Hey, everybody, THANKS for all the fantastic reviews! So here's chapter
three......hope it answers all your questions and you enjoy it. PLEASE
REVIEW!
Disclaimer: The baby is mine, and that's it.
Chapter Three
***One year and a half ago***
Chandler rushed out of the shower, his hair sopping wet. "Hello," he said breathlessly, picking up the phone.
"Chandler, it's Tricia," Michelle's mother's voice came over the line."
"Hey, Tricia," he said. "What's up? Does Michelle need something?"
"Yeah, Chandler, she kinda needs you!" Tricia said urgently. "Chandler, she's in labor!"
"But.....but, it's only July! The baby's not due for another month!"
"Well, obviously the baby doesn't know that, Chandler! Just get down here!"
Chandler hopped into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt as quickly as he could. "Mom," he screeched into her room. "The baby's coming! We've gotta get down to the hospital."
Nora raced out of her room and the two Bings tumbled down the stairs to the car, avoided several accidents on the way to the hospital, and finally collapsed into Michelle's hospital room. "Michelle," Chandler said, rushing to her bedside. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, Chandler," Michelle said in between painful gasps. "I'm just peachy!"
"Sorry," he said, taking her hand. "Didn't quite mean it that way."
"Arrrgh!" Michelle screamed out. "Chandler Bing, when this is over, I swear I am going to kill you!"
Nora and Tricia grinned sympathetically and Chandler went over to them. "Is the baby gonna be okay?" he said softly. "It's a month early."
Tricia put a comforting hand on Chandler's shoulders. "The doctor says the baby should be just fine. A little small, but fine. Don't you worry."
Chandler nodded gently. "Is Michelle gonna be okay?"
Nora and Tricia chuckled. "We've both been through it, sweetie," Nora said. "Michelle will be just fine. Mad at you for awhile, but she'll pull through."
Michelle "pulled through" for ten more hours of sweaty, painful, loud labor. Finally, her doctor pulled Tricia and Chandler aside. "I think it's time to consider a c-section," Dr. Williams said. "Michelle's so young, and I don't think she can take too much more of this."
Michelle was wheeled into the operating room fifteen minutes later. Chandler sat down and squeezed her hand as the doctor gently lifted out a tiny baby girl. "Shel," Chandler said gently, kissing Michelle's forehead softly. "Look at how beautiful she is!"
But there was no response from Michelle. "Michelle?" Chandler said loudly, noticing her closed eyes, "Michelle?"
"Chandler," a nurse pushed him out of the way. "We need you to get out right now."
"But what's going on?" Chandler demanded. "What's wrong with Michelle?"
"We don't know yet, Chandler," the nurse said calmly. "What we need now is for you to get out."
A crowd of nurses and doctors pushed Chandler out of the room, and another nurse outside took his hand. "I'm sure she'll be okay," she said softly. "How about waiting with her mom for awhile?"
Chandler grumbled out into the waiting room where Tricia and Nora stood nervously. "Is it a boy or a girl?" Tricia demanded excitedly. "How's Michelle?"
"It's a girl," Chandler said softly. "And.....I don't know.....they just, they pushed me out of the room and I don't know what's going on.....and I-"
Chandler's words were interrupted by Michelle's surgeon coming out into the waiting room. "Mrs. Forrest?" he said softly. "Chandler?"
Chandler and Tricia rushed over to the man, almost knocking him over. "What's going on?" Tricia demanded. "Where's my daughter."
It was then Chandler noticed that the surgeon's clothes were covered in blood, and a cold sweat rushed through him. Somehow he knew it was Michelle's blood.
"Mrs. Forrest," the doctor said kindly. "I am so, so very sorry. The labor and c-section caused internal bleeding we just didn't foresee. We couldn't stop it. Michelle passed away a few minutes ago."
As Chandler fell to the ground, Tricia let out a scream that echoed through the waiting room, a scream that Chandler would never forget.
Chandler spent hours in the waiting room after he came to, his head in his hands, sobbing. Nora had taken a hysterical Tricia home earlier, but Chandler couldn't even bear to stand up. He cried until he felt like there were no more tears left. Suddenly, he felt a soft hand touch his shoulder.
"Chandler?" a nurse said softly. "Would you like to see your baby?"
Chandler bit his lip. "I don't.....I mean.....I don't know," he said softly.
"It might help you," the nurse said softly.
Chandler nodded, and took a deep breath. "Okay," he whispered. "Where is she?"
A nurse led Chandler to the neonatal ICU, and over to a tiny little box, where his baby lay. "She's fine," the nurse said gently. "Just a little small."
"She......she's beautiful," Chandler whispered, his words get cutting off by an oncoming sob. The baby looked so much like Michelle.
The soft hand found his shoulder again. "I'll give you two some time," the nurse whispered. "You want to hold her?"
Chandler nodded, and the nurse lifted the baby out of the box, and into Chandler's arms. "Careful there," she said, as he sat down.
Chandler nodded again and carefully lowered himself into the rocking chair, his arms grasping the tiny baby carefully. Sure they were settled, the nurse left. "Look at how little you are," Chandler whispered to his little girl. "But also so beautiful." He smiled, and kissed her forehead. "You look so much like your mommy, baby. She would've loved that. She would've loved that a lot."
The baby whimpered softly, and Chandler looked down into her bright blue eyes, the only feature she seemed to have from him. "It's okay, sweetie," he said gently, rocking her back and forth. "Daddy's gonna take care of you."
Those words hit him like a rock. Suddenly, he realized that he could not give the baby up. He could not give up his remaining piece of Michelle. If he gave the baby up, he'd have no idea what this little girl became, who she would be......no idea about any of it.
Suddenly, the future was perfectly clear to him. He had to keep the baby.
***back to present***
"So," Chandler said, sighing. "I kept the baby. I called my mom, and she told me that I could live with her, and she'd take care of the baby. All I needed was my mom onboard, and I was decided."
"Wow," Ross whispered. "Wow, wow, wow. I just.....I'm sorry I just can't believe it."
"It's okay," Chandler said. "Sometimes I don't believe I have a kid. But.....it's an amazing feeling, being a father. I love my daughter so much that I could never give her up. I'm glad I didn't. She's my life."
Ross shook his head. "Clearly you're a much different guy than I thought you were," he smiled. "But I guess I admire you for it. 'Bout all I can do, at this point."
Chandler chuckled. "So, look, I'd like to go and help you Saturday, but my mom's out with her sister, and I was going to watch Audrey. My mom would probably do it, but she watches her so much that I feel sort of bad."
Ross nodded. "Well, hey, I've got a way. I bet I could get my sister to watch your baby. She absolutely loves kids."
TBC.....
PLEASE REVIEW!
Disclaimer: The baby is mine, and that's it.
Chapter Three
***One year and a half ago***
Chandler rushed out of the shower, his hair sopping wet. "Hello," he said breathlessly, picking up the phone.
"Chandler, it's Tricia," Michelle's mother's voice came over the line."
"Hey, Tricia," he said. "What's up? Does Michelle need something?"
"Yeah, Chandler, she kinda needs you!" Tricia said urgently. "Chandler, she's in labor!"
"But.....but, it's only July! The baby's not due for another month!"
"Well, obviously the baby doesn't know that, Chandler! Just get down here!"
Chandler hopped into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt as quickly as he could. "Mom," he screeched into her room. "The baby's coming! We've gotta get down to the hospital."
Nora raced out of her room and the two Bings tumbled down the stairs to the car, avoided several accidents on the way to the hospital, and finally collapsed into Michelle's hospital room. "Michelle," Chandler said, rushing to her bedside. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, Chandler," Michelle said in between painful gasps. "I'm just peachy!"
"Sorry," he said, taking her hand. "Didn't quite mean it that way."
"Arrrgh!" Michelle screamed out. "Chandler Bing, when this is over, I swear I am going to kill you!"
Nora and Tricia grinned sympathetically and Chandler went over to them. "Is the baby gonna be okay?" he said softly. "It's a month early."
Tricia put a comforting hand on Chandler's shoulders. "The doctor says the baby should be just fine. A little small, but fine. Don't you worry."
Chandler nodded gently. "Is Michelle gonna be okay?"
Nora and Tricia chuckled. "We've both been through it, sweetie," Nora said. "Michelle will be just fine. Mad at you for awhile, but she'll pull through."
Michelle "pulled through" for ten more hours of sweaty, painful, loud labor. Finally, her doctor pulled Tricia and Chandler aside. "I think it's time to consider a c-section," Dr. Williams said. "Michelle's so young, and I don't think she can take too much more of this."
Michelle was wheeled into the operating room fifteen minutes later. Chandler sat down and squeezed her hand as the doctor gently lifted out a tiny baby girl. "Shel," Chandler said gently, kissing Michelle's forehead softly. "Look at how beautiful she is!"
But there was no response from Michelle. "Michelle?" Chandler said loudly, noticing her closed eyes, "Michelle?"
"Chandler," a nurse pushed him out of the way. "We need you to get out right now."
"But what's going on?" Chandler demanded. "What's wrong with Michelle?"
"We don't know yet, Chandler," the nurse said calmly. "What we need now is for you to get out."
A crowd of nurses and doctors pushed Chandler out of the room, and another nurse outside took his hand. "I'm sure she'll be okay," she said softly. "How about waiting with her mom for awhile?"
Chandler grumbled out into the waiting room where Tricia and Nora stood nervously. "Is it a boy or a girl?" Tricia demanded excitedly. "How's Michelle?"
"It's a girl," Chandler said softly. "And.....I don't know.....they just, they pushed me out of the room and I don't know what's going on.....and I-"
Chandler's words were interrupted by Michelle's surgeon coming out into the waiting room. "Mrs. Forrest?" he said softly. "Chandler?"
Chandler and Tricia rushed over to the man, almost knocking him over. "What's going on?" Tricia demanded. "Where's my daughter."
It was then Chandler noticed that the surgeon's clothes were covered in blood, and a cold sweat rushed through him. Somehow he knew it was Michelle's blood.
"Mrs. Forrest," the doctor said kindly. "I am so, so very sorry. The labor and c-section caused internal bleeding we just didn't foresee. We couldn't stop it. Michelle passed away a few minutes ago."
As Chandler fell to the ground, Tricia let out a scream that echoed through the waiting room, a scream that Chandler would never forget.
Chandler spent hours in the waiting room after he came to, his head in his hands, sobbing. Nora had taken a hysterical Tricia home earlier, but Chandler couldn't even bear to stand up. He cried until he felt like there were no more tears left. Suddenly, he felt a soft hand touch his shoulder.
"Chandler?" a nurse said softly. "Would you like to see your baby?"
Chandler bit his lip. "I don't.....I mean.....I don't know," he said softly.
"It might help you," the nurse said softly.
Chandler nodded, and took a deep breath. "Okay," he whispered. "Where is she?"
A nurse led Chandler to the neonatal ICU, and over to a tiny little box, where his baby lay. "She's fine," the nurse said gently. "Just a little small."
"She......she's beautiful," Chandler whispered, his words get cutting off by an oncoming sob. The baby looked so much like Michelle.
The soft hand found his shoulder again. "I'll give you two some time," the nurse whispered. "You want to hold her?"
Chandler nodded, and the nurse lifted the baby out of the box, and into Chandler's arms. "Careful there," she said, as he sat down.
Chandler nodded again and carefully lowered himself into the rocking chair, his arms grasping the tiny baby carefully. Sure they were settled, the nurse left. "Look at how little you are," Chandler whispered to his little girl. "But also so beautiful." He smiled, and kissed her forehead. "You look so much like your mommy, baby. She would've loved that. She would've loved that a lot."
The baby whimpered softly, and Chandler looked down into her bright blue eyes, the only feature she seemed to have from him. "It's okay, sweetie," he said gently, rocking her back and forth. "Daddy's gonna take care of you."
Those words hit him like a rock. Suddenly, he realized that he could not give the baby up. He could not give up his remaining piece of Michelle. If he gave the baby up, he'd have no idea what this little girl became, who she would be......no idea about any of it.
Suddenly, the future was perfectly clear to him. He had to keep the baby.
***back to present***
"So," Chandler said, sighing. "I kept the baby. I called my mom, and she told me that I could live with her, and she'd take care of the baby. All I needed was my mom onboard, and I was decided."
"Wow," Ross whispered. "Wow, wow, wow. I just.....I'm sorry I just can't believe it."
"It's okay," Chandler said. "Sometimes I don't believe I have a kid. But.....it's an amazing feeling, being a father. I love my daughter so much that I could never give her up. I'm glad I didn't. She's my life."
Ross shook his head. "Clearly you're a much different guy than I thought you were," he smiled. "But I guess I admire you for it. 'Bout all I can do, at this point."
Chandler chuckled. "So, look, I'd like to go and help you Saturday, but my mom's out with her sister, and I was going to watch Audrey. My mom would probably do it, but she watches her so much that I feel sort of bad."
Ross nodded. "Well, hey, I've got a way. I bet I could get my sister to watch your baby. She absolutely loves kids."
TBC.....
PLEASE REVIEW!