Elizabeth walked into the doctor’s lounge at the hospital and felt as though she had stepped back in time. So little had changed since her last time there. Even the smell was the same.

“I haven’t been here in years,” she mused as she took in her surroundings. Even some of the posters on the wall were unchanged, with images of nature and messages about team building. She couldn’t help but laugh. It felt good to do so. Her mother had been in the hospital for the past three days and this was her first time away from Diane’s room. Bill and Kate had wanted her to go home and rest but a quick trip to the doctor’s lounge was all she would agree to.

“You’ve missed the luxurious staff lounge,” William teased. He knew, of course, that she was exhausted. They all did. She hadn’t slept a wink since her mother was admitted. He wouldn’t have gotten her out of that hospital room at all if her mom hadn’t finally started to show some improvement. He and Kate had been so worried about her and all they wanted was for her to get a few minutes of rest.

“More than you know,” she said as she sunk into the couch.

“Let me grab you some water.”

“Thanks.” Her eyelids were drooping as she fought off sleep. She wasn’t ready to rest yet. She couldn’t shake the feeling that, if she closed her eyes, something terrible would happen.

“You look a mess.” William stared at her as though he feared she would faint at any moment.

“I feel a mess.” She ran her hand through her hair as she tried to focus on the conversation.

“How’s your mom?” He had, of course, been watching her medical chart closely and knew she was indeed doing better, but he wanted Elizabeth to have to admit out loud that her mother was through the worst of the infection.

“The antibiotics seem to be working. She’ll probably be able to go home in a few days.”

“That’s what I’ve heard.”

“I’m so relieved. Those first few days were touch and go.”

“She’s going to be fine.” William knew that Nathan hadn’t left the hospital since Diane was admitted either. The man had been like a machine, doing all he could to help her.

“In my heart, I know that, but I can’t stop thinking about it,” she said as tears welled in her eyes. In that moment, it was all too much.

“I understand that.”

“I’m a nurse. I should know better.”

“You’re also a daughter. It’s okay to be upset.”

“I’m just exhausted.” As soon as she pushed thoughts of her ill mother from her mind, Nathan’s face appeared in front of her eyes. Every moment she wasn’t worried for her mother, she was analyzing what had happened between Nathan and her days before.

“But not just because of your mom, right?”

“Actually, it is because of her,” Elizabeth said with a sad smile. Her mother’s words about living her life with an open heart had shaken her to her core. For the first time since Nathan walked out on their wedding, she had actually been forced to imagine what life would be like if she allowed herself to love him again. She was starting to believe that they could both be truly happy if she not only forgave him, but embraced her own feelings for him. She just wasn’t sure she was strong enough to take that leap. “She said something to me the other day that stuck with me,” she began, trying to think of the best way to explain her mother’s sage warning to a confirmed bachelor.

“What was that?” Though he loved her dearly, he knew that the only person who could give her the comfort that she needed during this difficult time was Nathan. He just needed her to realize that fact as well.

“She said I need to live life with my heart open.” She paused to take a sip of water, waiting to see how William would react to her words.

“She’s right.” He sat beside her and gently took her hand.

“I think she is. I just don’t know what to do about it.”

“I think maybe you do know.” William knew her well enough to read her expression.

“I’m not sure I remember how to love without fear.”

“You’re the most loving person I know. It’s in your nature to be open and loving. You’ll figure it out.”

“It’s too much to deal with right now.” She kept telling herself that she didn’t need to think about it now. What she needed was to concentrate on helping her mother. She knew, though, that she was lying to herself. She needed to make a decision and soon.

“If not now, when?”

“When mom’s okay.”

“Is that what she wants?” The blessing and curse of having old friends, she realized in that moment, is that they know you well enough to understand without you having to explain anything. No matter how she wanted to keep her internal struggle from William, he could see it as clearly as if it were written on her skin.

“She wants me to find a way to let go of the pain.”

“And she’s right. You need to be the open girl you used to be,” he advised, remembering how she had once worn her heart on her sleeve.

“I wish I could.”

“I need to be honest with you,” he said hesitantly. He had never planned to tell her about his feelings, but he suddenly realized that he wasn’t living with an open heart either. To do so, he had to be honest with his friend, no matter how much he dreaded it.

“Okay.” She knew him well enough to know that whatever he had to tell her was serious and she flashed back to her mother’s words about how she suspected William felt about her.

“I’ve loved you for years,” he blurted out, as fast as he could just to get it over with.

“William.” She gasped, unable to comprehend that it was really true.

“I need you to listen to me,” he continued.

“I don’t know what to say.” She tried to wrap her mind around the fact that he had somehow loved her for so long and she had never noticed. She felt awful, playing back in her mind every time she was sure that that love must have caused him pain over the years.

“I love you and I want you to be happy and I think you know how to be happy again,” he said, unconcerned with his own feelings. What William needed her to understand was that he wasn’t just a friend offering her advice. He was someone who loved her deeply and wanted her to be truly happy. As much as he wished he could give her that happiness, he knew that it was only Nathan who could heal her wounded heart.

“I’m afraid.”

“I love you both and I think you love each other.” He wiped a tear away as it rolled down her cheek. “I know he loves you.” There was no doubt at all in his tone and she couldn’t understand how he could believe it so fully.

“How can you be so sure?”

“He told me.”

“He said it to me too. That doesn’t mean it’ll last. He left me before,” she reminded him, every possible emotion swirling inside her.

“He never stopped loving you.”

“You can’t know that.”

“I do. I’ve seen him mope around for years. He’s been searching for what he lost with you since the moment you left.” He remembered all the times over the years he had watched Nathan stumble around, trying to recreate what he had lost.

“I don’t know what to believe.” She was too exhausted to process all her thoughts.

“What does your heart tell you?” he asked, simplifying it for her.

“My heart has missed him.”

“And…” he pressed, not willing to let her pull back from the breakthrough she just had.

“And I love him,” she whispered. The words didn’t come with the usual pain. Instead, her heart suddenly filled with hope.

“Then you have your answer,” he said with a sad smile, reminding her that this must be painful for him.

“I never knew you felt like you do about me.”

“Because it doesn’t matter.”

“It matters.”

“I love you enough to know who you really belong with.” He kissed her gently on the forehead.

“Thank you.” She hugged him, so thankful to have such a selfless friend in her life. “What if he hurts me again?”

“I can’t promise that he won’t. What I can say is that he’s a different man than he was then. He knows what matters most now.” William knew that it was true. If it wasn’t, he would never have been his advocate.

“I know he’s a good man.” She had never doubted that. Even when he broke her heart, she had never ceased to believe in the quality of his character. It was what made him such a good doctor.

“He is,” he replied, sensing that something was still holding her back.

“I need to think.” She stood up abruptly.

“Head to your spot then.”

“My spot. Right!” She smiled, immediately knowing what he meant although she hadn’t been in the place that he referred to in eight years. “You’re amazing.”

“I try.”

“Someday you’re going to find a woman who deserves you.”

“I doubt it. I’m a catch,” he said with his usual smirk, making her laugh out loud.

“I’ll talk to you soon,” she called over her shoulder as she rushed out the door and toward the place that always managed to give her clarity.