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Will walked in to find Karen convulsing under a thick blanket. Jack was wiping her face with a washcloth and speaking sweet words of encouragement into her ear. Will felt so guilty that he had been the one to suggest putting her through all of the pain, but he was glad that he did. She needed to see that she really was addicted.
"Hey." He said, making his presence known. Jack and Karen both looked to the door. Karen slowly sat up and pushed the blanket off of her body. She walked over to Will and got in his face.
"What the fuck are you doing here? Did you come to see what you did to me?" she stalked. He saw that her eyes were slightly puffy and pink. She wasn't wearing any makeup, a first time sight for Will.
"I came to take care of you."
"No. I don't need anyone to take care of me."
"Is that why Jack is here?"
"Jack is here because you won't let me stay alone."
"How long have you gone without?"
"Thirteen hours. And I'm fine." She said, holding her head up high. Karen Walker was many things, but undignified wasn't one of them. If he didn't know better he would have believed her statement.
"Good, then I won't have to do too much. You can go home, Jack." He said while taking his coat off and throwing it on Karen's couch.
"I don't want you here. I want him." She said.
"Karebear, I can't be here right now." Jack said, looking into her eyes and taking her hands in his. "I love you so much, but I can't watch you suffer. I'm sorry." She smiled softly and brought her hand to his cheek. He leaned down and pecked her lips before walking out the door.
She walked back over to her bed and got under her blanket. She curled up and waited for Will to start a conversation. It didn't take long. He wanted her to admit that she had a problem so he could help her kick her addictions.
"How are you really?" he asked as he walked over and sat on the edge of her bed. He took his shoes off and loosened his tie.
"I think I'm dying." She replied. She shivered and pulled the blanket closer to her body.
"I don't think you're dying. I think your body is going through withdrawals." He lay down next to her and brushed her hair out of her face.
"I don't have an addiction, Will." She said, denying everything with that one statement.
"Yes you do."
"No I don't."
"Yes, Karen, you do." he said, firmly.
"No I don't." she denied, bursting into tears. "I can't." He leaned over and hugged her to his body. After a moment she hugged him back, crying on his chest.
"Sweetie, it's okay." He comforted her and pulled her closer. "We'll get through this together." He kissed her cheek and wiped the tears from her face. "I'm going to help you. But first I need to hear you ask for my help." She looked into his eyes.
"Honey, I need your help. Please?" she almost pleaded. He nodded his head and kissed her lips softly.
"I'll go start a bath." He got up from the bed and walked into the bathroom to fill the tub. He then went to her closet and found a pair of sweat pants and a long sleeve shirt in a back dresser drawer. He put bubble bath in the tub before it got halfway full so she could relax.
After the tub was filled he walked back into the bedroom. Karen was still lying on the bed sweating, shivering, and crying. Without a word he walked over to the bed and picked her up. He carried her to the bathroom and stood her up next to the bathtub.
He slowly undressed her, taking every piece of clothing from her body. She stood naked before him, but his eyes stayed focused on hers. He wanted her to know that he was there to help her, not to take advantage of her.
She got the message and smiled softly through her headache. She then reached up and began unbuttoning his shirt. He moved his lips to speak, but she covered his mouth with her feverish hand. She finished undressing him and took her hair down.
"Would you hold me?" she asked. He nodded and she stepped into the tub, holding his hand for support. He climbed in and sat behind her. She leaned back and he wrapped his arms around her chest. "Thank you for being here, honey."
"Thank you for letting me."
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Will stayed with her for the whole night and they woke up the next morning in each other's arms. It was the only time since the very first night that they were together that they had spent the entire night together. They both felt a new bond growing. They didn't have to make love to be together and even though they weren't in a relationship, it was still nice to have somebody to hold.
"Good morning honey." Karen said, looking into Will's eyes.
"Are you feeling any better?" He asked, pulling her closer to his body.
"No. I still feel like shit." She snuggled her face into his chest and closed her eyes to keep the morning sun out. Her head was still pounding and the light did not help.
"Maybe we should get you some breakfast." He said as he pulled the covers back. "Where's Rosario?"
"I sent all of them away. They don't need to see me like this." She threw her legs over the side of the bed and grabbed her glasses off of the side table. She set her hair up in a messy bun and tried to stand. Will grabbed her when she stumbled and put his arm around her shoulders.
They walked down to the kitchen and Karen sat at the table. She pulled her knees up and hugged them to her chest. She was still cold, but getting more used to it. Will walked over to the refrigerator and pulled a few items out to cook. They ate a wonderfully balanced breakfast. Karen had milk instead of coffee. She didn't realize until the morning before that she actually didn't like coffee.
"Will, why are you doing all of this for me?" she asked as she took the last bite of her bacon.
"I care about you."
"Are you sure that's why? Do you feel obligated to because of our little…history?"
"No, I really care about you sweetie." He said, dumbfounded. Why was it so hard for her to believe that he cared?
"Oh." She said softly. She began to feel nauseated again, but held it back. She needed food and she really didn't want to get rid of it so quickly. She swallowed hard before Will spoke again.
"And I have a surprise for you. Jack is bringing it by in a little bit." He said.
"I don't really feel too much like a surprise, honey."
"You'll be able to use this one."
"Well I better at least make myself presentable." She said, standing from the table. She paused, took a deep breath, and ran to the bathroom to empty her stomach. Will followed her and patted her back. He didn't really know what to do in that particular situation, but she seemed to need comfort more than anything.
"I fucking hate this." She said as she stood and began brushing her teeth.
"I know, but it's for your own good." He said as he took her hair down and started brushing it. She spit the last of her toothpaste into the sink and straightened up. He brushed her hair back and put it up again, in a neater up-do. He smiled at her reflection as she leaned back into his chest. He embraced her.
"I better go and do my makeup." She said as she began to walk from the room. He grabbed her hand and stopped her.
"Please don't. I love the way you look without it." She raised an eyebrow.
"Are you joking? I look horrible."
"No you don't. You look so beautiful." He said. She blushed a little, something that she never did.
"Fine, I won't." she whispered. As they shared their intimate moment there was a knock on the front door. Will smiled and went to answer it.
"Jack, did you bring it?" Will asked, giddily bouncing.
"Yes. And it was hell to get up here. You know how heavy this thing is?" he complained. Will just blew him off and pulled in a large box.
"What the hell is that?" Karen asked, walking into the entryway.
"This is a treadmill."
"What?" she asked in a disgusted manor. "So now I'm a drug addict and I'm fat. Fuck you guys." She began to walk away, but Jack grabbed her hand.
"No, Kare, this is to help you. You see, if you drink a lot of water and you sweat a lot then this will all go by a lot faster." Jack said. "Please try it for me." He gave her puppy dog eyes and she agreed.
They sat up the treadmill in the living room so they could watch television while she ran. She started off walking and became angry when Will turned up the speed. He had her jogging before she stepped on the sides of the treadmill, effectively stopping herself.
"I need a better bra." She stated. Jack immediately ran into her laundry room and found her a sports bra. She put it on under her shirt and slid her arms back into the sleeves. "Now let's get this thing going."