Hello hello! So this is my first Ross and Rachel based story. I usually do Mondler or I have everyone's POV's involved. This one is going to be more R&R than usual. I couldn't do my usual suspense thing cos of the title, but I hope you enjoy this story! I realize this similar idea may have been already used, but I guarantee my story will be very different.
He never saw it coming. One minute he was moving along the road like usual and the next, slamming of brakes, skidding sideways, being smashed into at the side, feeling as though he was flying, and then barrel rolling at what seemed like a hundred miles an hour. His neck screamed at him. His brain screamed at him. His whole life flashed through his eyes as the glass shattered around him, and he put his arms over his face to shield it. He didn't remember stopping. Everything had gone dark. The voices shouting and screaming around him grew muffled. His consciousness leaked away slowly.
So this is what dying is like.
Monica was humming to herself as she packed her bag. Chandler's was already finished. She was surprising him with a trip to go see his father. She hoped he would take it well. She heard the door open and close and the sound of Chandler dropping his keys on the counter and muttering to himself. She walked out of the bedroom with the suitcases and plopped them down on the ground.
"What's this?" Chandler asked, suspicious.
"We are going to Las Vegas to invite your father to the wedding," Monica said.
"We went over this already! And I won!" Chandler argued. "I don't want to see him. I really don't."
"Well, that's too bad, cos you're marrying me, and I want to know my father-in-law," she said, crossing her arms. Chandler went to open his mouth when the phone rang. Monica went to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hi, is this Monica Geller?" the voice asked.
"Yes, this is she," she answered.
"We are calling because you are the emergency contact for a Ms. Rachel Green."
"Uh huh," Monica said, getting a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach suddenly. Chandler watched, concerned.
"There has been a motor vehicle accident, and Ms. Greene is at the..."
Monica had stopped listening. The words accident and injuries and come now landed in her ears with a bang, but the rest was muffled. She hung up the phone and turned to Chandler.
"Rachel was in an accident," she said, feeling her throat tighten.
"Oh my God!" he exclaimed. They rushed to the door together, leaving their suitcases sitting abandoned outside their bedroom door.
"Hey, so you know when you lean forward and I check out your underwear," Joey was saying to Phoebe.
"Yes?" she said.
"Your boyfriend did that, and he was wearing some pretty feminine underwear," Joey snorted.
"Yea. Those were mine," she laughed.
"What?!"
"Yea! It was a dare. I'm wearing his right now," she giggled.
"That's a little hot," he smirked. "But he looked real girly with those lacy things sticking out of his pants."
"Oh Joey. You gotta be really secure in your masculinity to wear women's underwear, and Jake is," Phoebe explained. "I don't think you could do it."
"Hold that thought," Joey said as his phone rang. "Hello?"
"Is this Joey Tribbiani?"
"Yes."
"We have you listed as the fourth emergency contact for Ross Geller. We haven't been able to reach any of his other contacts. There has been a motor vehicle accident..."
Joey barely heard the rest. His brain wasn't registering what he was hearing. When he hung up, Phoebe was watching him carefully.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Ross was in an accident," he said. He jumped up, Phoebe right behind him. The tore out of the cafe as fast as their legs could carry them.
All four crashed into each other simultaneously at the hospital reception desk.
"We're here for Rachel Green," Monica said.
"Ross Geller," Joey said at the same time. They stared at each other.
"ROSS?!" Monica shouted as Joey shouted Rachel's name too. Everyone stared at each other horrified.
"We thought you knew," Chandler said. "That's why you were here."
"No! I got called about Ross!" Joey yelped. "I thought you knew about him!"
"Oh my God!" Monica sobbed. The nurse finally told them where Rachel was.
"Ross?" Joey asked again.
"He's in surgery," the nurse answered.
"Surgery?" Monica whispered. Why was he in surgery and not Rachel? They hurried to Rachel's room where they found her sitting up with her head bandaged, multiples scratches and bruises on her arms and face, and a cast on her one leg.
"Rachel!" Monica cried, rushing to her side.
"Oh my God, you guys," Rachel moaned. "I am in so much pain..."
"They've got meds for that," Chandler pointed out. They were huddled around her bed.
"What happened?" Phoebe asked.
"I...I don't know. I was just driving, and then this car came out of nowhere. I swerved to avoid it...it hit us..." Rachel stopped then, thinking furiously.
"Sweetie?" Monica urged.
"Ross!" Rachel gasped. She searched the room. "Where is Ross?!"
"He's in surgery," Joey answered. "That's all they told us."
"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God!" Rachel shrieked. "This is all my fault!"
"Rach, sweetie, it was an accident," Monica tried to say. Inside she agreed with Rachel a little bit. How had she been driving the car to begin with?! She couldn't voice these thoughts, though. Her friend was already suffering.
"No! No, no, no! This is all my fault! If he dies..." Rachel started.
"He will NOT die," Monica cut her off harshly. Rachel stared at her.
"You're right. He will be fine," Rachel agreed. She wanted Monica to feel better, but she was thinking realistically. She remembered the car hit the passenger side, so Ross would have sustained worse injuries than her. He was lucky he hadn't died on scene.
"Monica Geller?" a voice called.
"Yes?" Monica asked, turning.
"Your brother is out of surgery," the doctor said. "May I see you in the hallway?"
"Okay," she agreed, going out to join him. She could barely walk for shaking.
"I must admit, Ross' prognosis is not the greatest right now, but he is alive, and he should recover. We have put him in an induced coma to help reduce the swelling in his brain. It might take a few days for him to wake up," the doctor explained. "We also needed to put a respirator in because he wasn't breathing on his own. I do encourage you to talk to him. He may be able to hear you."
"O-okay," Monica said. The doctor pointed out which room he was in, and Monica went to see her brother. She gasped at the sight of him. He was very much wrapped in gauze and bandages, and his face was very swollen. He was lying there motionless except for the breathing, and even that was happening because of the respirator. This was all such a horrible nightmare. She couldn't do this. She just couldn't.
"Mon?" Chandler asked, coming into the room. He had seen her go in and wanted to give her a moment. He inhaled sharply at the sight of Ross.
"This...this isn't happening," Monica said. "Tell me this is a nightmare, Chandler."
"I wish I could," he whispered. His best friend was lying there. It most definitely was a nightmare that was unfortunately real life. Joey and Phoebe came in after a while, and they stood beside Ross saying encouraging things to him.
"God, this is terrible," Joey said to Phoebe when they went back out into the hall.
"I know," she nodded. "Rachel is so torn up."
"I couldn't watch," Joey said, referring to when Rachel had gotten them to wheel her in to see him. She had broken down completely.
"He'll wake up," Phoebe said, more to herself than Joey. "He will. I can feel it."
"I hope you're right," Joey sighed. He didn't want Ross to die. Nobody would ever be the same if he did.
Ross? Please wake up. I love you. Mom and Dad are coming.
Ross, buddy, we need you here. Don't leave us.
Ross, I can feel you're trapped. Talk to me. Let me bring you back.
Ross, dude, you can't die on us. You are needed here!
Ross, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. This is my fault. Please wake up. Please...
All these voices floated around in his subconscious. He wanted to answer them, but he couldn't speak. He wasn't sure where he even was. He felt weightless. The voices turned into whispers, and it was all dark again.
Three Days Later
"Do you think he's ever going to wake up?" Monica asked. She was sitting beside Ross' bed with Chandler beside her. The others had left, and Rachel was being examined by the doctor to see if she was fit to be released.
"I don't know," Chandler answered honestly. He didn't. Nothing had changed. The only good thing was the respirator was removed the day before because he could breathe on his own again. They sat in silence when suddenly, Ross coughed and gasped for air. Monica jumped in her seat, frightened until she realized what was happening.
"Ross!" she cried, reaching for his fingers that were not bandaged. She stood and looked down at him.
"I'm getting a nurse," Chandler said. He wasn't sure why he did this. It just seemed the thing to do when a man woke up from a coma.
"Mon?" Ross croaked. He shifted his eyes around. "Where am I?"
"You're at the hospital. You were in a car accident," she told him.
"Oh," he responded. Chandler returned with a nurse, who started checking vitals and asked questions. The doctor finally arrived a moment later.
"Hi, Ross," he said. "You're awake a lot faster than I anticipated."
"Uh huh," Ross replied.
"You're gonna stay here for a while to recover, but I think you're gonna be just fine," the doctor smiled. "Surgery went well. We were worried about your brain, but it appears the swelling has receded, and things look good." The doctor nodded to Monica and Chandler, and he left with the nurse.
"Great," Ross said. His mind was whirling. A car accident?
"I'm going to call Mom and Dad," Monica said. "I'll be back, okay?"
"Okay," Ross agreed.
"That's good he recovered quickly, right?" Chandler asked as they walked down the hall together.
"I hope so," Monica replied grimly.
Rachel had heard the news. She crept into Ross' room once everyone had vacated for something to eat. She felt so relieved he was okay. It had terrified her for days that he was going to die, and she had made a deal with herself that if he pulled through, she would be honest with him about her feelings. She had been cleared to go home recently, and she wanted to see him before going home to shower and come back.
"Ross," she whispered, moving to the side of his bed. He opened his eyes. She was so relieved. He was awake! He looked puzzled for a moment before opening his mouth to speak.
"Who are you?"
Of course, you saw that one coming. I realize I have three other Friends stories on the go (one is going to end very soon though), but this idea came to me, and I had to get it down. Thanks for reading, and I hope you drop me a note saying whether or not you liked it and if I should continue :) Cheers!
