13 An Explanation

The next morning, Emily was ill. She had tried to get out of bed to make Ross's breakfast but she had nearly fainted and Ross had insisted on her getting into bed and staying there. 'What's wrong sweetie?' She looked so unwell. Her face was flushed and her eyes looked unfocussed.

'I can't move my arm,' she said. Her right arm was swollen and red. 'It hurts but all I want to do is sleep. I'm sorry I'm causing trouble.'

'You don't have to say sorry to me,' Ross said. He touched her arm gently. It was hot. So was her forehead. As soon as he'd seen her that morning he had been going to call a doctor but he changed his mind. She had to go to hospital at once.

At the hospital they took her away and told him that there was something embedded in her arm that seemed to be causing an infection which was making her systemically ill. They would have to operate to get out whatever it was that was causing the trouble, and then give her lots of antibiotics. He couldn't understand it. He phoned in to work and told him he wouldn't be coming in and he waited until the surgery was over.

Ill, he thought. That was why she'd behaved like that last night. He had asked her whether she had had a hankering for Rachel for other women. He just couldn't understand the threesome offer unless she did, and he had questioned her closely. All his anxieties about Susan returned. That couldn't happen to him again.

'I don't want Rachel,' Emily said, 'Or any woman. I've never done anything with a woman and I don't want to, not for myself, but if you want me to, I'll do it for you. I only want to make you happy. I'll do anything you want.' And he realised that she'd offered to leave him alone with Rachel and asked about that too.

'You wouldn't have minded?'

'It would have broken my heart,' she said, tears welling up, 'But my heart is yours do what you want to it. If it makes you happy that will be my consolation.' It had made him want to cry when she had become tearful. However weird it all sounded, he believe that she was utterly sincere in everything she said. Maybe all of this was understandable, if she'd actually been ill but hadn't known it.

He was broken from his reverie by a question.

'This was in her arm. Have you ever seen that before?' The doctor showed Ross a small metal pellet.

'No. It's not a bullet is it?' he asked, appalled. Who could have shot his wife? He had a crazy thought that Rachel had taken a shot at her. Emily wasn't the only person acting weird.

'Oh no, I've seen all kinds of bullets and this isn't one. Whatever it is, it's the second one I've removed today,' said the doctor.

'From her?' She had had two of these things.

'No, someone else had one too. Anyway, now that it's out she should respond well to the antibiotics.' After a quick look at Emily, still asleep after her operation Ross left the hospital, puzzled.

He went to Central Perk where he found Monica and Joey. Rachel was nowhere to be seen and he was glad of that. He needed an explanation for that stunt she'd pulled but he wanted to leave it until Emily was well again.

'How's your day been?' Monica asked. Ross was looking stressed.

'I've just come from the hospital. Emily's had an operation - a small one,' he added before Monica could get too alarmed.

'Is Emily all right now?' Monica asked.

'She'll get better. She had something embedded in her arm that was causing an infection. No-one knew how it got there.'

'A bullet?' Joey asked.

'They said not. They had no idea how it got there,' Ross said. 'Does she know?' Monica asked.

'I haven't had the chance to ask. I'm going back there a bit later when she's had a chance to wake up. But surely she'd have known about it. Or if she knew about it she would have done something about it. I don't know. It's very weird.' He sighed. Then he noticed something about Monica. 'You're looking very well, Monica,' he said. He couldn't help it. She just looked vibrant as though her red blood cells were giving her all the energy they could, as they zinged around her bloodstream.

'Yes, it's funny, I feel really good,' she said, and then said, 'I'm sorry Ross, you left that candle behind and I'm afraid I lit it myself and I don't know why, I feel so much better - Phoebe's getting you another one.'

'It was just a candle.'

'It was a sort of a health candle,' Monica said, 'So Emily's got to have one.'

'You can't light candles in hospital anyway,' Ross shrugged, not believing a word of it.

Chandler arrived and said,

'Something really funny's been happening.' Ross, Monica and Joey looked at him. To Ross's eye there was something very vibrant about him today, but he shelved the thought there and listened to Chandler instead. 'I saw it on the news. You remember I told you about that mad man? He's just been arrested for sticking a metal pellet into a woman on the street. Apparently he's been doing it all over New York. There are three women who have had them removed because of infection.'

'How come they didn't have them removed before? I mean if a stranger stuck something in my arm I'd get it out straight away,' Monica said. 'And call the police.'

She glanced at Ross.

'That's the funny bit. The woman's friend - the one that was on the news - said that she was standing next to the woman when it happened. Apparently the woman got all vague after it happened and didn't know she'd been stuck with something. She just said she had to get home to cook the dinner. She was only stopped because she tripped over something and had to go to hospital.'

'So there are all these women walking around in New York who have had these things stuck into them and they've all forgotten about it?' Monica asked. She gave Ross another look and this time made eye contact. She was sure he was thinking what she was thinking.

'Yeah,' Chandler said. 'Unless they get infected I suppose. That's probably a blessing in disguise.'

'So what's it all for?' Ross asked.

'Well, now this is the funny bit,' Chandler said.

'Another funny bit?' Monica asked.

'An even funnier bit. This madman is a religious fanatic who believes that all wives should be subject to their husbands, so he's been picking on them. Apparently this pellet makes the wives docile and eager to please.' Ross stared into space and Monica stared at him.

'Eager to please,' she said.

'Yeah.' Monica turned to Ross.

'Ross, that's what happened to Emily. Chandler, that's why she's been acting strange. Emily's just had one of those things removed from her arm.'

'Wow,' Chandler said. The four contemplated this for a minute. 'Well I can see the point of it,' Chandler said slowly. Monica hit him. 'Hey I'm joking.' Chandler caught her hand in his, giving it a squeeze before letting go.

'So does the effect of this wear off,' Joey asked, 'After they get rid of the pellet?'

'Yes,' Chandler said. 'Apparently almost straight away.'

'So Emily will get back to normal now,' Joey said. 'And after what happened with Rachel she's just going to go nuts,' Monica said. Rachel had kept away from her, but Ross had told her all about it. If Emily had been nuts, she wasn't be the only one. Rachel clearly was already nuts. She squeezed her brother's hand.

'I don't care,' Ross said, 'I want my Emily back.'

'Even if she - ' Joey began before Chandler kicked him.

'Even if she doesn't want me to see Rachel,' Ross finished. 'After what Rachel did, I can't blame her,I mean that was unbelievable, there's no excuse for that, none at all.' The others looked at each other.Ross only wished that she wouldn't give up on him.

'I know Ross,' Monica said, 'But when everything has settled down, please...' She didn't know how to say it. 'Look, I'm mad at Rachel too, but if she's sorry, I'm going to forgive her.'

'At the moment, all I can think about is Emily,' Ross said. They sat in silence for a moment before Ross went back to an earlier observation. 'You're looking well Chandler.'

'I feel great!' he said. Ross looked to Monica and then back again.

'You and Monica,' he said suspiciously.

'Yes, both of us.' Joey sat up a bit straighter looking at each of them in turn. 'I feel so good.' Monica bit her lip.

'We, er, shared that candle,' Monica said.

'You shared a candle with Chandler?' Ross confirmed.

'Yes, and it was great, and we'd do it again,' he said proudly. Ross stared at them both.

'What's going on here?'

'I feel so good I don't want to hide it any more. The fact is Ross, I love Monica and we've been seeing eachother since London. We never really expected it - it's just been so good.' Ross was staring at him and then at Monica who nodded.

'Why didn't you tell me?' he demanded. 'You've been running around, behind my back - ' Suddenly Gunther called,

'Call for you Ross, from the hospital.' Ross dropped his emerging tantrum and ran for the phone.

'She's awake!' he yelled, and ran out for a cab.