Elijah had had a late day, so it took him a moment to get to the door. If anyone came to see him this late, it was for an important reason. "I'm coming.." he'd called out as he struggled to stifle a yawn. There was no way Zechariah would come to his place, especially this late.

When he opened the door, and his eyes had a chance to really take in the scene, he immediately was awake as if someone had splashed him with cold water.

"Ruth! What happened??" He ushered her and the boy in and closed the door. "Please, sit down. Do you need a doctor or anything?" The constable tried to look over the bruise but he didn't have much in the way of medical knowledge, only enough in the world of criminals and violence to imagine someone did this.

He also didn't want to overwhelm her. So he delicately lifted her sleepy boy and brought him to the sofa beside her and gave them both a blanket.