Forever by your side

Hey guys! This is my first fanfiction. English isn't my first language, so if you spot some mistakes don't judge me lol. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this story. I'll post more chapters as soon as I can. Please R&R, I'd really appreciate that.

Chapter 1:

Sometimes, life just seems so unfair. One moment, you are all happy and positive; you think your life is great… And in a blink of an eye, everything just changes… Without a warning, without any reassurance that everything will be back to normal one day… it just happens…

Rachel Green was sitting comfortably in the sofa. She was all alone in Ross's apartment and she was reading a magazine. All of her friends were working that morning, even Joey had an audition. She checked her watch. Ross would come in one or two hours to pick her up. They would be going to the doctor to see if everything was okay with her pregnancy.

With that thought in her mind, she looked down to her belly, which was now huge. She smiled knowing that her and Ross' little girl would be born soon. She was so grateful for all of her friends who had helped her through her pregnancy. They were so helpful and patient with her… She felt the need to thank them and she promised herself she would the time she saw them.

The most important person though was Ross. God, he was so sweet! He helped Rachel like they were together. He did care for her, of course, and he expressed it almost every day. It was like his whole daily routine was based on Rachel's needs. He had agreed not to date just to stay and take care of her. Every time Rachel felt stressed about the whole motherhood thing, he was there to comfort her and reassure her that everything would be alright. Rachel often found herself wanting to just to fall into his arms and stay there for the whole day.

Even now, Ross had protested hard to let Rachel be all alone. Since she was close giving birth, he wanted someone to stay with her. He had an important lecture, so he couldn't stay. He had asked his boss plenty of times to take a few days off, but he didn't let him.

"Ross, I'm telling you, I'll be okay by myself. It's not like I'm going to do something dangerous. I'll just relax a bit until you get here", she had said to him.

"Well… okay, but you promise me that you will have the phone close to you and if something happens, call me immediately. If necessary, I'll leave everything behind and I'll be here right away."

"Okay", she smiled. He was always so caring and gentle, especially now. "Bye, sweetie", he said and he kissed her on the forehead.

As he closed the door, he had a strange feeling, but he banished it quickly. He thought it was because he was overprotected of Rachel and was too worried for nothing.

Little did he know he had made a terrible mistake leaving her alone that day.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Rachel, lost in her thoughts jumped as the sound caught her by surprise. She answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Rach, it's me"

"Hey Ross"

"I have a ten minute break now and I called to see if everything's okay. How are you? Do you need anything?"

"I'm fine, Ross. I mostly watch TV or read. And, just so you know, your little girl is kicking me like crazy", she said playfully.

Ross smiled. "Great… Listen, in about thirty minutes I'll be on my way home so that we can go to the doctor."

"Okay… See you then."

"Bye, Rach!"

"Bye"

After they hung up, Ross was relieved. Thankfully, she was alright, she neither was in labor nor she had contractions. And in about half an hour, he would be home with her. Yet, that strange feeling didn't leave. In fact, it was more intense than ever.

Rachel put the phone down and decided to get dressed. She stood up and headed to her bedroom. While walking, she spotted one of Ross's dinosaur toys on the floor. She giggled and bended over to pick it up.

Suddenly, she became dizzy. She tried to head to the couch to sit, but she couldn't move her legs. Without a warning, her belly started to ache too much. She screamed because of the pain and she tried to grab the phone to call Ross. And that moment, everything became blurry. She thought she was about to pass out. The pain was unbearable… No, she didn't have contractions… it was something much more painful and intense. Tears and sweat were everywhere in her face. And, with one last pang, everything got dark and she felt herself falling.

Ross was walking up the stairs to his apartment. He hadn't heard from Rachel, so he supposed everything was okay. Right before he was about to open the door, he heard a familiar voice from behind.

"Hey, Ross"

"Oh, hi Monica"

"How's your day?"

"I had an important lecture today about fossils. You see these fossils…"

"Come on Ross, I don't wanna hear another dinosaur story!"

"Okay, okay… Why are you here? I thought you were at work"

"Well, yeah but I left a little bit earlier. And, since you had told me Rachel was here, I decided to stop by and see her"

"Thanks, Monica. I feel a little guilty for leaving her all alone. But I called her about half an hour ago and she was alright."

"Ross, you've gotta relax. I know she is expecting soon, but I think she will be able to stay alone for a few hours."

"You're right", he said. "Come in", he said to his sister as he opened the door.

At first sight, the apartment was empty. And then, both Ross and Monica spotted an unconscious body lying on the floor.

"RACHEL!" Ross screamed and, before he knew it, he was sitting right beside her.

Monica stood by the door, frozen. She watched the scene with wide open eyes. "Ross, we have to take her to the hospital", she said with an eerie, tearful voice.

Ross didn't listen to his sister. All that mattered now was that fragile little body. What had happened to her? He knew he shouldn't have left her alone… he now felt so guilty and anxious and worried and frustrated with himself.

"Please, Rach, wake up! Open your eyes, please, please! Don't leave me, sweetie..."

"Ross", Monica repeated, now almost whispering. "I'll call an ambulance", she said and she went out of the apartment in a hurry.

Ross put Rachel in his lap and he wrapped his arms around her tightly, as tears were streaming down his face.

"Please, honey, be strong! For you, for me, for us!"

He put his hand in her belly and stroked it gently.

"And for our little baby, please! Hold on!"

He didn't know exactly why he was saying these words… He didn't know if Rachel's life was threatened or if what had happened put the baby in danger. The only think he knew for sure was that he wanted her to talk to him, to open her eyes, to see that blue gorgeous eyes smiling at him.

Monica returned. "They said they will be here in about ten minutes". She was trying to be strong for her brother, even though she was herself fighting back tears with all her might. She sat on the floor next to him and took his hand in hers.

"Everything will be alright, trust me, Ross. Rachel is strong and she has proved that in every single way. You really think this will turn her down?"

She tried to sound calm, but when she looked at Rachel she got even more scared. She actually didn't believe what she was saying, yet she wanted to.

Ross sighed and he tried to speak despite the lump in his throat.

"I don't know, Mon, I wasn't here! What if a pregnancy complication happened? And she was afraid and hurt and yet she had no one to help her and take her to the hospital right away? What if it's too late?"