ELIJAH'S POV
I rubbed my eyes, the flickering fluorescent light burning into my retinas. The office had gone quiet hours ago, but I'd barely noticed. Anything to avoid going home, facing the emptiness, the questions...
The sharp ring of the telephone startled me. I glanced at my watch. It was late, almost tethering midnight. Who'd be calling at this hour? Definitely not Deborah with the rough patch we ended our conversation at.
"Hello?" My voice was rough from disuse.
"Elijah? Thank God! I've been trying to reach you at home for hours!"
The panic in my mother's voice made me sit up straight. "Mom? What's wrong?"
"It's your father. He... he collapsed. We're at the hospital now."
