Chandler's Daughter
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, but to Bright, Kauffman and Crane Productions and Warner Bros. Their use is not intended for profit, only for entertainment. However, if anyone knows where I can purchase them for the low-low price of fifty cents...
Author's Note: Hi. I don't know if you'll like it, but here it is. :) - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The four friends left a few seconds later, leaving Monica sitting on the couch silently. Everything that had happened-that was going to happen-that might happen was too overwhelming for her to think about it. Instead, she needed to do something.
So she did what she often did when she was nervous or upset.
She cleaned.
She got up, picking up a few cups, putting them in the sink. She stood at the sink, intending to wash them when she heard quiet crying. Curious, Monica put down the cup, then approached the doorway to the guestroom, feeling like an intruder in her own house. The door was opened slightly, and she leaned on the doorframe, looking through the small crack.
"I want Mommy. Where is she? Where's Mommy?" Megan asked, her face red from crying. She sat on the edge of the bed in a pink nightgown, swinging her legs back and forth because they weren't long enough to reach the floor. Her back was to Monica.
"She's not here right now, sweetie," Chandler said quietly as he knelt in the floor next to the bed. He gently wiped the tears off of her face, and Monica had a clear view of Chandler's face.
"Where-where-" Megan hicupped a few times.
"Shh. Take a deep breath," he comforted.
"Where is she?"
"She's..." Chandler paused for a moment, not sure what to say. He couldn't tell her the truth, at least, not yet. "Mommy had to go to the hospital."
"Is-is she sick?"
"The doctor is taking care of her," Chandler answered, reasoning that it wasn't lying, as the doctor was taking care of her. 'In the morgue,' he added in his mind.
"Can I-can I see her?"
"Not right now, sweetie. She's sleeping."
"Oh." Megan was quiet for a second, as she thought about his explanation. "Okay. But-but can we see her tomorrow?" she asked shyly.
"We'll see, Megs. But right now, you need to go to sleep. It's way past your bedtime," Chandler said, changing the subject.
"Nu-uh."
"Yeah-huh. It's almost midnight."
"This is the latest I ever got to stay up! And I'm not-I'm not sleepy, Daddy," Megan said before yawning loudly.
"Oh, really? Not sleepy, huh? Then, you won't mind if I do this," Chandler said as he laid her down on the bed, then covered her up.
"Nope. Not sleepy!" she said, smiling.
"Uh-huh."
"I'm not." Chandler tucked her in, and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"'Night, Megan-bean."
"'Night, Daddy-cheese."
Where the nicknames had come from, Monica had no idea. But she couldn't help the small smile that flittered across her face. Monica backed away from the door as she saw Chandler stand up.
"Daddy?"
He turned around and walked back to his original spot, as did Monica.
"Can you read me a book? There's some in my book bag," she said, pointing to the child-sized pink backpack sitting on the desk chair.
"Does Mommy read to you?" Chandler asked as he rifled through the bag.
"No."
"Oh... Found one!" Chandler said triumphantly as he pulled a small hardcover book out.
"Which one?"
"'Goodnight, Moon,'" Chandler read diligently off of the cover.
"That's my favorite," she told him matter-of-factly.
"Your favorite?"
"Yup."
"Then I guess we should read, huh?"
"Uh-huh," she agreed happily. Chandler pulled the chair over to the bed but Megan stopped him. "Daddy, you hafta sit here," she explained, sitting up and scooting over a little in the bed.
- -
"Good-night, Moon..." Chandler whispered as he read the last line, noticing that Megan was asleep. He dropped the thin book on the floor, and gently rolled his daughter onto the bed. She mumbled something, but to Chandler's relief, stayed asleep. He smiled and covered her with the blanket again before turning off the light. He glanced around the room, noticing how dark it was, then tapped the small Tiffany lamp on the dresser. It produced a small glow, and Chandler left the room, closing the door softly behind him.
Monica looked up from the spot she was sitting, next to the door. "We need to talk."
"I know," he said, running one hand through his hair. He attempted a smile, then stretched his hand out to Monica. She slightly returned the smile and took his hand, allowing him to help her stand up.
"So..." Chandler said as they stood there, the air between them strangely awkward. "Monica, I know-"
"I'm gonna make some-some tea. Or coffee. Or something," she interrupted, navigating around him and to the kitchen. She filled a pot with water and sat in on the stove. Monica took a deep breath as she turned on the fire, and spun around, bumping into Chandler in the process, knocking him into the floor.
"Oh, god, I'm sorry," she said, failing to suppress a laugh, outstretching her hand for him.
"You think it's funny?" Chandler asked, gripping her hand tightly, and pulling her down to his lap.
"Yes," she giggled. He smiled and kissed her gently.
"I do love you. You gotta know that."
"I know," she said, pulling herself off of him, leaning against the counter. "And I think...I just need to know one thing, Chandler."
"What?" he asked as he sat down on the chair nearest the refrigerator.
"Why?"
Before he could answer, she turned back to the task of making coffee or tea or what ever it was she chose. A few seconds later, she handed him a mug, and sat down with her own.
"I didn't tell you-"
"No. Not that. I know why you didn't tell me, and I guess I can see your reasons. But what I mean is...why? Why her? Why not..." her voice trailed off and she concentrated on the contents of her ceramic mug.
"Why not you," he finished quietly.
"Yes. Why not me. You know I want a baby. You know I want a family. And you know I want it with you. But every time-every time before this whole...Megan-Chloe thing...I've tried to talk to you about it, and you'd brush me off. You'd say you weren't ready to be a father. You were scared. Fine. I respected that. But you know what? You lied. You were ready to be a father. You already were. So I just wanna know why you couldn't have given me the chance in the past four years, and at least the past year to be a mother."
There was quiet between them for a few moments.
"I don't know," he said quietly.
She sighed. "Neither do I, Chandler. Look...I know that Megan is a great kid, and she's your daughter, and everything, and you obviously care for her a lot. But..."
Chandler felt his heart drop slightly at her last word.
"...you can't be a father."
"What?" Chandler asked, shocked. "I can't-I can't 'be' a father. You can't- you can't tell me what I can or can't do. Not about this. I owe it to that little girl-"
"Not alone," she finished.
There was a few seconds of silence again.
"What?" he said stupidly.
She smiled and reached across the table, taking his hand in hers.
"This isn't the way I wanted us to do it. I wanted you to be mine forever and I wanted you to be a daddy only to children that we made. But things don't always turn out the way you want. So...I've decided to change what I want. I want us to be a family. You, me, and Megan. She needs a real family. It's probably been really hard for her already, floating between a secret father and a mother for four years. I want her to stay here with us. And I want to adopt her. She already feels like my own daughter. I just- I don't wanna be the evil stepmother."
"You won't be."
"Yeah, well...what are we gonna tell her tomorrow?"
"'We'" he echoed. "Don't you mean 'what am I gonna tell her?'"
"No. I mean we. I told you. I'm not letting you be a single father. Not when you've got a perfectly good wife," she said with a small smile.
"I never meant to hurt you. I just want you to trust me," he said, changing the subject.
"I'm trying Chandler. I want to. But it's hard," Monica said with a small sigh. She glanced at the clock. "We should go to bed now."
- - - -
Monica opened her eyes slightly as she felt a small hand gently tugging hers.
"Monica?" Megan whispered, then got closer to Monica's face. "Are you awake?" she whispered loudly.
Monica smiled, and sat up, looking at the alarm clock. 4:17 a.m.
"What's wrong?"
"I...I don't wanna wake Daddy up," she said hesitantly.
"Okay." Monica untangled herself from both the blanket and Chandler's arms, and followed Megan into the living room. "What's wrong?"
"Promise you won't tell?" Megan asked, glancing to the door apprehensively, her blue eyes wide, and worried.
"I won't," Monica said as she knelt in front of the little girl.
"I...I kinda had an accident," she whispered. "I'm really sorry."
"It's okay, Megan," Monica said instinctively. "Why don't we change the sheet and your pajamas so you can go back to bed?"
"I'm sorry," she repeated, her bottom lip quivering as tears rolled down her face. "Mommy told me I had to be good when- when I was with Daddy- and I wasn't- and please don't tell him- he won't want me any more-and he'll send me away," she said between hiccups.
"Come here, Megan," Monica said quietly as she hugged the little girl. "Daddy won't send you away. He loves you very much."
"But I wasn't good," she said as her cries quieted.
"It's okay. It was an accident. We'll put the sheets and 'jamas in the washer, and everything will be okay. Daddy won't be mad at you."
She sniffled and looked up at Monica. "Are you sure?"
Monica smiled and nodded. "Positive. Do you wanna take a quick bath?"
"At nighttime?" she asked incredulously.
- -
"Why did your mommy tell you to be good when you visited?" Monica asked as she poured a plastic cup of lukewarm water over Megan's hair to rinse the shampoo out, one hand on the girl's forehead to shield her eyes.
"I dunno," Megan replied as she bobbed the small plastic boat up and down in the water. "She always told me to be good. 'Specially when we had the special company."
"Special company?" Monica questioned as she sat back next to the tub on her heels on the floor.
"Yeah. Like Seth and Mark and Jenny. This shampoo smells yummy. Like candy. But you can't eat it right?" She giggled at the thought of eating shampoo. "It'd be yucky."
"Yeah, it would be," Monica agreed. "Who's Seth?"
"Mommy's friend. I didn't like him though. He always looked really sleepy and Mommy always made me go to bed early when him 'n Mark 'n Jenny came over."
"Do they come over a lot?"
"Uh-huh. Almost every day."
"What happens when they come over?"
"I hafta go to bed. I was 'posed to go sleep, and one time I peeked out and they were on sitting on the couch, and there was smoke all around the room and they was laughing cuz it was funny."
"What was funny?"
"I dunno. I tried to ask Mommy, but she got really mad and made me go back to bed."
"Oh...let's get you outta that bath now. Are you clean?"
"Yup."
"Any carrots in your ears?"
Megan lightly rubbed both ears with the washrag and shook her head with a grin.
"Okay." Megan stood up in the shallow water and Monica wrapped her in a fluffy towel, then pulled her out.
"My hair is dripping," Megan announced. Monica smiled.
"Put your head down." The little girl did so, and Monica wrapped a smaller towel around her head, twisting it on top of her head. Megan lifted her head and smiled.
"Okay. I'll be right back with some clean clothes."
Megan nodded and Monica opened the bathroom door, bumping into Chandler.
"We just keep bumping into each other, huh?" he said with a yawn. She smiled at his disheveled hair and shrugged. "So...what are you doing?" he asked, peeking around her into the bathroom. Monica closed the door lightly.
"Okay. You have to promise you won't be mad."
"I promise."
"Megan had an accident."
He stared at her, clueless.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning she wet the bed."
"Oh." He shrugged. "Why would I be mad?"
"Ask your daughter's late-mother," Monica remarked quietly as she walked into the guestroom, flipping the light switch on. "Who I think was a druggie."
"A druggie?" Chandler asked as he followed her into the room.
"Yeah. And she told Megan that if she wasn't good around you, that you wouldn't love her or want her anymore, and that you'd send her away." Monica pulled a small pair of flowered underwear and a Pull-up from the pink book bag.
"Why would I do that?"
"No idea. But that's what Chloe said. She doesn't have any more pajamas in here, Chandler," Monica remarked.
"Then give her one of my tee-shirts. Why would she think that?"
"Because her mother told her to, Chandler!" Monica said, raising her voice slightly. She sighed and went into her own bedroom, rifling through one of the drawers until she pulled out a tee-shirt.
"But why would-"
"I don't know," Monica said as she turned back to Chandler. "I have no idea. All I know is what she told me a few minutes ago. How accurate it is- I don't know. But I'm guessing pretty." She took the shirt and walked out of the bedroom.
"I can-I can get her ready for bed, so you can-"
"I'm fine," she snapped.
"Are you mad at me?" Chandler asked as her hand reached to the bathroom doorknob. Her hand fell and she turned back to him.
"No. I'm not mad at you, Chandler. I just can't believe that that little girl in there had to live with a junkie mother who threatened her with her father's love. That's all," Monica said with a sigh. She kept her voice low so that Megan wouldn't hear her.
Chandler pulled her into his arms, giving her a hug. "You wish she was yours," he whispered into Monica's ear.
"She should've been," Monica replied, her voice muffled by his chest.
"I know, sweetie. I wish she was, too."
Monica took a deep breath and pulled away from Chandler, then opened the bathroom door and got Megan ready for bed.
"What's wrong?" Monica asked a few minutes later as she sat on the couch, brushing Megan's hair for her.
"I don't...I don't like that room," Megan said, pointing to the guestroom.
"Why not?" Monica asked as she began to braid her hair.
"The bed is too big. I don't like it." Monica smiled when she realized where Megan was headed.
"Too big, huh?"
"Yeah. And-and the lamp makes scary shapes."
"Really?"
"Uh-huh. Can I sleep in the other bed with you 'n Daddy?"
"Sure."
"Really?" Megan said, turning her head to face Monica.
"Yeah. There's room. Hold your head still, I'm almost done." She wrapped a blue hair band at the bottom of the braid. "Okay. Done."
"Is Daddy mad at me?" Megan said as she faced Monica.
"No, sweetie. He's not mad."
"You weren't supposed to tell."
"I know. But I knew your daddy wouldn't be mad at you and he wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Will he get mad if I sleep in the other bed with you 'n him?"
"No. Did your Mommy get mad?" Monica asked curiously.
Megan nodded shyly. "She didn't like. Said I took up too much room."
"I'm sorry. But there's room for you here, and we don't mind."
"Really-really?"
"Really-really."
Megan smiled and hugged Monica around the neck.
"Tell Daddy to scoot his big butt over," Monica said after carrying Megan into the bedroom and sitting her own the bed.
"He'll get mad. He's sleeping."
"He won't be mad."
"Promise?"
"Cross my heart."
Megan grinned and crawled to Chandler, who was lying in the middle of the bed, and not at all sleeping. She poked his arm, and he pretended to snore. Megan giggled, then pinched his nose shut.
"Monica said to scoot over, Big-Butt!" she declared when his eyes opened.
"Big-Butt, huh?" Chandler said, tickling Megan.
Megan giggled, then said, "Monica said you won't be mad if I sleep in here tonight."
"No," Chandler agreed as he scooted over, "I'm not mad."
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, but to Bright, Kauffman and Crane Productions and Warner Bros. Their use is not intended for profit, only for entertainment. However, if anyone knows where I can purchase them for the low-low price of fifty cents...
Author's Note: Hi. I don't know if you'll like it, but here it is. :) - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The four friends left a few seconds later, leaving Monica sitting on the couch silently. Everything that had happened-that was going to happen-that might happen was too overwhelming for her to think about it. Instead, she needed to do something.
So she did what she often did when she was nervous or upset.
She cleaned.
She got up, picking up a few cups, putting them in the sink. She stood at the sink, intending to wash them when she heard quiet crying. Curious, Monica put down the cup, then approached the doorway to the guestroom, feeling like an intruder in her own house. The door was opened slightly, and she leaned on the doorframe, looking through the small crack.
"I want Mommy. Where is she? Where's Mommy?" Megan asked, her face red from crying. She sat on the edge of the bed in a pink nightgown, swinging her legs back and forth because they weren't long enough to reach the floor. Her back was to Monica.
"She's not here right now, sweetie," Chandler said quietly as he knelt in the floor next to the bed. He gently wiped the tears off of her face, and Monica had a clear view of Chandler's face.
"Where-where-" Megan hicupped a few times.
"Shh. Take a deep breath," he comforted.
"Where is she?"
"She's..." Chandler paused for a moment, not sure what to say. He couldn't tell her the truth, at least, not yet. "Mommy had to go to the hospital."
"Is-is she sick?"
"The doctor is taking care of her," Chandler answered, reasoning that it wasn't lying, as the doctor was taking care of her. 'In the morgue,' he added in his mind.
"Can I-can I see her?"
"Not right now, sweetie. She's sleeping."
"Oh." Megan was quiet for a second, as she thought about his explanation. "Okay. But-but can we see her tomorrow?" she asked shyly.
"We'll see, Megs. But right now, you need to go to sleep. It's way past your bedtime," Chandler said, changing the subject.
"Nu-uh."
"Yeah-huh. It's almost midnight."
"This is the latest I ever got to stay up! And I'm not-I'm not sleepy, Daddy," Megan said before yawning loudly.
"Oh, really? Not sleepy, huh? Then, you won't mind if I do this," Chandler said as he laid her down on the bed, then covered her up.
"Nope. Not sleepy!" she said, smiling.
"Uh-huh."
"I'm not." Chandler tucked her in, and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
"'Night, Megan-bean."
"'Night, Daddy-cheese."
Where the nicknames had come from, Monica had no idea. But she couldn't help the small smile that flittered across her face. Monica backed away from the door as she saw Chandler stand up.
"Daddy?"
He turned around and walked back to his original spot, as did Monica.
"Can you read me a book? There's some in my book bag," she said, pointing to the child-sized pink backpack sitting on the desk chair.
"Does Mommy read to you?" Chandler asked as he rifled through the bag.
"No."
"Oh... Found one!" Chandler said triumphantly as he pulled a small hardcover book out.
"Which one?"
"'Goodnight, Moon,'" Chandler read diligently off of the cover.
"That's my favorite," she told him matter-of-factly.
"Your favorite?"
"Yup."
"Then I guess we should read, huh?"
"Uh-huh," she agreed happily. Chandler pulled the chair over to the bed but Megan stopped him. "Daddy, you hafta sit here," she explained, sitting up and scooting over a little in the bed.
- -
"Good-night, Moon..." Chandler whispered as he read the last line, noticing that Megan was asleep. He dropped the thin book on the floor, and gently rolled his daughter onto the bed. She mumbled something, but to Chandler's relief, stayed asleep. He smiled and covered her with the blanket again before turning off the light. He glanced around the room, noticing how dark it was, then tapped the small Tiffany lamp on the dresser. It produced a small glow, and Chandler left the room, closing the door softly behind him.
Monica looked up from the spot she was sitting, next to the door. "We need to talk."
"I know," he said, running one hand through his hair. He attempted a smile, then stretched his hand out to Monica. She slightly returned the smile and took his hand, allowing him to help her stand up.
"So..." Chandler said as they stood there, the air between them strangely awkward. "Monica, I know-"
"I'm gonna make some-some tea. Or coffee. Or something," she interrupted, navigating around him and to the kitchen. She filled a pot with water and sat in on the stove. Monica took a deep breath as she turned on the fire, and spun around, bumping into Chandler in the process, knocking him into the floor.
"Oh, god, I'm sorry," she said, failing to suppress a laugh, outstretching her hand for him.
"You think it's funny?" Chandler asked, gripping her hand tightly, and pulling her down to his lap.
"Yes," she giggled. He smiled and kissed her gently.
"I do love you. You gotta know that."
"I know," she said, pulling herself off of him, leaning against the counter. "And I think...I just need to know one thing, Chandler."
"What?" he asked as he sat down on the chair nearest the refrigerator.
"Why?"
Before he could answer, she turned back to the task of making coffee or tea or what ever it was she chose. A few seconds later, she handed him a mug, and sat down with her own.
"I didn't tell you-"
"No. Not that. I know why you didn't tell me, and I guess I can see your reasons. But what I mean is...why? Why her? Why not..." her voice trailed off and she concentrated on the contents of her ceramic mug.
"Why not you," he finished quietly.
"Yes. Why not me. You know I want a baby. You know I want a family. And you know I want it with you. But every time-every time before this whole...Megan-Chloe thing...I've tried to talk to you about it, and you'd brush me off. You'd say you weren't ready to be a father. You were scared. Fine. I respected that. But you know what? You lied. You were ready to be a father. You already were. So I just wanna know why you couldn't have given me the chance in the past four years, and at least the past year to be a mother."
There was quiet between them for a few moments.
"I don't know," he said quietly.
She sighed. "Neither do I, Chandler. Look...I know that Megan is a great kid, and she's your daughter, and everything, and you obviously care for her a lot. But..."
Chandler felt his heart drop slightly at her last word.
"...you can't be a father."
"What?" Chandler asked, shocked. "I can't-I can't 'be' a father. You can't- you can't tell me what I can or can't do. Not about this. I owe it to that little girl-"
"Not alone," she finished.
There was a few seconds of silence again.
"What?" he said stupidly.
She smiled and reached across the table, taking his hand in hers.
"This isn't the way I wanted us to do it. I wanted you to be mine forever and I wanted you to be a daddy only to children that we made. But things don't always turn out the way you want. So...I've decided to change what I want. I want us to be a family. You, me, and Megan. She needs a real family. It's probably been really hard for her already, floating between a secret father and a mother for four years. I want her to stay here with us. And I want to adopt her. She already feels like my own daughter. I just- I don't wanna be the evil stepmother."
"You won't be."
"Yeah, well...what are we gonna tell her tomorrow?"
"'We'" he echoed. "Don't you mean 'what am I gonna tell her?'"
"No. I mean we. I told you. I'm not letting you be a single father. Not when you've got a perfectly good wife," she said with a small smile.
"I never meant to hurt you. I just want you to trust me," he said, changing the subject.
"I'm trying Chandler. I want to. But it's hard," Monica said with a small sigh. She glanced at the clock. "We should go to bed now."
- - - -
Monica opened her eyes slightly as she felt a small hand gently tugging hers.
"Monica?" Megan whispered, then got closer to Monica's face. "Are you awake?" she whispered loudly.
Monica smiled, and sat up, looking at the alarm clock. 4:17 a.m.
"What's wrong?"
"I...I don't wanna wake Daddy up," she said hesitantly.
"Okay." Monica untangled herself from both the blanket and Chandler's arms, and followed Megan into the living room. "What's wrong?"
"Promise you won't tell?" Megan asked, glancing to the door apprehensively, her blue eyes wide, and worried.
"I won't," Monica said as she knelt in front of the little girl.
"I...I kinda had an accident," she whispered. "I'm really sorry."
"It's okay, Megan," Monica said instinctively. "Why don't we change the sheet and your pajamas so you can go back to bed?"
"I'm sorry," she repeated, her bottom lip quivering as tears rolled down her face. "Mommy told me I had to be good when- when I was with Daddy- and I wasn't- and please don't tell him- he won't want me any more-and he'll send me away," she said between hiccups.
"Come here, Megan," Monica said quietly as she hugged the little girl. "Daddy won't send you away. He loves you very much."
"But I wasn't good," she said as her cries quieted.
"It's okay. It was an accident. We'll put the sheets and 'jamas in the washer, and everything will be okay. Daddy won't be mad at you."
She sniffled and looked up at Monica. "Are you sure?"
Monica smiled and nodded. "Positive. Do you wanna take a quick bath?"
"At nighttime?" she asked incredulously.
- -
"Why did your mommy tell you to be good when you visited?" Monica asked as she poured a plastic cup of lukewarm water over Megan's hair to rinse the shampoo out, one hand on the girl's forehead to shield her eyes.
"I dunno," Megan replied as she bobbed the small plastic boat up and down in the water. "She always told me to be good. 'Specially when we had the special company."
"Special company?" Monica questioned as she sat back next to the tub on her heels on the floor.
"Yeah. Like Seth and Mark and Jenny. This shampoo smells yummy. Like candy. But you can't eat it right?" She giggled at the thought of eating shampoo. "It'd be yucky."
"Yeah, it would be," Monica agreed. "Who's Seth?"
"Mommy's friend. I didn't like him though. He always looked really sleepy and Mommy always made me go to bed early when him 'n Mark 'n Jenny came over."
"Do they come over a lot?"
"Uh-huh. Almost every day."
"What happens when they come over?"
"I hafta go to bed. I was 'posed to go sleep, and one time I peeked out and they were on sitting on the couch, and there was smoke all around the room and they was laughing cuz it was funny."
"What was funny?"
"I dunno. I tried to ask Mommy, but she got really mad and made me go back to bed."
"Oh...let's get you outta that bath now. Are you clean?"
"Yup."
"Any carrots in your ears?"
Megan lightly rubbed both ears with the washrag and shook her head with a grin.
"Okay." Megan stood up in the shallow water and Monica wrapped her in a fluffy towel, then pulled her out.
"My hair is dripping," Megan announced. Monica smiled.
"Put your head down." The little girl did so, and Monica wrapped a smaller towel around her head, twisting it on top of her head. Megan lifted her head and smiled.
"Okay. I'll be right back with some clean clothes."
Megan nodded and Monica opened the bathroom door, bumping into Chandler.
"We just keep bumping into each other, huh?" he said with a yawn. She smiled at his disheveled hair and shrugged. "So...what are you doing?" he asked, peeking around her into the bathroom. Monica closed the door lightly.
"Okay. You have to promise you won't be mad."
"I promise."
"Megan had an accident."
He stared at her, clueless.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning she wet the bed."
"Oh." He shrugged. "Why would I be mad?"
"Ask your daughter's late-mother," Monica remarked quietly as she walked into the guestroom, flipping the light switch on. "Who I think was a druggie."
"A druggie?" Chandler asked as he followed her into the room.
"Yeah. And she told Megan that if she wasn't good around you, that you wouldn't love her or want her anymore, and that you'd send her away." Monica pulled a small pair of flowered underwear and a Pull-up from the pink book bag.
"Why would I do that?"
"No idea. But that's what Chloe said. She doesn't have any more pajamas in here, Chandler," Monica remarked.
"Then give her one of my tee-shirts. Why would she think that?"
"Because her mother told her to, Chandler!" Monica said, raising her voice slightly. She sighed and went into her own bedroom, rifling through one of the drawers until she pulled out a tee-shirt.
"But why would-"
"I don't know," Monica said as she turned back to Chandler. "I have no idea. All I know is what she told me a few minutes ago. How accurate it is- I don't know. But I'm guessing pretty." She took the shirt and walked out of the bedroom.
"I can-I can get her ready for bed, so you can-"
"I'm fine," she snapped.
"Are you mad at me?" Chandler asked as her hand reached to the bathroom doorknob. Her hand fell and she turned back to him.
"No. I'm not mad at you, Chandler. I just can't believe that that little girl in there had to live with a junkie mother who threatened her with her father's love. That's all," Monica said with a sigh. She kept her voice low so that Megan wouldn't hear her.
Chandler pulled her into his arms, giving her a hug. "You wish she was yours," he whispered into Monica's ear.
"She should've been," Monica replied, her voice muffled by his chest.
"I know, sweetie. I wish she was, too."
Monica took a deep breath and pulled away from Chandler, then opened the bathroom door and got Megan ready for bed.
"What's wrong?" Monica asked a few minutes later as she sat on the couch, brushing Megan's hair for her.
"I don't...I don't like that room," Megan said, pointing to the guestroom.
"Why not?" Monica asked as she began to braid her hair.
"The bed is too big. I don't like it." Monica smiled when she realized where Megan was headed.
"Too big, huh?"
"Yeah. And-and the lamp makes scary shapes."
"Really?"
"Uh-huh. Can I sleep in the other bed with you 'n Daddy?"
"Sure."
"Really?" Megan said, turning her head to face Monica.
"Yeah. There's room. Hold your head still, I'm almost done." She wrapped a blue hair band at the bottom of the braid. "Okay. Done."
"Is Daddy mad at me?" Megan said as she faced Monica.
"No, sweetie. He's not mad."
"You weren't supposed to tell."
"I know. But I knew your daddy wouldn't be mad at you and he wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Will he get mad if I sleep in the other bed with you 'n him?"
"No. Did your Mommy get mad?" Monica asked curiously.
Megan nodded shyly. "She didn't like. Said I took up too much room."
"I'm sorry. But there's room for you here, and we don't mind."
"Really-really?"
"Really-really."
Megan smiled and hugged Monica around the neck.
"Tell Daddy to scoot his big butt over," Monica said after carrying Megan into the bedroom and sitting her own the bed.
"He'll get mad. He's sleeping."
"He won't be mad."
"Promise?"
"Cross my heart."
Megan grinned and crawled to Chandler, who was lying in the middle of the bed, and not at all sleeping. She poked his arm, and he pretended to snore. Megan giggled, then pinched his nose shut.
"Monica said to scoot over, Big-Butt!" she declared when his eyes opened.
"Big-Butt, huh?" Chandler said, tickling Megan.
Megan giggled, then said, "Monica said you won't be mad if I sleep in here tonight."
"No," Chandler agreed as he scooted over, "I'm not mad."