Several hours later, Alex sat anxiously next to her bed. Her usually meticulous hair fell in limp clumps around her face and her designer clothes had been replaced with an ill-fitting hospital gown. She looked so small and fragile and broken. The doctors said the surgery went well, and now they were just waiting for the anesthesia to wear off. Mr. Woodhouse was off pestering Dr. Perry with questions about Emma's condition – even though her surgeons had already explained everything in detail – Maddy was offering financial planning assistance to the families assembled in the waiting room who were facing the possibility of looming medical debt, and John, Izzy, Annie, and Ryan had gone down to the cafeteria with strict orders to Alex to call them soon after Emma woke.

She stirred a bit on the bed and Alex stood and leaned over her, "Emma?"

"Alex?" She asked groggily.

"It's ok, I'm right here," he said softly.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him disbelievingly. She tried to sit up to give him a hug, but cried out in pain as she shifted her leg. Instead he leaned down into her open arms and she latched on to him. "I didn't think you were ever coming back."

He rubbed her back and replied, "hey, it's ok." He sat back down in the chair beside her but leaned in and looked into her teary eyes. "Emma, I'm sorry for the way that I left."

Emma weekly grabbed his hand and drowsily said, "I'm so glad you're back," before she drifted off to sleep again.

For several minutes Alex just held her hand and watched her sleep. Then she moaned out, "Alex?"

He squeezed her hand and said reassuringly, "I'm still right here."

She gripped his hand and whimpered, "I didn't think you were ever coming back."

Alex furrowed his brow, they had just had this conversation. "I'm so sorry Emma, I thought I needed space but I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere."

"You were right ... again."

"No, as soon as I left I realized that it was a mistake. I mean, it doesn't make sense for me to run away when there's somebody I care about so much here. And … I was miserable being away from her."

"Her?" Emma asked and turned her head away from him.

"You," Alex answered truthfully.

Emma sighed and turned back to him, "thank you for being such a good friend." She closed her eyes and her hand slackened as she drifted off to sleep again. Alex was left with cold disappointment. Apparently John was wrong in his assessment and Alex was still doomed to the unfortunate fate of unrequited love with his best friend.

A nurse came into the room to check Emma's vitals. "She's woken up twice, but she didn't seem to remember what happened the first time. Is something wrong, is the concussion affecting her memory?" He asked anxiously.

"Oh no, that's just how anesthesia works honey. It may be a bit before she fully wakes up and she may not remember anything just after." The nurse reassured him as she made notes in Emma's chart.

Alex was lost in his thoughts a few minutes later when she squeezed his hand and said, "You came back. Alex, I thought ..."

"Hey," he said, stroking his thumb over the back of her hand. "I'm back and I promise I'll never take off like that again. Emma, I'm so sorry."

"No, don't apologize. I deserved everything that you said and you were right about everything."

"No, I was selfish and reckless and irresponsible. You needed me and I wasn't here for you."

"I do, you know..." Emma said, looking up at him with an almost pleading look in her eyes, "I need you Alex."

Under the intensity of that gaze Alex desperately wanted to kiss her but he still wasn't sure of her wishes. "As a friend?" He asked, hoping his own feelings were clear, "is that what you want?"

"I just want you to be happy, and I'm just so glad you came back and everything can go back to normal."

Those two outcomes were at cross purposes. If everything went back to normal, back to the way it was before he could maybe be content, at least she'd still be in his life. But if she wanted him to be happy things would need to change. "Emma ..." he began, ready to take the risk and tell her everything, but he lost his courage "... never mind, it's not important right now."

"No, no you have something to say and I will listen to you as your friend, and I will stand by you as your friend."

Friend. He felt that word like a shot to the heart each time she said it. He could just leave it, smile and continue on, but he'd already come this far and if he didn't tell her how he felt now he feared he never would. "Ok, then I'll ask your advice as a friend, do I have any chance with you?

Emma's head snapped up to meet his eyes, "what?"

He reached back to the table behind him and grabbed the bouquet he'd bought on his way into the hospital. Holding it out to her he said, "I told you I could get a girl flowers."

Se looked confused for a moment and murmured, "but flowers are romantic." He nodded and she smiled, as she took the bouquet, "Flowers are romantic!"

That was sufficient encouragement for Alex to power through. He leaned in and said, "Emma Woodhouse, I don't have the words to tell you how in love with you I am ... But maybe if I loved you less, I could talk about it more."

"I..." Emma stuttered "I thought you were gone, for two days no one could get ahold of you and now you're back and saying these things ..."

"You don't know how sorry I am for that. I thought I needed time to figure out how to be in love with you while you were ... with Frank..."

"Wait, did you think I had feelings for Frank?

Alex looked down, "I mean … he definitely seemed to make you happy..."

"Oh, I'm so embarrassed. Alex, please believe me, I was never in love with Frank. I may have gotten carried away by the attention but that's as far as it got."

Alex sighed in relief. "So, if Frank's not an obstacle..."

"I just … I can't … Are you sure? What about the business?"

"We'll figure it out."

"What about our families? Izzy and John ..."

"They've apparently been taking bets on when we'd get together for years."

Alex, your friendship means everything to me. I can't loose you. What if we screw this up?"

He leaned in over her bed, eager to set her mind at ease. "Not a chance. Okay, you know me. You know that I am difficult and grumpy and set in my ways. But if you'll let me, I will spend every day trying to make you happy." Seconds passed in silence and he grew nervous. "Emma, say something."

She abruptly tossed the bouquet on the bed next to her and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him down to her for a kiss. When they pulled apart he rested his forehead on hers. Her actions spoke volumes, but she still hadn't said anything. "Was that a yes?" He asked nervously.

She laughed as she playfully responded, "you can't tell that was a yes?"

He shook his head in wonder that this was really happening, "I was just making sure. Just out of curiosity, how was that?" He knew that they were compatible in life – between their business and their longstanding friendship they were basically already an old married couple – and that was far and away the best kiss of his life, but he needed to know that Emma felt that same chemistry.

"Oh," she breathed, "very Emma approved!"

Alex cupped her face and leaned down to kiss her again. A throat cleared and they pulled apart to see the nurse standing in the doorway smiling, but averting her eyes. "I just have a few follow up questions and tests to run."

Recalled to their surroundings, Alex cleared his own throat and replied, "of course," as he stepped away from the bed. While Emma was occupied with her post-op concerns, Alex called John and Mr. Woodhouse to tell everyone that Emma was awake and well.

When the nurse left, Emma turned to Alex and held out her hand, he took it and sat back down beside her. "Do you remember when we were kids and you saved my life?" She asked?

Alex scoffed, "which time? You were constantly charging into danger and I always had to save you."

"When I was four I jumped into the pool and almost drowned, and even though you were only eight you dove in to rescue me before any of the adults even noticed."

"Right, I saw you running toward the pool and tried to head you off, but ended up having to jump in fully clothed."

"You were so brave and chivalrous for a scrawny eight year old."

"Emma, it was the shallow side of the pool, it was only three feet of water. All I had to do was stand still and hold you up."

"Hey, snarky Knightly, when a girl is trying to tell you that you've always been her white knight, don't tell her she's wrong!" Emma said as she playfully swatted at him. "Anyway, do you remember what you said after you pulled me out?"

"No, but I bet I lectured you about pool safety."

"You did, but you also told me you wouldn't always be there to save me. Ever since the car accident, that scene kept popping into my head."

"Emma, I'm ..."

"No, I'm not trying to guilt trip you, I just wanted to say that even if you can't always be there to save me, I'm glad you'll still always be there for me."

"Always," he repeated and couldn't resist kissing her again.

This time they were drawn apart by an exclamation of: "About damn time," from the doorway. They looked up to see John, Izzy, Annie, and Ryan entering the room.

Annie sighed and handed a twenty over to John. At Emma's questioning look she responded, "my money was on Frank," with a shrug.

"Wait, who made the first move?" Izzy asked energetically.

"Alex," Emma responded with a smile.

Izzy pouted and handed another twenty to John. "I was sure you'd pounce on him the minute you saw him."

"She tried, but her leg is immobilized, so I had to come to her," Alex said with an embarrassed smile.

"And the first thing she said when she woke up?" Ryan asked?

Alex blushed again and Emma responded, "I think it was 'you came back'." Ryan's face fell.

Alex cleared his throat, "Actually it was 'Alex' the first two times you woke up, you just don't remember because of the anesthesia."

Ryan pumped his fist in the air but no cash exchanged hands. "I said so, but nobody would take that bet."

"She's barely said anything other than 'where's Alex' for the past day," Annie said rolling her eyes, "nobody was going to bet against that."

Mr. Woodhouse came in and all of the excited chatter about the budding romance ceased. There seemed to be a silent understanding between everyone that now was neither the time or place to tell Emma's father about this development. They would cross that bridge later.

Alex got up to give his chair to Mr. Woodhouse and Emma looked up with a hint of panic, "Wait, where are you going?"

Alex smiled down at her, "I'm not going anywhere, just letting your father sit down," he affectionately brushed her nose with his finger then moved to stand on the other side of the bed and took her other hand. She squeezed it hard. He had a hard time believing his headstrong confident Emma could be insecure about anything – least of all about his affection – but he stayed extra close to her side for the rest of the day … just in case.

Notes: Mr. Knightly is by far my favorite Austen hero. I have a lifelong soft spot for best friends falling in love, plus he is consistently good and kind to Emma (even when he's scolding her), unlike other Austen heroes I could mention. Because of that it bugged me that in Emma Approved he just disappears and nobody seems to know quite where. This story is my cautionary tale about just taking off and cutting off contact... I hope you all like it!

Reviews, Favs, and Follows make my day!