Jack spent a restless night thinking about Karen and his own dismal situation. He lay on his back with his hands under his head, when suddenly he saw a vision on the ceiling of Karen in a fancy dress and standing at what looked like a wedding ceremony. He saw the back of a tall, thin man in a dress suit approach her and take her hand. As he turned to kiss Karen, Jack jolted upright, breathing heavily. The man in the dream was himself!
"What the hell was that?" he gasped.
"No…no…NO!" Jack shook his head trying to dispel the picture from his mind. "That can't be…it just can't! he moaned, then his eyes widened, "Why not? Why the hell not?" He laid back the bed smiling slightly and thought, "I mean really, it never has to be consummated. Karen will have a name, and a place to stay until she can get back on her feet. I can start looking for real work, a moonlighting job apart from the network career - just as soon as her divorce is final." He could hardly wait until morning to tell Karen the idea, but he soon drifted to sleep.
It was 8:30 before Jack awoke and his first thought was of Karen and his plan. He leaped out of bed and hurriedly showered, shaved and got dressed. He wore a powder blue sweater vest over a clean white shirt and his black twill slacks. Karen always liked that outfit on him. Outside he hailed a cab and rode in anxious silence to Karen's soon to be abandoned penthouse. Arriving, he paid the fare and hurried into the hotel, entered the elevator and ascended to the top floor. He rapped gently. There was no immediate answer. He knocked a little more vigorously. A few moments later, Rosario answered. Although he had never seen Rosie either very happy or sad, she was now obviously in a very disturbed state, almost crying.
"Oh, allo, Meester Chack," she greeted him. As he entered he could hear another woman crying somewhere inside.
"What's wrong, Rosie? Is it Karen?"
"Oh, jes. She's been like dat since da mail came today. She look at it, then give little cry an' lock herself in her room. She no come out, not even for Rosario," the maid explained.
"Okay if I talk to her?" Jack asked.
"Wouldn't hurt," was Rosario's brief reply. " I have to go out to church now. I pray for Mees Karen, hokay?"
"Bye, Rosie…and don't worry about Karen. I think things will work out," Jack encouraged. "I have an idea."
Rosie gave Jack a quizzical look and walked away, muttering in Spanish.
Jack knocked softly on Karen's door. "Hello…Karen…can I talk to you?" he said softly. The sobbing noises stopped. After a few seconds he heard a faint "Go away, Jack."
"C'mon, I want to talk to you." There was no response.
"Kare, I thought about it and I have an idea I want to put to you and I'm not doing it with a door between us."
Still no reaction.
He put his face right up to the door and said softly, "Who's your daddy?"
A few moments later the door opened and the frazzled looking brunette stood in it.
"You are," she blubbered, then turned away and went over to her bed and sat on the edge patting a place next to herself, indicating that Jack should sit there too. Jack went to her and put his arms tenderly around her shoulders.
"Now tell daddy what the problem is," he whispered.
Karen still didn't say a word. She reached under the pillow and drew out an official looking paper and handed it to her friend. Jack didn't have to read too long before he realized what it was…her divorce had come through. She wasn't Mrs. Stanley Walker, socialite, any longer…just poor ol' Karen Delaney.
"Under the circumstances, I think you should leave, Jack," she said dispassionately. "I won't be bothering you or anyone else…ever again."
"What do you mean, Kare?"
Karen reached under the pillow again and brought out a prescription bottle.
Jack surmised immediately what she was intending to do. He made a grab for the pills, but Karen was quicker and slid the container inside of her bodice. Should he tell Karen about his dream now? He thought a few seconds then recalled the advice he had received in another of his dreams – "follow you bliss." In desperation, hoping it would distract her from her intent, he stood, then knelt on one knee beside the disconsolate woman. Taking her small delicate hand in his slightly larger delicate hand, he began awkwardly,
"Karen?"
Karen slowly turned her head and blearily focused on him, wondering what he could possibly say to her at this moment.
"Karen, would you consider…uh…marrying me…uh…becoming Mrs. John Phillip McFarland?" he stammered nervously.
Karen didn't say anything immediately. She just sat there on the bed, looking stunned for a while. Jack thought, "Crap, I blew this one big-time. When am I gonna learn to keep my big stupid mouth shut," when suddenly Karen dropped to her knees beside him and threw her arms around him.
"Oh, Jackie. I love you so much! That's just what I was hoping for. Of course, I'll marry you…on one condition."
"What's that?"
"You have to do this with me," she said, retrieving the pill bottle and holding it up.
Jack promptly fainted.