When a friend is suffering and or in pain

One of the hardest things for me is to know that a friend is in pain.
I want to help.
I want to be able to take away their suffering.
I just want to hold them and rock them to sleep.
I want them to know they are safe, that I'll do my best to protect them.
I guess it's my maternal instincts coming out.

Things get so complicated when you are a survivor.
You want to be helpful.
You want to be loving and caring.
You may not have had your friend's exact experiences, but you know the pain.
You know the flashbacks, you know the sadness, and loneliness that goes along with it.
You can relate on levels someone who wasn't abuse could never understand.

The problem gets complicated when your friend is male, and your are female,
Or you are male, and your friend is male.
I hate when what you may want to convey is misconstrued as something sexual.
You don't want to hurt your friend,
You just want them to know they are not alone, and that you care.