AN: Hello, everyone! Here's the next chapter for you guys. Just a few more chapters left, I think. Please review!
Disclaimer: I own no one. They all belong to Bright/Kauffman/Crane.
Chapter 10—July 1989
32 Weeks
How Big Is Your Baby?
Your baby weighs almost 5 pounds by this week of your pregnancy. Its total length is 19.8 inches.
How Big Are You?
Measuring from the belly button, it's about 5.6 inches to the top of your uterus. What's important is that you're growing appropriately and your uterus grows and get larger at an appropriate rate. These are signs of normal growth of your baby inside your uterus.
How Your Baby Is Growing And Developing
An ideal test done before delivery would determine if the fetus is healthy. It would be able to detect major fetal malformations or fetal stress, which could indicate an impending problem.
Everyone was decorating Chandler's room for Monica's baby shower. Joey was helping Phoebe to hang the streamers all around the room and Ross and Carol were helping set the gifts out on a table.
"Why isn't Chandler helping?" Joey asked.
"Nana came by earlier and said she had to talk to him." Ross told him. "Then he's going to take Monica to the mall for a little bit while we finish setting up."
They all looked up as Chandler came back inside with Althea. He looked around at the decorations and smiled as he grabbed his wallet.
"How long do you need?" he asked them.
"A couple hours." Althea told him. "And remember what I told you."
"I got it." He smiled at her as he walked out of the room.
"What was that about?" Jack and Judy came in with a cake.
"You'll see when they return from the mall." Everyone looked at each other and shrugged as they continued to set up for the party.
Chandler helped Monica out of the car and took her hand as they walked into the mall. He led her into a store that made custom-made gifts.
"What are we doing in here?" she looked at him.
"We picked out the perfect name, so maybe we should get a nameplate to hang over his crib."
"That's a great idea." She smiled at him.
They spent the next half hour first trying to find any nameplate with the name they picked out and finding the perfect nameplate for their son. They walked out of the store a little bit later and tried to decide where to go next.
"Are you hungry?" he asked her gesturing to the restaurant in front of them.
"It looks kind of expensive." She told him.
"Your dad gave me some money to keep us out for awhile."
"Ok." She followed him into the restaurant and they were seated in a private spot away from everyone.
"So how are you feeling today?" he asked her.
"Tired," she sighed. "I'll be glad when he comes out. Though a part of me wishes I can keep him in forever."
"So I wanted to give you something," he pulled something out of his pocket. "I can't afford to get you an expensive one, which is what you deserve. So your grandmother said I can give you this one. She said you always loved it."
"Chandler-" she looked at him as she saw the ring box.
"Before you say anything, just listen for a minute. I'm trying to make it a point to show my true feelings from now on. Especially to you and our son."
"Ok."
"I liked you from the first moment I saw you. I just didn't want to show my feelings then. I didn't want to put myself out there and not have you return them. But I do like you. In fact, I'm starting to fall in love with you. I don't think we would've slept together and made this baby if we both didn't feel the same way about each other. Even if we were drunk. So-" he opened the ring box and knelt before her. "Monica, will you marry me?"
"Oh my god," she gasped. "Yes. Yes, I'll marry you."
Nora and Charles arrived after Chandler left with Monica. They helped get all the food out and set up the gifts around the room. There was a light knock and Chandler slowly opened the door.
"We're back," he smiled at them as Monica came in behind him.
"Thanks, everyone." Monica smiled as she looked around at all the decorations.
"So?" Althea looked at Chandler.
"She said yes." Chandler smiled at her.
"I knew she would."
"What's going on?" Jack asked.
"We're engaged," Monica smiled as she showed off the ring.
"Oh my god," Ross hugged his little sister. "I can't believe this."
"I told you." Phoebe told them. "I knew he would propose."
After the initial shock and excitement of the engagement announcement died down, they got to the baby shower gifts. Chandler's parents, of course, got the most expensive top-of-the-line baby bassinet for them; along with a lot of tailor-made baby clothes that Chandler mumbled to Monica that the baby would outgrow in a month. The others couldn't afford to get them a lot, but they were both happy with the stuffed animals, clothes, and baby bedding and blankets that they got them. Monica's parents and her Nana couldn't bring all the gifts that they had gotten her because it was all in the second bedroom of Monica's new apartment. But they brought the Polaroid pictures of everything. They had purchased a solid oak crib, dresser, changing station, rocking chair with glider, high chair, baby bathtub, a diaper pail, stroller with the attachable car seat, baby monitor, mobile for the crib, some baby toys, and storage baskets and bins to organize everything.
Monica lay against Chandler exhausted that night after everything died down. They looked through the Polaroid pictures at everything that was now in the apartment in New York.
"I can't believe that they got us all of this." Monica looked up at him. "I can't wait to put it in just the right place."
"I'll leave that to you," Chandler told her. "Ross told me about your super-organizing."
"So tell the truth," she sat up a little. "Was there any pressure at all from my family for you to propose to me?"
"No. Although your Nana did pull me away from decorating today to talk to me. I told her I had planned to ask you for weeks. That was when she gave me the ring to give to you."
"I'm glad you asked." She smiled at him.
"I should tell you that there's a catch," he said. "Your Nana will only put both of our names on the lease if we're married. So she wants us married when we get back home to New York after the baby is born."
"Ok. I guess that's reasonable." She told him.
"We can do it their way now. And have the wedding we want later." He told her.
"I like that idea." She slowly started to stand. "I have to get back to my room now."
"Ok. I'll see you tomorrow." He walked her out and shut the door behind her. Chandler put all the gifts in the corner and went off to his room for the night.
Chandler turned over in bed when he heard a loud knock at the door. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost eight. He climbed out of bed and walked out to see who was disturbing his sleep. He opened the door and saw Allie standing before him.
"Sorry to wake you," she told him. "But you need to come with me."
"What's going on? Is it Monica?"
"She started having contractions a while ago. Miss Baker took her to the medical building."
"Let me get dressed." Chandler rushed back to his room and pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.
They got to the medical building and Chandler was led into a room where Monica was laying on a bed with a monitor wrapped around her stomach. She smiled when she spotted him there and he went to her.
"Are you ok?" he sat beside her.
"It was a false alarm." She told him. "I had Braxton Hicks contractions."
"But everything is ok, right?"
"Everything is fine." Miss Baker came into them. "It's just the body's way of practicing for the real thing."
"So can I go back to my room now?" Monica sat up.
"You can go." Miss Baker told her. "But you are to be on bed rest. And I don't think you should climb up and down those stairs every day."
"What if she stayed with me?" Chandler asked. "She can take the bedroom and I can sleep on the couch."
"I think that will be fine." Miss Baker told them. "Just make sure that she takes it easy."
"I will," Chandler helped Monica off the bed and they walked out of the building.
Everyone walked into Chandler's room a few hours later and saw him passed out on the couch. They also saw all of Monica's belongings stacked in the corner.
"Chandler," Ross shook him and he slowly sat up and looked at all of them.
"Hey," he slowly sat up. "What time is it?"
"Almost ten." Ross told him. "Why are all of Monica's things in here?"
"She sleeping in the bedroom." He rubbed his eyes. "She had some Braxton Hicks contractions early this morning, so Miss Baker put her on bed rest."
"Is she ok?" Carol asked.
"She's fine. She's just going to stay in here until she goes into labor. Miss Baker doesn't want her going up and down all those stairs every day."
"Do you think she's awake yet?" Carol asked. "I have to get to the airport. My parents want me to come home now."
"I'm awake." The bedroom door opened and Monica came out. "What's going on?"
"My parents called me this morning. They want to see me before the new semester starts." Carol told her. "My flight is in an hour."
"I'm glad I got to know you better." Monica hugged her.
Chandler went to get dressed and came back out as Ross was heading out the door with Carol. He started to get some cereal out for breakfast as Carol said good-bye to all of them.
"You make sure you call and let me know when the baby comes." Carol told them.
"I will." Ross assured her. "We better go or you'll miss your flight."
"See you, Carol." Chandler told her as they walked out.
"What do you have for breakfast?" Monica went to him.
"Toast or cereal." He told her. "Which do you want?"
"Just some toast." She sat at the table and watched as he got some out.
A little bit later, Phoebe and Joey came in with Chandler's and Monica's parents. They walked in and saw Monica and Chandler on the couch as they both read through some parenting books.
"Hey," Chandler spotted them.
"We ran into Ross as he was leaving to Take Carol to the airport." Jack said. "He told us about you being put on bed rest."
"I'm fine." Monica assured them. "I'm just anxious to have him out now."
"Don't worry," Judy went to her. "The next month will fly by. You'll be meeting your son in no time at all."
Preview Of Next Chapter: Monica gives birth to their son!
My New Blog Address: It won't let me post the web address. But there's a link on my profile page. It's a place for me to post my stories and updates about them. I'm not begging, but if you guys would follow me and leave some feedback, I'd really appreciate it.
AN: So what'd you all think? What do you think they'll name the baby? What'd you think of the proposal? Please R&R.