Always, 7
INTRODUCTION: When you've read ½ this fic you've read ½ the series... :) Encouraging, huh? Lol...
DISCLAIMER: The "Friends" characters don't belong to me. You all know who they belong to.
Chandler stared at Monica, at a loss of words.
"It's a baby" Monica repeated. "It's our new baby."
"But I thought…"
"That I was infertile? So did I, but as we both knew that wasn't 100% sure. And the doctor took a blood sample the other day, and a urine sample, and they discovered that I'm pregnant."
"I…" Chandler said, unable to believe it. "So this is a sonogram photo?"
"Yeah, from like an hour ago. What did YOU think it was when I gave it to you?"
"I don't know. A brain scan?"
Monica looked angry.
"Fine, never mind. But… so… you're, I mean WE'RE, we're having another baby?"
Monica smiled widely.
"Uh-hu!"
"When?"
"In March."
"So you're in what week?"
"The doctor said ninth."
"Ninth week, and you had no idea whatsoever?"
"I just haven't thought about it."
"Honey this is great…" Chandler said, and pulled her in for a hug. He kissed her lovingly and hugged her tighter. "Really, it's great…"
"I know!" Monica said.
"But," Chandler continued, "how big are the chances that we'll get to keep it? I mean, are you in a higher risk for miscarriage, or something?"
"I actually didn't ask" Monica said. "But it's a good point." She looked a bit disappointed. "I guess I shouldn't be beaming over this quite yet. I mean, since it's probably quite unsure…" She gave Chandler a whiney look. "But I want this baby!"
"Thinking that you're gonna loose it is probably stupid" Chandler said. "We shouldn't see it that way. We should just hope that everything will be fine, but not tell anyone quite yet. Especially not Regina."
"I wonder what SHE'S gonna think when she finds out…" Monica pondered. "I mean, she's spoiled rotten, she might not like having a brother or sister to share attention with…"
"Nah, come on, we'll just tell her how she's gotta help us take care of the baby, etc, etc… That usually works, then they're too busy being 'responsible' to be jealous."
"Sure hope you're right…"
They shared a look, smiled widely and were in each other's arms.
*
By the end of September, Monica and Chandler told their friends. Monica was starting to show, so they couldn't keep it a secret from the others anymore. They didn't say anything to Regina though until November.
Regina just stared at her mother. Then at her father. Then she looked at Monica's stomach, that Monica hadn't bothered to hide behind a baggy shirt that day. She looked up at her mother.
"Do you HAVE to have another baby?" she asked, not sounding too pleased.
Monica gave Chandler an upset look. This wasn't exactly the reaction she had hoped for.
"Yes we do" Chandler answered. "I always wanted a brother or a sister, so I made myself a promise that you would get to have one."
"Couldn't you have gotten me a kitten?"
Monica shook her head and rose from the couch.
"Regina don't bug mommy…" Chandler said with a sigh. "Mommy and I want this baby. End of story. You have no say in this."
Regina glared at him. During the four years that she had been alive, her parents had spoiled her. And she was just as stubborn as Monica. She was angry with her parents for not letting her have a say in the matter, after all, it was her parents that the baby would claim.
"Mommy!" she said, slightly whiny.
"Doesn't help, Regina" Monica said, and started to fold laundry from the hamper. "Your dad and I want to have another baby, and you're gonna be happy about it soon too. You're going to be a big sister, now."
"Oh, goody!" Regina said with rolling eyes. She jumped off the couch and went to her room.
"Oh dear…" Monica sighed, and sank down on the recliner.
Chandler was in no way worried.
"I didn't expect any other reaction, we've never talked to her about the possibility of having a second baby in the family. Talk about something out of the blue."
"Yeah, well still…" Monica said, slightly concerned. "Chandler I don't like her stubbornness. She shouldn't get so mad about this. After all, this is OUR decision to make, not hers."
"Well it's our fault, we've spoiled her. All we have to do is be more strict."
"I don't know about you, but personally I might find that a bit hard to do… At least all of a sudden."
"I was thinking more gradually. And I was also thinking that we should include her as much as we can into this thing. She can help with the nursery, come with you when you have an ultrasound, etc, etc…"
"Might work…" Monica agreed. "At least she might feel like we're including her and that we need her help."
Chandler chuckled.
"Just think how cheap she's gonna be as a baby-sitter. We just have to pay her by giving her a lollipop or something!" he joked.
"Chandler Bing, if you for a second think that I'm going to let a four-year-old baby-sit by new son or daughter…"
Chandler chuckled and rose to give her a hand with the laundry.
*
Monica put the glass of water down on the counter and closed her eyes hard, fighting to keep her lunch down. She grabbed a saltine from the pack and mechanically chewed on it. She wasn't feeling well at all.
Regina looked at her silently. She had started to get used to her mom being pregnant and the fact that she would get a sibling soon, and she'd even started to get excited about it. But she always felt uncomfortable when her mother wasn't feeling well. Her parents had explained to her what pregnancy was, in a simplified matter, so she knew that it was the baby that made her mom vomit and feel generally bad.
"I bet now you wish you wasn't having another baby" she remarked.
"Weren't" Monica corrected her grammar, and finished her glass of water. "And I'm fine, Regina."
Regina shook her head and went to the couch. She turned the TV on and started to watch cartoons.
Monica felt a massive head ache come over her, and she grunted. She hadn't been feeling too well, and although she knew it was more than worth it, it brought back some bad memories. She had told herself the exact same thing when she had been sick, and the cancer was a part of her life that she preferred not to think about. She didn't at all feel like she was a lucky person because she had gotten it and survived. She felt that a lucky person didn't get it at all, end of story.
She packed up the groceries from the paper bags, and thought about what she would make for dinner. Nothing seemed very appealing. Just the thought about some things made her stomach turn. She didn't have a craving for anything at the moment. Except for carrot juice.
She realized she had forgotten to get it, so she went across the hall and started to dig through the refrigerator. Lucky for her, Rachel and Joey were still roommates, and Rachel forced herself to drink carrot juice every morning.
Joey exited his bedroom when he heard her enter, and watched in amazement as she drank a whole bottle like others drank water.
"Thirsty?" he said, slightly disgusted.
"Kinda'."
She found another bottle and drank that one too.
"Joey don't give me that look…" she said when she threw the bottles away, knowing exactly what look he had on his face. "I reserve the right to eat and drink weird things. After all, anything normal that I eat or drink seems to be thrown up shortly after anyway."
"I would never survive a pregnancy…" Joey muttered to himself, and went back into his room.
Monica shrugged her shoulders at the comment and went back across the hall. She finished packing up the groceries, and then she gave Chandler a call.
"Hi Chandler. What are we gonna eat for dinner tonight?" she asked.
There was a pause.
"I sorta' thought that I would be the one calling you to ask that…" Chandler then said.
"Come on, give me ideas here!"
"Mon, are you not feeling okay?" Chandler asked. "You've usually got our dinners planned weeks ahead. I never thought I'd see the day when you didn't know what to make for dinner."
"Chandler please," Monica sighed, "no lame jokes or remarks. I'm all out of ideas, because everything I can think of makes me wanna vomit!"
"Everything?"
"Except for carrot juice."
"Well maybe we can make a soup of that…" Chandler said with rolling eyes, still amazed by her intense craving for carrot juice through both this pregnancy and the first one. "Either way Mon," he continued, "I just got back from lunch, you don't need to worry about dinner for HOURS!"
"I wanna know what I should make!" Monica whined. "Otherwise I'm just gonna be thinking about it all day!"
"Look sweetie, call for a pizza, okay?" Chandler said. "And after all, you're five months along now, you won't be feeling sick for much longer. And enjoy your remaining four months as a carrot juice addict."
Monica rolled her eyes, but felt thirsty for even more carrot juice.
"Okay, pizza it is, then" she concluded.
"Yay!" Regina shouted from the couch. Just like her father she loved pizza.
Monica hung up and then realized she didn't want pizza at all.
*
Monica made a face and half heartedly chewed on a saltine.
She was sitting by the counter in Joey's apartment while he was cooking dinner. He had offered to do so, since he knew how much Monica liked his pasta sauces. Regina, who was annoyed that she didn't get pizza, was watching cartoons in the living room, with her bunny as company.
"When's Chandler gonna be home?" Joey asked. "The sauce is almost done."
"In thirty minutes" Monica said. "Just in time for my second serving" she added with a smile, knowing she mostly vomited after she'd eaten and had to eat again later. For some reason she never threw up the second time.
"You feeling any better?" Joey asked, with concern in his voice.
"Yeah, a little. The thought of your pasta sauces are cheering me up" Monica said with a smile. "But I can't get rid of my headache, though."
"Stress, combined with little sleep and little food" Joey claimed. "That always gives ME great headaches."
"In your case 'little food' means only ONE pizza" Monica remarked. "In my case one pizza is A LOT."
"Either way, it sounds like your reason for headache…" Joey said.
Monica nodded thoughtfully and had another saltine. While she chewed on it she tried to remember if she had had these kind of headaches while expecting Regina. She smiled slightly.
"Oh gosh, I remember in June while I was expecting Regina, I had such a headache that Chandler thought I had a brain tumor or something…" she said. "He actually ended up dragging me to the hospital."
"What happened?" Joey asked, handing her the wooden spoon so she could try-taste the sauce.
"They told me to go home and take an aspirin" Monica said with a giggle. "So so much for brain tumors."
"I think the odds of you having that would have been quite small" Joey said.
"Well, I DID get cancer later on" Monica reminded him. "Leukemia, in case you've forgotten…"
"It feels like it was such a long time ago" Joey remarked. "But in reality it was only about three years."
"Almost exactly that long time ago" Monica nodded. "But you're right, it seems pretty distant. I think I've repressed much of it. I didn't want the memories hanging over my head."
"It still very clear in my head" Joey disagreed. "I remember the night that you were dead for a few minutes as if it were yesterday. I remember everything, how I was in there with you when Chandler and the doctor came in, and the look on his face when he went to get someone to help you… And everything afterwards."
"I don't think I've ever thanked you or the others for all that you did for me while I was sick" Monica said. "But I want you all to know that I am very thankful."
"Oh we know" Joey assured her. "Dinner's ready. You could show me your thankfulness by setting the table."
Monica rose and set the table that Rachel had bought a few years back. She told Regina to turn the TV off and come to the table. Rachel came home just as Joey put the pots on the table, and sat down to have dinner with them.
"Why are we eating without daddy?" Regina asked, not being used to having dinner with just one parent.
"He's coming any minute" Monica told her. "I can't wait for him to come home, I'm very hungry and so is your sibling."
"You eat like uncle Joey" Regina said with a resigned sigh and reached for the milk carton. Rachel tried her best to keep in a laughter.
"She sure is a lot like Chandler" she remarked.
"Oh yeah, tell me about it" Monica said. "She's gonna drive some guy insane someday with her remarks and quips."
"Even worse than Chandler…" Rachel said with a smile. "'Cause she's got both him and you to take it from. You're pretty quippy yourself."
"I am so not!" Monica complained.
Chandler entered, looking slightly confused.
"Whatever happened to pizza?" he said, looking disappointed.
"She's more like Chandler than Monica" Joey said with a chuckle, since Regina had said almost the exact same thing earlier.
"Daddy I wanted pizza rather than this as well!" Regina said, causing Rachel to finally burst out laughing.
"Regina!" Monica said, slightly shocked. "Don't talk like that! Say 'I'm sorry' to Joey!"
"Sorry, uncle Joey!" Regina obediently said. "But I had my heart set on pizza."
"Well, I guess that on the rare occasion that Joey cooks you should appreciate it" Chandler said, and sat down at the dinner table, grabbing a plate on his way.
"Comes from the right mouth…" Monica remarked. "You haven't cooked dinner since 2005."
"And we had to throw that dinner away" Regina remembered.
"My whole family is against me" Chandler said with a smile, and ran his hand on Regina's head to mess up her hair.
"And so is Rachel" Monica said with a laugh, since Rachel was still laughing.
"Sometimes I feel like the laughing stock of this gang" Chandler said.
"Serves you right for all the laughs you got on our cost throughout the years" Joey commented. "Now shut up and eat!"
"You sound like Mommy!" Regina pointed out.
"Interesting shade of red in Rachel's face…" Chandler calmly noted, as Rachel clutched her stomach in pain as she continued to laugh.
Chandler took a bite of his pasta, then looked up and frowned.
"Mon? You okay there?"
"Yeah…" Monica said, widening her eyes, then closing them and shaking her head. "I just feel a little out of it… that's all…"
"You didn't look too hot" Chandler said with a worried frown. "Is everything okay?"
Monica chuckled.
"Would you stop? Remember the five times I fainted when I was pregnant with Regina? I think a little dizziness is a small matter compared to that. I'm fine Chandler. I'm pregnant, that's the only thing…"
Chandler shrugged his shoulders, prepared to let it go. She knew better than him, after all.
*
That night he eyed her with a smile as he got into bed next to her. Her belly had gotten bigger now, and it was clearly visible under the covers when she lay on her back as she mostly did. She was reading a magazine with a concentrated look on her face, and he thought she looked adorable.
"I love you, woman" he said, getting closer to her in bed.
"Love you…" she mumbled, and turned the page. She then sighed. "Reading through fashion pages looses it's charm when you know you won't be able to wear anything you see for another five months."
"Since when is fashion your number one priority?" Chandler asked.
"Since… never, I guess. But Ross is marrying Dana in three weeks, and I would like to wear something nice."
"There are nice maternity clothes, after all" Chandler pointed out. "So never mind the magazine and come tell me about your day. How much carrot juice have you had to drink?"
Monica sighed.
"Chandler enough with that…"
"Sorry."
"That's okay. But I can't help that I crave for that. I crave other things too, you know, but you never say anything when I eat olives on my sandwiches…"
"The olives I can understand. It's the juice that gets to me."
"Last week I actually tried to get out of my obsession and had tomato juice instead. It was gross."
Chandler chuckled and took the magazine from her, folding it carefully. He kissed her on the cheek and then leaned over to his side and placed the magazine on the floor.
"You know something else that I miss?" Monica asked when he closed the lights.
"No, what?"
"I miss not having to wash my hair every single day. It gets so greasy these days. And I also miss being more awake. I feel tired all the time."
"Careful what you wish for…" Chandler carefully said. "Remember your period of insomnia…"
"Yes, but that was the disease" Monica said. She looked at him. "And speaking of bed… I also miss being able to sleep like I'm used to, with my head on your shoulder and my arm across your chest."
Chandler rolled over to her.
"I can't help you with that, really…" he said. Then he placed his own head on her shoulder and lay closer.
"You make a fine impression of me" Monica said with a giggle.
Chandler kissed her lovingly, then put his head back on her shoulder. Instead of putting his arm across her chest he put his arm on her stomach, slowly caressing it.
"I wonder if it's a he or a she" he said.
"Hoping for a he…" Monica said. "I want a son."
"I couldn't care less, to tell the truth" Chandler said. "I guess fathers always have their weak spot in their daughters. To me it would be almost more fun to have two daughters than to have a daughter and a son. I don't know why, but Regina's just so charming in her rebellion kid way, and the boys I know never had that kind of charm… Not Ben, or any of the others."
"Couldn't it just be that she is your daughter, and therefore you think she's got more of that?" Monica asked. "And maybe it's just that she's quite a lot like us. And we find it charming."
"I don't know, but I wouldn't mind having another little girl who's got that same charm."
"She'll grow out of it, don't worry" Monica said with a chuckle. "By the time she is fourteen she's gonna be a rebellion like no other kid was."
"That's true" Chandler said. "Boy, I wish she could go from being eleven to being eighteen… so we can skip the rebellion phase."
"What, you mean you don't want sky high phone bills and boys calling here 24/7?" Monica asked, pretending to be surprised.
"Nope. I hope she gets fat, like you were. At least during her teen years. That will save me a lot of gray hairs."
Monica shook her head and playfully hit him on the head.
"You watch it!" she said.
"What should we name our new baby?" Chandler asked. "Something original, or something more normal?"
"Phoebe had some suggestions" Monica said. "All from mythology, though."
"As long as it's not Agamemnon…"
"No. For a boy she suggested Orpheus, Thor, Oden, Achilles or Traianus."
"Traianus was an emperor" Chandler pointed out. "Not a mythological character."
"Well it was something along those lines…"
"Theseus?" Chandler asked.
"How on earth should I know?"
"Do I dare ask for the female names she had singled out?" Chandler said.
"Well… I think her suggestions were Freja, Euridice, Minerva, Psyche and… something with a p… and it was long… and it had something to do with Demi Moore."
"Persephone" Chandler concluded. "Cute name, actually."
"Well I'll tell you something, if my daughter gets named after a woman in mythology it's either gonna be Cassandra, Penelope or Diana."
"You know, Phoebe is a name from Greek mythology…" Chandler said.
"Which would explain Phoebe's obsession with this subject" Monica said. Then she thought for a second. "If it's a boy we could stick with Phoebe's mythology theme and name him Jason!"
"Let's not get into anything like that now" Chandler said with a sigh. "What theme we should name the poor child after is pointless to discuss. We can give him a Latin name, like we did with Gina."
"We should name him Rex!" Monica said, bursting out laughing. "Could you imagine that? Regina and Rex?"
"My goodness, I thought Chandler was awful enough!" Chandler pointed out.
"Well what did you have in mind when you said Latin?" Monica asked, still giggling.
"Virgil" Chandler stated.
"Virgil Bing? Not my son's name, it ain't…"
"We don't even know if we're having a son or not."
"But if it's a boy then he won't be named Virgil."
"That's what you said about Regina."
"Well I changed my mind. But Regina is a Latin word, Virgil is a writer."
"Whatever…" Chandler said, with a big yawn. He contently stroke her belly and soon fell asleep.
Monica was awake for another hour. The baby was kicking, keeping her awake. And her head was aching more than earlier. And she felt warm and sweaty, she almost wished Chandler wasn't laying so close.
She yawned big and then fell asleep.
*
Monica and Regina had just gotten home from shopping Christmas gifts. It wasn't December quite yet, but Monica wanted to have the shopping done as fast as possible. She didn't like the stress that came with shopping in December.
Monica sighed and sat down on the couch with her daughter. She had planned on being out shopping for a much longer time, and she had barely bought a thing. But she had had to call the trip short, since the nausea was too much. She didn't want to be out shopping and all of a sudden find her self being sick, so she had gone home instead.
"Mommy, is the baby making you feel bad again?" Regina asked, looking sad.
"Mommy's fine, dear" Monica replied.
"No you're not…" Regina said in a small, worried voice. "You look pale. And you took us home early."
"I know, sweetie. But it's just how pregnancy goes. I'm going to be just fine, it's just that I haven't had much to eat today and being hungry is not good for me."
"Well then why didn't we just go out for pizza?" Regina asked.
"Because sometimes mommy gets sick after eating, and I didn't want that to happen at the mall."
"Why aren't you eating anything now?"
Monica smiled and pulled Regina in for a hug.
"Come here, you…"
She held her as tight as she could with her stomach in the way. She thought it was so sweet that her daughter was so worried about her. Regina hugged her back and hoped her mother would feel better soon.
"So are you excited about having a brother or sister?" Monica asked her.
"Yes. Now I am" Regina answered. "It's gonna be cool to have someone to play with that doesn't try to steal my Barbie clothes."
Monica chuckled.
"If you have a sister then that wish may not come true, Gina" she said. She broke the hug and rose. "Now, I am going to get something to eat, and how about you and I bake some gingerbread cookies afterwards?"
"Yay!" Regina cried out and forgot all about pregnancies and siblings.
Monica went into the kitchen and felt another headache coming. She mumbled some bad words and took an aspirin. She felt really hungry and hoped that the food would make her headache go away. She fried some eggs and made Regina eat some too, even though all the child could think of was the cookie dough her mother had in the refrigerator.
*
Chandler laughed when he got home three hours later, the sight meeting him being the one of his daughter standing on a chair in the kitchen, covered in flour and with cookie dough on her cheeks. In front of her on the counter were a few mangled gingerbread cookies that Monica were forcing her to redo before they went in the oven. The kitchen table was filled with baking-trays and the smell of cookies filled the room.
"I don't think I have seen this kitchen looking this messy in YEARS!" he remarked.
Mother and daughter looked up at him and smiled in the exact same way, only Regina's smile was his and not her mother's. This made Chandler wonder if that was how he and Monica looked when they smiled together.
"It sure takes time to bake with your daughter!" Monica happily remarked. "I don't think it's ever taken me two hours to bake gingerbread cookies before!"
"That's because you force me to remake most of them before they go in the oven!" Regina complained.
"Well you give me no other choice when you make them two centimeters thick!" Monica replied and laughed. "Give daddy some dough so he'll be in a good mood."
Chandler smiled wider and went over and got himself some dough. Then he gave Monica a loving kiss.
"How's my wife today?" he asked.
"I'm great!" Monica said with a smile as wide as his. "I've not felt the least bit ill since I had some eggs earlier! I'm feeling fantastic!"
"And tomorrow's December 1st!" Regina happily added.
"I know" Monica said with a smile, and gave Chandler another kiss before she turned her attention back to the child. "And I thought we could sprits numbers on 24 of the cookies and then you can have one each day up until Christmas Day."
"I wish I'd had you as a mother" Chandler said with a laugh. "Could I have 24 spritsed cookies as well?"
"Mais, oui monsieur" Monica said.
"What does that mean?" Regina asked.
"It means stop making the cookies that thick!" Monica complained, and grabbed the rolling-pin to get the right thickness to the dough.
"Mommy's obsessive" Regina said to Chandler.
"It's a cute quality" Chandler said, and stole some more dough, getting a hand slap from Monica as he did. "And who knows, maybe you'll turn out the same way."
"When I get old and have children, I'm gonna let them make their cookies as thick as they'd like!" Regina claimed.
Monica gave a short laugh.
"You have no idea how many times I thought the exact same thing, my dear…" she remarked.
"Yes, but I have more character than you, I can stick to my decisions" Regina claimed.
"That wasn't nice" Chandler remarked. "Don't say things like that, Gina. It's okay for mommy and me, we know you're not really serious, but other people might take offence."
"Do you ever think of things like that before you say your comments?" Regina asked.
"Hell no" Chandler replied, before realizing that it wasn't a very smart thing to say.
Monica gave him an angry look.
"Don't teach my daughter swear words, thank you!" she dryly remarked.
"Now you've pissed her off…" Regina said to Chandler with her eyes rolling.
"GINA!" Monica firmly said. "Who's taught you to speak like that?"
"Him" Regina said with a point to her father.
"I'll be across the hall…" Chandler said, and quickly left before Monica got mad for real.
*
A week later Chandler got Regina ready for bed and then sat her down on the couch as he went to get himself a glass of water.
"Daddy, where is Mommy?" Regina asked.
"Mommy?" Chandler asked. He finished his glass and put it in the sink. "Mommy's at the doctor's" he answered, sitting down on the couch with Regina.
"This late?"
Chandler smiled.
"It's only seven o'clock" he remarked. "And it was the only appointment she could get this week."
"Why is she at the doctor's?"
"To check on the baby. To see if it's healthy and things like that."
"Did she do that with me?"
"Every two weeks."
"That often?" Regina looked puzzled. "I wouldn't wanna go to the doctor's that often!"
Chandler laughed slightly.
"It's a bit different… And she gets to see the baby, sort of, on a sonogram picture."
"A what?"
"Sonogram picture. It's a picture they get from Mommy's stomach, sort of. And on it they can see if the baby is okay."
"Sounds tricky."
"Maybe she can take you with her next time" Chandler said. "You can see it for yourself."
Regina looked excited over the idea. Her excitement was dimmed somewhat when her mother entered, not looking too happy.
"Honey?" Chandler asked, not knowing what to make of her facial expression.
"Chandler put Regina to bed, we've got something serious to talk about" Monica said.
Review please... help improve my review-rate, LOL!
INTRODUCTION: When you've read ½ this fic you've read ½ the series... :) Encouraging, huh? Lol...
DISCLAIMER: The "Friends" characters don't belong to me. You all know who they belong to.
Chandler stared at Monica, at a loss of words.
"It's a baby" Monica repeated. "It's our new baby."
"But I thought…"
"That I was infertile? So did I, but as we both knew that wasn't 100% sure. And the doctor took a blood sample the other day, and a urine sample, and they discovered that I'm pregnant."
"I…" Chandler said, unable to believe it. "So this is a sonogram photo?"
"Yeah, from like an hour ago. What did YOU think it was when I gave it to you?"
"I don't know. A brain scan?"
Monica looked angry.
"Fine, never mind. But… so… you're, I mean WE'RE, we're having another baby?"
Monica smiled widely.
"Uh-hu!"
"When?"
"In March."
"So you're in what week?"
"The doctor said ninth."
"Ninth week, and you had no idea whatsoever?"
"I just haven't thought about it."
"Honey this is great…" Chandler said, and pulled her in for a hug. He kissed her lovingly and hugged her tighter. "Really, it's great…"
"I know!" Monica said.
"But," Chandler continued, "how big are the chances that we'll get to keep it? I mean, are you in a higher risk for miscarriage, or something?"
"I actually didn't ask" Monica said. "But it's a good point." She looked a bit disappointed. "I guess I shouldn't be beaming over this quite yet. I mean, since it's probably quite unsure…" She gave Chandler a whiney look. "But I want this baby!"
"Thinking that you're gonna loose it is probably stupid" Chandler said. "We shouldn't see it that way. We should just hope that everything will be fine, but not tell anyone quite yet. Especially not Regina."
"I wonder what SHE'S gonna think when she finds out…" Monica pondered. "I mean, she's spoiled rotten, she might not like having a brother or sister to share attention with…"
"Nah, come on, we'll just tell her how she's gotta help us take care of the baby, etc, etc… That usually works, then they're too busy being 'responsible' to be jealous."
"Sure hope you're right…"
They shared a look, smiled widely and were in each other's arms.
*
By the end of September, Monica and Chandler told their friends. Monica was starting to show, so they couldn't keep it a secret from the others anymore. They didn't say anything to Regina though until November.
Regina just stared at her mother. Then at her father. Then she looked at Monica's stomach, that Monica hadn't bothered to hide behind a baggy shirt that day. She looked up at her mother.
"Do you HAVE to have another baby?" she asked, not sounding too pleased.
Monica gave Chandler an upset look. This wasn't exactly the reaction she had hoped for.
"Yes we do" Chandler answered. "I always wanted a brother or a sister, so I made myself a promise that you would get to have one."
"Couldn't you have gotten me a kitten?"
Monica shook her head and rose from the couch.
"Regina don't bug mommy…" Chandler said with a sigh. "Mommy and I want this baby. End of story. You have no say in this."
Regina glared at him. During the four years that she had been alive, her parents had spoiled her. And she was just as stubborn as Monica. She was angry with her parents for not letting her have a say in the matter, after all, it was her parents that the baby would claim.
"Mommy!" she said, slightly whiny.
"Doesn't help, Regina" Monica said, and started to fold laundry from the hamper. "Your dad and I want to have another baby, and you're gonna be happy about it soon too. You're going to be a big sister, now."
"Oh, goody!" Regina said with rolling eyes. She jumped off the couch and went to her room.
"Oh dear…" Monica sighed, and sank down on the recliner.
Chandler was in no way worried.
"I didn't expect any other reaction, we've never talked to her about the possibility of having a second baby in the family. Talk about something out of the blue."
"Yeah, well still…" Monica said, slightly concerned. "Chandler I don't like her stubbornness. She shouldn't get so mad about this. After all, this is OUR decision to make, not hers."
"Well it's our fault, we've spoiled her. All we have to do is be more strict."
"I don't know about you, but personally I might find that a bit hard to do… At least all of a sudden."
"I was thinking more gradually. And I was also thinking that we should include her as much as we can into this thing. She can help with the nursery, come with you when you have an ultrasound, etc, etc…"
"Might work…" Monica agreed. "At least she might feel like we're including her and that we need her help."
Chandler chuckled.
"Just think how cheap she's gonna be as a baby-sitter. We just have to pay her by giving her a lollipop or something!" he joked.
"Chandler Bing, if you for a second think that I'm going to let a four-year-old baby-sit by new son or daughter…"
Chandler chuckled and rose to give her a hand with the laundry.
*
Monica put the glass of water down on the counter and closed her eyes hard, fighting to keep her lunch down. She grabbed a saltine from the pack and mechanically chewed on it. She wasn't feeling well at all.
Regina looked at her silently. She had started to get used to her mom being pregnant and the fact that she would get a sibling soon, and she'd even started to get excited about it. But she always felt uncomfortable when her mother wasn't feeling well. Her parents had explained to her what pregnancy was, in a simplified matter, so she knew that it was the baby that made her mom vomit and feel generally bad.
"I bet now you wish you wasn't having another baby" she remarked.
"Weren't" Monica corrected her grammar, and finished her glass of water. "And I'm fine, Regina."
Regina shook her head and went to the couch. She turned the TV on and started to watch cartoons.
Monica felt a massive head ache come over her, and she grunted. She hadn't been feeling too well, and although she knew it was more than worth it, it brought back some bad memories. She had told herself the exact same thing when she had been sick, and the cancer was a part of her life that she preferred not to think about. She didn't at all feel like she was a lucky person because she had gotten it and survived. She felt that a lucky person didn't get it at all, end of story.
She packed up the groceries from the paper bags, and thought about what she would make for dinner. Nothing seemed very appealing. Just the thought about some things made her stomach turn. She didn't have a craving for anything at the moment. Except for carrot juice.
She realized she had forgotten to get it, so she went across the hall and started to dig through the refrigerator. Lucky for her, Rachel and Joey were still roommates, and Rachel forced herself to drink carrot juice every morning.
Joey exited his bedroom when he heard her enter, and watched in amazement as she drank a whole bottle like others drank water.
"Thirsty?" he said, slightly disgusted.
"Kinda'."
She found another bottle and drank that one too.
"Joey don't give me that look…" she said when she threw the bottles away, knowing exactly what look he had on his face. "I reserve the right to eat and drink weird things. After all, anything normal that I eat or drink seems to be thrown up shortly after anyway."
"I would never survive a pregnancy…" Joey muttered to himself, and went back into his room.
Monica shrugged her shoulders at the comment and went back across the hall. She finished packing up the groceries, and then she gave Chandler a call.
"Hi Chandler. What are we gonna eat for dinner tonight?" she asked.
There was a pause.
"I sorta' thought that I would be the one calling you to ask that…" Chandler then said.
"Come on, give me ideas here!"
"Mon, are you not feeling okay?" Chandler asked. "You've usually got our dinners planned weeks ahead. I never thought I'd see the day when you didn't know what to make for dinner."
"Chandler please," Monica sighed, "no lame jokes or remarks. I'm all out of ideas, because everything I can think of makes me wanna vomit!"
"Everything?"
"Except for carrot juice."
"Well maybe we can make a soup of that…" Chandler said with rolling eyes, still amazed by her intense craving for carrot juice through both this pregnancy and the first one. "Either way Mon," he continued, "I just got back from lunch, you don't need to worry about dinner for HOURS!"
"I wanna know what I should make!" Monica whined. "Otherwise I'm just gonna be thinking about it all day!"
"Look sweetie, call for a pizza, okay?" Chandler said. "And after all, you're five months along now, you won't be feeling sick for much longer. And enjoy your remaining four months as a carrot juice addict."
Monica rolled her eyes, but felt thirsty for even more carrot juice.
"Okay, pizza it is, then" she concluded.
"Yay!" Regina shouted from the couch. Just like her father she loved pizza.
Monica hung up and then realized she didn't want pizza at all.
*
Monica made a face and half heartedly chewed on a saltine.
She was sitting by the counter in Joey's apartment while he was cooking dinner. He had offered to do so, since he knew how much Monica liked his pasta sauces. Regina, who was annoyed that she didn't get pizza, was watching cartoons in the living room, with her bunny as company.
"When's Chandler gonna be home?" Joey asked. "The sauce is almost done."
"In thirty minutes" Monica said. "Just in time for my second serving" she added with a smile, knowing she mostly vomited after she'd eaten and had to eat again later. For some reason she never threw up the second time.
"You feeling any better?" Joey asked, with concern in his voice.
"Yeah, a little. The thought of your pasta sauces are cheering me up" Monica said with a smile. "But I can't get rid of my headache, though."
"Stress, combined with little sleep and little food" Joey claimed. "That always gives ME great headaches."
"In your case 'little food' means only ONE pizza" Monica remarked. "In my case one pizza is A LOT."
"Either way, it sounds like your reason for headache…" Joey said.
Monica nodded thoughtfully and had another saltine. While she chewed on it she tried to remember if she had had these kind of headaches while expecting Regina. She smiled slightly.
"Oh gosh, I remember in June while I was expecting Regina, I had such a headache that Chandler thought I had a brain tumor or something…" she said. "He actually ended up dragging me to the hospital."
"What happened?" Joey asked, handing her the wooden spoon so she could try-taste the sauce.
"They told me to go home and take an aspirin" Monica said with a giggle. "So so much for brain tumors."
"I think the odds of you having that would have been quite small" Joey said.
"Well, I DID get cancer later on" Monica reminded him. "Leukemia, in case you've forgotten…"
"It feels like it was such a long time ago" Joey remarked. "But in reality it was only about three years."
"Almost exactly that long time ago" Monica nodded. "But you're right, it seems pretty distant. I think I've repressed much of it. I didn't want the memories hanging over my head."
"It still very clear in my head" Joey disagreed. "I remember the night that you were dead for a few minutes as if it were yesterday. I remember everything, how I was in there with you when Chandler and the doctor came in, and the look on his face when he went to get someone to help you… And everything afterwards."
"I don't think I've ever thanked you or the others for all that you did for me while I was sick" Monica said. "But I want you all to know that I am very thankful."
"Oh we know" Joey assured her. "Dinner's ready. You could show me your thankfulness by setting the table."
Monica rose and set the table that Rachel had bought a few years back. She told Regina to turn the TV off and come to the table. Rachel came home just as Joey put the pots on the table, and sat down to have dinner with them.
"Why are we eating without daddy?" Regina asked, not being used to having dinner with just one parent.
"He's coming any minute" Monica told her. "I can't wait for him to come home, I'm very hungry and so is your sibling."
"You eat like uncle Joey" Regina said with a resigned sigh and reached for the milk carton. Rachel tried her best to keep in a laughter.
"She sure is a lot like Chandler" she remarked.
"Oh yeah, tell me about it" Monica said. "She's gonna drive some guy insane someday with her remarks and quips."
"Even worse than Chandler…" Rachel said with a smile. "'Cause she's got both him and you to take it from. You're pretty quippy yourself."
"I am so not!" Monica complained.
Chandler entered, looking slightly confused.
"Whatever happened to pizza?" he said, looking disappointed.
"She's more like Chandler than Monica" Joey said with a chuckle, since Regina had said almost the exact same thing earlier.
"Daddy I wanted pizza rather than this as well!" Regina said, causing Rachel to finally burst out laughing.
"Regina!" Monica said, slightly shocked. "Don't talk like that! Say 'I'm sorry' to Joey!"
"Sorry, uncle Joey!" Regina obediently said. "But I had my heart set on pizza."
"Well, I guess that on the rare occasion that Joey cooks you should appreciate it" Chandler said, and sat down at the dinner table, grabbing a plate on his way.
"Comes from the right mouth…" Monica remarked. "You haven't cooked dinner since 2005."
"And we had to throw that dinner away" Regina remembered.
"My whole family is against me" Chandler said with a smile, and ran his hand on Regina's head to mess up her hair.
"And so is Rachel" Monica said with a laugh, since Rachel was still laughing.
"Sometimes I feel like the laughing stock of this gang" Chandler said.
"Serves you right for all the laughs you got on our cost throughout the years" Joey commented. "Now shut up and eat!"
"You sound like Mommy!" Regina pointed out.
"Interesting shade of red in Rachel's face…" Chandler calmly noted, as Rachel clutched her stomach in pain as she continued to laugh.
Chandler took a bite of his pasta, then looked up and frowned.
"Mon? You okay there?"
"Yeah…" Monica said, widening her eyes, then closing them and shaking her head. "I just feel a little out of it… that's all…"
"You didn't look too hot" Chandler said with a worried frown. "Is everything okay?"
Monica chuckled.
"Would you stop? Remember the five times I fainted when I was pregnant with Regina? I think a little dizziness is a small matter compared to that. I'm fine Chandler. I'm pregnant, that's the only thing…"
Chandler shrugged his shoulders, prepared to let it go. She knew better than him, after all.
*
That night he eyed her with a smile as he got into bed next to her. Her belly had gotten bigger now, and it was clearly visible under the covers when she lay on her back as she mostly did. She was reading a magazine with a concentrated look on her face, and he thought she looked adorable.
"I love you, woman" he said, getting closer to her in bed.
"Love you…" she mumbled, and turned the page. She then sighed. "Reading through fashion pages looses it's charm when you know you won't be able to wear anything you see for another five months."
"Since when is fashion your number one priority?" Chandler asked.
"Since… never, I guess. But Ross is marrying Dana in three weeks, and I would like to wear something nice."
"There are nice maternity clothes, after all" Chandler pointed out. "So never mind the magazine and come tell me about your day. How much carrot juice have you had to drink?"
Monica sighed.
"Chandler enough with that…"
"Sorry."
"That's okay. But I can't help that I crave for that. I crave other things too, you know, but you never say anything when I eat olives on my sandwiches…"
"The olives I can understand. It's the juice that gets to me."
"Last week I actually tried to get out of my obsession and had tomato juice instead. It was gross."
Chandler chuckled and took the magazine from her, folding it carefully. He kissed her on the cheek and then leaned over to his side and placed the magazine on the floor.
"You know something else that I miss?" Monica asked when he closed the lights.
"No, what?"
"I miss not having to wash my hair every single day. It gets so greasy these days. And I also miss being more awake. I feel tired all the time."
"Careful what you wish for…" Chandler carefully said. "Remember your period of insomnia…"
"Yes, but that was the disease" Monica said. She looked at him. "And speaking of bed… I also miss being able to sleep like I'm used to, with my head on your shoulder and my arm across your chest."
Chandler rolled over to her.
"I can't help you with that, really…" he said. Then he placed his own head on her shoulder and lay closer.
"You make a fine impression of me" Monica said with a giggle.
Chandler kissed her lovingly, then put his head back on her shoulder. Instead of putting his arm across her chest he put his arm on her stomach, slowly caressing it.
"I wonder if it's a he or a she" he said.
"Hoping for a he…" Monica said. "I want a son."
"I couldn't care less, to tell the truth" Chandler said. "I guess fathers always have their weak spot in their daughters. To me it would be almost more fun to have two daughters than to have a daughter and a son. I don't know why, but Regina's just so charming in her rebellion kid way, and the boys I know never had that kind of charm… Not Ben, or any of the others."
"Couldn't it just be that she is your daughter, and therefore you think she's got more of that?" Monica asked. "And maybe it's just that she's quite a lot like us. And we find it charming."
"I don't know, but I wouldn't mind having another little girl who's got that same charm."
"She'll grow out of it, don't worry" Monica said with a chuckle. "By the time she is fourteen she's gonna be a rebellion like no other kid was."
"That's true" Chandler said. "Boy, I wish she could go from being eleven to being eighteen… so we can skip the rebellion phase."
"What, you mean you don't want sky high phone bills and boys calling here 24/7?" Monica asked, pretending to be surprised.
"Nope. I hope she gets fat, like you were. At least during her teen years. That will save me a lot of gray hairs."
Monica shook her head and playfully hit him on the head.
"You watch it!" she said.
"What should we name our new baby?" Chandler asked. "Something original, or something more normal?"
"Phoebe had some suggestions" Monica said. "All from mythology, though."
"As long as it's not Agamemnon…"
"No. For a boy she suggested Orpheus, Thor, Oden, Achilles or Traianus."
"Traianus was an emperor" Chandler pointed out. "Not a mythological character."
"Well it was something along those lines…"
"Theseus?" Chandler asked.
"How on earth should I know?"
"Do I dare ask for the female names she had singled out?" Chandler said.
"Well… I think her suggestions were Freja, Euridice, Minerva, Psyche and… something with a p… and it was long… and it had something to do with Demi Moore."
"Persephone" Chandler concluded. "Cute name, actually."
"Well I'll tell you something, if my daughter gets named after a woman in mythology it's either gonna be Cassandra, Penelope or Diana."
"You know, Phoebe is a name from Greek mythology…" Chandler said.
"Which would explain Phoebe's obsession with this subject" Monica said. Then she thought for a second. "If it's a boy we could stick with Phoebe's mythology theme and name him Jason!"
"Let's not get into anything like that now" Chandler said with a sigh. "What theme we should name the poor child after is pointless to discuss. We can give him a Latin name, like we did with Gina."
"We should name him Rex!" Monica said, bursting out laughing. "Could you imagine that? Regina and Rex?"
"My goodness, I thought Chandler was awful enough!" Chandler pointed out.
"Well what did you have in mind when you said Latin?" Monica asked, still giggling.
"Virgil" Chandler stated.
"Virgil Bing? Not my son's name, it ain't…"
"We don't even know if we're having a son or not."
"But if it's a boy then he won't be named Virgil."
"That's what you said about Regina."
"Well I changed my mind. But Regina is a Latin word, Virgil is a writer."
"Whatever…" Chandler said, with a big yawn. He contently stroke her belly and soon fell asleep.
Monica was awake for another hour. The baby was kicking, keeping her awake. And her head was aching more than earlier. And she felt warm and sweaty, she almost wished Chandler wasn't laying so close.
She yawned big and then fell asleep.
*
Monica and Regina had just gotten home from shopping Christmas gifts. It wasn't December quite yet, but Monica wanted to have the shopping done as fast as possible. She didn't like the stress that came with shopping in December.
Monica sighed and sat down on the couch with her daughter. She had planned on being out shopping for a much longer time, and she had barely bought a thing. But she had had to call the trip short, since the nausea was too much. She didn't want to be out shopping and all of a sudden find her self being sick, so she had gone home instead.
"Mommy, is the baby making you feel bad again?" Regina asked, looking sad.
"Mommy's fine, dear" Monica replied.
"No you're not…" Regina said in a small, worried voice. "You look pale. And you took us home early."
"I know, sweetie. But it's just how pregnancy goes. I'm going to be just fine, it's just that I haven't had much to eat today and being hungry is not good for me."
"Well then why didn't we just go out for pizza?" Regina asked.
"Because sometimes mommy gets sick after eating, and I didn't want that to happen at the mall."
"Why aren't you eating anything now?"
Monica smiled and pulled Regina in for a hug.
"Come here, you…"
She held her as tight as she could with her stomach in the way. She thought it was so sweet that her daughter was so worried about her. Regina hugged her back and hoped her mother would feel better soon.
"So are you excited about having a brother or sister?" Monica asked her.
"Yes. Now I am" Regina answered. "It's gonna be cool to have someone to play with that doesn't try to steal my Barbie clothes."
Monica chuckled.
"If you have a sister then that wish may not come true, Gina" she said. She broke the hug and rose. "Now, I am going to get something to eat, and how about you and I bake some gingerbread cookies afterwards?"
"Yay!" Regina cried out and forgot all about pregnancies and siblings.
Monica went into the kitchen and felt another headache coming. She mumbled some bad words and took an aspirin. She felt really hungry and hoped that the food would make her headache go away. She fried some eggs and made Regina eat some too, even though all the child could think of was the cookie dough her mother had in the refrigerator.
*
Chandler laughed when he got home three hours later, the sight meeting him being the one of his daughter standing on a chair in the kitchen, covered in flour and with cookie dough on her cheeks. In front of her on the counter were a few mangled gingerbread cookies that Monica were forcing her to redo before they went in the oven. The kitchen table was filled with baking-trays and the smell of cookies filled the room.
"I don't think I have seen this kitchen looking this messy in YEARS!" he remarked.
Mother and daughter looked up at him and smiled in the exact same way, only Regina's smile was his and not her mother's. This made Chandler wonder if that was how he and Monica looked when they smiled together.
"It sure takes time to bake with your daughter!" Monica happily remarked. "I don't think it's ever taken me two hours to bake gingerbread cookies before!"
"That's because you force me to remake most of them before they go in the oven!" Regina complained.
"Well you give me no other choice when you make them two centimeters thick!" Monica replied and laughed. "Give daddy some dough so he'll be in a good mood."
Chandler smiled wider and went over and got himself some dough. Then he gave Monica a loving kiss.
"How's my wife today?" he asked.
"I'm great!" Monica said with a smile as wide as his. "I've not felt the least bit ill since I had some eggs earlier! I'm feeling fantastic!"
"And tomorrow's December 1st!" Regina happily added.
"I know" Monica said with a smile, and gave Chandler another kiss before she turned her attention back to the child. "And I thought we could sprits numbers on 24 of the cookies and then you can have one each day up until Christmas Day."
"I wish I'd had you as a mother" Chandler said with a laugh. "Could I have 24 spritsed cookies as well?"
"Mais, oui monsieur" Monica said.
"What does that mean?" Regina asked.
"It means stop making the cookies that thick!" Monica complained, and grabbed the rolling-pin to get the right thickness to the dough.
"Mommy's obsessive" Regina said to Chandler.
"It's a cute quality" Chandler said, and stole some more dough, getting a hand slap from Monica as he did. "And who knows, maybe you'll turn out the same way."
"When I get old and have children, I'm gonna let them make their cookies as thick as they'd like!" Regina claimed.
Monica gave a short laugh.
"You have no idea how many times I thought the exact same thing, my dear…" she remarked.
"Yes, but I have more character than you, I can stick to my decisions" Regina claimed.
"That wasn't nice" Chandler remarked. "Don't say things like that, Gina. It's okay for mommy and me, we know you're not really serious, but other people might take offence."
"Do you ever think of things like that before you say your comments?" Regina asked.
"Hell no" Chandler replied, before realizing that it wasn't a very smart thing to say.
Monica gave him an angry look.
"Don't teach my daughter swear words, thank you!" she dryly remarked.
"Now you've pissed her off…" Regina said to Chandler with her eyes rolling.
"GINA!" Monica firmly said. "Who's taught you to speak like that?"
"Him" Regina said with a point to her father.
"I'll be across the hall…" Chandler said, and quickly left before Monica got mad for real.
*
A week later Chandler got Regina ready for bed and then sat her down on the couch as he went to get himself a glass of water.
"Daddy, where is Mommy?" Regina asked.
"Mommy?" Chandler asked. He finished his glass and put it in the sink. "Mommy's at the doctor's" he answered, sitting down on the couch with Regina.
"This late?"
Chandler smiled.
"It's only seven o'clock" he remarked. "And it was the only appointment she could get this week."
"Why is she at the doctor's?"
"To check on the baby. To see if it's healthy and things like that."
"Did she do that with me?"
"Every two weeks."
"That often?" Regina looked puzzled. "I wouldn't wanna go to the doctor's that often!"
Chandler laughed slightly.
"It's a bit different… And she gets to see the baby, sort of, on a sonogram picture."
"A what?"
"Sonogram picture. It's a picture they get from Mommy's stomach, sort of. And on it they can see if the baby is okay."
"Sounds tricky."
"Maybe she can take you with her next time" Chandler said. "You can see it for yourself."
Regina looked excited over the idea. Her excitement was dimmed somewhat when her mother entered, not looking too happy.
"Honey?" Chandler asked, not knowing what to make of her facial expression.
"Chandler put Regina to bed, we've got something serious to talk about" Monica said.
Review please... help improve my review-rate, LOL!