Phike: Familiar Faces Trilogy 2 Chapter 32, a friends fanfic

A/N: Hey guys, this is just me reminding you guys for the reviews and suggestions for any improvements I could make to keep coming and to read all the chapters leading up to this one and the other books. Please also keep in mind that strong themes of bereavement and mental health issues will feature from now on for quite a while across all three books, and so if you are sensitive towards that topic, I ask you to keep that in mind before continuing to read on with the trilogy. Thank you so much for your continued support, and I hope you have a good day whenever and wherever you're reading this!

Chapter 32 – Phoebe

"Are you excited for the hospital check up?" Mike asked me as he switched on the ignition of the car and started backing out of the parking space.

"Of course," I said, as I checked through my handbag to make sure that I'd definitely brought my hospital stuff for the check-up appointment.

"Since we're obviously bringing up twins now," Mike asked me as he turned on the indicator as we drove around a roundabout, "how would you feel if the baby we've made now is a twin or a triplet?"

"Honestly, I would be more than happy," I answered. "I mean, we've been looking after Mon and Chandler's kids so much particularly recently and so I think that we've proved ourselves more than qualified if that is the case."

We continued talking about how we'd feel about the possibility of having two or three more children right up until Mike was pulling into a parking space in the parking lot and then walking up to the entrance together.

I spoke to the woman who was sitting behind the glass screen of reception, which was almost straight as you walk into the entrance.

"My husband and I are here for my 8 week ultrasound in the neonatal clinic with Dr Peters," I said to the woman.

"Do you know where you're going or would you like a nurse to direct you?" the woman asked me and Mike.

"We know where we're going, but thank you," Mike answered for the both of us.

We found our way to the neonatal ward, which over the next nine months would likely become a second home to us, and introduced ourselves at the ward reception desk. We were told to take a seat and wait to be called by the OB/GYN we had our appointment scheduled with, Dr Peters.

"Have you thought about names yet or do you think I'm getting too far ahead of myself here?" I asked Mike, feeling quite nervous in the anticipation of waiting to be called in for our appointment.

"No, no – I have too," Mike said, turning to me and smiling as he put his arm around my shoulder, which I interpreted to be his way of responding to how anxious I'd gotten.

"If it's just one kid," I began saying, "then I'll call it Phoebe-Lily. If it's twins, it will be Rebecca and Rhys and if it's triplets, then we can use all three."

"I like the sound of those," Mike said, taking me aback at first because I expected him to want to talk it through at least a few more times before making any kind of final agreements on the exact names that we would be naming our child or children, depending on how many heartbeats are detected in the ultrasound.

We talked a little longer just to pass the time until I heard my name being called and Mike and I both looked over from the waiting area to the corridor of consultation rooms.

"Mr and Mrs. Buffay-Hannigan?" Dr Peters called a second time.

The two of us stood up from where we were sitting and made our way over to her consultation room, therefore making it clear we were the ones she wanted to see. Once we had settled down into the seats in the room, Dr Peters and Mike and I introduced ourselves.

"I'm Dr Peters," Dr Peters said, first shaking my hand then Mike's.

"I'm Phoebe," I said and Mike introduced himself.

"So, Phoebe, I've read your notes and apparently this isn't your first time being pregnant," Dr Peters said, sounding very professional but welcoming at the same time as she sifted through some paperwork in a small plastic folder. "You and your husband have two eight year old fraternal twins, right?" Dr Peters prompted.

Mike and I nodded in unison as Dr Peters continued talking.

"Phoebe has also been a surrogate mother for her brother's fraternal triplets. Therefore you both understand there is a definite chance of us finding more than one heartbeat during the sonogram, obviously then identifying that Mom is carrying two or three foetuses," she said, as both of Mike and I continued to nod.

"Do you have any questions or concerns so far about the pregnancy before we just move straight on to the ultrasound?" Dr Peters asked both Mike and I.

I looked at Mike, who shook his head, before speaking for the both of us by saying, "No we don't."

Mike sat next to me whilst I laid on the reclining hospital bed that was attached to the machine that performed the ultrasound and had the gel that means that the sensors can detect the foetus when scanning my belly.

"You ready to go ahead with things now?" Dr Peters said, as I nodded and she proceeded to move the scanner which resembled the snout of a vacuum cleaner.

With one of my hands firmly encased in Mike's grip, we both started watching the screen of the ultrasound like a hawk as Dr Peter started to talk us through the process.

"So, from what I can initially see all looks pretty normal, I can see at least one body and heartbeat but the size of the lump which I know is a body is too big to just be one foetus, and so as suspected, we're looking at multiple baby Buffay-Hannigans," Dr Peters said as I felt Mike squeeze my hand by way of encouragement as all was so good, so far.

Dr Peter did continue to talk, but none of what she was saying was particularly interesting or important until at last she confirmed, "There's three foetuses, all looking happy and healthy so far."

I turned my head towards Mike and exchanged a smile that I would remember for many years to come as it was so full of joint happiness and relief.

"Have you thought of names yet?" Dr Peters said, as she started prepping me to be able to get off of the seat and go home with Mike as the end of our appointment was clearly nearing.

"Obviously this is completely dependent on the distribution of boys and girls between the triplets, but I think we've come to the agreement that the strongest contenders are Rhys, Phoebe-Lily and Rebecca," I said, answering for the two of us as I was confident that Mike would be okay with it after our conversation about names in the waiting area.

"Those are really good choices," Dr Peters said, as I got up from the hospital chair and took my bag from Mike's outstretched arm.

"Thank you so much," I said as Mike nodded in agreement and smiled.

"Good to see the two of you and I'm so happy I was able to give you such exciting news," Dr Peters said, before we said our final goodbyes to her and then walked back out of the room to the rest of the ward.

We talked about the appointment and the order in which we wanted to break the news to various different members of the family and friends on our way back out to the parking lot. We ended up deciding that we would sit Addie and Chris down later at home and tell them then that they would be an older brother and sister to their three new baby brothers or sisters. If Joey was around then, we'd also tell him. Then one of us would post about it on Facebook so that Rachel, Ross, Monica and Chandler could find out.

On the journey home, I also spent a little time gathering my own thoughts about the appointment. On the one hand, I was of course overjoyed that I would become a mother to five kids, but on the other hand, it would mean an even longer, more exhausting journey for another eighteen years. Nevertheless, I tried my best to reassure myself that with Mike's support, we had a fighting chance of being able to successfully and happily bring up 5 children together.

Almost as if Mike had read my mind and knew exactly what I needed to hear in that moment, when he was taking the keys out of the ignition so we could lock the car and then go inside the house to share the news, he said to me, "You're a wonderful mom, you know."

I smiled gratefully at him, as he would have no idea how much what he just said would've mattered to me.