Reclined on the purple velvet of the chaise lounge in her library, Karen looked up from her book and paused to reflect on the sentence she just read. The sun streaked in through the blinds behind her, casting a warm yellow glow across the hardwood floor. Karen's black framed reading glasses were perched on her nose, her hair piled high in a messy pinning on top of her head.

Karen smiled as she heard the sound of Jack's piano permeating the ceiling above her. She closed her eyes and pictured him in the room above her, his head bowed in concentration as the notes overtook him, his fingers flying across the ivory keys.

The last few weeks with Jack had been wonderful. He was feeling better, they were making wedding plans (although she was hesitant to call them that, she didn't want too big of a fuss made over their pending nuptials), and everything had been at peace inside the penthouse.

The clock on the wall opposite her ticked away steadily as the afternoon drowsily marched on. Song after song reached Karen's ears from upstairs, and the pages of her book were flying. She lifted the martini from the table next to her and took a sip. As she did, the house suddenly became quiet. The piano music from upstairs came to an abrupt halt.

A loud thud resounded above her, and she instinctively looked up toward the ceiling, although she obviously couldn't see through it to what had made such a loud sound in Jack's piano room. Worried, she set her drink back on the table and listened for whatever sound was bound to come next, hoping it would be the piano starting up again.

But to her horror, it was the sound of Rosario's voice, frantically calling her name.

"Miss Karen, Miss Karen! Come quick!"

Karen leapt up from the couch, throwing her book aside. Her heart was pounding in her chest as adrenaline rushed through her body, and because she stood up too quickly, everything become hazy for a moment and her vision went black.

She threw her hand out in front of her and caught the door frame, caught her breath and let her head get the blood flow it needed before she turned the corner and dashed up the stairs.

When she got to the door of the room, her stomach sank to the pit of her torso. Rosario was crouched next to the piano, her back to Karen, her arms wrapped around Jack, who was limp on the floor.

"Oh my God," Karen breathed, rushing to Rosie's side and grabbing one of Jack's hands. It was cold.

"He's out cold!" Rosario cried, panic in her voice. She was supporting his head and shoulders with one arm as she lightly slapped his cheek with her other hand, hoping to bring him around. His eyelids were open slightly, and Karen could see that his eyes were rolled back in his head. She immediately pressed her ear to his chest, listening for a heartbeat. It was there - weak and distant, but he was still alive.

"I'm calling 911," she told Rosario, running for the phone in the corner.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yeah, Karen called and told me today," Grace spoke into the phone. She pulled her legs up under her on the couch, traced the pattern of the brocade flowers with her fingernail.

"I just can't believe it," Will sighed in reply.

"All I can say is: 'FINALLY'," Grace exclaimed, throwing in a giggle and a snort for good measure.

"What do you mean, 'finally'?" Will asked, scrunching up his face as he pulled out the footrest of the recliner.

"Well, I mean…come on," Grace answered. "They were kind of made for each other, dontchya think?"

"I don't know…a lot of people said that about us but we never ran off and got married!"

"Yeah, but Will, we were always actively trying to find love. Karen and Jack stopped that search once they moved in with each other. I think that's pretty telling."

"That's not true, they both kept dating for awhile."

"Oh, sure, they both had their flings, but neither of them have been in a serious relationship in years."

"I just think it's a little…weird."

"Yeah, but think about who we're talking about."

Will chuckled.

"I guess you're right," he sighed. "Just as long as they're happy."

"All I know is, I haven't seen Karen as happy as she was when she told me about it in a looooong time."

"They're practically married already, now that I think about it."

"Mmhmm. I think it's sweet…you know, considering…their - circumstances, and everything."

Will paused, and they both reflected on the struggle Jack had been dealing with for the past couple of years.

"He seems to be doing better, though. Maybe this will be an upswing for him…a new little family and a new page in his - condition." Will said the word reluctantly, with some difficulty like it didn't quite want to come out. Of the four of them, he was having the hardest time dealing with the reality that Jack's journey on this earth was coming to an end.

"Yeah, maybe…" Grace agreed, her mind distant in the romance of Jack and Karen's situation. Her phone beeped twice in her ear. "Hey, can you hold on for a second? I have another call."

"Sure."

Will flipped through the channels while he waited for Grace's return, turning his head over his shoulder to watch Vince making them dinner in the kitchen. He smiled, thinking they were all finally getting what they had been wanting out of life: love and companionship.

"Sorry," Grace restarted their conversation. Her voice was troubled.

"Who was that?"

"Karen…they're at the hospital," Grace's voice was meek and disbelieving.

"Oh my God, why? Is everything OK?"

"I don't know, she just asked me to meet her there. It's Jack."

"Are they at Mercy?"

"Mt. Sinai."

"I'll see you there."