The Theory
Chapter V
It hurt…it hurt…it hurt so badYou were the best man I ever had
Why was I so blind to see?
Now the biggest fool is me
("It Hurt So Bad", Tom Hambridge)
She watched helplessly from behind the Plexiglas window, as several doctors worked frantically around him. Her entire body was shaking, partly from the cool air that filled the large white room, and partly from the fear that consumed her.
Chandler's condition had not improved; in fact, it had worsened, and Monica and the others had been forced to bring him into the Emergency Room. While the others waited inside the small waiting room, Monica stood against the window, as the doctors worked frantically to save their friend.
Suddenly, the hurried movements of the doctors and nurses halted, and the doctor standing with her back to Monica looked up at the clock on the wall in front of her. The doctor turned and walked out of the room, and as the door opened, Monica could hear the constant, flatling of the heart monitor. Another doctor followed the first, and the two stopped to talk to each other, neither one acknowledging Monica's presence.
"It's too bad," the first doctor said, "he was so young."
"Yes," the other doctor concurred, "but he didn't really have any friends or family."
"No, he has us!" Monica approached the doctors, but they completely ignored her.
"Stop! Tell me what happened, please!" Monica moved to follow the doctors through the brown swinging doors. As she passed through, she suddenly found herself standing in a cemetery. She looked around, and saw that she was totally alone. She turned, and saw a small stone headstone in front of her. She looked at it, and shook her head furiously, as she registered the words:
~Chandler M. Bing~
No Family; No Friends
Unloved
"No!" Monica cried out, and began kicking at the headstone, "It's not true! No!"
"Monica, wake up."
Monica awoke with a gasp, and blinked several times, trying to focus her eyes. She looked up at Chandler, and felt her heart leap.
"Chandler! You're okay," she whispered, and sat up slightly, before pulling him into a tight embrace.
"Monica, what are you doing here?" Chandler asked softly, as he pulled away from Monica slowly.
Monica took a deep breath, and looked down at her hands, as the events of the past several hours came back to her. She bit her lower lip nervously.
"I—we were worried about you. You had a really high fever, and—"
"I feel better now," Chandler said quickly, and swung his legs off of the bed, before standing up slowly.
"Let me check your temperature again," Monica said, as she scooted off of the bed and grabbed the thermometer.
"I'm fine, Monica," Chandler said softly, but swayed slightly, as a dizzy spell hit him.
"Chandler, please lay back down, you're very sick," Monica pleaded.
Chandler, his head heavy, nodded resignedly and laid back down on the bed. Monica placed the thermometer in his mouth, and placed her hand on his forehead.
"I'll be right back," she whispered, and walked out into the living room.
Monica let out a deep breath, as she walked into the living room; her dream had shaken her up, and Chandler's cold demeanor had not helped matters. Trembling slightly, she filled a glass with ice water and headed back toward the bedroom.
"Mon, how is he?" Ross mumbled from the sofa.
"He's awake, but he's—he's not very happy to see me," Monica smiled sadly, and walked back into Chandler's bedroom.
"Who aw yul tawkin to?" Chandler attempted to talk with the thermometer under his tongue.
"I was talking to Ross," Monica said, as she pulled the thermometer from Chandler's mouth, "They're all really worried about you."
Chandler shook his head, and huffed in disbelief loudly.
"99.8," Monica said, "You're staying put."
"I feel alright; you don't need to stay," Chandler whispered.
"Chandler," Monica sat down on Chandler's bed, "we need to talk."
"I think we've talked enough," Chandler mumbled.
"I know why you were so angry," Monica ignored Chandler, and continued, "and I am so, so sorry, I hurt you like that."
"Monica—"
"No, please, just listen. When you came in that night, I was so consumed with that stupid game that I failed to see the reasons behind what you were doing. It was a horrible thing to do, and I cannot tell you how sorry I am. I never meant to make you feel…I never meant to make you think that you were less than you are. Please don't leave, Chandler."
Chandler was quiet for a long moment. He looked at Monica, and then back down at his blanket, before he spoke.
"I …It's my fault too, I guess, for believing that you could…that you were attracted to me," Chandler shrugged.
"No, it's not your fault at all! And it's not all that far fetched, you know, the idea that I could be attracted to you. You happen to be quite a catch," Monica smiled.
"Yeah, right," Chandler laughed, and shook his head.
Monica scooted closer to Chandler, and cupped his face in her hands.
"You are quite a catch," she whispered, and kissed him softly on the lips.
Monica slowly deepened the kiss, and felt Chandler wrap his arms around her waist. Just as the kiss was growing more passionate, Chandler pushed Monica away, and looked back down at the blanket.
"Whoa," Monica said under her breath, as she studied Chandler's demeanor.
"I'm sorry," Chandler mumbled.
"I kissed you, you shouldn't be sorry," Monica said softly.
"I—I think I just want to sleep for a while," Chandler refused to look up at Monica; instead, he scooted down his bed, and lay on his side, his back to Monica.
"Okay…I'll check in on you a little later," Monica said sadly, and moved toward the door.
"Oh, and Chandler? That was one hell of a kiss," Monica smiled, and left the room.
Chandler closed his eyes, and groaned softly. He would not fall for this again, he couldn't; why were they doing this to him? But there was another part of him—a little voice inside his head that was telling him that he should stay, and give his friends the benefit of the doubt. Perplexed, and unsure which voice to listen to, Chandler fell into a restless slumber, his dreams full of consequences and possibilities.
Monica walked into her apartment, and sunk into her sofa, her mind reeling; she was suddenly seeing Chandler in a new light, a thought that scared and excited her. She felt something entirely new with that kiss—something unexpected, and something she'd never felt before. She wondered if this was how Chandler had felt, when he had kissed her the night before. And she wondered if she'd ruined her chance with him, by betraying him. She soon drifted to sleep, dreaming of Chandler, and praying he'd still be there when she woke up again.
AN: Yep, it's short, but I am trying to wrap it up. I'll probably get out one more chapter, and perhaps an epilogue, hopefully before the weekend is up. Hope you all had a nice holiday…don't eat too much! LOL.