"Totally fair," JJ chimed in as she headed out of town. "If he has anything he needs to tell you, he probably won't want to say it in front of strangers anyway."
"Poor kid," was all Nicholas could really think to say.
The drive was uneventful as one would wish it to be. They arrived in the city in the afternoon, just as Jesse predicted. And before stopping at the hospital, they swung by a Burger King to get some food for them and for Jayden. Once again, Nicholas paid and probably over-catered as well. He was a little worried, since hearing Jesse say Jayden didn't have any money, that the boy may not have eaten since he called yesterday.
And Nicholas was right. Jayden sat in the waiting room, his arms held tightly around his stomach. There was a yellowing bruise on his left eye and he was thinner than he should be, though he tended to hide this by wearing baggy clothes. He looked like an island of woe.