Jack looked over at Will – at the deep, dark circles beneath his sunken eyes, and the pallor of his complexion – and despite his concern his blood still boiled with the thought of what the stupid idiot had done. Just how many lives had he put at risk, he wondered, without the slightest consideration for the reputation of the practice, or regard for his two partners – and for what? What had it all been in aid of at the end of the day? A couple of extra grand in his pocket?
Jack wanted to reach out and grab him, to scream and shout just as Beth had done – to shake some sense into the man. She stormed out, and Will opened his mouth to speak. His voice shook with the weight of his emotional burden, pleading with Jack to…
Jack wasn't really sure what the man was pleasing for – sympathy, understanding? He suspected Will probably didn't know himself either. He snapped at him to shut up and immediately regretted it, but it was all he could do to stop himself from saying something he might later regret.
Will was sick. Just looking at him Jack could see that the man's heart was broken. He was white as a sheet – evidently exhausted – and Jack suspected that he'd probably already done a lot of crying when he thought no one was looking. Arriving at the conclusion that he'd already been punished enough his thoughts turned to considering where they might go from here.
Perhaps this mess wasn't entirely Will's own fault. If they'd both noticed the deteriorating state of Will's health sooner perhaps this might have been prevented. He was balancing on a cliff edge, and Jack suspected that he'd already plummeted far too deep into the dark cavern beneath in order to execute a rapid rescue. Depression had already taken hold.
Will needed help, not punishment, and he suspected that given time, and space to calm down, Beth too would come to the same conclusion – but tonight wasn't the right time to try to convince her of it. Jack was still seething, she felt betrayed, and Will was too emotionally numb at the moment to make any sense of what he was really feeling and what was going on. He seemed so lost – like a bewildered little boy – seeking reassurance from his two best friends. He wasn't a bad man and he'd definitely been having a rough time of it lately. Neither of them had been of much help. Jack had seen first hand the effects of depression on a person, and unfortunately he knew things were probably set to get harder for Will before they were likely to get any better – especially once the drugs company found out about his deception. Things were not going to be easy for Will. He was going to need their full support and lots of patience and understanding. Beth loved him really, and she too would forgive him in time.