"You are mad at me?" There was an obvious mix of anger and hurt in his words, with just enough inflection to show disbelief as well. "You were going to sacrifice yourself. Those things would have ripped you apart." He had to stop to take a deep breath. "I can't- I just can't-" Eric stopped again and shook his head, his right hand coming up to cover his mouth as he tried to get his thoughts in order.
"I'm not mad at you, I just wish you would understand why I would do what I was going to do." Aaron shrugged, "He offered to do the same."
Eric was still shaking his head, "How can I understand that? You would have been dead, and what, that was supposed to make me feel better about losing you?"
"If I'm going to die, I'd rather die trying to save someone else."
"And I'd rather that you weren't so willing to die. Did you think that his life was more important that yours? That his friends would hurt more than I would?" He took a shuddery breath and Aaron reached out toward him, but he backed away out of reach. "Did you even think about me when you made that offer?"
Aaron looked away, not even wanting to answer that because he knew that he hadn't thought about Eric until Daryl had mentioned him. He tried not to think about Eric when he was in danger because he knew it would cloud his judgment and that could make almost any situation worse.
Eric seemed to be drawing his own conclusions from the silence though. "That last night that we were out there, recruiting together, would it have been better for you if I had just died instead of being injured?"
Aaron's head came up fast, and he moved quickly across the room to grab Eric's shoulders before embracing him tightly, "No. That would have ruined me."
"Then why would you be so willing to leave me?" The words were mumbled into his shirt, but there was no attempt to break apart. "If you died, I wouldn't stay here. I'd find a way to follow you, somehow."
It was a little melodramatic, but he could tell it was sincere. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again, I promise."