He did not remember ever seeing her as visibly upset as she was this morning. He had been her boss now for only a short time, but he had worked with her before. He tried not to make a spectacle of her mood, and made small talk, joking around as normal. He finally brought it up, and asked if everything was ok. She explained how some bad situations were going on in her life, and just the stresses were all catching up with her. He knew all too well how that could be. He wanted to fix all of her problems, but knew he couldn't. So, instinct took over, and without thinking he reached for her, and just pulled her close to offer a hug.
Apparently that was all it took. She broke down, sobbing onto his shoulder. He just held her, and stroked her hair. Oddly enough, he didn't feel awkward or anything. He really cared for her, she was his friend. Finally, she seemed to be calming down. She pulled away, and wiping her eyes, tried to apologize.
"I am sorry sir. This was really inappropriate. I don't need to be bringing my problems to work with me. I won't let it happen again sir."
"Nonsense," he replied. "You are a friend, and a trusted employee. This is not one of those normal uptight stuffy corporate places. Here, we take care of our own."
"Thank you sir," she said. "And thank you for the hug. I really needed it."
The rest of the day went without incident. Her normal duties kept her quite busy, and she was able to take her mind off the problems for a little while. He kept peering out from his office at her, just to make sure she was ok. He smiled to himself when he saw her busy at work.
The end of the day came, and they both packed up to leave. As they reached their cars, she walked over to him, and gave him a hug.
"Thank you again, sir. You have no idea what things have been like, and I really just needed someone to care. See you tomorrow!"
With that, she got in her car and drove away. He was still standing in the parking lot a minute later in shock. The first time, the hug was out of instinct. He just wanted to make her feel better. This time, she came to him. And his mind instantly raced about how good it felt to hold her.