F•R•I•E•N•D•S - 2nd generation

The One With the Accident

"I can't believe this!" Emma stormed into the apartment.
"What happened, honey?" Erica asked.
"I lost my position! Apparently, the project that I finished on Saturday never got to them and now they think I'm not mature enough for this position and they'll give it to this Regina person who was their second option."
"Cut it out! That's so unfair."
"I know. I know. Where's the ice cream?"
"In the fridge, behind the peas. Jack hates peas it's the only way to prevent him from eating our ice cream."
"Smart. How was your first day at the university?"
"It was great! It's so much bigger than my old school. It's amazing, it's... I'm gonna stop talking right now."
"No, don't, don't. Just because my career life isn't going that great right now doesn't mean that I can't be happy that yours is."
The phone rang. Erica got it.
"Hello?... Oh, hey!... Sure, Sure. I don't have anything planned... That will be amazing... see you. Bye."
"Who was that?" Emma asked.
"That guy from the restaurant yesterday. He wants to go out tonight."
"That's great, Erica."
"I know! I need to go get ready."
"Yeah, I'll just stay here."
"Oh, honey, do you want me to cancel with him and stay here with you?"
"I'd appreciate that."
"Oh, ok. I guess I'll just give him a call."
"Just messing with you. C'mon it's the hot guy from the restaurant who called back! Go get him, girl." Emma said smiling. Erica smiled back and got up walking towards her room.
"Cousin, I'm home." Jack said getting in the apartment. James and Scott followed him. "Hey, Em. Where's Erica?"
"She's getting dressed. She has a date tonight. The guy from the restaurant called back."
"On your face!" Erica screamed from inside the room.
"James has some great news!" Jack said.
"Really? What is it?"
"This morning I went to talk to my lawyer. My dad died."
"Oh my God, James, come here." She hugged him. "How could you tell me that these were great news?" She asked angrily looking at Jack. "So you found him?"
"She knew it too?" Scott asked.
"What? About his dad?" Emma asked.
"Yeah. He's just pissed because he doesn't know anything about our families." James explained.
"You know stuff about my family." Emma said.
"It's your family. The whole world knows stuff about them!" Scott said.
"The thing is, in his testament, my dad said my name. That's how they knew who I was. When he ran away, he met this girl Sasha. He married again but they never had children. Sasha died last year and my dad has no heirs besides me. So I get all of his stuff."
"Tell her the best part. Tell her the best part!" Jack said.
"It looks like, for all that my lawyer told me so far, that he had half of this international huge car selling the business and I get it all."
"Oh my god, James, this is great." Emma said hugging him again.
"I know!" Jack said. His cell phone started to ring. "I'll be back in a sec. It's my mom."
"Ok."
Emma sat back on the couch.
"Are you okay, Ems?"
"I'm fine. I'm fine."
"Oh, are you crying?" He asked sitting by her.
"No, I'm fine."
"You can tell me, Ems."
"It's just that... that everything is going so right in everyone's life today and mine is just sucking. I don't want anyone to see me crying over this."
"You shouldn't."
"What?"
"You shouldn't want anyone to see you cry."
"Why?" She asked looking at him.
"Because you look beautiful when you do it." He answered putting her hair behind her ear.
He looked at her. She looked back at him.
"Guys..." They both looked at the doorstep. Scott was ready to yell at him but the expression on Jack's face held him back. "So you already heard."
"What? What happened?" Emma asked getting up.
"My dad. He was in an accident. He's at the hospital."
"Oh my god. How is he? Is he ok?"
"I don't know. My mom had to go. Call Erica, we need to go down there. I'll go get the car."
"Sure. Sure. Do my parents know?"
"Probably."
"I'll go call Erica." Scott said running towards her door. Jack left the apartment. James looked at Emma.
"Suddenly, I don't think everyone's life is going so great today. I feel so selfish right now."
"Look, Ems, everything is gonna get better. I promise."
"You pinky promise?"
He smiled.
"I do." They crossed their fingers.
**
"How is he?" Erica asked running into the waiting room.
"He's ok." Ross said. "The nurse said he's resting."
"What happened, Dad?"
"Ask your aunt Monica."
Erica, Jack, and Emma turned to face Monica.
"He started it!"
"Mom, what did you do?" Jack asked.
"You guys remember those red and green swords that your dad has?"
"The ones that you always hated?" Erica asked.

"His lightsabers?" Jack asked.

"Yes! These ones. So, your dad had the brilliant idea that fight with them would be nice. And you know how sometimes I can get a little competitive..."
"A little?" Everyone in the room said together.
"Sometimes?" Ross said alone.
"Okay. Too much."
"How can you even hurt someone with one of those? They're plastic and have round edges." Erica said.

"Yeah, believe me, I've tried." Jack said and everyone looked at him for a split of a second.

"I might have gotten too much into it and he ended up falling down the stairs."

"You fought with swords..." Erica started.

"Lightsabers." Jack corrected.

"You fought with lightsabers and pushed dad down the stairs?"

"I couldn't lose for your dad... but the good thing is that now I have a real reason to throw them away." She said with a soft smile.

"Mom!"
"I know! I know! It's horrible. I need help."
"You can go in now." The nurse said.
They all followed him.
**
"Hey, honey." Monica said getting into the room.
"You have a pen on your hand?"
"Yeah, I was just signing some papers..."
"Put it down, slowly..."
"Dad! So glad you're fine." Erica said hugging him.
"Yeah, uncle Chandler. You scared us."
"Where's he? Where is he?" Joey asked running into the room. "Oh, you're still here. Thank God."
"You thought I was dead?"
"No. I thought you were gone. They called me saying that you were in an accident, that's what they told me about my grandpa and the next thing I know he went on a trip to somewhere far away and we never saw him again. He didn't even call again."
"Joey..."
"What happened to you, man?"
"Monica threw down the stairs when we were dueling with my lightsabers."
"Lightsabers? You guys had lightsabers and no ever told me?"
"Joey, we dueled with them. Multiple times."

"Oh, yeah. I remember. That's so cool!"
"And painful."
"I'm sorry, honey. I never meant to do this."
"It didn't appear so when we were dueling."
"You know, I get a little competitive sometimes."
"A little?" Everyone asked.
"Sometimes?" Ross asked alone. "C'mon guys, the sometimes is also shocking!"
"Okay! Okay! I get it!"
"Hey!" Phoebe said getting into the room. "If he's dead, I call dibs on his basketball thingy."
"I'm alive, Phoebe."
"Great, great. That's great. Do you guys wanna go grab some pizza?"
"YES!" Joey screamed.
"Sure, why not?" Emma said.
"Because I can't leave the hospital?" Chandler said.
"Well, Monica will stay here with you." Phoebe said.
"Monica?" Monica asked. "You know, Erica and you are having such a great father and daughter time, I wouldn't wanna interrupt it."
"But..." Erica started.
"Go! Go! Go!" Monica said and they left the room.
"I guess it's just you and me, dad."
"Do you want Jello-o?"
"Sure, why not?"
**
"So, I saved a piece for you." Emma said when she and Erica got home.
"Great. Thanks. Oh, almost forgot, I have to call Alan."
"Alan?"
"The hot guy from the restaurant who called back."
"Ohhh, you stood him up?"
"No! I called him on the way to the hospital. We're going out on Friday."
"So why do you need to call him?"
"Not call, just text."
"Which leads us to the question: why do you need, not to call him, but to text him?"
"Because he asked me to. When I had any news about my dad."
"Uhhh, so adorable."
"Yeah." Erica said smiling.
"I'm gonna head to bed."
"Ok, honey, good night."
"Night."