TOW too much loving

AN: Between TOW Ross Catches up With Emily and TOW The Cooking Lessons. At this stage, Ross is still recovering from the broken leg he suffered in TOW Ross Catches up With Emily, which he got after colliding with a minivan when he chased Emily at the Airport. Everyone has returned to New York, but Emily and Monica are acting as though Ross is still seriously ill, and the patient is getting very restless...

Wrapped in Cotton Wool

'Are you alright darling?' Emily asked. Ross was sitting in front of the television set. He had his feet up, and was covered with a blanket. He had a side table with a tray, which held a bowl of soup that Monica had made. Emily was dressed ready to go shopping and

'I'm fine sweetie, really.'

'Would you like a cup of coffee?' Emily asked.

'No, I'm fine, thanks.'

'Are you sure you can see the television set properly?' she asked, and straightened up the set before he could say yes or no. Ever since he had come out of hospital, she had fussed over every little thing. That had been important when he could at first hardly move, and when they had been on the plane back, and even in the first couple of weeks since they'd been back in New York.

The other reason that he hadn't felt the fussing was so bad was that the early weeks had partly been taken up with the problem of what to do about Rachel. Her letter had been embarrassing, but had also been sad, and he didn't know what to do with her, not only because he had to be careful of her feelings, but also he had to be careful of Emily's. He'd already lost a fight with a minivan over that. Then there had been Joey's attitude, though fortunately that had been a short lived problem. Some kind of truce had been arranged with Rachel, and now he could concentrate on getting better, if only Emily, Monica, and his mother wouldn't keep him wrapped in cotton wool…

'Would you like me to turn the heater on?' Emily asked.

'No!' Ross exclaimed, 'No, thanks don't touch it. If anything I'm too hot.' Emily rushed forward. 'Let me take that blanket away.'

'No, no,' Ross said, but Emily took it off his legs and folded it.

'I'll put it here, where you can get it if you want.'

'Thankyou sweetie but I could have done that myself.'

'Nonsense,' Emily said, 'You must look after yourself.'

'I need some exercise,' Ross said.

'You can do that with the physiotherapist,' Emily said firmly, 'That way, you'll do it properly and you won't injure yourself. You don't want that, do you?'

'No,' he said, 'But I'm not going to injure myself by taking a blanket off may legs.'

'Oh Ross,' Emily laughed, and gently kissed his forehead. That was another thing. Her touch was wonderfully gentle, but he wanted something passionate, once in a while. He wasn't that fragile.

The doorbell chimed, and Emily let Monica in. Monica rushed up to him.

'How are you, Ross?'

'I'm fine,' he said, as Monica unfolded his blanket and put it over his legs. 'I don't want – ' but she didn't listen to what she wanted.

'Do you want that soup reheated?' Monica said, picking up the bowl.

'How nice of you to ask,' Ross said.

'I just reheated it,' Emily said. Ross suddenly wished that she would tell Monica to back off. Anyone else might have been offended if someone came along and implied that she wasn't looking after her husband properly by serving him cold soup. But Emily and Monica just complimented each other's fussing, even as they undid each other's work. He was being attacked on both sides, and there was no appeal. Thank goodness his mother had a cold because the three of them together were a nightmare.

'Will you be all right Ross?' Monica said, 'We can postpone our shopping trip.'

'No!' Ross exclaimed. If they postponed their shopping trip they would stay at home and watch him. Emily alone was one thing – he could distract her – but she and Monica together… 'You two go out and enjoy yourselves,' he said. And reluctantly, they did.

Ross changed the channels to see if there was something better on, and he was in the middle of his programme when the doorbell chimed. It was his mother! He struggled up off the sofa and hobbled to the door using his crutches. He was surprised to see Rachel and Joey.

'Hey,' he said.

'How you doin?'

'Hi Ross,' Rachel said, still a bit shy. 'We thought we might drop by, seeing as…'

'Seeing that my wife isn't here,' Ross said, his momentary happiness at seeing them both suddenly gone. If they couldn't adjust to the fact that he'd married Emily, then it was going to be hard staying friends with them. It wasn't Emily's fault there were problems, and their attitude to her personally offended him. Rachel might still have residual feelings, but she'd have to get over them. Joey didn't even have that as an excuse.

'You're on your own man,' Joey said, 'We came to keep you company.'

'I can survive on my own thanks,' Ross said, irritated, 'Why does everyone think I can't cope? I had an accident, just a little accident.'

'It wasn't a little accident,' Joey said.

'Okay, it was not a little accident, but it was a while ago. I'm not in hospital any more.'

'No,' Rachel said.

'So I can do things on my own. I can even be alone.'

'We never said you couldn't be,' Rachel said. 'Calm down.' Ross sighed.

'I'm sorry, I'm just getting cabin fever.'

'You don't go out much?' Rachel asked. Ross shook his head.

'Why don't we go out?' Joey said. 'You haven't been to Central Perk since you've been back.'

'Yeah,' Rachel said, 'Why not?'

'But Emily and Monica…'

'What about them?' Rachel asked. Ross knew that they wouldn't approve.

'Just leave them a note,' Joey said. Could he go out? Did he dare? Did he ever!