Twists of Fate and Bad Luck

I don't own anything. Enough said.

Monica was shopping at the mall for her son's birthday party. His birthday was two weeks away, January 28th. She stopped outside the last store and looked through her purse for some gum. As she pulled out a new package, she caught a glance at her left hand. It looked so different than it always had looked. Well, as long as she could remember. Something was missing from her own hand and it gave Monica a sinking feeling. She missed the way it used to look. Suddenly her phone rang, she jumped.

"Hello?" She answered.

"Hi, Mommy, it's me," an all to familiar voice came through the other line. It was her daughter, Ellie.

"Hey, El," she said and entered the store, "What's up?"

"We invited Daddy to Taylor's party," she said happily, then cautiously said, "Is that okay?"

"Of course," Monica half-heartedly said, "He's your dad, and he deserves to be at your brother's seventh birthday, right?"

"Right," Ellie agreed.

"Can I talk to Daddy for a moment?" Monica asked her daughter.

"Yeah, hold on," Ellie said.

Monica heard the phone drop and she heard shuffling in the background. Monica picked up the last item on her list and walked to the checkout.

"Hi," a voice finally said.

"Hey, are you coming to Taylor's party?" Monica asked her husband.

"I will," he paused, "Unless you don't want me there."

"I do want you there, but not for me," Monica said, "You are still my husband."

He paused for a moment, "Right, separated husband."

"It'll be like old times, Phoebe and Ross are coming," Monica tried to sound optimistic.

"Almost like old times," he muttered. "Is Ross going to be back by then?"

"Yeah, he lands tomorrow," Monica told him.

"Okay, I'll tell the kids," he told her.

"You're dropping them off in an hour, right?" Monica said.

"Right, see you then," and with that they exchanged good-byes.

She paid at the checkout and walked outside the mall. She was contemplating whether she was happy he was coming or whether she was angry, when she heard someone scream from the other side of the parking lot. She turned around and saw a guy running away and a young girl laying on the ground. Monica dropped her shopping bags and ran over to the girl, still clutching her purse. A few other people had also run over to her. When Monica got to the girl she was sprawled across a sheet of ice, confused and trying to sit up. Monica rushed to the ground next to the girl, Monica could tell she was about nine or ten.

"Are you okay?" Monica asked

"I don't know," the young girl said, with tears in her eyes.

"Don't sit up," Monica told her, noticing the trickle of blood coming from her hairline. "Call an ambulance," she told the five other people gathered around. A man pulled out a cell phone and dialed.

"That man took my backpack; it had all my money and stuff in it," the girl said.

"What's your name?" Monica asked her.

"Janie," the girl told Monica, "I'm ten."

"Ambulance is on the way," the cell phone man told Monica.

"Janie, where are your parents?" Monica asked her.

"My mom's in California," Janie told her, crying.

Monica looked at the other bystanders confused, "California? Why are you in New York, where's your dad?"

"I don't know, but my mom's boyfriend is in California, too," Janie told her.

Monica had one of the other ladies to sit with Janie as she pulled out her cell phone, she dialed quickly.

Phoebe answered on the other line, "Hello?"

"Pheebs, it's me," Monica said.

"What's up?" Phoebe asked.

"Can you go over to the apartment and meet the kids? There's been an emergency at the mall; I'm fine, I'll explain later."

Phoebe, confused, answered "Okay, I guess so."

Monica hung up the phone and went back to the girl's side. The other woman was wiping tears from her face.

Janie looked at Monica, "I ran away, don't call my mom."

Monica frowned, "Why would you run away?"

Janie sniffed, "I miss my mom. But-"

Monica interrupted, "I have two kids, and if either of them ran away, I'd be worried sick. I'm sure your mom is looking for you."

Janie looked at her hands, "I guess so."

The ambulance pulled up and two emergency workers stepped out of the vehicle. Janie became really worried, "I need my mom."

Monica quickly said, "Janie, I'll make sure your mom knows you're here, okay?"

Janie smiled, "Okay."

"What's her name?" Monica quickly asked, unsure of how she was going to do this, as ambulance workers started to pull out equipment.

"Rachel," Janie said, wiping her nose. "Rachel Green."

Monica froze.

Just the day before, Rachel had entered her house and called out, "Anyone home?"

Silence. She set down her purse and walked into the kitchen, "Guys?" Still silence. She walked upstairs and checked her room, no one. She knocked on her daughter's door, "Janie, you in there?"

No answer.

"Sorry I'm a few minutes late and I'm sorry I wasn't here and when the bus dropped you off, but it's not like I do this everyday." She waited for a response. "I'll take you for cheeseburgers." She still had no answer, so she opened the door. The room was still.

Rachel's face fell and she looked around for any sign that her daughter had been home. She noticed a piece of paper on the bed.

'Mom, I'm going to look for my dad in New York. I'll be home soon, I promise.'

Rachel dropped the note and ran to the phone. Through tears and bewilderment she dialed a number really quickly.

The male voice answered, "Hello?"

Rachel pushed back tears, "Janie's gone."

"What? Where?" he frantically asked.

"To New York, to look for her father," Rachel sobbed.

"Rach? Stay calm, I'm coming home," the voice said. "Call the police, I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"Okay," Rachel said and hung up. Then she started to dial another number, not the police, but another number.

She waited, and the answering machine picked up, a familiar voice came through the phone, "Hi, you've reached the Gellers, we are unable to come to the phone right now, but if you leave a message, one of us will call you back!"

Rachel waited for the beep, then said, "Hi Ross, it's Rachel, I need you to call me as soon as possible, it's about Janie. She ran away. I think she's coming to New York looking for you." Rachel hung up, then dialled 9-1-1.