He was searching for food in a trash can. But what he found changed his life for good. He found a little girl who was all by herself and had no one to aid her.
He didn’t know he had saved more than just a child.
A frigid wind blasted through the streets on the outskirts of Chicago, in a run-down area. As the moisture came up from the ground, it felt like nature itself was groaning in pain. The dark sky looked like it was going to smash everything.
Ethan, a boy in a coat that was falling apart, went slowly by a line of trash cans that were full. He searched through them for bottles, scrap metal, or food that had been left over. His hands were unclean, and the cold made his fingers numb.
He heard a peculiar noise right away, even though the wind was screaming. Weak, unsteady, and almost not human. He didn’t move anymore.
The sound came back. A shout. It was a quiet sound, yet it was full with yearning.
Ethan gently stepped close to the dumpster where the sound was coming from. He felt his heart rush. He took the lid off.
And it came to a complete stop. In the middle of a mound of rags, there was a parcel. A blanket for a youngster that is moist and has mold on it.
He pulled back the edge. A baby’s face. Small, red, and crying.
The cold made her lips tremble. Her tiny fingers curled and uncurled as they searched for warmth. Ethan gasped and looked around.
No one. There was nothing but the wind and some trash here and there. He clutched the baby dear to his heart.
He put her in his jacket even though the blanket was wet. He could feel her little body quake. He also felt himself shake.
He took off. He hurried away through small streets, splashing through puddles and past boarded-up buildings with smashed windows. It wasn’t fear that was pounding in his chest.
It was something different. Something he had never felt that day. He made it to the empty train car where he lived.
He found some planks and created a fire out of them. He kept the baby close to it to keep them warm. There was a bottle of water and a solitary bag of crackers nearby.
He broke off a piece, dipped it in water, and handed it to the girl. She coughed, but then she cried softly and swallowed. Around her neck was something dazzling…
A medal. Color: silver. Etched.
He took it up. Inside was a picture. No initials.
Just a crest. He didn’t know it belonged to a famous Chicago family. He didn’t know that this child was worth millions of dollars in prizes.
He didn’t know that people were looking for him all throughout the country. He just knew she was cold. He had to protect her.
Ethan sat by the fire and watched the little flames move across the baby’s face. Shadows flickered across the walls of the car like a warning. He could feel her breath on his chest.
It’s hot. Still alive. Fragile.
It grew dark soon. The wind howled outside and hit the metal walls. He heard footsteps from time to time.
Or so he thought. He didn’t get any rest. He payed attentive the whole time.
He was afraid that someone would come and take her away every second. Not because he knew her. But now she belonged to him.
By dawn, he had made a choice. He got off the train and put the baby in his old jacket. He carried her around the streets like her life depended on it.
And it did. He made it to an old pharmacy. A lot of people stayed inside even though the windows were damaged.
Sometimes, an old woman named Margaret Johnson would give Ethan bread. She gasped when she saw him holding the infant. “Where did you get her?” He didn’t say anything.
He simply handed her the baby. The woman took her gently. She held her tightly.
She stared at her forehead. Tears came to her eyes. “She isn’t feeling good. She has to see a doctor right away.
Ethan didn’t move an inch. He was scared.
But he did nod. He was confident that was the case. Someone called Margaret…
Her voice was shaky. A car came soon after. Not a vehicle for rescue.
The headlights lit up the area. A doctor in a white coat stepped out. She stared at Ethan for a long time.
Then she looked at the girl. “Where did you find her?” He didn’t say anything else. He pointed to the dumpster.
The doctor frowned. “We’ve been looking for her for two days.”
She bent down and hugged the girl tightly. Ethan noticed a change. It felt like an invisible wall had broken.
The doctor inquired, “Do you know who she is?” Ethan shook his head. “She is the daughter of James Carter.” He will get a fortune of a billion dollars.
Ethan stepped back as if he had been hit. His hands were shaking. It seemed like the world had stopped.
He was in the middle of the lot, which was full of trash and junk. He held a kingdom in his arms just yesterday. The car drove away, leaving only tire marks on the wet ground.
Ethan didn’t move until the lights turned the bend. The street was quiet, like a wet blanket. He thought he had nothing.
It seemed like a piece of him had been ripped off. There isn’t enough noise surrounding him. It’s too chilly in here.
He went back to his train. The flame stayed the same. The same boards.
But now everything felt off. He checked out his coat. He had put a blanket around the baby in the corner.
A tear fell down his cheek that was on fire. Not because they were feeling sorry for themselves. But only because it was the first time in his life that someone needed him. And now she was no longer there.
People were anxious and talking at a magnificent house on the other side of the city. The pharmacy’s security cameras caught Ethan’s face.
“Who is this child?” “He saved my daughter,” stated a man in a neat suit. Find him.
They sent teams out to find them. The Carter family’s security forces got ready. The search started.
Ethan, on the other hand, didn’t know about the search. He wandered around the city again. He had a backpack on his back.
He gazed at the faces of people that walked by, hoping to see her in each one. A day passed…
Then one more. He began to think she was gone for good. Like all the other good things in his life.
But on the third night, when he arrived back to his train car, the door was unlocked.
There was light coming from inside. Footsteps. He walked in gently.
His heart raced. And there she was. In the arms of a woman wearing a white coat.
The doctor was very close by. There was also a man in a dark suit with a silver cufflink. “Are you Ethan?” He said, “Who are you?”
The boy said yes. The man moved closer. The man stopped next to him.
“You saved my kid.” Ethan didn’t care. “You didn’t even know her name.”
“She was crying.” And she was chilly. The man looked him straight in the eye.
“You won’t ever be cold again.” At first, Ethan didn’t get what the words meant.
They weren’t loud enough. Too hard. The man put out his hand.
This was not a talk between an adult and a child. Instead, he talked to the child like they were equal. Face to face.
“Come with us.” “You won’t be alone anymore,” Ethan said to the girl.
Her eyes were open. She was aware of who he was. She put her arms out.
He got closer. She softly handed her to him. Now she was dressed warmly, like a princess.
But when she cuddled up to him, everything else went away. He felt that feeling again. That breath of life on his chest.
It felt the same as it did on the first day. The man stared at the doctor. “He’s coming along with us.” “Now.”
Ethan stepped off the train with the girl in his arms. There were stars in the sky…
For the first time in years, he looked up. And they stared up at the sky. There was a black car in the parking lot.
He may go through the door. He turned around. The train car, which was his home, looked small and far away.
It was like something out of a dream. He got inside the car. The man closed the door behind him.
The car started up. It smelt like leather, nice cologne, and warmth within. His hands were shaking.
But the girl lay down on his chest and fell asleep. In peace. In a calm way.
The man gazed at him in the mirror on the back of the car. “Emily is her name.” Now tell me your full name.
Ethan sat up a little. “Brooks Ethan.” The man nodded.
“Good, Ethan Brooks.” You’re not just the one who saved her from now on. You are what she needs. Always.
The car sped through Chicago at night. The wet pavement looked like stars were scattered under the wheels because of the streetlights.
Ethan stared out the window, but his thoughts were elsewhere. He remembered the cold nights he spent on the streets. He looked for bread in the mornings.
That was the first time he heard someone cry from a dumpster. There was a famous guy standing next to him now. That person didn’t feel sorry for him, though.
But with respect. They made it to the mansion. The enormous gates opened gently, as if they were showing respect.
There was a house behind them with windows that let in nice light. It smelled rich, too. It had the smell of home.
The staff rushed out to say hello. But the man raised his hand. “No.” Let him go in alone.
Ethan stepped onto the carpet by the door. Soft, like grass in the spring.
He walked on a marble floor and couldn’t believe how cold it was. The woman in white turned around. “Come on, we’ll take you to your room.”
He wanted to say something. He wanted to say that he could sleep anyplace. That he was used to it…
But the man stopped him by waving his hand. “You don’t have to get used to being in pain anymore.” You deserve more.
The room was really big. A window that goes all the way up to the ceiling. He had never felt a blanket on a bed that was softer than this one.
There were bookcases on the walls. There was a table with hot chocolate on it. They put Emily in a crib nearby.
She slept well with her hand on the corner of his shirt. “We won’t break you up,” the man added. “You need her as much as she needs you.”
Ethan was perched on the edge of the bed. He had no idea what to say. He thought his chest was being pinched.
But not because they were scared. It wasn’t fear; it was more like a feeling of something new. Something bright.
“What comes next?” He asked, almost in a whisper. The man was close to him. “You’re now part of our family.” It’s not because you were poor. But only because you are powerful.
Ethan looked at Emily. She smiled while she slept. And at that point, he understood. He didn’t only discover a woman.
He had found a reason to live. His place. His destiny.
The dusk slowly covered the house. Outside, the snow fell softly, like a happy whisper. There was no noise in the room save for the sound of people breathing as they slept.
When Ethan lay down on the bed, he was still wearing his clothing. He was worried that when he woke up, everything will be gone. Street kids had a hard time understanding that the present was just a great dream.
But Emily was there. Genuine and warm. He could feel her little hand on his wrist.
A rock that kept him in this strange universe. He closed his eyes for the first time without being scared. And then they went to bed.
The next morning, the house was full of life. People talking, dishes clinking, and the fragrance of coffee and bread. There was a lot of light coming in as Ethan woke up.
He stood up. He rubbed his eyes. There were clean clothes on a chair…
There was a woman close with a lovely smile. “Good morning, Ethan.” Breakfast is ready downstairs.
He got dressed slowly. The shirt’s fabric was as soft as a cloud. He was worried that he would get it dirty.
He went down a lot of stairs. There was a huge table in the dining room that shone with silver and porcelain. James Carter got up when Ethan walked in.
He came over to him and gave him a big hug. “Welcome home!” Ethan came to a stop.
He didn’t know what to say. He had never been hugged for no reason before. No one had ever hugged him just to hug him.
Without fear. Emily was sitting in a high chair. When she spotted him, she laughed.
She reached out. He went to that place. He picked her up and held her.
After that, he sat down at the table. James said, “Today a lawyer is coming.” “We’ll set up guardianship.” After that, we will start your school. You’ll have a tutor, a coach on manners, and everything else you need.
Ethan couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Why?” “I’m just a scavenger.”
James slammed his cup down. “No.” You are the boy who saved my daughter. You did something grown men with a lot of money couldn’t do. “You’re family.”
Ethan looked down. His lips were shaking. He wanted to have a conversation.
Instead, he said, “Thanks.” Those remarks were not a request this time. They were a promise.
It took a long time. After winter, spring came. The first flowers in the garden opened, and the light came out from behind the dark clouds. Ethan was beside a window.
He was holding a book he had just started reading. He wore a nice suit to class. But the streets still gave his eyes the same depth.
Emily was on the floor playing with teddy bears. She would check at him every now and then to make sure he was there. He always was…
His room was more than just a place to sleep. There were photos on the walls. He put up images of himself and Emily on the walls.
James Carter’s. About his new family. At school, people were guarded around him.
But every day, Ethan proved that he deserved respect. He learned quickly, paid close attention, and always remembered where he came from. James said to Ethan during a family dinner one night, “You know, sometimes fate doesn’t choose the prepared.” It chooses people that the world needs.
Ethan grinned. He didn’t care about their words anymore. He knew who he was.
He knew what he would turn into. The most essential thing was that he knew who he would become. He was set on being more than just an heir.
He wouldn’t be a hero in the press. Instead, he was a brother. A boy.
He was someone who saw beauty in things that other people thought were rubbish. Emily hugged him.
Her smile said everything they had been through. The trip started on a frigid morning with a dumpster lid that was broken. The story didn’t end with a rescue.
It began a new life. In this new life, love was more important than money.
