Stories can get twisted when people start to assume things, which is why Khloé Kardashian decided to open up about what's really going on between her and Lamar Odom now that they've called off their divorce. Yes, she still loves him and plans on being by his side every step of the way while he recovers in the hospital from the overdose that left him unconscious in a Nevada brothel on Oct. 13, but that doesn't mean they're ready to jump back into a romantic relationship. Right now, it's all about Odom's health and supporting him on his journey, and nothing more.
"It's out in the media that we are back together, but I wish people understood that's not in our thought process right now," Kardashian told People. "There are too many other important things, too many medical things. It's not even in our brains thinking about us as a couple or having a relationship right now. There is a very long road ahead of him, and he has to walk that road by himself. But I'll be there supporting him every step of the way...It's not anything sexual or intimate. I want to be his support system."
A deadly mix of cocaine, mystery pills and herbal Viagra left the former NBA star in a coma for four days, and while it's still a miracle he even woke up, it will be a while before he comes anywhere close to a full recovery, as HNGN previously reported. While unconscious, he suffered a dozen strokes, which caused serious brain damage and kidney failure. He currently is on dialysis and is in possible need of a kidney transplant, so he is looking at at least six months of rehabilitation. Kardashian has already vowed to stay by his side through it all.
As for Odom's condition at the moment, Kardashian said "every hour is different." "It goes up and it goes down, but he's awake," she explained. "He's alive and that's all I wanted, was for him to be OK."
"All I knew was I had to get there," the 31-year-old reality star said about dropping everything the second she heard the news. "I had to get to him and make sure he was OK. I hate that he was in that situation. I wouldn't want anybody in that situation, especially someone I love and care about...I loved him always, and I will always love him. I don't believe love is fickle. I believe when you love someone, you are allowed to love from afar. You don't have to be with that person in order to love him."
Kardashian and Odom had been in the process of getting a divorce as Odom was dealing with some demons of his own. Since then, Kardashian had tried to move on and was even dating NBA player James Harden at the time of Odom's hospitalization. When she realized she had to be there for Odom in the long run, she put her relationship with Harden on hold.
"It's just bad timing to proceed with that right now," she said. "And also for medical reasons, it's just smarter that gets on hold for a minute. But that does not mean I'm back with Lamar. That's a whole other thing that only time will tell. I can't tell you what tomorrow brings."
Read the full interview with Kardashian when the new issue of People hits newsstands Friday, Oct. 30.
