(A/N: I do not own Friends. Also, for those that have a problem with my story(ies), I have simply this to say: Sorry. Other than that, I have nothing other to say. This is my writing that you are free to read/not read. I'm not going to be dictated what is seen as acceptable on this site simply because people have a preference either this or that and nothing but this and that.
Also, simply because Rachel and Ross are in the same main character slots, that doesn't mean it's going to be a Roschel story. So if you have a critical but respectful comment to say about my work and nothing but my work, please feel free to leave a review. Other than that, I'm not going to pay any further attention to people who send flames to people who are using the site as it was meant to be used: To 'unleash your imagination'.
My apologies for this long intro.)
Ross Geller along with Carol Willick and Rachel Green sat in the visitor's area of the hospital at 6 in the morning. Emily's water had finally broke and she was about ready to give birth. Ross knew he shouldn't be but he was nervous. He'd already been through this before but there was just that instinct he had.
It was about 7 and a half months ago since the announcement and his and Carol's reuniting. Pregnancy was a bit of a rocky road for Ross as it was the first time he'd actually spent the full nine months with a pregnant woman. Along with Ross having to go to a convenient store at 3 in the morning so he could get Emily chocolate bars, potato chips and spray on cheese (Which Emily normally hated but since he knew it was cravings, he didn't question it) along with her constant mood swings which questioned him at times whether or not he should utter a word to the woman, it was pretty tiring. However, he didn't mind at all. At times he thought it was sort of fun…..at least that's what he told himself but at least it would be over soon and a new adventure would begin.
He tapped his foot slowly, visually showing his discomfort without uttering a word. Rachel noticed and squeezed his hand. Ross looked at her and smiled. They gave each other a nice kiss. He turned to Carol and kissed her as well.
"I'm so glad I have the two of you here with me. I'd be a nervous wreck if I didn't" Ross said.
"It seems as if you're a nervous wreck now" Carol said.
"Well, I guess so but I can't help it" Ross said.
"No worries, Ross. We'll be right here by your side no matter what" Rachel said.
"Thanks, ladies. I appreciate that" Ross said. He put his arms around both of them and brought them closer to him until they were touching heads.
That moment, their friends came in: Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe.
"Hey" Monica said.
"Hi, everybody" Ross said.
"Today's the big day" Joey said.
"I'm getting a new niece or nephew" Monica said.
"And I'm going to be an uncle!" Chandler said.
It had been 2 months since Monica and Chandler married, Chandler officially becoming Ross' brother-in-law.
"You already are one. Ben, remember?" Carol asked, annoyed.
"Oh of course I do, Carol. Of course I remember Ben. It's just that this is different. I'll actually get to watch this child grow up. I'll get to see him or her walk for the first time, I'll get to listen to it's first words, I'll get to buy gifts for the baby" Chandler said.
Carol nodded. That was a life-changing experience that she loved about raising Ben.
"Speaking of which, where is the little munchkin?" Phoebe asked.
"With a sitter back at Ross' apartment. We called for a last minute babysitter after we came to the hospital to get Emily a Doctor" Rachel said.
"Is he excited about getting a new baby brother or sister?" Monica asked.
"Well, to be honest, I don't think he's that excited over it. I think he's jealous" Ross said.
"Aw, that's cute" Joey said with a grin.
"It is but it kind of worries us a little bit. We think that might affect his and the baby's relationship over time" Ross said.
"We decided to just do more things together as a family to not make him feel left out" Carol said.
"Well that's good. It'll be good to know he won't have to compete for the favorite child in the house" Chandler said.
"There will be no favorites in our home" Ross said.
"That's right. We'll all love Ben and the baby equally" Rachel said.
"Right….mom and dad always said that to me about Ross and I…." Monica said with an annoyed look on her face.
"Now come on, Mon, you know Mom and Dad love you and are very proud of you. It's all in your head" Ross stated.
Monica rolled her eyes and shook her head. She appreciated the gesture but she thought that was utter crap.
"Speaking of which, have you called Mom and Dad yet?" Ross asked.
"I did. They're coming later in the morning" Monica said.
"Great. Thanks, Mon" Ross said, kissing his little sister on the head.
Rachel leaned over to Ross. "Do you think we should tell them about the 4 of us today?"
Ross looked over at Rachel with a bit of a worried look on his face.
No one in Ross', Rachel's or Emily's family knew about their nontraditional relationship yet and wanted to wait until the right time to tell them so she had taken extreme measures in taking birth control while they didn't know yet. That's kind of why Emily was pregnant and she wasn't. As for Carol's family, they cut off ties with her long ago because of her being a lesbian and all (At the time) so they didn't feel the need to bother with them.
Ross kissed her on the cheek. "Not today. We'll just have to wait"
Rachel slowly nodded. She didn't like hiding this from everyone but felt that Ross may be right in that they should wait in telling them….maybe not even tell them at all.
The Doctor looking over Emily came out. Ross got up and walked towards him. It was the same Doctor that looked over Ross when he….almost left this world voluntarily.
"How's it looking, Doctor?" Ross asked.
"She's responding well to the treatment. Everything is proceeding as normal. You'll soon have a child in your arms soon, Mr. Geller" The Doctor said.
"Alright, that's good to hear" Ross said, smiling at the concept of a new child.
"On a personal note, I'm happy to see you're doing well. It's been a while since I've looked after you" The Doctor said.
"Thank you, Doctor. I have good people looking after me now" Ross said, turning towards Rachel and Carol who both smiled at him.
"I'm sure you do. Anyways, if you want to see Mrs. Geller, she gave all of you permission to see her. I'll be back shortly for some more medication" The Doctor said.
"Thank you, Doctor" Ross said.
He turned and gestured for everyone to follow him. They all went to the room where Emily was staying.
Dressed in patient clothing and arm hooked to a heartbeat monitor, she was laying in a hospital bed. She turned her head towards the group and smiled.
"Hello, everyone" Emily said.
Ross went up and kissed her straight on the lips. "Hi, honey….how are you feeling?"
"I feel wonderful, darling" Emily said, caressing his hair.
"Good. I'll be here by your side until the baby is born" Ross said.
"Thank you, Ross. I'm really grateful for all of you being here" Emily said.
"We're just glad to know you're doing well" Rachel said, pecking Emily on the lips.
"Did the Doctor tell you when the baby will be born?" Carol asked.
"Well he told me that it can come at any time but he guessed probably in the next 12 hours" Emily said.
"That's good. We'll soon have a baby boy or girl by our side in no time" Ross said.
He snuggled into Emily's face, giving her little Eskimo kisses.
"Get a room" Phoebe said, huffing playfully.
"Well….we are in one, technically" Ross said, suggestively.
Emily lightly tapped his head. "Not for that, darling. Plus after this, we won't be able to….have fun for about 6 weeks and that goes for Carol and Rachel too. I don't want you doing the deed with either of them without me"
"Well that kills my mood for the rest of the day" Ross said, lightly grimacing.
"Men….always thinking with their dicks" Monica said.
"When you're surrounded by beautiful girls like I am, can you really blame me?" Ross said with a big grin on his face.
"Well on the bright side, Ross, the wait will make it all worthwhile" Rachel said, kissing Ross' head.
Carol had to smile at the scene. She was now officially part of Ross' legendary group group and she couldn't be happier. After her divorce from Susan, she'd thought she'd never really be happy again but this wonderful man saved her from misery.
Carol pulled Ross up and kissed him in the face. Everyone did a playful 'oooh' at the sight. When they pulled apart, Ross asked "What was that for?"
"Everything" Carol said.
They smiled at each other lovingly.
"Well, this is touching…." A voice said. Everyone turned and Carol gasped…..it was her ex-wife: Susan Bunch.
"S….Susan?" Carol asked.
"In the flesh" Susan said with a smile filled with regret and a hint of jealously.
"What are you doing in here? I never gave permission for you to be in here" Emily said.
"I only came to see Carol. No offense, Emily. I'm very happy for you but I want to talk to Carol about something" Susan said.
"I really don't feel that to be necessary, Susan. I think we've said all we needed to say to each other the last time we saw each other" Carol said.
"Carol….please…." Susan said with those eyes she just couldn't say no to.
Carol sighed. She turned to the group and said "Just one minute?"
"Do whatever you feel you need to do. We'll be right here in case you need something" Ross said, kissing her cheek. That made Susan cringe a little.
Carol and Susan went out of the room for a private conversation.
*Visitor's Area*
Carol and Susan were alone in the room. They sat down in chairs, face to face with each other.
"How did you find me, anyway?" Carol asked, a little icy in her voice.
"I...I knew you went back to Ross after we split up so I phoned his apartment. When I found out you weren't there, I tried contacting your boss from your work and he said you were taking the day off because Emily was giving birth today" Susan said.
Carol gave a little sigh before she spoke again.
"Alright, Susan. You wanted to see me so here I am. What exactly is it that you want?" Carol asked.
"Well…..Carol…..I was wondering if you would consider getting back together?" Susan asked.
Carol looked at her, amazed at her bluntness. After this woman abandoned her and she went months of receiving no word from her and now she comes back wanting another chance?
"What happened to your girlfriend?" Carol asked.
"...We didn't work out and it made me realize how much I was really in love with you. Carol, I'm so sorry that I left you and I'm sorry I didn't call or contact you for months but I never stopped loving you. Please give me another chance" Susan said.
"Susan…..even if I wanted to….I couldn't. You had sex with a woman you barely knew when we've been together for 6 years and this is after I left a wonderful loving man to be with you. Do you not realize how you made me feel?" Carol asked.
"I know and I'm sorry. It was a moment of weakness and I never wanted to hurt you. We've been together for 6 years though and that was the first big mistake I ever made. Do you really want to give all that we had up?" Susan asked.
Carol fumed with anger. "Me?! Give it all up? You were the one who cheated on me, Susan. Not the other way around. You were the one who gave it all up"
Susan stayed silent for a moment before Carol spoke up once more.
"You know what the biggest problem is with you, Susan? You only think about yourself. You don't ever think about how other people might feel. You didn't care how Ross felt when he and I divorced so I could be with you, you didn't care how I felt when I found out my parents wouldn't be coming to my own wedding, you didn't care how I felt when you divorced and left me, you didn't care how Ben might feel when you left, you cared solely about your own happiness. Marriage and love in general is supposed to be about partnership and trust. I don't think you know the meaning of either of those words" Carol said.
"That's not fair, Carol" Susan said.
"It is fair if it's the truth and I think it is. Susan….I need to be frank with you. I thought I was in love with you because you made me feel things I never felt when I was with Ross. I have to admit, I thought he was acting pretty childish about us being together but now I realize that it was actually me who was being the childish one because I realized the pain I caused him to go through because of you…..I thought you were in love with me" Carol said.
"I am in love with you, Carol" Susan said.
"Then why did you leave? Why do you now only come back when your relationship didn't work out?" Carol asked.
"Carol…..I don't know what to say….you're right that I was selfish but I swear I changed. When I was with her, I didn't feel as nearly the same things I felt when I was with you. You changed my entire world. I admit I've been selfish but I'm ready to make up for it now….Please. Give me another chance" Susan said, tears rolling down her face.
Carol frowned with sympathy as she looked upon the crying woman. Susan always was the kind of woman that could talk you into anything. In fact, she wasn't just that kind of woman, she personified that kind of woman. She was almost tempted to give her a second chance but under the present circumstances, she couldn't.
"Susan…..I'm sorry but…..even if I felt that there was still something between us….I couldn't. I've already sacrificed so much in my life and I can't sacrifice anymore. I'm in a wonderful relationship with Ross, Rachel and Emily. They make me feel like I'm 25 again and they treat me like no one else I've ever been in a relationship with so…..I can't….I just can't. I'm really sorry" Carol said.
Susan nodded. "I understand….and if you ask me, Ross is a pretty good guy….I may not be straight or even Bi but it's easy to see why you fell in love with him. If you change your mind, I'm always available to take your calls"
"Thank you, Susan" Carol said.
Susan got up, kissed Carol on the cheek and left the hospital.
Carol gave another sigh as a tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it off, knowing that she couldn't face the others like this….but somehow, she had a feeling someone already knew.
"How long have you been listening?" Carol said, sensing someone behind her.
"Long enough" Ross Geller said.
She turned to see him with a smile on his face, the type of smile from him that just made her heart melt.
"Carol…..I think you should call Susan and her ask her out for lunch" Ross said.
"Lunch?...Ross, are you suggesting that I should go on a date with Susan?" Carol asked.
Ross shrugged. "Not necessarily a date, just a…..get together, you know?
"Ross...a date" Carol said, scraping through all his bullshit.
Ross caved in. "Alright, a date….but I'm saying this because I feel like this is the best for you right now"
"What do you mean?" Carol asked.
"I want you to know if there's anything between you and Susan anymore" Ross said.
"Ross, you said you were listening, weren't you? I said that there was nothing between me and Susan anymore" Carol said.
"I don't think I really believe that yet. When you were talking, I sensed a sort of regret and doubtful tone in your voice" Ross said.
"Well….I don't see it like that, Ross. I'm in love with you, not Susan. Everything I said about you, Emily and Rachel were true. Susan made me feel excited, you make me feel loved and appreciated. I feel like I can jump over the moon when I'm with you" Carol said.
"And I'm happy you feel that way, Carol but this isn't about me, Emily or Rachel. It's about you. I want you to feel the happiest you possibly can and I want you to make a decision that you won't end up regretting in the future" Ross said.
"So….you want me to go on one last date with her….what will happen then?" Carol asked.
Ross shook his head. "I don't know. I'm not the one to answer that but I see two distinct possibilities happening"
"And what would those possibilities be?" Carol asked.
"Well….if you don't feel like you can ever love her again….you stay with me, Rachel and Emily. If you still feel like you have feelings for her…..you go back to her" Ross said.
Carol laughed with tears in her eyes. "You're such a sap. Why are you such a sap?"
Ross smiled. "I guess all those years of not exactly having a stable relationship made me appreciate every single person I've had in my life, including you and if I wasn't looking out for your best interest….well, then I wouldn't feel right about myself. I shouldn't put my welfare above yours or anyone elses"
Carol looked down at the ground, completely confused. "You really think I should go with her? What will happen if I still have feelings for her?"
"Well then…..I wish the both of you well and remember this...I will never. Ever. Stop loving you for whatever reason. You're always welcome in our home and you will always be family" Ross said.
Carol hugged Ross, crying into his chest. Ross patted her back.
A few minutes later, they parted and Ross took out his phone and said "Give her a call"
Carol sighed and said "Alright"
She dialed Susan. Seconds later she said "Hello, Susan…...I was wondering if you wanted to meet later. You know, just to catch up on everything…..alright. I'll see you around noon"
She looked back at Ross who was still smiling.
"You're doing the right thing. I know you're a caring person, Carol, but you need to thinking about your own well-being for a change" Ross said.
Carol stayed silent. She didn't know what to say.
"Let's go back inside" Ross said. He put his arm around Carol and they walked back to the hospital room.
*Emily's Hospital Room*
"Why do you all think she's here?" Chandler asked.
"Why else? To get Carol back" Joey said.
"After cheating on her and leaving her for 7 and half months? There's no way Carol would agree to it" Monica said.
Ross and Carol came back into the room.
"What did she want from you?" Rachel asked.
"Well….as you can probably imagine, she wanted to have a second chance with me…." Carol said.
"And you said no, right?" Monica asked.
"Well…." Carol said.
"You said no, right?" Monica asked again, being more assertive.
"...I agreed to meet with her this afternoon" Carol said.
The group groaned.
"Why?! After all she did to you?" Phoebe asked.
"Well…...I…" Carol, trying to figure out what to say.
"I suggested she should" Ross said, saving Carol from having to explain something she clearly had trouble wording.
"But…..why?" Chandler asked.
"Well…this is really just to make sure there are no more feelings between Carol and Susan" Ross said.
"...You really think you may still love her, Carol?" Rachel asked.
"No…..maybe…..I don't know. It's really complicated. I don't know how to explain it" Carol said.
"Well...whatever happens, we'll all still be there for you, Carol. Won't we?" Ross asked.
There was mutual agreement amongst the group.
"Of course. Carol, while you were still with Susan, I still thought of you as my Sister-in-law even though we weren't legal Sisters-in-law. Now, I think we're closer than we've ever been" Monica said.
"And we always viewed you as a friend even after you and Ross divorced. Nothing will change that" Chandler said, holding his arm around Monica's waist.
Carol looked around the room with tears in her eyes. "Thank you….thank you all"
Ross went to Carol and hugged her. She gave her a kiss on the head. They were joined by the rest of the group.
Emily smiled at the sight. She would have join but of course….she was having a child soon.
When they parted, Ross looked at his watch. It was 8AM.
"Well, we have a few hours before you have to go so let's just go back to celebrating" Ross said.
*2 hours later*
The hours went by swimmingly. The group laughed as they reminisced old memories.
"So Joey goes to this Broadway audition, saying he could dance and even putting on his resume that he worked at the American Ballet Theatre. When the casting director asks him to teach a group of dancers how to dance, he completely butchers it. When the director comes back and sees them dancing, he asks Joey to show them how it was done. He ends up running out of the theatre" Chandler said.
The entire group laughed while Joey just annoyingly smiled. He needed to stop telling Chandler everything.
"Chandler, that's hilarious" Carol said, still laughing.
"How could you put that on your resume, Joey?" Emily asked, wiping tears from her face.
Joey shrugged. "It almost worked...somewhat"
"Please. It was like the Hindenburg of Joey's entire career" Chandler said.
"No, that's where you're wrong. The Hindenburg was when they killed off the greatest Days Of Our Lives character of all time: Dr. Drake Ramoray" Joey said.
"Oh yeah, that's right. You were on Days Of Our Lives for a little bit. You were….good" Carol said, lying through her teeth. He was actually really bad but she didn't want to hurt his feelings.
"What's Days Of Our Lives?" Emily asked.
"It's a soap opera here in the US" Joey said.
"Oh, like Emmerdale or Coronation Street" Emily said.
Joey nodded, not knowing at all what she was talking about. "Yeah, like that"
Chandler looked at Joey with an annoyed look on his face. "And of course Joey knows all about those, right?"
"...I've heard about them" Joey said.
Chandler rolled his eyes and shook his head. Not worth getting into.
Suddenly, a nurse came in.
"Mrs. Geller, your mother and father in-law are here. Should I let them in?" The nurse asked.
"Oh, yes of course. Let them in" Emily said.
Moments later, Jack and Judy Geller came through the door.
"Hi, everybody" Jack said.
Monica walked towards her father and mother and gave them a hug. "Hey Mom. Dad"
"Hey, Mons" Jack said, smiling at his daughter.
"Have you been good to your sister-in-law?" Judy asked.
Monica looked annoyed but understood at the present moment. "Yes, Mom"
"Well good. How are you, dear?" Judy said, walking over to Emily.
"I'm doing splendid, Mrs. Geller. Just splendid" Emily said.
"Oh, stop it with 'Mrs. Geller', sweetheart. Call me mom or Judy at least" Judy said.
"Same for me. Call me 'Dad' or Jack" Jack said.
"I very much appreciate that" Emily said.
"It's our pleasure, darling. Especially after the fact you've been a loving wife to our son and are giving us another grandchild" Judy said.
"Well I have to admit, I'm a bit nervous. This is the first time I've done this" Emily said.
"Well, it won't be the most pleasant feeling in the world but just remember, we're here for you and when you hold that child in your arms, you'll know it was worth it" Judy said.
Emily smiled gratefully at her mother and father in-law. "Thank you both very much"
Judy kissed Emily on the head. "It's our pleasure, dear. Now anyway, we're going to head to the cafeteria to get some breakfast. We'll be back soon"
With the announcement, Jack and Judy left the room.
"They always were such wonderful in-laws, especially when Ross and I were married" Carol said.
"And when we first started going out, Mrs. Geller told me that I 'was the daughter she never had'" Rachel said.
This caused Monica to turn her head. 'Daughter she never had'? Really?
Suddenly, the nurse came in again.
"Mrs. Geller, I hate to keep coming in and out. I just wanted you to know your parents are here. Stephen and Andrea Waltham. I assume you're letting them in?" The nurse asked.
Ross widened his eyes and turned to Emily who had a look of shock/worry but also a bit pleased.
"Uh….yes. Let them in" Emily said.
"Will do" The nurse said as she left the room.
"Oh no no no, this is not good" Ross said, pacing.
"Darling, darling! Relax" Emily said, grabbing Ross' hand.
"I can't relax, Emily. Your parents and my parents in the same building? This just spells disaster" Ross said.
"What's going on?" Carol asked.
Ross explained how Emily's and his parents didn't exactly….get along at the wedding.
"They were this close to fighting each other before I stepped in. I threatened them with no grandchildren….now I don't think that threat is going to work as much" Ross said.
"Just relax, darling. It will be alright" Emily said.
"Yes it will because I'm going to keep them as far apart as possible" Ross said.
The door opened and in came Emily's parents: Stephen and Andrea Waltham.
"Mr. and Mrs. Waltham. It's good to see you. It's been so long" Ross said.
"It has indeed. Last time we heard of you was when you tried to kill yourself" Mr. Waltham said. Ross just continued to smile.
"Yes. You've no idea how upset we were to hear about that, Ross. We always thought you were a fine young man….very fine" Mrs. Waltham said.
She pulled Ross in for a hug. At first, Ross hugged back as it was a nice, gentle hug. Then it lasted a bit too long.
"Uh….Mrs. Waltham?" Ross asked.
"Hm? Oh, just enjoying the moment with my son-in-law, Ross" Mrs. Waltham said. Her hands started moving down until they reached his as-
"Mum, I think that's enough!" Emily said, looking suspiciously at her stepmother.
Mr. Waltham rolled his eyes at the scene. Why he every married this woman is beyond him. Damn him for only thinking about how good the intercourse was.
After being a bit blissfully aware of what was going on, Mrs. Waltham realized what she was doing and pulled away. Ross just stood there, disturbed.
"Oh...yes, of course. How are you, Emily dear?" Mrs. Waltham asked. She walked to Emily's bedside.
"I'm alright, Mum. Everyone has been so wondeful" Emily said. Andrea leaned down and kissed Emily on the cheek.
Mr. Waltham looked around the room and said "I don't recognize any of you people"
"We're Ross' friends. I'm Chandler" Chandler said.
"And I'm Phoebe. I couldn't come to the wedding because I was having my brother's babies" Phoebe said.
"Oh, so you're Phoebe…..how lovely" Mrs. Waltham said, stepping back a little.
"No, Mum. You don't understand. Her brother and his wife weren't able to conceive so they just had Phoebe carry their embryo" Emily explained.
"Oh! Well….that makes more sense….thank god" Mrs. Waltham said, whispering the last part.
"And I'm Monica Geller, Ross' sister. You probably know me from the wedding" Monica said with a half-smile, not thrilled with seeing Emily's parents again.
"And I'm Joey, Joey Tribbiani" Joey said.
"Weren't you that bloke that couldn't stop kissing Emily's friend, Felicity?" Mr. Waltham asked.
Joey wanted to deny this (Although it was true) but couldn't think of a good lie besides 'It was my evil twin, Poey' so he confessed.
"Well then. I guess New Yorkers just hold some strange power over our women" Mr. Waltham looked to his wife as he said this. If only New Yorkers knew how they would come to regret this power.
"And uh…..I'm Rachel" Rachel said hesitantly. After all, she did pretty much ruin the wedding between Ross and Emily and she didn't know whether or not they still held a grudge over that (Although there was still a pretty high chance that they did).
"Oh yes….that's right. So you're Rachel" Mr. Waltham said.
Rachel nodded her head empathetically.
"Well, it's quite nice to meet you, young lady" Mr. Waltham said, shaking her hand. Rachel suddenly started feeling a bit happier as her smile grew. Maybe this wasn't going to be so awkward after a-
"Haven't ruined any more weddings now, have you?" Mr. Waltham asked.
The woman in question spoke too soon.
"And I'm Carol. I'm Ross' ex-wife" Carol said.
"You're that lesbian, right?" Mrs. Waltham asked bluntly.
"Well….yes and no. I mean I am attracted to women but….not at the same level I used to. Me and my ex-wife separated not too long ago" Carol said.
"Well then, I'm sorry to hear that. I have to say for a lesbian, you seem rather normal" Mr. Waltham said.
Carol smiled annoyingly at the compliment (She guessed it was a compliment).
"Daddy!" Emily said exasperatedly.
"What are you buggering me for? It was a compliment" Mr. Waltham said.
"Well can your compliments be more polite, please?" Emily asked.
"Ah, the younger generations. They'll be the death of us all" Mr. Waltham said.
"Daddy, what are you and mum doing here anyway?" Emily asked.
"Are you joking? Miss the birth of my first grandchild? Absolutely not" Mr. Waltham said.
"Oh, daddy, you are so sweet" Emily said, hugging her father from her bedside.
"Mr. and Mrs. Waltham, would you like anything to drink?" Ross asked.
"Yes, my boy. Thank you. Earl Grey, please" Mr. Waltham said.
"Same for me" Mrs. Waltham said.
"Will do. I'll be back" Ross said. As he opened the door, he saw his mother and father right outside the door. He widened his eyes in fear and closed the door fast. It caused everyone to look at him.
"What's the matter?" Mr. Waltham asked.
"You know, I just realized they're all out of tea. No Earl Grey, Green, Herbal. None. All out….sorry" Ross said, stammering through each word.
Everyone looked at him like he was a crazy person. Soon, Mr. Waltham shrugged.
"I could go for an ice water" Mr. Waltham said.
"I guess that'd be alright" Mrs. Waltham said.
Ross' eyes widened. "Alright….just wait here and I'll be back"
As he was going out, Rachel could glimpse Mr. and Mrs. Geller on the outside of the room and suddenly realized what was happening. She knew that them and the Walthams meeting again might set off some unneeded fighting. She needed to help separate them as much as possible.
*Hospital Hallway*
"Hey, Mom! Dad! How are you?" Ross said, trying not to act nervous (He was failing miserably).
Jack and Judy looked at their son oddly.
"Uh….we're alright, son. Why don't we go inside the room?" Jack asked.
"Oh, no! No! Let's go exploring around the hospital. After all, how often do people…..get to explore around a hospital?" Ross asked, looking around the hospital trying to sound as enthused as possible.
Jack and Judy gave a weird look to each other before looking back at Ross.
"Actually, I come to the hospital quite often. My cholesterol level is getting pretty high lately" Jack said.
"And I'm getting quite concerned about this feeling that I have that I may have breast cancer" Judy said.
"Mom, you don't have breast cancer. Your breasts are healthy. Your breasts are cancer free. You have such great breasts" Ross said.
As one might expect, Ross' parents were growing quite concerned with Ross' apparent fondness of his mother's breasts.
"Ross...if we agree to come with you around the hospital, will you please stop talking?" Jack asked.
"You betcha-roo, dad" Ross said, trying to lighten the awkwardness (He was failing badly).
The mother, father and son went exploring around the hospital.
*Emily's Hospital Room*
Ever since Ross left, there was this awkward silence that engulfed the room. Emily's parents didn't exactly give a ray of sunshine that the group was looking for.
"So what is it do you all do?" Mr. Waltham asked, filling the silence.
"I'm a head chef at an Italian restaurant called Alessandro's" Monica said.
"And I'm a IT Procurement Manager, specializing in statistical analysis and data reconfiguration" Chandler said.
Mr. Waltham nodded. "The first one I got….the other, I have no idea what that is"
Chandler nodded with a sort of depressed look on his face. "Not many people do"
"Ok, what about the rest of you?" Stephen asked.
"I'm an actor" Joey said.
"Really? Would we have seen you in any films?" Mrs. Waltham asked.
"Well I specialize more in Television. As a matter of fact, I was Dr. Drake Ramoray on the American soap opera: Days Of Our Lives" Joey said.
"Never heard of that" Mrs. Waltham said bluntly.
Joey shrugged. "Well like I said, it's an American show so that's understandable why you've never heard of it"
"Joey, you were on for about 10 episodes. The people who work there probably don't even remember who you are" Chandler said.
Joey glared at Chandler. "At least people understand what I do"
Chandler rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Anyways, I'm a freelance masseur" Phoebe said.
"Really? Because my back has been aching from sitting on that aeroplane seat. Would you be interested in a session?" Mrs. Waltham asked.
"Mum, please don't bargain with my friends while I'm close to labor" Emily said.
"Oh, I'm just trying to help, darling" Mrs. Waltham said.
"I'm a middleschool teacher" Carol said.
"Beg your pardon?" Mr. Waltham asked, not accustomed to the US education system.
"It's the same as Primary school back home, dad" Emily explained.
"Oh….they let you teach at school? I thought the states had laws against that" Mr. Waltham said.
"Dad!" Emily said, angrily.
"What?" Mr. Waltham asked.
"No, it's fine, Emily. Really. They have a law against homosexuals in the military but not as teachers" Carol answered.
"Thank you. That's all I wanted to know. Good lord" Mr. Waltham said.
"And I work in fashion. I work as an Executive at Ralph Lauren" Rachel said.
Mr. Waltham narrowed his eyes. "Didn't you use to work for my brother?"
"Yes, at Bloomingdales. He was a very nice man. How is he?" Rachel asked, trying to make pleasant conversation with two people that probably hated her.
"He's doing alright...he said nice things about you, says Emily likes you very much…...I'm still trying to wrap my around why" Mr. Waltham said.
Rachel looked down. Obviously, this wasn't going well.
"Dad, please. Rachel's very sorry about what happened at Ross' and I's wedding and she's a very dear friend of mine now" Emily said, smiling at Rachel who smiled back.
"Yes, well….speaking of which: Where is Ross? How long does it take to get ice water around this place?" Mr. Waltham asked.
"I'll go get him. He must have gotten lost. He does that a lot" Rachel said, traveling out the door in a rush.
"...In a hospital?" Mr. Waltham asked. Just what was going on here?
"It's a pretty big hospital" Chandler said, coming up with an excuse.
Mr. Waltham rolled his eyes in pure confusion.
Carol looked at the clock. It was getting close to her lunch date with Susan. She still didn't feel comfortable going through with this. After all, she was very comfortable with Ross, Emily and Rachel but she'd be lying if she said she didn't have any feelings left for Susan. This needed to be done to be free of any possible doubt.
She decided she'd leave after Ross came back. However, she didn't know when he'd be back and he was taking quite a bit of time.
*Hospital Halls*
Ross and his parents were walking through the halls of the hospital.
"Just look at these floors….hardly a stain on them and these nice white walls. Just beautiful, don't you think?" Ross asked, his arms around both of their shoulders.
"Ross….we've been through 3 hallways already, not including this one. They all look the same. Why are we just looking around them while you tell us how beautiful the interior is?" Judy asked.
"Well...to be honest….I…." Ross said.
"What is it, son? You're worrying us" Jack said, sincerely.
"Well….you know….we just never spend any time together anymore, you know? I feel like we've lost that sort of bond between 2 parents and their son, you know. I just miss you guys" Ross said, smiling while lying through his teeth.
Jack and Judy smiled at each other sweetly before turning to Ross. They hugged him tightly.
"Oh, son. We'll never lose that bond" Jack said.
"Even though you're not the same little boy who used to run around the house years ago, you'll always be our little boy" Judy said.
"Aww…." Ross said.
One Rachel Green came running around the hall and saw Ross with his parents. She ran to him.
"Ross!" Rachel said.
The three parted to see Rachel.
"Rach, what's wrong?" Ross asked.
"Oh, you know….you remember that water Emily asked for?" Rachel asked.
"Water? What water?" Ross asked.
"Don't you remember? Emily with people VERY close to her asked for water and you still haven't gotten it yet. You know, because they don't have any more tea?" Rachel asked.
"They don't have any more tea? That's weird, I thought I saw hundreds of packets of them down at the cafeteria" Jack said.
"Can she even drink tea when she's about to be in labor?" Judy asked.
Ross finally realized what Rachel was talking about. "Oh! Yes! I remember! I'll get it right now"
As he was running to the cafeteria, Rachel turned back to Mr. and Mrs. Geller.
"Hey, Mr. and Mrs. Geller. How are the both of ya'?" Rachel asked.
"We're fine, Rachel dear. Anyway, let's go back and check on Emily. She could go into labor any moment" Judy said.
"Oh, not so soon. You know, when's the last time we had a long talk, just the three of us?" Rachel asked, trying to stall for more time.
Jack and Judy looked at each other then back at Rachel. These kids sure were acting strange today.
"Well….probably not since you dated Ross" Judy said.
"Exactly. Let's talk. Let's go for a stroll down the hospital, a stroll down memory lane" Rachel said. She put her arms around both of their shoulders and walked down the hall. Jack and Judy looked at each other once more. This was going to be a long day and not for the reason that it should have been.
*Emily's Hospital Room*
Ross came in with two glasses of iced water and quickly gave it to Mr. and Mrs. Waltham.
"There you are, Mr. and Mrs. Waltham. Sorry to have taken so long. It was a very long line" Ross said.
"Don't they have a water dispensor machine of some sort?" Mr. Waltham said.
"Well yes. That's what I meant. It was a long line to that machine. People are very thirsty this time of day" Ross said, shaking his head yes quickly.
Mr. and Mrs. Waltham looked at each other and shrugged.
"Alright then" He said, taking a sip of water.
Ross went to Emily and kissed her cheek. "Sorry I took so long, sweetie"
"Oh, it's alright, darling. I'm very happy right now" Emily said.
"I'm glad" Ross said, smiling. He gave a little eskimo kiss to Emily. Mr. Waltham just rolled his eyes and looked away.
Carol walked up and tapped Ross on the shoulder and whispered in his ear that it was almost time for her to go.
Ross looked to Carol with an expressionless face.
"Would you excuse me and Carol for one moment please?" Ross asked. He and Carol went outside the room and to the entrance to the Hospital.
"So….you ready?" Ross asked.
"Well….I guess so. I can't believe I'm about to do this" Carol said.
"Just remember, Carol. Whatever you decide: I just want you to be happy. I'll always be there for you no matter what" Ross said, kissing Carol's cheek.
"Thank you, Ross. What did I do to deserve a sweet, loving man like you in my life?" Carol asked.
"Being born" Ross said.
They gave each other a long kiss before they parted. Carol looked at the clock. It was 11:45. She had to get going.
"I have to go...I'll see you later this afternoon" Carol said.
"I'll be here" Ross said, smiling. Carol left the hospital to meet up with Susan.
He wasn't sure what was going to happen. He almost didn't even want to know but whatever happened, he just wanted Carol to have the happy life she deserved.
Ross went back inside Emily's hospital room where Mr. and Mrs. Waltham were confused (yet again).
"Where's Carol?" Mrs. Waltham asked.
"She had to go do something. She'll be back later" Ross said.
"Well I hope it's more important than a friend giving birth to a child" Mrs. Waltham said.
"Mrs. Waltham, I assure you Carol has been one of the most supportive people of Emily since she told everyone she was pregnant. She wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't important" Ross said.
"Well, I'll take your word for it Ross" Mrs. Waltham said, continuing to look him up and down like he was nothing but a piece of meat. He noticed which is why he moved closer to Emily's beside.
*Sandwich Shop*
Carol sat down with Susan at a sandwich shop. She probably would need to keep this a secret from Joey because as she's heard: The man loves his sandwiches.
"So Susan, what's been going on? How have you been?" Carol asked.
Susan smiled at the pleasant conversation Carol was making. Definitely an improvement from this morning.
"Well, mostly alright. Other than my breakup with Sarah, I've been doing pretty good for myself" Susan said.
Carol nodded and smiled. "I'm glad to hear it"
"So how have you been, Carol?" Susan asked.
"I've been doing pretty amazing to be honest with you" Carol said.
"That's great. How's Ben?" Susan asked. She knew he must have been pretty hurt by the divorce and wished she'd had talked to him more often ever since. However, she felt it would be too awkward of a situation so she felt it best to keep her distance.
"He's wonderful. I never realized how good a father Ross was until I've actually seen him with Ben. He's even trying to get him to learn how to ride a bicycle" Carol said.
"Really? That's wonderful! How is he doing with that?" Susan asked.
"Well, he's learning but I think he'll be coming along soon" Carol said.
"Well I'm so glad to hear it. I'm so proud of him….that reminds me, actually. The next time you see him, can you tell him I said hi and that I'm sorry that I…...left as soon as I did?" Susan asked.
"Of course I will, Susan. You know he loves you very much…..also, that reminds me: What exactly happened that broke you and Sarah up?" Carol asked.
Susan looked down, a little ashamed at herself. "Well…..I'm not really sure how to describe it….it's just that we were too different, you know? We each wanted different things in our lives. I wanted to have the kind of relationship we used to have and she…..it seems she was only interested in being some spunky and sexual lesbian couple 24/7. I mean, I do like sex but I also want to be able to talk to her about things, to be able to do things with her like take a walk through the park or go out and have fun. I….I guess she was too young for me"
"She was almost 10 years younger than you, Susan" Carol pointed out.
"I'm aware of that now. It's just that I never really thought it to be that big of a deal until recently and I realized that I made a big mistake in getting together with her. I realized the mistake I made in leaving you" Susan said.
Carol looked deep into Susan's eyes as she said these things. She seemed sincere and passionate in her words, the way she used to whenever they spoke on important issues...it almost reminded her of the first time they ever kissed.
"Well I have to admit: Even though Ross, Emily and Rachel have been nothing but wonderful to me, I did miss you" Carol said.
"I missed you too, Carol" Susan said.
After a short silence, Susan decide to ask if she had wanted to come to her new apartment.
Carol knew it was inappropriate when someone she loved very much was about to give birth to a child that she was planning on helping them raise but decided that she had to know once and for all if she still had feelings for her former wife.
"Well…..alright. I think I'd like that" Carol said.
She didn't show it but Susan was doing a bit of a victory dance inside her head. "Thank you, Carol"
Soon, their food came and they started eating. Carol didn't really know how to feel. She loved her new life so much but she just couldn't get that feeling of being attracted to Susan out of her head. Was she really still in love with her or was that just some leftover feelings for her? One way or another, she wanted to find out and if that meant going with her back to her home, so be it. She wanted to end this.
*Hospital*
Rachel was doing the best she could to stall Ross' parents but this was becoming more difficult as she was running out of stories to tell.
"And do you remember the time Ross got dressed up and almost asked me to the prom when Chip Matthews almost didn't show up? He was such a sweetheart then, wasn't he?" Rachel said in a dreamy face.
"Yes, dear, we do…..you've already told that story twice already….and we were there" Judy said with a fake smile on her face.
"Oh, I know but it's just so touching that it just can't be told once, you know?" Rachel asked.
"Ok, Rachel, I don't know what you kids are exactly doing right now but our grandchild is about to be born and we would like to be there when it happens so can we please go back to the room, please?" Jack asked, getting increasingly frustrated.
"Oh! Uh….of course, Mr. Geller, of course. Just let me go see Ross one second" Rachel said.
"Wait, why can't we go with you?" Jack asked.
"Well….you know, Ross is just….you know…..just wait here" Rachel said and started moving fastly to Emily's hospital room.
"What is going on here?" Jack asked.
"I don't know but we need to get to the bottom of it" Judy stated. She grabbed Jack's hand and they started moving back to the hospital room.
*Emily's Hospital Room*
Rachel quickly came in and went to Ross. She told them that his parents were coming and they needed to get the Walthams out of here fast.
Ross quickly went to the Walthams. "Mr. and Mrs. Waltham, it's come to my attention that we never really spent any time together….so why don't we do that?"
"Right now?" Mr. Waltham aksed.
"Well….yeah. I mean why not?" Ross asked.
"Because my daughter, your wife, is about to give birth to our grandchild" Mr. Waltham said.
"Well, it won't be like we'd be leaving the hospital. I'd just be showing you around an American hospital. This must be your first time visiting one" Ross said.
Mr. and Mrs. Waltham exchanged a look. Their son-in-law was a loon but Emily loved him (for whatever reason) so they decided to entertain his proposal.
As they were walking out the door, Ross saw his mother and father outside the door, trying to reach for the doorknob. He quickly closed it and blocked the exit. He gave the Walthams a big smile as they just looked at him oddly.
"Ross…..didn't you invite us to look around the hospital with you?" Mrs. Waltham asked.
"...Yes. However, let's start here instead. Just take a look at this room. Have you ever seen anything like it before?" Ross asked as the knob in his hand started to jiggle. He gripped the knob firmly as the door as the two people on the outside tried their hardest to get inside.
The Walthams looked around the room. Rachel decided to be Vanna White and gestured to some key areas of the room….like the sink.
"Just look at this sink. There's a knob for hot and a knob for cold. Just what will they think of next?" Rachel asked, trying to be as shocked and enthused as possible.
Their friends were looking at this with awe and a bit of amusement. It was official. Their two friends had gone absolutely nuts
Mr. and Mrs. Waltham couldn't stand this anymore.
"Ok, I have had just about enough of this. What in the bloody hell is going on here?" Mr. Waltham said.
"Ross! Open this door right now!" Ross could hear his father say from the other end of the door.
Ross just cringed. There was no hiding this anymore. He opened the door to reveal his mother and father to everyone.
As they were coming in, Jack looked angrily at Ross.
"Ross, what is going on here?! Why are you acting like a crazy person?"
After he said this, the Gellers and the Walthams turned their heads and looked at each other in the eye. The in laws have met again.
Ross went to Emily and looked at her with intense worry. The pregnant woman didn't say anything, just held his hand gently as the fireworks were about to begin.
"Geller…" Mr. Waltham said.
"Waltham" Jack retorted.
They hadn't seen each other since the wedding and from the looks of things, they could have gone a lot further than they had in not seeing each other.
"...So a priest and a rabbi walk into a bar" Chandler said, trying to ease the obvious tensions.
*Susan's apartment*
Carol and Susan walked into their new apartment. It was pretty beautiful. White walls and wooden floors. A fireplace in the corner and a window with a wonderful view.
"Welcome to my palace" Susan said playfully.
Carol giggled at that.
"Please, have a seat. I'll get us some coffee" Susan said.
"Thank you" Carol said as she sat down on the sofa and waited for Susan to make them coffee.
"Carol….I have a bit of a personal question for you" Susan called from the kitchen.
"Yes? What is it, Susan?" Carol asked, curiously.
"Ever since…...we separated, do you ever think about me?" Susan asked.
"Well…..sometimes I do but I manage to keep myself busy, you know with Ben, Emily's pregnancy….Ross" Carol said.
A deafening silence filled the air between them. Obviously, there was discomfort in saying his name to Susan.
Susan brought out two cups of coffee and sat on the couch with her.
"You know, speaking of Ross….how is he? I haven't heard from him a while" Susan said
"Oh, he's doing wonderful. He has a wonderful new job at New York University as a Professor. He thinks there might even be a chance that he'll be the Department Head once the current one retires" Carol said.
"That's wonderful. I'm happy for him. What about his friends. How are they?" Susan asked.
"Oh, they're wonderful too. Did you hear that Monica and Chandler got married?" Carol asked.
"No, I didn't. That's so great" Susan said.
"Yeah, it was such a lovely wedding. Ben was the ringbearer" Carol said.
"Oh, I'm so sorry I missed it. I would've loved to see him in a little suit" Susan said.
"It was adorable seeing him walk down the aisle. I'll send you some pictures" Carol said.
"Please do. I miss seeing his face" Susan said.
There was another awkward silence between them as they sipped their coffee. This rarely ever happened when they were together but under the current circumstance, this was kind of natural between the two of them.
"Listen, Susan, I have a bit of a confession to make…..I invited you to lunch because I wanted to figure out if there was something between us" Carol proclaimed.
This brightened Susan up. "...Really?"
Carol nodded hesitantly. "Yes…..yes I did…I do still have some feelings for you, Susan. I want to know if they're not just feelings I had left over for you when we split up. The question really is how do we find out?"
Susan took one last sip of her coffee before she placed it on a coaster. "Well…..I don't know…..maybe we could do what we did when we first started had feelings for each other"
"You mean…..we kiss?" Carol asked.
"Well…...yes but not just a kiss…..a passionate one, you know. We look at each other's eyes….we caress each other's face and stroke the other's hair….that sort of thing" Susan said.
Carol looked down. It felt wrong…..very wrong….but she knew it had to be done.
"...Alright" Carol said. Susan smiled brightly. She gently caressed both sides of Carol's face, removing a strain of hair from her face and gently moved her face closer to hers. Their lips move closer and closer to each other until they met.
Both of them gently moaned. How long it's been since they felt the other's lips. Carol had almost forgotten how soft and sweet Susan's lips were. It made her feel excited again just like she always felt when doing this with Susan.
The kiss went on and on, for God knows how long. Their tongues intertwined, sharing an equal share of dominance between the two (Susan was an equal opportunist as one would recall).
Soon, their lips separated with them gasping for vast amounts of air.
"Wow" They both said at the same time. They shared a laugh with each other.
"That was….wow" Carol said.
"I know…...so…..do you have your answer?" Susan asked.
Carol looked at Susan. It was a sort of look that let a person know they were about to hear some things they didn't want to hear.
Susan got the message pretty quick and frowned. "...So it's a no, huh?"
"Well, it's not that simple, Susan. I loved that kiss and it made me feel the same things I felt when I first got together with you but…..I'm not the person I used to be. I think you know that" Carol said.
Susan nodded. That was the reason why they had started to split apart during their last few months together.
"Susan….It's not as if I don't love you anymore, I do….it's just that I need someone who will be there for me, there for my child and Susan: That was always Ross. He always stood by my side and Ben's whenever we needed him most. He wanted to stay friends after I left him even after all the pain I caused him, he gave me away at our wedding when my parents decided not to come even when that was extremely painful for him to do, he helped us raise Ben even when we almost didn't even give him his last name, he begged us to move to London when he and Emily were going through hard times so he could be close to Ben and when the both of us split up, when he should have rubbed it in my face that I was going what he went through all those years ago, he invited me into his home. He invited me into his relationship with his friends and his relationship with Emily and Rachel. Susan….Ross is the only man I've ever loved…..Ross is the man I love now. He's never once let me down...I need to start doing the same for him" Carol explained.
Susan listened to Carol speak as she spoke passionately about a man she always felt was petty and overly jealous. As she listened, however, she now knew what it was like to be in Ross' shoes….it didn't feel good.
"I understand…Ross is a pretty lucky guy" Susan said.
Carol shook her head. "No…..I'm a pretty lucky girl to have him"
Susan didn't respond to that one.
"Susan….I still want to be friends with you, I don't want that to end" Carol said, taking Susan's hands in hers.
Susan smiled as she looked into Carol's eyes. "I'd like that….very much"
"...Why not come to the hospital with me. We can watch Emily give birth together" Carol said.
Susan hesitated but nodded. "Sure….let's go"
Arm in arm, they stood up and left the apartment for the hospital.
*Hospital, Emily's Room*
"That built-in barbecue was essential to the wedding, Geller!" Mr. Waltham yelled.
"Oh and the Gazebo?" Jack asked, angrily.
It had been like this for 15 straight minutes, them going back and forth. Ross and Emily just laid their heads low and their friends just stood in the corners of the room, not saying anything as the in laws continued to argue.
"We were going to take pictures of the bride and groom at the reception! And bugger off on that, anyway. I let you have that. You were putting more of a fuss about the wine cellar when that disaster wedding occurred" Mr. Waltham said.
"Oh, and I'm sure that was when your daughter snuck out the window, right?" Jack asked.
"Well next time, try to have your son remember the bride's bloody name!" Mr. Waltham said.
Ross couldn't take this anymore. "STOP!"
The Gellers and Walthams stopped and looked at their son/son-in-law.
"I am tired of this. Emily and I are about to have our first child together and you are ruining this special day for all of us!" Ross exclaimed.
"Hey, he's the one who started it" Jack said, pointing at Mr. Waltham.
"Oh, you can go straight to hell, Geller!" Mr. Waltham said.
Both of them turned back to each other before Ross said "Stop it right now!"
They turned back to Ross who was fuming with frustration.
"It's obvious to me that you don't like each other. You know what? Fine! We're tired of trying to get the 4 of you to get along but for the sake of the both of us, can you just for once get along? Your grandchild is about to be born, for Christ's sake. Do you want to spend the first few moments of their life arguing about something that happened over a year and a half ago? Do you?" Ross practically yelled.
The Gellers and Walthams stood silently before shaking their heads.
"Then please: Shut up and let's all enjoy this day" Ross said.
Jack and Mr. Waltham looked at each other.
"Well….I suppose we can call a truce, can't we, Geller?" Mr. Waltham asked.
Jack nodded. "I think so….and please, call me Jack"
Mr. Waltham gave a small smile. "Well in that case, call me Stephen"
They shook hands as did Judy and Mrs. Waltham.
Ross turned to Emily and whispered "I handled that well, didn't I?"
"You were perfect, darling" Emily said, kissing his cheek.
Just as they were making up, Carol and Susan were coming. Ross turned and saw that they were holding hands. He gave a frown. That could only mean one thing.
Carol and Susan went to Ross and whispered in his ear that they wanted to speak with him alone.
"Uh, will you all excuse for one more minute please?" Ross said as he exited the room with Carol and Susan.
Joey went up to Mr. Waltham and asked with his trademark grin and asked "So….how is Felicity?"
Mr. Waltham looked at the neanderthal looking at him with annoyance and a bit of disgust.
Suddenly, Emily gasped. Monica moved to her side.
"Emily, what's wrong?" Monica asked.
"Monica….call a doctor" Emily said with wide eyes.
*Hospital Visitor's Area*
Ross, along with Carol and Susan moved to the visitor's area of the hospital.
"So….Ross-" Carol started to say before Ross interrupted her.
"You don't need to say anything, Carol. I understand. I'm just happy that you're happy" Ross said.
"But Ross, you don't understand, I-" Carol tried to say before Ross continued to interrupt.
"No, no! It's fine. It really is. I mean, I did suggest this so you could find out if you still loved Susan and it's clear you still do. I'm just glad we're still going to be friends" Ross said.
"Ross, I-" Carol tried to say again, getting visibly frustrated with her lover.
"Just promise me you'll come by and visit every now and then. We all really enjoy your company. As a matter of fact, Monica wants to go with you to a poetry re-" Ross said before Carol let go of Susan's hand, grabbed Ross' face and pulled him in for a passionate kiss. Ross' eyes widened for a short moment before he eased into the kiss. They kissed for a minute before they parted, Ross' lips were swelling up as he recovered.
"...Is that your goodbye to me?" Ross asked in his usual Ross way. Carol rolled her eyes.
"No, you doofus. I chose you" Carol said, smiling at the love of her life.
"You...you chose me?" Ross asked.
"It's true" Susan said, half-smiling, half-frowing.
"...Wow…" Ross said, amazed.
"Take care of her, Ross….and don't let her go, like I did" Susan said, grimacing.
"I will….and Susan….I just want to say: Thanks for being such a good role model for Ben" Ross said.
Susan let out a laugh. "I'm not a good role model, Ross. I left him and his mother when he was just 5 years old"
"Susan, you don't give yourself enough credit. Ben wouldn't be who he is today if you hadn't helped guide him, even if you made a few mistakes along the line" Ross said.
"Well thanks, Ross. I appreciate that" Susan said. The both of them went up to each other and gave the other a hug.
Moments later, a nurse came about and saw the three of them. She ran up to them in a frantic style.
"Mr. Geller! Your wife is about to give birth right now!" She said.
Ross turned quickly with a shocked and scared look on his face. He started running to Emily's hospital room.
*Emily's Hospital Room*
The entire room was gathered around Emily's bed as she let out a yelp.
The OBGYN looking over Emily walked her through breathing exercises.
"You're doing very well, Mrs. Geller. Just stay with me" The Doctor said.
Moments later, Ross, Carol and Susan came through the door. Ross went to Emily's bedside and took her hand and kissed her head.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier, sweetie" Ross said.
"Oh, it's alright, darling. I'm just glad you're here now" Emily said, breathing heavily. She let out another yell.
"Alright, we're about to start pushing the baby out. Stay with me, now, Mrs. Geller" The Doctor said.
Emily nodded as the doctor lifted up the bottom of her clothes to reveal her…..private area.
Monica, Rachel and Phoebe went to the end of Emily's bed to see the birth happen live. Chandler and Joey stay put.
"Aren't you going to watch the birth?" Monica asked.
"No" Chandler and Joey said in unison.
"Why not? It's Mother Nature at work" Rachel said.
"No. It's gross" Joey said.
"Oh, you guys are such children. We're going to watch this beauty set sail" Phoebe said. The women watched carefully.
"Alright...the head's about to come out. Push, Mrs. Geller!" The Doctor said.
The women who criticized the men about not viewing this watched the baby's head come out and their faces cringed. They quickly joined the men as they gagged.
"You girls are such children" Chandler said, mocking. Monica smacked her husband.
"Shut up" She said.
"AHHHH!" Emily yelled. Ross cringed at how hard she was squeezing his hand.
"It's alright, honey. It's alright. I'm here" Ross said.
"DON'T TELL ME IT'S ALRIGHT, YOU DUMB BUGGERING IMBECILE! WHY I EVER AGREED TO MARRY YOU, I'LL NEVER KNOW! YOU DIDN'T EVEN SAY MY NAME AT OUR WEDDING!" Emily screeched.
Ross shut up after that as his wife continued to scream obcenities at him. The birthing process continued.
"Alright. You're almost done, Mrs. Geller. Just a little more" The Doctor said. He held the baby's body that was coming out of her vagina.
After one last yell, the baby came out. The Doctor removed his mask and held the baby in his arms. The baby let out little whimpers. He smiled as he checked to see the baby's gender.
"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Geller. You have a beautiful, healthy, baby girl" The Doctor said.
Ross and Emily smiled at each other as the room applauded. He kissed her cheek repeatedly.
"You did so well, honey" Ross said.
"Thank you, darling….sorry for earlier" Emily said, smiling an embarrassed smile.
"It's alright...it was deserved" Ross said, kissing her on the lips.
"So dad, would you do the honors of cutting the cord?" The Doctor asked, holding out a pair of scissors.
Ross smiled. "It'd be my pleasure"
He held the scissors over the umbilical cord and snipped it off. The Doctor covered the baby with a blanket nearby. The baby started to cry.
"I think she wants her mother and father" The Doctor said and passed the baby to Ross.
He looked down at the precious creature he was holding. It was his child. His. And this time, he didn't have to share it.
He held the baby close to Emily and passed her over to her mother.
"Oh, she's beautiful" Monica said, looking over her. She turned to her husband and cuddled up close to him.
"I want one" She whispered to him.
Chandler smiled and looked down at his wife. "Me too"
He held his arms around her as they watched this miracle of earth before them in their parent's arms.
"Have you figured on a name, Mr. and Mrs. Geller?" The Doctor asked.
"Well not really" Emily said as she held her daughter.
"I have a suggestion: Susan" Ross said.
Susan's eyes lit up at this. Did she hear what she thought she heard?
"Really?" Emily asked, surprised by this suggestion.
"Yeah….it's a good name. It's a name for very special people" Ross said, eyes looking over to Susan, who was purely touched by this gesture.
Emily smiled and kissed her husband's cheek. "Susan it is, then. Susan Geller"
Carol and Rachel looked over Ross' shoulders and looked at their brand new stepdaughter (by spirit). They would help get to raise this beautiful little girl and they couldn't wait.
Jack and Mr. Waltham looked at each other and smiled.
"Our kids turned out well together didn't they, Jack?" He asked.
Jack smiled. "As well as they could've, Stephen"
"Alright. Let the family members move in" Stephen said. The Gellers and Walthams moved the group over as they looked at the baby alongside her parents.
"Oh, she's just gorgeous" Mrs. Waltham said.
"Darling, do you know what this means? We're grandparents!" Mr. Waltham said with a big smile on his face.
This sort of news would turn out well for most people but for Mrs. Waltham, this brought only a frown as this only meant one thing to her.
"Oh my god, I'm getting old" She said. She quickly moved to her chair as her life flashed before her eyes.
"Oh, for heaven's sake" Mr. Waltham said as he went to 'comfort' his wife.
Emily and Ross looked at each other once more.
"This is our daughter, Emily" Ross said.
"Oh, darling. I'm so happy right now. Thank you so much for giving me a beautiful daughter. I love you so much" Emily said, pulling Ross into a very deep kiss. The group awed.
"You know, I just realized something: In 18 years, little Susan here is going to have hot friends" Joey said with a big wide open smile.
This caused the group of people around the bed to glare at him which in turned caused Joey to shut up quick and turn to pretend to look at something else.
*3 days later*
Ross and Emily came down the hall to their apartment with their baby in Emily's arms.
"Mummy loves you. Oh yes she does" Emily cooing at the baby.
"Now sweetheart, let's save the mushy junk for when it's necessary" Ross said.
"Oh, sod off. You had Ben when you met me. I didn't have any children. I'm not used to this yet" Emily said.
"Well, it's pretty intoxicating, I'll give you that" Ross said as they approached their door.
Ross put the key in the keyhole and unlocked the door. Before he opened the door, he turned to his wife.
"You do know there's a surprise party behind this door, right?" Ross asked.
"I hope so. I've only been to one surprise party in my life" Emily said.
"I know. I recall being there" Ross said.
Ross sighed as he slowly opened the door and switched on the light.
There wasn't anyone here. No cake, no balloons, no banner that said "'It's a girl!', nothing.
They looked at each other, confusedly. Ross took a look in the kitchen. There was nothing there, either.
"...You don't think they actually forgot, do you?" Ross asked.
As he said this, the door to their bedroom opened and out came their group of friends (And lovers), Susan and Ben with gift boxes, a cake, and Joey and Chandler came out with a banner that said 'It's a girl!' only the word boy was crossed out and replaced with the word 'girl'
"Welcome home!" They all shouted. Ross and Emily grinned at this.
"We knew you'd be expecting a surprise party so we decided to make it a double surprise" Chandler said.
"Well we're very grateful….it's a boy?" Ross asked, eyeing the banner.
"They were all out of 'it's a girl!'. Turns out birth is popular this time of year, particularly girl births" Joey said.
"Well it is September" Chandler said, laughing at his 'joke' which confused everybody as they were all looking at him oddly.
"You know….September…..labor…...labor day" Chandler said. No one laughed, they just continued to look at him funny.
After a while, Ross said "So 'it's a girl' banners are popular right now, huh?"
"Well the country is 55% women. Those statistics don't make themselves" Phoebe said.
"Hey, hey! This is a party! Why are we talking boring crap? Let's get wild" Joey said.
As the party went on, Ross introduced Ben to his sister.
"Now buddy, this is Susan, your new baby sister. The two of us along with Emily, your mother and Rachel are going to look after her" Ross siad.
Ben wasn't really open to the whole 'new sibling' thing at first but as he looked at his new baby sister, he smiled and grabbed her tiny little hands.
"She's so small" Ben said.
"Yeah, babies usually are. You were about her size when you were born" Ross said.
"Say dad….where do babies come from?" Ben asked.
Ross widened his eyes. He looked up and saw Monica cutting the cake. He turned and said to his son "Hey buddy, how about we get you some cake?"
"Yay!" Ben said, forgetting his previous question.
Later, he met up with Susan while Phoebe was singing a song in celebration of the new addition to their family.
"I never can tell you how touched I was when you named your baby daughter after me, Ross" Susan said.
"Hey, you're family and I want you to know that. You're welcome in our home any time, Susan" Ross said.
Susan smiled and for the first time since they've known each other, they gave each other a warm and friendly hug.
As they parted, Ross kissed her cheek.
"Now don't do that too often, Casanova. I still like women, remember?" Susan asked.
"I know, I know. You and me both" Ross said. Susan lightly and playfully pushed him as she went to hear the rest of Phoebe's song.
As he was watching Phoebe perform, arms snaked around his chest and he felt lips press against his cheek.
"Hey, you" Rachel said.
"Hey, you" Ross said back. He turned his head to find hers and they gently kissed each other.
"Why don't we move the party to the bedroom?" Rachel asked. Ross turned towards her with a frown.
"Bedroom? Rachel, we can't do it right now. Everyone is here and plus, Emily can't-" Ross said before Rachel lightly patted him on the shoulder.
"Oh save your high horse act later, I don't mean that" Rachel said. She gently dragged him to the bedroom where the women he loved most were waiting for him.
He was assaulted with kisses on the neck, head, lips, basically his entire face.
"Hey, hey, hey, hold it. What did I do to deserve this?" Ross asked.
"By being the most amazing man in the world" Rachel said.
"For being the greatest husband I could have ever asked for" Emily said.
"And for being the best father a woman could ever ask for" Carol said.
Ross smiled and pulled them all in for a hug. How on earth he managed to get so lucky in his life, he'll never know but he wasn't going to take it for granted.
He had beautiful women who loved him, beautiful children, great friends. His life was going better than he had ever dreamed. Now, he would be able to enjoy the life that God gave him with the best of his ability until the day he passed from this world to the next.