Every Breath You Take : Ross and Rachel AU (Roschel)

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"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Rach I already have a name!" The two friends walked the hospital corridors towards the elevator.

"What is it?" Rachel was still in a daze, a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Okay if it's a girl then Phoebe." She paused for a moment. "And if it's a boy, Phoebo!"

Rachel chuckled and placed a hand over her still-flat belly. You're gonna have a weird aunt, Baby. "We'll think about it."

"Really Rach?!"

She nodded.

"Oh this is so great! I'm so excited." They finally reached the fairly large elevator and pressed the button to the main lobby.

"Me too."

~~~

The two siblings waited for a elevator. Neither had said a word or shown any kind of emotion since they received the news. Ross had become in a state of shock and Monica didn't want to pry. Both still numb, the elevator dinged, prompting the two to head down to the lobby. Monica sighed, tired of the wall between them. Or rather, the wall surrounding her brother. Let me in, Ross. "At least this elevator doesn't have that corny music huh?" She tried, for the first time since the end of the appointment, to lighten the mood and she knew he didn't want to talk about that right now. He was still in shock. You used to hate elevator music.

No reaction. "Don't tell her." Was all he said. Ross didn't even turn to look at his sister. He wasn't thinking about her right now. He was thinking about her. How to tell her that he was sick. He didn't know what that meant for their future.

"Ross you do know that you—"

That I have to tell her? That I have to face Rachel? The girl I've wanted since I was 15? Tell her that her boyfriend has stupid cancer? "I know." The elevator rung again and right before the doors opened, he finally looked at Monica. She could actually see his emotion this time. She just couldn't read it.

"Okay." Monica whispered. She wasn't even sure he heard it. As they made their way to the parking lot, she heard a very familiar laugh. Ross must have heard it too, given that he stopped dead in his slow-pace tracks.

Rachel.

"Mon?" Phoebe.

"Ross?" Rachel.

The two turned around, it was in fact, her and Phoebe. Ross and Monica looked at each other briefly as if to say 'just act normal'. "Hey! What are you guys doing here?" She gave her two girl friends a hug and Ross followed, giving a short kiss to Rachel.

Rachel turned to Phoebe, her signal to make up a believable lie. She didn't want Ross to find out just yet. "Oh I had a pap smear appointment today! The cab broke down so I asked Rachel to drive me since we were already having lunch together. Better her than Joey right?" She winked at Rachel. Nice one, Phoebe.

"Honey what are you two doing here? Are you okay?" Rachel turned to her boyfriend.

"Oh uh, Monica dragged me here. She wanted me to see a doctor."

Normally, Rachel would have easily detected his lie but she was far over the moon to notice. Her concern was still present, however. "And? Is everything okay?"

"Um yeah, just a flu. Like I told you. Right Mon?"

"Mhm."

"Well we better get going, I still have some papers to sign and fax." Rachel looked at her Guess watch and gave Ross kiss on the cheek before hugging Monica goodbye. They all said their goodbyes and parted ways, retuning to their previous states. Rachel and Phoebe continued conversing about baby stuff and Ross and Monica continued, well, walking in silence to Monica's Porsche.

~~~

The car ride home was a fairly short 15 minutes but Ross and Monica both could have sworn it was 15 hours. The silence blended with confusion, worry, sadness, and even slight anger, made time stop — and not in a good way. Even the three flights of stairs to Ross's apartment that normally take less than a minute to walk up, felt like an hour. Monica finally unlocked the door after several failed attempts.

"Do you want me to get you something to drink? Water? Tea?" Her voice shook a little and she fidgeted with her watch. Monica felt like crying. Or maybe screaming. She was sad, worried, and frustrated. But she couldn't show that to Ross, it would only make him more upset and scared.

"Water maybe." Ross slowly took a seat on his brown leather couch, putting his elbows on his knees and resting his head in his hands — an attempt to ease even the slightest bit of whatever he was feeling. There was so much to think about. He had so many questions. There was one thought that stood out more than the rest. Rachel. He didn't know what to do. Let her go. She doesn't deserve this. She deserves a guy that takes care of her not the other way around. And how could she walk around dating me? A cancer patient.

"Here's you water." Ross felt a hand on his shoulder and a dip in the couch cushion. Turning his head to face Monica, tears brimmed his eyes. Her face softened. "Sweetie..."

"Monica I-I don't know what to do." Tears were now flowing down his face. Tears that had been building up since the doctor's office. Tears that he had tried to stop, but he couldn't do it anymore.

"Come here." Monica opened her arms for her big brother and let him sob into her shoulder as she ran a hand up and down his back. She wasn't used to this. It was normally Ross that had comforted Monica. In their school years whenever she was teased or got pushed. Whenever she failed a test, or got her heart broken. Even now as adults, whenever she had a bad breakup or had a bad work day. He was always there for her. She had cried on his shoulder. She didn't know what to do or what to say. Monica had never seen her brother like this. Maybe once when he fell down the stairs when he was 10. In this moment, she knew that it was her turn to repay Ross for all the times he was there for her. She let him cry on her shoulder, feeling his sadness seep through the fabric of her blouse and onto her skin. "You're gonna be okay Ross." Monica gently whispered. "You're gonna be okay."

~~~

So so sorry this is late! I was out of the country (which I wasn't really expecting) and I was really really busy and when I wasn't, the connection and wifi was terrible. This chapter was actually supposed to be way longer but I wanted to split it in two.

ALSO A FEW NOTES:
- Carol, Ben, and Susan don't exist in this story (I forgot if I mentioned that already)
- Ross lives alone in the apartment across from Monica and Rachel's
- They all have cars and they all drive

Thanks for reading :)) x
YG