A Room With A View

Chapter Fifty - Elena

"How are you doing?" she asked.

Gordon's jaw twitched. Elena noticed his five o'clock shadow for the first time. He never not clean-shaven.

"I just want to be there for Neil," he said, "but I don't know where he is."

Elena put a hand on Gordon's arm.

"I know the relationship has been rocky--even downright hostile--and Agatha has proved herself to be heartless time and time again, but she was his mother after all," Gordon continued, "and whether or not Neil wants it to, that's bound to affect him. I just...I just want to hold him until he works through this." Gordon stopped, his lower lip trembling.

Elena could feel her own beginning to quiver. She squeezed Gordon's arm and let go, collecting herself. She couldn't lose her head now; there were five people counting on her to provide a comfortable space for them to process, and she would give them just that.

"Why don't you go sit down?" Elena said softly. "I'll get you something to eat."

Gordon nodded and made his way over to the couch.

Elena walked behind him and turned into the kitchen, feeling numb. She reached for a mug from the cabinet, but they were all gone.

"Where--" she began, feeling an unnecessary panic creep up into her throat.

"Here," Sybil said quickly. She pushed a hot mug of peppermint tea into Elena's hands.

"I made a whole pot," Sybil said.

Elena stared at her. Sybil shifted awkwardly and looked away.

"And I pulled together some turkey sandwiches," Sybil said, waving her hand over the neat pile of sandwiches on the counter. "We just had all the fixings, and I didn't know what else to do."

Elena set the tea down on the counter.

"Is it not right?" Sybil asked, a tremor in her voice. She reached for the mug, but before she could take hold of it, Elena wrapped her arms around her sister in a hug so tight Sybil let out a little gasp of air.

"I'm so glad you're here," Elena said, the words muffled by Sybil's hair. "I'm always glad when you're here, and I'm sorry I don't say it enough."

Sybil's shoulders shook. They held onto each other until the shaking stopped, for both of them.

"Well," Sybil began, "if you want to make up for not telling me often enough that you love me, you can name your Lima bean after me."

Elena laughed wetly. She let go of Sybil. "I'll think about it," she said.

Sybil smiled. 

"Thank you for the tea," Elena said, trying to force thirty-three years of apologies into one sentence.

Sybil pressed both of her hands to either side of one of Elena's. "Just tell me what you need me to do."

"You've already done it. Let me take this to Gordon before it gets too cold." 

Elena picked the mug back up and brought it carefully to where Gordon was sitting pressed into the couch cushions.

"You okay?" she asked, setting the mug down on the coffee table before him.

"Neil just texted," he said, "they're on their way back. He says they should be here in about twenty minutes."

Elena wanted to know where they had gone that would take them twenty minutes to get back, but she held her tongue. If Gordon knew, he would tell her.

"Okay. I'm going to go talk to Phineas quickly. Call me when they get back, please," Elena said.

Gordon leaned forward to pick up the mug of tea. He sipped, and nodded.

"Sybil has sandwiches ready in the kitchen," Elena said, rising from the couch. She waved goodbye to her sister, and walked out the front door.

Elena sucked in a deep breath. She had never before gone to Phineas's apartment. It was in the opposite tower of the building, so Elena needed to go down to the lobby before she could go back up.

She felt badly for Phineas. She couldn't imagine what he must be going through, having to deliver that kind of information to a tenant. Poor Phineas never seemed comfortable around people, so this kind of traumatic situation must have him in knots. Elena wished there was something she could bring him, but truthfully she didn't know Phineas very well. Other than what others had said about him, of course, but that never included his favorite kind of casserole or chocolate.

Well at least I can give him a hug, Elena thought as she stepped into the elevator, if he'll let me.