Tragedy Leads To…
Alely7
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters and this is purely for enjoyment. No profits will be made.
Foreword: Okay, so I'm gonna move this along a bit… Please review!
Chapter 4
"He's alive?" Monica whispered in shock. She couldn't believe it, but she knew she was happy. "Can I see him?"
"Of course. We were actually going to move him into your room momentarily now that his condition has stabilized. He should be in shortly." The doctor offered a short smile and left the room.
"Why didn't you tell me that he was alive? You made me think he was dead, and I thought it was all my fault too." Monica's voice became shaky as tears threatened once again.
"Monica, we were going to, but you kept falling asleep or we got interrupted. And plus, we didn't know that he was out of the coma. That's why we were so upset and hesitant. We honestly tried to tell you many times before though." Ross didn't want Monica to be angry with anyone.
"Oh," Monica relaxed somewhat and finally allowed herself to smile. Everyone was okay and everything would be okay. Now that her family was safe, she had nothing to worry about anymore…
---Six Months Later---
"That's it Monica. I can't deal with you any more. I can't deal with any of this." Chandler whispered because he didn't want the children to hear. He started throwing clothes into a bag.
"What do you mean Chandler? Are you just gonna run away from all of your problems. The ones you caused for all of us?" Monica raised her voice to higher than a whisper. She knew the children were at the door listening anyway. Every time she and Chandler had fought after the accident, they had always been there, wanting to know if everything was okay. Of course things weren't okay. Monica never in all her life expected to get a divorce from Chandler, but here they were, so close to making their nightmare a reality.
"Oh, so now you're accusing me of running away? What about your weekend trip to Albany? I was scared to death Monica when I came home to an empty house, with only a note explaining that Rachel was watching the kids. And then you come home and say, 'Yeah, Chandler, I needed to get away for awhile.' You so cannot blame me for this. You were the one who asked for the damn pacifier. If it weren't for you, none of this would've happened and we would still be living happily ever after." Chandler was on a roll and he wanted to make sure he got his point across. By now, he was full out yelling. And as much as he loved his kids, he couldn't keep his voice down and his tone less harsh.
"Here we go again. Damnit, Chandler. We can't keep doing this. Soon the kids are going to think it was their fault." Monica was trying to calm down and hoped that things wouldn't escalate much further. Already this was one of their worst fights, not the longest, but certainly the cruelest and most accusing.
"And that's exactly why I have to leave. I don't want this to get even more out of hand." Chandler waved his arms in the air to get across his point.
"But don't you think we should try and work it out." It was that part of the fight that Monica tried to repent and work on their relationship. Usually, Chandler consented and they talked for a few minutes, made up, and pretended like nothing happened. But then the next day, it would start all over again, usually as a petty fight that worked its way up to monstrous.
"Mon, you always say this, and we talk, but nothing ever helps. And then the next night our fight is even worse. I think the only way to solve this is if I back out for a while."
"But Chandler, you can't leave me all alone. You can't leave us." Monica pleaded. It had never gotten this bad. Chandler had often threatened to leave, and so had she, but neither had ever gone so far as to call a cab.
"I'm sorry. Tell the kids I love them. Bye Mon." Monica noticed he told her to tell the kids he loved them, did he not love her?
He noticed that Monica began to cry even harder as he picked up his bag and walked out the door. It made his heart break, but he couldn't take what his life had become. Ever since the accident, things had been strained and he and Monica had fought constantly. He needed a break, they all needed one, although he wasn't sure for how long. All he knew was that the longer he stayed, the worse things would become, and he didn't want to screw up everyone else's life, especially his children's, even more. Chandler hopped into the cab he had called and watched his house, his wife, his children, and his life drift away.
Monica stood in the window and gazed at the moving car. Chandler had really and truly left. Now she didn't know what to do, or where to go. She remembered how happy she was when she learned that her family had survived the accident. She felt so naïve when she thought about how she had expected her life to go back to normal without complications. She expected that picking up the pieces of their nearly broken family would be as simple as pie. And Monica didn't know why she always blamed Chandler. Maybe because she was afraid to blame herself. Yet it was stupid to blame anyone but the drunk driver, who the police had charged with the accident. It was pounded into Monica's head over and over again that no one could have stopped this from happening, but deep down she carried a burden too big for one person. And no amount of therapy could relieve her.
But now she knew that nothing would ever again be the same all because of that fateful night a few months ago. Monica stood there staring at the busy street filled with young children playing, thinking how it's amazing how quickly your luck can change…