The Gift

Chapter Eleven - A Little Bit of Hope

The next month was difficult for Monica - and Chandler. Although she hadn't been sick at all before she had learned of her pregnancy, she seemed to be sick every morning for almost three weeks since she learned of her condition. Chandler had moved into her apartment just days after they discovered she was pregnant, and he had tried to be there for her whenever she needed him. At times he felt like he wasn't doing enough for her. At other times, Monica insisted that he was doing too much for her. He knew that she was terrified that something would go wrong, and with all of the pregnancy hormones, it was hard to control her emotions. But Chandler was there for her, as a shoulder to cry on, and she deeply appreciated it.

One afternoon, Chandler was surprised when Monica showed up while he was at work. His secretary showed her to his office, and when he saw her come through the door, he just knew that something was wrong.

He immediately jumped up from his desk and walked over to her. "Monica? What are you doing here? What happened?" he asked anxiously as his secretary shut the door, leaving him alone with Monica. "Are you okay? Are the babies okay?"

"Chandler, sweetie, calm down," she said, placing her hands on his shoulders and smiling at him. "Sit down," she said and pushed him back over to his desk. He sat on the edge of his desk, and Monica stood directly in front of him.

"What is it?" he asked, wondering why she would make such an unexpected visit.

"The babies kicked," she informed him. "I was at lunch with Rachel and Phoebe, and they started kicking. It feels so wonderful, Chandler," she smiled brightly.

He gave her a shaky smile and placed his hand on her stomach. He was very relieved that nothing was wrong, but the fact that she had shown up had shocked him. "Are they doing it now?" he asked, moving his hand on her slightly rounded stomach, trying to feel the babies' activity.

"Not right now, but I'm sure they'll do it again in a minute or two. They've hardly stopped at all," she said and placed her hand beside his on her stomach. "I think they're playing together," she grinned. "Our kids are already good children."

"Or maybe they're fighting," he teased, smiling back at her. He jumped suddenly and pulled his hand away from her. "What was that?"

"The babies," she said simply and took his hand to place it back on her stomach. "Do you feel it?" she asked, looking at him for an answer.

The confused look on his face suddenly turned into a look of pure amazement. "Yeah, I feel it," he said quietly. He bent over so his face was close to her stomach and spoke. "Hey, guys. I'm your daddy." That remark received another kick from the babies, and Chandler looked up to Monica and smiled. "They love me already," he said, then stood back up.

"Well, I guess you're just a lovable kind of guy," she responded and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. "I'm sorry if I disturbed your busy schedule," she smirked.

"Yeah. You totally ruined my plans," he teased. "But for this, I'd give up everything," he said sincerely while gently rubbing Monica's stomach.

"Me too," she said and wrapped her arms around him. "Days like these give me a little bit of hope," she said quietly.

"I know," he replied and kissed the back of her neck. "But things are going really well. The babies are healthy, and so are you. I really think we'll be okay this time..."

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When Monica had reached her seventh month, she was hardly able to walk around anymore. She had gained a lot of weight, and she seemed to be tired all the time. Chandler was doing most of his work from home so he could be around to help Monica when she couldn't get up from the couch or when she needed something. He was also doing a huge part of the housework and, although Monica appreciated it, she wasn't always pleased with how he did it.

"Chandler?" Monica said one night while she and Chandler were watching television together.

He looked over at her. "What is it, babe?"

"Did you move the coffee table when you were vacuuming this afternoon?" she asked.

"Um... Yeah, I had to," he answered, afraid of what she was going to say to him. "I'm sorry."

"No no no. It's okay," she assured him. "It's just... Well, when you're finished with the vacuuming, you're supposed to put it back where you found it."

"I thought I did, honey." He was almost positive that he had put it back in the right spot.

"No. Close, but no," she responded. "You see, I used to be able to reach the coffee table while I was sitting on the couch. And now, I can't," she said, demonstrating by trying to reach the table while trying to pull herself up. With the added weight, it wasn't an easy task.

"Honey, I think that it might just be the babies. They're kinda gettin' in your way a lot lately," he said, trying not to upset her. He knew that she wasn't thrilled about being "overweight" again. She knew that it was normal - and absolutely necessary - but she wasn't thrilled about it.

"What are you saying, Chandler? Are you saying that I'm too fat?" she asked angrily. "Because I'm fat because of what you did to me. It's your own fault, you know!" she shouted.

"No, honey, I'm not saying that. I still think that you're the most beautiful woman in the world. You know that. You're not fat. You're gorgeous," he smiled at her. He got up from his seat in the armchair and sat down beside her on the couch, then placed his hand on her stomach. "This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, and I'd be disappointed if you didn't look like this right now."

"Oh... Well, you're forgiven," she said reluctantly. "Just don't ever say that I'm fat again."

"But, Mon, I didn't say -"

"I said, don't ever say that I'm fat again. Don't argue with the pregnant lady," she interrupted.

"Absolutely, dear," he teased and kissed her tenderly. "Why don't we go to bed?" he suggested. "It's getting late, and you need all the rest you can get."

"All right," she agreed. Chandler helped her up from the couch and into their bedroom.

"Monica?" he said as they were both changing for bed.

"Yeah?"

"I was just wondering... When are we going to start working on the nursery?" he asked. He knew that it was a touchy subject, but they really had to get started. In the beginning of the pregnancy, neither of them had wanted to make any major plans for the future, but they only had two months - possibly less than two months - before the babies arrived.

She finished changing and carefully crawled into bed. She had been putting this off for a long time now, and she knew that he was right. They really did need to start working on the nursery. "I guess we could start that now," she replied. "We've only got a couple of months to go."

"Yeah... We can talk about it tomorrow, Mon. You just get some rest," he said and helped tuck her into bed. He kissed her gently. "I love you."

"I love you, too... Good night."

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"I don't know, Rach. I just don't feel so good," Monica said to her friend the next afternoon. Chandler had gone into the office for a few hours, and Rachel had come over to visit with Rebecca.

"Monica sick?" Rebecca asked, looking at her aunt with wide eyes.

"Honey, I'm gonna be fine," she tried to assure the little girl.

"I'm calling Chandler," Rachel said and picked up the telephone, quickly dialing his number.

"Chandler Bing."

"Chandler? It's Rachel," she began. Before she could continue, he interrupted her.

"Is Monica all right?" he asked worriedly. "What's going on?"

"Listen, honey, she's fine. She just isn't feeling very well, so I thought we might need to take her by the emergency room, just to check everything. Just don't panic, okay?"

"Yeah... Can you get her there?"

"Sure. I'll get her there. You just meet us at the hospital," she replied.

"All right... Thanks, Rachel."

"Hey, no problem... She's gonna be fine, Chandler. They're all gonna be fine," she tried to reassure him.

"I know." He tried to sound like he really believed it... He didn't.

"We'll see you there," Rachel said and hung up the phone. She turned to Monica. "I'm going to get you to the emergency room, just to make sure everything's okay." She saw the terrified look on Monica's face, then tried to comfort her. "It's gonna be okay, Mon. I promise you, it's gonna be fine." Rachel helped Monica stand, then picked up Rebecca. "All right, girls. Let's go."

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Rachel, Monica, and Rebecca arrived at the hospital soon, and were greeted by Chandler just outside the entrance to the emergency room. He immediately rushed to Monica's side.

"I'm here," he said, helping her into a wheelchair once they were inside. "How are you feeling?" He knew it was a stupid question, but he asked it anyway.

"Not great... But I'll feel better when I know what's going on," she answered.

"We'll find out soon." They reached the desk, and a nurse showed them to an examining room where they were greeted by a doctor just minutes later.

"I'm Dr. Walker," he said, while preparing to begin his examination. "What seems to be the problem?" he asked.

"She's pregnant," Chandler said nervously.

"Yes, I see that," the doctor replied. "Ms. Geller?" he continued, waiting for her to answer his question.

"I don't know what the problem is, but it hurts," she answered. "I don't want anything to happen to my babies."

"Don't worry. We'll do everything we can," he assured her.

Monica just hoped that was enough.