Hello there, I've written this chapter, and... It got okay, but not my best, but... Just read it anyway, please?

Disclaimer; I don't own Friends.

Picking Up the Pieces

Chapter 7.

"You want anything Ashley?" Ross asked.

Ashley didn't reply, she stared into space.

"Ash?" Ben asked, "Ashley, you want anything?"

"What?" Ashley snapped and smiled at him.

"Something wrong?"

"I'm sorry." Ashley said, "I'm just thinking about my mom. I'm worried about her."

"I'm sorry." Ross said, "But I can drive you to the hospital if you want?"

"No." Ashley said, "She doesn't want me to see her like this, I know."

"Okay. But do you want anything, then?" Ben asked.

"Yes, please." Ashley said, "Some water would be nice."

--

"Mrs. Farber, is that you?" Carol asked, insecure.

"Yes," Rachel answered, "Who is this, I can't turn my head-"

"Carol Willick." Carol said, coming into sight, "What happened to you?"

"I got hurt." Rachel said.

"Yeah, I'll say so." Carol said.

"But what are you doing here anyway?" Rachel managed to ask.

"You didn't came to pick up Ashley." Carol said, looking anywhere but her, "And she didn't want to go home, so she suggested we call here. And here you are. But Ashley didn't want to come. She has gone to Ben's father with Ben."

"Oh," Rachel said, "You should just call Barry, I wont have her to be any trouble for so long."

"She's no trouble." Carol said, sensing that calling Barry would be a really bad idea, "She'll stay with us until you're ready to take care of her, it's really no problem."

"Thank you." Rachel said.

"Well, I'll go again." Carol said, "You need anything before?"

"Just tell Ashley I said hi, and that I'm okay." Rachel whispered.

"Fine." Carol said, "Hope to see you get better soon."

"Thanks. Bye."

--

"Ashley and Ben?" Ross asked, "You want to go visit Monica and Chandler?"

"Yeah!" Ben said.

"Who is Monica and Chandler?" Ashley asked.

"My dad's sister and her husband." Ben said, "They're so much fun. They live right over there. They're gonna love you."

--

"Hi Ben." Monica exclaimed, surprised to see him there.

"Hi aunt Monica." Ben said, going in, "This is my friend, Ashley."

"Hi." Ashley replied.

"Hi." Monica said.

"So, are you at your father's?" Chandler asked Ben.

"Yeah, and Ash is with me." Ben said, "Her mom didn't show up to pick her up, and I was going to dad's. She had nowhere to go, so dad brought her too!"

"Really?" Chandler smiled, faking excitement, "That's so great Ben!"

"Yes!" Ben said.

"Just sit down, sweetie." Monica smiled, feeling the need to take care of the little girl, "You want anything to drink?"

"No thanks." Ashley said.

"Where's Ross?"

"I think he was expecting a phone call. He'll be over right after." Ashley told her.

"Okay. Then I'll make some coffee."

--

The phone rang, and Ross picked it up.

"Yeah?"

"Ross? This is Carol?"

"Hi, did you go to the hospital?"

"Yes." Carol said, "You really don't wanna know."

"Was she bad?"

"Yeah," Carol said, "It was good we didn't bring her daughter to see her like that. I swear, she had stitches all over her hands and down her chest, I think she had been falling through a glass door or something with the front first, she had probably been protecting her head with her hands, it was horrible. She is actually really beautiful. But anyhow, she also had a black, swollen eye. She couldn't see out of it. And her left foot was apparently broken, and something with her hip too."

"Wow." Ross said, "In the middle of the night?"

"I know." Carol sighed, "Something isn't right. But anyway, I promised her to take care of Ashley until she was released from her hospital bed. It could be a week, maybe more."

"Okay then." Ross said, "I'll bring her and Ben tomorrow around 5?"

"Yes, tell them I said hi."

"Yes, bye Carol."

"Bye."

--

"Hi Ross, glad you made it!" Phoebe exclaimed when he came through the door.

"Ross!?" Ashley smiled, running towards him. She was already thrusting that man so much more than her own father, "I beat Ben and Chandler in Go Fish! Isn't that good?"

"Wow, that's good Ashley." Ross smiled, padding her hair.

"Is something wrong Ross?" Ashley asked, but she wasn't stupid, "Did you talk to Carol? Did she talk to my mom? What happened to her? Ross, do you know?"

"I talked to Carol." Ross said, kneeing down to be on eyelevel with her, "And look, your mother is really hurt."

"Badly?" Ashley asked, getting tears in her eyes.

"Yes." Ross said, "Hey – don't cry, Ashley. She's gonna get better. Carol mentioned something about glass. Do you have a glass door in your apartment?"

Ashley thought for a second, but then she nodded, "What's with the glass door?"

"She kinda fell into it." Ross said.

"No…" Ashley began to cry, "I can't believe he'd push her into it."

"Excuse me, what did you say?" Ross asked, thinking his hearing had gone bad.

Ashley looked up, realizing that she'd said too much, "My mom and dad dances…" she made up, "And if they get really going and he's spinning her around, she sometimes slips and stuff. Maybe she slipped into the door."

"Yeah maybe." Ross said, thinking about the words he was so sure he'd heard.

"How long till she'll get better?" Ashley asked, "Is she ready to pick me up today or tomorrow, 'cause I don't wanna go home to dad…"

"Don't worry." Ross said, "Your mother and Carol talked, and you're gonna stay with Ben, Carol and Susan until she's up and about, okay?"

"Okay." Ashley said, "Thank you Ross."

"No problem, Ashley." Ross said, "No problem."

I can't believe he'd push her into it

That sentence kept ringing in Ross' ears.

Ta-dah! End of chapter 7. I think the start was really bad, but it got better in the end, I had a tough spot I couldn't pass, but then it finally happened! Leave me a review, thanks, Stessa.