The One Where Monica Gets Hurt

By Joey

Monica exited her restaurant and walked down the road slowly. She knew she should take a cab, it was late and she was alone, but it had been a frustrating day and she needed to cool off. She hated going back to the apartment. Everything had been in chaos lately.

Ross and Rachel were going at it once again. Joey was out of money and out of auditions. Phoebe was trying to get enough money to start her own business and had been trying to get the group to buy all the gadgets she decided to sell. And Chandler... well, Monica didn't even want to think about him. They'd broken up a year ago, it had been a fight that seemed stupid now, but had done the damage.

Monica angrily brushed away the tears that were forming. Chandler had already gotten over her, why couldn't she get over him? He was DATING for goodness sake. DATING. She hadn't even looked at another guy since him. And he was dating a blond and he felt the need to show that off every two seconds, which wasn't hard considering they still shared an apartment. That was what hurt the most. She had never felt in her eyes that she was as pretty as anyone blond. Growing up, pretty people had to have blond hair and blue eyes, the opposite of her brown hair. She did have the blue eyes though, not that it seemed to matter.

She knew she shouldn't worry about Cindy. After all, ever since Chandler's mom had died in the plane crash, hundreds up girls had been throwing themselves at him. And she, like the rest of the gang minus Chandler realized that Cindy was doing the same thing. Only Cindy was better at hiding the fact that she was doing that, and Chandler hadn't caught on yet.

Shivering, Monica pulled her coat closer around her slim figure. She turned onto Central Park and hurried along the path. She heard to late the person come up behind her. As she spun around to see who had grabbed her, her head met a bat, and the world become silent and black.

"Hey guys, what's up?" Chandler asked everyone as he and Cindy joined everyone on the couch in Central Perk.

"Not much," Rachel groaned. "Remind me never to try rollerblading again. I'm so sore."

"Rollerblading, what a date," Ross laughed. Rachel turned and shot him an evil look and Chandler laughed silently as Ross quickly shut up.

"Has anyone heard from Monica?" Joey asked the group. "She told me that she'd help me practice my acting skills tonight."

"Nope," Phoebe replied, and Ross and Rachel nodded in agreement.

"She wasn't in our apartment," Chandler replied. "We stopped in on our way here."

"She probably was just kept late at work," Cindy suggested. "It's been happening a lot lately."

"That's true," Ross nodded. "I hope she gets back soon. I have a problem that I need to discuss with her."

"What about?" Rachel asked eagerly.

"Nothing that you need to know," Ross replied quickly.

"Oh, is it about," Joey started.

"Yes!" Ross said quickly, interrupting him.

"Whoa, calm down," Joey held his hand out. "Sorry."

"Sorry Joe," Ross shook his head. "I've got to go though, so when you see Mon, tell her to phone me."

"I should go too," Phoebe nodded as she got up.

"Okay, bye," They all nodded and waved as Ross and Phoebe left.

Back in Chandler and Monica's apartment, the phone rang, breaking the silence. It continued to ring four times, until the answering machine picked up.

"Hey, you've reached Chandler and Monica's," Chandler said on the answering machine.

"Please leave us a message after the beep," Monica finished up.

"Beep..." There was a pause, then Chandler said. "Got ya!" and the real beep sounded.

"Hello? Is someone there?" A male voice questioned. It asked again and again, then gave up and hung up.

"So what's everybody else doing tonight?" Joey asked.

"Nothing, I think I might just go back to our apartment," Rachel told Joey. (In my version, when C and M moved together, R moved in with J)

"Can you help me with my acting?" Joey asked her, as he stood up, following her.

"Sure Joey," Rachel nodded. "Come on. Bye Chandler, Cindy."

"Bye Rach, Joey," Cindy and Chandler waved. As soon as they were gone, Cindy turned to Chandler.

"Chandler," Cindy said. "I've got to go."

"Okay," Chandler nodded. "I guess I'll go see if Mon's back then. Bye."

Chandler and Cindy stood up and Chandler walked her to the door where they both went different ways.

In his apartment, Chandler looked around to see if any of Monica's stuff was there. Her coat was still missing, so he left a note on the table saying good night, then walked into his bedroom, Rachel's old one. The thought, I wonder why she's not back yet, only existed for a second, before it disappeared.

As soon as he lay down on the bed, Chandler was out for the night, and he didn't hear the phone ring throughout the night, as he slept peacefully.

The next morning Chandler was really worried. Everyone had gathered at his and Mon's apartment, and they had to admit they were also concerned about Monica. She hadn't come home last night and no one at the restaurant knew where she was.

"You know what?" Rachel told everyone. "I bet she hooked up."

"I doubt that," Phoebe shook her head. "Monica's still..." Chandler listened intently, but Phoebe stopped when she noticed him. Chandler pretended he hadn't done anything.

"I know, but still," Rachel paused. "Nah, you're right."

'Ring... Ring..." The phone broke the silence that had fallen over the group.

"I'll get it," Joey moved over to the phone. "I'm suppose to be getting a phone call today."

"But this isn't your apartment!" Chandler replied, confused.

"Yeah, but at the time, I couldn't remember my phone number," Joey shrugged. He grabbed the phone off the hook. "Hello?... No, that's not me, and he's not her boyfriend. Her brother's here, would you like to talk to him?... Okay, just a minute." Joey turned around and tossed the phone to Ross.

"Hello?" Ross questioned, he paused while listening. "Yes, I'm her brother.... Oh My GOD!... Yeah, I'll be there right away." Ross slowly hung up the phone, then turned to glare at Chandler. "Did you not hear the phone ring last night?"

"No, why?" Chandler replied. "Is something wrong?"

"Is something wrong?" Ross said slowly. "I'll tell you what's wrong. My sister is lying in the ICU right now, unconscious. She was mugged last night in Central Park, and the doctor was phoning here all night trying to reach you."

"Oh my god," everyone said softly.

"There's no time for that," Ross demanded. "Come on, let's go."

"Right," Rachel nodded. "What else did the doctor say?"

"He wouldn't say more. Said he should talk to me in person," Ross replied, grabbing his jacket. Everyone but Chandler followed, and headed out the door. Chandler just sat there, dazed.

"Coming Chandler?" Phoebe stuck her head around the door.

Chandler didn't reply and Phoebe waited for a moment then left.

When what happened finally sank in, Chandler jumped out of his chair and was out the door in a flash. He had sat there for about half an hour and when he arrived, the rest had already heard about Monica's condition.

"Where were you?" Ross asked. "Why didn't you come?"

"I didn't even realize you guys had left," Chandler told him. "I was in shock. I've told Mon before not to walk home when it's late. She'd been doing that lately cos she said it was a good way to relax and she was stressed."

"It's not your fault," Ross told him. "Actually, part of it is. I mean, I know Mon is stressed because of Joey, and Rachel and me and Phoebe, but she's mostly stressed out by you, Chandler."

"What'd I do?"

"You broke up with her," Joey joined in. "You broke her heart, and then, you got over her."

"Well, I wasn't going to waste my life lying around," Chandler defended himself.

"But Chandler, you went out with her for what, 2 years?" Rachel told him. "You should have known her opinion on beauty and blondes. She didn't think she was as beautiful as them. And your first girlfriend after her is a blond haired, blue eyed female who's tall and skinny."

"Well Cindy's really nice," Chandler defended his girlfriend.

"You may like her, but the rest of us don't," Ross told him. "You promised me that you'd never hurt my sister and look what you do. And you didn't even have the dignity to move out!"

"Hey, Monica's been doing fine if you ask me!" Chandler cried out. "She continued to work at her restaurant and has been friends with Cindy. She still makes me breakfast in the morning and does her own things."

"Yeah, but did you ever think that she made you breakfast because she loved you. She didn't want to let you go. That's why she never kicked you out. She had the small amount of hope that you'd want to be with her again."

When Monica woke up she was confused. She didn't know what day it was, or where she was. She glanced around at her surroundings, before turning to look at the door when she heard someone.

"Oh, hello Miss. Geller, you're awake," the person stopped just inside the doorway.

"Where am I?" Monica asked quickly. She moved to get a better look at the person and cried out in pain.

"You're in the hospital," the person who Mon could now tell was female and a nurse replied. "You were mugged in Central Perk."

"How long have I been here? What's wrong with me?" Monica started to panic.

"It's been two days. I better go tell your doctor that you're awake. He'll want to talk to you. You also have a large group in the waiting room."

"Chandler?!" Monica said softly.

"I'm sure your boyfriend is out there," the nurse replied. "Excuse me."

Monica watched as the nurse left, and a man around her age arrived a few minutes later.

"So, Monica, decided to wake up, did you?" the doctor said cheerfully. "I'm your doctor, Dr. Surbank. I've told your brother what we can tell happened. It seems like you were mugged and hit with a baseball bat. You broke your arm, a couple ribs and got a concussion. Is there anything you can add to that? Anything you remember?"

"No," Monica said after a minute. "I can remember hearing someone come up behind me, and then it all went black."

"Well, at least it sounds like you don't have any brain damage. We'll have to keep you here for a few more days of course and monitor you progress." Dr. Surbank smiled gently at her then headed over to the door to leave. "Would you like me to send some of your friends in? They've all been hanging out in the waiting room the last two days."

"Sure, I guess,"Monica replied. She wasn't sure if she wanted to see them, but decided that Ross would probably kill her if he wasn't aloud in.

"Okay, I'll send a couple in, any preferences?" Dr. Surbank questioned.

"Um, my brother, Ross is going to want to come in, they all will, but could you send in him, Rachel and Chandler?"

"Sure thing. Chandler's the guy you live with, right?"

"How'd you know that?"

"Your answering machine. I got it when I was trying to contact someone to tell them about you. Just a question, how come you live with him if you aren't dating?"

"Well, it's a long story actually. We were dating, and then we broke up, a year ago. I still love him, so I didn't kick him out, and he went and got a new girlfriend."

"That sucks."

"Yeah, but he's still my good friend, and I'm still hoping."

"Okay, well, I'll go send them in."

Monica watched the door patiently as she waited for the three to appear. When they did, Monica felt guilty. It looked like none had slept in days, and even Rachel, who normally looked perfect, had a bit of makeup smeared on her face.

"Mon!" Ross was quickly at her side where he gave her a gentle hug. Monica struggled to not cry out in pain. "How are you feeling?"

"Pain," Monica said, clenching her teeth as another wave hit her. "It hurts a lot."

"I told you not to walk home when it's late," Chandler said, pulling a chair over to the side of her bed and sitting down.

"Chandler, I'm not in the mood for 'I told you so's'," Monica told him. She softened when he pulled back quickly, hurt. "But you're right. I should have gotten a cab, but I was tired, and frustrated, and I'll never walk alone again."

"I'm with you there," Rachel nodded.

"But hey," Chandler joked. "Now you're right there with the statistics."

Ten minutes later, Monica watched sadly as they got up to leave, quoting the doctor on her need for rest and sleep. Chandler lagged behind, and after the other two had left, he closed the door and came back and sat beside her.

"I'm sorry Mon," Chandler whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" Monica asked him. "None of this is your fault."

"But it is," Chandler replied. "It is. I knew you had been walking home because you were stressed, but I never realized that I was part of the problem. I'll move out Mon. You didn't need to let me stay. I'm sure Rachel will be willing to move back in."

"Chandler, you don't need to move," Monica told him quickly. "I don't mind living with you, even if it's not the same as it use to be."

"No," Chandler shook his head. "I'll move out."

"Chandler, no. It'll be too much of a hassle, and besides, you're way neater then Rachel."

"Thanks," Chandler replied softly. Standing up to go, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her fore head. As he pulled away, their eyes met and held, before he turned and broke the gaze. "I'll see you later Mon," Chandler said quickly as he moved towards the door and left.

After Chandler left, Monica stared at the door, almost as if she was waiting for him to come back. Dr. Surbank came and went, and Monica never moved. After a couple of hours, Dr. Surbank returned, worried.

"Monica, are you okay?" Dr. Surbank asked.

"Yes... no... how can I be okay, when I'm lying in a hospital, with a broken arm and ribs and bruised head. And not only that, but I couldn't get up the courage to kick the guy I love out of my apartment, because I love him, even if he is dating someone else," Monica finally turned from looking at the door and stared at her doctor. "Tell me, how could I possibly be fine?"

"I don't know Mon... is it alright if I call you Mon?" Dr. Surbank asked. Monica nodded. "Does this guy know that you still love him, or has he been getting the impression from you that everything's over and that's not going to change?"

"I don't know," Monica sighed. "I suppose he could think that, I mean, when Rachel and Ross broke up, Rachel couldn't stand any of his girlfriends, and I always use to think that told Ross that Rachel still loved him. I personally haven't done the same thing. I became friends with his new girlfriend. I mean, who wouldn't. She' s pretty and smart and very nice." Monica didn't voice her opinion that she thought Cindy was only going for Chandler's money.

"Yeah, well, those all don't make a person perfect," Dr. Surbank replied cryptically as he turned to leave the room. "I'll go send Chandler in." Before Monica could reply to protest, Dr. Surbank was gone. Monica sighed and sank back against her pillow.

"Monica?" Chandler stood nervously in the doorway.

"What?" Monica replied, turning to look at him. She clenched her teeth together, and shut her eyes tightly at the pain. They had given her medication, but it was wearing off and she wasn't allowed any more for a couple hours.

"Mon, are you okay?" Chandler hurried into the room and over to her side. "What's wrong Mon?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Monica replied after a moment. "It just hurts ... a lot, when I move around."

"Then don't move!" Chandler told her.

"Try lying in a bed all day without moving," Monica replied. "How's everyone doing out there?"

"Not bad, I sent Ross, Rachel and Phoebe off to work and Joey home to bed, I hope you don't mind," Chandler told her.

"What about you?" Monica replied. "How come you're not at work?"

"I..." Chandler trailed off. He paused then feebly continued. "I wouldn't be able to work knowing you were lying in the hospital so I cashed in on some of my holiday days."

"But I thought you were saving those so you could go somewhere with," Monica clenched her teeth. "Cindy."

"Mon, you're more important to me then Cindy," Chandler told her hurt. "I thought you'd know that."

"Then how come we broke up?" Mon asked angrily. "How come you're dating Cindy, not me?"

"Do we really need to talk about this right now?" Chandler asked painfully.

"Yes, we do Chandler," Monica nodded. "We never really discussed what happened you know. One day we were together and the next we weren't and the next you were dating."

"What was I suppose to do?" Chandler asked her. "You told me you didn't love me, that you never wanted to be with me again."

"I was upset," Monica replied, tears starting down her face. "We never fought before then. I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to lose you, but I did."

"And I lost you," Chandler added. "It wasn't a win-win situation. I loved you Mon. I really did. I stayed home from work and mopped, putting on a brave smile whenever you were around."

"And you don't think I did the same?" Monica asked. "I had to work so hard to keep from crying in front of you and it was so hard. You were always the one who could cheer me up, make me feel better and comfort me, but this time, it was because of you that I was upset, and I couldn't go to you for comfort."

"I know what you mean. It was the same for me. You were my best friend, Mon and I hope you still are."

"But why did the fight happen. If we care about each other as much as we both believe, then why did we break up? Why aren't we together anymore?"

"I don't know Mon. I can't answer that," Chandler shook his head. "We both had a bad day at work, and we went home and I had just heard the rumour, and you were upset about some dirty dishes, and then you got upset because I had believed the rumour."

"Which is all it was, a rumour," Monica said angrily. "I can't believe that you thought I'd cheat on you. I'm not Joey, or... or... my brother."

"I know you're not," Chandler nodded. "It's just that... well, Mon you're hot. You could easily get a hundred guys, and myself, well, let's just say I'm lucky that I've had as many as I have had. It was so easy to believe that it was true. I didn't think you'd do it on purpose to hurt me, but I figured you might have just somehow got pulled into it."

"But Chandler, I loved you, I still do, I would never do anything like that to you."

"I believe you now Mon, but the damage is already done. I'm with Cindy now, and I'm happy. Don't you want me to be happy?"

"You know what? You were right, now's not the time to talk about it. Nothings changed, and from the sound of it, nothing will ever be like it was. Bye Chandler," Monica lay back on her bed and closed her eyes. The medicine was making her drowsy and within a few minutes, Monica was asleep.

Chandler sat by Monica's bed and watched her sleep. He didn't want to go back out to the waiting room, it was more relaxed in Mon's room. He was still feeling tense from the shock and conversation with Monica.

He glanced up as he heard footsteps entering the room.

"Oh," Dr. Surbank exclaimed. "I didn't realize you were here."

"Sorry," Chandler stood up. "Should I go?"

"No, that's okay," Dr. Surbank shook his head. He took out some stuff and did some quick tests on Monica. Chandler watched silently. When Dr. Surbank finished, he turned to Chandler.

"You're Chandler, right?" Dr. Surbank asked. Chandler nodded. "You use to date Monica. I was talking to her, and she seemed stressed about the two of you. Why'd you guys break up?"

When Monica woke up, she was surprised to find Chandler asleep, beside her bed. His head was resting on his arm, which in turn was resting on the side of her bed. She smiled over at him lovingly, and reached out, brushing a small lock of hair off his fore head.

"Monica?" Joey poked his head around the door.

"Hey Joey," Monica smiled at him. She waved him in, and Joey walked in hesitantly.

"I don't like hospitals," Joey admitted, as he pulled another chair up beside her bed.

"No one does," Monica reassured him. "But they do help us get better."

"I guess so," Joey looked thoughtful for a moment. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, it still hurts to move a lot, but I feel a lot better over all," Monica nodded slightly. "How was your day?"

"I slept," Joey replied matter-of-factly. "I didn't get any sleep the whole time we were here. Ross was pacing, upset and Chandler was doing the same. He blamed himself you know."

"Why would he do that?" Monica protested. "It's not his fault. I was worrying about things I shouldn't have."

"Yeah well, he still believes that it was partially his fault," Joey paused, then looked excitedly at Monica. "But guess what? Chandler hasn't talked to Cindy ONCE since he found out you were in the hospital. There were about a hundred messages from her when I got home."

"Well, I'm sure things will be back to normal when I get out of here."

"It's not normal, if you're not dating Chandler," Joey told her.

"So, got any auditions coming up?" Monica asked him, in an attempt to change the subject and because he was Joey it worked.

"Yep, it's for a part on a few episodes of Jack and Jill!"

"That's awesome Joey," Monica congratulated him.

"Just don't tell anyone, okay?" Joey told her. "I don't want anyone to know, just in case I don't get the part."

"I bet that you'll get it, Joey," Monica reassured him. "You would be perfect in a comedy."

"Thanks," Joey smiled modestly.

"Oh," Chandler groaned, startling the other two. "Ow!"

"Chandler?" Monica asked softly. "You okay?"

"Wha?" Chandler replied confused. He lifted his head, and Joey and Monica laughed. His face was impressioned with the lines of his shirt. "Oh ... yeah ... I'm fine. When did I fall asleep?"

"I don't know," Monica shook her head. "After me, at some point, I guess."

"Are you feeling better?" Chandler asked her, concerned.

"Yeah, a lot," Monica nodded. "It doesn't hurt as much anymore, they must have given me more pain killers when I was asleep."

"That's good," Chandler stretched and yawned. "Wow, I guess I was really tired."

"Why don't you go home and get some sleep," Monica suggested. "You don't need to stay Chandler, I'll be fine."

"That's okay," Chandler shook his head, trying to hide his true feelings.

"Then do you want to crash on the bed?" Monica asked him. "As friends, Chandler." Monica replied after seeing the expression on his face.

"No, that's okay," Chandler smiled sheepishly as another yawn caught him in the middle of his sentence. "Actually, yeah. If you don't mind, that is."

"Of course not," Monica shook her head. "Just watch out for my IV."

"Right," Chandler climbed on to the bed beside Mon. Joey passed him a pillow, and Chandler made himself comfortable. Monica and Joey watched as Chandler lay back and fell asleep instantly.

"Just think, you're sleeping with him again," Joey laughed.

"Yeah, but it's not the same," Monica sighed, she looked over at Chandler, and smiled sadly. "I miss being with him, Joey."

"I know you do Mon," Joey gave her a reassuring smile. "And I bet you two will be together again soon. Chandler doesn't love Cindy, he just hasn't realized that yet."

"He-ey, sleeping with my sister again, are you?" Ross joked as Chandler sat up in the bed. "Careful, Mon's asleep."

"Hey Ross," Chandler gave him a weak smile. "And no, it's not what you think."

"I know, Joey told me," Ross brushed it aside. "How's Mon been doing?"

"Good," Chandler nodded. "She says it doesn't hurt as much anymore, but I think the doctor gave her more pain medication."

"Chandler?" Ross and Chandler turned toward the door at the voice. "Chandler what are you doing, in bed with you're ex-girlfriend, when you're dating ME!"

Ross winced at Cindy's shrill voice, but Chandler just took it in stride,

"Oh, this?" Chandler replied. "This isn't anything Cindy. I was tired, and Mon said I could sleep here."

"Well it doesn't look like you're sleeping," Cindy shouted. "I don't trust you Chandler."

Cindy turned and left. Chandler paused, then jumped out of the bed and chased after her.

"What happened?" Monica asked her brother as she woke from a commotion.

"Cindy found Chandler here, in bed with you," Ross told her.

"Where's is he?" Monica looked around the room.

"He just chased after her," Ross told Monica sadly.

Monica nodded, brushing back the tears that were forming.

"Oh Mon," Ross got up and sat on the side of the bed. "I'm sorry." Ross gave her a hug, and Monica turned, crying into her brother's shoulder.

"What's wrong with me Ross? Why doesn't he want to be with me?" Monica asked her brother as she continued to sob.

When Chandler caught up to Cindy he wished he hadn't. She glared at him, but there weren't any tears. This surprised him. Whenever Mon, or any of his other girlfriends had gotten mad or broken up with him, they'd all had tears streaming down their faces. Well, the one's that cared anyway.

"You, you don't love me, do you?" Chandler asked her shocked.

"What do you mean? Of course I do!" Cindy replied, unconvincingly.

"You don't!" Chandler shook his head. "All this time I've wasted with you! You dated me because of my money, didn't you! I don't believe this! I know my friends said there would be people like you, but Oh My GOD! Have a nice life!" Chandler gave her one last look, then left, never turning back.

When Chandler returned to Mon's room, he stood in the doorway, watching Monica and Ross. Monica was leaning against Ross, her head and back to him. Ross was rubbing her back, and it looked like he was comforting her.

"Oh Mon, I don't know, I really don't know," Chandler heard Ross say to Mon. "You're smart, beautiful, and an all around nice person. You two were perfect together. I don't know what happened."

"I thought that was it," Chandler finally realized Mon was crying. "That I was finally in the 'right' relationship. That that was going to be it. That was who I was going to stay with for the rest of my life. It's been a year Ross, and I still can't get him out of my mind. I just wanna be with him."

Chandler moved away from the door, having heard enough. Monica wasn't over him? She wanted to be with him?

It seemed so obvious now. How come he had never noticed before? All the little things she did. The way she looked at him sometimes, and how he sometimes found her crying in their apartment, but she'd never tell him what was wrong.

Chandler moved over to one of the chairs in the hall and sank into it. He leaned back, resting his head against the wall behind him. Oh wow!

He knew that Monica was upset that he had started dating Cindy so quickly after their relationship. He knew that he had hurt her, but he never knew just how much she cared for him until know. The only person he had ever heard her say she wanted to marry was Richard. But she was saying that he, he, was THE ONE! Or at least that was what she had thought until they broke up.

Ross stayed with Monica, rocking her back and forth until she fell asleep, exhausted. He then layed her back down on the bed and tiptoed out of the room quietly, shutting the door behind him. He was surprised to find Chandler sitting outside in the hall, a thoughtful look on his face. He wasn't really looking anywhere, it was like he was to busy thinking to realize what was going on around him.

"Chandler," Ross nudged him as he sat down next to him.

"Wha?" Chandler looked startled. "Oh, hey Ross."

"Did you catch up with Cindy?" Ross asked.

"Yeah, we broke up. She wasn't upset though. You guys were right, she was only after my money. GOD. I hate having money. It was so much easier without it. While I couldn't get many girls, the ones I did get usually actually cared for me. Like Monica, she wouldn't have cared if I had no money or if I was rich. I liked that. I never know any more if they like me because I have money or they like me!" Chandler sighed, and leaned back, accidentally wacking his head against the wall. "Ow!"

"Chandler, calm down," Ross told him softly. "I'm sorry about Cindy, but it's good that you found out sooner rather then later. And I don't know what to say about the girls. I understand what you mean though. I want the person I'm with to like me for who I am." Ross paused. "You know, I never really got a chance to talk to you about what happened with Mon. Why did you guys break up? I know because of the rumour, but I figured that you would get back together in a few days."

"I know, I thought so too," Chandler smiled sadly. "I tried, I did, but Monica was still mad. So I gave it some more time, but she never wanted to forgive me. You know what she's like when it comes to trust. Any thing can almost ruin the friendship or relationship. I think that's why we were such best friends. We told each other everything, and never lied about anything."

"Well," Ross smiled at his friend as he stood up. "Do you still love her?"

"Of course Ross. I'll never love anyone as much as her."

"Then get her back," Ross started down the hall. He paused once and turned back. "I know what you have with her. I had that with Rachel, and I've regretted our break up everyday." Ross then left, giving Chandler even more to think about.

Chandler sat there, thinking about what Ross said for about half an hour. He was unaware of what was going on around him, and was startled when Dr. Surbank tapped him on the arm.

"OH!" Chandler jumped in his seat.

"Sorry," Dr. Surbank apologized. "Didn't mean to scare you. You've been sitting here in a daze and I was wondering if anything was wrong."

"Sort of," Chandler confessed.

"Oh?" Dr. Surbank replied, concerned. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really, but it would probably be good to talk to someone. I can't tell my friends, cos they're biased."

"Okay," Dr. Surbank paused. "Does this have to do with Mon?"

"Yeah," Chandler nodded. "I was really tired, cos I haven't slept in days, so Monica said I could crash on her bed. Well, Cindy, my girlfriend came in and found me there. I had just woken up and was talking to Ross. Cindy freaked out and I broke up with me, cos I realized that she was just after my money. I inherited a lot recently. I was returning to the room, and I heard Ross and Monica talking. I eavesdropped, yes, I know I shouldn't have done that, but I heard Monica say that she still loves me. I had no idea! I was sitting here thinking when Ross left and he and I talked for a bit. He asked if I still loved Mon, and I said yes and he said I should get her back then, not lose her. Now I don't know what to do!"

"Wow!" Dr. Surbank whistled softly. "I'm so glad, I'm not in your shoes! I think Ross is right though, if you still lover her, then get her back, don't lose someone that's that important to you."

"I know," Chandler sighed. "But how can I ask for her back? I feel so stupid!"

"I don't know what to say to that. Just be her friend and eventually everything will work out," Dr. Surbank stood up. "I've got to go check on Mon, but you should talk to her after."

Chandler nodded mutely and watched as Dr. Surbank entered Mon's room.

"Hey Mon," Dr. Surbank greeted Monica as he entered her room.

"Hi," Monica greeted him with a small smile. She was still upset, but trying to hide her feelings. She hadn't seen Chandler since he had left to find Cindy and she was wondering what was going on between the two. "Do you think I'll be out of here soon?"

"Probably tomorrow," Dr. Surbank told her. "We'll have to see. How's the pain?"

"Awful!" Monica moaned. "It hurts SO much!"

"I'll give you some more pain medication, okay?" Dr. Surbank reassured her with a smile.

"Okay," Monica nodded, trying to hide just how much it hurt.

"I'll just go get it," Dr. Surbank stood up to leave. "Oh, and by the way, Chandler's here to see you."

Monica started to protest, but Dr. Surbank had already left and Chandler was standing in the doorway to her room.

"Hi," Chandler said softly, stepping into her room.

Monica nodded, but didn't say anything. She didn't trust her voice.

Chandler sat down in the chair beside her bed and the two sat there quietly, neither saying anything until Dr. Surbank returned.

"Okay, here you go Monica," Dr. Surbank hooked up some pain medication to her IV. "Tell me if you need anything else. Bye Chandler."

The two watched Dr. Surbank leave, then Chandler turned to Monica.

"So, when do you get to leave here and come home?"

"He said I might get to go tomorrow. I want to go home, but I also don't want to. First of all, think of the mess! And I'm still in so much pain, I don't know if I'll be able to handle it at home. I'll be all alone."

"I'm sure you'll feel better tomorrow," Chandler reassured her. "The doctor won't let you go unless he thinks you're okay. Besides, you won't be alone. We'll all be there for you if you need anything." He paused. "If you need anything, no matter what time I'll be right there. I'll be in the next room."

"I know," Monica sighed. "I can't go back to work though. Cos I can't cook with one arm."

"That's good," Chandler nodded. "You need to rest and to stop stressing yourself out."

"I guess, but what am I suppose to do?"

"I don't know," Chandler pretended to concentrate hard. "Maybe get some rest and get better!"

"Right," Monica gave a short laugh before bending over in pain. "Oh, the medicine hasn't taken effect yet!"

Chandler reached out and rubbed her back. He helped Monica lie back down on the bed. Monica lay there panting and Chandler smiled at her encouragingly.

"I don't think I can handle much more of this pain Chandler," Monica complained softly. Chandler was surprised, he couldn't remember one time that Monica had actually said something had hurt her. She was always so tough and strong.

"I know," was all Chandler could reply. He sat with Monica and rubbed her back until she fell asleep.

"Hey man," Ross looked up from his magazine in the waiting room to see Chandler standing over him.

"Hey Chandler," Ross waved him to the seat next to him. "What's up? Did you talk to Mon?"

"Sort of, but not about everything, not yet," Chandler sighed. "I hate seeing her like this, she's in so much pain."

"I know," Ross sighed as well. "I wish I could do something for her."

"Same," Chandler sighed and leaned back against the wall. "I just wish everything could go back to how it was a year ago, before Mon and I broke up and before my mom died. Everything seemed so, I don't know, right, back then. It was like my whole life was perfect."

"I know what you mean," Ross too, sighed and leaned back. "I had that once, with Rachel. You feel like life can't get any better."

"Exactly," Chandler nodded in agreement. "Now my life's just all messed up and I feel like nothing can get worse."

"All I can give as advice is, talk to Monica. I have to admit, I've never seen the two of you happier then when you were together."

"Thanks," Chandler said sadly. "I know I regret everything that happened and wish I could change the past."

"I know you do," Ross smiled at his best friend.

TO BE CONTINUED...