A/N: Becca and I have decided to sell Chandler in a Box... and all of the rhyming Chandlers.
cahndler with a fox...
chandler eating lox...
chandler with courteney cox...
chandler chewing on some rocks...
chandler with chicken pox...
chandler making food with a wok...
chandler with high stock...
chandler in a purple smock...
chandler working in a shop...
chandler with a magic mop...
chandler dancing the bunny hop...
chandler cutting off his gorgeous locks *gasp*...
chandler with building blocks...
chandler's yummy big ***CENSORED***
*giggles*
(That last one was Becca's)
Anyways...
I've decided to update so Becca and I can be update buddies! Go read her NEW fic, This Isn't Living. Although, I'm not sure I should mention it, because according to her, THIS fic is called "Love is Blind." *Sighs* I still love you, don't worry!
Oh, and everybody, Julie thinks Matthew Perry is "Hollywood's man whore" and that he has "nothing" in a certain area.
Moi: why are you the ultimate authority on the wherabouts of matthew perry's penicular area?
Julie: because....i.....work for a top secret government agency
Yall can beat on her later.
Okay, this chapter is kind of uneventful... basically a transition chapter, so sorry if it's boring. More in end A/N.
Disclaimer: I own even LESS than most people... however I *do* own all those Chandler In a Box products (coming to a toy store near you.) I also own a very vivid mental picture of Jennifer Aniston having an orgasm. (Go see Bruce Almighty, if for that reason only... lol J/K!!!)
CHAPTER THREE
Chandler sat in the waiting room in the hospital, wrapped in a blanket. The air conditioner was on full blast, and he was shivering in his wet clothes. He could still feel the greasy pond water on him, in his hair, in his mouth, but he didn't care. All he cared about was that Monica was okay. After she was rushed into the emergency room, they told him she may have a concussion, and that's why she couldn't see. And although he'd just met this woman, he felt connected to her. She seemed so scared when he pulled her from the lake, and, well, who wouldn't be?
A man and a woman suddenly ran up to the nurse's station. "Monica Geller?" the man asked breathlessly.
"Her husband's over there," the nurse said in a bored voice, pointing to Chandler. The two people turned at looked at him, seeming completely confused. Chandler jumped up and walked over to them.
"I'm Chandler Bing," he explained, holding out his hand. "I - I pulled Monica from the water. She said I was her husband so I could ride in the ambulance."
"Ross Geller," the man said, and for a minute Chandler's heart dropped. Was this her real husband? "I'm her brother." He sighed in relief - yet he didn't know why.
"Rachel Greene, her roommate," the woman said, also shaking his hand. "Is Monica all right?"
"I don't know anything yet," Chandler told them.
"What do you mean by 'pulled from the water'?" Ross asked. "They said she had a bike accident."
"She did," Chandler said. "She tried not to hit a dog and ran into a light pole. She fell off the bike and rolled into a pond in Central Park." Chandler gestured to his wet clothes. "And I jumped in after her. She was underwater for less than a minute, but she was unconscious when I pulled her out." He didn't mention that Monica couldn't see.
"Oh my God,'' Rachel said, covering her mouth with her hand. "Thank God you were there!"
Chandler shrugged modestly. "Anyone coulda done it," he mumbled.
"But you did," Ross said softly. "Thank you."
"Monica Geller's family?" a doctor said, coming down the hall.
"That's us," Ross said. "I'm her brother Ross, and this is our friend Rachel. And this is - um, Chandler?"
"Yeah," Chandler said.
"So how's Monica?" Rachel asked.
"Well, she's basically all right. We asked her some basic questions - her name, date of birth, where she worked, the phone numbers of who to call - and mentally, she seems okay. Other than a sprained wrist and a large cut on her forehead, she seems okay. But she seems to have lost her eyesight."
"What?" Ross yelled.
"She cannot see," the doctor said gently.
"You mean she's blind?" Chandler asked.
"Perhaps temporarily," the doctor explained. "Because of eye or head trauma, the vitreous fluid in the eye can pull the retina, which projects images. If the retina is pulled hard enough, it can rip, which is what I believed happened in Monica's case."
"Well - how can it be fixed?" Rachel said.
"The vitreous fluid must be drained to minimize the space between the retina and the eye wall. After that, her can surgically repair the retina. However, because of the severity of the rip, this process may take months, and Monica may never fully regain her eyesight."
"Oh my God," Rachel whispered. "How could that have happened? I mean, how could the retina have been ripped? "
"It was probably caused by the impact against the pole. She wasn't wearing a helmet, which, unfortunately, is a common occurrence."
"Has she been told?" Ross asked.
"Yes," the doctor said. "She's resting now, but I have a nurse come and get you when she wakes." Without another word, he walked away.
"This is going to kill her," Ross said, dropping into a chair. "My sister's a chef," he explained. "She can't work if she can't see."
"Oh," Chandler said, at a loss for words.
"How can she do anything?" Rachel burst out. "She can't cook or read or write or watch television - she can't walk or drive or do grocery shopping..." Rachel fell against Ross's shoulder and started to cry. "She can't even clean!" Chandler did not see the importance in this fact, but it seemed to have an alarming effect on Ross and Rachel.
"Shhh," Ross said, hugging her. "Shhh."
Chandler felt uncomfortable sitting there with Monica's brother and friend. He was glad Monica was all right, and he wished he could see her, but he was out of place here.
"I'd better go," Chandler said, standing up.
"Oh, Chandler, you don't have to," Rachel said. "I'm sure Monica would love to see the man who saved her life. You're her husband, remember?" she joked.
"I - I don't know - she probably doesn't really, uh, care," Chandler said.
"Miss Geller wants to see you," a nurse said, approaching them. Ross and Rachel stood up.
"C'mon, Chandler," Ross said. ''Please, just come see her." Chandler shrugged and followed them.
Monica's room was dark when they entered. She was lying in the bed, a mask over her eyes. When they closed the door behind them, she swiveled her head around, startled. "Ross? Rachel?"
"It's us," Rachel said, and she and Ross stepped toward Monica, each taking one of her hands. Chandler stayed near the door. "Hi, sweetie. How are you feeling?"
"Okay, I guess," Monica said softly. "I'm not - I'm never going to see again, am I?"
"Of course you are," Ross said quickly. "They can fix it, Mon, didn't he tell you?"
Monica didn't reply. "Hey, was Chandler - Chandler Bing - was he still out there?"
"I'm right here," Chandler said.
"Chandler!" she cried, a smile lighting up her face. "You guys, Chandler, he saved my life - "
"We know," Rachel replied, smiling. "He's quite the hero."
"Yeah..." Monica said. "Could you guys give me a minute alone with him?"
Ross looked startled; Rachel did not. "Sure," she said, pulling Ross out of the room.
"Chandler, come closer," Monica said, beckoning him forward. "I won't bite." Chandler stepped closer to her bed. "I just want to say thank you again. For everything.''
"Well, anyone would've saved you - "
"But you did more than that. You comforted me, and you came to the hospital and waited while all these gawdawful doctors poked me and prodded me and made sure a thousand times if I remembered who the President was." Monica smiled. "I just wanted to say that. You probably want to go home and shower and change - that water was disgusting, wasn't it?"
"I can still feel my skin crawling," Chandler replied dryly.
"Yuck. I hope I can take a shower soon," she said, making a face. "Or brush my teeth. Listen, I - I don't know when I'll be out of here - I might forget the year or something, who knows - but I'd really love to talk to you again."
"I'd love to talk to you too," Chandler said. "I'll leave my number here on the nightstand. And, uh, if you want a visitor - I could swing by tomorrow. I could probably fit you into my packed schedule," he said. She didn't hear the sarcasm.
Monica's face broke into a smile. "That would be great." She reached for his hand and squeezed it. "Well - thanks again."
"No problem. I hope you feel better," he said awkwardly. He took a step away.
"Call Ross and Rachel in, okay?" Monica called as Chandler left.
"Okay. Bye, Monica."
When Chandler arrived back at his and Joey's apartment, Joey was sitting in his chair, watching TV. When he heard Chandler come in, he spun around.
"Where the hell have you been?" he asked. "You're not at work; your cell phone's been disconnected - it's almost seven!"
"Really?" Chandler asked, surprised. He hadn't noticed the hours slipping by as he sat in the hospital.
"You smell," Joey said, wrinkling his nose. "What have you been doing all day?"
"Saving lives, meeting beautiful women - it's all in a day's work," he said, walking into the bathroom and hopping into the shower.
When he got out, he explained to Joey what he'd done all day. When he finished, Joey sat there gaping at him.
"You're messin' with me," he said.
"Nope."
"Let me get this straight - you rescued a hot chick from a watery death, went to the hospital and stayed there all day; you met her brother and roommate; and now she's blind? No way, Chandler, this kind of thing does not happen to you."
"Oh, thanks," Chandler said. "That makes me feel so good about myself."
"Okay, I have only one question. This roommate. Is she hot?"
A/N: I got all that "medical hoopla" about Monica's eyes from this website a very, very long time ago... so thank you to that website. lol. And also, THANK YOU JENNI!!!! Everyone give a bunch of credit to Jenni (other Jenni) because she helped me out with lots of lines and stuff a long time ago! Thank you hon! Remember to review, or Chuck will infect everyone with a horrible amazon virus! :)
*Yen*
