Reassurance from an old friend
He doesn't know how long he had been sitting on floor with his back against the wall. It felt like hours. He hated feeling so helpless. He watched her collapse and in an instant his world came crashing down. He looked up every time he heard footsteps coming down the empty hall way, his heart sinking a little more each time when it wasn't the person he wanted to see.
An hour and countless tears later he looked up to see the person he needed to see.
"Alexx, how is she?" Eric asked.
"Calleigh is stable for now. We've moved her into recovery." She told him.
Eric let out a loud sigh. The pain in his eyes was evident to his old friend.
Alexx pulled Eric into a hug, "She's a fighter baby."
"I can't….I can't lose her Alexx." He told her.
"She's strong. She will pull through." She told him. "Let's go for a walk baby."
Alexx took Eric by the arm as they walked towards the cafeteria. He needed to get something to calm him down. They sat down at a table in the corner. She had to do everything in her power to calm him down before he went in to see Calleigh.
"So baby, tell me what's going on between you and Cal." She asked.
Eric smiled. There was no way they could get anything by Alexx. She always knew that there was something between the two of them. She often wondered who was more stubborn Eric or Calleigh.
"There is nothing going on between me & Calleigh."
"Now you know you can't fool me. Calleigh called me last week and told me that she found some truffles on her desk from you. Now are you seriously going to tell me that you bought her $30 truffles because you two are friends?"
Eric laughed again. "I'm crazy about her."
"So why haven't you told her that."
"Truth is, I'm afraid that she doesn't feel the same way."
"Trust me baby, she feels the same way. All she wants is to hear it from you."
Eric took in Alexx's words. They sat there for another hour catching up on other things. Eric told Alexx how much they missed having her around. A tear glistened in her eyes as she told him how much she missed them too.
As Alexx and Eric made their way back to the recovery room where Calleigh was, Eric once again played Alexx's words back in his head.
The old friends said goodbye to each other. As Alexx pulled Eric into a hug she whispered in his ear.
"You take good care of her baby. You two deserve all of the happiness in the world, and I am so happy that you have found each other."
It didn't take long after that. All Eric needed was the reassurance of an old friend to admit something he had known for seven years.