I'm sorry I haven't updated in a long time. I've had a major writer's block and I'm not sure I'm over it yet. This chapter is very short, but I wanted to let you all know I haven't forgotten about this story and I'm still planning to finish it!

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Chapter 4

Another hour passed. A nurse came in to check on the patient but left soon without giving them any new information. Nobody would say exactly how long they would still have to wait, but after exchanging a few words with one of the doctors, Will managed to find out they should expect something to happen before noon.

"So what are we gonna do now?" Grace asked, pacing around the room, occasionally stopping to draw breath.

"There's only one thing we can do," Will sighed, sitting down and making himself comfortable. "We must wait." Grace gave him a look, shook her head and kept pacing.

"But I have to go to work…I have to cancel clients, I have to…" Grace was getting agitated. Dealing with unexpected situations was not her specialty and she had no idea what to do. "I can't be in both places!" she sighed, shaking her head again.

"If you must go, then you must go", Will replied calmly, hoping Grace would pause for a moment so he could reason with her. "Karen is not going anywhere, and Jack and I will be here for her when she wakes up."

"But…"

"Cancel as many clients as you can; wrap things up at the office and get back here as soon as you can", Will continued in a reassuring tone. He turned over to look at Karen's sleeping form. "Maybe you'll make it back to us before she does."

Grace seemed to contemplate this suggestion for a moment. Finally she nodded her head slightly and was met with an encouraging smile from Will. Without further hesitation she walked over to Karen's bed and stroked her hand gently. There was nothing more she could do at the moment, and looking at Jack on the other side of the bed, she knew her friend and assistant would be in good hands whenever she woke up…

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With Grace gone, another hour passed by in almost complete silence. Jack kept staring intensely at Karen's pale face, trying to detect any signs of her waking up, while Will sat further back in the room, silently wondering where Rosario was and what she was up to. He was planning to have a word with her as soon as she returned – if she was going to return. Some more minutes passed without a word being exchanged between the two, when suddenly Jack, being closer to the bed, jumped up and started calling Karen's name.

"Karen!" he cried, holding on to her petite hand with both of his.

At the sound of Jack's voice Will was quickly brought back from his thoughts, and he too rushed to the bedside. "What's going on?" he asked, taking a position on the other side of the bed, his eyes shooting from Karen to Jack, trying to understand what had happened.

"I think she just fluttered her eyes!" Jack panted, "She must be waking up!"

Will looked at Karen, but saw no change in her. Her eyes remained as shut as he had seen them before. He sighed and shook his head. Then he reached over the bed and placed his hand on Jack's shoulder, willing him to calm down. As he did so, a silent moan suddenly escaped Karen's lips, and this time it was clearly heard by both of them. Jack gave Will a quick triumphant look before resuming his attempts to get the sleeping beauty's attention.

"Karen!" he almost squealed this time, making even Will cover his ears – and he wasn't the only one reacting: with her eyes still firmly closed, Karen now visibly winced at the sound of Jack's voice.

"I think you should take the voice down a notch or two" Will half whispered, noticing Karen's discomfort. "She must have one hell of a hangover"

Jack shot him a displeased look, but continued calling Karen's name in a much quieter tone. She moaned again, but her eyes stayed stubbornly shut. He searched her face for any more signs of waking up, but there seemed to be none.

"Just open your eyes for me, Kare" Jack pleaded with her.

Finally Karen mumbled something which was unintelligible for both of the men in the room. They looked over at each other and simultaneously shook their heads, indicating that neither had understood. "Come on, Karen, you'll have to do better than that", Jack whispered into her ear. "Now who's your daddy?"

There was a short silence. Then they could both hear her tiny voice reply weakly: "You are."

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TBC...As always, I love reviews. :)