Two years had passed since Beth Thomson's car accident, sending both her and her daughter into the hospital. The funeral was a week after her passing, a place where her family and friends gathered. Some complained about her drug use, the initial reason for the accident. Or her bad reputation with men, hence the reason Beth had given Alicia up for adoption in the first place. Her parents, who were nearing the age of eighty, were more than willing to take in Alicia.
Karen and Will had gone to the funeral, wanting to see Alicia and wanting to pay their respects. They stood in the back, watching the family speak about Beth, sharing memories, talking about the change that Alicia brought out in Beth; all positive things for the time being. At the end, Karen was approached by the woman who she had recognized as Beth's mother who was holding Alicia. Jane silently handed Alicia to Karen and walked away. It was as simple as that; the choice to have Karen and Will to officially adopt Alicia was Jane walking away.
It had been two years and Karen couldn't have been happier. Her magazine was doing well, her family getting stronger and closer, despite the fact that her and Will still haven't gotten married, but that didn't matter. Alicia knew who her father was and knew who her mother was and that's all that mattered. "I'm going to write an article for the magazine," Karen announced, putting Alicia in the high chair. Karen placed a bowl of cheerios down in front of the baby before sitting down.
"When did you decide that?"
"Yesterday actually. The decision was made for me. My staff thinks it would be a good idea to write a piece instead of my normal letter at the beginning."
"What are you going to write about?" He asked, watching her flip the bowl of cheerios back over, leaving its remains on the tray.
"Family. Or children." She said simply. Karen got up and went into their kitchen, coming out with two cups of coffee and placed one down in front of Will. "You're mother is coming to watch Alicia for the day."
Will nodded and took in some coffee. "Where are you going to go?" Karen looked up from Alicia to Will. "You need to go somewhere to write your article. To get inspiration."
"I was thinking the Children Ward at the Hospital." She said, not looking at him. "There are children there who don't go home with their parents. People need to know."
Will nodded in agreement and kissed her forehead before leaving the room. Karen sighed, and took a look at Alicia who was looking at her mother with a huge smile across her face. The doorbell rang, causing Karen to run to the door, hoping it was Marilyn; and it was. Karen showed Marilyn where Alicia was, gave her the rundown of what was supposed to happen, and then disappeared for half an hour. When Karen reappeared in the kitchen, she repeated herself, only to be pushed out of the house by Marilyn who was reassuring Karen that she knew what she was doing.
"Janice, when am I leaving?" Karen asked her assistant as she made her way towards her office.
"You have ten minutes. John is in your office and he doesn't look to happy." She told her handing her a cup of coffee and taking her coat. Karen nodded and opened her door, leaning into it.
"John, I have ten minutes so start talking." She demanded. The young writer stood up quickly and waited until she sat down.
"Karen, what happened yesterday, I don't think it was very fair." He started off. "I mean I'm sure you're a wonderful writer, but I just think since I'm new I should try and have a whack at writing for this magazine, instead of proof reading everything."
"John." She said softly causing him to tense. "You will have your turn. Coming to me and complaining every time assignments are given doesn't give you any brownie points. When you finally get an assignment, I'm sure it will be great since you have had so much experience reading other people." She told him. He nodded and went for the door. "Oh and John. Next month don't come and complain to me again. Complain to Stacy. I don't want to hear your issues with the assignments."
Karen glanced at her clock on her desk realizing she had five minutes before needing to leave. She quickly accessed her email account, thankful to Janice who taught her how to use it. She had 75 new messages, mostly people from different departments, but the one that stood out to her the most was from Will.
Dinner is going to be with my parents tonight. Call me when you're back at the office. I'll pick you up. Love you.
Simple.
He liked everything to be simple. Karen turned off her monitor, grabbed her coffee and made her way out into the hallway, almost into the open arms of Janice. She helped Karen with her coat and followed Karen out of the office and to her car. "When you get there Dr. Elizabeth Powers will be meeting you at the front. She'll give you a tour of the Children wing, and allow you to talk to some of the patients. "
That was the last time Janice saw Karen, and the feeling that she had didn't sit well with her. For now she had to turn people away from Karen's office, telling them she had meetings all day. Which wasn't very far from the truth.
When Karen pulled up to the front of the hospital, she could see Elizabeth Powers standing by the door. Karen smiled at the woman as she approached. "Karen," Elizabeth said happily, leaning over to kiss Karen on the cheek. "When you enter the ward, you're going to need to leave your purse with the security guard. It's just a precaution that none of our patients receive any bacteria from 'the outside world', "Elizabeth told her as they passed by. The guard marked Karen's purse, full well knowing that her cell phone was securely placed in her pocket in her pants.
Will received a text message from Janice alerting him that Karen had left the office, heading to the hospital. He received another message twenty minutes later from Karen saying she was at the hospital. Little did he know he was going to be sitting on his couch twelve hours later, holding his daughter, with his parents next to him, watching a news report saying there was a hostage situation at the Hospital where Karen was currently located. He had gotten a phone call from both Grace and Jack, hearing about Karen being stuck in the hospital, and assuring him she was going to get out of it. He knew they were right, but he had a horrible feeling in his gut. Not wanting to be at home any longer, Will grabbed his coat and headed out the door, barely announcing he was going to the hospital to his parents.
He pulled his car up and into a vacated spot. He pulled out a card and showed it to the security guard, who allowed him in. He had been given his neighbor's press card, allowing him into the scene without a word. Will found the news van he supposedly belonged to and entered the door. "Sir you're not allowed in here," A man said standing up quickly. When Will flashed the card, he sat back down.
They spent three hours trying to figure out how to get into the main frame of the hospital. Once they got in, they were able to get the feeds from various rooms. Once they got to the room Karen was in, Will sighed in relief. She was okay. People spent four to five hours attempting to get inside the hospital to get the hostages out. It was the movement from Karen's room, the jacketed SWAT members that entered the room, caused Will to call over the news reporters. Karen, along with the children was ushered out of the room. Will left the van as quick as possible, trying to get to the door.
It seemed that the crowds parted just for him, allowing him to see an exhausted Karen. She had seen him and made her way straight for him. Her quick pace turned into a run, as she made her way straight into Will's arms where she broke down and cried. The feeling of worry had gone out the window hours before; it was the idea that she couldn't see her family again that scared her the most. She couldn't handle not seeing them anymore.
Will had taken Karen home, where she immediately took Alicia out of Marilyn's arms and held her. Will ushered his parent's out of the house and assured them that he'd call. He turned back to see Karen asleep with Alicia on her chest. Will pulled out a blanket and pillow out of the hallway closet and placed in on the floor next to the couch. The thought of losing Karen crossed his mind, and couldn't bring him to go very far. In the hours apart from her, he realized that despite the fact that they weren't married, his life revolved around her. He needed her more than air, only because she was his air. Karen Truman, was his air.