A.N- Merged two chapters together 'cause the first one was too short. ^_^
TY for the reviews-they're very appreciated!-and I'll update ASAP! ^_^
All usual disclaimers apply
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As they waited to hear some news, Monica was sitting on Chandler's lap as she hugged his neck, and Rachel was sitting close to Ross; both holding hands. Sighing, Monica shook her head. "I don't see what's taking them so long. You think the baby's ok?"
Ross sighed. "I bet it is, Mon, it's just.you know, that whole C-section thing. But she'll be ok. Good thing that they let Joey in there with her."
At that, Rachel grinned. "Aww, wouldn't they look great together if they became a couple? And now with the baby? Joey has been absolutely fantastic with the whole pregnancy thing. He's really helped her a lot."
Chandler chuckled. "Yeah, and he even sees that kid as if it's his own." He was going to say something else, but when the doors opened and Joey walked out, about to cry, they all stood up quickly and went to him. "Joe? What's wrong, why. Is the baby ok? Is Phoebe?"
Attempting a smile, Joey turned to all of them. "It's a boy. B- But he's so tiny, you guys. He's tinier than how you guys' babies were. He's so small."
"But is he ok?"
"I don't know. I don't think so, 'cause they took him to an incubator. Pheebs barely got to hold him. I- I'm gonna go see him. Phoebe got transferred to a room for herself, and she's knocked out so she's not going to wake up anytime soon."
All of them nodded slightly and headed to where the premature babies were in their incubators. When they got there, they all went to the window that let them see inside the room; trying to find Phoebe's baby. "Which one is it, Joey?"
"Hey, he's not here." When a nurse walked inside with a bundled baby in her arms, Joey stood straight and smiled; his eyes shining with tears. "There he is, there he is." Taking a breath, Joey waved his fingers towards the baby and smiled very slightly; tears slipping out. A nurse walked out and, when told them that one person could go in to see the baby, Joey turned around to his friends. He was barely going to ask who was going to go in, but all of them just smiled at him and nodded; telling him to go in. At that, he hugged all of them before walking inside and towards the small incubator where the baby was. Touching the cover very gently, he slowly sat down and smiled as the baby stretched out his arms and waved them. His eyes were obviously the same as Phoebe's, his skin seemed to be a peachy color with patches of pinkish red, like any newborn skin, and the little hair he had was black.
Smiling slightly, Joey felt how more tears fell from his eyes when the baby seemed to turn to him and stare at him. "Hi, baby. You know who I am? I'm your.Uncle Joey. At least I think that's what I am. But I'll always be here, ok? Like if I'm your daddy." Choking out a small chuckle, Joey whispered to him. "I told your mom that you were going to be a boy and she never believed me. We showed her, huh?" As Joey saw all the tubes for the respirator and everything else he was hooked onto, more tears fell from his eyes. "Don't you go anywhere, ok.? You still have the rest of the gang to meet. And Ben, Ems, Chris, Melissa. Now it's you, baby, you can't go anywhere. You have such a wonderful mommy that you have to meet. And your uncles and aunts. I was going to ask your mom to move in with me so I can help her with you. You think that she'll accept.?" When the baby started to fall asleep, he smiled slightly, "I'll see you later, ok buddy?" Smiling, he touched the cover of the incubator as if, by doing that, he could hold the baby's hand. After standing slowly, he was about to start walking out of the room when he suddenly saw the label that the baby had on his wrist band.
"Buffay/Tribbiani"
**
Joey seemed to walk out of the room where Phoebe's baby was in a daze, tears quickly slipping out. When he saw his friends and they all hugged him, he just stayed there. "Why is he so small.? Why can't we hold him already?"
Rachel and Monica wiped away his tears simultaneously. "Oh, sweetie, it's just for a precaution. He's premature, they're afraid he'll get sick or something. He'll be fine, don't worry about it."
"None of the other babies were premature. Why did he have to be?"
Chandler patted his back. "I don't know, buddy, but he'll be ok, you'll see."
Ross nodded. "Yeah, man, he'll be fine. Both he and Phoebe will be fine, ok?"
At her name, Joey pulled back from the hug and started hurrying as best as he could to where they had told him that her room was. When he got there and saw her asleep, he sighed in relief. Maybe when she'd wake up, the baby would be in that room and in the little crib that the nurses had prepared for him. Slowly, he made his way to her bed and, after sitting down, he gently tucked her hair behind her ear. 'God, she's so beautiful,' he thought. 'How can I.love her so much and I can't tell her? Why can't I just.hold her and tell her how much I love her? How much it's eating me inside that she's not with me? Why?'
Phoebe, as she slept, she suddenly frowned uncomfortably and, when she felt Joey laying down on the bed and hugging her protectively, sighed and fell into a deeper sleep. Even if she wasn't aware that the man that she loved was holding her, deep down she knew somehow. She was absolutely comfortably and a big sense of security seemed to wash over her. As Joey watched her sleep in his arms, he stayed that way for a while; just watching her sleep. But, not long after, he closed his eyes and held her closer to him.
.::.*A few days later*.::.
"Hey, look who's here!"
Everybody, except for Joey since he wasn't there, turned to the door when a nurse walked inside, carrying Phoebe's little baby boy. Phoebe had been there in the hospital for about three days, and it was until then that she was allowed to pick up the baby on her own so, when he was set in his arms, she couldn't help but get teary eyed. "Aww. Hi, baby. I'm your mommy."
The rest watched her, grinning and silent to give her and the baby some space. When Phoebe turned to look at them, smiling, they all smiled back. "He's beautiful, Pheebs."
Grinning, Phoebe nodded as she looked at her baby. "He is, isn't he?" When a knock came, and thinking that it was just another nurse, Phoebe told the person to come in, but she hadn't expected Joey to walk inside with a bunch of balloons with 'It's a boy!' and 'Congratulations!', and stork and pacifier balloons. It seemed as if he had bought out the whole thing for newborn baby boys out of a balloon place, and also from a gift shop because he was carrying about three bags filled with light blue stuffed animals, small toy trucks, racing cars and, of course, G.I. Joe.
Grinning at them, he put the stuff down and went to Phoebe and the baby. "Look, it's the baby.!" He turned to look at the other four friends and smiled at them. "Guys, could I..talk with Phoebe.? Alone?"
"Oh, yeah, of course." Smiling, they all told Phoebe they'd be outside and kissed the baby's cheeks and forehead before walking out. When they left, Phoebe smiled at Joey. "What's up, Joey?"
The grin that had been on Joey's face seemed to lessen and be exchanged by one filled with nervousness. "Pheebs. I-."
"You what, Joe? You can tell me, you know that."
As he opened his mouth to tell her everything that he felt for her, he knew that he couldn't do it. That he would never be able to tell her how he felt for her. But, also, as he thought that, he knew that he could at least *show* her. Smiling slightly, he grabbed her chin gently before kissing her lips gently and softly. As he kissed her, he was afraid that she would push him away, but was surprised when she started to kiss him back. At that, he kissed her slightly deeper and, when Phoebe kissed him back just the same, he smiled slightly against her lips before smiling at her and whispering, "Oh, Phoebe. I. I couldn't hide it anymore. I can't just. I can't just not tell you anymore. I can't."
"Joey, please. Don't do this. Don't feel like you have to do this because of the baby. You proposed to me when you thought Rachel was preg-."
"And you don't know how much I wished that it would be you the one that had been pregnant that time. So that you could really marry me. God, I love you so much, Phoebe. I've loved you for so long."
"But."
Smiling slightly, he caressed her cheek gently and smiled. "No, Pheebs, it's been you all along. You always were, and will always be my number one girl. Always; only you."
At that, Phoebe felt really touched. Smiling, he grabbed the hand that he had been caressing her with and squeezed it gently. "Joey. I love you, too. I love you so much. It's been so hard. So hard without you."
Smiling, Joey hugged her. "I'll always be here, Phoebe. For you and for your baby. Our baby, ok? Always." Smiling, Joey looked down at the baby and, with his free hand, took one of the baby's hands in his; caressing it with his thumb gently. At that, two of Phoebe's tears rolled down her cheeks as she smiled at him.
After they kissed for another time, Phoebe grinned at Joey. When a knock came from the other side of the door and followed by a, "Can we come in?" that Rachel said with a teary voice, they knew that they all already knew and had been listening. Smiling, they invited them in again, but this time Joey didn't move from his seat and didn't let go of either Phoebe or the baby. Grinning, Phoebe turned to all of them. "I know what I'm going to call the baby now."
"Oh yeah? What, Pheebs?"
"Philip Joseph."
At that, Joey grinned at her, but now it was his turn to get teary. "Really?"
Phoebe nodded as she grinned at him and pecked his lips before turning to all of them before turning to the baby. "Philip for me, because it starts with a P and an H, and Joseph for Joey. That way it can have the initials of both his mom and his dad."
Joey grinned and kissed Philip's forehead gently before kissing her lips lightly. "Then you forgot that he's called Philip Joseph Tribbiani." Excited at the sound of that, he turned to the rest of his friends and grinned wider, "I have a boy! We have a baby boy!"
Hearing that, they all grinned and cheered; knowing that they deserved each other. They had lived through enough already; they just needed to be happy.
All usual disclaimers apply
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As they waited to hear some news, Monica was sitting on Chandler's lap as she hugged his neck, and Rachel was sitting close to Ross; both holding hands. Sighing, Monica shook her head. "I don't see what's taking them so long. You think the baby's ok?"
Ross sighed. "I bet it is, Mon, it's just.you know, that whole C-section thing. But she'll be ok. Good thing that they let Joey in there with her."
At that, Rachel grinned. "Aww, wouldn't they look great together if they became a couple? And now with the baby? Joey has been absolutely fantastic with the whole pregnancy thing. He's really helped her a lot."
Chandler chuckled. "Yeah, and he even sees that kid as if it's his own." He was going to say something else, but when the doors opened and Joey walked out, about to cry, they all stood up quickly and went to him. "Joe? What's wrong, why. Is the baby ok? Is Phoebe?"
Attempting a smile, Joey turned to all of them. "It's a boy. B- But he's so tiny, you guys. He's tinier than how you guys' babies were. He's so small."
"But is he ok?"
"I don't know. I don't think so, 'cause they took him to an incubator. Pheebs barely got to hold him. I- I'm gonna go see him. Phoebe got transferred to a room for herself, and she's knocked out so she's not going to wake up anytime soon."
All of them nodded slightly and headed to where the premature babies were in their incubators. When they got there, they all went to the window that let them see inside the room; trying to find Phoebe's baby. "Which one is it, Joey?"
"Hey, he's not here." When a nurse walked inside with a bundled baby in her arms, Joey stood straight and smiled; his eyes shining with tears. "There he is, there he is." Taking a breath, Joey waved his fingers towards the baby and smiled very slightly; tears slipping out. A nurse walked out and, when told them that one person could go in to see the baby, Joey turned around to his friends. He was barely going to ask who was going to go in, but all of them just smiled at him and nodded; telling him to go in. At that, he hugged all of them before walking inside and towards the small incubator where the baby was. Touching the cover very gently, he slowly sat down and smiled as the baby stretched out his arms and waved them. His eyes were obviously the same as Phoebe's, his skin seemed to be a peachy color with patches of pinkish red, like any newborn skin, and the little hair he had was black.
Smiling slightly, Joey felt how more tears fell from his eyes when the baby seemed to turn to him and stare at him. "Hi, baby. You know who I am? I'm your.Uncle Joey. At least I think that's what I am. But I'll always be here, ok? Like if I'm your daddy." Choking out a small chuckle, Joey whispered to him. "I told your mom that you were going to be a boy and she never believed me. We showed her, huh?" As Joey saw all the tubes for the respirator and everything else he was hooked onto, more tears fell from his eyes. "Don't you go anywhere, ok.? You still have the rest of the gang to meet. And Ben, Ems, Chris, Melissa. Now it's you, baby, you can't go anywhere. You have such a wonderful mommy that you have to meet. And your uncles and aunts. I was going to ask your mom to move in with me so I can help her with you. You think that she'll accept.?" When the baby started to fall asleep, he smiled slightly, "I'll see you later, ok buddy?" Smiling, he touched the cover of the incubator as if, by doing that, he could hold the baby's hand. After standing slowly, he was about to start walking out of the room when he suddenly saw the label that the baby had on his wrist band.
"Buffay/Tribbiani"
**
Joey seemed to walk out of the room where Phoebe's baby was in a daze, tears quickly slipping out. When he saw his friends and they all hugged him, he just stayed there. "Why is he so small.? Why can't we hold him already?"
Rachel and Monica wiped away his tears simultaneously. "Oh, sweetie, it's just for a precaution. He's premature, they're afraid he'll get sick or something. He'll be fine, don't worry about it."
"None of the other babies were premature. Why did he have to be?"
Chandler patted his back. "I don't know, buddy, but he'll be ok, you'll see."
Ross nodded. "Yeah, man, he'll be fine. Both he and Phoebe will be fine, ok?"
At her name, Joey pulled back from the hug and started hurrying as best as he could to where they had told him that her room was. When he got there and saw her asleep, he sighed in relief. Maybe when she'd wake up, the baby would be in that room and in the little crib that the nurses had prepared for him. Slowly, he made his way to her bed and, after sitting down, he gently tucked her hair behind her ear. 'God, she's so beautiful,' he thought. 'How can I.love her so much and I can't tell her? Why can't I just.hold her and tell her how much I love her? How much it's eating me inside that she's not with me? Why?'
Phoebe, as she slept, she suddenly frowned uncomfortably and, when she felt Joey laying down on the bed and hugging her protectively, sighed and fell into a deeper sleep. Even if she wasn't aware that the man that she loved was holding her, deep down she knew somehow. She was absolutely comfortably and a big sense of security seemed to wash over her. As Joey watched her sleep in his arms, he stayed that way for a while; just watching her sleep. But, not long after, he closed his eyes and held her closer to him.
.::.*A few days later*.::.
"Hey, look who's here!"
Everybody, except for Joey since he wasn't there, turned to the door when a nurse walked inside, carrying Phoebe's little baby boy. Phoebe had been there in the hospital for about three days, and it was until then that she was allowed to pick up the baby on her own so, when he was set in his arms, she couldn't help but get teary eyed. "Aww. Hi, baby. I'm your mommy."
The rest watched her, grinning and silent to give her and the baby some space. When Phoebe turned to look at them, smiling, they all smiled back. "He's beautiful, Pheebs."
Grinning, Phoebe nodded as she looked at her baby. "He is, isn't he?" When a knock came, and thinking that it was just another nurse, Phoebe told the person to come in, but she hadn't expected Joey to walk inside with a bunch of balloons with 'It's a boy!' and 'Congratulations!', and stork and pacifier balloons. It seemed as if he had bought out the whole thing for newborn baby boys out of a balloon place, and also from a gift shop because he was carrying about three bags filled with light blue stuffed animals, small toy trucks, racing cars and, of course, G.I. Joe.
Grinning at them, he put the stuff down and went to Phoebe and the baby. "Look, it's the baby.!" He turned to look at the other four friends and smiled at them. "Guys, could I..talk with Phoebe.? Alone?"
"Oh, yeah, of course." Smiling, they all told Phoebe they'd be outside and kissed the baby's cheeks and forehead before walking out. When they left, Phoebe smiled at Joey. "What's up, Joey?"
The grin that had been on Joey's face seemed to lessen and be exchanged by one filled with nervousness. "Pheebs. I-."
"You what, Joe? You can tell me, you know that."
As he opened his mouth to tell her everything that he felt for her, he knew that he couldn't do it. That he would never be able to tell her how he felt for her. But, also, as he thought that, he knew that he could at least *show* her. Smiling slightly, he grabbed her chin gently before kissing her lips gently and softly. As he kissed her, he was afraid that she would push him away, but was surprised when she started to kiss him back. At that, he kissed her slightly deeper and, when Phoebe kissed him back just the same, he smiled slightly against her lips before smiling at her and whispering, "Oh, Phoebe. I. I couldn't hide it anymore. I can't just. I can't just not tell you anymore. I can't."
"Joey, please. Don't do this. Don't feel like you have to do this because of the baby. You proposed to me when you thought Rachel was preg-."
"And you don't know how much I wished that it would be you the one that had been pregnant that time. So that you could really marry me. God, I love you so much, Phoebe. I've loved you for so long."
"But."
Smiling slightly, he caressed her cheek gently and smiled. "No, Pheebs, it's been you all along. You always were, and will always be my number one girl. Always; only you."
At that, Phoebe felt really touched. Smiling, he grabbed the hand that he had been caressing her with and squeezed it gently. "Joey. I love you, too. I love you so much. It's been so hard. So hard without you."
Smiling, Joey hugged her. "I'll always be here, Phoebe. For you and for your baby. Our baby, ok? Always." Smiling, Joey looked down at the baby and, with his free hand, took one of the baby's hands in his; caressing it with his thumb gently. At that, two of Phoebe's tears rolled down her cheeks as she smiled at him.
After they kissed for another time, Phoebe grinned at Joey. When a knock came from the other side of the door and followed by a, "Can we come in?" that Rachel said with a teary voice, they knew that they all already knew and had been listening. Smiling, they invited them in again, but this time Joey didn't move from his seat and didn't let go of either Phoebe or the baby. Grinning, Phoebe turned to all of them. "I know what I'm going to call the baby now."
"Oh yeah? What, Pheebs?"
"Philip Joseph."
At that, Joey grinned at her, but now it was his turn to get teary. "Really?"
Phoebe nodded as she grinned at him and pecked his lips before turning to all of them before turning to the baby. "Philip for me, because it starts with a P and an H, and Joseph for Joey. That way it can have the initials of both his mom and his dad."
Joey grinned and kissed Philip's forehead gently before kissing her lips lightly. "Then you forgot that he's called Philip Joseph Tribbiani." Excited at the sound of that, he turned to the rest of his friends and grinned wider, "I have a boy! We have a baby boy!"
Hearing that, they all grinned and cheered; knowing that they deserved each other. They had lived through enough already; they just needed to be happy.