Will was standing there on the street quietly, trying to absorb what Mac just said, that Charlie had had a heart attack and that he had died. He needed more information. "Where?"
She started moving them toward the SUV. "He collapsed in the bullpen. He was angry with Sloan and I about tonight's broadcast."
"Why?" he asked.
"It's a bit of a story, Billy. Come on, get in and I'll tell you on the way home." Will opened her door for her and Mac climbed in followed very closely by Will. He reached for her hand as soon as he was settled. He had over fifty days to make up for not being able to touch her.
"Tell me," he said as their driver pulled out into traffic and started home.
"Pruitt has a new direction for using ACN Digital. He's integrated it with the broadcasts. There are Twitter monitors on the set, and there is this app that Neal's temporary replacement created that tracks celebrities and people can post where someone has been spotted and leave commentary."
"Fuck," Will said.
"I know. Sloan tore apart the app on the show tonight. That's what Charlie was mad about originally, and then Pruitt came down and fired Sloan and I, but evidently only Charlie has the, had the power to fire us, part of the deal Mrs. Lansing made. He was going up to talk to Pruitt when he collapsed in the bull pen."
Will was rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb while she explained what had happened. "An ambulance came?"
"It did, very quickly, and I rode with Charlie to the hospital, but it was too late. I'm so sorry, Billy," she said, her arm going around his neck and she buried her head against his shoulder.
They remained close for the rest of the ride home, not speaking, just being together, and comforting one another. Will kept her pressed against his chest, rubbing her back.
Their driver asked, "will you be needing me any more this evening?" as he pulled up to their building.
Mac pulled back and shook her head and Will responded, "no, thank you," and opened the car door, helping Mac out behind him.
He led them up to the new apartment and when he turned the light on, it actually powered on, making Will smile. Then he took a moment to look around and saw how much work had been done on the remodel. "Wow, you've gotten a lot done."
"I had some time," she replied. "I'm sorry, that was snarky and I didn't mean it," she said, walking into his arms. "Can we go to bed? I need to share a bed with you again."
He smiled and nodded and led her into their bedroom, with actual walls. Will was taking it all in as he walked through the apartment. There were still things left to be done, but Mac really had gotten a lot accomplished while he was away.
Mac got undressed and grabbed her pajamas from her dresser. Will seemed lost, simply standing in their bedroom. "You okay?"
Her voice shocked him. "Sorry. Will you be okay if I take a quick shower?"
She smiled and said, "the towels are in the top cabinet."
He stripped down to his boxer briefs and walked into the bathroom. He'd started to reach for the lights but they automatically came on when he entered the room. He found a towel and placed it on the warmer and turned on the shower. This shower was so much nicer than the communal one he'd used for the last couple of months. He saw that his shower gel was on the shelf waiting for him. He opened the bottle and simply smelled the scent, closing his eyes. It was going to take some adjusting getting back to his normal life. The things he'd taken for granted before he now really appreciated.
After his shower he grabbed the lotion and carried it back to the bedroom. He hoped Mac was still awake to put some on his back. His skin was so very dry. "Mac, will you rub some of this on my back?" he asked sitting on the side of the bed.
She took the lotion and began rubbing it on his back. "Your skin is very dry, Billy."
"That feels so good, Kenz." She spent a long time simply touching him. She'd missed him so much.
After she finished rubbing the lotion into his back she sat up on her knees and kissed his neck. She took the lotion and placed it on the nightstand and pulled him into bed. They lay there looking at one another. Will was touching her face, tracing her features with his finger. "I missed you so much."
"I missed you, too, but I understood, too. I am so proud of you."
"I can't believe he died. I want to go see Nancy."
"We'll go in the morning. Katie was at the hospital with Nancy," Mac said and then yawned.
"Come here," he said, pulling her to rest against him. "Close your eyes."
Will felt her relax against him, her arm across his waist. He should have been exhausted, but he couldn't fall asleep. After a few minutes he figured out what the problems were, it was dark and there wasn't any noise. He looked around the room for Mac's nightlight and couldn't find it anywhere. He was tempted to get up and turn on the bathroom light, if he could figure out how to make it stay on, but nothing was going to make him move from this bed and from holding onto Mac. He'd endured so much in solitary, but he wasn't the only one that suffered. He knew Mac, even though she put on a strong face, suffered, too. He was going to have to get used to the apartment again. He willed himself to sleep, but that did no good. The dark really was bothering him.
Mac opened her eyes and saw that he was still awake. "What's wrong? Is it Charlie?"
"Where's your nightlight?"
"Over here by my nightstand, but I got a new one, it's motion activated, so unless the sensor is triggered it remains dark."
"That works for you?" he asked.
"It does. What's wrong, Billy?"
"It's too dark and quiet. I'm not used to sleeping without lights on and noise."
"Oh, Billy," she said and sat up. "How about I turn on the closet light, would that help? We can leave the door cracked open."
He nodded and watched her move to the closet and turn on the light for him. When she got back in the bed she snuggled against him and asked, "is that better?"
"Thank you," he said hugging her.
"Sleep tight, Billy. I'll be right here and I love you."
"Love you, Kenz."