Delivery - Mon POV
"Where's Chandler?"
I'm dripping sweat as another contraction hits and Rachel dabs my forehead. As much as she tries to hide it, I watch as she gives a panicked look in Joey's direction.
"Rachel, don't you dare lie to me. Where's my husband?" I ask again, this time with more edge in my voice.
"We tried calling, Honey. He's not picking up."
I bring my hands to meet my face as I begin to cry. "He told me he didn't want to go, but I made him." My voice hiccups.
Rachel grabs my hands in attempt to calm me. "He'll be here." She says calmly but firmly. "Joey, will call him again, okay?"
I look over at Joey and he quickly nods, retrieving his cellphone. I watch as he stands and begins pacing the floor of my hospital room, waiting for an answer on the other end.
Another contraction hits and I yell out in pain, squeezing Rachel's hand.
"Hey man, it's Monica, she's having your baby. I don't know where you're at, but she needs you. Call us when you get this." Joey hangs up and joins me on the other side of the bed just as the pain subsides.
I look up at him, hopeful. He just shakes his head and grabs my other hand. "We're here for you." He says softly.
Taking a deep breath, I look from Joey to Rachel - thankful for such great friends. "And my parents. You called them?"
Rachel nods quickly, rubbing the back of my hand. "They're already in the lobby." She smiles softly. "Do you want some ice chips?"
I shake my head.
"What do you want us to do? Do you need another pillow?" Joey asks, "I can get the doctor." But there was no need, because in the next second Dr. Connolly walks through the door with a nurse right behind him.
"Hey, how are we feeling?" He asks, more chipper than I'd like.
He spritzes his hands with sanitizer at the foot of my bed and pulls up a stool.
"Anxious, nervous, tired."
He smiles softly. "All normal feelings." He lifts my gown slightly and blindly feels my cervix. Nodding, he pulls his hand back and begins removing his gloves. "You're about 8 centimeters, Monica. Not too much longer now." He looks up at the nurse "Let's start prepping her room, grab the team and we can go over her chart a final time."
She jots down a few notes. "Epidural catheter?"
I shake my head, "I don't want an epidural." I bud in "All I want is my husband."
Dr. Connolly looks over at me, wide eyed "Dad's not here, yet?"
Rachel speaks up "We've been trying to get a hold of him. Without much success."
He just nods, thinking this over.
"Please." I look over at them. "I don't want to have my baby without Chandler."
"I understand." He sighs. "Unfortunately, the baby doesn't have a calendar. It comes when it's ready. If we wait too long it could put both the baby and yourself in danger." He tells us "From the looks of it, and the speed of which you are progressing, I'd say we've got less than an hour, maybe a little longer, before we need to start pushing." He stands, pushing back his stool "I'll check back soon but for now just try to relax."
When they leave the room, the tears begin to fall. I know this much stress probably isn't good for the baby. I don't know what to do. We've talked about this moment for the past 9 months, planning out every exercise and possible situation. I just never imagined it turning out like this.
"I want to talk to my mom." I say as calmly as I can.
Rachel looks over at Joey and they both nod.
"I'll go get her." Joey says, releasing my hand and exiting the room.
It's quiet for the few minutes it takes Judy to enter the room. Rachel smiles softly and gives her the seat she's been occupying, before leaving us alone.
"How are you feeling, Darling?" Judy asks, taking my hand.
I shake my head, pleading the tears away. "What am I going to do?"
She cocks her head to one side about to say something, before she stops herself. "You are going to have a baby." She says softly, gathering my attention fully. "You are going to be a Mother." Her voice is soothing, completely changing the emotions I have built up. "And then, after a day or two, you and Chandler will bring your little bundle of joy home. Surrounded by everyone you love, you will introduce us all to the newest addition of your family." She smiles, causing another tear to slip away. But it's not a tear of sadness, but rather a tear of joy and happiness. She brushes it away with her thumb, just like she use to do when I was a little girl. "Your father will probably say something inappropriate or ridiculous." We giggle "But we'll love him anyway."
Silence washes over us. "Everything is going to be alright." She tells me.
A contraction hits and we go through the same process as the others. Only this time, it is my mother by my side.
"Do you want me to get your friends?" She asks
I shake my head. "Not yet."
She nods, rubbing my hand the same way Rachel did earlier.
"You know, I remember the first time you introduced me to Chandler." She chuckles "You two were so smitten for each other." I start to argue with her, but I stop myself, not having the energy. "Then when we had lunch together that one afternoon, I knew there was something you weren't telling me."
"I was horrified you'd be upset."
She nods "I know." Sighing, she looks me over. "You had an expression on your face that day. The same one you hold now. It's because you're scared, Monica." She says "You're starting a new chapter in your life and you're nervous you're going to mess it up. Or worse, disappoint someone else."
"Did I?"
"No! Absolutely not." She quickly adds, squeezing my hand. "If anything, you're making me proud. I'm going to be a Nana."
"Nana?" I question
"Of course. Grandma sounds too old." She explains.
I laugh "You should talk to Nora about that. When we had dinner with her last week she said she wanted to be Nana."
Judy just shakes her head with a smile. "We'll worry about this later. Right now, all you need to focus on is having my grandbaby." She leans down to place a gentle kiss on my forehead "I'll go get your friends, now." She stands
As Judy leaves, Dr. Connolly returns with the same nurse and Rachel behind him. "How are you feeling, Monica? Getting a little eager I bet."
"Oh, yeah." I reach down and rub my tummy for what could be my last time. Rachel restores her position at my side and places her hand on my shoulder.
"Alright, we're just going to take another look..."
I look over at Rachel, a warm smile on her face.
"It appears we are just about there." He announces, "We are going to go ahead and roll you over to the delivery room and scrub-up. It shouldn't be too much longer now."
"No-" Right on time, another contraction pulses through my body, twice as painful as the last one. "Ahhh!" My muscles tighten; the pain unbearable.
"Breath..." Rachel takes a few deep breaths, coaching me through it. As much as I love her, I could slap her right now.
When it passes, I try desperately to catch my breath. "Where. Is. Chandler." It's no longer a question. It's a statement. At this point, I don't want anyone by my side but my husband.
"He's on his way."
I honestly don't know if she is telling the truth or just saying what I want to hear.
"I want to talk to him." I tell her and she nods franticly as she reaches for her phone.
"Okay."
The nurse starts to pack up my monitor and put up the bars on the side of my bed.
Rachel hurriedly dials his number. As she waits for him to answer, I imagine hearing his ringtone on the other end. At one point, I actually believe I heard it.
"Wait!"
I look towards the door to see a panting Chandler, ash and sweat on his face.
"I'm here." He hurries to my side, taking Rachels place.
My heart can beat again.
He leans down to press his lips to mine. "Sorry I'm late."
I shake my head. "You're here now." I smile. These are the exact same words we spoke when I was late on our wedding day. It feels like it's become our thing.
"Alright, Dad." Dr. Connolly walks over and pats Chandler on the back "We are going to get you scrubbed up and then we'll meet Mom in the delivery room."
"You can follow me." The nurse motions by the door.
Chandler begins to follow her, our hands stretching until he is too far and we are separated once again.
It's in that moment that I realize Rachel is no longer in the room.
"Are you ready to have this baby?" Dr. Connolly smiles down at me.
I just nod, allowing him and a few others to wheel me out of the room and down the hall.
When I get there, Chandler is waiting for me in a robe, hairnet and gloves.
God, he looks so cute.
They position me and get everything ready for the baby.
Meanwhile, I grab Chandlers hand and look up at him. "Are you ready?"
He nods. "I've never been more ready."
"Alright, Monica. When you feel the next contraction I want you to push all the way through it." He is at my feet, ready to deliver his 5,001 baby. He's been by our side from the beginning ever since Chandler and I decided to try. He was recommended by a friend from work and I'm really glad he was. I couldn't have asked for a better Doctor.
And now it's time. I take a deep breath and begin to push.
He coaches me through it, Chandler consoling me from my side, all the way through the contraction.
"Wait." He stops me - to which I'm thankful for. No book or class could have prepared me for the pain and physical energy this is draining from my body.
"The baby is breech."
"Breech?" I question
"It means the baby is turned around and is in a more difficult position. Monica, I'm going to need you to push even harder now. When the next contraction hits you're going to have to give it all you got. Okay."
I look up at Chandler, panic in my eyes.
He leans down and pecks my forehead. "You can do it, Baby, I love you. We're almost there."
"Okay Monica, here it comes. I need you to start pushing now. Push. Push."
I inhale deeply and begin pushing through it.
"I can see its feet. Keep pushing."
Chandler is holding me up, whispering encouraging words that only I can hear.
My eyes are squeezed shut as I push with everything I have.
"Okay, stop."
I fall back on the bed, exhausted. Looking up at Chandler I shake my head. "I can't do this."
"Yes you can." He states. "You can do this. Pretty soon you'll be holding our baby. Just a little bit longer."
"The umbilical cord is blocked. We're going to have to do an emergency cesarean. Prep OR." Dr. Connolly stands and sees the fear in my eyes. "You're going to be okay, Monica. The baby is in a position where it is difficult for them to breath. We are going to preform a C-section now. Try not to push, okay? We don't want to put more tension on you or the baby."
"What do you want me to do?" Chandler asks calmly.
He takes a deep breath. "Just be here." He gives a warm smile to us both before there is a screen dividing me and my baby. A nurse puts a hairnet on me and an oxygen mask over my mouth.
"Chandler..." A tear slips down my cheek.
"I'm here." He leans down so his face is next to mine. He grabs my hand with both of his and rests his forehead against mine.
I feel slight pressure on my abdomen as they begin surgery. Dr. Connolly instructs his staff of what to do and what he needs. It all happens so quickly.
Within minutes our baby is born and the nurses take it to the side to get cleaned up; I hardly get a glimpse before I feel wheezy and light headed. "I don't hear crying..." I say softly "Why isn't there crying?"
The monitor beeps as I try to stay awake and all attention turns to me as I blink slowly.
"She's losing a lot of blood." Dr. Connolly states as him and a few nurses quickly tend to my needs. "She's going into hypovolemic shock. Get the husband out of here."
The last thing I see is Chandler's face as he's being pushed out of the room.
Then I close my eyes.