Chapter Three
'Is a hospital supposed to be this dirty?' was all that Rachel could think. It was true. In the corner that Ross had dragged her over to, there were cobwebs gathering in the place where the two walls and the floor met. She peeked curiously, trying to see if a spider was crawling around down there.
He was talking. His voice was loud and angry, and the little production he was performed was receiving mroe than a few strange glances. But Rachel didn't care. Because she wasn't listening.
It was almost too easy to tune Ross out. Usually she did it because he was rambling about some dinosaur thing, but now it was because she didn't want to hear his accusing words, and she didn't want to know how much he hated her at that moment.
She glanced over at Joey, who, while chatting up the pretty blonde nurse, kept throwing anxiously curious looks her and Ross's way. She coldn't help but envy that nurse. Not only was she drop-dead gorgeous, but she wasn't in the situation Rachel was. No, she was getting hit on by a television star.
Rachel was jolted from her thoughts as Ross lightly shook her arm. "Are you even listening?" he wanted to know.
She cast her eyes downward and replied, "Sorry."
"I feel so appreciated," he said sarcastically. "Especially while admitting my undying love."
"I said--wait. What?" Rachel looked up at him, surprised. "You were...?"
Ross rolled his eyes and stomped in frustration. "You missed all of it? What were you doing?"
"Looking for spiders," she admitted guiltily.
He looked at her for a second, confused. Promptly shrieking, he backed up, and whispered, "There are spiders?"
It was her turn to roll her eyes. "I didn't find any."
"Oh," he said, relief flooding his voice. "Good." He looked at her. "Anyway, if you'll actually listen this time, I was saying that I can't believe you don't care about me. Think about me at all in a romantic way." He took her hands in his. "Last night, you had to have felt something."
"I did feel something," she told him. "Regret. It wasn't right. It just wasn't."
He looked away. He couldn't bear the words. The muttered words, "It felt right to me," met her ears, but he still wouldn't look at her.
Rachel touched his shoulder. "Oh, honey--"
"Don't," he yelled, "touch me." Quieter, "If you don't love me, then don't touch me. Don't act like you feel something for me."
"Ross, I do love you, as my friend. You're my friend and I value that more than you can imagine. And you're also Emma's dad, and we both love her so much." He looked up slowly and nodded. He did love his daughter. "You can hate me. But please don't compromise her happiness."
His mouth hung open, stunned. She could see what he was thinking: 'I'M compromising her happiness? ME?' All he said, however, was, "You're the one moving away."
"I know. But you know that I wouldn't leave if I didn't know for certain that I will be able to ensure her comfort and yours."
"Well," he said, voice once again rising, drawing a few looks. "I'm just not comfortable with you off in Paris!"
Nurse Casey, Joey's blonde friend, approached. "Excuse me," she said, "but I'm going to have to ask you to be a little quieter."
"Sorry," she muttered, looking sharply at Ross.
The nurse went back to fondling Joey's hand and whispering into his ear. Rachel looked over at the happy couple longingly. She and Ross could be like that. If only she could love him.
Ross saw where she was looking. "Does this have to do with Joey?"
Impatiently, she replied, "Does what have to do with Joey?"
"You not loving me."
She blinked at him, surprised. "No."
"It does, doesn't it? You still have feelings for him. . . . Does he still love you? Huh? Are you two together?"
"NO!" She lowered her voice. "No. It has nothing to do with Joey. And we're not together. Quit being ridiculous."
"Is it really that ridiculous?" he asked. "You were dating him, and you did like him. Who says you still don't?
"I say!" she replied impatiently. "God, why don't you just trust me?"
He stared at her for a moment and then said, his voice ice cold, "Why should I?" He promptly turned and walked away, leaving Rachel staring after him in horror, his words still echoing in her ears, stinging her.
Ross was right. Why should he trust her?
She looked back at the corner she had been staring at so intently before, and this time she spotted a small black spider crawling up the eggshell white wall.
End of Chapter.
A/N: Sorry it took so long. Sorry this chapters so short. There will be one or two more chapters to this story. So, its almost done. I promise to finish it by the end of summer, okay? Hopefully, actually, before I go on vacation in July. That's my goal, anyway.
'Is a hospital supposed to be this dirty?' was all that Rachel could think. It was true. In the corner that Ross had dragged her over to, there were cobwebs gathering in the place where the two walls and the floor met. She peeked curiously, trying to see if a spider was crawling around down there.
He was talking. His voice was loud and angry, and the little production he was performed was receiving mroe than a few strange glances. But Rachel didn't care. Because she wasn't listening.
It was almost too easy to tune Ross out. Usually she did it because he was rambling about some dinosaur thing, but now it was because she didn't want to hear his accusing words, and she didn't want to know how much he hated her at that moment.
She glanced over at Joey, who, while chatting up the pretty blonde nurse, kept throwing anxiously curious looks her and Ross's way. She coldn't help but envy that nurse. Not only was she drop-dead gorgeous, but she wasn't in the situation Rachel was. No, she was getting hit on by a television star.
Rachel was jolted from her thoughts as Ross lightly shook her arm. "Are you even listening?" he wanted to know.
She cast her eyes downward and replied, "Sorry."
"I feel so appreciated," he said sarcastically. "Especially while admitting my undying love."
"I said--wait. What?" Rachel looked up at him, surprised. "You were...?"
Ross rolled his eyes and stomped in frustration. "You missed all of it? What were you doing?"
"Looking for spiders," she admitted guiltily.
He looked at her for a second, confused. Promptly shrieking, he backed up, and whispered, "There are spiders?"
It was her turn to roll her eyes. "I didn't find any."
"Oh," he said, relief flooding his voice. "Good." He looked at her. "Anyway, if you'll actually listen this time, I was saying that I can't believe you don't care about me. Think about me at all in a romantic way." He took her hands in his. "Last night, you had to have felt something."
"I did feel something," she told him. "Regret. It wasn't right. It just wasn't."
He looked away. He couldn't bear the words. The muttered words, "It felt right to me," met her ears, but he still wouldn't look at her.
Rachel touched his shoulder. "Oh, honey--"
"Don't," he yelled, "touch me." Quieter, "If you don't love me, then don't touch me. Don't act like you feel something for me."
"Ross, I do love you, as my friend. You're my friend and I value that more than you can imagine. And you're also Emma's dad, and we both love her so much." He looked up slowly and nodded. He did love his daughter. "You can hate me. But please don't compromise her happiness."
His mouth hung open, stunned. She could see what he was thinking: 'I'M compromising her happiness? ME?' All he said, however, was, "You're the one moving away."
"I know. But you know that I wouldn't leave if I didn't know for certain that I will be able to ensure her comfort and yours."
"Well," he said, voice once again rising, drawing a few looks. "I'm just not comfortable with you off in Paris!"
Nurse Casey, Joey's blonde friend, approached. "Excuse me," she said, "but I'm going to have to ask you to be a little quieter."
"Sorry," she muttered, looking sharply at Ross.
The nurse went back to fondling Joey's hand and whispering into his ear. Rachel looked over at the happy couple longingly. She and Ross could be like that. If only she could love him.
Ross saw where she was looking. "Does this have to do with Joey?"
Impatiently, she replied, "Does what have to do with Joey?"
"You not loving me."
She blinked at him, surprised. "No."
"It does, doesn't it? You still have feelings for him. . . . Does he still love you? Huh? Are you two together?"
"NO!" She lowered her voice. "No. It has nothing to do with Joey. And we're not together. Quit being ridiculous."
"Is it really that ridiculous?" he asked. "You were dating him, and you did like him. Who says you still don't?
"I say!" she replied impatiently. "God, why don't you just trust me?"
He stared at her for a moment and then said, his voice ice cold, "Why should I?" He promptly turned and walked away, leaving Rachel staring after him in horror, his words still echoing in her ears, stinging her.
Ross was right. Why should he trust her?
She looked back at the corner she had been staring at so intently before, and this time she spotted a small black spider crawling up the eggshell white wall.
End of Chapter.
A/N: Sorry it took so long. Sorry this chapters so short. There will be one or two more chapters to this story. So, its almost done. I promise to finish it by the end of summer, okay? Hopefully, actually, before I go on vacation in July. That's my goal, anyway.