The office was weird this morning... It was almost noon and Cameron hadn't yet appeared for work yet. I was growing worried since I hadn't seen him since the night before. It was one of the rare nights I actually slept in my own apartment, simply because I had ran out of clothes at his place. It had been over a month since everything had happened and I found myself falling more and more in love with him.

The things he could do to my body, the things his words did to my mind were enough to drive any woman into insanity. The amount of love I felt for this man was undeniably overwhelming and I wanted nothing more than to continue on with whatever it is we were doing. We weren't married, we weren't together officially or anything. But he would tell me how much I meant to him almost every day, he would show me nothing but love with his actions and that was ok with me.

I sighed and glanced once more over to Cameron's empty office and found myself growing increasingly worried. I called him several times and got no response, this was so unlike him. A knock on my door made me jerk my head away from Cameron's office to respond to whomever was on the other side.

It was Jame's Enterprises CFO, Cameron's friend; Charles Derrick. "Hey Charlie" I said with a nod. He nodded back before looking to Cameron's empty office and back to me. I sighed knowing Cameron had a meeting soon and he wasn't here yet, Charlie probably wanting to know something about his whereabouts.

"I cant get a hold of him" I said to Charlie. Charlie opened his mouth to respond, but my cellphone going off made him stop. It was Cameron. My fingers fumbled with my phone before sliding my finger across the screen to quickly answer.

"Cameron, where are you? Are you alright?" I asked quickly, feeling desperate to find him. I heard a shaky sigh on the other end before Cameron finally spoke.

"Sweetheart" I heard him say. He sounded terrible, like he hadn't slept in days. His voice was shaky and rough, it sounded almost like he had been crying for quite some time. "Cameron, what is it?" I asked softly. Charlie had wandered out of my office to give me some privacy, and I was thankful for that because whatever was going on with Cameron didn't sound like anything i needed getting around the office.

"It's my mother" I heard him say, his voice cracking. My eyes widened thinking the worst had happened to Janet James. She had been battling cancer, but from what Cameron told me, she was doing better. "Where are you?" I asked quickly, not even thinking twice before gathering up my bag to go where he was. He told me the hospital name and I quickly hung up the phone and shoved it into my bag.

I had to take a moment and remember that I was still his assistant, his employee, not just his lover or whatever I was. I forwarded every call from Cameron's and my office to Charlie's, and canceled the few meetings he had scheduled today. I let charlie know there was an emergency I needed to handle, and let Bradley know to not let anyone in to see Cameron as he was not here.

I had never been more thankful that a cab was already sitting outside the company, and quickly clambered into the back and told him my location, with of course an extra twenty dollars if we hurried up.

I tossed the money at the driver and quickly ran inside of Lennox Hill Memorial Hospital. The woman at the front desk alerted me of what floor and room Janet was in, and it didn't take long before I was running as fast as I could down a long hallway, my heels echoing loudly through the hall.

I found her room and calmed myself before pushing through the closed door. I saw Cameron first, he was sitting beside her bed with her hand clasped firmly in his hand. Tears rolled down his face as he spoke quietly to his mother. It broke my heart to see him this way, killed me that he was filled with any form of sadness and I wanted nothing more than to take it all away.

Janet looked exhausted and completely sickly. She looked like she was hanging on by a thread, like death was coming quickly to claim her. Her grey hair was laying in a braid down her shoulder, she was breathing heavily and trying her hardest to smile to her son. I quietly shut the door behind me, which alerted Cameron I was here.

His eyes seem to brighten slightly, he kissed his mother's hand before standing and coming over to take me in his arms. His grip was tight around my waist, his shoulders shook and I knew he was trying his hardest to stay strong right now. "Shhh, just let it out" I whispered to him, letting him know he didn't need to be strong in front of me. He was such a strong man, physically and mentally, he needed to know it was ok for him to let go.

My shoulder was wet with Cameron's tears, I just let him hold onto me while I stroked the back of his hair. "Thank you for coming" he mumbled into my ear when he finally pulled away from me. It sent a pain in my heart to see him so lost and broken this way. I reached up and wiped the tears away from his face with my thumbs before kissing his cheek. "I'm not going anywhere" I whispered, before pulling him back to the chair beside Janet's bed.

He gently pushed me down into the chair beside her bed while he sat down on the mattress beside his mother, taking her hand back into his own. She gave a small smile to Cameron, before tilting her head and smiling at me as well.

"How are you feeling Janet?" I asked softly, pulling my chair closer to her bed to I could talk to her better. She sighed and patted Cameron's hand and turning back to me. "Tired, Cameron here hasn't left my side all night" She said smiling to her son. I felt terrible not knowing she was in here last night. I left pretty early to go back to my place, so he must have came up here some time after.

I wanted to ask Cameron what was going on, why she was in here, but I didn't want to upset either of them. "Avery will you do something for me dear?" I heard Janet ask. I scooted closer and rested my hand on Cameron's lower back. "What is it?" I asked softly.

"Take care of my son" She whispered to me. She removed her hand from Cameron to place over mine that was resting on the bed. "That's what he pays me for" I said giving her a smile, and winking at Cameron trying to make him feel a little better. He smiled gently to me before kissing me on the top of my head. Janet sighed and squeezed my hand.

"I know that dear. I may be old but I am not blind, I see the way my son looks at you" She whispered once more to me. I could see her getting weaker, and I wanted to tell her to get her rest but knowing her she wouldn't do anything anyone told her to do. Stubbornness ran in the James family.

"I love your son Janet, he's in good hands"

I was surprised the words actually came out of my mouth, this wasn't what I was planning when I woke up this morning. I couldn't look over at Cameron, who's hand was running up and down my spine. I just couldn't look at his handsome face to see his reaction to what I just said. "I trust you sweetie" Janet said giving me with biggest smile she could muster. I loved Cameron's mother, these past few years she had been so sweet to me, it broke my heart to see her this way.

The three of us chatted for a little bit before I felt I needed to give these two some privacy. Cameron had booked his mother in a private room, one of the largest suites on the upper floor, so there was a small sitting area on the other side of the large room. I stood from my seat and grabbed my bag with the couple files I needed to go through for the week, Cameron would more than likely be out of work for a bit so I needed to make sure things ran smoothly for him at the office.

"Are you leaving?" Cameron suddenly asked, his eyes growing worried at the thought of me leaving him. I smiled and shook my head before running my fingers through his unruly dark hair. "No I told you I wouldn't go anywhere, Ill be right over there if you need me" I said softly. Cameron instantly relaxed and grabbed my hand from his head and kissed my knuckles. I smiled to the both of them before settling in on one of the large leather couches.

I replied most of the emails for Cameron, as well as canceling all of his meetings for the next two weeks. I alerted Charlie of what was happening and told him to alert me of everything happening around the office, to not contact Cameron with anything. He knew I was also Cameron's assistant so he would need me with him outside of the office, which worked so nobody at the office knew we were "together" if that's what we call it.

After finishing a couple of hours of work I felt myself growing tired. I slid all my files and laptop into my bag and ended up using it at a pillow to catch some sleep. Cameron I heard still mumbling in the background to his mother, but I was far enough away to not hear anything he was saying. But I let the sound of his deep voice lull me to sleep.

Some hours later and i was awoken to hear Cameron screaming at someone, and the sound of machines beeping uncontrollably. I jumped from the couch and ran across the room to see Janet was unconscious and a doctor and two nurses were checking vitals and hitting buttons on the machines. "Do something!!" Cameron was shouting to the doctor as he watched in horror as his mother's heart rate started to slowly drop on the machine beside him.

I placed my hand gently on his arm and he looked down at me with tear filled eyes. "We can't Mr.James, she signed a DNR" the doctor told him, showing him her signature on his clipboard. Cameron shook his head and rand his fingers through his hair before slumping down in the chair behind him. "We are very sorry" The doctor said placing a hand over Cameron's shoulder before flipping off the machine that was now nothing but four straight lines.

Janet was gone, Cameron has lost his mother and there wasn't anything I could do to bring her back. He let his head fall against the cold white sheets before clasping Janet's hand in his and holding against his cheek. "I'm so sorry mother" He said choking on a sob as he kissed her hand.

I remember the day my father died and I pushed everyone away from me, everyone I loved and cared about. I just hoped Cameron wouldn't do the same and push me out of his life, but he lost his father when he was younger so his mother was all he had. Now he had nothing.

Cameron's sobs pulled me from my thoughts and I wrapped my arms around his neck from behind, leaning my head against the back of his head. There wasn't much i could say, there wasn't anything I could do but let Cameron know I was there for him. And when he grabbed me and pulled me onto his lap, holding me as if I would float into thin air before him, I know he knew I was there for him and wasn't going anywhere anytime soon....if ever.