Judy had finished her cycle and was resting comfortably. Monica sat by her bed and quietly knit. The trips to the hospital were finally taking their toll. Her eyes had dark circles under them and her hair didn't have that raven color anymore. Grey now lined the roots and base of her hairline.

"Mom I 'm going to the cafeteria. Would you like anything?" Monica asked as she rose from the chair.

Judy just laid motionless.

Suddenly she came to life realizing that her favorite child had arrived. "Sorry I was late Mom but Emma had a conference this afternoon and I thought it was important that I go." Ross said as he hurried in the room.

"Sweetie would you mind getting me a milkshake?" Judy said as he sat down.

"No Mom, not at all, would you like strawberry , I know it's your favorite." Ross said.

"That would be good." Judy smiled and laid her head back down on the pillow. She put her hand under it and grabbed something. Her fingers were tangled around a few strands of blonde hair.

Ross looked over and quickly left the room.

"Here Mom, I will get a bag for that." Monica said as she grabbed the strands of hair and pulled out of her nightstand a plastic bag.

"Leave it , it's all going to fall out anyway." Judy said. "I guess I do have cancer. It's nothing like in those Lifetime movies where I am played by someone like Linda Gray or something."

"Hello Judy." Sandra Green said as she opened the door. "Monica sweetie, it's so nice to know that you are here for your mother." she gave her a huge hug.

"Sandy, it's so nice of you to visit." Judy smiled.

"Well I brought you something." Sandra said as she opened the bag. "I had some old wigs around the house and I thought you might be able to use them See this was Jill's and Amy's hairpieces . These darker ones are mine and Rachel's ."

"They're lovely." Judy looked over at Monica uneasily as if she really didn't know what to say.

"Thank you Mrs. Green, Mom does appreciate these." Monica said.

"I'll stay for a few minutes, but I have a lunch date at one." Sandra said as she planted herself in the chair next to the bed.

"I'll just sit over here on the bed." Monica said as she sat on the edge of her mother's bed.

"But Monica, where will Ross sit? Why don't you go and get an extra chair." said Judy as she rearranged herself in the bed again.

Monica got up and walked toward the hallway. She looked back at her mother . She had tried for almost forty years to be this perfect daughter. Ever since the diagnosis, she had sat by her bed every day and into the night. Thank God she had a loving husband like Chandler, who would make her dinner and take care of the kids so she could be with her dying mother. She was the one who was with her all the time. Yet all he had to do was show up, and just like they were kids again, Monica would be pushed aside.

"Did I hear you say Ross was here?" asked Sandra. "I will stay until he gets back ."

"He has been an absolute angel. Did you know he took a sabbatical from NYU so he could be with me more ? And he has been working on a book, oh I tell you I couldn't ask for a more perfect son." Judy gushed.

Monica walked down the hall . Tears were glistening from her eyes. She had to get out of her room. She wasn't sixteen anymore and the fat sibling. She was the strong one. But there was only so much she could take.

She grabbed a chair and walked back toward the room. She would show her mother. She would make herself the perfect child . She would have the strength and everyone would say,"That Monica is the world's best daughter." As she walked the halls, she spotted something

She hadn't thought about it for quite some time. It was her own private coping mechanism as a teen. Whenever she got a good grade or cooked something special, it would always be pushed aside. It wasn't important enough. She could still here the voices in her past.

"Mom, look I got an A on my Home Ec test." Monica would excitedly say.

"That's nice dear." she would say. "Ross how did you do on your chemistry exam?

"I got an A, the highest in the class." Ross would say.

"That's my boy, someday you are going to be a famous scientist ." Judy would say.

Then Monica would pull a candy bar out of her pocket and start to chew on it. She almost laughed at the similar coping mechanisms that her and her husband shared. He would smoke and she would eat to deal with the trials in their young lives. Maybe that's why they were so compatitible. Chandler dealt with a father who was gay ,she dealt with a brother that could do no wrong. The more and more she thought about it, she walked over to the candy machine and put in a dollar and then took the Snickers bar from its wrapper.

"Hey Mon, is Mom stil awake? I got her the shake she wanted." said Ross.

"Yeah, and Sandra is visiting her." Monica said as she chewed on the chocolate and peanuts."

"Okay, boy I haven't seen you eat one of those in years." Ross said as he watched her devour the Snickers bar. "See ya inside." he said as he ambled down the hall.

"Damn medical marvel." she muttered as she put another dollar in the machine to get another candy bar.