While You Were Sleeping

Part 7

Ross walked down the long, winding corridor. He hated that corridor. He had to walk down it everyday and everyday he wondered if they would still be alive when he reached the end. So far they had, but the doctors weren't optimistic. And they all stared at him every time he walked up to Rachel's bed. Every time he sat down he could feel their eyes boring into him. He could practically hear them talking about him "It's his sister you know, she's the one who did this". Ross wished he could defend her, he really did but ...

Somewhere deep inside he believed them.

NO!

Somewhere there was that little shadow of doubt that he couldn't shake, no matter how hard he tried to ignore it. The one thing that was keeping him going was the knowledge that until Monica was arrested there was no proof.

Until?

That made it sound inevitable.

It wasn't. He knew it wasn't. She'd probably never be arrested. This was Monica. His sister. His only sister. The woman who was married to his best friend. The woman he had lived with for 16 years. She wasn't a killer. She couldn't be. The police would see that sooner or later.

"Mr Geller?"

Ross glanced up at the sound of his name. He'd heard it almost continually over the last week. Doctors, nurses, lawyers, funeral directors. They'd all called him Mr Geller. On any other day he'd have corrected them, "It's Dr Geller". Not now. Now it didn't even matter what they called him. He had to plan his daughter's funeral and pray her mother came round.

"Mr Geller, we have your father on line one if you'd like to speak with him"

Ross nodded. He didn't see the need for a vocal reply. Walking into the bare corridor, Ross picked up the phone and cradled it in his neck,

"Hello?"

A shout

"Ross?"

A scream

"Dad, what's going on?"

A struggle

"It's Monica"

A life

"They've got a warrant for her arrest."

Ross didn't reply. He didn't even hang up. He threw the phone down and ran, ran as fast as he could towards the small room he knew Monica was in. She had been allowed to visit Chandler today. He knew she was still there. He didn't even think about what he was doing, all his previous doubts vanished in an instant as he raced towards her. He knew she needed him now. Barging into the small room Ross saw them. The two NYPD officers, there to take her. He didn't speak, he couldn't. He just watched as they talked,

"Monica Elaine Geller. I'm arresting you on suspicion of murder in the first degree, attempted murder, wounding with intent and false imprisonment. You have the right to an attorney and to have him present during questioning. You have the right to remain silent but anything you do not mention which you later rely on in court will be used against you. If you'd like to come with me"

Ross remained silent as they took her away. He simply watched from the window as his sister was handcuffed and put in the back of the police car. He couldn't move. He knew if he did this would all suddenly become real. He couldn't cope with that. He could live with the suspicion. The questioning. He could ignore it, "Nothing was certain", He couldn't ignore an arrest. An arrest meant the police believed the suspicion. And Ross couldn't cope with that. For the first time he asked himself,

Was she sleeping while the others suffered?