doing, except I'm living in an attic." To be honest, she was kind of jealous. She always wished for rich relations to show up if Jack never came around. "If he turns out to be a freak, then you can bail but I remember the Christmas parties they used to throw at the mill. They had Santa Claus, Ethan. And a good one too, not like the one that came to the orphanage that smelled like whiskey. Oh!" she nudged his leg again. "You have to take me to the Christmas party this year if you're still working!"

Ethan laughed. "Maddy, it's only February. That's a long way away." He trusted Alec not to be some kind of pervert, and if he was, Ethan was pretty sure he could hold his own against the guy, at least long enough to get away. Alec putting his hands on him wasn't something that Ethan was even slightly worried about. "It just doesn't seem fair, you know? I can't go from sleeping on the floor in the apartment to sleeping in the tunnels to sleeping in a bed in a million-dollar house. I didn't earn it. I just got lucky."

"I don't see what's wrong with that," Maddy said slowly. She wasn't sure what she was missing because it felt like she was missing something. "Who says you can't and who says you didn't earn it? Maybe it's the universe telling you it wants to do something nice for you. Like the universe having you find me." She nodded emphatically. "Imagine how much boringer your life would be without me in it. It would be really boring, I'll tell ya."

Ethan laughed again, harder than before. "It would be pretty boring. I wouldn't have to worry about you getting sick and making it worse, for one." He smirked at her, crossing his arms over his chest. "I just want to earn my own way. I'm not a charity case. I can work, I can do things for myself. I got the job, that's all I need. I can find other places to sleep until I've got enough to get me going."

Maddy kicked at his leg in annoyance at being laughed at and then again when he talked about being too damn humble. "You're ridiculous. Have I told you that? You're fucking homeless Ethan Grey. A star is shining down on you or luck is looking out for you and offering you something and you're not going to take it because you feel that it isn't earning it? That doesn't make sense. Someone is offering you a nice roof over your head so you don't have to worry about the tunnel bugs or sleeping in an alley or something." She frowned at him. "Is this one of your pride things again where you don't feel like you deserve good fortune? Sweetie if that was the case, like I said, I would not be gracing your life. No sir."

"No, it's not about pride," Ethan said, although considering how his and Alec's last conversation had gone, that was probably a lie. "I just don't want any handouts. Just getting the job is already a favor he's doing for me. Any more than that is just..." He shook his head. "He bought me breakfast and was going to give me money so I could buy an alarm clock, and I told him I'd pay him back for it all, but he said he wouldn't take it. Maybe he doesn't need it like I do, but that doesn't mean I can't pay someone back when I say I will. I don't need help that bad."

Maddy leaned forward and poked him in the forehead. "Hey genius, you're homeless. You do need help that bad." She shook her head at him and leaned back with her arms crossed over her chest. This was absolutely ridiculous and she was long used to his stubborness. "No one is saying you have to live there forever and ever, Ethan, but it at least gives you the opportunity to save your money to buy a good place when you're ready. I love you to death, Ethan, but you're just shooting yourself in the foot like this."

Ethan rubbed at his forehead where she'd poked him. "I can save money just as well without living with him. It's not that bad." He crossed his arms over his chest again, shuffling back so he could lean his back against the wall. "He'd probably try and convert me or something anyway. He was in the war and got hurt, and he says that the reason God spared him was so he could help me. That he got saved so he could help me get to my destiny." He'd found it strange at the time, but it hadn't bothered him that much, honestly.

"So he's a bible thumper. Big deal. I think you're being idiot." Maddy shook her head at him. "If you don't want it, I'll take it. Too bad I can't pretend to be you." She laid down on the bed and hugged the pillow and tried to get comfortable. "Why is it so terrible for something good to happen, Ethan?" she asked quietly before coughing again.

He'd hoped to get Maddy on his side with that one, but it obviously hadn't worked. Better not mention that Alec had said he could bring along anyone he wanted, then. He looked down at Maddy, frowning as she coughed. Maybe he should mention it. "You don't think it's weird?" he asked. "That some guy like that would gladly take in a homeless kid he knows absolutely nothing about?"

Maddy looked at him after she finished coughing and wiped the tears at the corners of her eyes. Okay, so maybe she was getting sick. "There are nice people out there, Ethan. They're hard to find but there are really nice people out there. Janey and Danny are really nice people. I mean, Danny's kind of a Surly McSurlypants but they're both nice and caring... And you're a good person, Ethan. You got yourself into huge amounts of trouble taking care of me. You deserve something good to happen to you after everything you've gone through. I don't see what's so bad about this. Sure, it's weird, but it's weird because shit like this only happens in movies and stuff and to have it happen in real life..." She shrugged her shoulders and laid back down on the pillow because all the coughing was making her head hurt some. "Please stop being so mean to yourself."

"Maybe you should take your own advice," Ethan said, smiling sadly at Maddy as she coughed. He got up from the bed, hunting through the attic until he found a cloth to wet and lay over Maddy's forehead. He gently tugged the blankets out from underneath her, pulling them up over her to tuck her in. "I'll be alright, Maddy. I'm more worried about you right now."

"You better be. Come over there and kick your ass if you keep shooting yourself in the foot," she said and reached up to grab his wrist to keep him close. She was always like that when she was little and sick. Keep him close so he'd keep the monster away. "I think you should take it, Ethan. Or at least keep it in mind if you don't do it right now. Just don't throw it out the window." She sounded worried and frustrated and she squeezed his wrist to drive her point in. "Promise me you won't turn your back on it."

If Ethan had more than one good hand left, he'd have crossed his fingers behind his back. "I promise," he said, honest. "I'll at least keep it in mind." He looked down at her, pale and eyes and nose red from coughing, paint flecks on her cheeks. "Are you gonna be okay?" he asked her. "I'm going to let you get some sleep, but do you need anything? I can get it and come back."

Part of Maddy wasn't sure if she believed him and she squeezed his wrist again. "You better," she said. "I mean it. Be nice to yourself." She let go of his wrist and hugged her pillow close. She could only do so much with him and his fucking pride. "I'll be fine. I'd be better if you go get yourself that alarm clock so you could be at work on time," she reminded him.

"I didn't take the money, remember?" Ethan said, grinning wryly down at Maddy. "And I'd feel better if you would stay in bed until Sunday." He brushed her back from the wet cloth he'd put on her forehead, tempted to kiss her temple but resisting. "Be good, Maddy." He secured the blankets around her again, tucking her in, then slipped out of the attic as quietly as he could, extinguishing the lights behind him.