DISCLAIMER. All Will & Grace characters belong to whomever created them, Im just borrowing them.
AUTHORS NOTE. This story takes place in the same reality as my previous Will & Grace stories, Matters of The Heart and New Frontiers (you might want to read those stories again to catch up on events). Seven months have now passed since Karens heart attack, she and Grace have now been dating for one month. As with my previous W&G stories, this story is more dramatic in nature than your typical episode of Will & Grace. Enjoy the story.
The morning sun shone into the bedroom and found Grace and Karen sleeping in each others arms. Slowly, Grace opened her eyes and smiled as she saw Karen laying next to her. ]I'm glad that Karen and I are a couple now. Grace thought. It's nice to finally have someone who truly cares about me.
"Good morning, Gracie." Karen said as she opened her eyes to see that Grace was already awake. "What are you thinking about?"
"Oh, nothing." Grace replied. "I'm just admiring the beautiful woman I'm sharing my bed with."
"Oh, honey." Karen replied, blushing slightly. "You always know how to say the right things." With that, the two women kissed tenderly.
"Hey, are you two lovebirds decent in there?" Will's voice called from outside the bedroom door.
"We're fine, Will." Grace said with a sigh. "You can come in."
"Right." Will said and entered the bedroom. "Uh, I won't stay long. I just want to remind you, Grace, about our plans for today."
"Plans? What plans?"
"Grace, don't you remember? We were going out to New Jersey to visit Rob and Ellen this weekend. We've been planning this for weeks now." Will replied, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, we leave in a couple of hours." With that, Will left the room.
"Oh, damn!" Grace said. "I completely forgot." She turned to Karen. "Karen, I can always cancel and stay here."
"No, Gracie, you go visit your friends." Karen replied. "I'll be okay."
"I don't know, Karen. I really don't want to leave you here alone."
"Relax, I'm fine. You were with me at my last checkup, a few days ago." Karen said. Being a recent cardiac patient, Karen was required to have medical check-ups on a regular basis. Thankfully, the last check-up had good news, the bypass was holding well, allowing the blood to flow into Karen's heart around the area damaged by the heart attack.
"True, Karen, but I'm still worried." Grace said.
"Grace, trust me, nothing is going to happen." Karen said in a reassuring voice. "Besides, I won't be totally alone. Jack is just across the hall."
"Yeah, that's right." Grace replied. "I suppose you and he could do something together."
"Actually, I already have an idea for that." Karen said. "There is this charity ball tonight at the Hilton. Jack has been bugging me to take him there. I guess he wants to see if there are any cute guys he can line up for dates."
"Yeah, that sounds just like him." Grace said.
"Besides, I'd like to get back into the social scene again, Grace." Karen went on. "I haven't been to anything like this ball since before my heart attack."
"Well, this would be a good place to start." Grace said. "Well, now we have two hours to kill. Should we go have breakfast?"
"Not yet." Karen replied as she pushed Grace back down onto the bed. "There is something else I want to do first." The two women smiled just before they locked lips and began kissing each other passionately.
Two hours later, Will and Grace were ready to leave for their weekend trip. "Have fun." Karen said as she and Grace hugged each other good-bye.
"I'll try." Grace replied. "However, I'm going to miss you."
"I'll miss you too." Karen said and turned to Will. "Look after my Gracie for me."
"Trust me, Karen. She's in good hands." Will replied. "Okay, Grace, let's go."
"See you in a couple of days." Grace said to Karen. The two women kissed each other and then Grace followed Will out the door.
The drive to New Jersey was routine, and Grace spend a good deal of time looking out the window of the passenger seat. "Grace?" Will asked at one point. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, Will." Grace replied. "I just miss Karen."
"You know, I'm still a bit surprised about all this." Will said, shaking his head.
"Surprised about what?" Grace asked, turning to face Will.
"That this whole thing with you and Karen dating is working out."
"What does that supposed to mean!?" Grace asked, folding her arms. "Aren't you glad to see me in a happy relationship for a change?"
"That's not what I meant, Grace." Will said defensively.
"So what did you mean?"
"I just meant that I thought I was the gay one around here." Will replied.
"Gay? Who said anything about me being gay?" Grace asked.
"Grace, you're dating another woman!"
"Ever heard of bisexuality, Will?" Grace replied.
"Yes, but..." Will began, but Grace cut him off.
"Let me just put it this way, Will. Every man I've ever dated has hurt me in some way. You remember Leo, the man I married and vowed to spend the rest of my life with? He made those same vows, and then he goes and cheats on me!" Grace looked on, waiting for Will to reply, but he said nothing. Her failed marriage to Leo was still a sore point and looking back, Grace realized that the marriage may have been in trouble since day one After all, how can you be happily married to someone when that person is out of the country for weeks or months at a time. Grace thought, reflecting that Leo's duties with Doctors Without Borders often took him away to distant countries. It was during one of these trips, to Cambodia, that Leo had slept with another woman.
"Grace, I'm sorry." Will finally said. "I didn't mean to open that wound."
"Ah, forget it." Grace said, feeling the anger leaving her. "I can see why you want to look out for me. However, you have nothing to worry about. After all, Karen and I have known each other for years now. It's not like she's someone I just met."
"True, but Karen never struck me as the caring type." Will said. "At least the pre-heart attack Karen didn't."
"That's because she took like for granted back then." Grace replied. "She knows now that life is much more precious than that. Besides, you've benefited from having her live with us. After all, that is how you met Vince."
"Yeah." Will said, smiling. He recalled that some two weeks before, Karen, wanting to help out around the apartment, had wanted to learn how to drive. Will had offered to teach her and they had set out. Unfortunately, Karen had a knack to speed a little bit, and they had been pulled over by a cop. The cop, who's name had been Vince, had turned out to be gay and after a shaky start, he and Will had been dating ever since.
"Well let me just say that I'm happy for you, Will." Grace said. "It's nice to see you in a relationship again."
"Yeah, I guess things have worked out okay for both of us." Will replied, smiling.
Back at the apartment, Karen had gotten herself a glass of milk and was just settling down in front of the television set, when Jack came flying into the apartment. "So, Kare, are we going to the ball tonight?" he asked, the excitement clear in his voice.
"Yes, it's all set." Karen replied.
"YAY!" Jack said as he began jumping up and down. "I can't wait to see if there are any cute guys there!"
"Oh, I'm sure there will be. It's just that..." Karen trailed off.
"Karen, what is it?" Jack asked as he saw the worried expression on her face.
"I don't know if I'm ready for this." Karen said slowly. "After all, I've kind of gotten used to living here with Will and Grace, and I like it. That ball kind of represents a life I've left behind now."
"Well, that's not entirely true." Jack pointed out. "You're still filthy rich, Kare. You could pay the rent here for all of us, heck, you could own this apartment building if you wanted to."
"That's true." Karen said, nodding her head.
"Plus, you still have that fancy penthouse."
"Yeah, but I haven't lived there in over half-a-year now." Karen pointed out. "It's more or less Rosario's place now."
"Yes, but it's still yours legally." Jack replied.
"Jack, where are you going with this?" Karen asked.
"I'm just saying that you're still the rich woman you were before the heart attack. Just try to focus on that tonight." Jack said with a smile.
"Okay, Jacky, I'll try." Karen replied.
Later on, Will and Grace arrived at Rob and Ellen's place in New Jersey. "Hi, here we are!" Grace said when Ellen answered the door.
"Grace! Will!" Ellen said, smiling as she let them in. "It's good to see you both. It's been quite a while now."
"Yes, it has." Grace replied as she entered the house and looked around. "Where are the kids?"
"My mother has them for the weekend." Ellen said as she led Will and Grace into the living room. "It's just the four of us adults this weekend."
"Hey, guys!" Rob said as he entered the room and shook hands with Will. "You made it!"
"Yep!" Will said. "Ellen told us that the kids are away for the weekend. So, what are the big plans, if you don't mind me asking."
"Well, how about Grace and I go out for coffee first." Ellen said. "You guys stay here and help yourselves, I just made some sandwiches. Later, we can discuss evening plans."
"Uh, sure." Grace said, puzzled at why Ellen would want to go out so soon after Grace and Will had just arrived.
"Works for me." Rob said.
Something is not right here. Grace thought as she looked from Ellen to Rob and back again. What's going on?
Twenty minutes later, Grace and Ellen were seated in a small café, catching up on events. "You're kidding!" Ellen said. "You and Karen!?"
"Yeah, it's true." Grace replied as she took a sip of her coffee.
"How long?" Ellen asked.
"About a month now." Grace said and went on to explain about the trip she and Karen had taken to Karen's cabin in Vermont the previous month. "That's where it started."
"Wow, I have been out of the loop!" Ellen said as she sipped her own coffee. "I mean that I knew Karen had been living with you guys since her heart attack, but I never imagine this!"
"Me neither, at least not a first." Grace replied and looked at her long time friend. She knew that Ellen was holding something back from her. "Ellen, are you okay? Is something wrong?"
"Well... Yes." Ellen said as she looked down at her coffee. "I guess I should tell you, Grace, because you're going to find out sooner or later anyway." Ellen looked up and stared Grace right into the eyes, before she unloaded the bad news. "Rob and I are separating."
"What!?" Grace blurted out, nearly spilling her coffee. "My God, Ellen, I am so sorry!"
"Rob and I were going to tell you and Will later, but I decided to let you know now."
"Ellen, I... I mean why? You and Rob seemed so happy." Grace said, the surprise still evident in her voice.
"Yeah, we did." Ellen replied. "However, that's not the truth. For the past year, Rob and I have been fighting more and more often. We realized that it just wasn't working anymore."
"So what happens now?" Grace asked.
"Well, Rob has already found an apartment. It's close by, so he can still see the kids on a regular basis."
"Have you talked about a divorce?" Grace wondered. It's bad enough my own marriage collapsed. she thought. Now Rob and Ellen's marriage is on the rocks? What next?
"No, not yet." Ellen replied, shaking her head. "First of all, we hope that living apart for a little while might help us out in the long run."
"That could work." Grace said. "What I mean is that I hope it does, Ellen. Divorce is not a nice thing to go through, as I well know."
"Thanks, Grace, for listening." Ellen said as she reached over and placed a hand on Grace's.
"No problem." Grace replied. "We've been friends now for twenty years. Of course, I'll be there for you if you need me."
"Anyway, Will, that's it." Rob concluded as the two men sat in the living room of Rob and Ellen's house.
"You're separating? I can't believe it." Will said slowly. "I mean I never expected this news. When are you moving out, Rob?"
"End of the week." Rob replied.
"I'm sorry, Rob." Will said. Man, and there I was going on and on about Vince! Will thought of the conversation he and Rob had been having, before Rob revealed the news about his and Ellen's separation. I feel like a complete schmuck! At that point, Grace and Ellen returned. "Grace!" Will said. "Did you know..."
"Rob and Ellen are separating? Yes, Ellen told me not too long ago." Grace replied. At that moment, an awkward silence descended as none of the four friends were sure what to say next.
"So what do we do now?" Will asked, finally breaking the silence.
"We do what we planned to do this weekend. Go out and try to have fun." Ellen replied. "I'm sorry about all this."
"Hey, it's not your fault, Ellen." Grace said. "Sometimes life just throws us for a loop. It's where we land that counts."
Later that evening, back in New York City, Karen stood in front of the mirror in her and Grace's bedroom, wearing one of her best dresses. Yes, I think this will do very nicely. Karen thought as she admired herself in the mirror. I wish Grace were here to see me. I miss her so much! At that point, Jack knocked on the bedroom door. "Come in!" Karen called.
"Wow, you look great, Kare." Jack said as he entered the bedroom. "What do you think of my fancy duds?" he asked her as he spun around in the fancy tuxedo he was now wearing.
"I think it looks great, Jack." Karen replied. "Considering that I bought it for you."
"Uh, yeah, you did." Jack said, blushing.
"Let's go." Karen said and the two of them headed out into the living room. They were about to call for a ride, when someone knocked at the door. "Who could that be?" Karen wondered.
"Only one way to find out." Jack replied and answered the door. Standing there was an elderly man, who looked to be in his seventies. "Can we help you?" Jack asked.
"No, I'm looking for someone." the man replied and then his eyes fell on Karen. "I think I just found her."
"I'm sorry, old man, but I don't..." Karen began and then broke off as recognition set in. "Oh my God! I don't believe it!"
"You know this old guy, Kare?" Jack asked.
"Yeah, I do, Jacky. He's my father!" Karen replied.
"Your father!?" the astonished Jack blurted.
"Yes." the old man said. "I'm Joseph Delaney, call me Joe." he and Jack shook hands.
"I'm Jack McFarland, a good friend of Karen's." Jack said.
"Pleased to meet you." Joe said and then turned back to Karen. "My God, let me look at you. It's been so long now."
"It sure the hell has!" Karen snapped. "Over forty years too long!"
"Karen..." Jack began, but Karen raised a hand and silenced him.
"Don't say anything, Jacky. This so-called father of mine has a great deal of explaining to do! Starting with why he's suddenly decided to pop back into my life!"
"Okay, I deserve that." Joe said. "I admit I wasn't much of a father to you."
"Not much of a father!? How about not a father at all!" Karen replied sarcastically. "You walked out on me and Mom and never came back. For over forty years I haven't even gotten a card from you, and now, here you are! How did you find me anyway?"
"I tracked you to your penthouse. That maid of yours, Ro.." Joe broke off, searching for the name.
"Rosario." Jack said helpfully.
"Right, Rosario." Joe said and then continued. "Rosario told me you were living here now. She also told me that you had a heart attack some months ago. Oh, Karen, if I had known..."
"If you had known!? What would you have done, come running to my side?" Karen snorted.
"Damn it, Karen, please listen to me!" Joe said with desperation in his voice. "I know I can never make up for the last forty or so years, but give me a chance. I want to get to know you in the time I have left!"
"Huh!?" Karen said, stunned. "What do you mean by that?"
"I have terminal cancer, Karen." Joe said sadly. "My doctor tells me that I only have a month, or maybe six weeks, left."
"I...I ..." Karen stuttered, not knowing what to say.
"When the doctor told me the news, I took a good long look at my life." Joe went on. "Needless to say, I have a lot of regrets. The biggest one being that I wasn't part of your life, Karen. Please let me try to make that up to you now, Karen, it's my dying wish."
"Well..." Karen began and both Jack and Joe waited to see what she would say next. What do I say now? Karen thought. For years I've hated this man for abandoning me, yet now I don't feel that hatred. Maybe I should give him a chance, after all, he is my father, no matter what. Taking a breath, Karen slowly said. "Okay... Daddy." However, she then began to think. I gotta call Grace and see what she thinks!
During that same day, in New Jersey, things had taken on a surreal feeling, at least Grace thought so. Here we are having a so-called fun weekend, yet Rob and Ellen's marriage is on the rocks. This is weird, very weird, in my books. As evening set in, Grace got Will alone in Rob and Ellen's kitchen. "So, Will, what do you think?"
"About what?" Will asked.
"Us having all this fun today when Rob and Ellen's marriage is over." Grace replied.
"Well, it's not technically over, Grace." Will pointed out. "Right now they're just separating. Neither has said anything about a divorce."
"Yes, but isn't that how all separations usually end up?"
"Grace, are you thinking about Ellen's marriage, or your own?" Will asked.
"Maybe both." Grace replied. "I know what divorce is like, Will. It's not a pleasant thing to go through. You bring so much into a marriage, you invest so much emotionally, and then it all blows up in your face. It happened to me and now it's happening to Ellen."
"Grace what happened to you and what is happening to Ellen are two different things." Will said. "Your marriage ended because your husband cheated on you. Rob and Ellen are separating because they're fighting all the time. Two different reasons!"
"Yeah, I guess." Grace said, realizing that Will was right. "This whole separation thing just caught me off guard."
"Grace, telephone!" Ellen said as she poked her head into the kitchen. "It's Karen."
"Thanks, Ellen." Grace replied and headed out into the living room, where the telephone was. She had heard the phone ringing, but didn't think it would be for her. "Hi Karen!" Grace said as she picked up the receiver.
"Hi Gracie." Karen's voice said. "How's the weekend going?"
"Fine." Grace replied. "I'm missing you, though."
"I miss you too, Grace."
"So are you going to your big ball?" Grace asked.
"No, something unexpected happened." Karen replied. "My father showed up."
"Your father!?" Grace blurted.
"Yeah, it turns out he's dying of cancer and wants to spend the last few weeks of his life getting to know me." Karen said. "Grace, I'm a bit confused on what to do next."
"Well, Karen, he is reaching out to you." Grace said.
"That's true." Karen replied. "To tell you the truth, Grace, I wanted to hate him when he first showed up here, but I can't. The man is dying. It would just be wrong."
"Well, Karen, if you want my advice, here it is. Spend time with your father, get to know him. Not many people get a second chance like this."
"Thanks, Grace, I think I'll take your advice to heart." Karen said. "I love you."
"I love you too." Grace replied.
The next morning, back in New York City, Karen met her father for brunch at a restaurant near his hotel. "I don't imagine it's like the fancy places you're used to, but I hope it's okay." Joe said, once the two of them were seated.
"You mean you know about me?" Karen asked. "You know that I'm rich?"
"Yeah, did manage to keep track of you over the years, Karen." Joe replied. "I just felt too ashamed to approach you. I was afraid that you'd have nothing to do with me."
"You're probably right." Karen said. "Back then I would have slammed the door in your face. However, since my heart attack, I've learned that life can't be taken for granted." Karen then added in her mind. Plus, Gracie gave me some good advice last night.
"I'm just glad that you're with me now, Karen."
"Dad, if I may ask, why did you leave in the first place?" Karen wondered.
"Well, that's not a nice story." Joe said slowly. "The truth is that I didn't leave, your mother took you and left me."
"What!?" Karen said with astonishment.
"Well, your mother was not the kind of person to wait for money. She was always looking for the next big score."
"Was? She still is!" Karen said, sighing.
"Yeah, I figured that forty years wasn't enough to change someone like Lois." Joe said. "Anyway, one day she got into a scam that almost cost us everything we owned. I really let her have it, I told her that there would be no more scams, no more cons. The next day, when I got home from work, I found that she'd taken you and left."
"She... She told me that you were the one that left." Karen said slowly. "She told me that is the reason why we had to move."
"Yeah, I figured she would." Joe said, shaking his head.
That selfish bitch! How could she!? Karen thought, never hating her mother as much as she hated her right now.
"I tried to find you for a long time." Joe went on. "However, I didn't have the resources or the money to keep it up for very long back then. It took me over thirty years to find out where you were, Karen. As I said, I was afraid to contact you at that point."
"So what happened next?" Karen wondered.
"Well, after a while I realized that I had to start living my life again." Joe replied. "Eventually I remarried, we were very happy, me and Alice, my second wife. She died about five years ago."
"I'm sorry." Karen said. "Did you have any children with her?"
"No." Joe said, shaking his head.
"Oh." Karen said sadly. "I was wondering if I had any half-siblings out there. Still I'm glad you found someone, Dad."
"Well, I..." Joe began, but then broke off as a coughing fit shook his elderly body.
"Dad!?" Karen said, beginning to rise from her seat.
"No, I'm okay." Joe said after a minute or so. "I suppose this will be happening a lot now."
"I can get you special medical treatment." Karen said. "I have the money, after all."
"No, no special treatment." Joe said, shaking his head. "It would only delay the end and I don't want that."
"Dad, I'm just getting to know you!" Karen protested.
"I know. " Joe replied. "So why don't we make these next six weeks count for something."
"Sounds good to me." Karen said, a sad smile coming onto her face.
Karen was true to her word. Over the next six weeks, she and her father, Joe, spent a great deal of time together. They managed to get to know each other, even though both knew they could never get the previous forty years back. Finally, the cancer caught up to Joe and Karen was at his side in his final moments.
Well, here we are. Karen thought as she looked around Joe's room. She had arranged for her father to have a private room. He lay on his bed, hooked up to a dozen monitors. Both he and Karen knew that the end was coming soon. "Oh, Dad." Karen said, he eyes wet with tears.
"I so sorry." Joe said weakly. "However, I'm glad we had this time together, Karen."
"Me too." Karen replied.
"I have something for you." Joe said. "Go into my jacket pocket. You'll find it there."
"Okay." Karen said and did as she was told. Soon she found herself staring at the picture of a young man holding a baby girl. "Is that..." Karen began, but stopped when she got choked up.
"Yes, that young man is me. That baby girl is you." Joe said, smiling despite the illness that was ravaging his body.
"Thank you so much." Karen said as she sat back down and laid her head on Joe's chest. "I'll treasure it, always."
"I'll treasure these past six weeks, Karen." Joe said weakly as he smiled at the daughter he had gotten a chance to know again.
Will, Grace, and Jack were waiting in the corridor outside of Joe's room. I hate hospitals. Grace thought to herself. However, we have to be here for Karen. I think she's going to need us now more than ever. After a while, the door to Joe's room opened and Karen came out. "Karen?" Grace asked, already knowing what Karen was going to say next.
"He's gone." Karen said slowly. "He slipped away a few minutes ago. I..." Karen then stopped as her mouth wavered and her brown eyes filled with tears. Then she broke down completely, the sobs racking from her body.
"Oh, Kare." Grace said and went over and embraced her crying girlfriend in a hug. Jack and Will soon followed, all three of them gathering protectively around Karen. In the old days, Karen had never let her emotions be shown so publically, but now she didn't care who saw her cry. It's not fair! Karen thought. I just got my Dad back, and now I've lost him again forever! It's not fair! The next few days were going to be hard, but Karen knew that Grace, Will, and Jack would be there for her, and that she would be grateful for.
Several days later, Karen lay on the bed in her and Grace's room, thinking. She had been thinking a lot these past few days, and considering things. It's time. Karen finally thought. Soon, a knock sounded on the door. "Come in." Karen said.
"Hi Karen, I just wanted to see how you're doing." Grace said as she entered the room. "I've been a little worried about you."
"I'm fine, Gracie." Karen replied. "I'm glad I was able to give my father the chance to know me. I think I made his last few weeks on Earth happy for him."
"I think so too." Grace replied. "Have you spoken to your mother about this?"
"No, and I don't intend to!" Karen said harshly. "After what she did to my father, I'll never speak to that selfish bitch again!"
"Oh." Grace said. Relations between Karen and her mother have never been too warm, and now it seems they are sub-zero. Grace thought.
"So, how are things going with Rob and Ellen?" Karen asked, changing the subject.
"Well, they're going to try counselling." Grace said. "However, I don't know if it will work. I hope it does. Marriage!? You can never tell these days."
"Yeah, speaking of which, I've been doing some thinking myself." Karen said.
"Really? What about?" Grace asked.
"Well, my heart attack taught me not to take life for granted." Karen replied. "Now this experience with my father has taught me to treasure the time you have with loved ones. He and I only had six weeks together, but we made up for all the lost time as best we could. I think we did a pretty good job at it."
"I agree." Grace said, wondering where Karen was going with this.
"However, now I have to plan for the future." Karen continued as she got up off the bed and walked over to where Grace was standing. "That future, Grace, I want you to be part of, always." Then, to Grace's astonishment, Karen got down on one knee, and took Grace's hand in her own. "Grace Adler, will you marry me?" At Karen's words, Grace's mouth popped open, but nothing came out. The seconds seemed to crawl past as Karen waited for Grace to answer.
TO BE CONTINUED IN THE STORY, YOU ARE INVITED