Bound Together By Tragedy
A/N: Are Monica and Ross Jewish? I think so, but let's just pretend their not, ok? OK!
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"Where's Monica?" Ross whispered as Phoebe and Rachel slowly entered the living room, closing Hayley's door behind them.
"She's asleep. In Hayley's bed." She said sadly.
"How long has she been like this?" Joey asked, looking to both Ross and Rachel for the answer.
"Since the day it happened." Ross said. "She really can't accept the fact that Hayley's gone."
"Well, you can't expect her to." Rachel said shortly. "She's only been gone for three days. Of course Mon's still grieving." She added. The truth was, all of them were tense knowing that Monica hadn't been the same since Chandler left her three and a half years ago.
"So, he's not coming?" Joey asked sadly, changing the subject to the thing they were all avoiding.
"He made it pretty clear that he wasn't wanted." Ross said, being the only one who had talked to him during the years. Although Ross would never forgive Chandler for what he did to Monica, Chandler was still Ross' best friend and they shared an understanding due to Ross straying away from Rachel so long ago, the whole "Break" fiasco. Luckily, he and Rachel got passed that. But Ross still hoped inside of him that Chandler would come back, however impossible that seemed.
"But- he is wanted." Joey said quietly. Ross peered at Joey for a long moment, finally seeing that Joey's opinion of Chandler had changed a lot since a few years ago. The fact that Joey wanted Chandler within the same state as him surprised him. Joey was perhaps the most loyal of all of the friends. The day Chandler betrayed Monica, in Joey's eyes he had betrayed all of them.
"Well, he doesn't want to come." Phoebe said.
"And he's right, he ISN'T wanted." Rachel said huffily. She, perhaps, being Monica's best friend and godmother to Hayley had seen Monica's suffering first hand, and hated Chandler the most. "We'll do fine without him." She added. Ross pulled Rachel closer to him, hugging her to calm her down.
"Come on Rach. We should go get Gracie home, into bed." He said. Rachel sighed.
"Ross, let's just stay here tonight. Monica needs us..........all of us." Rachel said sadly.
"Rach's right." Joey said nobly. "We should all just stay here." They all agreed. They should be there to help Monica. Tomorrow was the funeral.
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The bright flowers didn't disguise the angst of the situation. The funeral home was just as a funeral home should be. Somber, quiet, and full of tears. Mixtures of 'She was so young,' and 'Poor Monica,' filled the room. And though Monica needed people the most then, everyone seemed to pass by her with tearful glances. Barely anyone spoke to her, besides to apologize for her loss. No one really knew what to say. No one there had ever lost a little girl. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the reverend took the stand. Rachel squeezed Monica's hand as if reassuring her that she was there.
"Today we greive the worst. God has lifted a child up into his arms to join him in heaven. Why is this sad? She is home. She feels no more pain. Perhaps it hurts us most because she was so young, and had so much more to live for." The brief opening was one that seemed to touch everyone. "Hayley Karen Bing. She leaves behind so much, but more importantly, she leaves behind a legacy. During the brief few months that I've known Hayley, I can't say she hasn't made an impact on my life. I'd like to tell a little story." The reverend smiled. "You see, a few months ago, a woman and her daughter showed up to one of my sermans with the Gellers. The moment I met little Hayley, she brought a smile to my face. Do you want to know why?" He asked the group. "Because she told me that she knew who Jesus was. She said she had followed him and welcomed him into her heart. I was so impressed that this little girl of only four knew who the heck Jesus was so I asked her, 'how do you know Jesus?' and you know what that little girl said? She said she knew him because God was the only daddy she knew."
Monica gulped as the whole group looked at her with "I'm so sorry" looks.
"Hayley had many gifts. One of those gifts is all of you who are here today. I am going to pass the stand over to Hayley's Godparents, Rachel and Ross Geller." The reverend announced. Ross and Rachel stood silently, handing little Gracie to Phoebe, and walked to the stand.
"Hayley had something special." Rachel began strongly. "Just ask anyone here, and they'll tell you."
"Hayley was such a blessing in our lives." Ross added. "She was always smiling, and was all in all, a very good little girl."
"The fact that Hayley was my god daughter makes me so proud." Rachel sobbed. "I know that she would have been so successful, otherwise her beauty would be envious."
"Hayley will always be part of the family. Although she's not here physically, mentally, she's always going to be there." Ross ended. Slowly, they made their ways back to their seats. The reverend reappeared.
"I know that this little girl had a wonderful mom who really cared. In fact, I'm going to ask Monica to come up here and tell the group about Hayley." The reverend said. Monica grinned mildly through her tears, but stood and made her way to the stand. She glanced over at Hayley on her way, but took in a deep breath. She pulled out a few peices of paper; her speech she had been writing all night long.She cleared her throat.
"W-well. Uh, wh-what can I say about Hayley?" She began reading. "Hayley was my everything. My sun, my stars. My life. I-I don't think any parent can imagine waking up and realizing that your-" Monica stopped and just stood there sadly. She wiped her tears away. "You know what?" She finally said quietly. "I'm not going to read. I'm just going to tell you how I feel now." She said. Joey and Pheobe both smiled a bit, edging her on. "Like I said, I don't think any parent can ever imagine waking up and realizing that their reason for living, their own child, wasn't there. But, that is my reality. I have to say, I am trying everything within my power to keep it together. To not climb into that casket with her. But I know that all of you are experiencing this loss with me, which makes it a little easier to bare." Monica sobbed. "Hayley had a light around her. I know it seems so strange, but part of me can't believe that she's gone. I've caught myself, in the early morning before my brain can remember why I'm sleeping in her bed rather than my own, I feel her. I can see her over me. She's everywhere. In the trees. In the sky. But most of all, in my heart." Monica choked.
A familiar face entered the back of the room.
"Hayley will always be the most important person in my life. Not only because of her constant love, but the fact that I knew she would never leave me on purpose. She was always at my side." That's when Monica glanced up long enough to see him. "Chandler?" She whispered. Everyone looked around, but then back at her. Monica shook her head. "I will always love Hayley.Simply because, she's my baby." Monica sobbed. "Please excuse me." She said as she ran out of the chapel.
XOXOElizabethXOXO
A/N: Are Monica and Ross Jewish? I think so, but let's just pretend their not, ok? OK!
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"Where's Monica?" Ross whispered as Phoebe and Rachel slowly entered the living room, closing Hayley's door behind them.
"She's asleep. In Hayley's bed." She said sadly.
"How long has she been like this?" Joey asked, looking to both Ross and Rachel for the answer.
"Since the day it happened." Ross said. "She really can't accept the fact that Hayley's gone."
"Well, you can't expect her to." Rachel said shortly. "She's only been gone for three days. Of course Mon's still grieving." She added. The truth was, all of them were tense knowing that Monica hadn't been the same since Chandler left her three and a half years ago.
"So, he's not coming?" Joey asked sadly, changing the subject to the thing they were all avoiding.
"He made it pretty clear that he wasn't wanted." Ross said, being the only one who had talked to him during the years. Although Ross would never forgive Chandler for what he did to Monica, Chandler was still Ross' best friend and they shared an understanding due to Ross straying away from Rachel so long ago, the whole "Break" fiasco. Luckily, he and Rachel got passed that. But Ross still hoped inside of him that Chandler would come back, however impossible that seemed.
"But- he is wanted." Joey said quietly. Ross peered at Joey for a long moment, finally seeing that Joey's opinion of Chandler had changed a lot since a few years ago. The fact that Joey wanted Chandler within the same state as him surprised him. Joey was perhaps the most loyal of all of the friends. The day Chandler betrayed Monica, in Joey's eyes he had betrayed all of them.
"Well, he doesn't want to come." Phoebe said.
"And he's right, he ISN'T wanted." Rachel said huffily. She, perhaps, being Monica's best friend and godmother to Hayley had seen Monica's suffering first hand, and hated Chandler the most. "We'll do fine without him." She added. Ross pulled Rachel closer to him, hugging her to calm her down.
"Come on Rach. We should go get Gracie home, into bed." He said. Rachel sighed.
"Ross, let's just stay here tonight. Monica needs us..........all of us." Rachel said sadly.
"Rach's right." Joey said nobly. "We should all just stay here." They all agreed. They should be there to help Monica. Tomorrow was the funeral.
___________________________________________________________________
The bright flowers didn't disguise the angst of the situation. The funeral home was just as a funeral home should be. Somber, quiet, and full of tears. Mixtures of 'She was so young,' and 'Poor Monica,' filled the room. And though Monica needed people the most then, everyone seemed to pass by her with tearful glances. Barely anyone spoke to her, besides to apologize for her loss. No one really knew what to say. No one there had ever lost a little girl. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the reverend took the stand. Rachel squeezed Monica's hand as if reassuring her that she was there.
"Today we greive the worst. God has lifted a child up into his arms to join him in heaven. Why is this sad? She is home. She feels no more pain. Perhaps it hurts us most because she was so young, and had so much more to live for." The brief opening was one that seemed to touch everyone. "Hayley Karen Bing. She leaves behind so much, but more importantly, she leaves behind a legacy. During the brief few months that I've known Hayley, I can't say she hasn't made an impact on my life. I'd like to tell a little story." The reverend smiled. "You see, a few months ago, a woman and her daughter showed up to one of my sermans with the Gellers. The moment I met little Hayley, she brought a smile to my face. Do you want to know why?" He asked the group. "Because she told me that she knew who Jesus was. She said she had followed him and welcomed him into her heart. I was so impressed that this little girl of only four knew who the heck Jesus was so I asked her, 'how do you know Jesus?' and you know what that little girl said? She said she knew him because God was the only daddy she knew."
Monica gulped as the whole group looked at her with "I'm so sorry" looks.
"Hayley had many gifts. One of those gifts is all of you who are here today. I am going to pass the stand over to Hayley's Godparents, Rachel and Ross Geller." The reverend announced. Ross and Rachel stood silently, handing little Gracie to Phoebe, and walked to the stand.
"Hayley had something special." Rachel began strongly. "Just ask anyone here, and they'll tell you."
"Hayley was such a blessing in our lives." Ross added. "She was always smiling, and was all in all, a very good little girl."
"The fact that Hayley was my god daughter makes me so proud." Rachel sobbed. "I know that she would have been so successful, otherwise her beauty would be envious."
"Hayley will always be part of the family. Although she's not here physically, mentally, she's always going to be there." Ross ended. Slowly, they made their ways back to their seats. The reverend reappeared.
"I know that this little girl had a wonderful mom who really cared. In fact, I'm going to ask Monica to come up here and tell the group about Hayley." The reverend said. Monica grinned mildly through her tears, but stood and made her way to the stand. She glanced over at Hayley on her way, but took in a deep breath. She pulled out a few peices of paper; her speech she had been writing all night long.She cleared her throat.
"W-well. Uh, wh-what can I say about Hayley?" She began reading. "Hayley was my everything. My sun, my stars. My life. I-I don't think any parent can imagine waking up and realizing that your-" Monica stopped and just stood there sadly. She wiped her tears away. "You know what?" She finally said quietly. "I'm not going to read. I'm just going to tell you how I feel now." She said. Joey and Pheobe both smiled a bit, edging her on. "Like I said, I don't think any parent can ever imagine waking up and realizing that their reason for living, their own child, wasn't there. But, that is my reality. I have to say, I am trying everything within my power to keep it together. To not climb into that casket with her. But I know that all of you are experiencing this loss with me, which makes it a little easier to bare." Monica sobbed. "Hayley had a light around her. I know it seems so strange, but part of me can't believe that she's gone. I've caught myself, in the early morning before my brain can remember why I'm sleeping in her bed rather than my own, I feel her. I can see her over me. She's everywhere. In the trees. In the sky. But most of all, in my heart." Monica choked.
A familiar face entered the back of the room.
"Hayley will always be the most important person in my life. Not only because of her constant love, but the fact that I knew she would never leave me on purpose. She was always at my side." That's when Monica glanced up long enough to see him. "Chandler?" She whispered. Everyone looked around, but then back at her. Monica shook her head. "I will always love Hayley.Simply because, she's my baby." Monica sobbed. "Please excuse me." She said as she ran out of the chapel.
XOXOElizabethXOXO