The One With The President
Chapter Twelve
By: Jana~
*****~*****
--Phoebe knocked quietly on the door before peering around the corner, hesitant about entering.
"Pheebs! Hey!" Chandler greeted, waving her in. "Come on in!"
"I didn't want to bother you if you were sleeping," she offered as an excuse for her hesitance.
"Nope, not sleeping," he replied, a wide smile crossing his face as he patted the side of his bed, requesting that she sit and join him.
She didn't say anything at first, and he remained silent on purpose, waiting for her to start, knowing she was struggling for something to say. He knew she blamed herself for the assassination attempt. He knew that was why she hadn't stopped by to visit him.
"How are you feeling?" she finally asked.
"Oh, pretty good, considering. Just anxious to get the all-clear so I can get out of this bed! I'm going stir crazy!" he added with a chuckle.
She forced a smile. "Well, we all miss you."
"I've missed you too! I haven't really seen you since--" He stopped the sentence abruptly as her gaze dropped to her lap.
"I've been busy. You know, working."
"Ah," he nodded. "And how are you getting along with the VP?"
She shrugged, "He's a bit green."
He laughed, "Greener than me?"
"Surprisingly enough," she said with a genuine laugh.
"Pheebs, you know this wasn't your fault, right?" Suddenly changing the subject to the uncomfortable topic caused the slight smile on Phoebe's face to instantly fall away, tears immediately pooling in her eyes.
He took her hand when she started to cry, offering his friend comfort. He felt horrible for being the one indirectly responsible for causing her such anguish.
"If I had just gotten the premonition a few seconds sooner," she said through her tears.
"And what if you didn't have this gift? Or what if you hadn't come with that day? There are a lot of 'what if's in the world, and if you dwell on them, you'll drive yourself crazy."
"You're like my family," she sniffled. "You, Joey, and Ross. If anything had happened to you--"
"Nothing did," he jumped in, stopping her from imagining the worst. "I'm going to be fine."
"I know." She wiped at her tears, drying her face. She seemed emotionally distant, and he knew he needed to get her to open up in order to get back to where they were before the shooting. To the friendship they'd always had.
"Tell me what you saw," he asked of her. "In the premonition."
He had a feeling that a lot of Phoebe's uncharacteristic behavior and despondency was somehow linked back to what she saw mere seconds before the bullets rang out.
She shook her head at first, but when he muttered a simple 'please', she relented.
"Keep in mind," she prefaced, "Sometimes these visions are almost dream like." He nodded, then gestured for her to continue. "The bullet was large, in the vision. Like, cartoonish kind of large. It hit you, and your eyes changed from blue to black, like your pupils instantly dilated. You slumped to the ground, covered in blood, your face twisted in pain… and I could see your soul leave your body, the same twisted expression on your face…"
She trailed off, and he could tell it was a painful memory to relive. "That must've been really scary," he said softly as he gave her hand a squeeze in support.
She pulled her hand free and threw her arms around him, making him wince slightly as she bumped his wounded arm. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you," she cried, and he held her as tight as he could with his healing injuries.
"You'll never have to find out," he whispered, sweeping her hair back from off her shoulder as he nuzzled up to her neck.
Comfortable in doing so, Monica walked in without knocking, startled by what she saw upon entering. Phoebe, in Chandler's arms.
She wasn't jealous so much as she was confused, and she cleared her throat to announce her presence.
"Monica, hi," Phoebe muttered, moving away from Chandler quickly and wiping at her face.
Chandler sighed, emotionally drained, then smiled at Monica with as much effort as he could muster. "Hi, sweetie."
"Everything ok?" Monica asked with a furrowed brow.
"Yeah," Chandler replied, watching as Phoebe stood.
"I have to get back to work, sir," she said softly, then headed for the door. "Get better soon."
"Thanks, Pheebs. I will. Come visit again, ok?"
She smiled, "Ok."
She walked out the door, and Monica looked to Chandler for an explanation as to what had just transpired.
"She blames herself," he began. "Because she had that psychic vision. But because it was only seconds before, and because she didn't have enough time to warn me, she blames herself."
Monica nodded sympathetically, then joined him on the bed. "She gonna be alright?"
"I think eventually. I think she was just really worried that I was going to die."
"We all were," Monica added, then leaned in and kissed his worried lips. "You ok?"
He nodded. "Just thinking."
"About?"
"Phoebe," he replied simply. "And Carl," he added. "His funeral is tomorrow."
"Yeah," she acknowledged softly.
"I can't go, because I'm still recovering," he complained. "But I don't want his widow thinking I don't care."
"I'm sure she realizes that you're still healing," Monica assured him.
"I suppose," he shrugged, then inhaled sharply at the pain it caused.
With a slight smile, she kissed his lips again. "When you're better, go pay her a visit," Monica suggested. "Let her know the Drs wouldn't let you attend."
"Yeah," he agreed absently.
His mind obviously elsewhere, he sat silently as Monica lazily ran her fingers up and down his thigh, knowing if she just gave him time, he would open up to her.
"I just wish Carl didn't have to die," he muttered eventually, his voice choked and his eyes glistening with tears.
"You should practice what you preach," she told him, receiving an odd expression from him in response. "You consoled Ross and Phoebe, telling them not to blame themselves, because it was no one's fault, yet here you are blaming yourself for Carl's death. It's no more your fault than it is theirs," she added firmly.
"A man is dead," he sighed, "And it's because of me. Whether it's my fault or not is irrelevant," he added sadly. "Especially to his widow."
*****
--Monica walked around the grounds outside, her brain mulling over all that Chandler had confided. He blamed himself for Carl's death, even though there was nothing he could have done to prevent it.
She tried to reason with him, to help him realize that Carl had trained hard to get the position he'd had, and knew the risks. But to Chandler, none of that mattered. A man was dead, shot while trying to protect him.
She crossed her arms as a chill breezed through, noticing that she was not alone on her walk. Up ahead and by himself, was Joey.
"Hey, Joey," she called out when within earshot.
"Oh, hey Monica." He stopped walking, waiting for her to catch up to him. "What'cha doin out here?"
"The Drs are in with Chandler, so I thought I'd take this time to clear my head a bit. What are you doing out here?"
"Working on his speech," he replied. "I think better when I'm out here," he added with a slight lopsided grin.
She smiled in return. "How'd you get the job as Chandler's speech writer, anyway?"
"Well, I'm actually an actor, but that wasn't working out for me, so, he offered me the job."
"So, you knew him before working for him?"
"Not exactly. I was in this horrible play, and he had snuck out of the White House and ended up front row!" He laughed, "All that trouble to sneak out and he ends up at the worst play ever!" He shook his head, "Anyway. He approached me, just to be polite and say 'good job' or whatever, and we got to talking. Ended up talking for hours!"
"Wasn't it weird?" she asked. "Knowing you were conversing with the President of the United States?"
"I didn't recognize him," he replied, smiling sheepishly.
She snorted a laugh, "How could you not?"
He shrugged. "Just not up on politics. Anyway, it came up that I had no gig lined up after the play ended, which was in 2 days, so, he offered me the job as his speech writer."
"Without knowing anything about you?"
"Yep!" he exclaimed. "That's the kind of man he is."
She nodded in agreement. "What about Phoebe? When did she enter the picture?"
"I met her when I started working here, but Chandler and Ross, they've known her for years. They met her at this coffeehouse they used to go to all the time back in New York. She used to write and sing all these weird songs, for tips, and her and Chandler just hit it off, right off the bat. Phoebe and Ross didn't get along so well, you know, in the beginning, I think because they are just so different. They're friends now," he added, "But back then, not so much."
"This one time," he laughed, "Phoebe told me that she mocked the theory of evolution. Well, then, Ross tried and tried to convince her that it was the only logical explanation, but the more he tried, the more she played with him. He stopped talking to her for 2 weeks because of that!" He chuckled, more to himself than anything, "I love that story."
"What about Ross?" she asked. "What's his story?"
"He and Chandler met in college. They were roommates, actually, and they remained friends. He's a good guy. A bit intense sometimes, but he loves Chandler."
"So do you," she interjected. "I can tell."
"Yeah," he agreed. "He's like a brother to me."
"You don't have siblings?"
"No, I do. All sisters," he replied. "Seven of them!"
"Wow! Big family!"
"Yeah! I've got so many nieces and nephews now," he joked, "I've lost count!"
Monica laughed, then paused politely before moving on. "So, Chandler, Ross, and Phoebe all knew each other before you entered the picture, hmm? Did you feel like an outsider?"
"Not really. Chandler has always been real good about making all of us feel important."
"You and Phoebe get along well," she mentioned casually, to see what he'd say.
"Yeah. She's great."
"She blames herself for the shooting." When she changed the subject, the smile left Joey's face.
"I know she does. I keep telling her it's not her fault, but I don't think she's listening to me."
"Chandler tried to tell her, too. She was really upset earlier, and crying. Chandler was holding her…"
"They're really close," he said with a nod. "Which is surprising, cause usually when you break up with someone, you don't remain friends."
Monica scowled. "They used to date?"
"Yeah. Not for long though, I guess. When it didn't work out, they decided to be friends instead."
Monica tried not to look upset, but inwardly, a twinge of jealousy crept into her heart.
"I just found that out myself recently," he continued. "No one ever told me that! Not even Phoebe, which is weird, cause she's pretty much told me everything about her past! This life and past lives," he added with a chuckle.
Monica started to unintentionally tune him out, her mind elsewhere, buzzing with images of Chandler and Phoebe embracing. Not usually a jealous person, she found the feelings to be unsettling, an instant headache taking hold as her heart fluttered with anxiety.
Was he secretly dating Phoebe on the side? She tried to remember every conversation she'd had with both Phoebe and Chandler, trying to look for clues so to answer that question. Joey chattered on, unknowing of the emotional chaos he'd just unleashed in his new friend's mind.
"And since the polls have been going up so significantly since you two have been dating," Joey said, this sentence being the one to bring Monica out of her thoughts. "Ross has been almost pushing Chandler to continue seeing you--"
"What?" she asked, unsure if she had heard him correctly.
The frown on her face immediately caught Joey's attention. "What?" he repeated, questioning what he'd said to cause that reaction in her.
"Mr. Tribbiani," a sharply-dressed secretary addressed him as she approached. "Mr. Geller is looking for you."
"Ok," he acknowledged her, then turned back to Monica. "Sorry, I have to go."
She nodded, the frown still present on her face.
"Are you ok?"
When she focused long enough to see the concern on his face, she forced her expression to become more neutral. "Yeah, I'm fine."
She watched him walk away, her brow creasing once again. Minutes before, she was in love with a man she was certain loved her in return. Now… doubts.
Was he dating her only to boost his popularity amongst the voting public? Was he secretly dating Phoebe? Would she be better off waiting till he was well before asking him about it? Should she ask him about it?
Questions pelted her mind as she wandered distractedly back towards Chandler's private residence.
She walked in the door, glancing around briefly before heading back to his room.
"Hey, babe," he greeted her. "Drs say all is good!" he informed. "So, looks like I'll be back in the captain's chair before long."
He could tell by her expression that something wasn't right.
"Is something wrong?"
She looked him square in the eyes, but still having no idea what to say, she shook her head, then moved to grab her suitcase from the closet.
"I have to go home now," she told him, grabbing clothes from the dresser.
"What?" he asked, confused by her abrupt need to leave. "Why? What's happened?"
"Nothing's happened," she replied, still packing. "But, I've been here for a while, and now I need to go back home."
"Something is wrong," he stated firmly. "Talk to me."
"Look, you're fine now, right? Drs say you're healing and all is good, so, you don't need me here."
"You're wrong," he said softly. "I do need you here."
She spun around, ready to confront him, but found she couldn't. "I gotta go," she muttered quickly, then darted from the room, with only some of her belongings.
"Monica!" he called out, trying to leave the bed quickly, without causing himself pain in the process. "Wait!"
She didn't even slow down as she ran out the door, Chandler getting there just in time to see her disappear around the corner.
He just looked on in shock, his brain trying to comprehend what had just happened. "What the hell--?" he muttered, then walked back into his apartment, slamming the door shut behind him.
TBC
Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. My grandmother died on Friday, October 11th, and it's been hard to get my creativity going again.
This story is almost done! One or two more chapters, I think. Glad you have all been enjoying it! Please, just because we're near the end doesn't mean the reviews have to stop! Please, take a sec and click below and let me know what you think!
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