~A Very Good Year~
Chapter Eight---"Waiting for the Rain to Fall"
July
She was walking through a long corridor. It was stark white, and totally empty. She could hear her footsteps echoing on the tile floor. She walked toward the end of the corridor, and reached out toward the door at the end. She opened the door, and leaned in to peer on the other side. There was a soft whimper, and the room began to spin.
Monica awoke suddenly, her now-recurring dream disturbing her more than ever before. She sat up, and tried to even out her ragged breathing by taking a few deep breaths. As her own heavy breathing subsided, she realized that she could still hear the whimpering. She looked around her, and saw that Chandler was gone. There were traces of blood on his pillowcase. Panicking, Monica scrambled out of bed, and headed into the living room. She fumbled around the room in the dark, her eyes squinting, trying desperately to find Chandler, praying that he was okay. The whimpering had stopped, but Monica's heart was racing so fast that she barely noticed. She opened the door to Sadie's room, and was relieved to see that Chandler was fine, and that he was rocking Sadie back to sleep.
"She had a nightmare," Chandler whispered, as Monica approached.
"Is she okay?"
"Yeah," Chandler smiled at his daughter, and set her back onto the bed carefully. He and Monica left the room, and headed back into their bedroom.
"I woke up, and you were gone, and I got worried," Monica confessed softly, as they climbed back into bed.
"I'm okay. I woke up to use the bathroom, and heard Sadie crying," Chandler lied. In truth, he had awoken with a sharp head pain and a nosebleed, and was recovering in the bathroom when Sadie woke up. He hated that he'd lied to Monica just now. But he didn't want her worrying about him constantly. In his heart, he thought he was doing her a favor.
Monica looked at Chandler and sighed. She wondered why he hadn't told her about the nosebleed. She didn't like that he felt he had to hide his illness from her. But she felt strange about fighting with him about it, so she held her tongue, hoping in her heart that he would come around.
***
August
"Ross, please say something," Monica's voice was shaky, as she sat in front of her brother. She and Chandler had just told him about their relationship, and Ross was shocked, to say the very least.
Ross was the last in the group to find out about Monica and Chandler. Chandler told Joey about two days after Monica told Rachel, and Joey accidentally let it slip to Phoebe and David two weeks later. Chandler and Monica were worried about the news getting to Ross, and Monica was worried that the added pressure of hiding a relationship would weaken Chandler prematurely. So, they arranged to have Phoebe and Joey watch the kids, so that they could tell him themselves.
And now he sat, with Rachel by his side, and he had yet to say a thing.
"Ross?" "How long has this been----" Ross waved his finger lazily between Monica and Chandler.
"A couple of months," Chandler said quietly.
Ross nodded slowly, then stood up, and began pacing the room.
"You do know how ridiculous this thing is, right? Chandler? Have you thought at all about my sister here?"
"Of course I have, Ross. I don't want to hurt her. I love her."
"But you will hurt her," Ross spat angrily.
"Ross, please! I know what I'm doing, okay?" Monica stood up and placed her hands on her hips.
"Rachel, what do you think?"
"Well, they love each other Ross, that much is clear. I think it will be okay."
"Did you know about this? I mean, before tonight?" Ross focused on Rachel.
"Yes, I did. And before you ask, Joey and Phoebe know too."
"I see," Ross said quietly.
"Ross, we'd like you're blessing here. We certainly don't want you to be angry or hurt---" Chandler sighed.
"Hurt? The only person who is going to end up hurt here is my sister. This may be some last-minute fling to you, but Monica is going to---" Ross stopped abruptly, and shook his head.
"I'm sorry you see it like that, Ross," Chandler whispered sadly. He was suddenly too exhausted to put up a fight.
Monica was not.
"Ross, you are being an ass," she said icily, as she approached her brother, "Why is it so hard for you to accept this? Chandler is dying, but right here, right now, he is still alive. The only person in this room who has written him off is YOU."
"Why even tell me at all, Monica? You've all done so well hiding it from me so far!" Ross glared at Rachel, who, in turn stood up and stormed toward her husband.
"Ross, that is so not the point! The rest of us can see what Monica and Chandler have here. Why can't you just let go for a second, and see what we see? Forget all of the complications. Let your sister be in love."
The room fell silent. Ross, Monica and Rachel stood in the kitchen, staring at each other. Finally, Chandler stood up, and approached the group.
"Ross? Can you accept this?"
"I don't think I can," Ross said gruffly.
"Ross!" Rachel cried, and shook her head.
Monica and Rachel began grilling Ross, and Chandler simply closed his eyes. All of his insecurities were coming back, as he began to see it all from Ross' perspective. Ross was simply trying to protect his sister. It was a valiant, if misguided attempt, and Chandler had to respect that. He loved Ross, and he wanted to keep peace with him, but if he had to make a choice, he would choose to stay with Monica. He opened his eyes, and saw that the arguing had intensified. Shaking his head, he moved to stop the yelling, but was stopped by a sharp pain in the back of his head. He took a deep breath, and struggled to stay upright, determined to keep his composure in front of the others. His body had other ideas, however, and as the pain intensified, Chandler involuntarily screamed, and collapsed onto the kitchen floor.
The scream stopped time. Monica, Ross and Rachel stopped their arguing immediately, and all three stood frozen in place.
Monica was the first to react this time. She quickly kneeled next to Chandler, and gathered his head in her arms, before resting it on her lap. She checked for a pulse, and then looked up at Ross and Rachel.
"Help me get him onto the sofa," was all she said.
Ross and Rachel nodded and silently obeyed. And Ross knew that the argument had effectively ended with Chandler's collapse. There was nothing left to argue, there was nothing more to say.
There was no time.
~A~
AN: I'm starting to double-up on months, because I am, uh, running outta material.
July
She was walking through a long corridor. It was stark white, and totally empty. She could hear her footsteps echoing on the tile floor. She walked toward the end of the corridor, and reached out toward the door at the end. She opened the door, and leaned in to peer on the other side. There was a soft whimper, and the room began to spin.
Monica awoke suddenly, her now-recurring dream disturbing her more than ever before. She sat up, and tried to even out her ragged breathing by taking a few deep breaths. As her own heavy breathing subsided, she realized that she could still hear the whimpering. She looked around her, and saw that Chandler was gone. There were traces of blood on his pillowcase. Panicking, Monica scrambled out of bed, and headed into the living room. She fumbled around the room in the dark, her eyes squinting, trying desperately to find Chandler, praying that he was okay. The whimpering had stopped, but Monica's heart was racing so fast that she barely noticed. She opened the door to Sadie's room, and was relieved to see that Chandler was fine, and that he was rocking Sadie back to sleep.
"She had a nightmare," Chandler whispered, as Monica approached.
"Is she okay?"
"Yeah," Chandler smiled at his daughter, and set her back onto the bed carefully. He and Monica left the room, and headed back into their bedroom.
"I woke up, and you were gone, and I got worried," Monica confessed softly, as they climbed back into bed.
"I'm okay. I woke up to use the bathroom, and heard Sadie crying," Chandler lied. In truth, he had awoken with a sharp head pain and a nosebleed, and was recovering in the bathroom when Sadie woke up. He hated that he'd lied to Monica just now. But he didn't want her worrying about him constantly. In his heart, he thought he was doing her a favor.
Monica looked at Chandler and sighed. She wondered why he hadn't told her about the nosebleed. She didn't like that he felt he had to hide his illness from her. But she felt strange about fighting with him about it, so she held her tongue, hoping in her heart that he would come around.
***
August
"Ross, please say something," Monica's voice was shaky, as she sat in front of her brother. She and Chandler had just told him about their relationship, and Ross was shocked, to say the very least.
Ross was the last in the group to find out about Monica and Chandler. Chandler told Joey about two days after Monica told Rachel, and Joey accidentally let it slip to Phoebe and David two weeks later. Chandler and Monica were worried about the news getting to Ross, and Monica was worried that the added pressure of hiding a relationship would weaken Chandler prematurely. So, they arranged to have Phoebe and Joey watch the kids, so that they could tell him themselves.
And now he sat, with Rachel by his side, and he had yet to say a thing.
"Ross?" "How long has this been----" Ross waved his finger lazily between Monica and Chandler.
"A couple of months," Chandler said quietly.
Ross nodded slowly, then stood up, and began pacing the room.
"You do know how ridiculous this thing is, right? Chandler? Have you thought at all about my sister here?"
"Of course I have, Ross. I don't want to hurt her. I love her."
"But you will hurt her," Ross spat angrily.
"Ross, please! I know what I'm doing, okay?" Monica stood up and placed her hands on her hips.
"Rachel, what do you think?"
"Well, they love each other Ross, that much is clear. I think it will be okay."
"Did you know about this? I mean, before tonight?" Ross focused on Rachel.
"Yes, I did. And before you ask, Joey and Phoebe know too."
"I see," Ross said quietly.
"Ross, we'd like you're blessing here. We certainly don't want you to be angry or hurt---" Chandler sighed.
"Hurt? The only person who is going to end up hurt here is my sister. This may be some last-minute fling to you, but Monica is going to---" Ross stopped abruptly, and shook his head.
"I'm sorry you see it like that, Ross," Chandler whispered sadly. He was suddenly too exhausted to put up a fight.
Monica was not.
"Ross, you are being an ass," she said icily, as she approached her brother, "Why is it so hard for you to accept this? Chandler is dying, but right here, right now, he is still alive. The only person in this room who has written him off is YOU."
"Why even tell me at all, Monica? You've all done so well hiding it from me so far!" Ross glared at Rachel, who, in turn stood up and stormed toward her husband.
"Ross, that is so not the point! The rest of us can see what Monica and Chandler have here. Why can't you just let go for a second, and see what we see? Forget all of the complications. Let your sister be in love."
The room fell silent. Ross, Monica and Rachel stood in the kitchen, staring at each other. Finally, Chandler stood up, and approached the group.
"Ross? Can you accept this?"
"I don't think I can," Ross said gruffly.
"Ross!" Rachel cried, and shook her head.
Monica and Rachel began grilling Ross, and Chandler simply closed his eyes. All of his insecurities were coming back, as he began to see it all from Ross' perspective. Ross was simply trying to protect his sister. It was a valiant, if misguided attempt, and Chandler had to respect that. He loved Ross, and he wanted to keep peace with him, but if he had to make a choice, he would choose to stay with Monica. He opened his eyes, and saw that the arguing had intensified. Shaking his head, he moved to stop the yelling, but was stopped by a sharp pain in the back of his head. He took a deep breath, and struggled to stay upright, determined to keep his composure in front of the others. His body had other ideas, however, and as the pain intensified, Chandler involuntarily screamed, and collapsed onto the kitchen floor.
The scream stopped time. Monica, Ross and Rachel stopped their arguing immediately, and all three stood frozen in place.
Monica was the first to react this time. She quickly kneeled next to Chandler, and gathered his head in her arms, before resting it on her lap. She checked for a pulse, and then looked up at Ross and Rachel.
"Help me get him onto the sofa," was all she said.
Ross and Rachel nodded and silently obeyed. And Ross knew that the argument had effectively ended with Chandler's collapse. There was nothing left to argue, there was nothing more to say.
There was no time.
~A~
AN: I'm starting to double-up on months, because I am, uh, running outta material.