Deanna is grateful that Beverly is the one who makes the move, since she'd been careful since walking up on Beverly in such a precarious state, mentally and emotionally, and not wanting to pressure her, but it is returned without even a seconds pause, folding her arms around Beverly and hugging her back. The gratitude and relief all but radiating off of her. Or more that it was, except into the imperceptible silence and space around them.

But they didn't need that. She could feel it for both of them, from both of them.

"You have not, and could not, have done such a thing," Deanna said, into Beverly's shoulder. "You were a dear friend already to me, and you had counted me as such as well. I could not simply assume that everything might have stayed the same, no matter how much I might wish it at this time -- nor did I wish to push you in any personal way while all of this was already going on."

She wouldn't want Beverly to feel she could be as selfish as to place this over that either, which was even hard to even consider getting into words. She hadn't even thought it as clearly until this second. Her calling was one of selflessness in pursuit of helping other people to be as balanced as possible in themselves, she never could have counted her need in this as greater than the needs Beverly wounded heart and psyche carried when she came in.

Deanna tucked the last words Beverly said deep inside her being as she closed her eyes and hugged her friend, almost sad, only for the briefest flash, that Beverly could not simply feel in her mind and her heart how much those few words had mattered to Deanna's own mind and heart.