Thank you to my reviewers. You guys are the best. Here is the next chapter. I hope you like it. I don't own The Good Wife.


It had been several weeks since Alicia and Grace had their shopping date. Grace had started to eat a little. Not a lot, but enough to make Alicia and Will feel more at ease. Grace had even started to join Will on his morning runs and they really started to bond. They talked about almost everything on those runs. They talked about high school and law school, books grace was reading and birds they saw on their runs, basic details of the cases he was working on, and anything else that came to mind. Will loved that they were getting closer. She was so much like Alicia, smart, funny, beautiful, and he was loved her like she was his own daughter. He was still worried about her weight, but since she didn't seem to be losing anymore, he did his best to ignore it.

One Saturday, during one of these runs, Grace slipped on a small patch of ice, and twisted her ankle. Will piggybacked her back to the apartment, all the while thinking how light she was. Alicia had to meet a client, but she wanted Grace to get her ankle X-rayed, just in case. Will drove her to the ER, since her regular doctor's office was closed. Once they got to a room, the nurses did all the routine procedures. Weighed her (115 pounds). (Was that too thin?)Asked basic medical history questions. Even though Grace had asked him to stay with her, he didn't want to invade her privacy so he was only half listening, until he heard her answer a question with a question, with hesitation in her voice.

"What?"

"When was you last menstrual cycle?"

"Why?"

"Just needs to go in our records. So, when was your last period?"

Grace mumbled something incoherently.

"Speak up, hon. I can't hear you."

"Sometime in September."

"Four months ago?"

"Yes."

"Ok. Next question. Are you allergic to any medications?"

Will just sat there quietly, thinking. He wasn't a woman, but he did grow up with two sisters, and he knows that girls cycle every month. Was this normal for Grace to go that long without one? It didn't seem likely, since she seemed so nervous about her answer. When he researched eating disorders recently, one of the signs was skipped cycles. This is really starting to scare him.

The doctor came in, took a look at her ankle, and sent her off for X-rays. While will was waiting in the room, the doctor stopped to talk him.

"Are you Grace's dad?"

"Step dad, technically, but I was the one who brought her in."

"There is something I think needs to be brought to your attention. Grace is on the border if being underweight. And according to the nurse, she hasn't cycled in four months. These are both symptoms of an eating disorder."

"Yeah, her mother and I have been worried about her, but she swears she is fine, and she has been eating more recently."

"Ok. I do want you to make an appointment with her regular doctor, just to check up on her, to make sure nothing is wrong, and I will send you home with some pamphlets about eating disorders, and about our recovery center. These are very serious diseases, and it can go from bad to worse in a matter of weeks. If she has a disorder, she needs professional help."

"Thank you, Doctor. I will talk to her mom, and we will do whatever we can to help her."

"See that you do. Please, if she seems to drop any more weight, it can be very dangerous."

After the doctor left, Will shifted uncomfortably in his chair. If the doctor even thought something was wrong, that can't be good. Grace came back from X-rays and they waited for the doctor to come back in to diagnose her. He came back with good news, her ankle wasn't broken, just sprained. He put her on crutches until the swelling goes down.

When they got home, Will helped Grace set up a comfy area in front of the TV, with lots of pillows, blankets, and ice for her ankle. They sat and watched Disney movies until Alicia got home that evening. After checking on Grace, and reading the discharge instructions from the hospital, Will pulled her into the kitchen. He told her what the doctor said, blushing slightly when he got to the part about Grace's missed periods. He showed her the pamphlets, and asked what they needed to do. She was quite for a moment taking in all the new information, thinking. Remembering her own long forgotten battle with body image. How in law school, she felt inadequate. Not pretty enough. Too fat. Until she met the man standing across from her. He told her she was perfect, just the way she was. Made her feel special. And she remembered she never thanked him for that. But this wasn't about her right now; they needed to talk to Grace. She would thank him later.

"We need to talk to her."

"This might be hard. And she might not like it."

"I know. Can you help me? Be there for her?"

"Always, Alicia. We are a family now."

"Ok. Let's go talk to her."

Together, they went and sat on the couch with Grace. They finished watching Beauty and The Beast with her, and when it was over, she looked over at them, and asked what they should do now.

"Actually, we were wondering if we could talk to you."

She shifted on the couch, looking slightly nervous.

"Nothing had ever scared me more in life than when someone says 'We need to talk.'"

"Oh, don't be scared. You aren't in trouble or anything." Will assured her.

She looked relieved. "Ok. Then what's up?"

Will squeezed Alicia's hand, urging her to speak. "Gracie, we are so worried about you, and the doctor in the ER was too."

Grace looked confused. "Why? It's just a sprain. My ankle will be fine soon."

"Not about your ankle baby. About your weight. And how you haven't cycled in four months. And how little you eat."

"Mom! We already talked about this. I am fine. I have just been stressed. There is nothing to worry about. Nothing is wrong. I promise."

"Grace, we are just worried about you. I am making you an appointment to see your doctor this week. If you are fine, that shouldn't be a problem"

A look of fear flashes across Grace's face, but she answered "Fine. It will be fine."

"You know you can talk to us about anything, right Grace?" Will questioned.

"Of course, I know that. If I had a problem, I would tell you. But I don't. So it doesn't matter. Besides, girls with eating disorders are skinny, and I am too fat to have one."

Will and Alicia glanced at each other. Fat? No. Try too skinny. But they realized they weren't getting anywhere with this conversation. Hopefully, the doctor's appointment would go well.

"Ok. Well, how about pizza for dinner? We can get meat-lovers, your favorite Grace."

She started to answer that she wasn't hungry, but changed her mind. "Sure! That sounds great. Good idea Will."

Later that night, they were lying in bed when Alicia started to speak.

"Will, I never told you this, but back at Georgetown, I hated myself. Hated the way I looked and how much I weighed." she rolled over to face him. "And then I met you. And told me I was beautiful. And you made me feel so special. If I hadn't met you, I probably would have spiraled out of control. So thank you. Thank you for being my hero. You saved me."

Will was stunned. She has always been so amazing. How could she possibly think those things about herself?

"Oh, Leesh. I had no idea. I am so sorry you felt that way. I don't understand how beautiful women can believe they are fat or ugly. I don't understand how they can't see their own beauty."

"Like Grace?"

"Yes. Like Grace. I still think she needs help. What else can we do for her?"

"Love her unconditionally. Let her know we are here for her, that we are always going to be here for her."

"I just wish I could make things better."

"I know babe. I know. Which is why I love you so much. I will take her to her appointment, and see what her doctor says. We will take this one step at a time. And maybe she is telling is the truth. Maybe she really is fine, and it is just the stress."

"Yeah, maybe." Will replied, with uncertainty.

And with that they drifted off to sleep.


Let me know what you thought! Stay beautiful, my lovelies.