FREUD
Emma nibbled gingerly on the giant cookie Monica had made her. It was the size of a dinner plate, dotted with colourful Smarties, with 'Get well soon, Princess Em!' written on it in baby pink icing. Usually Emma loved Monica's home-made giant smarties cookies, but today she wasn't in the mood. She felt exhausted, irritable and groggy from her arduous recovery. Lacking appetite, Emma dropped the partially eaten giant cookie on the plate. Monica swept stray crumbs with her hands, off Emma's bed, and held a Barbie doll in front of Emma's face.
"Hi Emma, I'm Chef Barbie, I love to cook. I baked that giant cookie for you!"
Emma glared at Monica defiantly, "No you didn't, aunt Monica did!" Ignoring Emma's combative comment, Monica continued in character.
"Cooking is my favourite activity! What's your favourite activity?"
Emma eyed Monica moodily, mumbling, "Dancing. But I can't cos grown-ups says I gotta stay in bed." Disgruntled, Emma crossed her arms and pouted.
"Sure you can. I know! Why don't we both dance together?" Monica pulled out a second Barbie pressing it into Emma's hand. Monica manoeuvred her doll, making it do repeated high kicks in the air.
"C'mon Emma, do the Can-Can dance with me!" Emma watched Monica morosely.
"I bet you can't do summersaults like I can!" Monica called out, as she set the doll into a starfish position and flipped it over numerous times. Emma stuck her tongue out at Monica.
"I can too!" Emma yelled belligerently.
"I bet you can't, you'll have to prove it, to convince me!" Monica retorted. Emma flipped her doll many times as fast as she could, her brow furrowed in concentration. Emma waved her doll in the air triumphantly.
"See! I did sum-saults more faster than yours, haha!" Emma gloated, a wide smile on her face. Monica was relieved to see the little girl cheer up.
Joey stood in the doorway smiling, "So, you feeling better, Em?"
"Uncle Joey!" Emma squealed with delight, "Yes, I was playing Barbies with aunty Mon! I showed my Barbie can do more sum-saults than her one, I won!"
Monica kissed Emma's forehead, "You certainly did, Em. I have to go to work now, you two have fun!" Monica squeezed Joey's shoulder and left the room.
"How come everytime I see you and says sing 'Freud', you neverdo?" Emma demanded.
"It's kind of a... um... dodgy song, I mean, I don't want your parents to get mad at me," Joey said uncomfortably.
"Awww pleeeaaaasseeee! I thought you were funner, uncle Joey! Please sing it! Pretty please! Sing 'Freud'!" Emma badgered, tugging at Joey's shirt. Emma winced, as her over-exertion sent a lash of pain across her abdomen. She clutched her belly, gritting her teeth. Joey grasped Emma's shoulders, steadying her.
"Em, don't move around too much, you're still healing," he said in alarm. Recovering, Emma sat up, folded her arms across her chest and pouted.
"Sing 'Freud', sing it! Do it!" she commanded. Not wanting Emma to over-exert herself again, Joey reluctantly obliged.
"All you want is a dingle, what you envy's a schwang. A thing through which you can tinkle, or play with, or simply let hang…" he sang softly.
He glanced around the hospital tentatively. He felt self-conscious at this somewhat inappropriate song. Emma giggled. Joey hadn't heard that glorious sound from Emma since the accident. Anything that could make this broken child laugh, was worth all the impropriety in the world. Throwing caution to the wind, Joey leapt to his feet, and pranced around the room in a comical Broadway dance, singing at the top of his lungs. Emma clapped her little hands excitedly to the beat of the music. She tipped over, laughing uncontrollably, when Joey did a poor attempt at tap dancing. He tapped his uncoordinated feet all around Emma's hospital room, spinning around theatrically till he got dizzy.
Ross and Rachel stood in the doorway with puzzled look of surprise on their faces. Joey stopped in his tracks, falling anxiously silent. He really didn't want to upset them, not after all that they had been through. Ross and Rachel looked at each other, both breaking out into a grin. Ross, grabbed Rachel's hand, dragging her into the room.
"All you want is a dingle, what you envy's a schwang…" Ross and Rachel sang loudly.
Rachel grabbed Joey's hand, and the three friends burst into song and dance. Their mirthful voices carried down the hospital corridor. Sitting up in bed, Emma waved her little fists in the air, jiving to sounds of 'Freud'. She giggled with delight. Ross, Rachel and Joey felt ecstatic seeing Emma's face light up with happiness.
Emma joined in, bungling up the difficult lyrics, "Oh you want izzer winkle, whazzoo envy a wang. A fing flew which you can pinkle, or play wif, or simply let pang!" She clapped with hands with glee.
Joey thought back to the time he auditioned for a Broadway musical, but lied that he had extensive dance experience. He cringed at the memory of the dance instructor teaching a set of dance moves at the speed of light, and instructing him to teach the other actors. Joey remembered exactly five moves. He performed them for Emma. "Hand, Hand, Head, Head, Up... Jazz Hands!"
"Oh my God, Joey, I can't believe you're doing your God-awful Jazz-hands Broadway musical dance!" Rachel exclaimed, amidst fits of laughter.
"Oh sure, make fun, but I bet you can't make your girl laugh as much as I can!" Joey announced proudly, pointing at Emma, who was shrieking with laughter.
Ross and Rachel hastily joined in Joey's dancing, throwing out their hands to the sides and wiggling their fingers theatrically, singing Freud at the top of their lungs. A few doctors and nurses peaked into Emma's room, to see what the commotion was all about. They smiled widely, seeing little Emma and her loved ones all having the time of their lives, dancing, singing, laughing. As Joey, Ross and Rachel's ridiculous singing carried down the hallway, numerous severely ill and bed-ridden children, smiled and giggled to themselves.