The next day …
Monica, Phoebe and Joey are eating breakfast in the kitchen …
"Monica, where's Rachel, I haven't seen her all day?"
"Shhh, Phoebe, she's still sleeping."
"She must have had a hot date last night!"
"Joey, wherever she was and whatever she was doing is none of our business. Keep it down and let her sleep!" snapped Monica.
Hours later Rachel had still not left her room. Monica had become concerned. Quietly she turned the knob on her bedroom door and slowly opened it. Rachel was awake …
"Good morning."
She turned to find Rachel lying on her bed, in her pajamas, staring at the ceiling, in deep thought.
"Before you ask … last night I went to see your brother."
Monica looked down for a moment and replied "Oh". She paused again before continuing … "How is he?"
"Monica, I asked him the same question, he told me that he guessed that he was OK."
Monica was curious …
"He guessed he was OK?"
There was no easy, straightforward answer to her question. She chose to be vague …
"Mon, it's complicated."
Monica was not surprised by her answer. Everything about them was complicated. For many months their group of friends had been incomplete and she wanted to know why. She wanted answers …
"Why did you go to see him?"
"I missed him and I wanted to talk. I needed to know things."
Monica was becoming increasingly curious. Rachel had information but she didn't want to pry too hard to get it out of her.
"Rachel, I don't want to pry but he's my brother! Please, please tell me something, anything about him and how he is doing."
Rachel considered her request. She deserved to know about how he was doing. She wanted to tell her everything.
"Well, he's still working at the museum, he misses us, and he's living with a pregnant woman who's madly in love with him!"
Rachel was surprised. Monica showed no reaction to her revelation. She was sure that Monica would have been astonished. She wasn't...
Monica looked down, away from her friend …
"You knew! You knew and you never told me!"
"Rachel, Ross sometimes calls to ask how we're doing. He tells me that he misses us. I tell him that we miss him too. A few months ago I called him to talk and Marie answered. We talked for a while. She told me about herself, how Ross had taken her in and the pregnancy. Later I told Ross that Marie and I had talked on the phone. He made me promise not to tell anyone, especially you."
"Why especially me?" Asked Rachel, getting upset.
"Rachel, please don't ask me to be drawn in between the two of you. I …"
Rachel ignored her plea …
"Monica! Tell me! Why especially me?"
Monica raised herself momentarily off the bed and moved closer to her friend. Taking her hand she replied …
"Because he loves you. He didn't want you to know because you might misunderstand. He felt that if you knew he was living with her that it would hurt you and he doesn't want to cause you anymore pain. He's carrying the weight of all his guilt from your breakup on his shoulders. Any more might break him."
The next Thursday …
Monica gets a call …
"Hello."
"Oh hey Ross, it's great to hear your voice. What's up?"
The siblings talked for a while, discussing things. They missed each other. Just before the call ended …
"Yes Ross, we're having a birthday party for Rachel this weekend at Central Perk. That would be great! Wait, what about Rachel? Sure … sure, I'll ask her and get back with you. Talk to you later, bye."
Later that day,
Rachel has returned from work …
The pair is eating dinner at the kitchen table …
"Uh, Rachel. Ross called earlier today. He wanted to see if you were OK with something."
Rachel had a mouth full of food. She stopped chewing as soon as she heard his name. She looked up at Monica …
"OK with what?"
"He wants to see if you're OK with him coming to your birthday party this weekend.
"He doesn't need my permission to see the gang."
"He wants to see all of us but he doesn't want to make you uncomfortable. He doesn't want to ruin your party."
Rachel considered the implications of this. She felt both excited and anxious. Having him there would be the best gift she could receive. She didn't want her friend to know how she felt. She acted indifferently …
"Monica, I don't have a problem with him coming."
Saturday night had arrived and the gang had gathered at Central Perk. The group occupied their customary positions on the couch and chairs. Each anticipated Ross's arrival in their own way. Phoebe, Joey and Chandler had not seen their friend since his departure almost 8 months hence. Monica looked forward to reconnecting with her brother and showing him some family pictures. Rachel differed from the rest of the group, she was nervous. She had spent the last week obsessing over their talk. She had digested each sentence, trying to find meaning in every word he had said. She saw no solution to their predicament. If he could not be her friend then what could they be?
Ross was uncharacteristically late as the door to the coffee house opened. The reason for his tardiness was readily apparent. He was not alone...