Frank felt like his blood boiling when he was at work the next day. He looked over from what he was doing to see Chad over there with Emma being all cutesy and kissing her. He wanted to vomit. He forced himself to focus on the shelf he was stocking. He helped a little old lady by reaching the top shelf. He pondered as to why stores always had these high shelves and put things that people always used on the top. Top shelves should be for stuff that is rarely needed.
"What up, Sinatra?" Chad's voice said, sneering. Frank was brought back to the present abruptly.
"Working," Frank answered tersely. He had made the mistake of singing to himself one time when he thought he was alone, and it earned him the name Sinatra. It was better than some of the others Chad called him.
"Sure you are," Chad chortled. He banged into Frank as he walked past, knocking Frank into the shelf. He turned to see if Emma had seen, and she had not. Her face was buried into her work. He could tell by the back of her head that she was smiling. Uncle Joey was right about that. He'd seen the demonstration before. Frank grew angry then. He went to go after Chad and tell him off, but he paused when he heard laughter and gloating voices. He hid and listened.
"Did you score?" Jamie asked. He was another bully Frank tried hard to avoid.
"Naw not yet. I'm buttering up her real nice before I do that," Chad answered. Frank clenched his fists.
"Can't believe you got her first," Dean muttered. Dean wasn't as much of a bully, but he sure didn't intervene whenever he witnessed it.
"You just gotta have balls, man," Chad told him. "We'll date a few times, have a little sex, and then she's all yours."
"That's cold," Jamie laughed.
"Eh. I'm not into serious relationships," Chad said. "Besides, I think she's too high maintenance for me anyway." The voices moved away, and Frank was left standing there feeling rage. He worked to calm his breathing like he'd been shown to do. He turned and went back to his shelf, looking over at Emma. She was gone, and he wondered how he was going to tell her what he had heard without her getting angry and calling him a liar.
The Perk
"Wait, Emma was on a date?" Rachel asked, surprised. She, Ross, Monica, and Chandler were at the Perk with Joey, listening to him explain.
"Yea. I didn't like him," Joey said, crossing his arms.
"I can't believe she didn't tell me," Rachel said, hurt. Ross patted her leg.
"Maybe she wanted to see how it went first before telling you," he suggested. Rachel just glared at him.
"Erica had a date too," Monica chimed in.
"See?!" Rachel said to Ross. "Erica tells her mother about her dates!"
"All right," Ross replied, holding his hands up.
"Anyway," Monica went on. "It apparently went great until Jack interrupted them at the door."
"Oh boy," Joey laughed.
"It was intentional, or so Erica says. She was furious. I hope those two are gonna be okay living together," Monica fretted.
"They're siblings. Don't you remember all the fights you had with Ross?" Chandler asked.
"Yea. Remember when Ross was practically living in our apartment when we were dating?" Rachel piped up. "It was a nightmare! You guys fought so badly!"
"I remember," Monica said.
"Oh yea," Ross said at the same time.
"Anyway, I think they'll sort it out," Rachel reassured her.
"If not, Jack could come live with me and Emma could go across the hall," Joey offered.
"I don't think it'll come to that," Monica laughed. She had faith her children would work it out.
"Hey, where is Phoebs?" Joey asked, looking around. He thought she was coming to meet them here.
"I...I don't know," Monica answered, puzzled.
"They're probably getting reacquainted with New York," Chandler shrugged.
"In what way?" Rachel asked.
"I dunno," Chandler said. "I don't even know why I said that."
"You're slipping in your old age," Ross snorted.
"I am not!" Chandler argued.
"Should we call her?" Rachel asked, ignoring them as they continued to bicker.
"I don't know," Monica said.
"I haven't seen her since she first got back," Joey said.
"I hope she's all right," Rachel worried.
"You're just upset cos you can't steal anymore of my jokes cos I have none!" Chandler was saying now.
"You-" Ross started.
"Oh my God, do NOT start that again!" Monica ordered, glowering at them. They cowered.
"Hey y'all," Jack said, coming up behind them.
"Oh, oh!" Joey said, getting excited. "I'll have a scouffie!"
"Sorry. We're fresh out," Jack replied.
"What?" Joey whined, his face falling.
"It's become a big hit, and Gunther can't keep up with the orders," Jack shrugged.
"Not even an uffie?" Joey asked.
"Nope. Barely even an uff."
"Well, now what am I gonna do?" Joey complained.
"Eat a muffin like a normal person?" Chandler suggested.
"It's not the same," Joey sighed, crossing his arms.
"Sorry, man," Jack apologized. He looked at the others. "Anything?"
"A tea," Rachel said.
"Coffee," Monica added.
"I'm good," Ross nodded.
"Dad?" Jack asked.
"I'm thinking," Chandler replied. Jack folded his arms, waiting.
"Five seconds and I bring you whatever I think of," Jack warned.
"Coffee," Chandler said weakly.
"Great! K, I'll be back," Jack promised.
"I remember working here," Rachel said, reminiscing.
"I'm sure a lot of people do," Chandler told her. She had been notorious for making a lot of errors.
"Aww that's sweet," Rachel smiled at him. He left it alone.
"Two coffees and a tea," Jack said, handing them their mugs.
"Where's your sister?" Monica asked him.
"Upstairs working. She's not really talking to me right now," Jack answered, shrugging.
"Well, it was a jerk thing to do, interrupt her goodnight kiss," Rachel said.
"I didn't know they hadn't done it already!" Jack insisted. He avoided Rachel's gaze after that. Joey was still sitting there looking desolate, so Jack went to the back and got inventive again. He came out shortly after with a new dish. Joey eyed it curiously.
"What is it?" he asked.
"A dawnie," Jack answered. Joey picked up the danish/brownie gingerly. Jack had molded the brownie between two pieces of a cherry danish. The cherry filling was spread across the brownie.
"Maybe you should work at Javu," Monica mused. "We could use your creativity there."
"Ehh. It just comes to me," Jack dismissed. "It's not something I want to do for a living."
"This is amazing," Joey groaned. He was licking his fingers, which were covered in cherry filling.
"Good," Jack nodded, moving to leave. Joey grabbed his arm.
"Do not tell Gunther," he warned. "I don't want you to 'run out.'"
"We really did run out, Uncle Joey," Jack told him. Joey just snorted and released him.
"Bye, honey," Monica called. Jack lifted an arm in a wave as he walked behind the counter.
"Don't embarrass him," Chandler admonished her.
"Oh like he's embarrassed," Monica scoffed.
"Well, we should get going," Ross said. He stood up with Rachel following suit. "Maybe we'll pop in to see Emma before we head home."
"See you later," Monica said, getting up to hug them.
"So," Joey said after they were gone. "What are we gonna do about Emma's boyfriend?"
Phoebe and Mike
Mike came in quietly. Phoebe was waiting on the couch for him. He wouldn't let her go with him, so she had waited all day anxiously for the news.
"Well?" Phoebe asked.
"I failed," Mike answered. She gasped, covering her mouth. He moved to sit beside her quickly and grabbed her hands in his.
"What happens now?" Phoebe asked.
"I get more tests done. Phoebe, it's gonna be all right. My Dad went through this same thing, and they gave him 10 years, but he surpassed that by a lot," Mike reassured her. "He was a lot worse too. Technology has changed. Medicine has changed. I'll be all right."
"You better be," Phoebe warned. "I can't live without you."
"You won't have to," Mike promised. He kissed her gently. Phoebe felt sick. Ever since her dream, she had had a weird feeling about Mike's health, so she forced him to see a doctor and have a stress test. This was what he had failed today.
"I'm going with you next time," she told him, her voice muffled by his chest.
"That's fine," he nodded.
"We're cleaning up our diets," Phoebe went on. "And we are exercising more."
"Doc told me to not exercise hard right now," Mike explained. "But if I'm cleared, then yes, we will."
"Did he say it was coronary heart disease for sure?" Phoebe asked.
"No. He's not jumping to conclusions until I have the cardio catheterization done," Mike answered. "Don't fret. It's just a precaution."
"That's like telling me not to play Smelly Cat at Central Perk," Phoebe said, looking at him. "I'm going to worry."
"Well, I'm confident it'll be fine," he smiled.
"I hope so," Phoebe sighed.
Channie
She was sitting at a cafe reading when the pang of worry and fear went through her. She put down her book, concentrating on the feeling. Of all of them, she was the one with the most connection to her Aunt Phoebe. She wondered what was wrong. She packed up and made her way to their apartment, determined to find out what was wrong. She knocked, but no one answered. She could hear muffled crying on the other side, and this made her scared.
"Aunt Phoebe!" she called, pounding harder. Phoebe finally opened the door, her eyes very red and her face blotchy.
"What?" she asked.
"Something's wrong," Channie said. "I don't know how I know, but I just do. Tell me." Phoebe burst into tears again but let her in. Channie stood in the entrance wringing her hands. Phoebe got a hold of herself and moved to the couch and sat down. Channie hovered in front of her.
"Your Uncle Mike possibly has a heart condition," Phoebe told her. "It might be nothing, but they're taking precautions. I'm just stuck thinking about what could go wrong."
"That's awful," Channie said, sitting down beside her. She thought about her nightmare. She could still feel Phoebe's panic.
"Your Uncle is determined he'll be fine," Phoebe said. "So I have to believe that. He'll be fine."
"Medicine has come a long way," Channie said, echoing Mike's earlier statement.
"I know. That doesn't stop me from worrying about it," Phoebe sighed.
"Is there anything I can do?" Channie asked.
"No. Not really. You can, however, tell me about the deal with Ben," Phoebe said, cracking a small smile. She'd take anything to get her mind off of Mike's heart right now.
"Oh, that," Channie said. "Well, it's something."
"I want details," Phoebe ordered. Channie obliged. If this was how she could help, then she'd tell her aunt everything. Everything except her teenage trauma that is.
Erica
She had paint all over her hands and arms. She was examining her painting carefully, tongue poking out the side of her mouth. She wasn't sure if she was happy with it or not.
"Erica?" Emma called, coming into the apartment. Erica looked up.
"Yea?"
"Oh, you're painting," Emma noted. "That's cool." She flopped onto the couch, watching.
"What do you want?" Erica asked. Her cousin was okay, but most times she annoyed her to no end, especially with the whole trying to take Robbie thing.
"I just wanted to talk to you about the amazing date I had last night," Emma smiled. Her parents had just left, and her mother had been a little upset that Emma hadn't told her about her date.
"Oh?" Erica asked. Her heart lifted. Perhaps Emma had moved on?
"His name is Chad. He's so cute, and he's such a gentleman," Emma gloated. "I honestly didn't think they made men that way anymore."
"Well, that's good," Erica nodded. She felt immense relief. Emma picked up the sudoku puzzle book that was on the table and started working on it.
"Who uses pen?" she muttered, looking at it.
"So, are you gonna see him again?" Erica asked.
"Oh yes. Tomorrow night actually," Emma said. She furrowed her brow, working on the puzzle.
"Where are you going?"
"To see a movie," Emma answered absently. Erica stopped asking questions. After a few moments and becoming frustrated, Emma put down the book and focused her attention on Erica.
"So how's Robbie?" Emma asked her. Erica flinched, hoping Emma didn't see her do it.
"He's good," Erica replied.
"You been on a date yet?"
"Actually, yes," Erica nodded. Emma sat up straighter.
"Seriously?!"
"Yea. Last night."
"Wow! That's...great," Emma said. She felt a twinge of jealousy. She still liked him of course. "Are you going to go out again?"
"I don't know. Maybe," Erica shrugged.
"Hmm well if you need any tips, let me know," Emma said.
"I know how to date," Erica said, affronted.
"Okay, sure," Emma laughed. "Well, I should get going. I'm meeting some friends to shop."
"Have fun," Erica said absently. She felt a little annoyed her cousin didn't invite her to do things with her, but then again, Erica didn't think she could handle hours with Emma at a time. Once her cousin left, she released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Jack came in the door then. He kicked off his shoes, grabbed an iced tea and plopped onto the couch.
"Hey," he said, looking at his puzzle book. "Who messed with my puzzle?"
"Emma," Erica answered. Jack looked at her suspiciously. "It was!"
"All right," Jack said. He exhaled loudly. Emma sure had damaged the good progress he'd been making. He'd have to get his white out.
"How long did you wait until you asked Lucy on another date?" Erica asked suddenly. She waited for his answer.
"Like, a day," Jack answered. "I didn't want to risk her going off with another guy." He was surprised she was talking to him again, but he didn't complain.
"Oh," Erica said, wilting.
"Relax. Robbie's into you. He'll call," Jack reassured her. He better, Jack thought, or else there'd be hell to pay.
"I am relaxed," Erica said. It wasn't true. She was incredibly tense, and it was affecting her brush strokes. Her painting looked like a madman went at it.
"Try harder," Jack told her, carefully whiting out the errors Emma had made.
"Shut up," Erica snapped. She put her earphones in. She wasn't in the mood to listen to him right now.
Leslie
"That's it," Tess was saying. "Great! You're a pro at this." Leslie beamed with pride. It was her first day at work, and she felt she was nailing it. Monica wasn't working, so it was just her and Tess.
"I can't thank you enough for letting me work here," Leslie said.
"And for the fifth time, we're glad to have you on board," Tess smiled.
"I'm sorry. I'm just so excited," Leslie blushed.
"It's all good. It's nice to have excitement around here for a change," Tess mused.
"Oh," Leslie said, sensing Tess was referring to her own lack of excitement. "Everything okay?"
"Yea. When you've been doing this for so long, you kind of get tired of it, you know?" Tess said. Leslie didn't know. She was still new at it all.
"I hope I don't," Leslie said, worried.
"I think you'll be fine," Tess reassured her. "Okay, come on, let me show you how to do our signature dish." Leslie was immersed in her work. It did not stop her from catching the eye of the handsome boy who was flipping meat on the grill down the counter from her. Yes, things were definitely looking up.
Monica & Chandler
"I just got off the phone with Phoebe," Monica said, sitting down next to Chandler. He was concentrating on his phone. He looked up at her, catching her tone.
"And?"
"Mike could be sick," Monica told him in a hushed voice.
"With what?" Chandler asked, getting panicked.
"Heart disease. Phoebe said he's getting more tests done, that he thinks it's nothing. Chandler, I'm worried," Monica said, squeezing his hand.
"If it's something, then they caught it early," Chandler reassured her. "Doesn't something bad usually happen before they notice a problem?"
"I don't know. I just feel so bad for Phoebe. She's upset."
"Well, we can be there for them, but other than that, there's not much we can do but wait," Chandler said.
"I know. Honey, maybe you should lay off the potato chips?" she suggested. He looked at her.
"All right," he agreed. "If that will make you feel better."
"It will," she nodded. When you hear about someone having a heart problem, potential or not, it made you re-evaluate everything.
Channie
"So when am I meeting your parents?" Ben asked. They were at his apartment, and Channie had finished telling him about Mike. They had been in a somber silence since until Ben decided to change the subject.
"Soon," Channie sighed. "Are you sure you want to go through with that?"
"Of course!"
"I will arrange it then," she told him. He kissed her fingers. He could sense her mind was not with him right now.
"It'll all be okay, Chan," he said. She looked at him.
"How do you know?"
"I just do," he smiled. "Trust me." Channie wanted to desperately, but sometimes trust was hard for her to do. She tried to empty her mind of it when he moved in to kiss her.
Robbie
He was nervous. He wanted to call her, but he didn't know if it was too soon. He didn't want to appear desperate, but he also didn't want to look like he wasn't into her either. Man, dating was hard. He was working on a door hinge when his phone buzzed. He looked at it.
Had fun last night :) Emma had written him. He grinned to himself. That was his cue right there.
I did too. Wanna hang out later? He held his breath, waiting. Her text couldn't come fast enough.
Sure!
Great. I'll come by around 7?
Sounds good. See you then :)
"Yes," he said to himself, excited. He couldn't wait to see her again.
Just to be clear, nobody is going to die. I don't want to make this a sad story. I just felt I needed to follow up on the dream thing since I mentioned it a few times. Also, it's a reflection on what my past month was like, and there was a good ending to that. So no fretting about Mike! As always, I enjoy hearing your thoughts :)