September 17, 2004
"I can't believe you're really moving away," Monica said as she and Chandler stood outside of Ross and Rachel's newly bought and newly sold house. Rachel was dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a white shirt. Her belly was much rounder and growing steadily by the week. She was holding Emma at her hip. Ross, Chandler, and Mike, were helping the movers finish loading the last of the boxes onto the moving truck. Phoebe, Monica, and Rachel were busy saying goodbye to each other.
"I'm going to miss you so much," Monica whispered quietly. "I can't believe that you're going to be in California."
"It's going to be so weird without you guys here," Phoebe remarked.
"I know. But we'll see each other as much as we can, alright?"
"You have to call us the minute you go into labor," Monica replied. "I want to be there for my nieces."
"Don't worry. I'll call," Rachel replied. "God, I'm going to miss you girls so much." They all hugged and cried a little bit. Rachel kneeled down to peer in at her niece and nephew in their stroller. "Jack, Erica, you both take good care of your mommy and daddy." The sleeping babies stayed sleeping and Rachel smiled. "Well Emma, are you ready to go to the airport?" Emma whined a little and Rachel bounced her on her hip.
Ross and Rachel had become quite the movers and shakers over the last couple of weeks. They had already purchased a nice home with five bedrooms and three bathrooms over in Los Angeles. It had a big fenced in front and back yard like this one, but it was a more beautiful home. Ross had also gotten a job at a very well-known museum, but his main job was being a professor for those interested in becoming paleontologists.
"Pheebs," Rachel cried. "I want to know as soon as little baby Hannigan is born, alright?"
"Rach, we're not naming it Hannigan."
"Right," Rachel responded slowly. She shook her head. "Anyway, I better put Emma in the car."
"Mom!" came Ben's voice out of a car window. Carol and Susan pulled up to the front of the house and Ben ran out. Carol and Susan got out and walked up to Rachel. The movers drove off and the guys walked over to join the ladies.
"What's going on?" Ross asked as Ben ran over to hug Rachel.
"Well," Carol started, "Susan and I have been doing a lot of talking. We want Ben to be with you for awhile."
"What? You do?"
"We kept him away from you for so long when we had to move to London. Plus, Ben wants to live with you and Rachel for awhile. We want him to spend time with his other family too. What do you say?"
"You're both okay with this?" Ross asked.
"Yeah," Susan said with a smile. "It'll be hard, but it's what's best for Ben." They all looked at Rachel.
"What do you say, Rach?" Ross asked.
"Well, it's a little sudden, but I think we can work it out. I think it's a great idea!" Rachel exclaimed. Ben smiled happily.
"Thanks moms," he said to the three women in his life.
"We better get into the car," Rachel announced. She turned and waved to all of her friends before he put Emma into her car seat and helped Ben get into the rental car as well. Rachel and Ross' car was already on its way over to California, but they had to have a rental car to get to the airport. Ross spoke with Carol and Susan for a few minutes before he said goodbye to the rest of his friends. When he got into the car, he and Rachel looked out at their friends one last time before they drove off toward the airport.
Along the way to the airport, the Geller family sang songs and talked about nothing in particular. They just enjoyed being together. It was when they were pulling into the airport that Rachel felt the first kick from the twins.
"Oh!" she exclaimed with surprise.
"What is it?" Ross asked as he pulled the rental car into a parking spot.
"The twins are kicking!" she exclaimed. Ross leaned over to feel.
"Wow! They're strong."
"Yeah!"
"I wanna feel," Ben said from the back seat. He leaned up and put his hand on Rachel's stomach. "Whoa! That's weird!" Rachel laughed.
"They're saying hello."
Emma clapped her hands from the back seat. The kicking stopped a few minutes later, and the family piled out of the car and found their carry-on bags. They hurried into the airport and were on the plane an hour later.
Emma was in her car seat, and Ben was sitting next to her. Next to Ben was Rachel, and Ross had the aisle seat. Rachel was flipping through a pregnancy magazine and the children were quiet for a change. Her cell phone rang and she answered it quickly.
"Hello?"
"Rachel! It's Chandler."
"Hey Chandler. What's up?"
"Has the plane taken off yet?"
"Yeah. We took off about five minutes ago. Why?" Rachel asked.
"Damn it!"
"Chandler? What's wrong?"
"I think I need to talk to Ross."
"Okay. Here he is." Rachel handed Ross the phone and watched him curiously as he talked to Chandler.
"Yeah? Hey Chandler. What's going on? What? Oh my God. What happened?! Okay. Okay. Yeah. Thanks for . . . thanks for telling me." Ross hung up and gave the phone back to Rachel.
"Ross? What's the matter?" Rachel asked.
"It's . . . Carol and Susan," Ross whispered, low enough that Ben wouldn't hear.
"What about them?"
"They were killed by a drunk driver on the way back to their apartment."
"Oh my God!" Rachel exclaimed, her hand going up to cover her mouth. "Oh my God!"
"What's wrong?" Ben asked. Rachel had tears in her eyes. Ross sighed and looked at Ben.
"I have something I have to tell you, son," Ross replied.
"What is it?" Ben asked. Ben got out of his seat and came to stand in front of his father. Ross closed his eyes for a moment and he shook his head.
"When we stop at the next airport, we have to go back home right away."
"Why?" Ben asked.
"Carol and Susan . . . two of your moms . . . they were in a car accident."
"Are they okay?" Ben asked quietly. "Dad?" Ross had tears in his eyes and his bottom lip was trembling. He shook his head. "Dad? What's going on?"
"Your moms aren't . . . you can't see them anymore."
"Why not?"
"They're . . . they're dead Ben."
"What?!"
"They're not coming back, son. I'm so sorry."
"Why did they die?!" By now everybody on the plane was looking at the sad little scene. Rachel glared at them.
"Why don't you all mind your own business?" The people went on to pretend not to look, but they were all still staring.
"Son, they died. It's like when Grandma Willick died."
"Why?"
"I don't know, but . . . but you're going to live with me now, okay?" Ben nodded slowly and Ross could see tears in his little boy's eyes. But, the boy sat back down in his seat and buried his face in his hands. Rachel put her arm around her step-son and she looked at Ross.
"He'll be alright, sweetie," she whispered. "Just give him some time. He just needs time."
"I can't believe you're really moving away," Monica said as she and Chandler stood outside of Ross and Rachel's newly bought and newly sold house. Rachel was dressed in a pair of black dress pants and a white shirt. Her belly was much rounder and growing steadily by the week. She was holding Emma at her hip. Ross, Chandler, and Mike, were helping the movers finish loading the last of the boxes onto the moving truck. Phoebe, Monica, and Rachel were busy saying goodbye to each other.
"I'm going to miss you so much," Monica whispered quietly. "I can't believe that you're going to be in California."
"It's going to be so weird without you guys here," Phoebe remarked.
"I know. But we'll see each other as much as we can, alright?"
"You have to call us the minute you go into labor," Monica replied. "I want to be there for my nieces."
"Don't worry. I'll call," Rachel replied. "God, I'm going to miss you girls so much." They all hugged and cried a little bit. Rachel kneeled down to peer in at her niece and nephew in their stroller. "Jack, Erica, you both take good care of your mommy and daddy." The sleeping babies stayed sleeping and Rachel smiled. "Well Emma, are you ready to go to the airport?" Emma whined a little and Rachel bounced her on her hip.
Ross and Rachel had become quite the movers and shakers over the last couple of weeks. They had already purchased a nice home with five bedrooms and three bathrooms over in Los Angeles. It had a big fenced in front and back yard like this one, but it was a more beautiful home. Ross had also gotten a job at a very well-known museum, but his main job was being a professor for those interested in becoming paleontologists.
"Pheebs," Rachel cried. "I want to know as soon as little baby Hannigan is born, alright?"
"Rach, we're not naming it Hannigan."
"Right," Rachel responded slowly. She shook her head. "Anyway, I better put Emma in the car."
"Mom!" came Ben's voice out of a car window. Carol and Susan pulled up to the front of the house and Ben ran out. Carol and Susan got out and walked up to Rachel. The movers drove off and the guys walked over to join the ladies.
"What's going on?" Ross asked as Ben ran over to hug Rachel.
"Well," Carol started, "Susan and I have been doing a lot of talking. We want Ben to be with you for awhile."
"What? You do?"
"We kept him away from you for so long when we had to move to London. Plus, Ben wants to live with you and Rachel for awhile. We want him to spend time with his other family too. What do you say?"
"You're both okay with this?" Ross asked.
"Yeah," Susan said with a smile. "It'll be hard, but it's what's best for Ben." They all looked at Rachel.
"What do you say, Rach?" Ross asked.
"Well, it's a little sudden, but I think we can work it out. I think it's a great idea!" Rachel exclaimed. Ben smiled happily.
"Thanks moms," he said to the three women in his life.
"We better get into the car," Rachel announced. She turned and waved to all of her friends before he put Emma into her car seat and helped Ben get into the rental car as well. Rachel and Ross' car was already on its way over to California, but they had to have a rental car to get to the airport. Ross spoke with Carol and Susan for a few minutes before he said goodbye to the rest of his friends. When he got into the car, he and Rachel looked out at their friends one last time before they drove off toward the airport.
Along the way to the airport, the Geller family sang songs and talked about nothing in particular. They just enjoyed being together. It was when they were pulling into the airport that Rachel felt the first kick from the twins.
"Oh!" she exclaimed with surprise.
"What is it?" Ross asked as he pulled the rental car into a parking spot.
"The twins are kicking!" she exclaimed. Ross leaned over to feel.
"Wow! They're strong."
"Yeah!"
"I wanna feel," Ben said from the back seat. He leaned up and put his hand on Rachel's stomach. "Whoa! That's weird!" Rachel laughed.
"They're saying hello."
Emma clapped her hands from the back seat. The kicking stopped a few minutes later, and the family piled out of the car and found their carry-on bags. They hurried into the airport and were on the plane an hour later.
Emma was in her car seat, and Ben was sitting next to her. Next to Ben was Rachel, and Ross had the aisle seat. Rachel was flipping through a pregnancy magazine and the children were quiet for a change. Her cell phone rang and she answered it quickly.
"Hello?"
"Rachel! It's Chandler."
"Hey Chandler. What's up?"
"Has the plane taken off yet?"
"Yeah. We took off about five minutes ago. Why?" Rachel asked.
"Damn it!"
"Chandler? What's wrong?"
"I think I need to talk to Ross."
"Okay. Here he is." Rachel handed Ross the phone and watched him curiously as he talked to Chandler.
"Yeah? Hey Chandler. What's going on? What? Oh my God. What happened?! Okay. Okay. Yeah. Thanks for . . . thanks for telling me." Ross hung up and gave the phone back to Rachel.
"Ross? What's the matter?" Rachel asked.
"It's . . . Carol and Susan," Ross whispered, low enough that Ben wouldn't hear.
"What about them?"
"They were killed by a drunk driver on the way back to their apartment."
"Oh my God!" Rachel exclaimed, her hand going up to cover her mouth. "Oh my God!"
"What's wrong?" Ben asked. Rachel had tears in her eyes. Ross sighed and looked at Ben.
"I have something I have to tell you, son," Ross replied.
"What is it?" Ben asked. Ben got out of his seat and came to stand in front of his father. Ross closed his eyes for a moment and he shook his head.
"When we stop at the next airport, we have to go back home right away."
"Why?" Ben asked.
"Carol and Susan . . . two of your moms . . . they were in a car accident."
"Are they okay?" Ben asked quietly. "Dad?" Ross had tears in his eyes and his bottom lip was trembling. He shook his head. "Dad? What's going on?"
"Your moms aren't . . . you can't see them anymore."
"Why not?"
"They're . . . they're dead Ben."
"What?!"
"They're not coming back, son. I'm so sorry."
"Why did they die?!" By now everybody on the plane was looking at the sad little scene. Rachel glared at them.
"Why don't you all mind your own business?" The people went on to pretend not to look, but they were all still staring.
"Son, they died. It's like when Grandma Willick died."
"Why?"
"I don't know, but . . . but you're going to live with me now, okay?" Ben nodded slowly and Ross could see tears in his little boy's eyes. But, the boy sat back down in his seat and buried his face in his hands. Rachel put her arm around her step-son and she looked at Ross.
"He'll be alright, sweetie," she whispered. "Just give him some time. He just needs time."