TOW THE ROAD TRIP
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By Creassya
 

This takes place after TOW All The CHAOS. The gang runs into some problems when they go on a road trip. Chandler's Mom has invited them all to her new house in Florida. Being that Phoebe and Joey can't afford to fly, and take spending money, they all decided that it would be a good idea to drive.
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SCENE: (Chandler and Joey's)

(Chandler is talking to his Mom on the phone when Monica enters)

CHANDLER: Yes Mom. Well...she's here now, mom...okay...okay. (Hands the phone to Monica)
MONICA: Hello. Hi Mrs. Bing. I'm fine...okay...I will...bye.
CHANDLER: What a long conversation. What did she say?
MONICA: Well, she asked me how I was, and she said she was looking forward to seeing me, and that she wanted me to take care of you.
CHANDLER: Oh. Well, in that case, come here then.

(Monica hangs up the phone and puts her hands to his face and kisses him. While they're kissing, Ross walks in with Faye)

ROSS: Don't you two ever stop?
CHANDLER: Not really.
ROSS: Monica, this is Faye. Faye this is my sister Monica.
FAYE: Hi, nice to meet you.
MONICA: It's nice to meet you too.
CHANDLER: So Ross, ready for the trip?
ROSS: Oh yeah!
MONICA: Well, let me go and make sure that Rachel's packed. (Kisses Chandler) I'll see you later sweetie.
ROSS: Cut it out you two.
FAYE: Awww, I think it's sweet.

(Monica smiles and leaves)

SCENE: (Monica and Rachel's)
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(Rachel's is bringing her luggage into the living room when Monica enters)

MONICA: I hope you're packed Rach. We leave tonight.
RACHEL: I just finished.
MONICA: Why do you always wait until the last minute to pack? You knew about this for a little over a week.
RACHEL: I'm packed, that's all that matters.

(Phoebe enters with her luggage)

PHOEBE: I'm ready!
MONICA: Yeah, everybody's ready except for Rachel.
RACHEL: (Sits down) Now I'm ready.

SCENE: (Outside Central Perk: Later that night)
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(The gang is loading their luggage into a mini-van they rented. Once they're done loading their luggage into the mini-van, they get in and take off. After three hours on the road Chandler pulls into a rest stop so that Joey could get some snacks)

JOEY: Yeah baby! (Gets out of the van)
ROSS: I hope he doesn't do this every three hours.
PHOEBE: I might as well get a soda. (Gets out with Rachel and Joey)

(Monica leans her head back, and Chandler looks over at her and caresses her face. Ross smiles to himself. He really felt like Chandler would take good care of his sister. He was happy for them, even though he occasionally teased them. He thought they were really cute together)

CHANDLER: (Notices that Ross is looking at him) Are you gonna tell us to knock it off?
ROSS: (Smiles) Yeah, knock it off.
MONICA: (Smiles) Shut up, I'm happy.
ROSS: (Smiles) I know.

(Phoebe and Joey get back in the mini-van five minutes later)

MONICA: Where's Rach?
PHOEBE: Oh, she's in there flirting with the guy behind the counter.
JOEY: Here she comes.

(Rachel gets back in the mini-van smiling)

CHANDLER: Done flirting Rach?
RACHEL: Yeah, I'm done.

(It's now 1:30 am and Chandler pulls into a self-serve gas station. They are now somewhere in Virginia. Everyone is asleep except for Chandler and Monica. She wanted to stay awake to keep him company. When the mini-van stopped everyone woke up. Joey got out to put gas in the van and Ross went in the store to pay for it. Phoebe got out to stretch. After Ross pays for the gas and comes back out to the van, Monica, Rachel, and Chandler go into the store)

CHANDLER: They don't have much in here.
RACHEL: Tell me about it.
CHANDLER: Where did Mon go?
RACHEL: I think she's over by the snacks. I'll go see.

(Rachel goes over by the snacks and spots Monica)

MONICA: There's nothing good over here.
RACHEL: There's nothing good in here at all.
MONICA: Well, I'm going back to the van.
RACHEL: Okay.

(Monica leaves the store. She sees Phoebe, Ross, and Joey, laughing and talking. She suddenly realizes that she has to go to the bathroom, so she goes around the back to look for the restroom. As soon as she disappears around the back, a car pulls up to the store. Three guys get out and go into the store. When the guy behind the counter sees the three guys, he stands frozen. The three guys approach the counter and the shortest of the three, pulls out a gun. The tallest one goes behind the counter and to the back and brings out the other worker. Rachel hears all the commotion and peaks from behind one of the isles. One guy was at the counter with the gun held to the store clerk's head, and the other two guys were beating up the other worker. She slowly walked to the door. When one of the guys saw her, she ran out the door and fell down the stairs. She was terrified for herself, and for Chandler. She crawled to the mini-van as best she could)

PHOEBE: (Looks over and notices Rachel crawling toward the van) Oh My God! Rachel!
JOEY: What's going on?

(They all run over and help Rachel into the van)

ROSS: Rach, what happened?
RACHEL: (Crying) Call 911!
JOEY: What happened?
RACHEL: (Hysterical) Just call 911 okay. There are three guys in there with guns and one of them saw me. You have to hurry up, Chandler's in there!
PHOEBE: Oh My God!

(Ross reaches into his pocket for his cell phone and dials 911)

(Chandler was terrified. He heard them mention something about blowing up the store because they weren't paid their money. He was glad that Monica and Rachel got out. He tiptoed to the isle closest to the door so he could sneak out. Suddenly a guy came behind him and grabbed him. They were fighting and the gun fell to the floor too far away for either of them to reach. The guy grabbed a long thick board he saw in the corner and hit Chandler really hard with it. Chandler screamed out in pain. He was hit in the arm. When the guy tried to hit him again Chandler kicked him. When the guy fell, he got up and ran out of the store. When he was running to the van the three guys came out running toward their car and drove off)

ROSS: Guys, where's Monica?
RACHEL: She told me she was coming out here!
CHANDLER: Oh My God! I have to go find her!

(Monica used the bathroom, and was washing her hands. The restroom was a little ways back from the store. When she came out of the restroom the store exploded. She was blown back from the impact of the explosion. The others were devastated. They thought Monica was still inside. Ross was crying, and Chandler was in shock. Ten minutes later the police and ambulance arrived at the scene. Phoebe and Rachel mentioned that two workers were inside and also their friend Monica. The fire department was notified, and some of the ambulance attendants were checking out Rachel and Chandler, who was still in shock. They heard someone yelling from behind the store, so one of the attendants ran behind the store to see what was going on. He then yelled for a stretcher. The two ambulance attendants came from behind the store with Monica on a stretcher)

ROSS: Oh My God!
CHANDLER: Monica!
AMBULANCE ATTENDANT: She's still breathing, so don't worry.

(They saw that Chandler and Rachel were hurt also, so they put them in the ambulance with Monica. Soon after they were loaded into the ambulance, the fireman showed up. Ross, Phoebe, and Joey, got into the mini-van and followed the ambulance to the nearest hospital)

SCENE: (Virginia: Hospital)
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(Ross, Phoebe, and Joey were in the waiting room. They were worried about their friends, especially Monica. They were glad that she wasn't in the store. Rachel came out. She has a cast on her foot, and is on crutches. She had broken her ankle when she fell down the steps outside the store. There was still no word on Monica. The doctor who brought Rachel out helped her sit down. He told them that Chandler would be out shortly. He suffered a broken wrist. The doctor told them that he didn't have any information on Monica, and he left)

JOEY: Man, I can't believe this happened.
RACHEL: Me either. It all happened so fast.
ROSS: I'm just glad you all got out before the place blew up.
PHOEBE: Ross, did you call your parents?
ROSS: Oh my God! I totally forgot about that. (He gets up and goes to the bathroom to call his parents)

(Chandler then comes out and sits down. He has a cast covering his left fore arm and wrist)

JOEY: How are you are holding up?
CHANDLER: Not so good. They won't tell me anything about Monica.
PHOEBE: Have you called your Mom yet?
CHANDLER: No. I was too busy thinking about Monica.
PHOEBE: You want me to call her?
CHANDLER: Yeah. Where's Ross? (He hands Phoebe his cell phone)
JOEY: He needed some privacy. He's calling their parents.
PHOEBE: (Dials Nora Bing's number) Hello, can I please speak to Nora Bing?

(Nora comes to the phone expecting it to be Chandler)

NORA: Hello.
PHOEBE: Mrs. Bing. This is Phoebe, one of Chandler's bestfriends.
NORA: Oh, just call me Nora dear.
PHOEBE: Okay...umm...there's been a change of plans.
NORA: Don't tell me you guys can't make it.
PHOEBE: Well, we're in Virginia, but something bad happened. We're at the hospital.
NORA: Oh My God! Is Chandler okay?
PHOEBE: Yeah, kind of. He has a broken wrist.
NORA: What happened?
PHOEBE: We stopped to get gas, and Chandler, Monica, and Rachel, were in the store getting something to eat. We didn't see when Monica came out of the store, but she went around to the back to use the restroom, and Chandler and Rachel were still in the store when these three guys came in with guns.
NORA: (Sits down) Oh My God!
PHOEBE: Chandler and Rachel witnessed the guys beating up the store clerks, and Chandler got into a fight with one of them while he was trying to get out.
NORA: So he's fine?
PHOEBE: Yeah, but the store was blown up, and...Monica's been hurt.
NORA: Oh No!
PHOEBE: There's no word on her condition, so we're just waiting.
NORA: I can't believe it! Is Chandler there?
PHOEBE: Yeah. (Looks over at Chandler with his head down crying softly) He's not taking this too well. He doesn't want to talk right now.
NORA: I understand. Just tell him that I love him okay? And I hope that Monica is okay.
PHOEBE: I will.
NORA: Thanks Phoebe.
PHOEBE: No problem.
NORA: Call me and let me know how Monica's doing.
PHOEBE: Okay, bye.

(Ross comes back in the waiting area and sits down with tears in his eyes)

RACHEL: Ross, what happened?
ROSS: It was awful. She took it hard. Dad had to take the phone from her. He was trying to calm her down. They both were crying, but Mom was hysterical.
JOEY: Why won't they tell us anything?
PHOEBE: It's past 5 in the morning. They have to know something.

(Chandler has his head down. He's not crying anymore, but he's thinking about when they made their first stop at the store for Joey. He was caressing her face when she leaned her head back against the front seat. As he caressed her face she smiled. He was so scared. He didn't want to lose her. He had finally found his soul mate, and now he might lose her. He kept thinking about her putting her hands to his face and kissing him. Whenever she would call him sweetie, he grew warm all over. When he looked into her eyes, he melted. She was the most important person in the world to him. He couldn't imagine living without her)

PHOEBE: (Walks over to Chandler) Chandler, wanna take a walk?
CHANDLER: (Lifts his head up) No.
PHOEBE: Do you want anything to eat?
CHANDLER: I just want Monica.
PHOEBE: (Gets tears in her eyes) I know. (Sits down next to him and hugs him)

(Doctors kept walking past them. They were frustrated. Then one doctor said that she was still unconscious, but in stable condition. He said that he would keep them informed about her condition when he knew more. She had some cuts and bruises from the explosion, which was to be expected, but they won't know anything more until she wakes up. Ross kept pacing back and forth, while Chandler kept his head down)

(In Monica's hospital room, she's still unconscious, but she's dreaming about Chandler. She's dreaming that they're having a romantic picnic by the lake somewhere. They've just finished eating, and drinking Champaign. Chandler then reaches over and caresses her face. She smiles and tells him that she loves him and that she always will. He smiles at her and she grows warm all over. They get up and begin to slow dance. When they're finished dancing, she looks again and they're at this store in the parking lot. He wants to go in to get something to drink, but she has a bad feeling that he shouldn't go in there. She's trying to convince him that it's dangerous in there, and that he should come back to the van with her. He's trying to convince her that it's okay, and that he just wants to get the both of them something to drink. She tells him that she doesn't want anything. He tells her that he'll be back and runs into the store. She sees him at the counter waving at her, and then the store blows up. She wakes up screaming in a cold sweat)

(Chandler sits up. He notices that everyone is asleep except Joey)

JOEY: Hey, you're up.
CHANDLER: I wasn't sleep.
JOEY: Chandler...she's gonna be okay.
CHANDLER: I can't lose her Joey.
JOEY: She's gonna pull through.
CHANDLER: I sure hope so.
JOEY: You wanna go stand outside for a minute?
CHANDLER: No. I wanna stay here in case the doctor comes back.
JOEY: Okay, I'll be outside.

(Joey goes outside. Chandler gets up and goes over to the water fountain to get a drink of water. His mouth was completely dry. It seemed as if they'd been in the emergency room for an eternity. He wondered if Monica would ever wake up. He goes and sits back down. He did want to go outside with Joey to get some fresh air, but he wanted the doctor to be able to find him when he comes back down with news about Monica. He tried closing his eyes to go to sleep, but he kept seeing the explosion, and Monica's face shimmering in front of him above the flames like a ghost that was haunting him)

(Ross wakes up and calls his parents)

ROSS: Hello Dad?
JACK: Is there any change?
ROSS: She's still unconscious, but in stable condition. They won't be able to tell us anything until she wakes up. But I'll call back when she wakes up. How's Mom doing?
JACK: She's on the couch. We can't sleep.
ROSS: I know. I'll call back later.
JACK: Okay son.

(Monica knew that there was an explosion, but it was so dark. She didn't know where she was. It felt as if she were in bed, but she couldn't see anything. Why was it so dark she wondered. There wasn't the least bit of light that she could see. She was terrified because she didn't know where Chandler was. She didn't know if he was alive. She was wondering if she was blown into a hole or ditch or something. Maybe it would explain the darkness. She yelled for help, and someone appeared, but she couldn't see who it was)

MONICA: Chandler!
DOCTOR YOUNG: Mrs. Geller. I'm doctor Young. You're gonna be okay.
MONICA: I'm in a hospital?
DOCTOR YOUNG: Yes you are. Do you remember what happened to you?
MONICA: There was an explosion.
DOCTOR YOUNG: Do you know who you are?
MONICA: Of course I do. I'm Monica Geller.
DOCTOR YOUNG: Okay, good. Now...
MONICA: (Interrupts him) Doctor can you turn on the lights. It's dark in here.
DOCTOR: Sure thing Ms. Geller. (He goes over and turns on the light and walks back over to her) Now Ms. Geller....
MONICA: Doctor...the light. It's really dark in here.
DOCTOR YOUNG: (Gets a horrified look) Monica...the light is on.

SCENE: (Waiting area)
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(Joey came back in and sat down. Phoebe was returning from the cafeteria. The sun was starting to come up. Chandler wanted to see Monica and so did everybody else. It was hard for Chandler to sleep. He was worried about Monica, and he was still in a little pain. He kept trying to imagine the doctor coming in and telling them that Monica was okay, but the thought kept getting overshadowed by another thought of a doctor coming in telling them that she didn't make it. It was driving him crazy. He wished it were him instead of Monica. Why did this have to happen to her, he kept asking himself. He would trade places with her in a heartbeat. At the thought, another doctor came in)

CHANDLER: (Nervous) Doctor how's Monica?
DOCTOR YOUNG: Well...I have good news, and bad news.
PHOEBE: Which do we want first?
DOCTOR YOUNG: Well, it'll make sense if I tell you the bad new first. The bad news is that...Monica...is blind.
CHANDLER/RACHEL: What?!
DOCTOR YOUNG: The good news is that, it's only temporary.
ROSS: How temporary is it?
DOCTOR YOUNG: We don't know that. It could be a couple weeks, a couple months, or...
PHOEBE: A couple years?
DOCTOR: Right.
RACHEL: Oh My God!

(While the doctor was explaining what caused Monica's blindness, Chandler's mind wandered somewhere else. He couldn't believe it. He was happy that she was alive, but sad that she lost her sight)

SCENE: (Hospital: Monica's room)
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(Monica is sitting in the bed trying to absorb what the doctors told her. She couldn't believe she had lost her sight. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. Even though the doctors assured her that the lost of her sight was only temporary, it didn't make her feel any better. They didn't know how long it would be before she could see again. It was terrifying not being able to see. She sensed someone's presence in the room. She also sensed the fear in that person)

MONICA: Who's there?
CHANDLER: Hi honey.
MONICA: Chandler!
CHANDLER: (Walks closer to her) I'm here.
MONICA: I'm so happy to...to...(Starts to cry)
CHANDLER: (Sits on the bed and holds her hand) Honey, this is only temporary. I know you're scared, but we'll get through this.
MONICA: I know. I just can't believe this happened.
CHANDLER: I know honey.
MONICA: Is everybody okay? No one got hurt right?
CHANDLER: We're fine. I have a broken wrist, and Rachel has a broken ankle, but we're okay.
MONICA: Oh My God! Sweetie are you sure you're okay?
CHANDLER: Yes, I'm fine. I'm just glad that you weren't in the store.
MONICA: Chandler what happened?
CHANDLER: These three guys came in with guns and they beat up the store clerks...

(A detective stands in the doorway waiting for Chandler to come with him)

DETECTIVE DONAVON: Mr. Bing...
CHANDLER: (Turns in the directions of the detective) I'll be right there.
MONICA: Where are you going?
CHANDLER: (Looks back at Monica) We all have to go to the police station for questioning, but as soon as we're done, I'll be back.
MONICA: Okay. I love you. (Reaches for his face)
CHANDLER: (Takes her hands and places them on his face) I love you too.

(Chandler gets up and leaves with the detective)

SCENE: (Virginia: Police Station)
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(Chandler and Rachel were in one interrogation room, while Ross, Joey, and Phoebe were in another room)

DETECTIVE DONAVON: Okay, we need to go over this one more time. You say there were three guys?
RACHEL: Yes. One guy was holding a gun to the clerk who was behind the counter, and the other two were beating up the other clerk on the floor.
DETECTIVE MYERS: And you said you got a good look at their faces?
RACHEL: No, just the one who looked at me. White male, maybe in his early 30's, thin mustache, and he had on a black suit.
DETECTIVE DONAVON: (Looks at Chandler) And you said you only saw one of them also?
CHANDLER: I saw three on them in the store, but I only saw one of them up close.
DETECTIVE DONAVON: The one you were fighting?
CHANDLER: (Frustrated) Yes, I already told you this. We've been here for almost four hours.
DETECTIVE MYERS: We have to make sure we have a good description of the suspects, and all the information. Two people were killed this morning, and you are witnesses.
RACHEL: We're aware of that. We just wanna go now.
DETECTIVE MYERS: We know you do. So far we have a description of two of the three suspects. We need more.
CHANDLER: Look, I saw one guy, and Rachel saw the other one. What more do you want?
DETECTIVE DONAVON: We want the other suspect.
CHANDLER: (Sarcastic) You want us to make up a description of the third suspect?
DETECTIVE DONAVON: Dammit Chandler! Don't you want us to catch them? You girlfriend is in the hospital. She's lost her sight because of them.
CHANDLER: (Shouting) I know that! I just wanna get back to her. And of course I want you to catch them, but I only saw one of their faces. I was too busy trying to get out of the store alive, and without them seeing me.

(Ross, Joey, and Phoebe are growing more and more restless with each question. They were asked the same questions over and over again. The only thing that they could tell the detectives was that after Rachel and Chandler came out of the store, they saw three guys running out of the store shortly after them. The all got into a car and drove off. Joey saw the face of a guy with a thin mustache who was driving, but that was it. Ross saw the same guy, but couldn't see who was in the passenger seat because they drove off in a hurry. They were also asked if they saw the license plate number of the car. They explained to the detectives that so much was going on at the time, that they weren't concerned or even thought about getting the license plate number. They thought that Monica was still inside because she hadn't returned to the van. When they were finished answering questions, they waited for Chandler and Rachel. When Chandler and Rachel came out of the interrogation room a squad car took them back to the hospital)

SCENE: (Hospital)
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(Monica was on the phone with her parents. They were happy to talk to her, and they told her that they would see her at home. She would only have to stay a couple more days. Judy was devastated about Monica losing her sight. Her dad had been hopeful that she would regain her sight in no time. She wasn't convinced. It was now 10am and Chandler and the rest of the gang hadn't returned from the police station. She missed everybody, especially Chandler)

(When they returned they were all allowed to see Monica, but only for a short time. The doctors told them that she needed her rest. They stayed for fifteen minutes. Chandler stayed while the others left. Monica wouldn't be getting out of the hospital for another couple days so they decided to check into a hotel)

MONICA: So...how are you sweetie?
CHANDLER: I'm here with you. I'm doing much better.
MONICA: Chandler? Are you crying?
CHANDLER: (Shocked) Huh?
MONICA: I can't see you, but I can sense that you're crying.
CHANDLER: (Gets up out of the chair and sits on the bed) I'm sorry honey. I'm supposed to be strong for you.
MONICA: Chandler, it's okay to be sad. It's okay to cry.
CHANDLER: (Wipes his eyes with his right hand) I thought I was gonna lose you.
MONICA: (Gets tears in her eyes) Hey, we've been through tough times before.
CHANDLER: Yeah, but never like this. I wish I could trade places with you.
MONICA: (Touches his good hand) Don't say that.
CHANDLER: (Puts his head down on her lap) I love you so much Monica.
MONICA: (Runs her fingers through his hair) I know sweetie. I love you too.

(Monica and Chandler talked for hours. She kept touching his face. She felt the cast on his fore arm, and got tears in her eyes. One of the guys he was fighting with had a gun. He could have killed Chandler. She couldn't stop thinking about that. When the tears fell from her eyes he wiped them away and kissed where the tears streamed down her face. Then he softly kissed her lips. She had a cut underneath her left eye and some bruises on her right cheek and forehead. He kissed those too. The more he kissed the cuts and bruises on her face the more the tears fell. She loved him with all her heart. They both could have easily been killed. She felt so much love for him at that moment when he was kissing her face all over. When he stopped, she reached up and found his face and wiped his tears away. They sat and hugged each other for a while)

(When Monica finally went to sleep he went over and sat in a chair by the window. It was beautiful outside. He looked at how bright and sunny it was and thought about Monica not being able to see it. He leaned back in the chair and put his hands in his pockets like he always does, and realized that he didn't have his wallet on him. He was sure that he didn't take it out. He remembered having his wallet in his shorts when he went into the store. He pushed the wallet back down because the pockets weren't that deep and his wallet was about to fall out a couple times. He slowly sat up realizing that it probably fell out of his pocket while he was fighting one of the guys who blew up the store. He knew that if they picked up his wallet they would know where he lived, and that this was far from over.......