Hi, this is the first friends fic. I love friends it is one of my favorite shows.

Disclaimer: I do not own friends or any of the characters on the show they belong to NBC.

Summary: Chandler has always been Ross confident always listening and never judging. He has always been Joey's biggest supporter and fan giving him the faith to succeed when others thought he would fail. He has always been Monica rock keeping her from falling apart. He was the reason for the smile on her face. But something happens that turns Chandler life upside down making it hard for him to be the confident, supporter, and rock he always been. Now Ross, Joey, and Monica will have do everything power to stand by the friend who has always stood by them.

Stand By Me

Chapter 1

Chandler Bing was in his office working on an ad campaign proposal for his latest client. He was just about to put the finishing touch on the proposal when his phone rang. "Hello, Chandler Bing" "Mr. Bing I am Nurse Brown from Nevada Memorial Hospital. I'm calling about your father Charles. I'm sorry to tell you that your father has been admitted this morning." Chandler just sat there in his chair with the phone held up to his ear listening to the nurse go on about how he was found lying on his office floor of the club he own in Las Vegas by one of his employees. The nurse was saying that his father overdose on pain killers and alcohol. Chandler didn't say a word, he just sat at his desk in shock. The nurse said they did everything they could but his father past way this morning around 10:00. Chandler replayed the nurse's words over and over in his head.

Lauren Michaels, who was Chandler assistant and a friend, walked into her boss's office to update him on Beckhem project only to find him in a state of shock. "Chandler are you ok?" She got no answer so she walked up to him and shook him a bit. Chandler snapped out of the daze he was in when he felt someone shaking him. He looked up to see his assistant Lauren, who had a worry look on her face. Chandler smile to let her know he would be ok. "Oh hey Lauren, I must be tired and dazed out a bit." "Are you sure that is all it is?" "Yes Lauren I'm sure. The proposal for the Beckhem project is just about finished, so I'm going to head home and get some rest. Why don't you take the rest of the day off as well." Chandler got up grabbed his keys and brief case and left his office.

Ross Geller walked into his office. He just finished his last lecture for the day. He sat down at his desk and pulled out the papers his students turn in today and started grading them. Ross let out a sigh. He loved his job he really did, he love teaching, and he loved Science. But it can be frustrating when students hand in papers that are basically trash. Of course there were papers that are well written but they are few far in between a mess of junk.

Ross was in the middle of grading a student's paper when his cell phone rang. He saw that Rachel's name appear on his caller id. He smiled as he answered his phone. "Hey beautiful how is your day going?" " Oh it is great, it will be even greater when you come home." Ross chuckle a bit "I have a few papers to grade then I will be home." "Ok so what time should expect you home." "When I should be finishing up around 5:00, which means I should be home around 5:30." "Ok sweetie I will see you then." Ross smiled as he got off the phone with his fiancée. Just thinking about going home to her and their daughter Emma was enough to make up for the lack of effort he was getting from his students.

It was 4:55 pm and Ross had graded half of the papers. He put the ones he graded in the top drawer of his desk and put the others in his bag. He went for his keys and ended up dropping them on the floor. He bent down to pick them up, when he came back up with his keys he saw his brother in law and best friend Chandler Bing standing in the door way of his office. There was sadness in eyes that Ross has never seen before. Ross knew instantly something was wrong because in all the years Ross knew Chandler he never seen his friend like this. The person who had always been full of life bringing laughter and fun to those around him was now a person who look to be sad and lost.

"Hey, something has happen and I really need a friend right now." "What happen?" Ross asked in a supporting comforting tone. Chandler walked in Ross's office, turned around the chair in front of his friend's desk and sat down. He could see the worry look in his friend's eyes. "At around 2:30 I got a call. It was a nurse from a hospital in Nevada. My father was found this morning collapsed on the floor of his office by one of his employees. He was admitted to the hospital and died there. He overdosed from painkillers and alcohol Ross." Chandler was now crying. In all the years Ross knew Chandler he couldn't remember a time he saw his best friend cry the way he was crying now, and this made Ross felt helpless. Chandler prided himself as being funny. Telling jokes had been his defensive mechanism. Bad things just seem to happen to him, and he would use comedy as way of dealing with the harsh cards life had decided to deal him. Ross never admitted it, but he always admired that about Chandler, the ability to laugh when you want to cry. But now there were no jokes the laughter had faded, and had been replaced with grief and loss.

Ross walked to friend and embraced him in a hug as a tear stream down his own face as Ross thought of way to comfort his friend, but how do you comfort a person who just lost their father. "Chandler I don't know what to say to you that could take away pain that your feeling. But I will be here for you." "I know, just knowing you're here fore me is enough. Know one knows what my parents put me through as much as you do. That is why I came here." Ross didn't know what to say. He was actually surprised that Chandler confided in him more then Monica, his wife.

"It was my fault." Ross couldn't believe what he was hearing there was no way Chandler's dad death was his fault. "Chandler listen to me, this was not your fault. You are not responsible for your father's death. He decided to take those pills, it was his choice." "You don't understand Ross. I may not have forced him to take the pain killers but I drove him to it." "What are you talking about?" "I did tell you or Monica, Joey, Rachel, and Phoebe this but father contacted me last week and asked me to come to Las Vegas. He was depressed and lonely, and I refused to come see him. I could tell he had been drinking. You know he promised me he quit drinking. I was mad at him. I felt foolish for ever believing he would change. I yelled at him saying I wanted nothing to do with him. I know you guys thought I was peace with my father because I invited him to my wedding. But I just kept thinking of all times my father let me down and the embarrassment he put me through. I told him I wanted nothing to do with him and that he was dead to me and now he is" Chandler put his head in hands and started sobbing again.

Ross gently placed a hand on Chandler's shoulder. "Chandler you can not blame yourself for your father death. Charles was very messed up and has been for years. Your reaction was understandable, many would react the same way."

A couple hours later Ross left his office, he drove Chandler home because he was in not shape to drive. Ross arrive home to his apartment he shared with Rachel and their daughter Manhattan around 8:00. He was two and half hours late. Rachel was sitting on the couch waiting for him. "Where have you been?" Rachel shouted as she got off the couch. She was so angry that Ross was almost three hours late and didn't call her. But her anger faded when she saw his face, which was on the brink of tears. Rachel anger and faded into worry and fear. Rachel could tell by the state Ross was in that something bad happen.

"I'm sorry I'm late Rach, but something came up. I was about to leave when Chandler showed up looking sad and lost. I never seem him like that before. God it's bad Rach, it's really bad." Ross's voice started trembling. "Ross sit down here on the couch. What happen to Chandler?" "His father died this morning, he overdosed on painkillers and had consumed a large sum of alcohol. Chandler blames himself. Rachel I'm so worried about him. He's my best friend and he hurting, and I feel so helpless." Rachel wrapped her arms around Ross and held him as he wept for his friend as her own tears joined his. Rachel silently prayed for her friend.