Not A Day Goes By
Chapter Two
AN: I'm sorry this took so long…I really am. The past couple of weeks have been terrible. That's the only excuse I can offer. ;-) And even now, it's short – but better than nothing, right?
Oh, and the first part is supposed to be in italics, but who knows if it will actually show up in italics? Anyway, should be obvious, but it's a flashback.
One more thing: To SFGirl and BluEyes, who both mentioned they were thinking of doing a similar fic – don't stop on my account! You are both fantastic writers, so I don't want you to cheat the world of your brilliance just because of me. ;-)
"Chandler, will you get Connor's jacket and make sure his blanket's in the bag? He won't sleep if he doesn't have it."
Chandler obediently checked, though he had watched Monica fold the blanket and put it in Connor's backpack just minutes before. He smiled to himself as he found the little jacket - and anticipating Monica's next request, placed Caleb's on the counter beside it. He walked over to his wife and put his arms around her, kissing her cheek.
"Relax, Mon. It's just one night. Your parents are perfectly capable of watching the boys – and they love to visit them."
Monica sighed and nodded reluctantly as she leaned against him..
"I know. I just want to make sure they have everything. The last thing I need is for my mother to call at midnight, fussing because I forgot to put Connor's blanket in the bag and he refuses to go to sleep. I don't want to give her any reason to criticize my abilities as a mother."
Chandler grinned and kissed her fully on the lips.
"There's nothing for her to criticize," he reassured her as Caleb came running into the living room with a pillow, Connor following more slowly at an unsteady lope. "Right boys? Your mom's perfect, isn't she?"
"Uh huh," Caleb agreed distractedly, more involved in checking his bag to be sure he had his favorite toys. Connor, however, nodded enthusiastically, making Monica smile. Her two-year-old son would think she was perfect no matter what she did.
"See?" Chandler whispered in her ear. "Bing men know perfection when we see it."
"Then who am I to argue?" she whispered back, just as the knock sounded on the door. Caleb ran to answer it, but was reminded by Chandler to ask who it was first. When Jack and Judy's cheerful voices rang out on the other side of the door, Caleb glanced toward Chandler for his nod of approval before throwing the door open. The now-familiar sounds of grandparents and grandchildren filled the room, while Monica and Chandler looked on in amusement.
"Are we ready to go?" Judy finally asked, looking at Monica for the answer. Monica nodded with a smile, feeling the familiar lump in her throat. She always hated the goodbyes – even when it was only for one night. She took Connor from Jack, kissing him first on the cheek and then the forehead and having her kisses wetly returned.
"Have fun with Grandma and Grandpa, sweetie. I love you."
"Wuv you, Mommy," Connor returned, hugging her tightly. Monica kissed him one more time, then knelt down to hug Caleb – relieved that her five-year-old was still allowing her to do so.
"I love you too, sweetie. Have fun – and help watch after your brother. We'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay," Caleb answered, his voice suddenly quiet and scared. Monica ruffled his hair reassuringly and kissed his forehead. The past couple of times he had spent the night away from home, he'd been a little reluctant to go – but she knew he would be fine once they got back to Jack and Judy's.
She watched as Chandler said goodbye to their sons, then exchanged quick kisses with her parents. A final wave to the boys, and they were gone. Monica sniffed lightly, trying to cover her tears with a smile as Chandler hugged her.
"They'll be back tomorrow," he reminded her softly, his voice also sounding a little shaky.
"I know," Monica responded, pushing aside her motherly concern as she turned to her husband. "You think it will always be this hard to let them go?"
"Probably," Chandler answered with a grin. "But as least we know that your parents won't let anything happen to them.
They both tried to ignore the shrill ringing of the telephone, silently cursing whoever would dare to call at this hour of the night. Monica finally sighed and reached for the receiver, suddenly realizing that it might be the boys. Anxiety was already creeping into her voice as she answered with an urgent "Hello?", now praying that it was just a wrong number…or Joey calling just to annoy them.
"Monica."
The minute she heard her father's voice, Monica knew something terrible had happened. She sat up straight, vaguely aware of Chandler sleepily pulling himself up behind her, his eyes questioning her.
"Dad, what's wrong? Are the boys okay? Where are you?"
"Monica…I think you should come down to the hospital right away."
"The HOSPITAL?" she repeated, her voice strained. Chandler was wide awake now, his eyes suddenly wild with worry. "What are you doing at the hospital? What happened?"
"Monica, sweetie, I want you to try to stay calm. Your mother had to have an emergency appendectomy, and of course we had to bring the boys with us."
"Oh." Monica sighed in relief, willing her heart to stop pounding. She shook her head at Chandler, letting him know that it wasn't the boys. She took another deep breath, noticing that her hands were shaking. "Well, is Mom okay?"
"She's fine, but – "
"We'll come and get the boys, Dad. Where in the hospital are you?"
"Honey…I…Sweetie, try not to worry, but…we can't find Connor."
AN: I tried to find a situation that was as "unblameworthy" as possible, and this is it. We'll just say some poor nurse got called into another emergency and lost track of the Bing children just a minute too long…seems that it would be easy to do.
"C – Connor? They…" Monica could feel her knees turning to water, and struggled to keep from collapsing with Emily in her arms. Chandler lunged for her just in time, taking the baby and guiding her to the couch. She closed her eyes as she sank back against the cushions, her head swimming with the news. The feeling was hauntingly familiar – the same shock, confusion, and desperation she had felt with her father's words years ago…only now her heart knew that on the other side of the abyss, there was hope.
She opened her eyes to look at Chandler, seeking the answers to her questions in his eyes. "They found him?"
He just nodded, finding it hard to speak himself. He held out his hand for her to take, squeezing hers when she did. It was too much to take – the sudden righting of the world that had turned upside down years ago. As his shock started to wear off slightly, he marveled drunkenly that it could be so easy. Just a simple phone call, and they had their son back.
No. Not back. The startling realization jerked him fully back to reality, as he began to vaguely remember the rest of the words he had heard over the phone.
"Colorado…" he whispered, as if trying to sort out the significance. Monica looked at him, her eyes wide.
"He's…Connor's in Colorado?"
Chandler nodded mutely, then took a deep breath. "They're bringing him here. The detective – that Bradley guy, the one that handled the case – he said they were bringing him here. He said he was coming. Some things to discuss…"
Monica just nodded, but she didn't know what there could possibly be to discuss. They had found Connor. That was the only thing that mattered. The moment she had been praying for for years had just happened. They were getting their son back.
She had waited three years, but she had no idea how she was going to make it through the hours it would take to get Connor back to New York. She couldn't wait to hold her son in her arms again. Couldn't wait…
She heard Chandler's startled cry and knew even as the world went black around her that the shock had been too much. Her last thought before she lost consciousness was that she was glad Emily was safely in Chandler's lap…
"Jon," Greg interrupted quietly. "Jamie's on the phone. She wants to talk to you."
Jonathan nodded wearily and reached out to take the phone Greg held toward him. The DNA test had matched – there was no doubt they had found Connor Bing. It was a relief after all these years. Connor had been his first case, and he'd never gotten over the fact that they hadn't found him. And now – by sheer luck they had. He couldn't help thinking that it could only get more difficult from here.
"Hey Jame. Everything okay on your end?"
"As good as can be expected. How do you explain to a five-year-old that he's not who he thinks he is?"
Jonathan sighed, feeling a sharp wave of sympathy for all the people involved. This was not going to be easy.
"What did you tell him?"
"We agreed we would wait and handle it with the parents once we arrive in New York – maybe it will help everyone. Right now, he just thinks he's going on a trip. Have you told the Bings?"
"I called as soon as the DNA tests were verified. I wanted to get an update from you before I went over there."
"Well, nothing new. Assure them that I'm bringing their son to them as soon as possible. But Jon…do you think I could talk to them before they see him? I – I think it's in the child's best interest if I do."
"Jamie, they'll be anxious to see Connor. Would you want to sit down and talk with a social worker if you knew your missing son was waiting right outside the door? I think we owe it to them to just get Connor home as quickly as possible."
"That's the problem, Jon. It's not his home. He might be Connor to them, to you, even to me…but he…He can't remember being Connor. As far as he's concerned, his name is Dylan Buchanan, the only parents he can remember are dead…and the people that he's about to be reunited with are strangers."
To Be Continued…