AN: I am so so sorry everyone for the long time since my last update. Thank you all for being so patient with me. I hope you like this latest chapter. I tried to get this done over the break I had from my school around the holidays. Anyway, I hope you all like this. Please leave a review and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: See first chapter.


Chapter 29

Everyone left the hospital and started back to the house. Ross and Carol went back to the school so Ross could pick up his car and he drove to his parent's house. Monica drove Joey and Phoebe back to the house and they pulled in as they saw Sherrie and Max arrive with James and Jenna.

"But I wanted to stay," Jenna complained as they all walked into the house after Monica unlocked the door.

"Visiting hours are over," Sherrie sighed as she looked at Max.

"But Uncle Charles and Uncle Terry got to stay," James grumbled.

"They are his parents," Max sighed. "Just get in."

The group walked into the house and Monica started turning on the lights. Sherrie and Max started to take James and Jenna upstairs as Joey, Phoebe, and Monica started unloading their things.

"You all start getting ready to turn in," Max looked at them. "I'm going back to the hospital just to drop off a bag for Chandler so he has a change of clothes for the morning. Then I will be back."

"I'll get him some things," Monica offered.

"That would be great. Thank you."

"No problem," Monica smiled at him.

Monica started up the stairs and into her room as she heard Sherrie struggling to get James and Jenna settled for the night. She decided to walk into the room they would be staying in to try to help out Sherrie and Max. She walked in and saw complete chaos as Max struggled to get them into their pajamas.

"Hey!" she said loudly and James and Jenna stopped to look at her. "Would your Uncle Charles and Uncle Terry like it if I told them about this? How about Chandler?"

"No!"

"Don't tell Chandler!"

"Get ready for bed with no arguments and I'll read you a story in my room," Monica smiled at them. "Chandler told me what your favorite story is."

"You have it?" Jenna's eyes lit up.

"Chandler just got it for the baby,"

"Ok, we'll listen." James said.

"If I hear any yelling or arguing, the deal is off. I am right next door. I can hear everything."

Monica walked out of the room and into her bedroom and Max followed her. He watched her go to the closet to get an overnight bag and started filling it with some clothes and other things for Chandler. She made sure to include his phone charger and his IPad. She turned around and yelped, not realizing that Max was there.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I thought you heard me follow you in."

"No," she handed him the bag. "Are they like that every night?"

"Pretty much," Max nodded. "So do you really have their favorite book?"

"Sure do," Monica opened up the closet and pulled out a plastic bag. "It was one of the first things that Chandler got for the baby. He wants them to love it like he did and still does."

"So does that mean that he has made other baby-related purchases?"

Monica took Max's arm and pulled him over to the closet, where he peered in with shock. She smiled at his reaction as she pushed the door closed again.

"What-" he glanced at the overflowing bags. "Charles and Terry are under the impression that you guys haven't bought anything for the baby yet."

"We know," Monica nodded. "We decided not to tell them and plan on using it for ammunition against them when they inevitably start in on us for being lazy and not realizing what it takes to raise a kid."

"Sly," Max smiled at her. "Chandler's idea?"

"We both came up with this. You'll keep it to yourself right?"

"Sure will," Max spotted a glass jar that said baby on it. "What is this?"

"Our baby fund," she told him. "The crib we want is a little pricey, but we can use it when they're a toddler and maybe as they get older as well."

"You guys have done your research,"

"Of course,"

"Well I will take this to Chandler," Max stood up again. "And also possibly stop an argument or force a conversation upon my brother and nephew."

"Good luck," Monica went into her bathroom to start getting ready for bed.

When Monica walked out of the bathroom again, James and Jenna were settled on the bed with Sherrie.

"Hey," she smiled at them all as she picked up the book.

"Do you really have our favorite book?"

"Yes," she showed them as she settled in next to them. "But you can't keep it. Chandler got this specifically for the baby."

"Ok," they mumbled as Monica opened the book and started to read them The Velveteen Rabbit.


Chandler sighed as he finished another magazine and placed it back on the side table. He briefly glanced at his dad in the chair next to his bed and saw him scrolling on his phone.

"So who's tired?" Terry asked as he came back into the room.

"Not funny," Chandler mumbled.

"Sorry," Terry offered him a styrofoam cup. "They had cappuccino down in the cafeteria."

"Cool," Chandler took a big gulp.

"Slow down. That's supposed to last you."

"Sure," Chandler responded.

Alright, it is time," Terry stated and Charles looked up from his phone.

"Time for what?" he asked.

"Time for the both of you to get over all this," Terry looked at Chandler. "And now that we're all forced to be in the same room until morning, this is a perfect opportunity to resolve everything."

"Good, I'm just in time," the door opened and Max came in with a small bag. "I brought some things for the morning. Monica packed it for me."

"Thanks," Chandler took it and opened it. "Good. My phone charger. My phone is almost dead."

"Let me," Max plugged in the charger and connected the phone, then placed the phone out of Chandler's reach. "Phones away now."

"What is going on?" Charles asked as his brother took his phone away as well.

"What's going on is that I am tired of you two tip-toeing around each other when you're in the same room or one of you immediately finds an excuse to leave the room so you don't have to be in the same room together." Terry stated.

"For the record, I tried to talk to him that first day," Charles spoke up.

"At that time, I just wanted some space," Chandler stated. "Am I not allowed?"

"He's allowed," Max looked at his brother. "But you couldn't try to talk to him later on?"

"He tried," Terry spoke up. "But then Charles refused to talk to him. And as a result of that Chandler started refusing to be in the same room with him."

"Boy this brings me back," Max stated and saw his brother looking at him. "Our childhood, remember? You were always like this."

"This has got to stop," Terry stated firmly. "Chandler is almost a legal adult. If he wanted to he could leave as soon as he turns eighteen. I, for one, do not want that to happen. I may not be your biological father, but I do consider you a son, and I hope that you consider me another dad to you."

"Of course I do," Chandler spoke up. "I always wondered why you never asked to adopt me all these years."

"That's a separate issue," Max told them. "You can talk about that later. Right now, we are dealing with this. Now Chandler can start this."

"What?" Chandler looked at everyone. "Everyone already knows that he doesn't consider his grandchild as something important."

"That is not true at all," Charles cut in.

"So then why didn't you come to the appointment? I shouldn't have to ask you to come to things that are important to me. You should know me by now."

"He has a valid point," Terry told him.

"Ok you're right," Charles looked at them all. "You all are right. It's just how the dynamic has always worked with us."

"What do you mean?" Chandler asked.

"Since you started living with us," Terry cut in. "We have had a certain dynamic that has up until now worked for us."

"What kind of dynamic?"

"We agreed that your dad would handle the finances and the like, and I would handle the household….and you."

"So you split the responsibilities, I can understand that. But why were you in charge of me? He's my father. I didn't even know you back then."

"That's why he put himself in charge of you," Charles told him.

"What?"

"Kid, you have no idea how you were back then," Max cut in. "You weren't talking at all. Terry was the only one that you would go to. You were attached to him."

"I was?"

"When I got that call," Charles started. "I was still in Vegas. Terry insisted that he would come with me. I came to this hospital and they told me you were in intensive care. You were unconscious when you were brought in, that a concerned neighbor made the decision to check on you and found you. It was hours before I could see you and then you were in a coma for weeks before you regained consciousness. Max and Sherrie came down no matter how much I told them not to because Sherrie was nearing full term with the twins. Your grandma came down when she could but she ended up going back and forth."

"You never talk about that time," Chandler told them.

"We never wanted to trigger anything for you. It took a long time for you to move past that time and open up. I credit that to Carol because she was the only one that you would verbalize anything to back then."

"When you finally did wake up," Terry started. "You freaked out anytime anyone came near you. Doctors, nurses, your dad. The only time you wouldn't freak out was when I came into the room. It made me feel good that you felt safe with me, but I knew that it was killing your dad."

"But I let it go because you were getting stronger. We ended up staying here in town and the dynamic just remained the same." Charles finished explaining.

Chandler's head was reeling. He never knew anything about what happened when he was younger because it was just such a forbidden subject as he was growing up. To think about everything that went on back then has impacted his relationship with his dad now.

"Are you guys good now?" Max broke the silence. "I should get back to your place. Sherrie probably needs help with the kids."

"We can handle it from here,"

"I should make sure James and Jenna are still in their own beds and haven't snuck into your room," Max looked at Chandler.

"Why would they do that?" Chandler asked him.

"Monica offered to read them a story earlier to settle them down. Once they got over the shock of seeing you get hurt, they were demanding to come back here to stay with you. I left as she started reading to them."

"She really didn't know what she was getting herself into," Charles chuckled.

"They were pretty calm once she threatened to tell Chandler what they were doing."

"It's not like I'd be surprised by anything they do at this point," Chandler mumbled.

"They still don't want you to know," Max stood up. "I'll see you all in the morning. Good luck keeping him awake. He looks ready to drop."

"We can handle it," Terry told him. "Thanks for the back up."

"Not a problem," Max walked out of the room and Charles and Terry looked back at Chandler.

"Ready for more talking?" Terry asked him.

"Not really, but I know that I don't have a choice in the matter," Chandler sighed deeply as he lay his head back against the pillows behind him.

"We have all night to talk this out,"


Monica awoke the next morning when her alarm went off very loudly. She sat up to turn it off and spotted Chandler's side of the bed still empty. She slowly got up to climb out of bed and started to get dressed and ready for the day.

When she came downstairs a little while later to try to find some breakfast, she was shocked when she walked into the kitchen and saw the big spread. There were platters of eggs, bacon, and toast with a pitcher of orange juice set up on the counter.

"Wow," Joey and Phoebe came up behind her.

"Come on in," Sherrie and Max spotted them all standing there and smiled at them.

"We don't usually eat like this during the week," Monica told them.

"Terry saves it for Saturday," Phoebe added.

"I decided to make this for you guys. James and Jenna can have some when they wake up, and Chandler, Charles, and Terry can have some when they get home or after they wake up this afternoon." Sherrie told them all.

"So that means don't eat it all," Phoebe looked at Joey.

"Speaking of," Max looked out the kitchen window. "Looks like they're home."

"Sweet," Joey turned toward the door.

"Don't crowd them," Max told them. "Chandler will most likely be grumpy and irritable after having to stay awake all night. Not to mention the conversation they all had last night was pretty intense."

"So they finally talked it out?" Monica asked.

"I'm sure they had a conversation about other things after I left,"

"Sweet freedom!" they all heard Chandler as the door leading to the garage opened and Chandler came into them followed by his dads.

"Welcome home," Sherrie smiled at her nephew. "Hungry?"

"Tired more than hungry,"

"Sit down and eat something," Max told him.

Chandler grabbed a plate and put a couple pieces of toast on it and poured himself a glass of orange juice. He joined Monica, Phoebe, and Joey at the table as he slowly ate.

"So how was it?" Monica asked him.

"What? Staying up all night? I am exhausted." he looked at her plate. "Can you handle that?"

"We'll see," she smiled at him.

The teenagers all finished up breakfast, took care of their dishes, and made their way upstairs. Chandler walked into his room and collapsed on the bed as Monica smiled at him.

"So how'd the conversation go last night? You guys settle things?"

"Yeah," he turned over to face her. "So much talking. All. Night. Long."

"So it won't be intense here anymore?"

"No," he sighed as he slowly slipped off his shoes. "There will be a family meeting where my dads will be telling you guys that we will now be going to family counseling."

"All of us?"

"My dad says that a lot has changed in the last several months. They want to give all of us a chance to voice our feelings and stuff."

"Maybe it will be good for all of us,"

"And we are supposed to talk to Pastor Dan about those classes for teen parents,"

"We had already planned on doing that anyway,"

"I was just agreeing with them after awhile, no matter what they were saying. There was just so much talking."

"Sorry," she smiled as she grabbed her things. "Get some sleep now and we'll talk more about this when I get home."

"Be careful today," he looked at her as he lay back on the bed and pulled the covers over him. "I worry about you when I'm not there to protect you."

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "I'll have the others there with me."

"I'll try to text you today to see how you're doing," he started to get comfortable on the bed.

"And I'll collect all your work for you," she smiled at the look on his face. "I will also make sure I close this door securely so that James and Jenna don't come in and disturb you."

"I heard you calmed them down last night,"

"I just read them their favorite story,"

"So who knows about our baby stash?"

"Your uncle Max, and I'm sure that he's told your aunt by now."

"Probably," he mumbled.

"Monica!" they heard Joey call. "We're going to be late!"

"I better go," Monica leaned down to give him a kiss and he smiled.

Monica left shutting the door firmly behind her as Chandler lay down and was finally able to get some sleep after his very long night spent in the hospital.


AN: So what did you all think? I hope you all liked it. I will try to get the next chapter out soon. I would like to give a shoutout to dancer cherrybug for leaving a review on every chapter or update that I post. I am so glad that you like this story and I look forward to hearing from you every time that I post. I hope you like this latest update. Enjoy!