Disclaimer. I don't own the characters. There is no more gain than the writing practice that is done here

Chapter 23 - The approach - consequences of acts,

On Sunday, after lasagna, the men went to the country club. Ross and Jack went to play golf and Mike and Chandler went to play tennis.

Judy had gone down with the kids to the beach.

The three friends stayed relaxed on a girls' afternoon.

"Mon, I see you in a better mood and notice that you are interacting better with Chandler... without tension."

Monica smiled, "if we're any better, something actually happened that I didn't tell you about, and I didn't because I didn't know what it meant."

Rachel let out a cry "what happened..."

"The night of the bar opening, you and Ross left, I stayed with Chandler and Phoebe, and when she went to help Mike, I said I was going home too, even though I was floating on so much Daiquiri."

"Chandler had also had a lot to drink and said that he better takes a taxi, he didn't want to drive in this state"

"Finally we shared the taxi, as I was walking unsteadily I tripped when getting out of the taxi, and Chandler decided to accompany me to the apartment, after searching my bag for the keys, together when I tripped, he reached for me with his arms … And well, from there, all the stars jumped... after three incredible rounds, with the intensity of those in London..." At that point in the story, Monica smiled with her cheekbones completely flushed.

Rachel jumped for joy.

"Rach, don't get so excited" Monica said lowering her eyes, "The next morning when I woke up he was gone…and I asked myself a thousand questions…. he got scared? …was it just a drunken one-night stand? … He is sorry"

Phoebe asked, "But the next day you didn't talk about what happened?"

"No, actually he's been avoiding me all week…. I was sure that for him it had only been an adventure for which he was sorry."

Monica continued "but yesterday, when I went to see the kids in their surf class, Chandler took a break and came up to me and said that we had to talk, if it was okay with me, after leaving the kids at home we would go to somewhere to talk

"Oh Monica, how was the conversation? asked Phoebe

"When he came to NY I had told him everything that had happened to me, and he didn't say anything, remember?"

"Yes…" both friends said.

"Well on Saturday he spoke, in summary, that he continued to love me, that he had worked to forgive me and understand, that I had the right to love someone else, even he had it too"

"I asked him," Monica said, "what that night had meant to him, because it had meant so much to me."

"He answered me that he also meant a lot to him, that he felt full again…. But…"

"but what?" Monica please speak, I'm so excited for you, Rachel said with tears in her eyes.

"Trust, he told me that I destroyed the trust that he had placed in me, absolutely all that trust I had shattered."

He asked me why I didn't speak before, when I realized that I had strong feelings for Richard and wanted to have a complete relationship with him, ... that if I had explained to him before, he would have understood ... it would have hurt him, .. .. but I would have appreciated my honesty... but I chose to keep the relationship a secret, sleep with Richard and then get into our bed and that disloyalty can't get him out of his head.

That comment broke my heart, he was right, I was the worst person, the most dishonest, I felt ashamed, a shit.

I understood that it was not my belief in love with Richard that did not forgive me, it was my dishonesty, my betrayal and I don't know how I can get him to overcome that image in his head.

"Oh god, Mon, and what did you say?"

"That he would give me a chance, that he not walks away, that we try to rebuild it, that I loved him, he was the love of my life and I was going to wait for him as long as I needed"

"He told me that we would have to talk a lot, work a lot. And I told him that I was ready."

"He took me to the apartment, and he clarify "without going up"" Monica said with a mischievous smile "with which I agreed, and he told me to come to lunch today"

The friends were excited by the prospect of a solution, both knowing that Chandler had never stopped loving Monica, and that with a little time he would trust again.

During the following weeks their relationship was more fluid, without being romantic, it was more natural, more "domestic".

The following weeks passed calmly, Monica was hopeful, although she did not feel quite well, the demands of the new job and her effort to regain Chandler's confidence made her feel stressed, without much appetite and somewhat tired despite sleeping for hours that the doctor in NY had indicated.

As her symptoms continued and her friends told her that she was pale, she feared that she would relapse into depression again, or in some sequel of his depression, so she decided to go to the doctor.

She had tests and blood tests done.

After waiting for the results, a doctor understood her, "Monica, I'm Dr. Miller, you consulted us because of your tiredness and lack of appetite, right about it? And you can't imagine what they are due to, woman..."

Monica looked at her puzzled, "No doctor, if I knew I wouldn't have come."

"Well, it's good that you came because you are pregnant, and we have to start with the controls, I'm going to take your pregnancy and I want to do a first control and an ultrasound"

Monica became paler than she was, she looked at her with confusion and said, "Sorry Dr., it can't be, years ago I was diagnosed with an inhospitable uterus and my husband with little mobility in his sperm, they told us that it would be difficult for me to get pregnant, in fact, we tried for years and nothing happened, 6 years ago we adopted a set of twins. Are you sure…?"

"Yes Monica, the tests say yes, and now I'm going to check you…. When was your last period?

"I don't remember, …I'm so nervous that I can't think…. A month I think…"

"Look Monica better do the controls"

Monica was shaking, it couldn't be, it had to be a mistake, Richard had disappeared from her life months ago and from her sexual life for many more months and when they still did it they always took care of each other, and the only one she'd been with recently was with Chandler... a little over a month ago... oh god, was I pregnant by Chandler? …that unexpected night it had performed the miracle…"

"The results of the tests were clearly correct, she was 5 weeks pregnant, and during the ultrasound she could hear her baby's heartbeat…. the Dr. gave her a copy of her image"

Monica was happy, she was pregnant, she was going to have Chandler's baby!

But what will he say? ...And if he doesn't believe me… and if after what happened he doesn't want to have children with me ….

Monica only knew one thing…she was going to have that baby…. it was the most wonderful miracle after the nightmare.

When she gets to the apartment, she calls Chandler, and ask him to come see her when he gets off work.

Chandler, upon hearing hers, you different from her, asked him "Something's wrong... The kids are fine…"

"Yes Chandler, are all okay, I just need to talk about something, you can come"

"Can't you tell me over the phone? " He ask something confused and intrigued

"No, I do need to speak personally..."

"Ok like 6 PM I'm around."

Thank you Chandler.

Chandler couldn't tell from Monica's voice what she wanted to talk about, she seemed worried…he just hoped it wasn't about Richard, that man always appeared in his nightmares. And now that they were starting to get closer, the appearance of him would be devastating...

He tries not to keep speculating down that road and wait to meet Monica.

When she opened the door, her face was a mixture of happiness, from her smile, and concern from her tear-filled eyes.

Chandler, if he was already worried, he was even more worried...

"Mon what's up?"

"Come in, sit down, don't be scared" Monica said and took him to the sofa, she sat to one side and took an envelope from the low table and gave it to him "

Chandler opened it up and inside it was a confusing image, but he knew immediately it was an ultrasound image.

He turned pale, the image trembled in his hands, his heart began to beat frantically, he stared at the image and after a couple of minutes, he looked at Monica with questioning...

"Yes Chandler, I'm pregnant, I'm 5 weeks pregnant, the unexpected night had consequences" she froze, staring at him waiting for his reaction.

"But we can't, ..." Chandler said, unable to determine if it was a question or a statement.

"The Dr. told me that time makes organisms change, maybe my uterus is no longer so inhospitable or your little fish are more mobile because of the surf…." And she smiled.

Chandler was silent, staring at the image for a long moment.

Then after a sigh he looked at her, with an incredulous face and said "We are going to have a child..."

Monica was desperate to ask…. "This news makes you happy or…. "

Chandler at that moment did not know what he felt…. It took him a while to answer, he needed to put his head in order and his feelings, then he said "First of all, I'm surprised, I had stopped expecting it, but it also makes me happy... I learned that nothing compares to the love of a child, and of course his arrival makes me happy...

Monica took his hands and looked into his eyes "Chandler this is beautiful news, shocking you, unexpected like that night, but I don't want this to change the "time to time" you need, we can share the pregnancy without pressure, I need that you trust me again, but without anything forcing it, neither the pregnancy nor the baby. If we have to arrive, we will do it the same no matter how much time passes"

"Thank you Mon, really this is huge, I'm happy for the baby, and also for you, I know you loved it so much... and I felt so bad for not having been able to give it to you"... he continued with a shaky voice, running his hand over his face. "I just need time, and not because I don't want the baby, …. I'm just in the middle of the process... and I don't want this to confuse me…. I don't want me to feel in the future that I hadn't fully resolved it…. I have to be sure that there is no doubt in my head or in my heart… it is for the good of the whole family…. "

"Chandler, I completely understand…"

"Anyway," Chandler said, now a little more recovered, "I want to participate in the process, the doctor visits, the phases of the pregnancy, plus you shouldn't live here alone, we have to figure that out, let me think..."

After a few minutes in silence Chandler had an idea "Mon, your parents could move into the cabin that now is empty and you could occupy the suite where they are now, I'm sure they won't mind under the circumstances."

"But for that you have to tell everyone..." Monica commented.

"Do you want to wait?" Chandler asked…. "I think the kids should know…"

"I want to keep it for just a couple of weeks, I want it to be just the two of us, a secret like the one in London…"

"But this one is going to show, we can't wait 6 months," Chandler said, smirking.

"I know, just a couple of weeks"

"Ok, whatever the mom wants..." Chandler said.