Disclaimer; I don't own Friends, sadly; yes, but we does not always get what we whish for…
What Love Can Do
Chapter 5.
"So, are you okay today?" Chandler asked, shortly looking at Rachel, but after two seconds he had to turn his eyes back to the road again. No need for more car crashes than the one they'd already had.
"Hmm…" Rachel trailed off, looking at her hands, "I guess so. I really want to see him"
"I understand" Chandler said, "But I have an idea, actually"
Rachel's face lit up, looking expectantly at him, "What?"
"You should stay in my moms apartment in the city. She's on tour right now, and I already asked her. It's much closer to the hospital. Then you can go and see Ross when you want?"
"Really?" Rachel exclaimed, "Thank you, Chandler"
"Yeah, my mom totally supported the idea. She loves Ross y'know, and she knows how much you two need each other. She's glad to help"
"So, can I move in like, right away?" Rachel asked, surprised that she actually liked the idea that much. It was a little crazy, maybe, but it would be great to be that close to Ross. If she had to drive between Westchester and New York every time, she would lose her mind. "What about Emma then? Should I take her with me? No… 'Cause then she cant go to pre school"
"She can either stay with us or with your sister" Chandler suggested, "It's up to you"
"I'm gonna ask Jill… Or my mom, maybe" Rachel said, "I don't think Monica needs more trouble than she already has by taking care of my child too"
"It's okay," Chandler smiled, "I understand… So, when do you want to ´move in´?"
Rachel seemed to think about it, though to Chandler, it wasn't that hard. She should go home tonight, pack her bags and get ready. Tomorrow he would pick her up on his way to work, and they would drop Emma of at her mothers and then he'd drive her to the apartment, where she should stay the next couple of weeks.
"Tomorrow" Rachel finally answered.
And just like that, it was decided.
--
Rachel closed the door behind Chandler, after thanking him for the ride.
She looked at the big building in front of her, seriously scared of going in there.
Scared of being yelled at. Scared of being rejected. Scared of not knowing what to say to the man she loved more than anything.
She sighed and went in.
She walked right past doctor Evans, hoping he wouldn't see her, but of course, he did.
"Hey, Rachel?" he called.
She turned around and looked at him, "What?"
"Hmm, Ross does not want to see you"
"Excuse me?" Rachel couldn't help but stifle a laugh, "He doesn't want to see me?"
"Yeah, he's… Not feeling well"
It didn't take a doctor to figure out that he was lying, "Oh please?" Rachel exclaimed, "´He doesn't want to see me´!? But you know, I want to see him, so that's what I'm going to, but thank you for you concern. Bye, bye"
She turned around, and before doctor Evans could stop her, she was in Ross' room.
"What are you doing here?" Ross asked, looking surprised at her.
"I came to talk to you" Rachel said, sitting down at the other bed in the room.
"But I'm not feeling well today, didn't the doctor tell you?" Ross asked, doing everything he could to get her out of there. He was close to loosing his temper, but he didn't know why. Why was he not comfortable around her? Why didn't he want to see her? He hoped to God that it was just a phase. A quick one, which would be over soon.
"Yeah, he did" Rachel said, "But I didn't believe him… He kinda… Sounded like someone else I know, so…" she trailed off.
"Rachel, what is this all about?" Ross asked, trying not to let his anger show, but it was so hard.
"Oh, what do you think it's about, Ross?" Rachel asked, throwing her arms in the air, "My fiancé was in a car crash, isn't it weird? He doesn't want to talk to me, he yells at me and is this pathetic, sad man, who's just feeling sorry for himself!"
"Shut up!" Ross yelled.
"He's just lying there…" Rachel continued, "And if he doesn't start thinking about other people, if he doesn't start training he will never walk, if he doesn't start living again, he'll pretty much end up lonely in the end"
"Shut up!"
"Ross, I think you should consider your possibilities…" Rachel said, tears in her eyes, "I don't want to leave you. I love you. We can get the most perfect life in the world together, if you will let me be involved!?"
"Rachel, don't you get it?" Ross yelled, "I don't want to discuss this right now! I'm not in the mood!"
Rachel rushed up from the bed, "Okay, fine!" she left the room, but slammed the door behind her, after that she ran out of the hospital, as fast as her legs could carry her.
--
Her hands were sweaty and she fumbled with the unfamiliar key in the lock. Her fingers slipped and the key ended at the floor. She bend down to pick it up, her breath jagging in her troth, after the long run from the hospital. Not once had she stopped, not one time to catch her breath. She'd needed to get out of there.
She picked up the key and tried to get it in the lock again. Finally she managed, and ten seconds later, she was inside the unfamiliar apartment, throwing herself at the couch.
She lay there for awhile, trying to catch her breath.
Finally, when she was able to, she looked around the room, to find herself in an oversized apartment, more than big enough for one person. The furniture were old, classy, not expected of Nora Taylor Bing. But she liked it… She really did.
She reached out and took the phone on the coffee table, quickly dialling his number.
Angry tears were still streaming down her cheeks, and they only intensified when she told him what had happened.
"Don't worry" Chandler assured her, "I'll be right there, sweetie"
--
Phoebe approached the desk clerk, already considering things over in her head.
Should she, or should she not?
She should.
"Yes, Mrs? Can I help you?"
"Hmm. Ross Geller?" Phoebe asked.
"Room 3455" the smiling woman told her, "It's that way…"
"Thank you" Phoebe smiled, following her direction.
She went into the elevator, musing about the things Monica had told her yesterday. She didn't understand any of it.
Monica and Rachel, not friends?
Ross, in a car crash?
Chandler and Monica, not able to make their marriage work?
She couldn't believe any of it. She wouldn't believe any of it.
She looked at the clock, while the elevator took her to the right floor.
She couldn't wait for Joey to come to New York. He'd said he would leave as soon as possible, and that was this Saturday. It was Thursday today, so he would be coming in two days.
If anyone knew how to make all of them feel good again, it would be Joey.
Phoebe sighed and stepped out of the elevator. She followed the hall, and ended up right in front of Ross' door.
She took a deep breath, and slowly knocked at it.
--
"I just don't know what to do Chandler…" Rachel sobbed, "He doesn't want me there, he doesn't love me anymore…" she whipped a tear away, "I don't know what happened to him, but he must have figured out what was important to him after he almost died… I can believe he doesn't want me there…"
"Of course he does, Rachel" Chandler said, stroking her arm, "He loves you very much. He's just a little confused, that's all…"
"But he really sounded like he meant it!" Rachel exclaimed, lying herself down at the couch.
Chandler sat beside her and stroked her hair, "You want me to talk to him?"
"No way" Rachel said, "He'll just yell at you too, no need for that…"
Chandler stood up, feeling bad. He didn't know how to help her, and that made him feel pathetic. Suddenly, he got an idea; "I'll just go to the bathroom" he told her.
She just nodded, "Go ahead"
He entered the bathroom and securely closed the door behind him, to make sure she couldn't hear what he was about to do.
He dialled a familiar number at his cell phone, and sat on the toilet to have his conversation.
"Hi, Chandler!" Monica exclaimed.
"Hi, Mon…" Chandler whispered.
"Why are you whispering?"
"Because Rachel shouldn't know I'm calling you. I'm in the bathroom right now"
"Oh…" Monica said, "What's going on?"
"I don't know what to do!" Chandler said, "She's crying all the time, going on and on about Ross not loving her anymore, and that he don't want her there. I don't know how to make her feel good? You have got to do it, Mon!"
"But Chandler…" Monica said, "I would love to do it, and I would love to make up with her, but I'm sorry to say this; she called you! When she was sad and needed someone to talk to, she called you! It's because it's you who she wants to talk to, and I think that's fine…"
"Monica, I don't really think that that's what it is…" Chandler tried, but of course he knew that that was exactly what it was.
"Of course it is!" Monica said, "She wants you, Chandler. You better talk to her then, give her what she wants to make her happy. If she calls in the middle of the night, you should drive in to the city and talk to her. If she calls when you're at work, you should take time off. Do you get it?"
"But Monica, isn't that to overdo it a little?"
"I hit... her fiancé... with... my car…!" Monica said, taking it spell by spell to make sure she got her point across.
"All right" Chandler said, "If you say so"
"I say, give her what she wants"
And with that, Monica hung up. Left was Chandler, wondering of what exactly it was that Rachel wanted, then.
--
"Hey Phoebe!?"
"Hi Ross, you don't have to sound so surprised" Phoebe smiled, sitting down on the other bed, the one that Rachel had occupied earlier.
"Well, I didn't expect you here" Ross said, "What are you doing here?"
"Well, a little bird told me that you'd been in a car crash so I wanted to see how you were doing" Phoebe said.
"I'm doing good" Ross said, "Though…"
"Though what?"
"Rachel is really bothering me" Ross said, "She's here all the time, and she's so irritating"
"She just cares about you, Ross" Phoebe reasoned, "It's normal, she loves you, you know"
"Well, I love her too…" Ross said, "I mean, I don't know why I'm acting this way, but…"
"It's alright Ross, it'll get better"
"You think?"
"I know it" Phoebe smiled, trying to cheer him up, "What do you say I make a visit here around this time everyday, huh?"
"I would really love that, I think" Ross said.
"Good" Phoebe said, and went for the door, "And by the way, Mike says hi"
"Hi him back"
"Yeah"
--
"Yes, I'll get Chandler to pick you up at 8.? Is that okay?" Monica asked, her hands tightening around the pen she was using to distract her thoughts from other things, though she was doing a phone call.
"That would be perfect" Joey answered, "Where can I stay?"
"You can stay with Chandler and I, if you want to?" Monica offered, "You could spend time with the kids, and drive with Chandler every morning to see Ross. Rachel does that too"
"Oh, I thought she was spending the nights in Chandler's mom's apartment?" Joey asked, sounding confused.
"Hmm, that may be right" Monica just said, "I don't know, it's closer to the hospital and Mrs. Bing is out of town, so it could happen"
Joey laughed, "Well Chandler told me, so I believe him"
"Is your girlfriend coming?" Monica asked.
"No, we broke up" Joey just said.
"Oh, alright" Monica giggled, "I'll see your Saturday, Joe"
"Yeah, see you Saturday"
--
"So, Ems honey" Rachel whispered, stroking her hand, "You have to be quiet here, because there's a lot of very sick people, so you have to stay calm"
"Okay mommy" Emma smiled, "I'll just talk to daddy"
"Okay" Rachel said. She looked around for doctor Evans, but was pleased to see that he wasn't there.
They went for Ross' room, and walked in, without even knocking.
"Daddy!" Emma squealed, running towards Ross' bed.
"Emma?" Ross asked, genially surprised.
"Yeah, I thought she had the right to see her father" Rachel said, "Is that okay with you?"
Ross shortly looked at her and just nodded, then he turned his attention back to Emma, "How was your day, sweetie?"
"It was good!" Emma smiled, "We coloured and learned about dogs… Can I have a dog, daddy?"
"Hmm, maybe" Ross said, "We'll talk about it when I get out of the hospital, okay?"
"Okay" Emma giggled, and the smile wouldn't leave her face. That little girl loved her father more than anything in the entire world.
Rachel just stood in the corner, looking happily at them. It was the man she loved and their daughter. She couldn't imagine life without them, she really couldn't.
"Is it okay if I step by tomorrow?" she then asked, not even realizing that she'd just cut Ross' sentence short.
He turned his head to her, his smile fading, "I think you know that answer to that question" he just said.
"Fine!" Rachel said, "I'll wait outside"
She opened the door and went into the hall. She leaned against the wall and sighed, the same questions spinning in her mind over and over again;
How had their love ended where it was now?
Would it ever be able to go back?
And exactly how bad, was the damage they had done?
Hmm, alright. This was chapter 5. You know I really like writing this story, it's wonderful, also because I'm trying to write a little different. I'm trying to describe things more than I did in my other stories, to y'know, develop myself as a writer, and I think it's working. I find myself able to fill 5 pages easily, where I, others times, had to really pull myself together to fill just 3. ;p Or maybe it's just the story… Anyway, leave me a review, thanks, Stessa .