Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.

-Helen Keller-

Erin followed the doctor down the hall as they neared the room her hands started to shake. Her footsteps echoed down the hall, it was a lonely, ominous sound.

She'd never known someone who had a heart attack. Was there permanent damage? Had his brain been affected?

Thoughts of what Dave might look like and their future drifted through her mind.

The doctor pushed the door open and Erin stepped inside.

A friendly voice brought her out of her thoughts."I'm Doctor Anderson, your husband's Cardiologist and I'll be here all night."

"I'm Erin." There was no point in correcting the woman about their relationship status. In the end what you called it really didn't matter.

Their relationship was tenuous at best and the last thing Dave probably wanted to hear, was her voice.

"I figured." The doctor flashed a gentle smile. He's unconscious now. The sedative should wear off in a few hours, but it could take days."

"Days?" Erin's throat clogged, "what happened to him?" The doctor said he'd had a heart attack but that wasn't enough she needed the specifics. She needed to know every detail of Dave's time at the gym and what put him in that hospital bed.

The doctor nodded in a way that said she understood. She picked up the clipboard from the foot of the bed and read. According to the reports he has been lifting weights at the gym. The trainer said that Dave changed his diet in the last few months and he was improving his health."

"So why did this happen?"

"The extra strain from the exercise was weakening his heart and it was fighting to pump blood through his body, causing the attack. We sedated him to lessen the strain. The only problem is that he keeps fighting the oxygen."

Just then Dave's hand batted towards the mask covering his nose and mouth. The heart monitor sounded as his heart sped to an unhealthy rate.

"No no." Erin scolded gently. Her tone was meant to soothe but anxiety seeped in anyway. She caught his hand and her voice dropped, "you need that, David. Let it help you..." immediately his heart rate stabled and all attempts to remove the mask, ceased.

"Looks like you have the magic touch," Doctor Anderson said. "If you need anything I'm just down the hall."

"Thank you." Erin heard the door snap closed, she held Dave's hand, putting equal pressure on each finger.

What the hell was he doing in a gym? She stared at him, his naturally tan face was paler than normal. The muscles on his biceps seemed more defined than usual; she gave his arm an experimental poke and the flesh didn't give under the pressure. "What the hell are you doing Dave?" She hadn't felt a firm muscle in 10 years. Mark had let himself go after McKenzie was born.

"I need you around," A sudden chill passed through her. She hadn't realized how alone she really was until she was faced with a silent hospital room. She yanked the elastic out of her hair allowing the wet strands to fall on her shoulders. An unjustified anger filled her tone. "Why the hell would you mess around with your health now!"

She pulled the blanket over his shoulders, if she was cold he had to be.

She waited, searching for any sign that he was listening, but none came. Her voice cracked and she hated the vulnerability that leaked into her tone. "We need you around, Dave; you're not alone in the world now and it's time you realized that."

Two quick knocks brought her out of her thoughts, "They're throwing me out now." She kissed him on the forehead. The nurse stuck her head in and smiled a little too brightly for someone working in the ICU.

"You can come back in two hours but the hope is that he's moved to a regular room before then."

"I'll be in the waiting room." Erin grabbed her purse and walked out.

"Drink this." Hotch passed her a steaming styrofoam cup as she walked into the hallway.

"You scared me!" She admonished and took a sip. The smooth taste of hot chocolate filled her mouth.

"Sorry," he had the grace to look guilty. "How's Dave?"

"Did you know he was going to the gym?" She turned an accusing glare on Hotch, "Why was he working out so hard that he gave himself a heart attack?"

"I pressured him into going after the results of his last physical. We started going together until he asked me not to come anymore. I guess he started to enjoy it. At that point," Hotch took a breath, his gaze went past Erin towards the room where his best friend lay. "I think he wanted the body of a 40 year old but his heart was still pushing 60."

She wanted to cry, she wanted someone to take this burden away from her. Her mind started piecing together a life without Dave, she tried to shake it away but the thoughts invaded her head without her permission.

"Drink that." Hotch gestured to the cup in her hand, "It's freezing in here and you're soaked." She nodded, the silence surrounding them spoke volumes as they slowly walked towards the waiting room. He would look out for her. For his best friend's family until Dave could do it himself, but Erin would never know it and Aaron would never tell. She took a sip and a deal was struck.

He held the door as Erin entered the empty waiting room. "And then there were two…." She said softly, looking around at the endless rows of empty chairs.

"Don't worry." Hotch took a seat in the middle of the room he toed off his shoes and rested his socked feet on the edge of the table. The gesture surprised Erin. "They'll be back. J.J.'s in the cafeteria calling Will and getting coffee with Reid and Penelope took Morgan to get clothes for Dave."

Erin opened her mouth to respond but the door of the waiting room opened and J.J. entered with Reid on her heels looking like her very faithful puppy with stacks of coffee carriers in his hands and plastics sacks of delicious smelling food dangling from his wrist.

"The good news is, I think it stopped raining," J.J. said, holding the door for Reid. She grinned, "I told you to let me carry some of that." He sat the two trays on a nearby table and started unloading the food on another.

"And I might have let you but the coffee is organized by caffeine content." He rambled on and Erin watched the young genius intently as he assembled the food.

"From right to left is one Venti triple espresso for me, Hotch's Venti verona with two shots of espresso, Garcia's Two pump caramel macchiato with one extra shot of espresso, the Venti caramel mocha is Morgan's. Your Tall hazelnut creamer with two thirds black coffee, is on the bottom." He plucked a cup off of a tray like a magician wielding a magic wand. "Next to Erin's French vanilla decaf."

"Well thank you." She accepted the cup and smiled, "that was very impressive Doctor Reid."

He blushed at the compliment, "it's just coffee."

"How did you know how I take it?"

"Lucky guess. When Hotch was making your hot chocolate I knew you prefer decaf and French vanilla creamer because it doesn't contain nuts and I didn't know if you were allergic."

"Show off." J.J. teased.

"Someone please explain to me why this man doesn't have a girlfriend." Morgan said, giving his friend a slow clap.

"It's just coffee," Reid repeated in confusion.

"No." Morgan leaned over and pretended to be unpacking silverware. "It's not 'just coffee' Genius. You made her smile, Kid."

Reid chanced a look over his shoulder, Erin was helping Penelope unload the dozens of shopping bags she'd brought in.

He grinned, a sense of pride filled him, "yeah, I guess I did."

"Don't you all have lives outside of...this?" Erin finally asked as Penelope began passing around plates and forks and comforters to anyone in the room whom she thought looked cold or hungry regardless of whether or not she knew them as the room began to fill, distressed families trickled in and all were greeted by Garcia's exuberance.

"Not me," Hotch said, "Jack is with his grandparents all week."

"And Henry was chomping at the bit to get more one-on-one time with Will." J.J. cut in, Erin didn't miss how Hotch's shoulders seemed to sag as he gave an undetectable sigh of envy.

"You didn't think we'd let you sit here alone, did you?" Penelope asked, looking hurt at the thought.

"I hadn't considered any alternative," Erin answered honestly. "Why would you all stay here with me? Why would any of you do all of this... for me?" She was their boss and Public Enemy Number One for so long and suddenly they were helping her. She and Aaron had mended fences but the rest of them? Why?

"Because we care." Hotch, Reid, Penelope, Morgan and J.J. all spoke in unison.

"Now stop with the silly questions," Penelope patted her shoulder. "Come sit with us and eat something."

Erin nodded. Wedged between J.J. and Penelope for the first time that night, since she'd arrived at the hospital; she felt that maybe, just everything would be okay, eventually.