A/n: Thanks for all the reviews! The chapters are a bit short because due
to time constraints, this will be a short fic. I know the last chapter was
kind of focused on the medical side, but I've been on winter break and I
watch ER in the morning!
Disclaimer: I do not own Friends. The brilliant executives at NBC do.
Chapter 3-The Waiting Game
"Mrs. Bing, Chandler had a massive heart attack," Dr. Kellogg began. "One of the main valves in his heart will need to be replaced by surgical means. Do you remember in the ambulance how he stopped breathing for a while?" he asked.
"Yes, of course. What about it?" Monica replied.
"When your husband stopped breathing, his brain was deprived of oxygen for several minutes. This may have caused some brain damage," he paused, "and we're afraid that he may have slipped into a coma."
"What? You can't be serious! This is my husband! Chandler! He's too young!" she cried. Overcome with emotion, she fell into Ross's arms and buried her face in his chest.
"Isn't there anything we can do, Dr. Kellogg?" Ross asked.
"Chandler is my best friend, and I will not let you give up on him!" Joey shouted menacingly. He began to advance toward the doctor, ready to fight him, but Ross pulled him back.
"Sir, please calm down! We're doing everything we can, but right now we have to bring him into surgery. When he gets out, you can see him and try to make him wake up by talking to him. All we can do now is wait," the doctor replied.
The friends sat down in the cold, uncomfortable waiting room chairs as Dr. Kellogg walked back into the trauma room. A few minutes later, he and the other doctors and nurses wheeled Chandler out of the trauma room and headed toward the elevators to bring him to the surgical floor. Monica leapt up from her chair and rushed to Chandler's side. As she saw his face, she gasped in shock. Her husband's once lively face was ashen and gray. Tubes and wires came out of his body in all directions. His body was completely still, and his eyes were closed. "Chandler," she choked, "can you hear me?"
She picked up his limp hand and stroked her cheek with his palm. A nurse came over to her, pulled Chandler's arm from her grasp, and gently said, "That's enough, now."
Monica gazed longingly at the gurney as the doctors wheeled it into an elevator. The doors closed shut, and her beloved husband disappeared from sight into the care of a team of surgeons. Monica turned and went back to the waiting room. "He's going up to surgery," she told Rachel. "They'll be back down here when he's in the recovery room."
Monica sat down on the bench and looked up at the glaring lights. "Why did this have to happen?" she pondered. "We were supposed to have the perfect Thanksgiving. He came home from Tulsa so we could finally be together and enjoy spending time with you guys. And why did he have a heart attack when he's so young? You're not supposed to worry about heart attacks when you're in your thirties, are you?"
Rachel and Phoebe sat by her side. "Don't worry, Mon. Chandler's a strong guy. He'll be fine with the surgery," said Rachel.
"Sure, he'll pull through the surgery, but they said he'd still be in a coma when he gets out. What if he never wakes up? I can't lose my husband, Rach, I just can't!" Monica cried. She grabbed a magazine and tried to read it, but her frustration and impatience won out. She ripped the pages and threw them all on the floor as tears came once more.
Joey came up to her and offered her a cheeseburger from the cafeteria. "No!" she cried out. "I can't do anything-anything at all-until he comes out of that coma and I know he's going to be okay!"
Glancing up at the clock, Monica stared at the hands. Ten past three. They'd be done eating by now. The football game would have just started. "We should be at our house eating dessert right now, and we're stuck in this hospital," she muttered angrily.
Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, and Ross tried to console her as the hours passed. It was nearly six-thirty when Dr. Kellogg appeared in the doorway. "Mrs. Bing?" he said.
Monica jumped up. "How did the surgery go?" she asked hesitantly.
A smile crept across Dr. Kellogg's face. "Everything went beautifully. As a matter of fact, he is up in recovery right now watching the football game," he told her.
"You mean-he's awake?" Monica said, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"Yes, he is. As soon as the anesthesia wore off, he came to and asked for you," Dr. Kellogg replied. "You may all go to see him now, but don't stay too long."
"I can't thank you enough, Doctor! Thank you, thank you, thank you for saving my husband's life!" Monica shouted. She ran over to the doctor and hugged him enthusiastically. "Come on, guys, let's go see Chandler!"
Ross, Rachel, Joey, and Phoebe followed Monica into the elevator. They arrived on the surgical floor and asked a nurse where the recovery room was. "Straight down the hall and take a right at the end," she instructed.
"Thanks!" Monica replied. She dashed ahead of her friends and went straight to Chandler's bedside, where he was watching the Jets against the Vikings. "Hi, honey!" she whispered.
He was lying down. "Hi," he mumbled softly. He couldn't talk very well because his throat was sore from the removal of the oxygen tube. "Am I ok?" he asked.
"You're going to be just fine," she said excitedly.
Dr. Kellogg, Ross, Rachel, Joey, and Phoebe entered the room. "I must warn you, there is still a slight chance that he might have minimal brain damage, but it should be nothing serious," Dr. Kellogg cautioned them.
"Hey man, you had us freaking out over here!" Ross said jokingly.
"Dude, don't ever do that to me again!" Joey told Chandler.
Chandler smiled weakly. Rachel and Phoebe hugged him and told him how worried they were. Dr. Kellogg was happy to see them all so relieved, but he said, "Okay, time for you guys to leave now. The man needs his rest."
The gang left the room as Monica kissed Chandler atop his head. "I'll be back later, baby," she said. She followed Dr. Kellogg out of the room and into the hallway.
"We need to monitor him for about a week and a half, but he should be able to go home around December 12th," the doctor told Monica.
"Oh my goodness-thank you, Dr. Kellogg! A million thanks to you!" she exclaimed. She raced downstairs to tell the guys of the great news.
Chapter 4-Chandler's Homecoming-coming soon! Will he be the same Chandler they all know and love? Find out soon!
Disclaimer: I do not own Friends. The brilliant executives at NBC do.
Chapter 3-The Waiting Game
"Mrs. Bing, Chandler had a massive heart attack," Dr. Kellogg began. "One of the main valves in his heart will need to be replaced by surgical means. Do you remember in the ambulance how he stopped breathing for a while?" he asked.
"Yes, of course. What about it?" Monica replied.
"When your husband stopped breathing, his brain was deprived of oxygen for several minutes. This may have caused some brain damage," he paused, "and we're afraid that he may have slipped into a coma."
"What? You can't be serious! This is my husband! Chandler! He's too young!" she cried. Overcome with emotion, she fell into Ross's arms and buried her face in his chest.
"Isn't there anything we can do, Dr. Kellogg?" Ross asked.
"Chandler is my best friend, and I will not let you give up on him!" Joey shouted menacingly. He began to advance toward the doctor, ready to fight him, but Ross pulled him back.
"Sir, please calm down! We're doing everything we can, but right now we have to bring him into surgery. When he gets out, you can see him and try to make him wake up by talking to him. All we can do now is wait," the doctor replied.
The friends sat down in the cold, uncomfortable waiting room chairs as Dr. Kellogg walked back into the trauma room. A few minutes later, he and the other doctors and nurses wheeled Chandler out of the trauma room and headed toward the elevators to bring him to the surgical floor. Monica leapt up from her chair and rushed to Chandler's side. As she saw his face, she gasped in shock. Her husband's once lively face was ashen and gray. Tubes and wires came out of his body in all directions. His body was completely still, and his eyes were closed. "Chandler," she choked, "can you hear me?"
She picked up his limp hand and stroked her cheek with his palm. A nurse came over to her, pulled Chandler's arm from her grasp, and gently said, "That's enough, now."
Monica gazed longingly at the gurney as the doctors wheeled it into an elevator. The doors closed shut, and her beloved husband disappeared from sight into the care of a team of surgeons. Monica turned and went back to the waiting room. "He's going up to surgery," she told Rachel. "They'll be back down here when he's in the recovery room."
Monica sat down on the bench and looked up at the glaring lights. "Why did this have to happen?" she pondered. "We were supposed to have the perfect Thanksgiving. He came home from Tulsa so we could finally be together and enjoy spending time with you guys. And why did he have a heart attack when he's so young? You're not supposed to worry about heart attacks when you're in your thirties, are you?"
Rachel and Phoebe sat by her side. "Don't worry, Mon. Chandler's a strong guy. He'll be fine with the surgery," said Rachel.
"Sure, he'll pull through the surgery, but they said he'd still be in a coma when he gets out. What if he never wakes up? I can't lose my husband, Rach, I just can't!" Monica cried. She grabbed a magazine and tried to read it, but her frustration and impatience won out. She ripped the pages and threw them all on the floor as tears came once more.
Joey came up to her and offered her a cheeseburger from the cafeteria. "No!" she cried out. "I can't do anything-anything at all-until he comes out of that coma and I know he's going to be okay!"
Glancing up at the clock, Monica stared at the hands. Ten past three. They'd be done eating by now. The football game would have just started. "We should be at our house eating dessert right now, and we're stuck in this hospital," she muttered angrily.
Rachel, Phoebe, Joey, and Ross tried to console her as the hours passed. It was nearly six-thirty when Dr. Kellogg appeared in the doorway. "Mrs. Bing?" he said.
Monica jumped up. "How did the surgery go?" she asked hesitantly.
A smile crept across Dr. Kellogg's face. "Everything went beautifully. As a matter of fact, he is up in recovery right now watching the football game," he told her.
"You mean-he's awake?" Monica said, almost afraid to hear the answer.
"Yes, he is. As soon as the anesthesia wore off, he came to and asked for you," Dr. Kellogg replied. "You may all go to see him now, but don't stay too long."
"I can't thank you enough, Doctor! Thank you, thank you, thank you for saving my husband's life!" Monica shouted. She ran over to the doctor and hugged him enthusiastically. "Come on, guys, let's go see Chandler!"
Ross, Rachel, Joey, and Phoebe followed Monica into the elevator. They arrived on the surgical floor and asked a nurse where the recovery room was. "Straight down the hall and take a right at the end," she instructed.
"Thanks!" Monica replied. She dashed ahead of her friends and went straight to Chandler's bedside, where he was watching the Jets against the Vikings. "Hi, honey!" she whispered.
He was lying down. "Hi," he mumbled softly. He couldn't talk very well because his throat was sore from the removal of the oxygen tube. "Am I ok?" he asked.
"You're going to be just fine," she said excitedly.
Dr. Kellogg, Ross, Rachel, Joey, and Phoebe entered the room. "I must warn you, there is still a slight chance that he might have minimal brain damage, but it should be nothing serious," Dr. Kellogg cautioned them.
"Hey man, you had us freaking out over here!" Ross said jokingly.
"Dude, don't ever do that to me again!" Joey told Chandler.
Chandler smiled weakly. Rachel and Phoebe hugged him and told him how worried they were. Dr. Kellogg was happy to see them all so relieved, but he said, "Okay, time for you guys to leave now. The man needs his rest."
The gang left the room as Monica kissed Chandler atop his head. "I'll be back later, baby," she said. She followed Dr. Kellogg out of the room and into the hallway.
"We need to monitor him for about a week and a half, but he should be able to go home around December 12th," the doctor told Monica.
"Oh my goodness-thank you, Dr. Kellogg! A million thanks to you!" she exclaimed. She raced downstairs to tell the guys of the great news.
Chapter 4-Chandler's Homecoming-coming soon! Will he be the same Chandler they all know and love? Find out soon!