Beyond Friends Episode 22 "In the heat of the night"
Special Guest Stars-
Courteney Cox as Monica
"Burning down the house"
Chandler and Rachel walked along the sidewalk in times square. They walked hand and hand. It was the first time they walked closely like that in public without worrying about who or who may not see them together. Rachel smiled as he told some jokes. Of course she wasn’t paying attention, just being with him was enough. Her eyes opened wide as she spotted something marvelous.
“Oh Chandler, the Gap is having a sale!” She said stopping at the window. She pressed her face against the window. She looked like a poor kid looking into a candy store at something she would never have. “And look at that dress!” She turned to Chandler. “I have to try that on!”
“Okay.” Chandler said letting her go in. He started to go in the store with her. She stopped him cold at the door.
“Uh uh uh.”
“What?”
“I am going to put on a little fashion show for you.” Rachel directed him over to a spot in front of the window. It as the little area in front of the dressing room. “You can watch me from here.”
“Okay. I’ll be here. I just hope noone thinks I’m loitering.” Chandler said as Rachel blew him a kiss then disappeared into the store.
Chandler knew better. The time he had spent with Rachel throughout her life had not gone for naught. He knew what she was like in a store like this. There was no such thing, in Rachel’s eyes, as trying one thing on and coming right back out again. She would go.
“Well its such a shame to just try one thing on and this outfit is so nice. I’ll try this one on first then I will try on the dress I really really meant to try on in the first place.”
Chandler knew he was right as Rachel showed up in front of the window with a white partial see through blouse. She turned around for him to admire and she went “TA DA”.
He smiled for a bit too.
Then he mouthed the word. “No.”
“No?” Rachel mouthed. She looked disappointed. She then started to say something but Chandler cut her off at the pass with another “No.”
She whined a bit then stood for a second. Chandler made a “Where is the darn dress?” gesture and she ran to get it.
Something drew his attention from his beautiful girlfriend. He heard sirens and turned to watch two red fire engines heading right past him. They were going very fast, and since he could still hear them half way down the block indicated to him they were going to a catastrophe that was very close to where he was standing.
Rachel reappeared at the window with the white dress. The dress had a oval cut top that dipped a bit into her chest, and the dress ran down to about mid calf. She noticed Chandler turned the other direction and knocked on the window to grab his attention. Chandler turned and smiled.
“It’s great!” He said out loud while giving the OK sign.
Rachel practically bubbled as she ran to pay for the dress. She came out a couple of minutes later with the dress in one hand.
“I’m ready.” Rachel said slinging the dress over one shoulder. “We better get going. We have that dinner date with Monica we have to get to.”
“Okay.” Chandler said as they walked down the street. “Did you hear those fire engines. They were heading this way.”
“No I didn’t. The Gap has had their store soundproofed so we can literally leave the world behind while we shop for clothes and sexy things.”
“Ah.” Chandler thought a moment. “They didn’t sound like they went very far. Isn’t Monicas a couple blocks from here?”
“Yeah.” Rachel said. “It couldn’t be.”
“Why don’t we find out.” Chandler said taking Rachel’s hand and started to run down the sidewalk. A few minutes later they reached Monicas restaurant. Or at least what USED to be Monicas restaurant. It was engulfed in orange and yellow flames. Smoke surrounded what they couldn’t see of the restaurant. They could barely read the colorful sign that was atop it.
“Oh my god.” Rachel said sobbing.
Chandler held her tight.
“This was Monicas lifelong dream. To feed people good food at reasonable prices is what she always wanted to do.”
“I know, honey.” Chandler said.
“Could you people move back?” One of the fire fighters moved Chandler and Rachel back a couple of steps.
“Monica Geller!” Rachel yelled. “Monica!”
“Monica?” Chandler joined Rachel in the search for her friend.
“You don’t think she is trapped in there?” Rachel sobbed.
“I hope not.”
“You people looking for Ms. Geller?” Someone behind them asked. Rachel turned around. It was Artie, head of the waiters.
“Yeah, where is she?”
“She is at University Hospital.”
“Thanks Artie.” Rachel thanked him. “We gotta get a cab. I just lost my job, I am not losing my one and only friend.”
Chandler and Rachel grabbed a cab and headed toward the hospital not knowing
what to expect when they got there.
University Hospital ER
Chandler paid for the cab while Rachel ran into the emergency room. He caught up with her at the desk. A surly looking nurse had just ended her shift, but was waiting for her replacement.
“May I help you?” She asked.
“Yes, was a Monica Geller admitted?” Rachel asked. The nurse consulted her chart. “I believe she came from a fire recently?”
“Yeah, shes over there.” The nurse pointed. She then left apparently too impatient to wait for her reinforcements to come in.
“Wow, I bet she wins employee of the month every month.” Chandler remarked as Rachel searched for Monica among the small beds.
“Rachel?” She heard her name being called. Rachel turned and found Monica sitting on a bed with her chef uniform still on.
“Oh my god!” Rachel ran over and hugged her. Chandler followed.
“Hi!” Monica said.
“How are you?” Rachel said taking a seat on the bed.
“I’m fine. Other than smoke inhalation I’m out one restaurant.”
“What about the other place?” Chandler asked. “The Grand Avenue?”
“Bankrupt. Hasn’t been open since last August.“ Monica jumped off the bed. "I have to
see the restaurant.”
“Monica!” Rachel yelled to her as she walked out the door. “We have to catch up with her.”
Chandler caught a cab. He and Rachel hopped in and instructed the cabby to follow Monica.
“Mon. We can take you to the site. It is a very long walk from here.”
“Okay.” Monica hopped in the front seat of the car and gave instructions to the cabby.
Soon enough they arrived at what was left of the restaurant. Monica hopped out to survey the damage. Chandler and Rachel were at her back. They heard a choking sob come as she looked all around.
“My life, my home, its all gone now.” Monica said turning to them.
“Mon, honey, when me and the other waitresses say you’re here so often its like you live here, we were only kidding.”
“No. My apartment was on top of the restaurant.” Monica said. “I have nowhere to go and I don’t want to impose on my brother. Especially when you stay the night, Rachel.”
Rachel nodded.
“Stay with us.” Rachel offered.
“What?” Monica and Chandler said.
“Really, stay with us.” Rachel said. “I had to get a new job and if it wasn’t for you I would not have the pleasure of working for you. I owe you big Mon.”
“How will we sleep?” Monica asked.
“We will find that out later. We’ll go home and talk it over. It’s still lunchtime
and I think Chandler is still hungry.”
“Okay.” Monica said they all piled back into the cab and headed for home.
Rachel noticed she still had the dress. She looked at it for a second.
“Mon?”
“Yeah?”
“Here.” She handed over her white dress to Monica. “Take this.”
“Rachel....”
“Go on.” Rachel insisted. “It may not be the right size but I will feel better if you had some semblance of clothes to wear.”
“Thanks Rachel.” Monica took the dress. “I will never forget this.”
Rachel sat back and Chandler smiled approvingly in her direction. “Good job.”
“Thanks.”
Later that night
Rachel heard a banging noise coming from the living room. She listened hard for a minute
then went to the window. She took a sock and threw it hard through Chandlers window. It softly bounced off his head and onto the floor. He got up and went to his window.
“Knock it off, I’m trying to get my beauty sleep.” He said disgruntled.
“Give it up, its not working.” Rachel said. “Do you hear that noise?”
“Yeah! You!”
“I’m serious listen.”
Chandler listened hard for a minute. “I don’t hear anything but I do smell something cooking.”
“I know its not you.” Rachel said. “You have the tendency to set off the smoke alarm and bring firemen here.”
“Gee thanks.”
“Did Monica ever go to bed?” Rachel asked.
“I don’t think so.” Chandler said. “A burglar doesn’t usually cook when he robs you.”
“Good point. Especially not...” Rachel inhaled. “Creme brulee’.”
“Lets go and see if shes all right. She only cooks when shes sad or angry.”
“Okay.” Rachel and Chandler walked out of their rooms at the same time. Monica was indeed the one behind the delicious smells that had seeped into their rooms.
“Its four in the morning. Should she be up like this?” Rachel asked quietly.
“Well, I dunno, neither one of you have a job to go to in the morning so I say what the hell.” Chandler said as they approached Monica.
“Monica are you okay?” Rachel asked as Monica looked up.
“Hey!” Monica said. “Just in time for my backwards meal. We’ll be having creme brulee’ then roast pork, baby potatoes and carrots, then a lucious tomato celery soup for the appetizer.” Monica set the table. “Get ready to dig in!”
“Monica...”
“Hey, “Chandler said tucking in his napkin. “Never look a gift cook in the mouth.” Monica laid out their creme brulee’ and they slowly started to eat.
“What do you think?” Monica said as she watched them eat. “I should be able to get another job in no time.”
“Easier for you than for me!” Rachel said putting down her spoon. “All I have done in my life is waitress or be an exec. I want something that has nothing to do with any of that.” She paused. “I’ll let you know when I find something like that.”
“How are you and Ross?” Monica asked.
“Good.” Rachel said. “He’s out of town this week so thats why I offered for you to stay here. You can sleep on the couch, Chandler said it was fold out right?”
“Yeah.” Chandler said feeding his face. “I’m never gonna be able to sleep now.”
“Thats all right. We can sit up and figure out what to do about us.” Rachel said hugging Monica. “After all, tomorrow is another day.”
“Actually tomorrow is today already.” Monica noted.
“Same difference.”
