Hello! Thank you so much for everyone's reviews. Here's the next chapter. As you know, some drama is bound to unfold, but before that, I needed to create some setting. So, this chapter might be more "filler" than action, but it was necessary. I hope you like it anyway!
A week passed by, and no one suspected anything yet, which was what Monica wanted. She knew she needed to tell her friends about her pregnancy, but first, she wanted to be 100% sure about it. Monica had scheduled a doctor's appointment that morning to confirm the results of her home test. She hoped it would bring her some ease, but it brought her even more doubts than before.
The doctor's test came back positive. This was really happening. She knew she needed to tell Chandler. She just hadn't yet decided how she would do it. Or when. Or found the courage to do so. And the more she thought about it, the more complicated it got in her head.
Oh god. What was Monica supposed to do? She knew Chandler would freak out. They'd agreed never to talk about that night, and now, not only would she have to break the agreement and face the awkwardness of the situation, but also announce something as huge as her having a baby. How would he react? She knew he would probably run away. If he didn't want to acknowledge the only night they spent together, how was she supposed to expect his support on something that would impact the rest of his life?
Tears escaped Monica's eyes, turning her vision blurry. How would she raise a child alone? How would she raise this baby without him? And what would she tell the others, her friends and family? Her parents, especially her mother, would judge her for being a single mother, and her brother would be mad that she'd slept with his best friend.
Still overwhelmed by all the doubts that arose that morning, Monica opened her apartment door, expecting a calmer afternoon. She would take a bubble bath, cook something for dinner, and then go to bed early since she was already feeling slightly more tired than usual. What she wasn't expecting was Rachel waiting for her on the couch, with that look in her eyes that showed an interrogatory was to come.
"Hey, Rach...," Monica tried to greet her friend, although she knew it was useless. Immediately, Rachel rose from the couch.
"Is it true? Are you pregnant, Mon?" Her friend asked with a mix of surprise and joy.
Monica barely managed to answer her friend's question, shocked by how quickly she had found her uttermost secret.
"How…. How did you find out?"
"I came home earlier from my shift, and there was a message on the phone, so I played it. It was from the doctor's office about rescheduling an ultrasound appointment you made this morning," Rachel explained.
"Oh. Guess it was kept a secret for shorter than I expected." It would have been easier to deny it, but Monica would eventually need to tell Rachel and everyone else.
"So, is it true? Rachel asked more enthusiastically.
"Yeah, it is. I'm having a baby," Monica admitted out loud for the first time.
Immediately, Rachel raced in her direction and wrapped Monica in a tight hug.
"Oh my god, Monica! I'm so happy for you!" Rachel squealed.
However, her friend's happiness quickly faded.
"Wait… Who's the father? And why didn't you tell me sooner? I'm your best friend. Why did you keep something this huge hidden from me?" Rachel asked, slightly worried.
Those were the questions Monica feared the most. She couldn't tell her friends who the father was. Not without telling Chandler first. And what excuse did she have to hide everything from her friends?
"I…," Monica started nervously, thinking of an answer to each of Rachel's questions.
"The father is a guy from work with whom I went out once. And I kept it a secret because I wanted to be sure it was real before telling you all. That's it!" Monica finished nervously, opting for a half-truth.
But Rachel knew her too well, and she knew Monica was not being a hundred percent honest.
"So, what's wrong, Mon? You don't seem super excited about all this. I thought you always wanted to have a baby," Rachel asked, now clearly concerned.
As usual, Rachel was right about Monica's feelings. Rachel was Monica's best friend, and she trusted her with everything. So, Monica opted to tell Rachel her doubts as truthfully as possible.
"I'm worried I'll have to do it alone, Rach," Monica started after sitting on the couch, ready to expose her vulnerability to her friend. Rachel promptly took a seat next to her.
"I only slept with this guy once, and we never talked about it after. We are just friends, and that one time was supposed to be just sex for one night. We agreed to never talk about it again. He's even acting like it never happened. And now, I'm pregnant with his baby. I'm sure he doesn't want to have a baby. And when I tell him, I'm afraid he'll freak out and run away," Monica finished with tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
"Oh, honey. I can't image what you're going through. Talk to that guy. And if he does run away, forget about him. We'll help with everything you'll need," Rachel said comfortingly.
"I can't, Rachel. I can't forget about him." Monica whispered.
"Why not?" Rachel asked.
"It's complicated." That was all Monica was able to answer.
To Monica's relief, Rachel didn't press the conversation any further and just wrapped her arms around Monica's shoulders. The comfort of the embrace broke Monica's last self-defense, and she allowed the tears to run down her face.
"Oh god, Rachel. I want so badly to have this baby. But I can't do it alone. I'm so afraid of everything!" Monica sobbed into Rachel's embrace. Rachel tightened her arms.
"It's going to be fine, Monica. Everything will be alright," Rachel reassured her.
After a while, Monica took the relaxing bath she had craved all day. The warm water and the dim lights relieved some of her physical tiredness, and the floral-scented bubbles soothed Monica's thoughts for a while. However, it didn't last long, and later that day, although Monica still felt tired, she couldn't fall asleep.
Alone in the darkness, Monica started to think of Chandler in a way she had tried to avoid for the past months since that night. But these thoughts had been getting harder to ignore since Monica found out she was pregnant. Monica knew that something felt different that day when they'd slept together. But until now, she'd managed to put her feelings for her best friend aside, and it hadn't been that hard to do it. So, why was Monica thinking about it now? Was she having stronger feelings for Chandler, or were her thoughts the fault of the pregnancy hormones?
Monica didn't have any more willpower to fight her racing thoughts. And in a moment of weakness, she allowed herself to imagine Chandler in the perfect picture she'd always dreamed about. Monica started to think about what he would be like with their kid if it had been something he had also wanted. She pictured him holding their baby with a blissful smile while the baby smiled back at him with a glint in his light blue eyes. And rapidly, Monica lost control of her fantasy. Before she could prevent it, Monica pictured Chandler playing softball with their grownup kids, a boy and a girl. And although that specific thought had never crossed her, she didn't find it weird. Unsettlingly, it felt right and natural.
Feeling emotionally exhausted, Monica closed her eyes and let her mind wander until she eventually fell asleep.
