Summary: Chandler just started his senior year of high school when he gets some life-altering news. His mother forces him to face it as his dad turns his back on him. He pulls his life together and goes off on his own to prove that he can handle it on his own.

AN: Another chapter for everyone who's reading this still. This is the first chapter about Chandler trying to cope with single fatherhood on his own for the first time. Hope you like it. Please R&R.

Disclaimer: I own no one. They all belong to Bright/Kauffman/Crane.

Chapter 4: On His Own

Chandler slowly turned over in bed as he heard his alarm clock go off. He glanced at the time and saw that it was seven am. Sophie would most likely wake up around eight so he had less than an hour to get himself ready before he had to get Sophie ready.

They had a busy day today. Sophie had a doctor's appointment with the new pediatrician that his mom had found for him. Then he had a meeting with his guidance counselor at the school. Then he had to buy his text books and supplies he needed for his classes. Then he had to go to the daycare center to talk with the director of the facility and let Sophie play there for a little bit before she started spending her days there.

Chandler took a quick shower and had a quick bowl of cereal for breakfast. He had just finished eating when he heard Sophie cry out. He put his bowl in the sink and went into her room to get her. She was sitting up in the crib and attempting to pull herself up.

He picked her up out of the crib, grabbed a diaper and some wipes and took her out to the living area. He lay her down on a blanket on the floor and started to change her diaper. She started to get fussy as he finished so he went to the kitchen to warm up a bottle and went back to Sophie and started to feed her.

After he finished feeding her and burped her, Chandler took Sophie into her room and got her dressed into a two piece outfit. He got her fastened into her car seat and quickly packed up the diaper bag. He lifted the car seat and went out to his car and got Sophie secured in the back seat and pulled away from the apartment.

A few minutes later, Chandler pulled up to an office building and got Sophie out of the car. He walked into the building and tried to find the doctor's office. He finally found it at the very end of the hall. He went to sign in with the nurse at the front desk and took a seat in one of the chairs.

"Chandler Bing, the doctor is ready to see Sophie now." the nurse called and he lifted her and followed her down the hall into an exam room.

"Chandler," a doctor came in a few minutes later. "I'm Dr. Bennett."

"Nice to meet you." he shook his hand.

"And this must be Sophie." He smiled at her sitting on Chandler's lap and just looking around the room. "It says here that you've been doing this on your own since she was born."

"Well, my mom helped me out a lot. But now I'm starting college, so I'll be on my own from now on."

"And she's just on formula still?"

"Yeah. I was going to start her on solids soon."

"That's what I'd like to recommend." He scribbled in a chart. "Now let's get her measured and weighed. And you can be on your way."

Dr. Bennett lifted Sophie and put her in the small seat to weigh her as Chandler watched from the other side of the room.

An hour later, Chandler finally walked out of his guidance counselor's office as he carried a peaceful Sophie in the carrier down to the lower level of the college and into the student bookstore/snack bar. He combed through the aisles of books trying to find the ones that he needed for his classes.

"Excuse me." He heard behind him. "I'm trying to find a book."

"So is everyone else in this aisle." Chandler mumbled as he continued to scan the shelves for his books.

"Well, everyone else isn't taking up the entire aisle with a baby seat."

"Maybe you should go around if it's such an inconvenience for you."

"Fine." He huffed and walked down the next aisle to get to the other side.

"Impressive." He heard behind him and turned to see a kid with black hair. "Not many people would go up against him like that."

"I don't take anything from anyone anymore." they saw the kid at the end of the aisle glaring at them. "Chandler Bing."

"Ross Gellar." He shook his hand. "So do you know what your major is yet?"

"Not really sure yet, but right now I'm doing data processing." He removed a book from a shelf. "My mom kind of put the idea in my head. She always said I excelled at math. And it'd make me good money so I can support my daughter."

"So you're a dad." He glanced at the carrier.

"Go ahead and judge me. Everyone else does. Everyone in my senior class did."

"Well, I'm not everyone else."

"I'd better go." Chandler found the rest of his textbooks. "It was nice meeting you. But we have an interview to get to."

"I'll see you around?"

"Maybe." He smiled at him and took all his textbooks and supplies to the checkout counter and paid for them with the credit card that his mom had given him for his schooling.

Chandler finally walked back into his apartment a couple hours later. He had to stay at the day care center with Sophie for at least an hour to get her acclimated to her new surroundings and the workers. As soon as they left there, he had to go to the store and pick up some baby cereal and baby food jars.

Chandler changed Sophie's diaper and fed her a bottle. He was going to put her in her crib, but he was so exhausted after their long day that he just lay down on the couch with her laying on his chest. He covered them both with a blanket and they both drifted off to sleep.

AN: So there's another chapter. I hope you liked it. Please R&R.