A/N: Sorry for the long wait…we've both been very busy with school, and the FriendsCafe Olympics…

Disclaimer--We don't own Friends L

"Wow!" Monica sighed after she and Chandler had shared a long passionate kiss.

"I know it's..." Chandler paused.

"Remarkable!" Monica whispered.

"So what now?" Chandler said after a brief pause.

"I dunno we'll just have to wait and see what happens next," he said quietly.

"Right." Monica said awkwardly.

"Now this won't change anything between us Mon." Chandler said sadly.

"Alright," Monica replied, close to tears.

"Aw, it's going to be okay, I'm here for you now," Chandler said, as he went in for another passionate kiss.

After they had left the hospital, Joey and Phoebe had offered to go back with Ross to his apartment.

"So what should we have for dinner?" Ross asked, scanning his refrigerator sadly.

"How about soup in a can?" Joey asked with a grin. Ross opened up the cupboard, and searched around, finally finding a single can of chicken noodle soup in the back of the cupboard.

"This can't be all I have, I thought I bought at least 2 cartons a couple weeks ago," Ross said, breaking down into tears.

"Hon, we know what this is really about…" Phoebe said quietly.

"It should be me who was in the hospital…not Rachel," Ross whispered.

"It's not your fault, Ross," Phoebe said gently. She placed her hand on Ross' shoulder and guided him over to sit on the couch. Joey followed and sat in the armchair.

"It is my fault, Pheebs," Ross said miserably, resting his head in his hands. "I should never have suggested to Emily that we get married…"

"Well, it was a bit quick," Phoebe said, "but Ross…none of us could have guessed that Rachel would react this way." Ross shrugged.

"Come on man, it's not your fault," Joey said. "And anyway, Rachel's fine now." Phoebe nodded in agreement.

"Ross?" Phoebe ventured. "About Rachel…I think I know what's going on."

"You do?" Ross asked, looking up.

"Yes," Phoebe replied. "You feel so guilty, Ross, because you love her."

Ross' eyes widened.

"No I don't!" he replied automatically. But his words were weak, as if he wasn't sure if he loved Rachel or not.
"Do I?" Ross asked, more to himself than to Joey or Phoebe. "I don't love her…sure I like her, but just as a friend…I don't love her…do I?" He looked pleadingly over at his friends.

"Ross, everyone knows…you do love Rachel. I can see it in your eyes," Phoebe said.

"I don't love her…"Ross said. Phoebe and Joey just looked at him and he realized the truth.

"I love her," he whispered to himself.

The next morning, Monica was the first to arrive at the hospital. She had arranged with Chandler to arrive a while later, separate from her, for fear the others would be suspicious about them being too close. They had decided not to let the others know about what had happened between them the night before.

When Monica entered the hospital room, she was happy to see that Rachel was sitting up in bed, propped up by a few large pillows, reading a magazine.

"Morning, Rach," Monica said, as she went over to Rachel. Rachel looked up.

"Hey Mon," she replied, setting her magazine down beside her.

"How are you feeling?" Monica asked, sitting down next to the bed.

"Much better," Rachel said. The words she said were happy, but Monica realized that there was still something weird about Rachel…she didn't seem as happy as she was claiming to be.

"Are you allright?" Monica asked, worriedly.

"I'm fine," Rachel replied. "I was just thinking about…." her voice grew quiet, "that night…"

Monica nodded slowly, her face growing serious, waiting for Rachel to continue.

"Mon…"Rachel said slowly, "I think I'm ready to tell you what happened."

"What happened?" Monica whispered, dreading the answer that she knew had to be horrible, otherwise, why would Rachel have waited this long to reveal it?

"I…I…." Rachel took a deep breath, then continued in a voice so quiet that Monica had to strain to hear it.

"I was raped."