Thank you my babies..! I love how long your reviews are :D Although, I love the shorter ones too! I appreciate every one of them. I feel like I could marry you all or something, even though I'm against marriage. Okay, I'm not against it, but personally I just don't like the concept of it. I'd like to have like a wedding party though, you know, get all dressed up and eat some cake. And I do like rings and diamonds and stuff.. Why am I still talking about this?
Anyway, I'm not so late this time! Surprised, huh? I'm going away, out of country for like a week in this month, so I won't be updating then. I'll be lying at the pool instead, or at the beach.. Maybe both, hahahaa.
But here's the next chapter, and I hope you guys like it!
Chapter 27
After a week had passed by since Monica and Chandler came completely clean with each other, they were still extremely happy and all giddy in love. Monica just couldn't believe how well Chandler was dealing with everything, and she felt really lucky. Actually, she didn't think of it as good luck, she just loved the man she was still allowed to be with. She loved and respected him now more than she had ever expected. He would've had every right to leave her, break off the engagement or at least be mad at her, but no. He still treated her the way he used to. Maybe even better, that's how Monica felt.
Chandler knew that after everything that Monica had put him and them through, some people would find his decision to stay with her at least strange. But they could never understand it, the situation, or how deeply he felt for her. He knew that Monica was still the same woman he'd fallen in love with, there had just been too many misunderstandings and mistakes. That's why they had come to the conclusion that telling people about it would be a waste of time. Only they and their four closest friends got to know everything.
But, the whole gang had once again decided to put the past behind. Everything was alright again, and there was a baby coming in just a few months.. and another one a little later. But nobody knew about this baby, no one except Rachel.
It was Monday morning, and Rachel, Ross, Phoebe and Joey were enjoying breakfast in Monica and Chandler's kitchen. Soon the couple emerged from their bedroom, Chandler in a suit and Monica in her robe.
Rachel was the first to notice them. "Aww, look at those lovebirds," she said as they joined the others in the kitchen hand in hand. "You're so cute."
"I know!" Monica said, grinning widely.
"It's like when you first hooked up. I mean, after we all found out about you," Rachel said.
"Well, you could try to get your hands off each other every once in a while," Ross said.
"Yeah, we had to make breakfast for ourselves," Joey added.
"It is quite unsettling, isn't it?" Monica shook her head in amusement.
"Well, yeah," the rest of the gang said in unison.
"Anyway, I have a meeting with my psychic so I have to go," Phoebe said, getting up. "Thanks for the burnt pancakes, Joey. And Chandler and Mon, have a looovely day," she added as she winked at the couple, leaving them confused.
"Hey, Pheebs, wait up," Ross said as he got up. "I have to go too."
"And I have an audition at two, I'm gonna go practice," Joey said, and soon left the apartment with Phoebe and Ross, leaving Chandler, Monica and Rachel in the kitchen.
"Well, at least we got to chat with them," Chandler said with sarcasm as he sat down at the table. "So.. we're having charred pancakes a la Joey. Ooh, yum."
Monica chuckled. "Do you want me to fix something edible for you?"
"Nah, it's fine. I've kinda missed Joey's five star meals," Chandler said, causing Monica to give him a look. "No, I haven't," he said quickly.
Rachel watched as the happy couple teased each other, giving those loving smiles to each other, making each other laugh. She found herself envying them. She envied their situation, which felt so wrong especially after all they'd been through. But she couldn't help it, she just wished that she could have a happy little family. She missed being in a relationship, she missed being loved back. As much as it scared her, she was ready to settle down and commit. If only it were that easy...
Monica's concerned voice brought her back to reality. "Rachel, is everything okay?"
Rachel looked at the two worried faces staring at her. "Yeah, sure. I'm okay," she said, not too convincingly. "I-I was just thinking about how cute you guys are and how happy I am for you," she added, knowing that they would buy it.. and it was partially true, anyway.
And obviously, they bought it. "Aww, that's so sweet," Monica grinned happily.
"Okay, I give up," Chandler said then, pushing the plate away from him. "I'm just gonna steal someone's sandwich at work," he said as he got up.
"Make sure it's not Ross's," Rachel remarked.
Monica stopped Chandler, but before she got to say anything, he was already talking. "Mon, I'm fine. I'm not even that hungry, and I'm already late for work," Chandler explained.
"But-"
"If I have to choose between morning sex and breakfast, I choose morning sex," Chandler smirked before placing a soft kiss on Monica's cheek. "See ya later, babe," he added before heading towards the door.
"Bye," Monica smiled as he left the apartment. She'd missed being called 'babe', 'honey', 'baby', 'sweetie'... And during the past week, Chandler had finally started using those words again, and even that made her surprisingly happy.
"Wow, you're really trying to spoil him, huh?" Rachel said with a chuckle.
Monica shrugged. "That's the least I can do right now," she smiled.
"Mon, that's sweet, but you don't have to do that," Rachel said. "He's already forgiven you and everything is fine, better than fine. Maybe things should just go back to normal."
Monica sighed as she sat down at the table. "I know what you mean, but I feel like I need to do this so I can live with myself, you know?" she said. "It's not like I'm spoiling him, I just want to be the best I can be. And I want to do this, I mean, we've wasted so much time."
"Okay, if that's what you want," Rachel said, and looked at her for a moment. "Your boobs are huge, by the way."
"I know!" Monica said. "This pregnancy has had a huge effect on the girls. Chandler has already renamed them," she said, letting out a snort.
"Can't say I'm surprised," Rachel said, amused.
"So, obviously I need new clothes again," Monica sighed. "I really don't feel like going shopping."
"I'll go with you," Rachel said with a smile. "I too need new clothes."
Monica looked at her sadly, almost with pity. "Rach, I know you've gained some weight, and that's alright," she said reassuringly. "But you don't need new clothes, you just need to work out. I-I can be like your personal trainer!"
Rachel frowned in confusion. "Mon, I don't think-"
"I used to work out with Chandler, remember? I can do that with you, too," Monica said. "Although, it's a little different now that I'm pregnant, but we'll make it work. That way we can get rid of those oversized t-shirts in no time!"
Rachel looked at her incredulously, and silently made a decision in her head. "You know, Monica.. I wasn't planning on telling anyone yet, especially you about this, but.. You just called me fat, and you insulted my sense of style, so I'm just gonna have to tell you," Rachel said. "But only if you promise that you won't tell anyone."
Monica shrugged. "Okay."
"Not even Chandler."
"You can't ask me to keep secrets from him," Monica frowned. "Not after everything that's happened to us."
"I'm not asking you to keep secrets from him. I'm asking you to keep a secret from him," Rachel said.
"Well, that changes everything!" Monica said with sarcasm.
"I don't think this is going to affect your relationship."
"But-"
"Don't tell him."
Monica sighed, dying to know what Rachel was about to tell her. "Fine," she gave in. "This better be worth it."
"Oh, believe me - it is," Rachel said, before taking a deep breath. "You... are looking at a pregnant woman."
Monica looked at her for a second, before looking around. "I don't see a mirror..?"
Rachel rolled her eyes. "Me. I'm pregnant."
Monica stared at her friend with wide eyes. "What?" she asked. "You can't be. I-I'm the one who's pregnant."
Rachel stood up silently and lifted up her shirt a little, so Monica could see the small bump on her stomach.
Monica gasped in shock. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed, getting up too. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to be happy, worried or what. She was just shocked.
"Yeah," Rachel said. "That's what I said when I first saw the results on those seven pregnancy tests I took."
"Rachel, I..." Monica started, but no other words came out.
Rachel looked at her as she kept gesturing something with her hands. "I have no idea what you're trying to tell me, but I think you should breathe."
Monica just couldn't comprehend. "I need to lie down," she managed to say before walking to the living room, lying down on the couch.
"Okay, okay..." Rachel said as she followed her. "Well, now I can only imagine what the father's reaction will be like.." she muttered quietly to herself.
But Monica heard that. Of course she did. "What?!" she sat up quickly. "You haven't told the father yet?"
Rachel shook her head. "No. You're the first one I've told," she said. "But please, Monica, don't judge me. I know what I'm doing."
A glimpse of hope could be seen in Monica's eyes. "Really?"
"No."
Monica shook her head in desperation. "Who's the father?"
"I can't tell you. I need to tell him first."
"And when is that going to happen?" Monica asked, trying hard not to sound judging.
"Soon," Rachel said hesitantly. She'd been saying that to herself for about two months now.
"You need to tell him," Monica said. "He has the right to know. It might be hard but it's not like it's your fault."
"I know."
"How far along are you?"
"I just entered my second trimester."
Monica raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Wow..." She gave it a thought before a smile took over her face.
Noticing this, Rachel asked, "What?"
"Our kids will be the same age!" Monica said, clearly chuffed. Rachel couldn't help smiling at Monica's almost childish excitement. "I mean, you are going to keep the baby, right?" Monica asked.
Rachel thought about it for a moment, even though she had come up with the answer a long time ago. "Yes," she said.
Monica looked at her pregnant friend happily, before moving closer to give her a hug. "Congratulations," she said, her voice filled with emotion.
"Congratulations to you too," Rachel whispered, closing her eyes as they held each other. She felt so relieved. She was so glad that someone knew, and that someone was Monica, her best friend. How could she think that she wouldn't be happy and supportive for her? This gave Rachel the courage to decide that she would tell the father soon, and this time she was really going to do it.
"Joe, who is the craziest woman you've ever dated?" Ross asked, a playful smile on his lips.
"The craziest woman must be..." Joey gave it a thought. "That stalker girl who thought I was Dr. Drake Ramoray in real life. What was her name?"
"Erica?" Chandler said, before letting out a laugh. "Yeah, she was messed up," he said. "Really hot, though."
Monica laughed along. "That's nice. You know what else is hot? This pan I'm gonna beat you with," she said from the stove, causing her friends to laugh.
It had been a few days since Monica and Rachel's conversation, and Monica had indeed managed to keep it as a secret. It was hard, but she understood the situation so she kept quiet. Rachel still hadn't told the father yet, but obviously she was planning to.
Now the whole gang was spending their evening at Monica and Chandler's, talking about former girlfriends and boyfriends. Monica was cooking as the other five were sitting at the kitchen table.
"Okay, what about you, Rachel?" Phoebe asked. "Oh, I know! It's the guy who kept, like, making out with his sister."
Rachel thought about it. "Hmm.. No. I mean, Yeti was weird, but I would have to say that the craziest guy must be Tommy."
"Tommy the Screamer?" Ross asked.
"Yeah."
"See, and you didn't even believe me at first!" Ross said.
"Alright," Rachel rolled her eyes.
"He was pretty crazy," Joey stated. "The Duck kept shaking for days after he screamed at him!"
"Yeah, and little Yasmine was so confused," Chandler said. "I mean, if he got so mad at her for crapping on his hand, I can only imagine how pissed he would've been if he had seen the mess she made after that."
Joey nodded knowingly as the others shared disgusted looks with each other.
"Well, I think we can pass Monica since we already know the answer," Ross said, and they all turned to look at Chandler.
"What?" he said, his eyebrows shooting up. "I'm not crazy! I'm not even..." he stopped mid-sentence, letting out a sigh. "Why bother? She's only dated dull people."
"That's not true," Monica protested. "Pete was kinda crazy. I mean, nothing compared to you but still." Chandler just shrugged.
"What about Chandler?" Ross asked.
"Yeah, this is a tough one," Rachel joked, before starting to make that Janice's annoying and familiar laughing noise together with Phoebe.
Chandler rolled his eyes. "Okay," he said. "I think we all got that."
"Oh... My..." Rachel started imitating Janice, but suddenly felt pain in her stomach. "...God!" she screamed.
"Well, that ending didn't sound quite right," Chandler said.
"Oh my god!" Rachel yelped again, getting freaked out.
Monica turned around to look at her friend, and saw her holding her stomach, seeming to be in serious pain. Something wasn't right, but how could they get away with this? She needed to come up with something. "What-what is it? Is it, um.. Is your foot hurting again, Rach?" Monica stuttered.
"Oh, screw it, Monica!" Rachel yelled in despair, almost angrily. "I'm pregnant, okay?! I'm pregnant, and something feels really painful in here!"
"Okay, let's go to the hospital," Monica said quickly, helping Rachel up. "Come on, let's go."
Joey, Ross, Chandler and Phoebe stared at the pregnant women in shock, before Chandler finally broke the silence. "What the hell is going on?!"
"Rachel is pregnant?" Joey frowned.
"That's right!" Monica said. "Now are you coming with us or not?"
The others shared some confused looks. "We'll come with you," Ross said then, getting up.
Chandler and Phoebe were sitting in the waiting room, watching as Ross and Monica kept pacing around the room nervously. Joey was somewhere looking for the candy machine, of course.
"Wow. Gellers are freaking out," Phoebe said.
"Yeah," Chandler said with a nod.
Phoebe looked at him as he stared into space, playing with the pen he'd found on the table. "Are you alright?"
He glanced at her. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said shortly.
Phoebe was still too bewildered to notice that he was clearly lying. "I just can't believe that Rachel's pregnant," she said. "And how come she didn't tell us?"
"I know," Chandler said, looking up. "Look at Ross, he must be having a hard time."
"Yeah, I mean, I think we all know that he's still in love with Rachel, and now she's pregnant with someone else's kid..." Phoebe sighed, before she got an idea. "Maybe he is the father?"
Chandler shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know.. I think he would've told us if he had slept with her," he mused.
"Yeah, but Rachel didn't tell us that she's pregnant, so..." Phoebe said.
"Well, I hope you're right."
"Me too," Phoebe said, her eyes landing on Chandler again. He certainly didn't look fine. "Okay, what's wrong?"
Chandler sighed. With Phoebe, you just couldn't get away with anything. "What if Rachel's baby is in danger? I mean, this makes me think of our baby," he looked at Monica, who was talking to her brother at the moment. "So far, everything's gone so well that I never even thought about the possible complications and stuff like that. And now, that's all I can think about."
"Chandler, It's gonna be fine. I have a really strong feeling about this," Phoebe said calmly.
"You have strong feelings about everything."
"And I'm always... usually right," Phoebe said. "Besides, I think you've already had enough problems."
"Yeah, well, maybe that's why the man upstairs thinks that we can handle one more."
Phoebe sighed. "Look, it's important that you're prepared for anything, but you should also be able to enjoy this," she said. "How many times do I have to tell you to think positive?"
Chandler didn't have time to answer as Monica approached them. "Honey, what's up?" she asked, seeing the worried look on both of their faces.
"Nothing," he said as Monica sat down next to him. "We were just talking about Rachel and her baby." After finding out that Monica had her own concerns about pregnancy and giving birth, he didn't want to tell her about his.
"Oh... Well, I'm sure they're both fine," Monica said, but she was clearly nervous and unsure. "Rachel tends to over exaggerate when it comes to pain. And it's not like she was," she cleared her throat, "bleeding or anything, so it's probably nothing serious."
Chandler put his arm around her shoulders reassuringly. "Yeah, you're right."
When an uncomfortable silence filled the air, Phoebe figured that the couple could probably use some privacy. "I'm gonna go find Joey and save a few candy machines," she said and left.
"This is crazy," Chandler said after a minute.
"I know," Monica said, looking at him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Rachel being pregnant. She told me a few days ago and she didn't want anyone else to know yet."
"It's okay, I get it," Chandler said, before another silence descended over the room. "So.. when you go into labor, what should I do before taking you to the hospital?"
"Well, not much," Monica mused. "Just, get our coats, call Richard, get a cab -"
"Whoa," Chandler cut her off. "Call Richard?"
"Yeah," Monica said, as if it wasn't weird at all.
Chandler stared at her in disbelief. They would never get rid of that man, would they? "You do remember that it's my baby, right?" Chandler asked.
"Yes, most likely," Monica said. "Of course there's the possibility -"
"That possibility is smaller than Rachel's pain threshold!"
"Yeah, maybe, but it's still there," Monica said. "It's only fair this way."
Chandler let out a snort. "Fair? Really?"
"Fair for him," Monica sighed. "Chandler, he has the right to see the birth of his child."
"His child? Mon, it's my child. My baby. You said that to me, remember?"
"I'm still very sure that it's yours," Monica said. "But he has the right to be there. I mean, just think about being in his situation."
"I would never be in his situation," Chandler said quickly.
Monica gave it a thought. "Really?" she turned to him. "Are you saying, that if I was with Richard and I came to you for comfort, complaining about him, you wouldn't even think about swooping in?"
Chandler let out a sigh, avoiding her gaze. "Fine, but why do you keep defending him?"
"Because it's my fault, Chandler," Monica said, her voice cracking with emotion. "It's all my fault, and it's killing me. I have never felt this guilty in my whole life, ever."
"But why?" Chandler questioned with a frown on his face. "I've already forgiven you."
"Well, I haven't. I can't get over the fact that I risked the most important relationship, the most important thing in my life," Monica said. "Don't get me wrong, I couldn't be happier about how things turned out, but I can't put the past completely behind. Not yet."
Chandler looked at his fiancée as she was trying to fight back tears. Successfully, as usual. He was about to apologize, but he knew that was probably the last thing she wanted.
"You never know, maybe he's not even available when the baby comes," Monica said after a moment.
Chandler squeezed her hand lovingly. "He's a jerk if he isn't," he said, causing Monica to laugh slightly. She found it kind of funny how Chandler and Richard kept saying those kind of things about each other.
"And otherwise he isn't?"
"Good point," Chandler returned her smile.
That's when Rachel appeared into the room, a doctor in tow. Chandler and Monica got up and ran up to her, and also Ross joined them.
Monica was the first to ask. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine," Rachel said, sounding tired and beyond annoyed.
The three of them sighed in relief. "What happened, then?" Ross asked.
"She's experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions, mild discomfort caused by contractions in the uterine wall," the doctor explained.
"Hmm, mild discomfort. So I take it you've had one of these Braxton thingies?" Rachel asked from the doctor.
"So, there's no danger to her and the baby?" Monica asked.
"Absolutely not," the doctor said.
"Thank you, doctor," Rachel said with a weak smile as the doctor left.
"How are you feeling?" Chandler asked.
"I'm fine now," Rachel said. "I got half a mind to contract that doctor's uterus though. Mild discomfort, what's he talking about?"
"Wait, Braxton-Hicks contractions? Most women don't even feel them," Ross said.
"Okay, no uterus, no opinion," Rachel said, glaring at him.
Monica was so relieved to know that Rachel and the baby were alright. "Are we ready to go home now?" she asked.
"Yeah, I guess," Rachel said, looking around. "Where's Phoebe and Joey?"
It didn't take long for them to appear, their pockets full of candy bars.
"Hey, you guys!" Phoebe greeted as they ran up to the others.
"Nice investment," Chandler commented, referring to all the chocolate.
"Who said we used any money?" Joey said, smiling slyly.
Phoebe turned to Rachel. "Are you okay, Rach?"
Rachel nodded. "Yeah. Come on, let's go home," she said with a warm smile. "I'll tell you everything on the way."
"Everything?" Monica asked incredulously.
"Everything," Rachel agreed.
The gang made their way outside, and Rachel really did tell them everything. Even though they were all shocked, they turned out to be very supportive, as always.
Well, the ending was kinda weird. And much didn't happen.. did it? :D I don't know. I hope you guys enjoyed!
Please leave a review and make my day, my week, my month, my life.. :D
