"Meggie?" he asked when his call was answered.

"Will? Is that you? How are you and Mac doing?" Meggie asked cheerfully.

"We're fine. Well, I'm fine…Mackenzie isn't doing so well," Will admitted.

"What?! What's wrong William?" Meggie's panicked voice echoed down the line.

"Calm down, Meg. She's just had another setback. She's in a lot of pain and she's going to be in bed for a few days. I hate to ask this, because I know you and Michael must be incredibly busy getting ready to leave, but is there any way you could fly out here a little early? I'm going to have to go back to work tomorrow and you know Mac? She'll be miserable here at home. She could really do with some company."

"You never have to ask me to spend time with my niece Will. You should know that by now. Let me call the airlines and see how soon I can get on a flight," Meggie responded.

"Thank you so much Meg. You have no idea what this means to us. Call me as soon as you have your flight information. I'll send a car for you at the airport."

Will sighed in relief. He really had been wondering how he would manage to keep Mac at home resting and not trying to drag herself to the office or produce the show from their bed. It still wouldn't be easy, but maybe Meggie's mothering influence could calm Mackenzie's frenetic nature.

Meggie called back later and explained that her plane would land at Kennedy at noon tomorrow.

"Thank you so much for doing this, Meggie," Will said.

"I love spending time with her, dear, this is not a burden. Michael is going to finish up with the arrangements in London and join us as soon as he can."

"I'll have a car waiting for you. Mac doesn't know you're coming early; I wanted it to be a surprise. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye dear."

"Bye," he said.

Will walked back into the bedroom and saw Sloan painting Mac's toenails and sat down on the bed next to Mac. "Having fun?"

"Sloan's very good," she said to Will, which made Sloan smile. "You know you could have a second career if this economics thing doesn't work out," Mac teased.

"Are you seriously saying that to me while I have nail polish in my hand and you can't move?"

Mac smiled at her. "I'm just saying."

Sloan noticed Will watching her intently. "Would you like me to paint yours next?" she asked Will.

"Sure," he said just to see her reaction. Sloan never disappointed. He smiled at her. She playfully slapped at his foot.

"Seriously, do you guys need anything? Need anything picked up?"

"We're fine, thank you, though. Would you like to stay for dinner?" he asked.

"So the rumor is true?"

He wasn't sure to what she was referring and looked confused. "The rumor that you are an excellent cook."

"I didn't realize that was a rumor, but I do know my way around a kitchen."

Mac smiled at him. "He's being modest, Sloan. He's an excellent cook. Thank God one of us is."

"He's not offered to teach you?" Sloan asked.

Will and Mac looked at one another and smiled. "What?" Sloan asked.

"We made a pinky promise to never speak of it, sorry," Mac said.

Sloan laughed. She could imagine what had happened in the kitchen.

"Whatever you're imagining, it's worse," Mac said.

"Wow, that bad?"

Mac and Will both nodded.

"Sure, I'd love to stay for dinner, thanks."

"Okay," Will said and leaned over to kiss Mac. "I'll go work on dinner," he said getting out of bed.

Sloan watched Mac watching him leave the room. "You've got it bad," Sloan said.

Mac turned back to her and said, "I do. Enough about my life, tell me about yours, are you seeing anyone special?" They had just started getting to Sloan's love life when Mac felt her back start to spasm like last night.

"No. Everyone I meet is either already attached or is gay. I haven't had a decent date in a couple of months."

"What about that guy you went to the opera with that you were telling me about last night?"

"Oh, God, Kenz, it was so bad," she said as she finished up Mac's toes and moved back to the head of the bed. "After the opera we went back to his place. Nice building, doorman all that. He let's me in and all over his walls are whips and chains and bondage items. There was even a hood on a stand."

Mac was laughing but she hurt every time she laughed.

"I was traumatized," Sloan said indignantly.

"I'm sorry," Mac said picking up Sloan's hand. "I take it you left quickly."

"I did. I had no idea. Here was this quiet guy that seemed nice and I walk into his home and find something out of my nightmares. So, now, before I go out with someone, let alone agree to go back to their place, I have to find out if they have a fetish. That's not something most people want to share on a first date."

Will walked back into the bedroom and stopped when they both looked at him. "What?"

"Do you know anyone that Sloan would like to go out with?" Mac asked.

"I do owe you," he replied.

"Not necessary Will. I'm good, really."

Will thought she was actually worried about his threat to tag her back. "I wouldn't do that to you. I do know someone that I think you'd like. He works in the Jets front office doing PR."

"Does it matter that I know absolutely nothing about football?" Sloan asked.

Will shook his head. "Not at all."

"What's his name?"

"Patrick Ingle. Want me to call him?"

Sloan thought for a moment and finally said, "sure, why not. It can't be worse than the guys I'm meeting."

"Sloan," Will said, getting her attention. "He's one of the good guys."

"Okay, thanks."

Will got up and walked back out of the bedroom.

"I can't believe I'm letting Will set me up."

"Why? He's a very good judge of character and he wouldn't set you up with someone he wasn't sure about. He's very protective of his friends."

"He's very protective of you. Does he do that knight in shining armor thing a lot? Picking you up and swooping you out of restaurants?" Sloan snickered.

"He's been forced into the role I'm afraid. He couldn't just leave me there. Speaking of which, he can't just leave me here right now. Could you go get him please?" Mackenzie asked her friend.

"You ok Kenz?"

"I'm fine Sloan. I just need to use the bathroom and I don't think you can carry me."

"Right. I'm on it," Sloan bounced out of bed and scampered off in search of Will, not noticing the tears in her friend's eyes.

"You know the drill. Arms around my neck," Will ordered as he returned and stood over the bed. "Hey, what's this all about?" he asked, noticing the tears.

"Nothing. Bathroom please," she sniffled as he lifted her.

Will shut the bathroom door behind them and sat Mackenzie down on the sink so he could look her in the eye.

"What's going on?" he asked, wiping her tears.

"I need more medication and I have to pee and Sloan is bouncing around here like a teenager," Mackenzie said through her hiccupping sobs.

"Do you want me to ask her to leave Mac?"

"No. Yes. I don't know. It's not fair Will. I want to be able to hop up out of bed like that! I want to be able to wear stiletto heels all around Manhattan and not keel over. I want…I want…I want to feel better Billy!" she exclaimed before bursting into tears and collapsing against his chest.

He hated to see her like this. And it took every ounce of will power he had not to start crying himself. Damn, he was tired of all this for her. He couldn't imagine how she felt.

"I'm going to set you down on the toilet and let you finish while I go ask Sloan to leave. I think maybe you're not quite up for visitors today Mac. I shouldn't have pushed and I'm sorry," he whispered.

"No, no. Don't ask her to leave. We just invited her to dinner for God's sake Billy. Just go get me my pills and when you come back you can help me wash my face and put on a little make-up and try to feel human again. On second thought, leave the make-up to Sloan…I'd hate to see what you would do to my face."

"I'll have you know that when Katie broke her arm in high school I had to help her with her hair and make-up every morning. I developed quite a talent. If it hadn't been for that scholarship to the University of Nebraska I could have been the next Vidal Sassoon," he said adamantly.

"You keep telling yourself that Vidal! Let's just thank our lucky stars that your career in the beauty industry didn't pan out or we never would have met. Now get out of here so I can pee," she pleaded, smacking his arm.

"Did I do something wrong?" Sloan asked when he came out of the bathroom.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong Sloan. She's been dealing with all this for a lot of years on her own. I think she just finally feels safe enough with us to let her walls down a little. Don't push…she'll talk to you more when she can. In the meantime, try not to bound around here with so much fucking energy ok? She's a little envious of that right now," he chuckled as Sloan stilled her tapping foot.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"I know you are. Let me get her some more pain medication and get her back in bed and then maybe you can help her freshen up a little. She might not feel so sorry for herself if she wasn't sitting here in her pajamas with no make-up on and her hair unbrushed."

"That I can do!" Sloan said enthusiastically.

While Will brought Mackenzie back into the bedroom and settled her in bed, Sloan rummaged around their bathroom for all the tools she would need.

"I'm not going to the Oscars Sloan. I just wanted to look a bit more presentable for dinner," Mackenzie exclaimed when she saw her friend come into the bedroom carrying every last ounce of make-up that had been stashed in the bathroom drawers.

"Let me play Kenz. It's fun for me and at least there is something I can do for you."

"Ok, have a ball. Just don't make me look like a clown ok? Will's not big on the overly made-up look."

"Dressing for your man now?" Sloan asked.

"No. I am taking my man's wishes into consideration. There's a difference Sloan. I would never do anything I didn't want to do for Will. And he would be horrified if I did."

"She's right. I would be. What the hell do you two start talking about when I leave the room?" Will asked as he brought Sloan a glass of wine and Mackenzie a tonic water with lime.

"Girl stuff!" Sloan exclaimed with excitement.

"Why do I get a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach when you say 'girl stuff' Sloan?" Will asked as he sat next to Mackenzie and watched Sloan apply eyeliner to Mac's lids. She really didn't need any of this. Mackenzie rolled out of bed looking stunning…at least he thought so. He took a hold of her hand and began rubbing his fingers across her palm.

"I'm going to fall asleep if you keep doing that Will," Mackenzie mumbled.

"That's ok…dinner isn't for another hour or so. Take a nap," he told her as he kissed her forehead.

"I don't want to take a nap. I've been in this bed since last night and I'm going to be here for days to come. I'm barely moving Will. I won't ever get to sleep tonight at this rate."

"Sure you will. That's what the vicodin is for," he told her.

"No, that's not what the vicodin is for Billy. It's for pain. I should be trying to move around a little more if I hope to have any shot at a decent night's sleep.

"And how would you suggest we do that Mac? You can hardly stand up on your own. Did you want to try running the New York City Marathon again?" he asked, half-joking, but wondering what the hell was going through the woman's mind. She needed help to the bathroom, but she wanted to get some exercise?

"Maybe we could go out later? Somewhere?" she asked meekly.

"Mac, you can't move sweetheart. It's just for a few days. I'll be right back. I have to check on dinner."

"He's right. You have to know that Kenz," Sloan said sympathetically.

"I do know that Sloan. It was stupid of me to even suggest it. Actually, I am feeling a bit tired. Would you mind keeping Will company until dinner? I think I might try to sleep for awhile," Mackenzie asked wearily.

"Sure Kenz. You sure you don't need anything?"

"No Sloan, I'm just fine," Mackenzie turned her head away so that her friend wouldn't see that she was lying.

Will was shocked to see Sloan walking out of the bedroom as he was coming out of the kitchen. "What's she doing?"

"Said she wanted to sleep for awhile," Sloan said as she collapsed on the couch, "that she was fine and didn't need anything. She's lying, you know?"

He sat down next to her and said, "I do know that. I'm glad you know that, too. She needs our support, Sloan. I've got reinforcements coming tomorrow, but until then it's up to us."

"Who's coming tomorrow?"

"It's a surprise."

Sloan nodded. "She needs a nice surprise. How often does this happen?"

"This bad, not very often. But we've had a busy month and she hasn't been taking care of herself like she should. It finally caught up to her."

"Are there signs I need to look for, does she have a tell?"

Will smiled at Sloan. He was grateful for her help and thankful that she wanted to help look out for Mac. She really was a good friend.

"We need to remind her to take care of herself. She needs to rest more and she really needs to give up the heels but that's going to be a tough sale."

"She loves her heels, but she doesn't need them."

Sloan had a lot to learn about Mac. "No she doesn't but they make her feel stronger."

"That's bullshit."

He nodded and said, "I'm telling you what she will tell you."

They chatted and decided that after dinner Sloan would leave. Will went into the bedroom to check on Mac. She had her eyes closed.

"I'm not asleep, just resting."

"Do you want some time to yourself?"

That made her open her eyes; there was something in his voice that made her turn toward him and hold out her hand.

He took her hand and sat next to her. "What's Sloan doing?"

"Watching dinner."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? She cooks about as much as I do."

Will chuckled. "By watching I mean she literally is watching a pot, she isn't doing anything, per se."

"That's better. What's for dinner?" she asked.

"Beef stew with baby vegetables."

"That sounds good."

"I know that you are hurting and you're frustrated and the combination really has you upset."

"You're right."

"Is there anything that I can do?" he asked moving strands of her hair behind her ear.

"After Sloan leaves can we take a bath?"

"Do you think you'll be able to sit up? If you could the jets may help your back."

"I think I could."

"Then once we get rid of Sloan we'll have a nice soak in extra hot water with the jets going. I like taking a bath with you," he said and leaned over to kiss her.

Her hand was in his hair, holding him close, her tongue tangling his. When he broke the kiss he rested his forehead against hers. "Fuck, Mac."

"Settle down, Billy, we still have company," she said smiling at him.

He finally pulled away from her and got off of the bed, adjusting himself.

"Go check on dinner and I'll find us something to watch while we eat," she said picking up the remote.

He walked into the kitchen where Sloan was still watching the pot. He really had been kidding about telling her to watch the pot, but she did as he'd asked. "Everything going okay in here?" he asked walking back into the kitchen

"No change since you left. I didn't pick the lid up or anything, so I'm not sure if anything changed inside the pot. Do you think it did?" she asked hesitantly.

Will tried to suppress his laughter and smiled at her instead. How did he end up with a girlfriend and a good friend, neither of whom could function in the kitchen?

"Do you not have time to cook, or do you not like to cook?" Will asked Sloan.

"My mother never let me in the kitchen, said I was too spastic. I was always with my father anyway. It would be helpful to learn a couple of things, but I'm never going to be a gourmet cook and I have no desire to be one."

"You could take lessons," Will suggested.

"I think I'm good knowing where to find the best take out."

Will nodded. "You ready to eat?"

"It's ready? No timer went off or anything," Sloan said.

"I know how long it's been cooking," he explained. "Come on," he said handing her a plate. He fixed Mac's plate and took it to her and came back to fix his.

Both Mac and Sloan loved dinner. They gave him much praise for the wonderful meal he created for them.

Once dinner was over Sloan explained that she had to get home but she promised to stop by tomorrow and visit. Mac kissed her cheek and thanked her for spending the afternoon with them.

Will walked Sloan to the elevator and told her good night.