A/N: Thanks for the kind reviews, glad that you are enjoying this story.
This isn't going to be a Ross / Rach story, I suppose if anything its more of a Mon/Rach friendship story.
Also I used the name Dr Corday as the surgeon just because I couldnt think of one - didnt mean to rip ER off!
Anyway, here's the second part – hope that it's okay.
By Tuesday morning Rachel felt terrible. She had managed to struggle through work on the Monday before going home and collapsing into bed. When she woke on Tuesday she was terribly weak and gasping for breath. Rachel managed to shower and get dressed but she couldn't face work. She used her pump and called Monica.
"Hello?" Monica answered while folding her laundry.
"Hey, it's me." Rachel managed to get out. "Do you think you could come over?"
"What's wrong?" Monica instantly fired back whilst walking to her window.
"I don't feel right." Rachel said.
But before she could finish the sentence Monica had hung up and began running over to Rachel's.
"What's going on?" Chandler quickly asked as Monica dashed past him.
"Rachel isn't well!"
"Shall I come?" He called after her.
"No. I'll call you". She said as she bolted down the stairs.
Monica ran across to Rachel's and jumped straight in the lift pressing the 12th floor button a 100 times.
She burst straight through Rachel's door to find her laying on the couch.
Rachel smiled as she saw her come through like a rocket gasping for breath.
"What's wrong? Shall I call 911?" Monica quickly asked feeling her forehead.
"I… don't think its…. That bad. I can't catch my… breath" Rachel choked out gasping for air.
Monica looked at her and knew this was serious, this was where it began. Rachel was grey with dark circles under her eyes and she was straining for breath without realising.
Monica took out her cell phone and scrolled down for Dr Andrews. She had stored his number in her phone in case of emergencies.
She told him Rachel's symptoms and he suggested that Monica get her to the hospital immediately, offering to arrange for an ambulance to collect her. Monica told him that she would drive her there herself and he would be waiting.
"Sweetie, I need to get you to the hospital." Monica told her.
"Is that necessary?" Rachel gasped out.
"Yes." Monica collected Rachel's medications and put them in a bag and grabbed her keys.
Monica became increasingly concerned in the elevator as she held Rachel up gasping for breath. She slowly led her to the Porsche and got in and drove. On the way to the hospital she called Chandler and explained the situation.
When they reached the hospital, Monica new that Rachel wouldn't be able to walk so found a wheelchair at the reception and helped Rachel into it. She rushed her up to the 5th floor where Dr Andrews was. They helped Rachel onto a bed and he began examining her.
"Let's put her on 100 oxygen re-breather and get her into a gown" Dr Andrews told the nurse.
"What's going on?" Monica asked not bothering to hide her concern
"Her condition is deteriorating. We will get a scan and go from there" He said starting Rachel's chart.
Dr Andrews excused himself and Monica followed.
"How worried should I be right now?" Monica asked him.
"We won't know anything definite until we get the scan results back. Just try and stay calm for her Monica"
When Monica walked back into the room Rachel was in a gown and had a nasal canular around her. Her head was laid back into the pillows.
"Everything okay?" Rachel asked
"Yeah, its fine. Just relax" Monica told her stroking her hair back.
After 10 minutes the nurse helped Rachel into a dressing gown and wheelchair and took her for her scan. As Monica watched Rachel sitting in the wheelchair with the hospital gowns around her and breathing tubes around her face she began to cry. Rachel looked like a sick person. It happened much quicker than Monica had thought. She quickly wiped away her tears before Rachel looked up.
Monica waited outside while Rachel had her scan, the scan lasted 28 minutes and when Rachel came out she was exhausted.
The nurse and Monica took her back to her room where they helped her into bed. She laid back and caught her breath while her eyes were closed.
"Hey, can we come in?"
Monica looked up and saw Chandler, Joey, Phoebe and Ross at the doorway.
"Hey Guys" Rachel muttered.
They all looked shocked at her appearance.
"How are you feeling?" Chandler asked breaking the silence.
"I'm okay."
"She's just a bit breathless. She's had a scan we are just waiting for the results. You guys didn't have to come down here" Monica told them.
"Where else would we be?" Phoebe said more as a statement than a question.
Rachel closed her eyes and struggled with her breathing as the guys all stood around. Chandler could see that Monica had been crying and mouthed "Are you okay?" to get a silent nod back.
After about an hour Dr Andrews and another doctor walked into Rachel's room. He was surprised at how full the room was.
"Rach? Dr Andrews is here" Monica said to Rachel lightly trying to wake her up.
As Rachel stirred Dr Andrews asked the guys to step out of the room, he only wanted to speak to Rachel and Monica.
"It's fine. I would rather they heard, save having to repeat it" Rachel said.
Dr Andrews nodded and begun. "Rachel this is Dr. Corday. She is the leading cardiac surgeon here at St. Vincents's"
Dr Corday reached out to shake Rachel's hand.
"So it's definitely surgery then?" Rachel said.
"I'm afraid so Rachel" Dr Corday started. "The disease is much more advanced than we would have liked so we have to operate sooner rather than later. I have scheduled you surgery for 09:00AM tomorrow morning."
"That soon!" Monica spat out.
"I'm afraid so. I'm very confident that after this surgery you will be back on your feet in no time. Have you ever had surgery before Rachel?"
"No"
"Well, it's a complicated surgery but I have every faith that we will get results. After 09:00PM tonight you won't be able to eat or drink anything. Then in the morning the porter will bring you to the OR where we will transfer you to a hard table. The nurse will secure your hands and arms to the table and insert an IV into your neck. After a few seconds you will begin to feel drowsy and fall asleep. Once you are asleep we will insert a tube into your throat and put you on a ventilator. Your breathing will be monitored the whole time and we will begin. I will make a 6-8 inch incision down your chest so that we can spread your ribs."
"You know, I really don't need to know the details. I'll just trust you" Rachel said feeling more nervous with every word that came out of her mouth.
"Okay. But if you have any questions or worries then please ask. I'll see you in the morning" Dr Corday said before leaving with Dr Andrews.
The guys all came up to her bed.
"Are you okay?" Phoebe asked.
"Yeah, I am. I just have to go with it I guess, I don't really have much choice" Rachel said sounding as if she had made peace with her fate.
"Er, I just need to use the bathroom" Monica said making an excuse to get out of the room.
"There's a bathroom right here" Joey pointed out.
But Monica was gone, she got out of the hallway and sobbed. She couldn't handle the fact that her best friend was about to have major heart surgery. She dropped to her knees and sobbed, she was only brought out of her state when she felt a hand on her back and shoulders pulling her up. Chandler pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Make this not happen Chandler!" she sobbed into him.
"I can't do that honey. It is going to happen, much sooner than we thought but it's here and we have to deal with it."
"When did you become the strong one?" Monica laughed wiping her eyes.
"I think you have been rubbing off on me" Chandler smiled.
"Thank-you for being here" Monica said hugging him.
"We should get back to her" Chandler said.
"I'm going to let my eyes and redness go down. I don't want her to know that I'm crying."
"Okay, I'll tell her you are on the phone to the restaurant"
When Chandler walked back into the room everybody looked at him silently.
"Is she okay?" Rachel asked
"Yeah, she's just calling in to work" Chandler lied.
"I know she's upset Chandler" Rachel told him
"She just doesn't want to upset you further. She's fine I promise". Chandler said.
After a few minutes Rachel realised that she hadn't told work.
"I should call in" Rachel said.
"I thought you were the boss?" Joey chimed in.
"I am but I should tell them that I'm not going to be there" Rachel said.
The gang all left the room whilst Rachel called in. She explained to Karen where she was and what was happening. Karen was very sympathetic and said she wished Rachel had told her sooner. Rachel said that as soon as she was up to it she would do paperwork from home but Karen told her to take all the time she needed to fully recover and she would visit her as soon as she was allowed.
After 20 minutes the gang, including Monica came back into her room.
"Are you okay?" Rachel asked her concerned.
"I'm fine sweetie" Monica said masking her fears and worries.
After sitting in her room for 6 hours straight Rachel told everybody to go home.
"That's nice! We're trying to keep you company" Phoebe joked. "Maybe tomorrow I will bring my guitar?"
"Open heart surgery doesn't sound so bad after all" Rachel joked.
Everybody said goodbye to Rachel and Monica.
"Mon, please go home" Rachel pleaded.
"You don't want me to stay?" Monica asked
"I'm just going to crash out, go home with Chandler and I'll see you in the morning"
"Are you sure?" Monica asked.
"100"
"I'll see you in the morning. Call me if you need me" Monica said kissing her goodbye.
Once they all left Rachel felt alone. Her thoughts overwhelmed her and she panicked. She took some time and got her head around what was happening, she could either go along relaxed or go along panicked and scared – either way her fate was out of her hands. Rachel was pulled out of her thoughts when the nurse entered and gave Rachel a special soap.
"Okay dear. I need you to wash with this and make sure you smother your chest with it. Do you need help showering?"
"No, I'll be fine" Rachel replied.
Rachel removed the oxygen prongs and got up and headed to the shower. She washed thoroughly, including her hair and gagged at the smell of the soap. Once she was dry she put a fresh hospital gown on. It was a gown that did up from the front so she wasn't showing her arse. She blow dried her hair and felt exhausted once she was finished. She got back into bed and put the nasal canular on.
As she was nodding off the nurse re-entered with her trolley.
"I need to set you up with an IV honey" she told her.
She took Rachel's right arm and began tapping for a vein. After a minute she inserted the needle. Rachel flinched a little when she felt the prick.
Rachel fell asleep soon after the nurse had finished but woke at 3:00AM in a deep sweat. Her mind was racing and she was unable to go back to sleep.
At 5.50AM Monica showered and dressed and grabbed Rachel's bag which she had packed at her apartment the night before.
"What are you doing?" Chandler asked bleary-eyed.
"I'm going to go to the hospital. There's no point sitting waiting until 7.00AM, I might as well go now."
"Monica they won't let you in. Rachel will be sleeping and they won't want you to disturb her. They told us that we can see her at 8.00AM"
"I can sit with her" Monica said defiantly.
"No you can't, they will be getting her ready for surgery. You will be sitting with her for the next few weeks. Just chill out" Chandler said calmly.
Monica pulled a face and relented, she knew that Chandler was right. By 7.15AM Monica was climbing the walls. The guys were all at her apartment having coffee.
"Can we leave please?" Monica said
"We're not allowed to see her until 8.00" Ross told her
"There might be traffic. I would rather be there than not"
"It's a 15 minute drive Monica at rush hour" Phoebe told her.
At 7.30 the guys finally gave in and left. Monica and Chandler went in Rachel's Porsche while Phoebe drove Joey and Ross in her cab.
When they reached Rachel's ward at 7:42 the charge nurse asked them to wait while the nurse finished with Rachel.
"Is everything okay?" Monica asked concerned.
"Yes of course, she had a good night. The nurse is just cleaning her up for surgery"
After a few minutes the nurse left Rachel's room with her trolley and Monica and co were allowed in.
"Hi Sweetie" Monica greeted, coming over to hug and kiss her.
"You smell like disinfectant" Monica told her.
"They keep washing me in it!" Rachel said disgusted.
"You can wash people in disinfectant?!" Monica said excited.
An hour passed and everybody grew more nervous. Dr Andrews arrived with a hospital porter closely behind him.
"Okay Rachel, are you ready?" He asked.
"Yeah I'm good" Rachel replied calmly.
Monica stood back from her and began to cry, she had been holding them in but she couldn't stop the tears from falling. Phoebe put an arm around her.
Rachel moved onto the Porters bed as Dr Andrews transferred her oxygen canister.
"I'll see you guys later" Rachel said.
They all grabbed for her hand and wished her luck sending their love. Monica composed herself and walked forward.
"You're going to be fine. I'll be here when you wake up. I love you ok?"
"I love you too"
Monica kissed her and held her close.
The porter wheeled Rachel away and Monica cried. She just let the tears stream from her face as her friend was taken to surgery. Ross looked away as Phoebe and Joey both cried next to him.
Rachel was taken to a waiting area on the surgical floor. There was another woman there waiting. The nurse put Rachel's hair into a blue shower cap type thing and left.
"What you having done?" the woman asked Rachel
"Heart surgery – you?"
"Appendix removed. Its minor compared to yours I guess."
After 5 minutes a nurse came and took Rachel into the OR. It felt icy cold in there and very bright. They helped Rachel move to the table and it was cold and hard as Dr Corday had described.
"Rachel we are going to secure your arms to the table?" A Nurse said as she begun putting soft restraints on her.
Rachel looked around when she heard a drill and she felt sick.
"Just stay calm sweetie" The nurse reassured her.
Rachel felt the nurse rub a small sponge onto her neck.
"I'm going to insert an IV, you may feel a small sting" The nurse told her.
Once the IV was in the nurse injected something into the port.
"Rachel, you are going to start feeling sleepy. Just relax and let the medication take over"
Rachel felt like her world of problems were being left behind. She was fighting to stay awake but the feeling of drowsiness was overpowering her.
"She's out" The nurse said.
"Okay, let's intubate and get her on the ventilator" the anaesthetist said.
Meanwhile Monica sat fidgeting in the canteen with the others.
"Are you sure you don't want any breakfast Mon?" Ross asked.
"I couldn't eat. They should have drilled her chest open by now" Monica said looking at her watch.
"How do you know?" Phoebe asked.
"I did a tutorial on my computer, I have every step in my head. They drill her chest open and spread her ribs. Then they attach tubes to her heart and put her on a bypass machine which beats for her heart. They then stop her heart and begin repairing it. The surgery should last from 3-5 hours" Monica said reciting what she has seen and read.
"You really shouldn't work from that. Just try and forget about it for a minute" Chandler said trying to help her.
"Forget about it?" Monica snapped "My best friend is laying in a room upstairs with her chest cut open and her heart not beating! What happens if after the 5 hours they can't start her heart again? Then what? You can't live without your heart!" Monica spat
"Chandler, didn't mean…." Phoebe started.
"I know he didn't and I'm sorry" Monica cut in. "I just need to deal with this in my own way. Please"
The guys all waited in the surgical waiting area and after 5 hours Monica became even more anxious than she was already.
"The computer said 3-5 hours. It's been 5 hours" Monica said to nobody in particular.
After 15 more minutes Monica walked out of the room and found a member of staff.
"Is there any news on Rachel Green?" She asked a nurse.
"She isn't out from theatre yet" The nurse told her.
"The surgery was supposed to last 3-5 hours. It's been almost 6!"
A voice from behind startled her "There was more damage than we thought Monica. Dr Corday has had to cut into her heart" Dr Andrews said.
"Is she finished now?" Monica asked.
"Not yet, they are about to take her off of bypass and then close her chest. Everything is fine, it's just a little worse than we anticipated"
"So do you think a transplant is going to be needed?" Monica questioned.
"Let's see how she recovers and responds to her medication. Her recovery will be a little slower due to the cutting into the heart but that's it. Give her about 40 minutes and she will be in the ICU" Dr Andrews told her winking at her.
Monica went back and relayed the information to the guys. 40 minutes later Monica and co were standing in the reception when she saw Dr Crorday wheel a gurney out of the double doors. She quickly made her way to the rolling gurney.
Rachel looked dreadful. She had the shower cap over her head and the face was pale with sticky tape over her eyelids. Dr Corday was squeezing the oxygen pump attached to the tube in her mouth.
Monica could see tubes coming from under the covers and bags and cylinders attached to the side of the bed.
The situation was a million times worse than she had imagined it.
"She's okay. Let me just get her set up in the SICU and I will come and talk to you" Dr Corday told her.
15 minutes later Dr Corday came back. She explained that there was more damage than expected but she repaired it. She was confident that as long as Rachel responded well to the drugs then she wouldn't need a transplant. A healthy, stress-free lifestyle would help aswell.
"Can I sit with her?" Monica asked through tears.
"Of Course. While she is out I can only allow two at a time though. She will be intubated for the next 24 hours and we should expect her to regain consciousness in the next few hours. She will be groggy and frustrated at not being able to speak so just encourage her along and let her know that you are there with her." Dr Corday instructed.
Monica washed her hands with the disinfectant and walked into the surgical intensive care unit. There were machines and monitors surrounding her. She had a breathing tube coming from her mouth and many more tubes and wires attached to her.
Monica pulled up a seat and held her hand.
"I told you that you would be fine. I'm here when you wake up sweetie." Monica whispered to her.
Okay – that's it again! I still have a little bit more which I'll try and put up in the next couple of days.
Hope you enjoyed it!
