"So we pick and choose who we want to remain close to. And once we've chosen those people. We tend to stick close by. No matter how much we hurt them. The people that are still with you at the end of the day, those are the ones worth keeping,"-Grey's Anatomy
Grace drummed her fingers against her drawing table, eyeing the clock every so often. It was nearing nine o'clock, at the time Karen had been coming in. Out of guilt or because she wanted to, were two questions that she thought of. Four months had passed since an irate Jack came into his apartment, waving around a paper, saying something about Karen and a new love interest. A demanding Marilyn, also waving a paper around, needing to talk to Will. She had gone out to look for her own paper, but didn't see anything. She hadn't heard the conversation going on in Will's bedroom, where Will, Karen, Jack, and Marilyn all seemed to be. What was happening in the room, crossed her mind, but just assumed that Will would tell her later.
Later, had been four months. Later, had been getting a phone call from Will telling her that he had stayed over at the mansion with Karen, after being snowed in by the snow storm. After hearing the tiring murmurs of Karen wanting Will, everything seemed to fall into place. The paper, the angry fights between them, the slow and slight change of behavior and the fact that they found a way to touch each other, made perfect sense. He told her of his relationship with Karen unintentionally. Now she waited for Karen, her assistant, her friend, and now apparently her best friend's lover.
"I know, I'm late," Karen said coming into the office. "I had to deal with something's this morning."It wasn't necessarily a lie, just not the full story. Not that Grace would want to hear the details of Karen's pleasant morning.
"How long have you been sleeping with Will?" It was straight to the point. The bush that Karen wished at the very moment, was beaten down instead of around.
"Excuse me?" Karen said slowly sitting down behind her desk.
"You've been having an affair with Will. How long have you been sleeping with him?" She repeated, coming closer to Karen. Karen shifted in her seat a little.
"Four months." She said, gripping the edge of her desk, feeling her fingers go numb. "We started three months before we were featured in the paper. And we started again a month ago."
Will at that precise moment walked into the office and was tempted to turn around and back out the door. Grace had shot him a look, stopping him dead in his tracks. He took a brief look at Karen who was looking at a straight faced Grace, who was scarily calm. He took a seat at the edge of Karen's desk and waited for Grace to talk, which she did. "So you've been screwing her. You've been screwing him. And you both screwed yourself out of a friendship. So Karen you're fired. And Will, I'm moving out." Grace picked up her purse and left, mumbling something about lunch.
Karen just laughed lightly, and began to clean off her desk. Putting her pill box, various nail supplies, and other things she kept on her desk that may have had sentimental value into her purse. She threw any paper into the garbage can and stood up. "Let's go," She said having made up her mind. "She's angry. It'll wear off. It always does."
Will shook his head at her subtleness. She hadn't let anything bother her, not right away. She couldn't allow anything to bother her right away. She needed to have everything to be pent up, so that way she could let it go in one shot, instead of all the time. How Karen could be so strong in a moment when anyone else he knew, including Grace, would break down, she just shrugged her shoulders and continued walking.
Hours had passed and Will brought Karen home with him. It wasn't going to be easy for them both to confront Grace about whatever relationship scenario she came up with. Karen had tried to get a hold of Jack, but wasn't able to, coming to the conclusion Grace had gone to him. When they had gotten there the apartment was empty. Will had gone to check Grace's bedroom, which was already mostly cleared out. He came back into the living room and found Karen dazed. "Look what she left," He said holding up the paper. "I guess she found a copy."
Karen shook her head and moved over slightly to allow Will to sit down next to her. "Jack won't answer any of my calls," She said holding up her cell phone. "I'm guessing he's with Grace,"
Their attention was focused on the door as it opened and revealed a red eyed Grace and a stiff looking Jack. Karen quickly stood up and walked over to the window by the kitchen. She couldn't bring herself to say anything without blowing up. She didn't want to say anything, because anything out of her mouth she was going to regret almost immediately. If giving up Will for good meant that Grace would stay her friend, as painful as it would be, it would happen. For Grace. If it meant giving up her home and her assets that she had become accustomed to and move away to some solitary place, so Will, Grace, and Jack could be friends, she'd do it.
"Karen," She heard Grace's voice behind her. She felt her body tighten and her façade slip into place. She turned around with her arms crossed against her chest raising an eyebrow at Grace. "You should have told me."
"And what? You wouldn't have fired me or moved out of your best friend's apartment because you're not jealous. You wanted to be the one he was having an affair with. You wanted to be the woman who was carrying his child. You may have gotten over it, but believe me Gracie, you haven't. So what would you have done if I told you I was sleeping with Will?"
"I don't know," She whispered. "I would have liked to know."
"Well you didn't." Karen said coldly. "What do you want me to do so you can repair your friendship with Will? You want me to leave? I'll get on the first plane. You want me to stop seeing Will? Prepare to read my eulogy in the paper. Tell me what it is and I will do it."
"Make him happy." Grace said quickly. "If you make him happy, I'll be happy. Sure I'm not completely happy with not being the one who he's with, but it will take some time." Grace smiled sadly and grabbed her purse before heading out the door. It was Jack's turn to come over.
"Jackie before you give me the third degree at least let me get a refill," She said pointing to her glass. He shook his head and took Karen into his arms, pulling her against his chest. She shot will a look over Jack's shoulder and watched him shrug. Jack didn't let his grip loosen as she tried to shift. She didn't do hugs, was the thought that passed through her mind. She didn't do hugs from just anybody. But Jack wasn't just anybody she realized, he was her poodle.
"I'm sorry you lost your baby Karen," He whispered before letting go. He wiped the single tear that managed to escape, and smiled. Jack nodded his head at Will and left too. Karen slowly walked into Will's arms, finally letting go.
She was letting go of anything that she had pent up. Her tears for the fights she was going to have with Grace. For the babies she's lost. For the tears she's wanted to let go of in the three months that she was away from him. Will had helped her take down a wall and he was the one who kept rebuilding it. If there was anything Will knew how to do best with Karen, it was just to hold her and let her go.
"Come on, let's get something to eat." Karen nodded her head against his chest, not vying to far from him. She had helped him make dinner, stealing kisses every so often, smiling at the warmth. It was Karen who had dipped her finger in the alfredo sauce, taunting it in his face. It was Will who had held the bottle of Vodka hostage until she put the spoon down. It was the laughter that was coming from them that drowned out the closing of the door.
"Hey guys." Grace said with Jack standing beside her. She was smiling, as if silently asking for forgiveness. Will fixed up four plates of food, as if he knew they were coming back. They all took their respective seats and began to eat, sharing the events of the day that didn't revolve around the fight.
It's who in there with you at the end of the day that you can consider family. It's the people who listen to your fights, bickering, yelling, sob stories that will be able to be called family. As Karen looked around the table, she caught Will lifting it, toasting her and adding a wink, causing a smile to break. These three people were her family. Will was the strong pair of arms that she could find warmth and comfort in along with a shoulder to cry on. Grace, a friend and sister she could gossip with. Jack, her poodle, was the one she could secretly make fun of people with. These were the people she spent her last hours of the day with, no one else. These were the people worth keeping.