Heart Murmurs

Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. They are owned by NBC and a handful of other deserving people. If these characters were mine, there's a good chance the show would have been called "Jack & Karen" instead.

Setting: Season 2, during "The Hospital Show," right after Grace leaves Karen in the room alone.

Plot: This is a short one-off that elaborates on the scene with Grace and Karen in "The Hospital Show."

Karen took a deep breath, rolling the gold band in her hand. The doctors had assured her, time and again, that her husband was going to be fine. Karen didn't think she'd believe it until Stan opened his eyes and told her himself. This entire day had been a maelstrom of unwanted emotion and undeniable feeling; Karen had experienced very few of these in her entire life and she wasn't too keen on having one occur again any time soon.

For this day had served to awaken her to the very mortality of her husband. He was such a presence in her life, such a steady foundation, such an endless supply of comfort, that Karen had elevated him to something beyond mere human. Stan had made her feel things not many could: important, cared for, loved.

She adored Jackie and knew that his affection for her ran beyond the nonexistent limits of her credit cards. Will had come to be an important part of her life as well, but these men weren't her Stanley. Stan accepted her for who she was: her faults, her trappings, her misgivings, and even her rarely-displayed soft side.

His deep, unconditional love did not go unrequited. No, on the contrary, Karen loved him with such a fierce intensity that it often scared her. She made up for this by playing the nonchalant Upper East Side trophy wife which, make no mistake, she was entirely. But Stan loved his trophy of sorts and all that she stood for.

The sunlight streaming in through the window caught Stanley's wedding ring and it winked at her. Of course Karen adored the luxurious life Stan gave her; it had been what initially attracted Karen to him. But Karen could have married any other chump with a large wallet. Yes, Stan's money first caught her interest, but something else kept it there. It certainly wasn't his physique; even in those days, Stan had been hefty. But his face was quite handsome and his eyes had looked at Karen adoringly.

She'd actually been able to talk to him. In addition to Jack, Will, Grace, and Rosario, Stan was the only other person Karen could really talk to. She often sensed that Will and Grace didn't always listen to what Karen said, instead being entirely wrapped up in their own lives. Karen didn't see why; both seemed rather uninteresting. And her adorable Jackie did listen, but his attention span was even less than Mason's.

But Stan always listened. Admittedly, there were times when he was preoccupied with his business affairs or the like, but when he did listen, it was with such an attentive face and enraptured eyes that Karen found it irresistible.

She even—oh, Lord, she never thought she'd admit this, even mentally—cared for his children. At first, she'd had to learn to tolerate them. Children weren't exactly Karen Delaney's forte. Perhaps because she'd never had the chance to be one herself. Regardless, Karen had had to accept the fact that Stanley came with baggage, baggage in the form of an egotistical ex-wife and two children.

But Karen had soon come to realize just how special the children were. Olivia was remarkably intelligent, both in school and with people. She seemed to recognize Karen's act for what it was—an act—and played along accordingly. Her curly auburn hair even reminded Karen of Grace, a fact that secretly endeared Olivia to Karen even more.

Mason was like Stan. There was no other way Karen could say it. Physically, they were strikingly similar—both in body shape and facial structure. But their personalities were akin as well. Both were quiet observers, only inserting fitting remarks and comments into conversation. Stanley, being older and a businessman, obviously talked a great deal more, but he wasn't outgoing by nature. That is, only certain things could make Stanley Walker outgoing. Karen happened to be one of them. She grinned mischievously.

And when Stan went away on his business trips, Karen was left alone in the manse with Olivia and Mason. For their credit, the children were quite good at keeping to themselves and playing only with each other and members of the staff. Though the Walker estate was large, however, it wasn't so large that the children didn't run into their stepmother once in a while. After being deathly afraid of her, Olivia had warmed up quickly and began idolizing Karen. There were many times when Karen had a feeling that someone had been playing in her closet, trying on her shoes and extravagant dresses. Rather than rampage through the house demanding answers, Karen had simply smiled and saved her potential frustration for times when she actually caught Olivia in the act.

Karen blinked. She was seriously getting off topic. She set Stanley's wedding ring back in the small bag the doctor had given her and searched through her purse, producing her pills. She glanced at the side effects, looking for "possible daydreaming."

"Hmm. Nothing," Karen muttered, slipping the pills back into her purse. She set the large leather bag down on the chair and took a deep breath. It was time to go see her husband. She'd put off doing so, questioning her ability to see her husband in a hospital bed and maintain composure.

Through the years, however, Karen had learned how to shut herself down and hold all emotions in. Stan often remarked that sometimes, when Karen shut down, she forgot to "turn on" again. This would, of course, lead to a sexual innuendo-riddled conversation where Stan's initial intentions were forgotten.

Karen took another deep breath, squared her shoulders, and calmly entered Stan's hospital room. Just as promptly, Karen deflated and stared helplessly at her husband as the door swung shut behind her. She slowly walked over to the bed and gently touched his hand, afraid to disturb him in any way. The heart monitor beeped regularly and countless other machines and tubes filled the stark white room. Karen slowly grazed his hand with her fingers, wishing he would wake up.

Just then, the hospital door slowly opened and Olivia and Mason entered. Karen breathed a sigh of relief, surprisingly; she hadn't known what else to do. She felt as though she should do something for Stan but couldn't figure out what.

"Hi, Karen," Olivia said, the terror at first seeing her father in a hospital gone.

"Hey, kids," Karen replied, turning away from Stan. Mason shuffled his feet awkwardly but Olivia bravely stepped forward.

"Is he all right?" Olivia asked.

"Of course he is," Karen responded quickly. "He'll be fine. He can probably come home tonight."

"If he's ok, then why is he here?" Mason asked, looking not at Karen or his sister, but at the ground.

"His chest was hurting," Karen said carefully. "They just wanted to make sure everything was all right."

"What if it isn't?" Olivia asked suddenly. Mason's head snapped up. "What if they think he's all right, but really, his chest was hurting because-"

Karen, who didn't want to think about it any more than his children did, flashed a gentle warning look at Olivia and then glanced at Mason. Olivia, being rather perceptive for a kid, caught on and clamped her mouth shut.

Mason's eyes had widened fractionally and he suddenly stared at his father, afraid he was never going to see him again. Karen walked over and placed a hand on Mason's shoulder. She didn't know what to say, exactly, so she thought what Stan always told her when she expressed fears of losing him.

"Your father loves you too much to leave you," Karen said, briefly wondering if her own father had ever loved her at all. She squeezed his shoulder lightly, smiling genuinely at him.

Mason gave a small smile in return and this seemed to assure Karen. She took her hand away from him and rubbed her hands together.

"Now, who brought you here? Rosie?" Karen asked. The children nodded. "Why don't you go ask her to get you some ice cream? I'm sure she has some extra cash," Karen added, bitterly thinking of the bet her friends had made.

The children brightened at the confectionary thought and scampered out of the room in search of their favorite housekeeper. Karen looked after them fondly, wondering if she'd actually just had a moment with the "wretched" stepkiddies.

"You're great with them, you know," Stan's voice said behind her. Karen slowly pivoted on her custom-made heel, staring at her husband with a perfect poker face. "They love you," Stan told her.

This broke Karen's façade. "Oh, I wouldn't say that."

Stan smiled weakly. "I would. You're better to them than their own mother is." Stan lifted his arm off of the bed and held it in the air, indicating that Karen was to take his hand. She complied and stepped closer to her husband.

"How…how are you?" she asked, staring at his hand as she absentmindedly played with his fingers.

"I'm fine," Stan remarked. Karen nodded, still looking at his hand. "Hey." Stan released her hand and lifted her chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "I'm fine, love."

Karen nodded. "I heard you the first time-" Karen stopped herself, finding she was about to playfully insult him. She could bring herself to, not in a situation like this, not on a day like this. "Stanley," she finished meekly.

Stan looked at her knowingly. "'Stanley?' Really?"

Karen shrugged. "I'm saving the good stuff for a day when your clogged arteries don't attempt ultimate revenge on you." Karen closed her eyes, realizing she wasn't ready to joke about it yet. This was something she couldn't just plow through blindly in a prescription drug-induced fog. She'd actually have to deal with this.

Stan took her soft hand again and brought it to his lips, kissing it tenderly. "Didn't you listen to what you told Mason? I love you too much to leave you."

"I'm beginning to think I actually do love you too much," Karen admitted quietly, half-surprised she'd uttered it out loud.

"No such thing, sweetheart," Stan said. Karen squeezed his hand in a nonverbal acknowledgement of what he'd said. Stan understood that the personal conversation was over, if momentarily, and switched gears. "So when am I allowed out of here?"

"I'm not sure," Karen replied. "Dr. Huxtable said it would be soon, I think."

Stan's face displayed his confusion until he thought back a bit and recalled what his doctor looked like. He chuckled appreciatively, always enjoying Karen's sense of humor.

Karen smiled back at him and lightly tapped her pointer finger against his nose. "I'll go see when we can get you home."

Stan nodded, clasping his hands together above his stomach. Noticing something odd, he glanced down. "Kare?"

Karen pivoted around to face him as she opened the hospital door. "Hm?"

"Can you grab my wedding ring?" Stan asked, disliking the naked feeling his left hand currently had.

"Sure, honey," she replied, leaving the room.

As the door slowly closed behind her, Karen swore she heard Stan murmur, "I love you, Kare Bear."

Karen shook her head at the ridiculous nickname her husband had given her years ago. Stan was so corny, so sweet, and so enamored with his beautiful bride that it almost made Karen sick.

Almost.