Page 73 of Huge Games

"Who's at the hospital?" I ask.

Elias's cheeks begin to redden, and he seems on the brink of raging.

"Elias." I take a step closer, but he moves away.

"My mom." His voice sounds strangely dead.

"We're coming with you." Without waiting for his agreement, I gather my phone and a hoodie, twisting my messy hair into a quick bun. Dornan slips on his sneakers, and still, Elias doesn't look at us. He doesn't tell us what's happened to her. But most importantly, he doesn't tell us we can't go with him.

My problems slide away at the sight of Elias's suffering. He's such a big, strong man with so much resilience, but I see how his eyes flit around the room that he's panicking.

"I'll drive." Dornan jingles his keys in his hand, which seems to jolt Elias from his strange trance. "Come on."

I want to touch Elias, take his hand, or rest my palm on his shoulder. Anything to let him know I'm present and concerned, but he seems to have folded within himself, so I leave him be. He rides up front with Dornan as we drive to the nearest hospital. Marie gave birth there, so I'm familiar with the parking lots in relation to the location of the main entrance.

When we arrive, he tells the receptionist his mom's name, and she directs us to critical care. Elias strides ahead, and Dornan and I trail a little behind, giving him the space he seems to need. Dornan takes my hand in his, and we walk like a couple through sterile corridor after sterile corridor.

At the ICU, Elias gains entry, but we have to stay outside. He doesn't even acknowledge us before he disappears through the door to face whatever's brought his mom into such a dire health situation. When he's out of earshot, I face Dornan, finding his expression worried. "What do you think has happened?"

"I don't know." He shakes his head. "But his reaction isn't normal. Who gets enraged when their mom's sick."

"Either she's brought it on herself, and he's frustrated, or someone has done something, and he's mad."

"You think his dad did this to his mom?"

The question hangs between us uncomfortably. We both saw his father and how unhinged he was. Elias was clearly uncomfortable with him around. Elias never talks about his family. I don't even know if he has siblings. I didn't even know his mom was still in his life.

I think about how much I avoid discussing my own family. I haven't always been this way. When they were married, I'd often refer to them or talk about my home life. Since they divorced, I don't bring either of my parents into conversation at all. Dornan talks about his family a lot. I can tell they're good people and that he loves them. His dad is always around, making sure to treat Dornan whenever he can. I'm happy for him, but the absence of my own parents makes me more envious than I'd like to be. I guess Elias and I have more in common than I thought.

We lean against the wall in the hallway, letting silence rest around us. I'm glad Dornan is with me and that we’re both here to support Elias. Imagining him here alone hurts my heart, although how much of a support he will allow us to be remains to be seen.

"I don't know. I don't want to make judgments after meeting someone once, but…"

Dornan nods. "I got a bad feeling, Celine. A really bad feeling about that man."

"I just want to go in there and help him," I whisper, staring at the door, keeping Elias from me.

"It sucks that we can't go inside as support."

I nod in agreement as a wave of anxiety clenches my stomach. "Do you think he'll come back out?"

A doctor bustles past, carrying a takeaway cup of coffee. His shoes squeak against the floor with every step.

"He'll come out. He knows we're waiting."

My phone buzzes in my pocket. It's a message fromEllie, asking if I'm okay and if I can talk. I reply to say I'm okay and busy right now. I don't share Elias's situation because it's private. If he wants to tell people what's happened, that'll be up to him.

I call Marie, knowing I need to tell her about the video now before it finds its way to her by other means. Too many people watch porn these days. It's become mainstream. For all I know, Aiden might go to the site it's trending on. Would he tell Marie if he saw the video? Probably not.

Ugh. The idea of my brother-in-law watching me fuck only exacerbates the anxiety.

As the phone starts ringing and I wait for Marie to answer, I start to sweat.

"Celine." Her voice is bright, and happy to hear from me. It only makes the news I have to pass on feel worse.

"Hey, Marie. Sorry to disturb you this late."

"It's okay. Aiden's sleeping, and I'm watching that cheesy series I told you about."

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