Disclaimer: I don't own Friends.
A/N: Here's the third part, taking place right after "The One With The Red Sweater".
Thanks, reviewer dudes.
XXX
Damn sweater.
I knew I should've given it back to Ross as soon as I found it. But I kept forgetting, and so it stayed in the apartment. I don't even know how Phoebe got her hands on it.
Last night, when all the guests had dispersed from the reception and we all went our separate ways to our reserved rooms, my mind was still reeling. After I took the test in the bathroom, all Monica and Phoebe could talk about was the baby. I was able to enjoy myself more, like Monica had said I would, but still, I couldn't just forget the whole thing.
Phoebe started babying me the moment we got into the room we were sharing. She fluffed my pillows and fixed my blankets and helped me take my hair down and ordered me to get some sleep. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and say "Yes, Mom".
I'd stayed awake all night again. I don't think I've gotten a full night's sleep in four days. All I could think about was how much my life was going to change.
Joey thought Phoebe was pregnant, because she was still covering for me. Now he knows I am. I hope things don't get weird between us, since we are roommates.
And then Phoebe freaked me out. We'd only been home for a few hours this morning, and I'd told she and Monica that I was gonna tell Ross, and then she pointed out how huge this all this. I hadn't even thought of what I was going to tell him when the time actually came.
Then I started thinking of crazy scenarios. I mean really, this is going to affect our relationship so much that nothing will ever the same between us again. I like how things are now. But this baby is going to change the dynamic we have going no matter what.
What if he doesn't care? What if I tell him, and then he just waves me off with nothing more than a "Congratulations"? What if he's so scared he leaves New York to start a new life somewhere else? What if he's angry, and wants nothing to do with me or the baby, and decides he can't stand to be around me anymore? It'll be the Emily fiasco all over again!
What if he wants to get back together? At this point, I don't know what I'd say if he asked me that.
And then that damn sweater came back to haunt me.
I didn't even really like the red sweater that much. Not to mention, it looked familiar to me. Of course now, I know exactly why that is.
How Phoebe found the article of clothing is beyond me. But before I knew it she was standing outside the coffee house with me, telling me the father was inside waiting. I wondered how she found out it was Ross. Plus, he was supposed to still be with Chandler, doing whatever they were doing.
And then I opened the door, expecting to come face-to-face with the man I have so much history with that someday there'll be textbooks written about us, but instead see Tag.
As I lie here in my bed, looking back on my relationship with him, I have to ask myself, what was I thinking? I only hired him because I thought he was cute, and then I dated him even though he was only twenty-four and I was almost thirty, and then I broke up with him because I knew I wasn't going to spend the rest of my life with him.
I guess I still can't tell who that guy is gonna end up being. Plus, that whole plan I thought up isn't going exactly the way I had it figured out on paper.
I was pleased to see Phoebe looking embarrassed, and also extremely glad that she still doesn't know who the father is. And I finally knew why Ross's red sweater looked so familiar. But telling my ex-boyfriend that I was pregnant, after he told me he wanted to get back together with me, was not something I'd ever planned on doing.
And then Joey, asking me to marry him. That was just insane in itself. I don't think I've ever had this crazy a day in my life.
I still haven't gotten to tell Ross. He and Chandler have been missing all day. I guess it has to wait until tomorrow, before my first doctor's appointment. I have to admit, I'm excited and nervous about finally seeing my baby for the first time. I part of me hopes Ross will go with me.
I decide to get up, since sleep is obviously not something in my near future, and I enter the living room. Joey is standing at the counter, eating some cereal. He looks at me with a face I can't decipher; it actually looks like he knows something I don't.
I wonder what it is.
My mind drifts to Ross. Sometimes I hope he's thinking about me. I know that's all I can do lately.
Shoot. I think I left the sweater at Monica's.
Oh well, I'll get it tomorrow before I go see Ross. It's not like any of them know it's his.
XXX