Lindsey had known Robin for almost as long as he'd known Stevie. They hadn't been as friendly for a while now, but he still considered her his friend. He wasn't the heartless asshole everyone made him out to be. As he held Stevie's small, even fragile looking form in his arms, he felt her pain. What he felt, was nowhere near close to what she was going through, but it still hurt him, too.
There were no words to make the situation better, at least Lindsey didn't think so. As Stevie's tears rolled down her cheeks and soaked into his shirt once again, he just held her firmly in his embrace. They were outside Robin's room now, they had been for a while. Lindsey didn't particularly enjoy hospitals, but he wasn't about to leave. Stevie's best friend had just passed away and he was going to be there for her, no matter how uncomfortable he felt.
Lindsey's eyes caught Kim, Robin's husband, now widower, slowly walking up and down the hallway a few times. He couldn't possibly imagine, what the man was currently going through. He offered Kim the appropriate words after a loss, but words meant nothing. Lindsey put himself in the same position for a short moment and a shudder ran down his back. He wasn't thinking about losing Carol Ann. He knew, he'd go absolutely insane if anything happened to Stevie.
"Would you like some water or..." Lindsey didn't know, what else to say.
"No." Stevie shook her head, her grip on him tightened. "I don't want you to leave me."
"It'd just be for a second-"
"Not for one second." She interrupted, silencing him. "My God, Lindsey, I- I can't live w-without her."
"I'm so sorry, baby." It just rolled off his tongue. "But you're so strong, so strong. And you have me. You have a lot of people, who love you and who will help you get through this."
"I don't even know what to say to Kim. Their son had to be delivered prematurely and he's just lost the love of his life." A fresh set of tears filled her eyes, she tilted her chin up to look at him. "I don't know, what I would do if I lost you."
"I'm not going anywhere." Lindsey promised, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. "I'm right here, I'm with you. I love you." He added. They were no longer throwing around those words as easily, but it felt appropriate to say that at the moment.
"I'm being selfish." Stevie angrily wiped away her tears. She hated just about everything right now. "You don't have to be here."
"Will you stop saying that?" He hoped, he didn't sound frustrated. She kept trying to push him away, he wished, she realized, he wasn't leaving her. "I knew Robin, too. You probably have no idea, how many talks she and I had had, when you weren't around."
"Yeah?" A weak smile crossed her lips. "What about?"
"Mostly you." Lindsey shrugged. "She made me swear, I was going to treat you right, when she found out that we were a couple." He too smiled sadly. "She's probably cursing at me from upstairs right now."
A tearful, light chuckle escaped her. "She loved you, you know. In her own way." Stevie took a small step back and hugged herself. "You should go, Linds. I don't know, how much longer I'm gonna be here. I can't leave Kim."
"But you need to rest. You've barely had any sleep these past few days, Stevie. I know that you feel like you have to be here, but it... it's not going to do anyone any good. Especially you." He lay his hand on her shoulder, so she'd look at him. "Kim has people here with him, he's not alone."
She looked back over her shoulder and gave him a sympathetic look. Drying his own tears, Kim approached the two. "It's okay if you go. There's..." He shrugged, swallowing a lump in his throat. "There's nothing anyone can do anymore."
"Kim, I'm- I'm so sorry..." Stevie wrapped him in a hug and he gratefully accepted it. "I'll call you later to check on you and the baby." He nodded his head slightly. "I'm here for you."
"I'm here for you, too." Kim, not at all ashamed to be openly crying, pulled back, holding her at arm's length a second longer. "Thank you for being here, Lindsey." He said, when he stepped back.
Feeling a little awkward, Lindsey gave a sole nod of his head. "I'm going to take Stevie back to the hotel."
"You do that." Kim agreed and added with a sigh. "Take good care of her. You never know, how long you've got to do so."
Kim's words stunned Lindsey, his whole body went numb for a moment. Stevie's hand slipping into his brought him back to the present. He squeezed her hand, pressed a kiss to her hair and whispered, I love you, to her once more.
