Ross stretched out on the couch, temporarily finding comfort in his new position. Comfort he hadn't felt for a good hour. As he was finding out, being pregnant was much more than carrying around twenty pounds all day. It was feeling a throbbing pain in every limb of his body.
He was alone in his apartment. Rachel had gone over to Phoebe's place, where everybody but Monica, who was at Chandler's work, was assisting her in her search for Tim's phone number. He hoped she found it soon. He was dreading the thought of having to find a way to fall asleep tonight.
Though he was still in disbelief that a wish potion did this to him. He had been known as the skeptic of the group for a reason. As soon as Phoebe made some more of the elixir, he was taking a sample of it and putting it under a microscope. It had to be some advanced chemical accidentally discovered by Tim's girlfriend's family. Or maybe it wasn't an accident. Who knows – one of the girlfriend's descendants could have been a chemist.
At the moment, it was true that how he got trapped in someone else's body wasn't the problem. The problem was dealing with it. Rachel had offered to stay behind and help him get around, but he had declined, remembering their bet. Now he was beginning to regret the bet or declining her help. He had been sitting on the couch all day, unable to get up and move anywhere else. The only bright side that his barfing episode this morning was a fluke, due to her breaking down and consuming a burrito from Taco Bell's last night. Morning sickness had passed a few months ago. At least he wouldn't be chucking up his insides once again when he awoke tomorrow.
He was so bored. Rooted to the couch, he had been watching TV for hours. Worse yet, this being Thursday afternoon, there was absolutely nothing on. Not even the History channel could captivate his attention for long. And it wasn't like he could pig out on junk food either. Rachel had given him of list of food items he couldn't have due to temporarily being pregnant. For one thing, he didn't know how she got through life without non-decaf coffee. Or alcohol, for that matter. He was still bitter about the fact that he couldn't grab a beer.
The phone rang. Ross groaned – he was on the opposite end of the couch. Which meant he would be forced to move. Or…I could always let the machine get it. Content with that option, he listened for the beep.
Once that sounded, Rachel's…er, his voice came over the answering machine. "Hey Ross! Yeah, I know this sounds really weird hearing yourself when you're not the one talking, but that's what makes this so much more fun! I am totally picturing your freaked-out face in my head right now." Ross rolled his eyes. "Anyways, the reason I'm, well, you're calling – God, this is so fun – is that we need more man…uh, woman power. We're having trouble finding the number and figured we could use your insane logic skills – you know, that whole 'if I were Tim's number, where would I be' thing? Yeah, so since I know you'll refuse my offer of picking you up in your car – which I drove to Phoebe's, by the way – call me back when you find the strength to get up and get the phone. Bye!" Beep.
Ross shook his head in complete disbelief. Rachel was taking absolute advantage of the situation; driving his car when she knew it would tick him off, rubbing in the fact that he was pregnant and she wasn't…this was a vacation for her. The world was not fair.
Although…He only had to deal with this for however long the switch lasts. She's been pregnant for months and will be for at least one or two more. If he can barely tolerate a day, maybe he shouldn't make such a big fuss about carrying a few measly shopping bags.
Ross groaned as he leaned forward and snatched the phone off the receiver. He knew that she was counting how long it took him to call her back and would be thrilled if he never did. While he had newfound sympathy for her, he would not give her that satisfaction.
"Not it, not it, not it, not it, wait, this could be…oh, never mind, not it." After finishing going through yet another stack of papers, Phoebe sighed. She, Chandler, Rachel (in their new bodies), and Joey had been rummaging through her apartment for hours. It hadn't done much good. The phone number was still at large, possibly in any drawer, any folder…just, anywhere. What's worse is that she remembered writing it down in her appointment book, and then ripping it out with the intention of transferring it to her separate phone book, where she kept the numbers of all her long-term clients. So not only was it lost, it was on a tiny piece of paper and lost. Which made finding it that much harder.
Chandler shot her an annoyed glance. "You know, Pheebs, you don't have to tell us that every paper you look at is 'not it.'"
"Of course I do," Phoebe argued. "How else will you know that I haven't found it yet?"
"Because…" Chandler thought about explaining the common sense, but then decided it wasn't worth it. "Wow, I never thought about it that way," he deadpanned.
"Can't I…" Joey walked into the living room, where the others were, from the bedroom, on his cell phone. He had been on it all morning. This movie contract was turning into more of a big deal than he thought it was. There were so many press conferences he had to go to in the near future, not to mention interviews and the like. Right now he was on the phone with Estelle, his agent, who was thrilled at his latest stroke of luck. However, she was working him to the bone. "Look, can't the press wait? I have a date tonight, and I might not be available early tomorrow morning, if you know what I mean…what do you mean, you 'don't give a crap'? That's just mean…Fine, I'll be there." He then closed the cell phone in pure aggravation.
Rachel glanced up from the stack of papers she had been going through. "Being a celebrity is tough, huh?"
"Tell me about it!" Serious, Joey threw his phone onto the couch, where it landed between Phoebe and Chandler. "I don't get it! Why is everybody making such a big stink over this movie?"
"Well, the way I see it," Phoebe reasoned. "It's not the movie. It's you."
Joey had been pacing, but paused to look at her. "What do you mean?"
"I think I know," Chandler interjected. "Phoebe told me you went up against celebrities like Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler. Those are major actors who have an incredible reputation. You're a nothing actor with…no reputation…well, acting-wise."
"Hey!" Joey protested.
"Hear me out, I'm trying to make a point," Chandler placated. "The way I see it, the press figures that you must be a fantastic actor to beat out them, yet they've never heard your name. I think they are dying to know all about you, and how you avoided their tabloid radar for so long."
Phoebe nodded. "Exactly."
Rachel shrugged in agreement. "Makes sense."
Joey sat down on the arm of the couch, guilt filling him. "Guys…there's something you need to know. There's a reason I got that part, and it wasn't because of my talent."
"You slept with the producer?" Chandler guessed.
"No…well, I did afterwards, but that's not why," Joey clarified. "I, uh, may or may not have made a wish after drinking a potion you are all familiar with."
"Joey!" Rachel exclaimed, infuriated.
"That's cheating!" Chandler yelled. "That's not cool, dude! Not cool!"
Joey backed off the couch, frightened at their outburst. "That's what Phoebe said, but in my defense, I didn't know this movie was going to be my big break! I thought it would just be another part! I had no clue it would change my life!"
Rachel shook her head in disappointment. "The results of the wish don't matter. You still made the wish with the intention of getting an unfair advantage over your competitors."
"What do you want me to do, huh?" Joey demanded, exasperated. "You want me to unwish the wish?"
Chandler thought for a second. "That's actually not a bad idea."
"Yeah!" Phoebe exclaimed. "I'm bound to find that number eventually. When I get some more elixir, you can make a wish to undo the first one. Something like, 'I wish that I didn't have the part anymore.'"
Joey pouted. "But I like being famous! It's so cool! Yeah, I feel guilty, but I get a limo, screaming fans everywhere I go, and girls are coming on to me like crazy! Well, that last one happened anyway, but you get what I'm sayin'."
"Joey…" Rachel fixed him with a cold stare.
"All right, I'll wish it back. But for now…" Joey walked over to the front door. "My public awaits." He then left, closing the door behind him.
A few minutes later, there was a scream from the street below. The three friends looked down. There were at least two-dozen fans out there, Joey in the midst of them. He appeared positively thrilled. Shaking their heads, the three returned to their previous seats. Phoebe asked, "How did they know he was here?"
"I honestly don't want to know," Rachel admitted.
Going into the kitchen, Phoebe opened the fridge to get a drink. Upon shutting it, she noticed that a magnetic clip with several papers in it was about to fall. Sliding it back up, a small piece of notebook paper caught her eye. Delighted, she snatched it from the clip and ran to her friends. "Guys, I found it! I found the number!"
The two gave various cries of joy, and then Chandler questioned, "So, where was it?"
"It was clipped to a magnet on the fridge!" Phoebe revealed. "It was right in front of our faces the whole time! Can you believe it?"
Chandler and Rachel tradedaggravated glances, and Rachel replied, "No, I really can't."
