True Love Really Doesn't Run Smoothly
Part 11: Complicated
Disclaimer: I don't own them. And by evidence of this chapter, I very glad.
A/N: I know, I kind of abandoned this story. But… I didn't have any inspiration for it, really. I decided that I would give it one last go, and finish it. It's only got a few chapters to go.
I really stretch the realms of credibility here. I expect every reviewer to tell me how odd I am… but I hope you still like it. Not much R/P this chapter, but there will be next, if I get convinced by you to continue. This chapter is all M/C and J/R. So, enough rambling from me… I hope you like it, and hope it's not too unbelievable. I actually got the idea from my local news, so it does happen. If you were reading carefully, signs of Monica's predicament have actually been building over the past few chapters. Just bear with me, okay? Please, review and tell me what you think.
Song lyrics: From Just For You by Lionel Richie.
*~*~*
Golden days, night was play, pain was all a world away,
We went to school, we learned the rules,
We trusted all they all had to say.
Then life took a turn, we all had to learn,
And we can't go back again.
*~*~*
Mist covered the city in a thick fog as the sun rose, rays beaming between the dull air. Cemented sidewalks were hammered down upon by heavy footsteps, all rushing to get to wherever their owners needed to reach.
The tall street lamps outside of the hospital still glowed on, the mist making the ruling so that they weren't yet turned off. Ross stared up at one, not seeing it's fluorescent glow. Instead, he could see Phoebe's smiling face, grinning at him with the insane happiness that never seemed to appear on her face anymore.
Everyone seemed so depressed these days, he thought as he looked down again and continued his walk into the hospital. Rachel and Joey's break-up seemed to have thrown into such deep dark depression that they never even appeared anymore, and Phoebe's stubbornness had caused her to avoid Ross… which meant avoiding the rest of the group.
And Monica and Chandler… well, their news would have startled anyone. Given the crowd Chandler had said had gathered around the clinic, Ross was surprised he couldn't here Monica's screams from out here.
The automatic doors slid smoothly open as he approached. He walked briskly over to the reception area, tapping on the counter to gain the woman's attention.
"Hi," he said shortly, smiling. "Can you tell me where the childbirth area is?"
"That's not what we call it, but who are you with?" she asked, her snipping tone giving her an air of sneering superiority.
"Monica Geller," he replied, ignoring her sneer.
She clicked the mouse on her computer a few times before looking up. "Ah… she's on floor 3, room 34," she said, smiling.
"Thanks," he called over his shoulder, running toward the lifts.
*~*~*
"Ahhhhhh!"
Monica's screams echoed through the halls, making Joey jump again. Rachel sighed, flipping the page of her magazine listlessly over, while Phoebe stared intently at the plant pot opposite.
Rachel and Joey both looked up as Ross came racing round the corner, stopping as he saw them. His gaze lingered on Phoebe for a second, before turning to Rachel.
"How is she?"
Rachel stood up. "How would you be if you were in labor after just discovering you were pregnant?" she asked.
"How could she not know?" asked Ross, bending forward to try and see into the room.
"I don't know!" exclaimed Rachel. "Maybe it doesn't show. Maybe she didn't get very sick. Maybe she was so convinced that it was impossible for her to get pregnant that she didn't even consider the possibility!" she shouted, her voice sounding much angrier than she'd intended.
Ross backed away, hitting the wall in fear.
Rachel sighed again. "Look, I'm sorry. But you know how things… are right now," she said, glancing at Joey, who was watching intently. "But one of my best friends is in their giving birth to the baby she's been waiting for all her life, and she didn't even know about it," she said sadly, as another yell echoed through the halls.
Ross looked at her with a sad smile, and then turned away, pressing his face against the small window in the door. He saw Chandler's strained face as Monica gripped his arm tightly, a doctor at her legs, nurses to either side. Another scream came as he saw her push, her face sweaty, tears in her eyes.
He stared at her, scared for his sister, frightened of what was all suddenly so confusing.
*~*~*
"Why is this happening to me?!"
Chandler lent away slightly from Monica's screeching voice, his face pained as her fingernails dug further into his skin. He thought they were probably bleeding, but didn't dare say anything.
"Okay, we're gonna need you to push again for us, Mon," said the doctor, looking calmly up at her. Monica stared, but strained as she pushed hard again, pressing her fingers into Chandler so he had to cover his mouth to stop from yelping in pain.
"I see a head," called the doctor, and Chandler rushed to look, still letting Monica keep a hold on him.
"Oh," he gasped, awestruck.
"What?" said Monica in panic. "What is it?" she cried, pulling him back.
He stared at her. "It's… it's our baby," he said quietly, smiling and stroking her hair. "It's coming," he whispered, and the room was filled with a momentary calm, as Monica smiled at him, releasing her grip on his arm so he could grasp her hand.
"We need you to push again," repeated the doctor, interrupting the calm, and she screamed as she pushed, squeezing Chandler's hand hard. "It's coming," said the doctor. "Just one more push."
"Just one more, honey, you can do it," said Chandler, wiping her sweat soaked hair from her eyes. "Come on, Mon, it's almost over," he said softly.
She gave one last pained expression as she pushed for her life, and her face was overcome with relief as it ended, the room becoming filled with the baby's screams immediately.
The doctor smiled and held up the baby, squealing endlessly in her arms, wrapped in thin sheets. Monica's face split with a wide pained smile, staring at her baby that, only 24 hours ago, she didn't even know about.
"Here's your baby," whispered the doctor, smiling at Monica's expression, and handing her the baby. "It's a girl," she added.
"Thank you," said Chandler, smiling at the doctor. She nodded, and slipped out of the room. As the door swung back into place, he saw the others standing just behind it, smiling happily as they saw the baby. Joey mouthed the question if they could come in, and Chandler replied that they could in a minute, his mouth dry.
Monica smiled down at her baby, her arms cradling it carefully, it's crying like music to her ears.
"Hello, my baby," she whispered, gently rocking it at her chest, Chandler's fingers stroking the silken soft skin.
"What shall we call her?" asked Chandler softly, his fingers moving to Monica's face, and she looked up at him.
"Well, when I was growing up, I always thought I'd want my baby girl to be named Emma… but she doesn't feel like an Emma…" she mused.
Chandler stared at her. "Wait, how long have you had these names picked out?" he asked, his eyes shining with unshed tears of surprise and happiness.
"Since I was 14," she answered matter-of-factly, looking down at the resting baby, who had stopped screaming.
Chandler stared at her, but decided to let it go, and he looked at his new baby again. "Hailey?" he suggested.
"No, she's doesn't feel like a Hailey," replied Monica, still staring at her baby. "Sarah?"
Chandler shook his head. "Can I hold her?" he asked. "Maybe if I hold her, I'll have a better idea," he said, and Monica handed the little girl over carefully, tucking the sheets under Chandler's hold.
He gently rocked her in his arms, humming a lullaby to her as he stared down at her, thinking. "Daniella," he whispered.
Monica looked up at him. "But the boy is going to be called Daniel… isn't that a little close?" she said, frowning.
Chandler stared at her. "Well, I didn't know it was going to be called Daniel…" he said, looking back down at his daughter. "Oh!" he exclaimed, making Monica look up again. "I've got it," he grinned. "Melissa," he said, smiling.
"Melissa," whispered Monica, taking her back as Chandler bent down slowly. She looked up. "It's perfect," she said. "Hi, Melissa," she said softly, kissing her baby on the cheek. Melissa's hand reached out, and Monica lightly held her baby's finger, smiling happily as the sun broke through the angled blinds.
*~*~*
Rachel stopped abruptly as she saw him, rattling the vending machine angrily, bashing it's side.
"It ate your money?" she said, deciding she needed to do this.
He looked around, his face shocked to see her, but he smiled. "No," he replied.
She smiled briefly back, and pushed her money into the slot, her finger running over the different options before tapping in a code. A candy bar fell to the floor of the machine, and she bent over to grab it, peeling the wrapper off and turning back around.
Joey had vanished, and she inhaled, finding herself saddened that she couldn't see his face again. She sighed, and walked back around the corner.
The sound of gentle sobbing met her ears as she passed a dark empty room, and she paused, knowing full well who was in there. Her hand wavered over the doorknob, undecided over whether she should open it or not.
*~*~*
"Oh, Monica, she's beautiful!"
Phoebe grinned down at mother and baby, as an exhausted Chandler smiled from the chair next to the bed, rubbing ointment into the wounds inflicted upon him by Monica's fingernails. Ross smiled from the foot of the bed, his mind still bewildered as to the appearance of this baby girl.
"Yeah, she's adorable, you guys," he said, smiling.
"I know," they said simultaneously, smiling at each other.
"Does she have a name?" he asked, moving nearer to Monica.
"Melissa," answered Chandler, pulling his sleeve down. "My idea," he said proudly, making Monica smile.
"Oh, hi Melissa!" said Phoebe, stroking Melissa's hand gently. "I can't believe you two have a baby!" she grinned, staring at Melissa with adoration.
"Me either," said Monica quietly. "I can't believe I didn't know," she said, rather sadly.
"I don't understand," said Ross. "Surely you'd have noticed."
Chandler stood up. "The doctor said that it could happen. Not very often, of course, and she said she's never seen it before… but she knew that it had happened. Some women don't show much… I guess Monica hardly showed at all, so we didn't notice. And morning sickness was like mild… we would have just thought it was a bug. I guess we're lucky I sent her to the doctor's this time, huh?" he said, smiling down at Monica, who took his hand lightly in her free one.
"Oh," said Ross, still confused. He looked over at Phoebe, who avoided his gaze. But his face lit up. "Hey, anyone wanna play a game of poker tomorrow?" he suggested, gaining incredulous stares from the other three.
*~*~*
"Joey?"
His tear stained face jerked upward at her whisper, the door clicking shut behind her. The curtains were drawn, making the room dark, a tiny amount of light seeping through the material.
"What?" he whispered sullenly back, but his face paining at her image, the memories of times just past becoming stronger and stronger in his mind.
Rachel sat next to him on the bed, settling into its softness, and looked at him. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"For what?" he asked, not looking at her.
"For what I did to you," she said softly, slowly moving her hand so it rested on his. "I hate myself for that," she admitted.
"Then why did you do it?" he asked desperately, turning to face her.
"Because it hurt me so much," she answered, watching more tears fall from his eyes. "When I saw you, with her… I thought I'd let another man betray me, like Ross."
"But Rachel… I didn't kiss her," he insisted. "She kissed me. Why would I do that? Why would I let you think that? It's not like we were unhappy, or in a fight, like you and Ross… we were happy. I wouldn't destroy that."
"I know," she whispered softly, staring at his saddened eyes. "And I hate what's it's done to us both," she intoned, her hand entwining with his slowly, fingers caressing his.
"Do you still think I did it?" he asked his voice almost silent.
She lightly touched his cheek, and smiled. "No," she whispered, and kissed him, her lips sliding into his easily, and pushing him back onto the bed.
*~*~*
And my heart is breaking just for you, just for you.
And my arms are open just for you, just for you,
And these tears I'm crying are for you, just for you,
Just for you.
*~*~*
Endnote: I didn't want to name her Emma, because even though she doesn't exist in this story, it would have been too confusing. Review, please, and don't tell me how incredibly stupid I am…