TOW the pain
By Karly
I don't own these characters… please don't hurt me…
Where we last left off, Ross just told everyone that Monica has breast cancer, they decided that they would go over and make sure everything was okay…
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Ross, Joey, Rachel and Phoebe all pulled up to Chandler and Monica's home. As they exited the car they noticed both cars were in the driveway, but the house was unusually quiet. They walked up to the door, with out knocking walked right in. It was dark, they only sound was a silent murmur from up stairs.
Chandler walked into the house and immediately went up stairs, he entered their bedroom, then the bathroom. He saw Monica sitting in a bubble bath, he walked over and sat next to the tube. 'What are we going to do?' asked Monica. Ever since Brian was born they always talked about the other's problems as both of theirs, no matter how extreme the problem was. 'I don't know,' replied Chandler. He rolled up his sleeves and dunked his hands into Moncia's hot bath. He unconscionably played with the still water. Monica noticed and asked, 'Care to join me?' With a small smile he agreed. A few minutes later they were both relaxing in the tube, lying together (like Ross and Rachel in TOW the jellyfish.) his arms were lingered around her chest. Their bodies hidden in the bubbles. 'I say we go for it.' Chandler said out of the blue. He could feel a small lump against his forearm. He got flashes of him raising three kids alone, with his wife taken from him. 'So do i.' Monica replied. Chandler felt a wave of relief come over him, Monica could feel his body loosen up. The phone suddenly started to ring, Monica made and effort to get up but was stopped by Chandler. 'Don't leave me.' Chandler pleaded with a serious face. Monica lay back down, 'I won't baby!' His grip tightened around her. 'So we need to call the doctor and tell him that we want to do this. Make an appointment, schedule days off….' 'Mon, stop. Just relax.' A few minutes later they heard the front door open.
They entered and carefully navigated around the furniture. Each quietly climbed the stairs, when they all reached the top, they made their way to Chandler and Monica's bedroom. Right before they knocked, Chandler opened the door, he was wearing his robe. 'What are you guys doing here?' Chandler asked slightly pissed they interrupted Monica and his bath. 'Where's Mon I want to see her,' Phoebe cried trying to puss past Chandler. Chandler stood his ground. 'I want to see her too.' Agreed Rachel. 'Come on, let up in!' Phoebe cried again. 'She's in the bath tube, just give me a minute.' Chandler disappeared back into his room He walked back into the bathroom to find Monica still in the tube. She was smiling at him, so he smiled back. 'They want to see you.' 'But I want to see you, only you.' Chandler smiled again. 'Then you tell that o them, because they won't listen to me.' 'But I don't want to get out of the bath.' She said sheepishly. Chandler left again, opened the bedroom door, 'Monica doesn't want to talk right now…' Phoebe and Rachel pushed pass Chandler, looked around their room then entered the bathroom. Monica heard the door open then close, thinking it was Chandler she began to talk, 'Honey please get back in…' she turned to look at him, but saw Rachel and Phoebe starring at her. 'Rach, Phoebe, what are you doing here?' Monica asked sliding down in the tube, thinking that her chest was showing, but not know the bubbles were covering her. 'You guys, get Chandler back in here, I will talk to you when I get out.' Rachel and Phoebe slowly made their way out, and Chandler entered quickly. Monica got out and wrapped a towel around herself. 'What is it?' He asked closing the door behind him. 'I wanted you,' she walked over to him and kissed him. Chandler was tugging on her towel, and she was untying his robe. Things were getting good for both until Rachel knocked on the door. 'What?!' Chandler yelled at the door. 'We would like to talk to Monica some time this century.' Rachel yelled back through the closed door. Monica walked through the door, and Rachel and Phoebe immediately hugged her. Once they pulled away, Ross walked over to her, 'Why didn't you tell me?' he asked in a calm voice, she could tell he wasn't mad. Chandler then emerged from the bathroom. 'What kind, or what ever, do you have? How are you going to handle it?' Ross questioned her. She looked at Chandler then started, 'Well, we're are going to go with surgery, that was the best option.' 'Wait surgery?' Ross blurted. 'Yeah, it's in her mastoid cells.' Chandler continued. 'Yeah, I don't want to go through with chemotherapy, or radiation, I don't want to be too weak to pick up my children. So we're going with a mastoidectomy.' Rachel, Ross, and Phoebe all stood in silence, Joey looked confused. Ross walked over to him, 'That means they're going to remove her breast.' Joey was shocked. 'Why would you do that?' Monica knew Joey, or the other's wouldn't understand her decision, but it was the only way that she could continue her life with out too much weakness. 'I want this Joe. I don't want to be weak.' 'Monica honey, you're allowed to be weak…' Rachel started. 'I don't want to be weak the rest of my life.' The other's stood in silence then one by one left the room. Chandler and Monica now had that time together they needed.
The next morning, Chandler left early to pick up Brian, Ashlee, and Jason from Monica's parents house. He had a little more life in his face, that when Judy opened the door she told him he looked a lot better than the last time she'd seen him. Once the kids heard their father's voice from the living room, the galloped towards him. They ran into his arms. Jason followed slowly, Chandler picked him up and gave him a kiss on the check. Judy, Jack and Chandler visited for a little while longer while the kids gathered their things. Once they arrived home, Chandler saw Monica standing in the doorway waiting for them. They cascaded out of the back doors, they squealed. 'MOM!' and "MOMMY!' as they ran over to her and flung their arms around her. For a brief moment she forgot that in a few short days her right breast would merely be a piece of plastic, filling her bras. They entered the house and immediately the smell of pancakes and bacon poured out of the kitchen. They sat down to eat, the kids inhaled the food while Monica, Jason, and Chandler took their time.
Monica decided that today she wanted to spend with her family. After breakfast they all pilled into the car and drove to the zoo. They spent all day there. Brian liked the monkeys, he was imitating them the rest of the time, Ashlee favored the polar bears, while Jason loved the elephant ears. The traveled through out the entire New York zoo.
Today was Rachel's sonogram. They finally wanted to know the sex of their baby, but they weren't going to tell anybody that they knew. Chandler and Monica had done this when she was pregnant with Jason, only they waited until Mon was 7-months pregnant. Rachel was lying on the bed. She had a small monitor sitting on one side of her. On the other side sat a tray of utensils. Ross stood in front of her, 'So we're going to do this?' He asked nervously. 'Yup, and honey don't worry, everything is going to be fine.' Right on que the doctor walked through the door. She was about 5'7'', with long dark blond hair. 'You must be the Geller's.' 'She's friendly,' thought Ross ask they shook hands. The doctor sat down next to Rachel, squeezed some clear gel under her belly button, which was slightly sticking out. She then placed the 'thingy' (that echoes sound so you can see the baby.) on to the gel. Ross watched over the doctor's shoulder, a fast and constant beat bounced off the walls of the room, the baby's heart beat. It took Ross's breath away, he'd done it before, but each time was so magical. A black and white image flickered on the screen. When the picture showed the doctor started pointed with a pen each body part, 'That's the head…an arm…a leg and … a penis. Congratulations, you're having a boy.' The heartbeat stopped as the doctor lifted the 'thingy' off Rachel's stomach. Rachel smiled at Ross, he smiled back, they were going to have a boy. Ross already had a son, he would have liked to have a girl, but he was happy none the less. 'She's so beautiful,' Ross thought as he admired the love of his life. As they left the clinic, they discussed boy names the whole way home, 'Michael,' 'Jonathan,' 'George,' 'Zack,' ''Henry,' 'Ralph,' finally hey agreed that they'd ask the other's but not tell them about the sonogram.
Tuesday morning, Ross woke up knowing today was Monica's surgery. He was afraid for her and for Chandler. He checked his watch, 'Yup, definitely there,' he thought. The doctor's were probably prepping, while they molded her for the cup, to go into her bra. He and the other's would arrive around lunch, before she went in the o.r. When noon finally hit, Ross, Rachel, Phoebe and Joey all strolled into the waiting room, where they found Chandler sitting in the middle of the room. 'Why aren't you in with Monica?' Chandler looked up, 'she went in 15 minutes ago. Where were you, I tried to call but I didn't get an answer.' 'We were at lunch.' Replied Joey, with a large grin of his face. 'How long is this suppose to last?' Phoebe asked as she sat next to Chandler. 'A few hour…that's if everything goes okay.'
An hour goes by, Ross is pacing, 'Ross sit down, even I'm not that nervous.' Chandler said to calm him down a little.
Another hour goes by, Rachel and Joey are taking naps in some chairs that were pushed together. Chandler is checking that clock ever 10 minutes, Ross is tapping his foot, while Phoebe is reading Ross's palm.
By the third hour, the doctor walks into he waiting room, 'Mr. Bing?' the doctor asked as he looked around the room. 'Yes?' Chandler jumped up, 'How is she?' Ross asked right behind Chandler. 'Your wife is doing fine, she's recovering right now, everything went great.' Chandler and Ross sighed in relief. The doctor told Chandler to follow him to Monica's room. They entered her room, Chandler rushed over to the side of her bed, her eyes were closed but she wasn't asleep. 'Honey?' Chandler asked whispering to her. She opened her eyes, he smiled at her and kissed her forehead. 'I love you so much,' he said. The doctor looked at so machines that were set up in her room, then left. 'I was so scared, I thought at one time I was going to lose you.' Chandler confessed as he kissed her hand. 'It's going to be okay, honey I'm not going anywhere with out you.' Monica reassured him.
Ross snuck into Monica's room. He saw Monica asleep on the bed, and right next to her was Chandler. His arms were around her body, while his head rested on her collar. He smiled at the thought of him yelling at Chandler when he first found out about them dating, but, at this, he was happy to be wrong. He left the room and went back to the waiting room, where Rachel, Phoebe and Joey were all sleeping in the chairs. 'That can't be to healthy,' Ross thought as he walked over to a sleeping Rachel, sitting upright. 'Rachel, honey time to wake up.' Ross lightly shook his wife, she moaned a little, then opened her eyes. 'Were going home, you need to sleep in a bed.' He pulled Rach up and they walked outside to catch a cab.
TO BE CONTINUED…