(Hiya everyone! I have returned with a new story for y'all. It's called "Out of the Blue" if you haven't noticed already... lol. Okay uhm a quick bit before I start the story off. It takes place in the beginning of chapter 10. This is kind of a darker story than what I've done before. It deals with suicide and drugs so if that ain't your thing, I suggest read something else. But this is a new plot to me and I've read tons of "Friends" related fan fiction and the idea excited me so I hope you guys like it! En-joey!!!)
Disclaimer: As much as I'd love to say I have Matthew Perry kept in my closet... I sadly so not. I don't know the actors, own the characters in the TV show "Friends", or even own share in NBC... And now I'm sad. Well anyways, that's my rant for the moment so... moving on!!!
Joey awoke late one night to hear the baby crying. He looked at the ceiling from lying on his back on his bed and rubbed his hands over his face, getting the sleep out of his eyes. He slowly sat up, moving his head from side to side, the sheets pooling at his waist. He glanced at the clock on his nightstand and nodded when he read the time. Two twenty. That was about right. Her cries continued and he rolled out of bed, grabbing pajama bottoms that were tossed over the foot of his bed and pulling them on as he stumbled to the closed door. He turned the knob and walked around the entertainment unit to Rachel's bedroom. The room was completely dark and he carefully felt around the wall for the door frame and found that the door was already partially open. He sadly sighed at her cries and crept into the room.
Rachel had left on a small light in one corner for instances like these. The crib was at the foot of the bed and Emma was lying on her stomach, her tiny hands gripping the bars before her. She was facing the doorway and instantly saw Joey when he walked into the room. She cried louder to make sure she was noticed and held up her arms to be picked up. Joey smiled and reached into the crib, pulling her out and holding her against him, her head resting on his shoulder. She pulled at his shirt, still crying, and Joey kissed the top of her head before looking at Rachel. She was fast asleep in her bed, blankets pulled up to her chin. His eyes traveled to the pill bottle beside her bed and he shook his head, looking down at Emma before leaving the room.
"All right Emma, what's the problem tonight?" he asked softly, looking down at her. He reached out to turn on the lights and blinked at the sudden brightness. Emma rubbed her eyes and continued pitiful cries that tore at his heart.
"Oh come on jelly bean, please stop crying. I don't know what's wrong. I never know what's wrong," he laughed to himself. Why was he doing this? It wasn't even his child. Her cries got louder and Joey walked around the kitchen and living room with her still in his arms, thinking of what he could try tonight to get her back asleep.
The apartment door swung open and Chandler stood in the doorway with a scowl, his hair sticking up in all directions, wearing his pajamas. Joey looked up and smiled but the smile quickly fell when he saw his friend's face.
"Joe... It's two thirty. Why is the baby crying so loudly?"
"I don't know! She won't stop Chan!" Joey nervously answered, bouncing the baby up and down gently.
"Why isn't Rachel awake? No... How isn't Rachel awake? I think the entire building is awake at this point! It is her daughter after all!" Chandler said, closing the door behind him.
"She's... uhm... she's not doin' so well. Must be sick or something," he sighed. He knew what she was doing. He just didn't know why she was doing it.
"Well is she hungry?"
"No, the latest she can eat at is ten if she wakes up. She can't eat again until five. It's what her doctor said."
"...Oh," Chandler said, obviously impressed Joey knew that.
"Come on Emma, tell Uncle Joey."
"Maybe she has a tiny off button," Chandler said thoughtfully, smiling at the crying baby. Emma was getting tired but still was crying; only now it was mixed with hiccups.
"Maybe you have an off button," Joey frowned. Chandler shrugged and looked around.
"Oh man, this will be me when Monica and I get a baby."
"Yeah. Fun, huh?"
"Is she always up at night? Doesn't she, like, sleep? Like normal people?"
"No, she gets up, like normal babies do. ALL normal babies do," Joey stressed. Chandler took a deep breath and looked around the room, his gaze resting upon the changing table.
"Maybe she needs a new diaper?"
"I checked already real quick. That's not it."
"Uhm... does she want to play?"
"No, she has toys in her crib... And Hugsy," Joey muttered, unhappy the baby had taken his Hugsy away from him.
"Then just go wake up Rachel! I'm sure she'll understand seeing as how it's not your daughter to begin with."
"I can't," Joey sighed quietly. Chandler walked closer to him, allowing Emma's small hand to close over one of his fingers.
"What? Why not?" Chandler asked, surprised, watching the baby begin to cry less and get distracted by the finger she was gripping.
"She takes sleeping pills." Chandler's jaw dropped and with his free hand he pointed at Emma.
"What?! Why? She has a baby here who needs her!" Emma got more upset at the outburst and Joey frowned at him.
"I know, okay Chandler? There's nothing I can do about it! She won't talk to me about it... I just, I don't know what to do. I can't let her cry at night and have no one help her," he said sadly, looking down at the baby, her cries finally hitting a nerve. This had gone on for so long he had forgotten what a full night's rest was like. Chandler sighed, running a hand through his hair, making it stick up more in the process.
"Oh man."
"I know." Chandler watched Emma before biting his lip and holding out his hands.
"Let me see her."
"You want to hold Emma?"
"Yeah, I think I have an idea." Joey held the crying baby away from him and allowed Chandler to scoop her into his arms, cradling the tiny baby in his arms. Joey collapsed onto the couch, holding his face in his hands, fighting the urge he had to cry. They had no idea what Rachel was doing. This was a nightly routine, Emma wakes up, he takes care of her, and she never finds out. To her, the baby sleeps through the night every night. He thought of the pill bottle and sighed. He didn't know when she had gotten them but he knew one thing, she went through them quickly. She took them not only at night but sometimes during the day. She had stopped going to Central Perk as much as she used to, maybe four times a month and always without Emma. He considered the fact that she wanted nothing to do with her child. She distanced herself from her friends and family and no one knew why. Rachel was hurting and they couldn't see how badly. Because he was her roommate, he wad walked into the apartment at night sometimes to find her sleeping on the couch, a movie playing, and Emma crawling around the apartment. Or she would be crying as the baby cried from another room, behind a closed door. It killed him to not understand why she was doing this to herself.
Joey glanced up when he realized the room had suddenly become silent. He grinned when he saw Chandler rocking Emma back and forth in his arms, walking around slowly, talking to her in a low voice, causing her eyes to slowly shut. When she was fully asleep Chandler brought her to Rachel's room and lay her down in her crib, pulling the pink blanket over her. He paused, looking at Rachel as she slept soundly, concerned. He hadn't seen her in almost a week and when he saw how messy her room was, he knew something had to be wrong.
Chandler walked back out into the living room and smiled when he saw Joey's look of shock.
"How'd you do that? It takes me an hour to get her back to sleep! How'd you do it?"
"Well I told her all about my old job, you know... Imputing those numbers, the equations, the data functions..."
"Good idea."
"I figured that since it put you to sleep twice already it was worth a shot. She has a longer attention span than you," Chandler grinned proudly to himself. He sat next to his friend on the couch and yawned, noticing how quiet Joey was.
"What's up?"
"I'm worried about her."
"No, all babies cry at night."
"No... Rach."
"Oh." Chandler patted Joey's back and looked at the clock.
"She'll be okay. Look Joe, I have to go to sleep, okay? Early meeting and all... I'll see you later."
"Yeah. Yeah, bye Chan."
"G'night."