Authors Note...
Herlooo My Dearest Readers! How Are You All This Fine Day? So I'm Posting This One Shot Trying To Delay The Ending Of Stuck In The Limelight :D Word Of Warning This Contains Some Upsetting Scenes So Don't Read If You Don't Like That Stuff :) Oh And This Isn't A Usual Character Fic ;) Hope You All Enjoy And Please Review :)
Disclaimer...
I Don't Own Friends And I Am Not In Any Shape Or Form Related To Courteney. We Live In 2 Different Countries. The Interview Used Is From The Today Show And I Don't Own The Writing From Friends.
~For the last two seasons on Friends, Monica and Chandler have struggled to have a baby. For more than two years, so have Courteney and David~
"Tell me your thoughts Courteney, when you realized this was not going to be a snap for you and David like it is seemingly for so many people and so many couples"
"Well it was really weird because everyone in my family has kids. I mean, they pop out like it's nobody's business. No one in my family has a problem. So to me, I just thought this would not be a problem at all"
~But it was a problem. After several miscarriages, Courteney learned she had a rare anti-body in her blood, that would attack the fetus~
"You could get pregnant-"
"I could get pregnant"
"Just couldn't maintain a pregnancy"
"Exactly. So now I decided to do in vitro and I did that twice. And then, give myself shots of heparin everyday- that's a blood thinner. Take a baby aspirin"
~During this entire time, her job was to make other people laugh~
"How do you come to work and be funny?"
"That was hard. Sometimes, like I remember one time I just had a miscarriage and Rachel was giving birth. It was like that same time. Oh my God, it was terrible having to be funny"
Courteney climbed out her car- already over 10 minutes late but not caring in the slightest. Grabbing her purse and script from the passenger seat she locked the car before making her way towards stage 24. Coming to work had always been anticipated. Wanting to get there as soon as possible so she could do the job she loved.
But today was different compared to the previous 8 years.
The cast of Friends- Courteney included, were preparing to film the 2 part episode- The One Where Rachel Has A Baby. As if trying to be funny wasn't bad enough, she was going to be surrounded by the scenarios she wished would take place in her own life.
Having missed the previous 2 days on set being stuck at home recovering- Doctors orders, Courteney was completely in the dark on what to expect today. She assumed coming to work would take her mind off the millions of things running through her head, it had worked several times before but today was different.
After having already miscarried 3 baby's the Doctor had been concerned when David had bought Courteney in late Monday night and it was announced she had miscarried a 4th. Through the night Courteney was put through several tests and finally the cause of her painful miscarriages was revealed. A rare anti-body that would attack and kill the fetus was found in her blood.
Never had Courteney felt so much pain- physically and emotionally. Just hours before she had been fine, attending the table read for the hour-long episode, only to have all that taken away from her the following night. Having missed 2 days in total Courteney was dreading the upcoming scenes but she couldn't let anyone down.
David, Marta and Kevin had offered to cancel the show and to give all the audience a refund but she had refused. She couldn't let the fans who had waited months to see the show live down.
Taking a deep breath she pushed open the door and made her way through the building towards her dressing room. As usual the whole stage was covered in people preparing for the episode- cameras, lights and microphones everywhere.
Rounding the corner she found Jennifer and Lisa sitting on the floor outside their dressing rooms, each with a script in hand reading their lines out loud. It was only when Lisa turned her head that they both noticed Courteney standing before them.
"Sweetie-" Jennifer stated before standing up and embracing Courteney in a hug.
"How are you?" Lisa asked leading her heartbroken friend into her dressing room.
"Better than yesterday" Courteney sighed.
"What did the Doctor say?" Lisa asked.
"I have a rare anti-body in my blood that attacks the fetus" Courteney replied "But can we please not talk about it. I just wanna get today over with" She added just as Marta walked into her dressing room.
"Wardrobe are waiting for you 2" Marta smiled as Jen and Lisa gathered their things before leaving "Just say if things get too much and we'll postpone"
"You can't do that" Courteney stated "The fans have been waiting months for this, I don't wanna let them down"
"None of us do but we also don't want to put you through something that's so close to home" Marta replied.
"It'll have to be filmed eventually" Courteney replied "Anyway what did I miss?"
"Hey Babe" Matthew smiled approaching where Courteney sat curled up on an armchair reading through the changes to her script.
"Hey" Courteney smiled.
"You ever need to talk come find me" Matthew offered sitting down on the arm of her chair.
"Thanks" Courteney smiled "So I heard Maggie's back" She chuckled.
"Yep, have you got to that part yet?" Matthew asked.
"Briefly, why?" Courteney questioned.
"We have some pretty good scenes" Matthew smiled.
"I wonder if they'll actually have a baby" Courteney wondered.
"Well finger crossed. For both you and Monica" Matthew smiled.
"Definitely" Courteney smiled brightly.
"So what are you gunna do?" Matthew asked vaguely but Courteney knew what he was asking.
"IVF" Courteney replied "Doctor thinks it might increase our chances"
"It'll happen for you one day" Matthew stated.
"Hopefully. I don't know how many more miscarriages I can go through. I've been to the hospital more times in the last 2 and bit years than my lifetime" Courteney replied.
"Should we tell Rachel there's an empty private room right next door to hers?" Matthew asked.
"We could, or we can have sex in it" Courteney suggested.
"Well let me think about that, while I remove my pants!" Matthew stated as they began to make out.
"Okay mister! Fertilise me!" Courteney smiled as they continue to kiss before they here Janice (Maggie) laughing "Does that sound like Janice?"
"If it's not, then there's two of them. And that would mean it's the end of the world!" Matthew shouted as they clambered off the bed and out the room- now off camera and away from the audience, before anyone has a chance to do or say anything Courteney turns around and rushes off towards the dressing rooms. Jennifer, Lisa, Matt, Matthew and David not far behind her.
Filming a season finale was supposed to be a celebration of a season coming to an end and a new one starting. After 8 years of being together the relatively small cast of 6 had grown extremely close.
~The whole cast huddle together before each episode to wish each other luck. This made frequent guest star Tom Selleck feel left out~
~I felt sorry for Helen who played Emily at first. She arrived on Thursday ready to start filming on Friday, and she was sitting with us and Jennifer and I are so close and we were talking about the most personal things. I think she was a little shocked at how open we are -Courteney Cox~
The 5 cast mates rushed through the building in search of their friend who had been beyond devastation and back multiple times but this time was by far the worse. Maybe it was just her body finding a way to recover once again or maybe it was the scenes they were filming.
No one spoke as they continued to run through the building, their destination- Courteneys dressing room. All 6 had designed their own dressing room, reflecting their personality and interests. Matthews for example was covered in sports posters, contained an air hockey table and a play station. Courteneys reflected her happy personality.
As they approached the door of Courteneys dressing room they began to slow down- going from the run they had held up for several minutes, to a jog, a slow walk, then finally to a stand still in front of the door. Courteneys sobs echoed down the empty halls as all 5 cast mates stood frozen outside her door.
Lisa was the first to break out of the trance, slowly walking into the room- the other 4 following close behind. All 5 pairs of eyes were immediately drawn to Courteney who sat curled up on the couch on the far wall sobbing into a white fluffy cushion.
"Court?" David questioned as he sat on the floor in front of her, Matt and Lisa sat down either side of him while Jen and Matthew sat down either side of Courteney.
"Do you want us to called David Honey?" Jen asked and Courteney nodded slightly as she continued to sob.
10 minutes later David rushed onto stage 24 heading towards the dressing rooms. He ran past several crew members who had taken an early lunch after all 6 cast members had disappeared. Continuing down several halls David finally reached the familiar one he had been down many times before. On either side of the hall sat 3 doors. The 3 doors on the right leading to Matt, Matthews and David's. The 3 on the left leading to Jen, Courteney's and Lisa's.
Reaching the door he stepped inside to find his wife sobbing into Jens t-shirt. Matthew had his hand comfortingly on her back while Lisa, Matt and David sat on the floor in front of her. Jen noticed his presence immediately and called him over, the other 5 stood back as he took Jens place.
"Thanks guys" He whispered rocking Courteney in his arms.
"No problem, we're gunna go find Kevin, Marta or David and see if there's anything we can film" Jennifer replied.
"Okay" David replied as he watched all 5 walk out the room leaving just him and his wife "Baby what's wrong?"
"It all got to much" Courteney sobbed in reply after several minutes of silence "Me and Matthew were filming a scene and I could feel it coming" She cried "I let everyone down"
"Honey, you haven't let anyone down" David assured her "Things just got to much for you" He added as a few tears streamed down his cheek.
"What should I do?" She questioned looking pleadingly into her husbands eyes.
"This room's available" A nurse called.
"Okay! Okay wait! You listen to me! You listen to me! Since I have been waiting four women, that's four, one higher than the number of centimeters that I am dilated, have come and gone with their babies! I'm next! It's my turn! It's only fair! And if you bring in one woman and she has her baby before me I'm going to sue you! Not this hospital, I'm going to sue you! And my husband he's a lawyer!"
"Uh Rach-"
"Go get back on that case honey!"
"I don't think the next patient is very far along" The nurse stated.
"Okay, well then bring her in" Jennifer stated as another nurse wheeled the pregnant woman in.
"OH! MY! GOD!"
The audience erupt into laughter as Maggie who plays Janice is pushed into the room. Maggie sits smiling widely in he wheelchair waiting for the cheers to die down before continuing the scene.
"I can't believe this!"
"And yet somehow it's true!"
"I mean this is so great! We're gonna be baby buddies!" She laughed.
"Squeeze your legs together and cover the baby's ears!"
"Hi sweetie!"
"Hi! Hi sweetheart! This is my husband Sid, I don't think you've met him. Ross, Rachel, this is Sid. I nabbed him a year ago at the dermatologist's office. Thank God for adult acne huh?"
"I still can't believe it! I'm the luckiest guy in the world!"
"Really?"
"What'd he say?"
"Oh you know what? You have to speak very loudly when you're talking to Sid, because he's almost completely deaf"
"Oh!"
"Oh there you go!"
"I get it!"
"So? Congratulations you two, I didn't even know you got married"
"Oh we didn't"
"No-no. We-"
"What?!"
"Um uh- We're just having this baby together but that's all"
"Why?!"
"Uh well umm- we're just not in that place, you know? But we're very excited about this"
"Oh. Well then shut me up"
"Just tell me how"
"Uh-oh, I feel another one coming"
"Sid you lucky deaf bastard"
Jennifer, David S, Lisa, Matt and Matthew walk off towards where Marta and David Crane are sitting.
"So what's next?" Matt asked.
"The next scene we need Courteney so we're gunna skip it and do it when she's ready" David C explained.
"I'm ready" Courteney stated coming up behind them holding her husbands hand tightly.
"Sweetie are you sure?" Marta asked.
"Yep, we talked about stuff and I'm feeling a lot better" Courteney stated smiling up and David A.
"If you're completely sure-" David C started.
"I'm sure" Courteney smiled "Please can we just get on with it?"
"So what did you and David talk about?" Jennifer asked as she, Courteney and Lisa took a break later that day.
"Just stuff" Courteney replied.
"Define stuff" Lisa said.
"Just about our options and the future and stuff" Courteney explained.
"And we're back to stuff" Jennifer laughed "You're being so amazing about all this. I don't think I'd be able to cope with these scenes"
"You just have to focus and try not to think about it" Courteney replied "I'll be fine within a few weeks its just- the first few days are hard cause you go from having a baby growing inside you and then suddenly it's gone and you have all these raging hormones and your body trying to get used to the situation again and then you just can't stop yourself from thinking what if"
Not knowing what to say Jennifer stayed silent while Lisa asked, "If you'd have remained pregnant and hadn't have miscarried this time do you think they'd have incorporated it into the storyline? You know having Monica and Chandler get pregnant?"
"They incorporated it with your pregnancy so I think they would have" Jennifer said.
"Especially now it's been revealed they're trying" Lisa replied.
"Court? You okay?" Jennifer asked looking towards Courteney who looked deep in thought.
"Just thinking" Courteney replied.
"About?" Lisa asked.
"Isn't it amazing how our characters lives are effected by our lives?" Courteney considered.
"That's the good thing about this show" Lisa smiled "It relates to everyday life and everyone can relate to it. That's why it's been so successful"
"That and the amazing writing" Jennifer smiled.
"How much longer do you think we'll last?" Lisa asked.
"Like how many more seasons till we finish?" Courteney asked.
"Yeah" Lisa replied.
"Well season 9 has been agreed its whether we all sign on for season 10" Jennifer explained.
"Do you think we all will?" Courteney asked.
"As long as Marta, Kevin and David remain here and all 6 of us stay I think we will" Jennifer said.
"Me too" Lisa said "I think if we do, do-" She laughed slightly "- a 10th season it'll be the last"
"It would sort of be symbolic" Courteney said "Airing for a whole decade"
"If you look at some of those episodes, do you think you can tell that something was troubling you?"
"Probably yeah, I bet I could"
"You could or the audience could?"
"Hopefully just me, I think. I faked it pretty well I think"
~She doesn't have to fake it anymore. Courteney Cox is pregnant, and the baby is due next month (June)~
"Okay, please be careful with that. It was my grandmother's. Be careful" Courteney said "If that falls off the truck, it wouldn't be the worst thing" She added handing a delivery man a 10 dollar bill.
"Wow" David sighed.
"I know. It seems smaller somehow" Jennifer stated trying not to cry.
"Has it always been purple?" Matt questioned.
Matthew smiled before looking down at the 2 babies in his and Courteneys arms before saying, "Look around, you guys. This was your first home. And it was a happy place, filled with love and laughter. But more important, because of rent control, it was a friggin' steal!" He finished as he and Courteney placed the babies in a double stroller.
"Hey, do you realise that at one time or another we all lived in this apartment?" Lisa stated.
"Oh, yeah, that's true" Courteney replied.
"Uh, I haven't" David said.
"Wait a minute. What about that summer during college that you lived with grandma, and you tried to make it as a dancer?" Courteney explained.
"Do you realise we almost made it ten years without that coming up?" David said.
"Oh, honey, I forgot. I promised Treeger that we'd leave our keys" Courteney said.
"Oh, okay" Matthew said as he and Courteney each placed a key down on the blue counter top, several seconds later the other 4 also produce keys and lay them down next to the other 2.
"So, I guess this is it" Lisa said obviously holding back tears.
"Yeah. I guess so" Matt sighed.
"This is harder than I thought it would be" Courteney cried, real tears now falling down her cheeks.
"Oh, it's gonna be okay" Matthew whispered as he hugged her tightly. Courteney then turned to David and Jennifer hugging them both as Matthew gets the stroller.
"Do you guys have to go to the new house right away, or do you have some time?" Jennifer asked hers and Lisa's tears now falling.
"We got some time" Courteney said.
"Okay, should we get some coffee?" Jennifer asked.
"Sure. Where?" Matthew questioned fighting his tears as they all stepped out the apartment set and into the hall. Matt helped Matthew with the stroller. Jennifer and Courteney wrap their arms tightly around each other as they walk off camera.
Matt and Matthew abandon the stroller and the 6 immediately turn to each other all of them now crying.
"I can't believe it's over" Lisa croaked.
"Can we change our minds and do another 10 seasons?" Matthew asked in between tears.
"I'm gunna miss you all so much" Jennifer cried.
No one had yet disturbed them, everyone still focused on the final few seconds where the camera pans around the empty set of apartment 20. The camera man turned to Marta, David and Kevin putting his thumb up signalling the episode was complete. The audience, consisting off friends and family of the cast and crew, began to cheer and applause as Marta led Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer back into the apartment.
When the applause died down David Crane turned towards the audience, there wasn't a single dry eye in the house, if there was there certainly wasn't after David C said, "And that's our show"
The cast stood holding hands tightly in a line, first Matthew followed by Lisa, David, Courteney, Jennifer and finally Matt. They all glanced at each other smiling through all the tears that continued to fall before taking their final bow as the cast of friends.
Everyone cheered for the final time of what would be the most memorable cast of the most memorable tv show of all time. Before Matt and Matthew broke away, walking towards Marta, David C and Kevin leading them onto the stage. All 9 stood on the stage marking the end of F.R.I.E.N.D.S.
Several hours later everyone was still on stage 24 or better known at that moment as the F.R.I.E.N.D.S Stage.
Courteney smiled as everyone went round taking photos, she chuckled to herself glad that makeup had advised her to wear waterproof mascara.
"What you laughing at?" Matthew asked approaching where she was standing.
"Nothing" Courteney replied as they hugged tightly "I'm gunna miss you so much" She whispered her tears falling again.
"I'm gunna miss you too" Matthew replied breaking away from her.
"I don't know what I'm gunna do without seeing you everyday" Courteney said.
"Well first things first focus on bringing this little one into the world safely" Matthew smiled.
"I just want he or she to come now" Courteney smiled "I've waited long enough"
"We all have" Matthew chuckled "Julian needs a cousin and we all need a niece or nephew" He smiled glancing over to where Lisa stood with 5 year old Julian by her side.
"I just want-" She stopped abruptly as her hands flew to her stomach "The baby's kicking" She gasped grabbing Matthews hand and placing it on her stomach and sure enough Baby Arquette was kicking away.
"Wow" Matthew smiled "Future football player in there" He chuckled.
"Would you go find David please" Courteney asked.
"Sure" Matthew replied going to walk away "Wait which one?"
"My husband you idiot" She laughed as he walked away.
By the time Matthew returned several minutes later with David, Jennier, Lisa, Matt and David S were all sitting with Courteney who had a huge smile adorning her face.
"What's wrong?" David A asked rushing up to where Courteney now sat.
"The baby's kicking" She smiled grabbing his hand and placing it on her stomach, after several seconds a huge smiled inched over David's face when his son or daughter began to kick.
"Is this the first time?" David A asked.
"No he or she's been doing it for weeks I just didn't tell you" Courteney shot sarcastically "Of course it is you idiot" She smiled as the baby continued to kick.
~After 5 total miscarriages, Courteney and David finally welcomed Coco Riley Arquette into the world on June 13th 2004~