Time to say goodbye?
Summary: When Jack has an accident, is Will ready to say goodbye to his friend?
This story is based after season 8 (but Grace & Leo are in NY and Karen & Stan didn't break up).
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"Are you getting up today?" Will asked his boyfriend as he dressed in front of the bedroom mirror. Vince was still lying in bed under the duvet watching Will with a smile on his face.
"I've got the day off because I worked last Saturday, so I'm making the most of it. Can't you throw a sickie and come back to bed?"
"You know I can't. I've got my two biggest clients coming in today" Will retorted although a smile played on his lips.
Vince got up from the bed and came up behind Will, wrapping his big arms around Will's waist.
"I love you" Vince whispered into Will's ear.
Will was about to reply but his cell phone began ringing. He reached over to the side to grab it. Who would be ringing him at this time in the morning? He didn't recognise the number.
"Hello?" Will answers his phone whilst Vince nibbled the back of his neck.
Will leaned into Vince's embrace as he listens to the person on the other end of the phone.
"Oh right. I don't really know all my clients off by heart, maybe if you could give me a physical description it might ring a bell?"
Will put a hand over the mouthpiece of the phone to whisper to Vince.
"It's a hospital. Some guy has had an accident and he's got no ID apart from my business card"
Will returned his attentions back to the phone. He listened to the person describing the patient to him. Vince whispered "hang up" in his free ear but Will gestured for him to shut up.
"Oh my God" Will suddenly shouted, shrugging out of Vince's grasp. "That's Jack, my best friend"
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"Come on Grace pick up pick up" Will shouted as he listened to the ringing.
Jack had been involved in a car accident. The lady at the hospital didn't know much else apart from Jack was unconscious and Will should get down to the hospital as soon as he could to speak to the consultant. Will was in a state of shock. He'd finished getting dressed, called Jack's mom and Elliott, but their phones went to voicemail and now he was trying to get hold of Grace. Where was everyone?
"Hi Will" Grace answered her phone cheerily. "You'll never guess what Lila did this morn-"
"Grace Jack's in hospital" Will interrupted. He sounded very upset.
"Oh my God what happened?" Grace asked concerned.
"I don't know yet, I'm heading to the hospital now. Can you come down?"
"Of course" Grace said. "I'll drop Lila off with Leo and I'll be right over"
"I'll see you there. Oh can you let Karen know and try Jacks mom and Elliott, I couldn't get through to them?" Will's voice was breaking.
"Sure" replied Grace. "And Will? He'll be ok, you know Jack"
Will hung up and put his phone in his pocket. He scanned his bedroom for his keys. He grabbed them from the floor and headed out into the living room where Vince was sitting on the sofa.
"I'm off" Will told Vince. "I'll call you with any news"
Vince stood up and walked over to Will to give him a hug.
"Hey how about you check in at the hospital, find out how Jack is then come back here and we can have a little fun" Vince said trailing a finger down Will's arm.
Will pushed Vince away from him. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"How could you even suggest a thing when my best friend is lying in hospital with god knows what injuries?"
"It's probably just a sprained ankle and he's pretended to faint to make a huge drama out of it" Vince said angrily. "It's nice to know where your loyalties lie Will. You won't skip work for me but you will for that idiot friend of yours"
"You're unbelievable" was all Will could think of to say before leaving.
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Will rushed into the hospital building and headed straight for the desk in reception.
"Hi, Will Truman, I got a call about my friend Jack McFarlane"
The receptionist did some tapping on her computer and then picked up her phone. "Hiya Mr Truman has arrived. Ok I'll tell him". She put the phone down and told Will a nurse will be down to take him to Jack.
Will sat down on one of the plastic chairs and tapped his foot nervously. He hated waiting. Why couldn't they just tell him where Jack was? He needed to see him to know what was going on. A voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Mr Truman?". Will looked up to see a nurse looking down at him. "Would you like to follow me?"
The nurse led Will up some stairs, down a corridor and into the intensive care unit. He couldn't help the tears threatening to surface when he came face to face with Jack for the first time. He looked so helpless. So unJack. Wires and machines were everywhere. There was a tube coming out of Jack's mouth and he could see several cuts and bruises on his face.
"Hey" Will said to Jack stroking hair out of his face. "It's me. Will. We're gonna get you out of here soon Jack I promise"
There was no response from Jack. Will thought maybe hearing his voice would trigger some sort of reaction. Eyelid movement, anything. But Jack just lay there still and lifeless.
"Can I hold his hand?" Will asked the nurse gently. She was looking at the various machines and noting things down on a form. She smiled and nodded at Will giving him the go ahead.
Will sat down on the chair next to Jack's bed and took hold of his hand. It was cold. He was about to say something to Jack when a doctor appeared at the end of the bed.
"Will Truman?" the doctor asked.
"Yeah that's me" Will answered using his spare hand to wipe the tears from his face.
"I'm Dr Adams. I've been overseeing Mr McFarlane since he arrived in the ambulance. Would you like to come to my office?"
Will stood up and followed the doctor out of the intensive care unit, down the corridor and into an office. Dr Adams gestured for Will to sit down and he complied.
"I don't know if you've been filled in but what we know is Mr McFarlane was hit by a car at a considerable speed and was thrown onto the sidewalk. He passed out just before the paramedics arrived and was starved of oxygen for around fifty seconds"
Dr Adams stopped to let what he had said so far sink in. Will could feel his heart beating a million times a minute. He obviously looked agitated as Dr Adams asked if he as ok before proceeding.
"We've stabilised him as much as we can. He's unconscious at the moment and the tube you can see is breathing for him. He has suffered a lot of bruising to his ribs, which would make breathing naturally very painful for him, so even if he had been conscious we would chose for him to be unconscious for the moment. He's got a few broken bones in his arms and legs, luckily his neck and back have been unscathed. He's got a number of cuts to his head and until we perform an MRI scan we won't know if he sustained any bran damage"
Will didn't think he could take any more. Brain damage? MRI scan?
"Is he going to die?" Will didn't want to ask but he had to.
"Mr Truman, he's had a very-"
"Is he going to die?" Will asked again this time more forcefully.
"I don't know. It'll be touch and go for the next forty eight hours"
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Will didn't know how long he'd been sat next to Jack holding his hand and talking gibberish to him. He wanted to keep himself occupied, as he was frightened of his own private thoughts. He almost jumped out of his skin when Grace arrived and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Oh hey Grace"
Grace pulled up a chair and Will filled her in on the details from Jacks consultant.
"So where's Karen?" Will asked as the two of them lapsed into silence.
"She's on her way. I tried Jacks mom again but its still switching to voicemail. But I spoke to Elliott. He was so upset. He's on a trip to Canada with his mom so they're gonna try and get the next available flight back. Where's Vince?"
"Don't care" Will replied angrily. He added "don't ask"
"He looks so lifeless" Grace observed.
"I'm scared Grace. What if he doesn't pull through?" Will asked turning to look at Grace.
"Will he's going to be fine. Give it two weeks and he'll be living it up in every gay bar in Manhattan showing anyone who will look his scars and bruises"
Will managed a slight smile. It was definitely something Jack would do. But would Jack be getting the opportunity? That was the ultimate question. No amount of reassurance would be good enough for him. What if Jack didn't make it? What if he would never hear again hear Jack's laugh, see those bright blue eyes sparkle, feel his energy and enthusiasm engulf an entire room?
Will broke down and Grace put her arms around him. Once Will started to regain his composure Grace pulled away slightly.
"Come on let's get you a coffee I think you need a break"
xxxxx
"What's going on with Vince?" Grace asked Will as they sat themselves down in the hospital canteen with their coffees in polystyrene cups.
"He's got the day off today and he thinks it's selfish of me to stay here when I could be at home entertaining him"
"He didn't say that" Grace replied in shock. "That's awful"
"I just don't get it, he even tried to suggest that Jack probably faked an accident for a little attention"
Grace shook her head and took a sip of her coffee.
"Will you know I love you but I've never really thought that Vince was completely the guy for you. I mean he's great in a lot of respects but there's just little things about him that has always grated me and his selfishness and jealousy are two of them"
"I guess I was oblivious to it" Will said laughing slightly. "Why would he be jealous of a guy lying in a hospital bed?"
"Because he's getting your attention" Grace said matter of factly.
"Well he'll have a lot of making up to do for this"
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As Will and Grace approached the intensive care unit they could hear raised voices. They walked through the door behind a nurse who had ran from behind them.
"Oh my God" Grace shrieked. Doctors and nurses were surrounding Jacks bed and they heard someone shout out for the crash trolley.
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Please, please review I will be forever grateful.