-One week later-
The couch had to have been the most comfortable thing he had ever sat in. It was a lustrous and creamy white, with cushions that pulled him into a deep sinking, of which felt softer than the Queen's mattress (not that he'd know). The stucco walls were illuminated brightly against the sunlight; something that Ross hadn't seen in a long time. He also hadn't seen those damned fluorescent lights, of which caused a buzzing that made him want to beat himself over the head. He had finally escaped, and now the sights and sounds of Mother Nature were returning to him. The dull gray of the hospital wrecked his memory; stealing from him the images of a forest, or a mountain, and replacing it with the darkness and the constant beeping of the various machines that kept him alive.
But, Ross was now free from that hell.
Several days ago, he was admitted to a rehabilitation center in Westchester, where would learn to walk again.
Despite her protests, Ross insisted Rachel not stay with him; he had to do this by himself, at his own pace. As much as he loved her, he had to face these trials alone, otherwise he could never look at himself as a man.
She still visited every night.
He was thankful, for that. He couldn't ask for anyone better to support him than Rachel. No matter what the cost, she would always be there for him. It was a blessing, for someone as beautiful, talented, smart, and caring to be there, at his side.
Behind every great man is a great woman.
So, as he gripped himself onto the aluminum bar placed in front of him, Ross used most of his strength getting out of the trap of the couch. It was numbing. He could barely feel anything below his waist, as he held onto the walker for dear life. Two orderlies managed to keep him steady, as he slowly trudged his way towards the wall. It was exhausting, and his arms had trouble holding the rest of him up. His eyes were focused on his ashen knuckles bracing the cold and lightweight metal, each step becoming harder and harder.
One foot from his milestone, he collapsed.
Damnit! So close...
With a little help, Ross went back to the couch, defeated.
One more time...
Just one more time...
"Mr. Geller, maybe we can try again later. You just woke up." The young man quietly tried to dissuade Ross from foolishly pushing himself beyond his limit; he obviously did not know him very well. Offended, Ross lashed back at him, his voice raising slightly, scaring both him and the female nurse.
"I'm fine. Just give me a couple minutes, will ya?"
They took the hint, and promptly left him alone.
Perhaps it was a bad idea to send the nurses out; Ross's bed looked comfortable. A major step-up from the half-gurney he slept in back at the hospital. It was surprising that he didn't succumb to any bedsores, despite the immense pain from laying there the entire time.
But this time, his bed was actually a bed. Complete with his own television and everything, it was like being in a hotel, but with servants and free food.
However, he was missing something: Rachel.
Ah, Rachel. The Apple to his Eden. The sword to his scabbard. The weave of the silken dress that shines in the moonlight as a million doves fly from below the cliff, roses hidden under their wings. The final piece of the puzzle that was his life. He could see her now, staring into him with her viridian eyes, her glossy strawberry-scented lips ever so close to his. Ecstasy and bliss were one as they collided, love being the force behind them. He loved her. More than anything.
Rachel, will you marry me?
No, not yet.
They had things to sort out before they could embark on a journey of that magnitude.
Things that would haunt them forever.
Ross still hated himself. He never wanted to cheat on Rachel. And whether they were actually on a break or not is completely irrelevant; it was wrong. It was stupid. He didn't understand what possessed him to do something so atrocious. He didn't deserve her before that, and he definitely didn't deserve her now. What did Rachel still see in him? Ross was but a broken shell of what he once was, crawling through the mud of life, trying to profess his undying love.
But did she really return it?
As he looked into the hallway through the clear glass walls, his mind wandered to daydreaming.
If Ross was going to propose to her, he had already planned it all out: The Planetarium, filled with lilies, her favorite flower, with The Way You Look Tonight by Fred Astaire playing on the sound system. The only question was, would she say yes? After all they had been through, the future was hard to imagine.
But Ross did know one thing: If he had a future,he would do everything in his power for it to be with Rachel.
No matter what.
The door to his room swung open, breaking him from his thought, and a short, asian woman smiled at him.
"Mr. Geller, you have a visitor."
She held the door open, and motioned for whomever was visiting to walk in. To his surprise, it was Joey. It was great to finally have someone besides strangers in white scrubs talking to him, despite their helpful and kind demeanor. He really did miss his friends, and, even though they periodically visited him, he wished they would all come, and hang out together.
Just like old times.
"Hey, man, what's up?"
"Nothin' much, other than I got an audition in an hour, so I thought I'd come by and say hey." Joey sat in the chair across from him, laying back into it's comforting arms. He sighed in bliss, which Ross took great pleasure in watching.
"Cool. What's the part?"
"I play a baggage handler in the year 2194." Joey placed his hand on his chest in a pretentious manner.
"Huh. Already sounds like a hit." Ross chuckled.
They shared a hearty laugh, before Joey put his feet up on the coffee table and his hands behind his head. His eyes wandered to the hallway as a tall, blonde nurse with horn-rimmed glasses traipsed by, holding a clipboard. Joey's eye's widened, as he leaned forward to follow her. As she turned the corner, he whispered to an uncaring Ross.
"Jeez, Ross, still can't believe how good you've got it here. I mean, those nurses- wow! Almost makes me wanna get shot."
"First of all, Joe, that's stupid. Second, they're off limits. I don't need anyone telling me if this," He imitated a syringe entering his throat. "feels good, just because you slept with a nurse and never called her back!" Ross joked around with him at first. but in all seriousness, he decided that it would just be better off that way.
"Aww, come on!" He showed his puppy-dog face as he placed his hands together, begging for permission.
"Thems the breaks, Joe." Ross smiled, denying Joey's greatest wish.
"Alright, alright. You've got satellite TV, right? You got porn?" Joey inquired, his face seeming as if it were no big deal to ask something like that. Apparently, he had forgotten the traumatic events from when the two of watched porn together last time.
"Joey, I'm not watching porn with you again. I still have nightmares." Ross stated, somewhat scared.
"Oh, come on! It wasn't that bad-" He was cut off.
"We said we'd never speak of it!" He shouted, wanting to block the memory of that day.
"Fine, calm down. See? Cartoons." Joey flicked the remote, and Tom and Jerry came on.
"That's better." Ross said, relieved. He turned his eyes to the screen,
They watched for a while, laughing at the slapstick. It wasn't until minutes later that Joey realized that he was the only one watching. As he turned around, he saw Ross giving off a thousand-yard stare. To shake him out of it, Joey moved his hand in front of his face.
"Dude, you alright?"
"...Uh, yeah, sorry." Ross shook his head, disoriented.
"What were you thinking about?" Joey asked, concerned for his friend.
"Rachel." It was a soft word, with what seemed to be sadness lingering within.
"Aww... What about her?" His voice was squeaky, happy that Ross was thinking about Rachel.
How cute.
"How unbelievably stupid she must be." His voice was grave, and deadpan.
"What? What are you talking about?" Joey looked at him like he had just murdered somebody.
"I cheated on her, Joey!" Ross yelled at him, unable to contain his emotion for much longer.
"What?" Joey was still confused.
"You remember..." He moved his hand in a rolling gesture.
"Oh. Wait, weren't you guys already broken up?"
"Don't get me started."
Joey nodded and looked down at the carpet, before Ross spoke again.
"How can she just forgive me like that?" He asked Joey and himself.
"Dude, she loves you." He put his hand on Ross's arm, trying to snap him out of his funk.
"Still. I mean, she acts like it never happened."
"Maybe it's better off that way?" Joey stated, trying to make him forget.
"No, it isn't. I need to talk to her about it." Stalwart, Ross decided he would be the first one to take action.
"Ross, come on, all that's gonna do is bring back bad memories."
"It doesn't matter, Joey. You can't just keep things inside like that."
That was true.
"Yes you can! Solves problems everywhere!"
"I love her too much, Joey, and I'm going to fix this. Even if I fail, I can at least say that I tried." Ross stood strong in decision, ready to pounce like a panther. He knew that failing was better than not trying at all, and love was no exception.
"...Does this place have a cafeteria?" Joey asked, after casually sniffing the air.
"W-What?" Ross, taken aback by the sudden change of the subject, stuttered.
"I smell food. Where is it, Ross?" Joey put his hands on Ross's shoulder's like it was the last thing that kept him alive.
"Okay, calm down. There's food in the fridge." He disarmed his friend and pointed towards the fridge behind them.
"Oh, man. Give me a gun. I wanna get some of this." Joey stated, as he didn't even bother to close the fridge as he pulled out leftovers.
Ross sighed, amused by Joey's antics. They watched and they ate, but there was only one thing on Ross's mind; something that was better than any amount of food, satellite television, or sexy nurses who wear skirts that stop at mid-thigh: Rachel.
The more and more he thought about her, the more emotion was brought forth from his heart. The dream he had about her, especially, made him happy and sad at the same time. He pondered on what it exactly meant; the ice, the feathers, all of it barely made sense.
If only he had wings; he would fly to her.
I love you, Rachel.
I love you more than life itself.
What he wouldn't do, to be in her bosom, telling her how beautiful she was. To say how special and lucky he is, simply because of her. To stroke her hair, giving him life as he smelled it's aroma. To hold her, embrace her, and love her forever.
To say that he wanted to be her hero. Her guardian. Her savior.
Rachel Green.
Rachel Geller.
Both sound perfect.
"Hey, Joe, hand me the phone will ya?" Ross said, as Joey was about to stuff a chicken wing into his mouth.
"Yeah, 'kay." His mouth was stuffed as his greasy fingers picked up the phone and handed it to a somewhat sick Ross, who then dialed it, cautiously avoiding any Joey parasites. The ringing made him more and more anxious, but was half-thankful that her voicemail picked up.
"This is Ms. Green, Bloomingdale's. I am currently not at my desk, please leave a message and number."
"Uh, it's me. I love you. I miss you. I wish you were here. Bye." Ross was unsure of how to leave his message of love, so he just said the gist.
He promptly hung up, and looked at Joey, who was now beaming from the cute gesture Ross had done. Trying not to smile, Ross gave him a sweet 'What?', only to break down, and grinning like Rachel was still his high-school crush who had just said hello to him. Ross saw this as a sign of weakness, and would excuse himself to the restroom, if his plans hadn't been halted by the loss of his legs.
Such is life.
So, they talked, shared stories, and laughed, until Joey had to leave. They gave each other a brotherly hug, knowing that things were finally getting better, for everybody.
He shifted himself around, until he could look out the window. The Manhattan Skyline looked so distant, but so close at the same time. He knew, somewhere within that crowd of towering metal and glass, lay his beloved, waiting for him to come back.
As the thought of Rachel entered his mind, Ross saw something fall in his view.
A single white feather.
AN: Props to you if you can tell me where Joey's part is from. ;)