Part 2

The Death Star

"Oh my god! Will you look at that hussy next to Jack!"

Chandler glances at Monica with a look of stunned shock on his face as he tries to figure out if he heard his wife correctly. His eyes dart back over to the floor of the gymnasium as he begins to search the room, trying to locate whoever it is that was unlucky enough to earn the ire of Monica Geller-Bing. Yet, all he can see is what looks like a sea of babies and toddlers, playing side-by-side with each other, while attended to by the staff from the Toddler Time Gymboree.

Chandler looks over and finds his son, slithering across the floor, reaching for some blocks, as an older toddler playing next to him takes a block and hands it to Jack. "Are you…are you talking about that baby?"

Monica huffs and folds her arms. "Baby! That's no baby! That is a two-year old making moves on my son. I mean, look at how she is dressed!"

Chandler, feeling as if he is missing something, squints his eyes as he takes a sip of his coffee. Watching Jack toss the block back down, only to have the toddler in question pick it back up and hand it to him again. "Um, well, it looks like she is wearing a romper?"

Monica glares at him, obviously frustrated that he can't see what is so clear to her. "Yeah. A romper. The most seductive of all the onesies." She shoves her purse down on the floor and starts to stand up. "I'm going in there to break this up. My son is too young to be with some girl in a romper."

Chandler can't help but laugh under his breath as he gently grabs her arm, pulling her back down into her seat. "Monica. Please. We have to be at the doctor in two hours. If you get arrested for attacking a two-year old, we will never make it to our appointment on time."

"But…"

"Look, none of the other parents are in there. It's just babies and the staff. Plus, you promised me if I had to go to one of these things that it would definitely not be a mommy-and-me class where I have to do yoga while holding a baby." Monica purses her lips as if she were about to pout. "Look at them. They're having fun. No crying or tantrums. Anyway, aren't you the one who said they needed socialization? That they can't just spend time with us, they have to get used to new faces? That's the whole point of this, right?"

Monica sighs and relents, settling back down into her seat with a huff. "Yes, socialization, not…STDs…"

Chandler swivels his head back-and-forth, as he nervously looks at the other parents sitting close by. He makes eye contact with a few who are looking back at the two of them with bemused expressions after overhearing Monica's outburst. He ducks his head and offers them an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. She hit her head really hard today in the shower. She didn't mean to say 'STDs', she meant to say…ah…nope…I got nothing." He offers one more sheepish grin at the other people around them, but they already seem to have lost interest, back to focusing their attention on their own children. Chandler turns back to face Monica and speaks to her with a hushed yet sharp tone. "Will you shush!"

Monica, keeping her eyes firmly planted on her son, waves her hand as if to dismiss Chandler's concern for discretion. "I'm keeping my eye on her is all I'm saying."

Chandler shakes his head and then he takes another sip from his coffee. He decides that since Monica was going to be watching over her son like a hawk, he would turn his eyes towards his daughter.

He feels lucky that he stumbled onto this place while driving through town a few weeks ago. Most days, it is a gymnastics facility for older kids and teens, but early Saturday and Sunday mornings, a part of it is converted into a toddler activity center. There are tumbling mats of different shapes and sizes spread about for the children to crawl on and they even have a small trampoline for the older toddlers to use, which seems to be a big hit. There are some toys available for the younger infants who are not agile enough to take advantage of the floor obstacles; balls, blocks, stacking cups, and other assorted things they can grab and toss around. The owner told him that most of the staff are volunteers who use this place for gymnastics; many of them middle and high school kids.

Erica has two attendants playing with her, both of them girls, who cannot be much older than sixteen. She is practically beaming with happiness; loving the shower of attention she is garnering for herself. He and Monica discovered a few months ago that his daughter needs to be the star attraction wherever they go. Showing off whenever somebody else was in the room with her. So, her behavior this morning makes perfect sense to him.

He watches as Erica crawls around, picks up a toy, hands it to one of the older girls and then implores the other one to help her up to her feet so she can take a few steps. She then plops back down on her butt and starts to giggle uncontrollably, which seems more about eliciting laughter from the two girls playing with her rather than her actually finding anything funny. Chandler knows this trick too well. Erica would force out a laugh and then wait for someone to laugh back at her. She seems to enjoy having a captive audience to manipulate. He nods to himself as he reiterates to himself that she is going to be a handful.

Chandler smiles as he takes another sip from his coffee, proud that he found a place where they could be with their children, but not have to be right on top of them the entire time that they are playing. Having other babies and toddlers around for them to interact with is just an added bonus. Except for those rare occasions that the twins got to spend time with their cousins, they did not get to play around other children much at all. Monica was starting to worry about that, seeing as how they would both be turning one in about six weeks.

He has to stop his train of thought as he let that information hit him like a ton of bricks. The twins were both going to be one. It drives him crazy when he thinks about. In a little over a month, he and Monica will be the parents of two one-year old children. It feels like just a few weeks ago they had moved into their new home and were lost with these two babies. Struggling to juggle their jobs, housework, unpacking and two demanding little dictators. Well, he was struggling. Monica was doing just fine.

He took another moment to look at her and he could not help but smile. She never ceases to amaze him. All the adversity they have faced seems only to strengthen her resolve. Instead of retreating into her corner, like he would, she is constantly emboldened to take action. New house, two babies, new restaurant, him; she is able to take care of it all so expertly. And, he likes to remind himself, that she looks really good too.

"Did you see that! She just tried to take off his shoe! That trollop is trying to undress my baby boy!"

Chandler leans over and kisses her on the side of her head. "You are amazing. Crazy, but amazing."

"Dad, are you sure you are okay watching the twins for a little while. We can probably bring them with us."

Helena shakes her head dismissively. She is wearing tight light tan capri pants and a denim colored blouse. Her hair is pulled back and held in place with dark blue and red headband. Chandler has trouble seeing where her hair ends and the wig begins. "Of course, I'm sure. Besides, I have Mitchell here to help. We will divide and conquer these two little muffins." She leans down and starts to tickle at Erica's chin, who looks up at Helena and smiles. Jack, who has already taken off again, slithering across the room, in search of something to pick up and squeeze.

Monica hustles into the living room, pulling her coat on and takes a quick moment to note where her two children are before turning towards her father-in-law. "Thanks Helena. We shouldn't be more than an hour."

"Before you two go, we have a present for you." Helena gets up and pulls out an envelope from her purse and hands it to Chandler.

Chandler looks at Monica and she shrugs her shoulders and nods. Helena marvels at how it seems they had an entire conversation just now without saying a word. Chandler carefully opens the envelope and pulls out two event tickets. "Hey! All right! These are to that new play Wicked!"

Monica rolls her eyes, yet chuckles through her smile. She looks at her husband, allowing herself to enjoy his excitement at something most other men would find emasculating.

Helena, smiles at his reaction, proud that it looks like she got the perfect gift. "Well, we thought, you both have birthday's coming up, and your anniversary is right after that, and then the twin's birthday. It might be a pretty hectic month. Oh! I almost forgot. Here." He hands Monica a second envelope. "We got you two a room for that weekend at The Paramount. I mean, if the doctor tells you what we all know he is going to tell you, you may not get a night alone again for a long time. And we can even babysit if you want!"

Monica and Chandler look at each other and smile. His eyes almost look as if they are pleading with her and she nods again. "Sure. Thanks. I bet it will be a wonderful time." She leans in to give Helena a kiss on the cheek. "That is so thoughtful of you, but you shouldn't have spent so much."

"Oh, it was nothing. The tickets were actually given to me, so no need to worry. I just know how much Chandler liked the Wizard of Oz when he was a child."

Monica glance at him and laughs as he adopts a defensive expression. "No, I did not. I liked football when I was a kid."

Monica runs her hand up and down his arm as if to soothe him. "Chandler, you have a signed picture from the 1980 Broadway cast of Annie."

Chandler, avoiding eye contact, shakes his head self-consciously. "Uh, that isn't mine. I found it in the apartment when I moved in." He finally looks over at Monica and she closes her eyes and shakes her head as she tries to stifle a laugh. "Okay, we have to get going. Dad. You sure you will be okay? We can always take them with us."

"Enough worrying. Who do you think raised you?"

Chandler, a nonplussed look on his face, tilts his head to the side. "Lupita, my nanny."

"Who do you think hired her?"

"Mom."

"Well, who do you think went along with that decision to hire her without a fight?"

Chandler shakes his head and rolls his eyes. "It's these kind of cherished memories that made me want to have children of my own."

Chandler turns into the parking lot for the office complex and pulls the car into a spot. Once he shuts off the ignition, Monica puts her hand on his thigh and squeezes. "What the hell do we do?"

"Well, I'd say we get out of the car, walk into the office, and let them know we're here." Monica gives him a bit of a stronger squeeze in response to his sarcasm. "Ow!"

"What if I'm really pregnant?"

Chandler turns and starts to rub her back. "Honey, we took ten tests in the last four days. I'm pretty sure you're pregnant."

"I know, but this will make it official. This makes it real. Why are you so calm?"

"I tend to freak out in the beginning of stressful situations. I had four days to panic, I should be good until the next unexpected, life-altering event."

Monica can't help but allow a slow smile to form on her lips. "I can't stop wondering; with the restaurant and the twins, what if we can't handle it?"

Chandler looks off, out the driver's side window and then turns back to face her. "Well, let's not think about that right now."

"Really?" Monica looks at him with a mix of disbelief and confusion on her face.

Chandler nods. "Yeah. Let's try to stay positive. We should avoid thinking about anything that will stress us out. How about we talk about all the good things that could come from having a baby."

Monica, convinced that this is the right course of action, starts to nod. "Okay." She smiles, now becoming more excited. "That could be fun."

Chandler smiles back, pleased that he seems to have calmed his wife down with this distraction. "Yeah. I have one already. We have an extra room in the house that we have no idea what to do with. Now it can be a nursery."

Monica nods and her smile starts to become wider. "Yeah. Hey! With the three of them so close in age, they might play with each other more. You know, be each other's best friend."

"I have another one. During the pregnancy, your boobs will get bigger." Chandler jumps a bit in his seat with excitement.

Monica frowns at him and offers him a sympathetic look. "They'll be sore too. You won't be able to touch them. Not with how you normally maul them during sex anyway."

Chandler looks up and dances a few of his fingers on his chin. "Oh yeah. Okay, that goes in the negative column." He then turns to her and runs the back of his hand against her cheek. "How have you been feeling?"

"Not bad. I haven't gotten sick at all. I do feel nauseas almost every night right around seven, but so far, no vomiting."

Chandler makes a face, mocking disgust. "Can we talk about your big boobs that I won't be able to touch again rather than you possibly vomiting?"

Monica gives him a few firm pats on his leg. "You asked big fella."

"Hey! I have another one. Having another baby so close in age to Jack and Erica means we don't have to pack up and label all of the clothes they grow out of."

Monica twists up her face at him. "Are you serious? That goes in the negative column. Do you know how much fun I was going to have doing that?"

Monica looks around the office as she sits down to wait for Doctor Lopresti. The first thing she notices is the collage of baby pictures on the far wall and a few thank you cards that are spread out across his desk. She studies the faces of some of the babies, each one more perfect than the last. All that beautiful, miraculous life starting right here in this office. Her eyes then go to the box of tissues that seem to be pushed towards the end of the desk closest to her. She wonders how many hopeful mothers needed those during appointments where the only answers they received were bad news. Like her, almost three years ago. How many of them gave up hope, like she did on herself in those first few months? How many tissues did she go through?

She turns to look at her husband, who seems so nervous, he might bite off all of his fingernails as he chews on them. She reaches over and runs her hand lightly down his arm. "Ugh, everyone we know, already knows I'm pregnant."

Chandler places his hand over hers. "They may not know for sure. They just know you think you're pregnant."

Before Monica can answer, the door to the office opens and Doctor Lopresti walks in. "Hello, sorry to keep you waiting. So, how many tests did you guys take?"

Monica stiffens up a bit and Chandler pats her on the hand. "Uh, twelve. The second one I took came out negative, but the other ten were all positive."

"Okay, well, I guess that means you have a pretty good idea that you guys are pregnant."

Chandler nods and smiles but Monica offers the doctor back a sharp, "No."

Doctor Lopresti responds with a reassuring smile and nods. "Okay. Well, I have all of your paperwork from Doctor Connelly. Normally we would wait a couple of more weeks to do an ultrasound, but with your medical history I think we should do a transvaginal ultrasound today. So, you'll step outside and the nurse will collect some blood and then we will see what we can find. You think you have a full bladder? After the exam we will probably take a urine sample too."

Chandler nods. "Don't worry Doc, I haven't peed since last night."

The doctor screws up his face in confusion at Chandler. "Uh, Mr. Bing? You can urinate whenever you want. Unless you think you're also carrying a baby."

Monica shakes her head. "Blood, urine, something shoved in my vagina. Sounds like a great time."

Chandler tugs at his collar. "Woah. I am really glad I am not a woman. Do you think I can go to the bathroom first?"

Monica slips out of her pants and underwear and sits up on the examination table, pulling the thin sheet of a gown over her lap. Chandler looks around the room nervously and reaches out to touch some of the equipment in the room. "Chandler! Don't touch anything!"

Doctor Lopresti joins them in the room and smiles as he looks down at the clipboard. "Your blood test came back and congratulations, you're pregnant. With the information you gave me I would say you are just over seven weeks. I still want to do the ultrasound though, just to make sure everything looks okay."

Monica gasps and reaches out for Chandler's hand. He quickly scurries over to her and she proceeds to squeeze his hand so tightly, he is certain his fingers are going to fall off. She looks back at Doctor Lopresti and stammers for a few seconds. "I, uh, I don't understand. How could this have even happened?"

The doctor snaps on a pair of gloves and starts to prepare the ultrasound wand for his examination. "Well, cervical mucus is normally acidic and hostile up until just before ovulation. Unfortunately, you have an even smaller window where you can get pregnant and with a partner who has low sperm motility, the chances are even smaller. But, your husband has been taking his supplements, so that may have helped."

Chandler, confused, turns to look at Monica. "I have?"

Monica looks back at him and nods. "Oh yeah, I've been putting them in your food so you don't see them."

Chandler turns back towards the doctor. "Apparently, I take pills like a puppy would."

The doctor applies some lubricant to the transducer. "Well, like I said, it might have helped. This is basically your one in a million-chance cashing in."

Chandler smiles excitedly and taps Monica on her shoulder. "See! Like the Death Star, right?"

Monica rolls her eyes. "Ugh. Please ignore my husband."

The doctor brings his stool closer to Monica and looks up at Chandler. "Yes! Exactly like the Death Star. When Luke blew it up!" The two of them nod at each other, giddy smiles on their faces.

Monica sighs and shakes her head. "Is it too late to get a different doctor?"

Doctor Lopresti nods apologetically and positions himself to perform the ultrasound. "Okay, this might be a little uncomfortable. Please tell me if it starts to hurt and I'll stop."

Monica and Chandler begin to squeeze their hands tightly together as they watch the images on the monitor in front of them. Amorphous blobs dancing across the screen in confusing black and white. "Okay, here is the uterus, and the sac, the fluid looks good. And right there, that little guy. That's your baby."

Monica clasps her hand to her mouth. Her eyes wide with shock as they begin to moisten at the edges with tears. The only thing breaking her from falling apart into a heap of happy tears is the sight of her awestruck husband. Chandler looks at the screen again and then back to Monica. "This is real. You were right. This is so real now. I mean, I have no idea what I am looking at, but I know it is real." Monica finally has a few tears run down her face as she presses her lips against his hand.

Doctor Lopresti reaches over and turns a dial with his free hand. "It's real guys, and here is your baby saying hello."

The room is filled with a rapid, thumping, tinny, echo. Monica tries to speak, but her voice gets caught in her throat as her breath hitches. The doctor looks back at her and smiles. "That's your baby's heartbeat."

She starts to sniffle and Chandler reaches over, cradling her in his arms as he places a kiss on her head. She buries her face in his neck and she starts to shake as she cries into him. He places one more kiss on the top of her head. "I just thought of one more good thing about having a baby."

Monica chokes back and clears her throat as she looks up at him, finally finding her voice again. "Me too."

A/N - We're back. I wanted to finish "TOW The Butterfly Effect" before I came back to this story, and since I finished that one quickly, I was able to sketch out some ideas for Part 2 of this story. Thanks for waiting for an update and thanks for reading.