Chapter 10
'Home Sweet Home'
"Oh, Mon! It's really great to see you again! You look fantastic!" Rachel hugged her best friend the moment she entered the apartment with Ross towing right behind her. "Look… I'm so sorry we couldn't be here when you got back." Rachel explained, looking at Ross as they shared warm smiles. "But the good news is, now that our parents already knew about the babies, we can finally catch up. Tell me everything about the honeymoon."
Rachel began excitedly as they sat together in the living room, the whole gang was there.
"Oh, I'm going to tell you everything about it, but first, I need to ask you… How did your parents react? I know my parents, especially my mom would be so happy that her golden boy is giving her other grandchildren, twins nonetheless, but how did your parents take it?"
Ross and Rachel shared a knowing look, smiles on their lips as they recalled the conversation they had with their parents.
Ross and Rachel had just got back after spending their weekend in Long Island. Just like Monica had guessed, Jack and Judy Geller couldn't be more thrilled at the prospect of having another grandbabies. From Ross' parents, they actually learned that it turned out, twins ran in Ross' side of the family. And as they said their goodbye, Judy Geller hugged Rachel so tight and then kissed her on the cheeks as she basically welcomed her to the family.
"Well, you guessed it right." Rachel sighed, a smile on her lips as she intertwined her hands with Ross'. "Your parents are thrilled. Your mom even made me promise to call her whenever I have questions I'd like to know about the pregnancy. She basically welcomed me to the family."
"You are family, sweetie." Ross said, leaning in to place a kiss to her head. "We are a family."
"I know." She murmured.
"What about your parents?" Monica asked.
"How's your dad taking it?" Phoebe chipped in.
Rachel winced and it didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the gang.
"Ouch." Chandler cringed. "That bad, huh?"
"Well…" Rachel bit her lips as she thought back about the night before. "I didn't expect him to be so happy about it like my mom did, but let's just say he was unhappy when we told him that we aren't going to get married anytime soon."
"Unhappy? He threatened to kill me on the spot!" Ross complained.
"Ross!" Rachel gasped.
"What? That's true!"
"You're being over dramatic." Rachel rolled her eyes. "My dad didn't threaten to kill you. He just wanted to know why we aren't getting married."
Rachel then began to tell all their friends about their meeting with her parents. Rachel's mom, Sandra, wasn't particularly fond of the idea of her daughter having children outside wedlock, but warmed out quickly as Rachel showed her the sonogram of the twins. By the end of the day, Sandra even hugged both Ross and Rachel, tears in her eyes as she told the couple how happy she was for them.
They had met Leonard next, purposely meeting him last – knowing that Rachel's dad wouldn't be excited about it. Just like they had anticipated, Leonard was more than furious when he learned that Rachel was pregnant and it got worse when he knew that Ross and Rachel weren't going to get married anytime soon. Rachel burst into tears as her dad started to lecture her and not wanting the stress to do any harm for Rachel and the twins, Ross stood up for them.
"So Ross, he stood up for us in front of our dad." Rachel smiled softly, glancing a bit at Ross before turning her attention back to the gang.
"What did he say?" Phoebe asked.
"Well, he said that just because we decided not to get married now, it didn't mean that we won't get married ever." Rachel blushed slightly as the topic of marriage was brought in.
"That's true." Ross agreed, squeezing her thigh as he smiled. "Things are already going to be hectic with the twins and I just don't want extra stress for Rachel. Rachel's dad knows that stress isn't good for expectant moms, especially moms with twin babies, so he finally relented. But he did pull me aside and threatened to kill me if I ever hurt Rachel or the babies."
"He wasn't threatening to kill you." Rachel insisted, although she was at the restroom when the conversation between Ross and Leonard happened.
"You weren't there." Ross pointed it out.
"Fine." Rachel rolled her eyes again. "-but he didn't mean it, he's just trying to protect his daughter."
"I know." Ross assured her, kissing her temples. "That's exactly what I'm going to do if we're having twin girls."
"I still can't believe you two are having twins." Monica sighed, feeling slightly emotional.
"I know, honey." Rachel smiled, one hand immediately rested on her lower stomach as she leaned closer to Ross. "We still can't believe we're gonna be parents to twins."
"-and I'm going to be the twins' twin Aunt!" Phoebe exclaimed ecstatically, clapping her hands. "How cool is that?"
"Pretty cool, Pheebs." Joey agreed. "But I hope you're having twin boys, that way I can teach them all about girls."
"Nu-uh. You're not going to teach any of my children anything about girls." Rachel placed her arms protectively across her stomach.
"But why?" Joey whined.
"I think we all know why, Joe." Chandler answered.
"Well, I don't." Joey sulked.
"Rachel is right. If we do end up with twin boys, they have me to teach them all they ever need to know." Ross pipped in. "I'm their father after all."
"Wow. Twins. That's twice the chaos. Are you guys ready?"
Ross and Rachel looked at each other, smiles on their faces as they recalled their conversation just last week.
Were they ready?
Hell no.
But what else could they do?
They had no choice but to be ready because in less than eight months, there were going to be two little humans whose lives depended on them.
"No." Rachel answered honestly. "-but we'll deal with it together."
"That's right." Ross agreed, leaning in to kiss her lips. "We'll deal with it together as a family."
After two full days of moving Rachel's stuff into Ross'... their apartment, all that was left to do was to unpack and for Rachel to finally get settled into her new home.
Ross insisted on not getting a delivery van, and that he wanted to do it all himself. So, as Rachel packed all the boxes, he took it upon himself, along with the help of Joey and Chandler, to carry an endless amount of heavy boxes up multiple flights of stairs... there was no way he was allowing Rachel to do any lifting.
The end of the second day was exhausting. Ross was aching all over from all the heavy lifting, but like the amazing guy he is, didn't complain about it once. And Rachel... Well, Rachel's feeling some of the side effects that came with being pregnant. Her fatigue was crippling, so Ross ran her a lovely hot bubble bath, with extra calming bath salts and lit candles to illuminate the room whilst he started on preparing dinner for the both of them.
After an hour soaking in the bath, Rachel decided it was time to get out before she fell asleep and she was amazed at the sight she saw when she emerged from the bathroom and into the living room.
Ross had all the lights dimmed, apart from a few table lamps to ensure they could see what they were eating, and she found that he had prepared her current favourite meal... well, if you could call pickles, with salmon and ice cream a meal. He also had on the T.V, her favourite movie, along with plenty of pillows and blankets where they could make themselves comfortable.
Rachel practically inhaled her food, with Ross looking on in amazement.
"What are my babies doing to you?" He laughed as she took her final bite into a pickle
"If you're looking for anyone to blame, it's yourself... but, please don't. I wouldn't want to have this any other way"
After their food, Ross took the plates into the kitchen, and came back to find Rachel curled up on the sofa already fast asleep. He stood watching her for a minute or two, before gently sweeping away the hair that had fallen into her face, giving her lips a sweet kiss.
"Sweetie" Ross whispered, trying to wake her knowing she'd be much more comfortable sleeping in their bed than on this leather couch
"Hmmmmm" Rachel groaned
He decided that he couldn't bear to wake her, so he gently scooped her up, carrying her into their bedroom and then carefully placing her down on the bed where she didn't even flinch. Immediately, soft snores were escaping through her partially opened mouth.
He tucked her under the covers, got undressed down to his boxers and crawled into bed with her.
"Goodnight sweetie, I love you so much. And goodnight to my two perfect babies. Be good for mommy tonight okay? Don't keep her up all night" He murmured, smiling proudly as he talked to his unborn children, before switching the light off and spooning her from behind
It was around a week after Ross and Rachel had been living together, and Ross felt like their home was missing something, so he decided to ask Rachel a very important question.
"How would you feel about putting your touch into this place? We live here together now, and I'm feeling like all my stuff is taking over. I'd love it if you wanted to decorate it 'your' style"
"Are you serious right now?" Rachel asked, not really believing that he was giving her full range to do whatever she wanted.
"Yeah. This is your place too, so I want it to feel like home to you"
"Honey, you're so sweet, but home is wherever I'm with you, no matter how it's decorated"
"I love you for that, but please, I want you to make this yours too"
They had a little discussion on how Rachel wanted to put her spin on things and she suggested lightening up the bedroom a little, which Ross straight away agreed with. They went to a few stores, got a few tins of paint and some other decorative items that will help them along with their project.
Ross, along with Joey and Chandler spent the entire day painting the bedroom walls white... Ross, not allowing Rachel to help due to the potential side effects of her being around paint fumes whilst pregnant, so she stayed in the living room, away from the harmful fumes and sorted out some of the other decorations they purchased. When the final coat was dry, they moved all the furniture back, slightly changing places to where it was originally placed. Rachel changed the duvet cover to a pretty floral one, shocked when Ross said that he liked it too, and they also added little ornaments to the dressers and the drawers.
"This looks perfect" Ross stated as they stood in the bedroom doorway, admiring their new bedroom.
"It really does. Thank you for letting me do this honey"
"You're welcome sweetie, and hey... we still have a lot of paint left over, what do you say about maybe making a start on the nursery?"
"We don't have a nursery, Ross." Rachel frowned, correcting him.
"I think you find we do"
Ross smiled as he led Rachel down the hallway to where there was another doorway, before he swung it open.
"W-where's all your s-stuff?" She stuttered, seeing that what used to be Ross' ancient history room with all of his collectibles was now a bare empty room.
"I put them away in storage. I thought this room would be perfect for our babies' nursery"
Rachel couldn't speak.
She was lost for words.
Ross cleared out his entire life's history collection, so their children would have a room of their own.
"You... y-you really did this?"
"Of course I did, sweetie. We have other things that are more important in our life right now than some ancient history memorabilia... so, if this makes you happy, then I want this room to be dedicated to our two perfect little squishies"
"You have no idea how much I love you" Rachel sobbed into his chest, completely and utterly moved by his generosity.
Rachel's pregnancy was going swimmingly.
They've had another sonogram where they finally got to hear the heartbeats of their precious little babies. Rachel wasn't prepared for all the emotions that would hit her when she heard those sounds.
Bump bump...
Bump bump...
Bump bump...
Two very healthy babies with very strong heartbeats.
She and Ross were instantly brought to tears as they listened intently to the sound their babies' hearts were making.
No sound ever sounded so perfect.
They got a tape made and when they got home from the appointment, they instantly played it again.
Satisfied that their unborn children were thriving inside their mother's tummy, Ross and Rachel decided it was definitely time to start planning on how they were going to decorate the nursery.
As they were both sitting on the floor of what would be the twin's room, catalogues and paint swatches in hand, Rachel suddenly started feeling not so good.
"So, I was thinking that we could paint the walls a light yellow colour, and then we could-" Ross started to speak, but instantly stopped when he looked at Rachel and noticed something wasn't quite right. "Rach... you okay?" He asked, instant panic running through his body.
"I... I feel- I just feel-" Before she could finish her sentence, she put her hand over her mouth, shot up and ran straight out of the bedroom.
Ross quickly leapt up, following her straight to the bathroom, where she threw her head over the toilet and began emptying the contents of her stomach. Knowing how much Rachel loathes vomiting, Ross immediately reassured her that everything will all be okay. Even though she couldn't talk back, she squeezed his hand as a way to say 'thank you' and he began to softly rub her back.
"It's okay, sweetie. You'll feel so much better once you get everything out" He reassured, trying his best not to freak out himself. Ross, like some people, hated being around anyone who's throwing up, but at this point, all of his fears are evaporated knowing that Rachel, needed his utmost support right now/
After a few minutes of continuous vomiting, Ross finally could feel Rachel starting to relax, hoping for her that this was over... at least for now.
"Ugh! I knew this day would come, but I wasn't prepared for it to be that bad" She stated, her voice groggy and her throat sore.
"I know sweetie, but just remember that this won't last forever. If I could, I wish I could take your place right now, but because I can't, just know that I'll always be the one to help and support you through these things"
"Thank you" She replied as she rested her head into his chest after she flushed the toilet, both of them sitting on the bathroom floor until Rachel was sure that she was done.
"How about we leave the nursery for today and just lay on the couch? We could have a movie marathon of all your favourites?" Ross proposed, earning a smile from the woman in his arms.
"I'd like that"
After Rachel brushed her teeth, Ross got all the blankets and pillows out of the ottoman and they both snuggled down - enjoying movie after movie.
It was the next morning when Rachel awoke to find that they must've fallen asleep on the couch last night.
She desperately needed to pee, so she peeled herself away from Ross - careful not to wake him and quietly made her way to the bathroom.
Once there, she decided to take a quick shower and then she threw on a fresh pair of comfy sweatpants and one of Ross' t-shirts before making her way back to the couch where he was now awake.
"Thank you for yesterday..." Rachel began to speak, holding Ross' hands in hers.
"...I know how much you hate it when people throw up, so to have you by my side really made me feel so secure"
"Hey, you don't need to thank me, Rach. I was just doing what I had to do. You needed me and I was going to do everything in my power to make sure you were alright"
"I love you so much, but I don't know how I'm going to deal with that happening everyday" Rachel murmured, her voice full of worry
"I love you so much too. You will deal with it because you're so strong. You have to remember that you're going through this for us... for our babies, and for that, I don't think I can thank you enough"
"You always know the right things to say. I have a feeling these babies are gonna give me a run for my money. I can already feel my breasts becoming tender, and I know it's only going to get worse from here"
"It'll only get worse for a little bit, but this won't last forever. Your body is going through some incredible and remarkable changes, but at the end of it, we are going to have two very perfect children... this is all we've ever wanted"
"Can we pleaseeeeee go and look in some baby stores? Rachel pleaded with Ross, desperately wanting to go and buy some items for their babies.
"How can I say no to that face?" Ross replied with a laugh.
Full of excitement, Rachel grabbed her coat and purse and hand-in-hand, they headed out the door.
Their first stop was one of the most popular baby stores in The Village and Rachel already knew one thing that's definitely on her list that she needed to purchase. As soon as they entered the shop, she led Ross over to the clothing section and immediately found what she was looking for.
"Here it is. We definitely need another one of these" She said as held up the 'Daddy's Little Explorer' onesie... exactly the same as the one she purchased to surprise Ross with the pregnancy.
"Ahh... perfect!" He stated as he took it from her and placed it in the cart.
"Oh Ross, look at these" She exclaimed, pointing at two onesies that said 'Mommy's Monster'
"If you want those, then grab two of them, sweetie. Although I must say, we don't know if we're having boys or girls yet, so I think it's best that we don't get too much right now" Ross replied, instantly noticing the drop in Rachel's facial expression at the thought of not buying as many things as she'd hoped
"But..." She began to try and win Ross over. "...if you think about it, we don't necessarily need to get pink or blue things right now. We can get grey items or items in neutral colours. This way, we can still buy more things, without the worry of having to buy a specific colour"
By the smile on Ross' face, Rachel knew she was winning this battle.
"Why do you have to be so cute? And why can't I ever say no to you?" Ross asked, leaning in and placing a sweet kiss on Rachel's lips.
"Because you love me?"
"That's exactly why. Now go on missy, shop away"
Bouncing with excitement, Rachel trotted off in the hunt of more baby items.
It was a few hours later and Ross and Rachel had been to numerous baby stores, and it's only now that they're getting home.
"We got so much stuff" Rachel chatted, getting all the items out of their bags and displaying them neatly on the sofa and coffee table.
"I think they're going to be set for life," Ross joked, but it made him so happy to see his girlfriend... The mother of his children was so happy too.
Onesies, vests, stuffed toys, burping cloths, hats, diapers and wipes, quickly began to fill their living room. Rachel even picked out the diaper bag she fell in love with. It was a beige coloured back-pack style diaper bag with an endless amount of pockets and storage... the perfect size diaper bag that would be perfect accommodating the items of two little babies.
"Are you happy with everything we got?" Ross asked, wrapping his arms around Rachel from behind, resting his hands on her stomach that has now got the smallest baby bump appearing.
"Very. Thank you so much for this, Ross. I love you and this is making everything feel so much more real"
"Oh, hey. You're back."
Ross' smile was the first thing that greeted Rachel as soon as she entered their apartment. He was sitting at the leather couch, nursing a cup of hot coffee as he graded his students' papers.
"Remember when I freaked out the other day?" Rachel smiled back, dropping her bag to the floor before joining him on the couch.
Ross nodded, recalling exactly her meltdown a few days before.
Before they had known that they were having twins, the pregnancy book Rachel had purchased was designated for moms with single pregnancy. Therefore, the symptoms Rachel was currently experiencing hit differently than the book had described it. Her morning sickness was the worst. She barely could keep her food down most of the time and Rachel could've sworn whoever named it 'morning' sickness must be a guy or something, because her so-called morning sickness lasted almost an entire day.
She was utterly and completely exhausted all the time. She could barely keep her food down so she panicked when she noticed instead of gaining weight, she lost a few pounds. Rapidly, her panic turned into a complete meltdown when her raging hormones got the best of her and a few nights ago, she broke down in tears, feeling like she had just failed their unborn babies and him.
At the end of the night, after she calmed down, Ross suggested Rachel talk to Phoebe about it. Phoebe had been pregnant with triplets before, therefore she knew what to expect. And today Rachel took Ross' advice and met Phoebe for dinner so that they could talk about everything that had been bothering Rachel.
"What did she say?" Ross asked.
"It's normal." Rachel said, propping her feet on Ross' laps and leaned back.
Ross quickly took the sign and began to massage her feet.
"Oh, that feels really good." She sighed, getting more comfortable on the couch as she closed her eyes shut. "Keep going please."
"Yes, ma'am." Ross laughed. "So, what else did Phoebe say other than that?"
"Well, it turns out that carrying twins means we also get to experience the symptoms stronger. My stomach is going to show much earlier and apparently at the end of the third trimester I'm going to be as big as a house. Believe me, I'm so not looking forward to that."
"Oh, sweetie. You're not going to get as big as a house."
"Maybe not a house, but definitely a whale. Remember how Phoebe looked at the end of her pregnancy?" Rachel asked rhetorically. "I still don't understand how Phoebe could do that. Having to carry the triplets for nine months and then letting them go?" Rachel's eyes started to brim with tears as she recalled how broken Phoebe was knowing that she couldn't take the babies home with her. "Wow. I don't know if I can do that."
"I know." Ross murmured. "I don't think I can do that either, it's already hard enough for me when I didn't get to be home with Ben on his first week. But hey, we didn't need to think about that right now because at the end of the pregnancy, the two of us got to bring the babies home with us. It's going to be so worth it in the end."
"You're right." She finally smiled, shifting slightly and placing her feet back on the ground so that she could cuddle closer with her boyfriend. "It's going to be so worth it the moment the twins are born."
Their hands intertwined right at the spot where the babies were currently growing. Her stomach wasn't showing that much, but it certainly felt more rounder than usual.
"Talking about the twins, I have something for you." Ross said as he shifted slightly to grab a paper bag from the floor. "Here, open it."
Rachel looked giddy as she started to unwrap her present and suddenly, she let out a soft gasp, a smile on her lips and tears in her eyes as she slowly took the gift out from the bag.
"Everything You Need to Know to Have a Healthy Twin Pregnancy." She read the title, then leaned in to place a kiss on his lips. "Thank you so much. I've been wanting to get this, but I haven't got the time to. I'm going to start reading it tonight."
"There's more."
Ross helped her to take out a few more books, all about multiple pregnancy and some parenting books for parents with twins. Rachel's smile grew wider as she studied the book one by one.
"I know you've been worried and nervous about this pregnancy, but we can read and study them together. I also bought a book that basically showed us how to be a new parent and what to expect once the babies are born. We still have seven more months to learn together and I'm going to be there with you every step of the way, ok?"
"Thank you." Rachel stared at him dreamily, wondering what she did to be this lucky. "You went above and beyond for us. I couldn't have asked for a better father for the twins other than you."
Ross' heart felt full as he looked at her, if it was possible, he fell in love with her a little bit more every day.
