~Okay, so the last three weeks have been like the hardest weeks of my life… School is so difficult, and one of my courses was just changed to an AP, so that makes 4, which is definitely impossible, so it's nice that I have some free time to write this, though it's like midnight or something. Sorry this chapter took so long, but I haven't had time and I didn't want to give you another short chapter, so… But I'm finishing it for your sake and mine, cause if I didn't, I would go nuts, that's me. So please review, because then maybe instead of doing an essay on biogeochemical cycles, I'll add another chapter… k? And anyway, my sweet sixteen is on Tuesday and some reviews would be a nice present haha lol thanks a bunch~
alex
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.
Chapter 7
Three days had passed since the infamous kiss, and relations between Chandler and Monica were strained, to say the least. Neither of them had mentioned it, wanting to prevent an awkward situation, even though not talking about it caused each of their meetings to be unbearably weird. Chandler knew he wanted to be with Monica, but he was suddenly unsure of whether she wanted to be with him. In light of the recent developments, Chandler doubted that Monica would want to waste time on such trivial matters of the heart.
Not only had things been weird for Chandler and Monica, but also for the rest of the group. It was obvious something was going on, and they were determined to figure out what it was. Every time Monica and Chandler were in the same room, one of them would always stare at the other, looking for the answer to some unidentifiable question. Occasionally, their looks reflected desire. And they both always seemed a little depressed.
Unable to go on normally, the foursome decided to confront Monica and Chandler. They planned a nice dinner at the girls' apartment, with some Chinese food so Monica wouldn't have to cook, and asked Monica flat out what the deal was.
"Monica, for a couple of days now, you've been acting a little strange, and you too Chandler," Ross turned towards Chandler, then back to Monica, "We're not accusing you of anything, we just want you to know that we're concerned, and we want to help you out if something's wrong." The rest of the gang looked expectantly towards them.
Monica quickly glanced at Chandler, and he gave her a reassuring nod. She was going to tell them now. All of their lives would be forever different.
"Well, actually there is something you all should know…" Monica walked over to the couches and motioned for everyone to follow her. Ross, Rachel, and Phoebe sat on the couch while Joey sat in the chair. Chandler remained standing, next to Monica, acting as some sort of support. Monica hesitated, not knowing exactly how to say it.
"Mon, now you're scaring us, what is it? Are you ok?" Rachel asked in a concerned tone.
"No, I'm not okay." The fours faces dropped and Monica continued. "I have leukemia."
"No you don't." Joey told her, not wanting to believe it.
"Joey, yes I do. I may need a bone marrow transplant. I only have a 25% chance of survival anyway."
"Oh…" Joey replied sadly. It couldn't be happening. He wanted to believe it was all just one big joke, everyone wanted to, but he knew deep down that it wasn't. Monica was sick, really, really sick.
"When did you find out?" Phoebe's eyes were tearing over.
"A few days ago, and I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, but I just didn't know how to tell you."
"Mon, you have no reason to be sorry. I'm just sorry we haven't been there for you." Ross reassured her.
"Thanks you guys," Monica stole a quick glance at Chandler. He was staring at door, his eyes a little puffy, with a single tear running down his cheek. Monica had never seen him cry before. "Listen, I have a doctors appointment tomorrow at---"
Rachel cut her off, "We'll be there sweetie, I promise." The rest of the group nodded their heads in concurrence.
Monica smiled and her friends enveloped her in a bear hug. Monica noticed that Chandler was the last to join in. She sighed, knowing that things between them would continue to be strained for a while longer. She didn't want it to be like that, especially if she only had a little time left.
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When it had gotten late, Ross offered to stay the night with Monica, but she refused. She wanted Chandler to stay with her. They needed to talk. When she asked him, he of course agreed. Earlier, he had promised to always be there, and he would never go back on his word.
After Chandler had finished cleaning up from dinner, he went into Monica's room to check on her. He expected her to be asleep, but she wasn't. Instead, Monica was just lying in bed, thinking. When she noticed that Chandler had entered, she snapped out of her daze.
"I've been waiting for you to come in." She smiled and so did he, but the tension was lucid. "Chandler, we need to talk."
"Yes, we do, Monica."
"About the---"
"Kiss?" He asked, even though he knew that was it.
"Yes, but also---"
"My letter?" Monica nodded. "I'm sorry about that, Mon. I thought maybe you wanted to, y'know, but I guess not, so please just forget about that." He seemed so embarrassed.
"No Chandler. I did want to."
"Did?" He didn't like the sound of that.
"Yeah," She felt bad about that, she hated hurting Chandler. "Did"
"I see," Chandler replied dejectedly.
"No you don't see! Chandler, I wanted to be with you, so badly! That's why I was so upset at your wedding, and so relieved when you said my name. I thought that meant that you loved me. And then the letter, well, that was just amazing. But right after I finished reading your letter, I got a phone call. And that call has changed my life so much already. It made me reevaluate my priorities. And the kiss, well, I let my emotions get the better of me. I'm sorry Chandler, but I don't have the time and strength for a relationship right now. Not when my life is rapidly slipping away from me."
"We'll just be friends." He smiled at her. Chandler was definitely disappointed, but this was Monica, and he would do anything to make her happy, or keep her alive.
"I'm sorry…" Monica told him. She really was.
"I know," He grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently, feeling her new ring in his grip. " I am too..." He said quietly, it could have been something great.
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Monica led her friends down the long hallway to office 117. Today was the day Monica would find out her fate. Either she needed a bone marrow transplant as a last resort, or just treatments for a while. Either way, her chances were slim. Of course, she hoped for the latter, but she had this feeling inside, that was telling her otherwise.
She placed her hand on the door handle, and slowly opened the door. A middle-aged woman was sitting at her desk, examining her files. There was no smile on her face. Monica took this as a bad sign.
Doctor Perry motioned for Monica to sit in the chair and her friends to sit on the couches. The doctor never liked to give out this kind of news.
"Hello Monica."
"Hello Doctor. This is my brother Ross," She motioned to Ross and he smiled, "And my friends, Chandler, Rachel, Joey, and Phoebe." The doctor flashed them a knowing look; it wouldn't be easy because it seemed as though they were all optimistic.
"Monica, I have the results from you tests here." She hesitated. "I'm sorry…"
Chandler immediately stood up and moved to Monica's side, as her small body collapsed in a fit of sobs.
"I'm sorry, doctor, please continue." She ordered through her bawling.
"No need to be sorry, Monica. I understand how you must feel." Monica looked up, almost feeling hate towards the doctor. She had no idea how Monica felt. But, Monica reminded herself, the doctor was there to help. "I'm afraid you are going to need a bone marrow transplant as soon as possible. Our first step is to find a match, and we will test all of your friends and family." Ross nodded. He hated needles, but he would do anything for his sister.
"Okay, and when can they get tested?" Monica asked.
"Today would be best, if possible for you all. The quicker we can do things, the better."
"Alright," Monica looked at her friends silently asking them if they could do it today. They all nodded, so she continued. "That sounds good."
"Good, well then, if you would excuse me for a moment, I'm just going to get a few things ready. I'll be back soon to lead you to get tested. You may want to call any more family you have to let them know about the testing." The doctor closed the door on her way out.
"Thanks you guys, I really appreciate it." Monica started to cry again and Chandler wrapped his arms around her. She rested her head on his shoulder, and after a few seconds, Chandler felt the tears of his beloved seep into his shirt. It simply broke his heart.
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Just hours later, the entire gang had been tested, along with Monica's parents who had come down as soon as they heard the news. It was nice for Monica to see how much her parents really did care about her. She never thought it would take a tragedy to see how much people loved her, but it had.
And now, everyone was waiting in the Doctor's office once again. They were told the results would come back before the end of the day. Now it was just a waiting game. Chandler was by Monica's side, and had held her hand all through out the day. Even if they couldn't be together, she was the most important person in his life, and he needed to be near her as much as possible.
The room was silent, and slightly impersonal, even though it was obvious that Doctor Perry had tried her best to make it more homely. The setting depressed everyone and the result was silence. Everyone was in a daze, and when the Doctor finally entered the room, everyone came back to reality, albeit against their will.
"I have the results of your tests." The group looked expectantly towards the doctor that held Monica's fate in her hands. "Let me first remind you that this was just the first set of tests, please don't let it discourage you."
It was all they needed to hear, as the hopes of eight people dropped in an instant.
~Ok, so it wasn't really long, but oh well. Please review, for my birthday haha. Thanks for reading~