Ross lifted his head from Rachel's shoulder and looked up at her with reddened eyes. "I want to see him."

Rachel's heart ached as she looked down at him in her arms. "Honey, are you sure? You don't think you have suffered enough-"

Ross interrupted her. "Rachel, he's my son!" he yelled angrily. Then his expression softened and his lower lip trembled as he looked down at her lap. "My only son..." he trailed off, starting to cry again. Rachel hugged him back against her, rubbing his back.

"Shh..." she whispered. "I'm sorry, you're right, you're right. You have every right to see your son and say goodbye to him. I just hate seeing you so upset and miserable. I'm so sorry, Ross, honey, please don't cry."

Ross clung to her took some deep breath breaths, trying to calm down. "Will you go with me?" he whispered against her shirt.

"Of course I will," she answered gently, kissing the top of his head. She held him for a few more minutes, and then pulled back slightly so she could see his face. "Do you want to go now?" she asked patiently. She kept this to herself, but she was unsure as to how much longer they planned to keep Ben on life support.

Swallowing, he nodded. "I guess so."

Rachel stood up, and then reached down to help Ross to his feet. Still holding his hand, she started to guide him toward the bathroom door but stopped suddenly when he winced in pain.

"What is it?" she asked, concerned and worried.

"Nothing. My ankle really hurts, but it's no big deal."

"Ross, honey, you can barely walk," Rachel objected as he tried to take another step. "Come on, you should have it looked at." She added, supporting him in the direction of the bed, despite his refusals to budge at first.

"I'm guessing that that's what the crutch against the night stand is for," Ross stated when she finally managed to get him back in the bed. Rachel turned to see just what he did, and went to retrieve the crutch.

"Why didn't you say so before?" She asked, handing it to him and assisting him back off the bed.

"I didn't notice it till now."

"I see."

Just as the pair was turning to leave the room, Dr. Reynolds entered.

"Mr. Geller, we can't allow you out of the room yet."

"Why not?"

"Well, first of all, you need a transport to be taken anywhere in your condition, and secondly, we need to perform some X-rays on that ankle."

"Condition?! And my ankle, it-it's fine, see?" Ross dropped the crutch and Rachel managed to catch it before it hit the floor. Then before he could go on, she took his arm and faced the doctor.

"Dr. Reynolds, I don't know if you're aware, but Ross's son was brought here this morning dead on arrival. It would really mean a lot to him if you allowed him just to say good-bye to him. And if you'll let me accompany him, I promise I'll look after him." She continued to glance at him hopefully.

Dr. Reynolds sighed. "All right, just this is the one time I'll allow it. And I'll notify a nurse in the ICU." He turned and left Rachel and Ross to fend for themselves. Rachel tucked the crutch under Ross's arm.

"Promise me this'll stay here," she said with mock fierceness. Ross nodded, and Rachel saw that he was trembling violently.

"Are you okay?" she asked, now very concerned. "You know, sweetie, you don't have to do this."

"Yes I do," came the determined whisper. Rachel gently slid an arm around his waist and carefully led him toward the door.

"It's okay, I'll be right here with you."


Ross and Rachel stood before the entrance to the Neuro ICU, apprehensively waiting for the automatic doors to swing opened. When they did, Ross swallowed and allowed Rachel to support him as he hobbled along on the crutch. They walked down the short, narrow corridor and to the doorway of the unit. Before moving forward, Ross turned to Rachel.

"Rach, I need to be alone with him for a while," Rachel nodded in complete understanding and stroked his arm. "But please, be here when I get back. Don't leave." He begged, on the verge of tears.

"Ross, of course I'll wait. I would never leave you. I'm here whether you want me to come in or not."

"Thanks so much," he stammered, swallowing past a painful lump in his throat. Rachel nodded and tenderly smiled as she raked a gentle hand through his hair. Wanting to fall apart right there, Ross immediately turned around and shuffled through the doors on his crutch.

"May I help you?" A nurse from the island like desk caught his attention. Ross took a deep breath and tried to control his shaking.

"Umm, yes, I'm here to see my son Ben Wilick."

"Name, please?"

"Ross Geller."

"Yes, your son is right over there," Ross followed the nurse's hand gesture and his heart leapt to his throat when he saw Ben, hooked up to machines and very still. "Mr. Gellar, your son is brain dead, I'm very sorry. But I can guarantee that he can still hear you, as hearing is the last sense to leave a person before they pass on. So talk to him."

Ross walked off without glancing back at the nurse and carefully approached his son's bedside. He could hardly breathe and tears had clogged his throat. Shakily, he lifted a hand and tentatively touched Ben's.

"Hey Ben," he said softly. "It's me, Dad." Ross paused, not trusting his voice. A few moments later he gathered himself and continued. "I-I feel awful that this happened to you all because you wanted to come visit me. Me, your father who can't even recall the past five years of his life or yours. Wait, wait, that's not how I want to say good-bye to you. Wh-what I want to say is…" his voice was cut off by an uncontrollable sob. "Is that the five years I have known you, I have cherished thoroughly. I wish that they didn't have to end now, and all I can say is that me, Mommy, uh….Mommy, Aunt Monica, Grandma, Grandpa,…and the rest of them are going to miss you so much." Ross was sobbing openly now, but didn't seem to realize it. He also didn't notice that Rachel, who had observed his anguish through the glass door, had entered and was approaching him slowly.

With tears running down his face, Ross stared down at Ben's unmoving form, images swirling through his head. "I remember the day you said your first word." He choked. "Aunt Rachel was there."

Rachel, whose presence Ross was still oblivious to, was close enough to have heard this, and she froze, tears of sentiment filling her eyes as she watched the emotional scene.

"Yeah. I was actually in the other room. It was Rachel you said it to. Apparently she was holding you and you just blurted out 'hi.' It was one of the proudest moments of my life." Rachel watched Ross sob in pain, not sure of what to do. Ross had requested to be alone, and Rachel didn't want to upset him. But she also wasn't psychologically or physically capable of consciously letting him tear himself apart and not giving him the comfort he deserved.

"I love you, Ben. You were everything a father could have hoped for." Ross said in tears. He was shaking uncontrollably and gripping the metal bed rails for support. The crutch dropped to the floor, and if it hadn't been for Rachel coming up from behind and clutching him, Ross would have fallen.

"Ross, sweetie," Rachel whispered in his ear. "Come on, let me take you back to your room. It's okay, I've got you."

"I can't," he cried. "I have to stay with my son."

"Sweetie, please," She ever so gently turned him around to face her. The sight of his blotchy, tear-streaked face made her grimace. She reached foward and tenderly placed a hand on his cheek, wiping away the stray dampness. "I cannot even begin to imagine how hard this must be for you. But Ross, honey, I can't let you do this to yourself."

"Wh-what are you talking about, Rach? I'm fine," he said unsteadily, his breathing making hitching sounds."

"No, Ross, you're not, sweetie. You're crying and you look like you're about to pass out. Please, let me take you back to your room. This has been an emotional few days, and you can only take so much of this."

Sobbing and hiccupping, Ross finally nodded. Rachel drew him into a hug and held him tightly, letting him cry into her shoulder, while whispering meaningless words of comfort. Then she lifted the crutch off the floor, slid her arm sturdily around Ross's waist, and guided him away from his son.