He was not, of course, Hadyn's emergency contact. That didn't surprise him. He'd have expected Jordan, or perhaps Zoë with the distance the older Novak was putting in between himself and Hadyn, but it was Avery Hamilton, just recently recovered from her own accident, who called.
"I should have called Jordan," she said to him in a hushed voice from the hospital. "But...I don't know. I thought it was better to call you. Can you come?" And he hadn't even said any of the obvious things, Elisha thought as he moved through the hospital halls to where the slim blonde was pacing. He'd come immediately, which made him think he'd made a mistake when he'd ended it. Even if he'd done it for Hadyn's own good, because he wasn't any good for the younger man in the state he'd been in lately. Even if it was because he'd needed to take care of himself.
"Should I have called Jordan?" Avery asked, just over his right shoulder as Elisha simply stood in the doorway and looked at Hadyn, alone and almost small on the bed. Maybe she should have, he thought, but a moment later he shook his head. No. Jordan Novak was too much like him. Where Hadyn's pain was often like a raw wound that was too easy for those who did love him to see, Jordan locked his away and locked himself away. Right now it was such that Jordan was locked away from people more often than he wasn't, and if he knew...it would make it worse.
"No," he said. "No one tells Jordan." The guilt would be the end of it for Jordan Novak; he'd end everything, considering himself a failure, and if it were just him, a random Nine of Spades, Elisha wouldn't care as much. But losing Jordan would be the end of Hadyn. It would make this look like a moment of drama, hardly worth mentioning. He moved into the room, drawn towards the bed before he looked at Avery.
"I'll stay with him," he said. "Alone." Until that final word, it was Elisha Kagan speaking. But that last word - that was the King of Clubs, and Avery pressed her lips together before she disappeared into the hall.
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"I should have called Jordan," she said to him in a hushed voice from the hospital. "But...I don't know. I thought it was better to call you. Can you come?" And he hadn't even said any of the obvious things, Elisha thought as he moved through the hospital halls to where the slim blonde was pacing. He'd come immediately, which made him think he'd made a mistake when he'd ended it. Even if he'd done it for Hadyn's own good, because he wasn't any good for the younger man in the state he'd been in lately. Even if it was because he'd needed to take care of himself.
"Should I have called Jordan?" Avery asked, just over his right shoulder as Elisha simply stood in the doorway and looked at Hadyn, alone and almost small on the bed. Maybe she should have, he thought, but a moment later he shook his head. No. Jordan Novak was too much like him. Where Hadyn's pain was often like a raw wound that was too easy for those who did love him to see, Jordan locked his away and locked himself away. Right now it was such that Jordan was locked away from people more often than he wasn't, and if he knew...it would make it worse.
"No," he said. "No one tells Jordan." The guilt would be the end of it for Jordan Novak; he'd end everything, considering himself a failure, and if it were just him, a random Nine of Spades, Elisha wouldn't care as much. But losing Jordan would be the end of Hadyn. It would make this look like a moment of drama, hardly worth mentioning. He moved into the room, drawn towards the bed before he looked at Avery.
"I'll stay with him," he said. "Alone." Until that final word, it was Elisha Kagan speaking. But that last word - that was the King of Clubs, and Avery pressed her lips together before she disappeared into the hall.