Hey, everyone! Thanks for reviewing so diligently....sorry this update has
been a little while coming; I've been really swamped. But I just wanted to
let you guys know that this will not be one of those typical "Monica gets
sick" fics....because of the "Audrey-factor"....there will be some twists. So
keep reviewing if you want to keep reading-your words are the decision!
Disclaimer: Nobody's mine, except for Audrey Bing.
Chapter Nine
Cancer. The word rocketed through Chandler's mind and tore through his heart. "Cancer?" he choked out. "But you're.....you're only twenty four. How could you have cancer?"
She shook her head, tears welling up already. "These things can happen at any age, Chandler."
He looked at her, saw her tears, and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you," he whispered. "I love you so much, and we're going to get through this, okay? Whatever it takes, we'll do it.....together, okay?"
"Yeah," she nodded, choking back a sob.
He stroked her hair. "It's okay to cry, you know," he whispered.
She nodded, and tears began to pour down her face. All he could do was hold her, rub her back and tell her that it was going to be okay.
But inside, he wondered if he was lying to the both of them.
***
He stayed close to Monica all night, putting Audrey to bed so absentmindedly that he forgot to turn off her light. Finally, he climbed into bed and Monica got in next to him.
As she cuddled up next to him, he whispered, "Baby.....we need to talk about this," he said.
She nodded against his chest. "I know we do," she said quietly. "It's just....talking about it makes it real."
"I know," he sighed. "But.....it is real. We have to accept that.....and I need to know what's the best way I can help you through this."
She sat up and he did as well, Monica leaning against his chest. "Okay," she said, taking a deep, long breath. "I have a large cancerous tumor on my right kidney," she said. "It hasn't spread yet, but it has the potential to. A lot of potential to. My doctor isn't a cancer specialist, so he recommended me to one....I have to go see him tomorrow."
"I'll be there," Chandler said immediately. "If you want me to."
Monica chuckled. "Chandler, if there's anyone I want there, it's you."
"Mon," he said, stroking her hair. "I promise....I'll be there for everything....the treatments, the hospital time, the appointments.....whatever. I promise."
"Chandler," she whispered. "That's sweet, but.....what about Audrey?"
He sighed. "Monica, I love my daughter more than anything and you know that. I wouldn't possibly do anything that I think would harm her.....and Mon, making sure you get well won't harm her in the slightest."
"But Chandler.....you can't possibly be with me in the hospital all the time....what about work? And what about Audrey after school?"
Chandler laughed. "I run my own company, remember? I give myself vacation time. I can work from a laptop, too, if I need to. Steve will take over for awhile. He owes me a favor, anyway. And as for Auds.....well, you know there's a million people who will take care of her. I'll spend as much time as I can with you, but I'll come home for her in the afternoons and at night sometime.....and Mon, we don't even know if you're going to have to be in the hospital....so don't get all worked up over nothing, okay?"
Monica nodded into his chest, but she knew deep down that it wasn't nothing.....it was much, much more.
***
"You okay?" Chandler whispered, squeezing Monica's hand.
She smiled slightly. "I guess so," she said. "As okay as I can be."
"Ms. Geller?" a voice called out. "Dr. Matthews is ready for you."
Monica stood up and took a deep breath, squeezing Chandler's hand gently. "Yeah," she said, glancing over at him. "We're ready."
***
"All right, Ms. Geller," Dr. Matthews said, sitting down in front of them with a manila folder. "I've been reviewing your test results, and from what I see, we're actually in a lot better shape than you might think."
"How so?" Monica said cautiously.
"Well, we caught the tumor while it's still contained. That's a good thing. Because of that, we have options."
"What sort of options?" Chandler asked, confused.
"Options about treatment," Dr. Matthews said. "I'll give this to you two straight. You have two treatment options, both of them pretty difficult. I won't lie to you....cancer treatment is no picnic. But I think you have a good shot, Monica, at beating this."
"So what are my options?" Monica asked.
"Okay," said Dr. Matthews, laying an x-ray on the table in front of them. "There's the tumor," he said, pointing to a large white spot. "Right now, it is pretty large. Right now, I see our best option as using chemotherapy to shrink the tumor and then surgically removing it when it's smaller."
Monica shuddered at the idea of being cut open. "And the other option?"
Dr. Matthews hesitated. "Well," he finally said. "We could also do a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. My concern with that, though, is that in order to completely get rid of the tumor....well it might take a lot longer that you're interested in staying here at the hospital."
Monica looked at Chandler. "It's your choice, honey," he said.
Monica thought for a moment. "I don't think I want to stay here that long.....how long are we talking?" she asked.
"With the surgery....probably about a month and a half of chemotherapy, then the surgery, a few weeks of recovery, and some follow up chemo, which was can come in for from home. So, about two months here. With the other.....I really can't say, but more than two months, certainly."
Monica nodded. "I think I'll go with the surgery, then," she said softly.
Dr. Matthews nodded. "I'd like to admit you here tomorrow, Ms. Geller, if that's okay."
Chandler gently rubbed her shoulder. "I'll get her here first thing in the morning," he said softly.
"Okay, then," Dr. Matthews said, in an accomplished tone. "I'll see you two tomorrow. And for what it's worth, Monica, I know this is going to be hard, but I have every confidence that you will beat this."
Monica nodded and Chandler gently kissed her forehead. She was still in a daze, but she knew the doctor was right. She could beat this. She would beat this.
***
The two of them managed to gather their friend at Chandler's apartment that afternoon while Audrey was at ballet. "So what's up?" Joey asked, confused. "Are you guys getting married now, too?"
Chandler smiled nervously. "No, Joe, we're not." He took Monica's hand. "But we do have some news."
"Oh, are you pregnant?" Phoebe said excitedly.
Monica shook her head, tears already beginning to well up. "No," she whispered. She looked at Chandler and mouthed. "You tell them."
Chandler nodded, rubbed her shoulder and faced the gang. "Guys," he said. "Monica has cancer."
Ross was off his feet in a second. "What?" he exploded. "Cancer? How?"
"Ross," Monica said in a warning tone. "These things happen."
Rachel was already crying. "But....when....when did you find out? What's gonna happen?"
Chandler managed to sit everyone down so they could explain. Monica choked back her tears and spoke. "I found out yesterday," she said. "I'd gone for a few tests at my doctor's because I hadn't been feeling well and he came back with this. Chandler and I saw a specialist today.....I have a large tumor on my kidney, but it hasn't spread yet."
Joey, Phoebe, Ross and Rachel nodded in numb shock. Cancer wasn't supposed to happen to your friend.....no, cancer was supposed to happen to your mom's friend, or your co-worker's friend.....never your friend.
And yet it was.
"I have to go into the hospital tomorrow," Monica spoke up again. "I'm going to have chemo for about a month and a half to shrink it, and then I'll have surgery to remove the tumor."
Ross pulled his sister in for a hug. "There's not much I can say," he whispered. "Just.....what can I do? What can I do to make this easier?"
The other three friends nodded. "Whatever you need," Rachel snapped her fingers. "It's there."
Chandler nodded and looked at Monica. "Well, actually....there is something," he said. "It's just.....I'd like to be with Mon as much as I can in the hospital....you know, during the day and some nights and all. I can work from there and get time off, but......well, there's Audrey. My mom can watch her sometimes, but not all the time."
The four friends laughed. "Chandler, between the four of us, Audrey has a sitter for every minute of every day and night. We'll cover it. Don't worry," Rachel said.
Chandler sighed in relief. "As long as she's with you guys, I feel okay."
"We're gonna get through this," Phoebe said. "I can feel it."
The other five nodded.....and prayed she was right.
***
Chandler knelt down at his daughter's bedside that night. "Baby girl," he said. "Daddy needs to talk to you."
Audrey sat up in bed. "What's up, Daddy?"
Chandler sighed, got up on his daughter's bed and pulled her into a hug. "Baby girl, Monica's sick."
"Want me to make her some soup?" Audrey asked innocently.
Chandler laughed. "No, honey.....sweetheart, do you know what a hospital is?"
Audrey nodded wisely. "It's a place where really, really sick people go to get better."
Chandler nodded. "Yeah, it is. Honey, Monica needs to go to a hospital for a little while, and Daddy needs to go with her."
Audrey frowned. "How long till I see you again?"
"Oh, baby, I'll still see you almost every day. But some times, it might be Aunt Rachel picking you up at school or ballet, or maybe Uncle Joey. And sometimes Uncle Ross or Aunt Phoebe, or Grandma will stay the night here while I'm gone. But I'll still see you."
Audrey nodded. "Okay, then, Daddy," she said.
Chandler hugged his daughter again. "Baby girl, Daddy loves you so very, very much. I'm just sorry I have to do this to you."
"It's okay, Daddy," Audrey said wisely. "Just go make Monica better, okay?"
Chandler smiled. "I'll do my best, baby," he said.
He knew with all his heart that he would.
PLEASE REVIEW!!
Disclaimer: Nobody's mine, except for Audrey Bing.
Chapter Nine
Cancer. The word rocketed through Chandler's mind and tore through his heart. "Cancer?" he choked out. "But you're.....you're only twenty four. How could you have cancer?"
She shook her head, tears welling up already. "These things can happen at any age, Chandler."
He looked at her, saw her tears, and wrapped his arms around her. "I love you," he whispered. "I love you so much, and we're going to get through this, okay? Whatever it takes, we'll do it.....together, okay?"
"Yeah," she nodded, choking back a sob.
He stroked her hair. "It's okay to cry, you know," he whispered.
She nodded, and tears began to pour down her face. All he could do was hold her, rub her back and tell her that it was going to be okay.
But inside, he wondered if he was lying to the both of them.
***
He stayed close to Monica all night, putting Audrey to bed so absentmindedly that he forgot to turn off her light. Finally, he climbed into bed and Monica got in next to him.
As she cuddled up next to him, he whispered, "Baby.....we need to talk about this," he said.
She nodded against his chest. "I know we do," she said quietly. "It's just....talking about it makes it real."
"I know," he sighed. "But.....it is real. We have to accept that.....and I need to know what's the best way I can help you through this."
She sat up and he did as well, Monica leaning against his chest. "Okay," she said, taking a deep, long breath. "I have a large cancerous tumor on my right kidney," she said. "It hasn't spread yet, but it has the potential to. A lot of potential to. My doctor isn't a cancer specialist, so he recommended me to one....I have to go see him tomorrow."
"I'll be there," Chandler said immediately. "If you want me to."
Monica chuckled. "Chandler, if there's anyone I want there, it's you."
"Mon," he said, stroking her hair. "I promise....I'll be there for everything....the treatments, the hospital time, the appointments.....whatever. I promise."
"Chandler," she whispered. "That's sweet, but.....what about Audrey?"
He sighed. "Monica, I love my daughter more than anything and you know that. I wouldn't possibly do anything that I think would harm her.....and Mon, making sure you get well won't harm her in the slightest."
"But Chandler.....you can't possibly be with me in the hospital all the time....what about work? And what about Audrey after school?"
Chandler laughed. "I run my own company, remember? I give myself vacation time. I can work from a laptop, too, if I need to. Steve will take over for awhile. He owes me a favor, anyway. And as for Auds.....well, you know there's a million people who will take care of her. I'll spend as much time as I can with you, but I'll come home for her in the afternoons and at night sometime.....and Mon, we don't even know if you're going to have to be in the hospital....so don't get all worked up over nothing, okay?"
Monica nodded into his chest, but she knew deep down that it wasn't nothing.....it was much, much more.
***
"You okay?" Chandler whispered, squeezing Monica's hand.
She smiled slightly. "I guess so," she said. "As okay as I can be."
"Ms. Geller?" a voice called out. "Dr. Matthews is ready for you."
Monica stood up and took a deep breath, squeezing Chandler's hand gently. "Yeah," she said, glancing over at him. "We're ready."
***
"All right, Ms. Geller," Dr. Matthews said, sitting down in front of them with a manila folder. "I've been reviewing your test results, and from what I see, we're actually in a lot better shape than you might think."
"How so?" Monica said cautiously.
"Well, we caught the tumor while it's still contained. That's a good thing. Because of that, we have options."
"What sort of options?" Chandler asked, confused.
"Options about treatment," Dr. Matthews said. "I'll give this to you two straight. You have two treatment options, both of them pretty difficult. I won't lie to you....cancer treatment is no picnic. But I think you have a good shot, Monica, at beating this."
"So what are my options?" Monica asked.
"Okay," said Dr. Matthews, laying an x-ray on the table in front of them. "There's the tumor," he said, pointing to a large white spot. "Right now, it is pretty large. Right now, I see our best option as using chemotherapy to shrink the tumor and then surgically removing it when it's smaller."
Monica shuddered at the idea of being cut open. "And the other option?"
Dr. Matthews hesitated. "Well," he finally said. "We could also do a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. My concern with that, though, is that in order to completely get rid of the tumor....well it might take a lot longer that you're interested in staying here at the hospital."
Monica looked at Chandler. "It's your choice, honey," he said.
Monica thought for a moment. "I don't think I want to stay here that long.....how long are we talking?" she asked.
"With the surgery....probably about a month and a half of chemotherapy, then the surgery, a few weeks of recovery, and some follow up chemo, which was can come in for from home. So, about two months here. With the other.....I really can't say, but more than two months, certainly."
Monica nodded. "I think I'll go with the surgery, then," she said softly.
Dr. Matthews nodded. "I'd like to admit you here tomorrow, Ms. Geller, if that's okay."
Chandler gently rubbed her shoulder. "I'll get her here first thing in the morning," he said softly.
"Okay, then," Dr. Matthews said, in an accomplished tone. "I'll see you two tomorrow. And for what it's worth, Monica, I know this is going to be hard, but I have every confidence that you will beat this."
Monica nodded and Chandler gently kissed her forehead. She was still in a daze, but she knew the doctor was right. She could beat this. She would beat this.
***
The two of them managed to gather their friend at Chandler's apartment that afternoon while Audrey was at ballet. "So what's up?" Joey asked, confused. "Are you guys getting married now, too?"
Chandler smiled nervously. "No, Joe, we're not." He took Monica's hand. "But we do have some news."
"Oh, are you pregnant?" Phoebe said excitedly.
Monica shook her head, tears already beginning to well up. "No," she whispered. She looked at Chandler and mouthed. "You tell them."
Chandler nodded, rubbed her shoulder and faced the gang. "Guys," he said. "Monica has cancer."
Ross was off his feet in a second. "What?" he exploded. "Cancer? How?"
"Ross," Monica said in a warning tone. "These things happen."
Rachel was already crying. "But....when....when did you find out? What's gonna happen?"
Chandler managed to sit everyone down so they could explain. Monica choked back her tears and spoke. "I found out yesterday," she said. "I'd gone for a few tests at my doctor's because I hadn't been feeling well and he came back with this. Chandler and I saw a specialist today.....I have a large tumor on my kidney, but it hasn't spread yet."
Joey, Phoebe, Ross and Rachel nodded in numb shock. Cancer wasn't supposed to happen to your friend.....no, cancer was supposed to happen to your mom's friend, or your co-worker's friend.....never your friend.
And yet it was.
"I have to go into the hospital tomorrow," Monica spoke up again. "I'm going to have chemo for about a month and a half to shrink it, and then I'll have surgery to remove the tumor."
Ross pulled his sister in for a hug. "There's not much I can say," he whispered. "Just.....what can I do? What can I do to make this easier?"
The other three friends nodded. "Whatever you need," Rachel snapped her fingers. "It's there."
Chandler nodded and looked at Monica. "Well, actually....there is something," he said. "It's just.....I'd like to be with Mon as much as I can in the hospital....you know, during the day and some nights and all. I can work from there and get time off, but......well, there's Audrey. My mom can watch her sometimes, but not all the time."
The four friends laughed. "Chandler, between the four of us, Audrey has a sitter for every minute of every day and night. We'll cover it. Don't worry," Rachel said.
Chandler sighed in relief. "As long as she's with you guys, I feel okay."
"We're gonna get through this," Phoebe said. "I can feel it."
The other five nodded.....and prayed she was right.
***
Chandler knelt down at his daughter's bedside that night. "Baby girl," he said. "Daddy needs to talk to you."
Audrey sat up in bed. "What's up, Daddy?"
Chandler sighed, got up on his daughter's bed and pulled her into a hug. "Baby girl, Monica's sick."
"Want me to make her some soup?" Audrey asked innocently.
Chandler laughed. "No, honey.....sweetheart, do you know what a hospital is?"
Audrey nodded wisely. "It's a place where really, really sick people go to get better."
Chandler nodded. "Yeah, it is. Honey, Monica needs to go to a hospital for a little while, and Daddy needs to go with her."
Audrey frowned. "How long till I see you again?"
"Oh, baby, I'll still see you almost every day. But some times, it might be Aunt Rachel picking you up at school or ballet, or maybe Uncle Joey. And sometimes Uncle Ross or Aunt Phoebe, or Grandma will stay the night here while I'm gone. But I'll still see you."
Audrey nodded. "Okay, then, Daddy," she said.
Chandler hugged his daughter again. "Baby girl, Daddy loves you so very, very much. I'm just sorry I have to do this to you."
"It's okay, Daddy," Audrey said wisely. "Just go make Monica better, okay?"
Chandler smiled. "I'll do my best, baby," he said.
He knew with all his heart that he would.
PLEASE REVIEW!!