Hey! Thought I'd try a little drama again…I've had this idea jumping around in my head for awhile, and I finally decided to let it out. It may suck, I don't know. You can let me know by leaving a review! Aren't you nice.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. I never have, and I never will. They belong to Bright, Kaufman and Crane. There, I said it. Can I keep dreaming now?
Coma
Monica Geller-Bing stepped into her apartment building and sighed in pleasure as the cool air from the vents hit her. New York City in mid-July was no joke, especially when you worked in the kitchen of a busy restaurant all day. Between the sweltering heat and the burning stove, the entire staff had been rushing to get back to their cool, air-conditioned apartment buildings. But Monica had been stuck, as it had been a particularly busy day, even for one of the most popular restaurants in Manhattan.
First, a waiter had discovered a crate of chicken that had not been properly stored. It was lucky that he did, or the customers could have easily been inflicted with salmonella. Monica had been the one to call the company and complain, and then go out and explain to the customers why they could not order chicken. Then, the newest waiter, a complete klutz, had spilled wine on Gene Hackman, who was dining there with some producers, and set a small grease fire to the kitchen, which had luckily been put out easily. Still, Monica had been ordered to let him go.
She brushed sweaty strands of hair out of her face as she stepped up to the mailbox. At least it's not humid in New York, she thought. Humidity was horrible on Monica's hair.
She opened her mailbox. Sure enough, it was full. Chandler always forgets to check the mail, she thought, smiling at the thought of her husband. No doubt Chandler would make her forget how exhausting her day was. Of course, that was because he had a job he liked. Not that she didn't like her job…it was just tiring sometimes.
Monica slowly flipped through the mail. Bill. Bill. Bill. Letter from Mom. Great, thought Monica. She's probably wondering why I haven't returned her calls. Invite to some museum benefit from when Ross worked there. Monica wished they would just take her off their list already, it's not like she ever showed up. TV Guide, to Ms. Chanandler Bong. We really need to straighten that out, thought Monica.
She slowly trudged up the stairs to her apartment, battling the increasing heat as she rose. Chandler better have the air-conditioning on, she thought grimly. The idea of another minute of this temperature was almost too much to bear.
Six more steps to go. Now five. Four. Three. Two. She paused for a minute as she stared at the last step. Come on Monica, she urged herself. You can do it. She pulled herself up the last step and sighed in relief.
She stepped over to the apartment across from hers where her friends Joey and Rachel lived. She figured she might as well say hi, since she doubted she'd have the strength to walk over in the few hours before bed. She opened the door and peeked in. The apartment was empty. She called out their names, just to be sure, but no one answered. Wonder where they are, Monica thought to herself. Joey was an actor who rarely found work, and didn't usually leave his apartment during the day. Although Rachel worked, she was almost always home long before Monica was. She shrugged her shoulders and walked out, gently shutting the door behind her. She crossed the hall to her own apartment, and, Finally!, she thought, opened the door.
A wave of cool air came rushing out to greet her, but that wasn't what caught Monica's attention. Instead of Chandler, her friends Rachel and Phoebe were sitting at the kitchen table. It wasn't unusual for their friends to be hanging around at Monica and Chandler's apartment, but what shocked Monica was the expressions on their faces.
Phoebe, who was very tough and not easily shaken, stared at Monica, her normally happily flushed face pale, and her eyes wide. Monica hadn't missed the beep of the phone in her hand, as though she had just hung up with someone.
Rachel had had her head down when Monica walked in and now raised it. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. This is what scared Monica the most. Sure, Rachel might cry a little now and then, but Monica had almost never seen her this emotional.
"Monica," Rachel whispered, but stopped, as though she couldn't continue.
"What's going on?" Monica asked, her voice shaking. Visions of horrible things swam before her. What if one of her parents had died? What if something had happened to her nephew, Ben? What if it was Chandler? Oh, please, God, thought Monica desperately. Don't let it be Chandler!
"Mon," said Phoebe, walking toward her slowly. Monica thought her head might burst with the suspense.
What?, she screamed inside. What's wrong?
Though Phoebe seemed by far stronger, it was Rachel who managed to get the words out.
"It's Ross."
Ooh. That's the prologue…if the wording was a little confusing, don't worry, it'll be much more straightforward in the next chapter. And I have no idea what NY is like in July, sorry about that. As for the coupling or what's going to happen, I ain't telling you nothing! So…please review! Thanks!