wrong meaning?

[english.student]

I am generally comfortable speaking English, but I said something to a colleague which, when I thought about it later, kind of sounded weird . So, my colleague, who has been helping me out with a project, will be out of office for few days, and during a casual conversation he said nobody would notice or care his three days absence since he's not (directly) involved in any projects right now. And at that moment, I said, "I care. I need you all the time" by which I meant I needed him all the time to help me out. I think he (and the people around) understood, but I am not sure if it was okay to put it that way. I mean, we do say, "I need the plumber" (though "why" is pretty obvious in this one). I would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions. Thank you in advance.

[SlickVic9000]

(Not a Teacher)

I imagine they understood what you meant, though they may have had a laugh or two at your expense after you left. In the future, I would add "help" to that sentence, just to make sure you aren't sending the wrong message.

[g-at-bbe]

...I said, "I care. I need you all the time" by which I meant I needed him all the time to help me out...

If you're concerned that you said something that might be interpreted in an inappropriate manner, relax. You're worried for nothing. Nobody, at least no American speakers, would attach any untoward meaning to what you said. Trust me...you're fine.

P.S. Whatever you do, don't go back and try to "fix" it with any sort of explanation. That would only serve to ensure that people actually are thinking what you're afraid they might be thinking but are almost certainly not thinking. I think.