541-545

Chapter 541: Cutting Thoughts with a Cleaver 

It’s nighttime. 

At the medical center. 

“Why aren’t you guys here yet?”  

Monica’s on her third call, and she’s full of complaints .  

“We’ll head back soon,” Adam says, sounding apologetic. “You know how it is—can’t get away from the hospital. Ever since that highway pile-up, the patients just keep piling up too.”  

“Hurry up already!”  

Monica lowers her voice, but you can tell she’s losing it. “Me and Chandler are stuck here with Peggy and Karen, and it’s getting so awkward.”  

“What about Phoebe?” Adam asks, surprised.  

“You think she’s any help?” Monica snaps back. “We’re lucky if she doesn’t make it worse!”  

“Heh,” Adam chuckles, totally getting it.  

After wrapping up the crash chaos, Juno had told Karen to head to Adam’s apartment first to help Monica prep the Thanksgiving feast. Karen, though? Good luck handling her—only Juno’s got that magic touch.  

Then, as night falls, Peggy shows up with her bodyguards in tow. She’s another ice queen, no surprise there. Phoebe tries to liven things up, bless her heart, but she’s a bit of a mess herself—rambling, jumping from topic to topic. All she gets are eye rolls from Monica and zero reaction from Peggy or Karen.  

One’s quietly working away in the kitchen. 

The other marches straight into Adam’s study and shuts the door.  

Eventually, Phoebe just throws her hands up like, “Whatever, I’m done!” She flops on the couch, grabs her phone, and starts flirting with that young cop, Gene. Total slacker mode activated .  

Lisa, the assistant who could help, is off today. It’s Thanksgiving, after all—can’t really argue with giving her a break.  

So picture this: Monica and Chandler standing there, Monica rubbing her hands anxiously, Chandler forcing a awkward grin. They lock eyes, and it’s just… peak awkwardness .  

“Stop laughing and get over here!” Monica yells into the phone.  

“Alright, how about this—I’ll send Juno back first,” Adam suggests.  

“Yes!” Monica perks up instantly. “That’ll fix everything!”  

She’s met Juno a few times and totally vibes with her.  

Call ends.  

“Juno, why don’t you head back?” Adam says to Juno, who’s just finished wandering around the medical center.  

“It’s getting late anyway,” Juno replies, glancing at her watch. “Let’s go together. Saving lives can wait a little.”  

“Fair enough,” Adam agrees, checking the time too.  

It’s already 8 p.m. Another big surgery now would push them to midnight. Skipping out on a Thanksgiving they’d all planned to spend together? Yeah, that’d be lame. Plus, today’s been a goldmine—half a month’s earnings in one day. Time to call it quits.  

They pack up, leave the hospital, and Adam drives Juno back to the apartment.  

“Oh, you’re back too!” Monica says, lighting up when she sees Adam.  

“You gave the order, so I figured I’d better hustle,” Adam teases.  

“Cut it out,” Monica shoots back, not buying it. “If I had that kind of pull, I wouldn’t have had to call three times. Juno’s the one who dragged you back, right?”  

She steps in for a big hug with Juno.  

“Hey, Juno! Long time no see!” 

“Hey, Monica!”  

Juno hugs her back, then waves at Chandler, who’s standing there with a shy smile. “Hey, Chandler.”  

“I’ll go grab Peggy,” Adam says, heading to the study with a grin. “Everyone’s here—let’s eat!”  

“Hey, Peggy!” Juno greets her with a warm smile.  

Peggy nods back, still a little frosty. Juno doesn’t mind, though—she gets everyone seated and, with just a few words, makes the whole room feel cozy and relaxed . Even Peggy’s caught off guard and actually chats with her a bit.  

The long table’s loaded with food, and the massive turkey in the center? Total show-stealer. It’s shiny, juicy, and huge—taste aside, it’s a feast for the eyes.  

Adam and Juno take the ends of the table. Peggy’s next to Adam. Karen and Phoebe flank Juno. Monica and Chandler sit across from each other in the middle.  

Phoebe’s already chowing down on some turkey Adam brought back, clearly obsessed with it.  

Guess it’s a love-hate thing with her!  

Since Adam’s the glue holding this crew together, he chats with everyone about funny stuff from the past few weeks. But soon enough, Juno effortlessly takes over as the star of the show.  

Monica and Phoebe jump in, swapping life and love stories with Juno. Chandler’s suddenly back in his prime—ditching the tired, married-guy vibe for his old sarcastic charm. He’s cracking jokes that could sell magazines .  

Karen’s beaming with admiration (and maybe a hint of wariness) as she watches Peggy warm up under Juno’s spell. She also shoots Adam a random glare. He’s clueless but shrugs it off—Juno’s got this under control.  

All he has to do is enjoy the food, chime in now and then, and laugh along when Juno spills some playful dirt and the others pile on. Super chill.  

For a second, he wonders if inviting Heather, Max, Caroline, Kate, Robin, and the rest of the gang would work this well with Juno running the show.  

Chop! That thought gets axed fast. Adam knows his limits.  

After a few rounds of drinks, the phone rings.  

“Lilly?” Adam picks up.  

Everyone glances over.  

“Adam!” Lilly’s voice comes through, panicked.  

“What’s wrong?” Adam asks, concerned. “Weren’t you and Matthew heading to his hometown for Thanksgiving?”  

“I ran off by myself,” Lilly says, her voice cracking with tears. “Fifteen pounds, Adam! It’s terrifying!”  

It takes a while, but Adam finally gets the full story.  

Lilly went with Matthew to his family’s place for Thanksgiving. The Erickson wives, led by Matthew’s mom, were prepping the big meal. They start talking about babies, and right then, the turkey comes out of the oven. Matthew’s mom casually points at it and says, “When I was pregnant with Matthew’s brother, he was a 15-pound chunker—bigger than this turkey!”  

Now, this turkey’s already massive—Ericksons are a big family, so they got the king of all birds. Lilly takes one look at that monster turkey, hears it’s smaller than an Erickson kid, and bolts out in tears, driving off.  

Her period’s late, she’s been nauseous, and right now, she’s at a convenience store buying a pregnancy test. The thought of something that huge growing inside her tiny frame? She’s freaking out .  

“Relax,” Adam says, half-laughing, half-soothing. “Erickson kids are big, sure, but you’ll be fine. Just the other day, we delivered quintuplets at the hospital. Fifteen pounds? That’s like twins—maybe triplets. It’s not as wild as you’re picturing.”  

“Are the quintuplets and mom okay?” Lilly asks, calming down a little.  

“Uh…” Adam freezes.  

Why’d he pick that example? One of the quints didn’t make it, the others have issues, and the mom’s depressed.  

“Waaaah!” Lilly’s so on edge she doesn’t even need an answer—she just starts bawling again.  

Chapter 542: Schrödinger's Panic 

Adam's apartment.  

"I'll talk to her," Juno said with a smile.  

Adam sighed, got up reluctantly, and handed the phone to Juno.  

"Lily, don't worry," Juno said soothingly. "It's not even confirmed if you're pregnant yet. And even if you are, the baby you and Matthew would have is totally different in size and weight from the one Matthew's parents had.  

And don't you love Matthew?  

You do, right? 

If you love each other, you'll eventually have your own little bundle of love, won't you?  

You're already engaged and about to get married. 

Even if you had a baby now, it wouldn't be that scary, would it?  

Okay, calm down for a sec. Take a deep breath…"  

On the other end of the line, Lily quickly calmed down under Juno's reassurance.  

"I got it. I'll hang up now," Lily said, a bit embarrassed, before ending the call.  

The pregnancy test process, while doable with one hand, wasn't exactly something she'd livestream over the phone. 😅  

"Does this scene feel familiar?" Juno asked, grinning at Adam.  

"…What do you mean?"  

Seeing the weird looks from everyone else, Adam's mouth twitched.  

"I mean Sheldon's brother, Little George," Juno said, still smiling as she looked at Adam.  

"Heh." Adam forced a smirk.  

If you're talking about Little George, just say it. Why stare at me like that and leave me hanging? 

It makes it seem like I did something!  

Chandler chimed in humorously, "Pretty normal, right?"  

"Hm?" Monica immediately turned to him. "You sound experienced."  

"You're not?"  

Caught up in Juno's playful vibe, Chandler got carried away and looked at her in surprise.  

But when he met his wife's dangerous gaze, he realized his mistake.  

Don't let Monica's beauty fool you. Forget this "Schrödinger's panic" over a late period—she didn't even have a boyfriend back then.  

Even her first kiss… she thought it was with him during some romantic midnight moment…  

"Little George?" Peggy, who rarely joined in, spoke up. "The first time we went to Sheldon's house, he and Erica were sneaking around, getting all cozy."  

"You guys were so mature for your age," Monica said, a bit jealous.  

"Erica told you about that?" Adam asked, surprised, looking at Peggy.  

"Yeah," Peggy nodded. "I was pretty curious about that stuff back then, and Erica was happy to talk about it."  

"Little George almost thought he was gonna be a dad," Adam said with a laugh. "He was scared out of his wits. Those 10 minutes waiting for the test result? He said it was the longest 10 minutes of his life. Even when it came back negative, he totally lost interest in his girlfriend. Didn't even dare hug her—still traumatized!"  

At this, Adam and Chandler exchanged a knowing look, both feeling a sense of shared understanding.  

This life was a bit better.  

Since they knew the world of American TV shows could be messy, Adam took precautions—except in certain special cases.  

This "shared understanding" was more from memories of their past lives.  

Back then, Adam's reaction was almost identical to Little George's.  

Panic and torment.  

When the scare was over, that overwhelming sense of relief? Indescribable.  

Of course, unlike carefree Little George, past-life Adam didn't let loose and celebrate wildly after the scare passed.  

He also didn't say something as dumb as Little George did: "I was terrified. I was scared I'd have to marry you. My legs were shaking!"  

Instead, like most guys, he played it cool: "Eh, it's not a big deal. If it happened, we'd just get married and raise the kid, right?"  

Emmm.  

It wasn't panic before. 

Definitely not!  

Guys always get confident and chill once they know the outcome.  

And it's not being a jerk! 

Because afterward, they find out their girlfriend knew there was no danger all along.  

It was just a test, something she learned from her roommate.  

They're all just as bad as each other.  

It's all just instinctual reactions forced out of them.  

Of course, if the girl suddenly flipped the script and said, "Oh, great! I was just messing with you earlier, but actually, I'm really pregnant…"  

Well, if you meet a girl like that, you might as well go along with it.  

Otherwise, you might be in for some trouble. 😅  

"Still traumatized? Lost interest, huh?" Juno asked with a teasing smile. "How long did that last?"  

"…" Adam and Chandler were speechless.  

"Hah! Men!"  

Except for Peggy, all the other women scoffed in disdain.  

"That's not the point," Adam said with an awkward smile, changing the subject. "I should call Lily. It's been 10 minutes—her test results should be out by now."  

Just as they mocked, that "traumatized" state didn't last long.  

As Lu Xun said: The greatest lesson humanity learns is that we never learn our lessons.  

Even if they were terrified by the Schrödinger's dilemma of whether a period would come, swearing to stay cautious and keep a safe distance…  

That resolve didn't even last as long as a "wise man" moment.  

The call connected.  

"Lily, did the results come in?" Adam asked.  

"This is the police. Ms. Aldrin has been arrested," a man's voice came through.  

"For what?" Adam asked, confused.  

"Public urination," the officer said.  

"…" Adam's mouth twitched. "Can you pass the phone to Lily? I need to talk to her. She's the fiancée of the Erickson family. You know the Ericksons, right?"  

Lily drove out to buy a pregnancy test, so she wouldn't have gone far—just nearby.  

In small-town America, the police usually know a bit about every family.  

Especially a family like Matthew's—big guys, and with Matthew being a future lawyer, they should be well-known.  

"The Erickson family's fiancée?" The officer immediately connected the dots. "Matthew's fiancée?"  

"Yeah," Adam nodded.  

"Heh," the officer chuckled and handed the phone to Lily. "Matthew will come pick you up soon. By the way, I'm Mike, Matthew's classmate."  

"Hi, Mike. I'm Lily," Lily said awkwardly as she took the phone.  

"Public urination, huh?" Adam said, trying not to laugh.  

"I didn't want to!" Lily said, mortified. "The convenience store didn't have a bathroom, and the clerk told me to just find a spot… Ugh, damn it! This is all Matthew's fault! Now I'm as bad as Barney!" 😣  

Emmm.  

Barney once peed in public too—on a church wall, no less. He got caught and was sentenced to community service.  

He's still doing it to atone for his sins.  

"So, what about the result?" Adam got back to the point.  

"I don't know," Lily said, frustrated. "I just stood up when Mike caught me. I didn't even get to check the test."  

"It's negative!" Officer Mike's voice came through.  

Clearly, he was eavesdropping.  

"Thank God!" Lily exclaimed, overjoyed.  

"Now you can relax," Adam said. After chatting with Lily a bit more, he hung up.  

"I'm so jealous of her," Monica said, looking envious. "I don't even get the chance to panic like that."  

Chandler: "…"  

Chapter 543: No Way, That Worked? 

At Adam’s apartment. 

“Oh, come on!”  

Chandler’s riding high until Monica lets out a dramatic sigh. Suddenly, his legs feel like jelly again, and he whines, totally wronged 😩  

“What’s wrong?” Monica says, all innocent. “I wasn’t even talking about you! I’m just jealous that Lilly almost got pregnant.”  

“Quit pretending,” Adam cuts in, smirking. “Like you’ve never felt that rush yourself? Need me to jog your memory?”  

“I haven’t!” Monica fires back.  

“July 23, 1998, 8:12:35 p.m.,” Adam says, pulling the exact moment from his brain like a human timestamp, leaving no room for her to wiggle out. “We were all hanging out, talking about Rachel’s baby.  

While Chandler was in the bathroom, you got this wild idea and asked if we wanted to see something fun—said you’d show us how to scare Chandler good.  

So, when he came back, you sidled up to him all serious and said, ‘Maybe it’s because Rachel’s pregnant, but I think I’m ready to have a kid with you.’”  

“Hahaha! I remember that!” Phoebe bursts out laughing. “Chandler just said ‘okay’ and freaked Monica out so bad her voice cracked!”  

“It wasn’t just one word!” Monica protests, covering her face. “He said a whole bunch! He was like, ‘I’ve been thinking about it too, and I think we’re ready.’ That’s not one word!”  

“Doesn’t change the outcome,” Adam teases. “You jumped back, hands up like you were ready to fight, totally shocked, waving at him to shut up and chill.”  

“You even asked if I was joking,” Chandler adds, jumping in now that Adam’s got his back. “Then you went, ‘You think we’re ready to get pregnant now?!’—dragging out the ‘now,’ arms flailing, looking like you’d seen a ghost.”  

“Heh,” Adam chuckles. “You wanted to scare Chandler’s voice up an octave, but you ended up scaring yourself instead. That panic? Probably not far off from Lilly freaking out over a 15-pound baby.”  

“It’s not the same!” Monica insists, digging in. “Back then, we didn’t know we’d have trouble having kids. We’d just gotten married and weren’t ready for a baby anytime soon.  

Plus, it’s totally different—I’m talking about that pregnancy panic, you know, the thrill of sneaking forbidden fruit but not being able to handle the consequences…”  

“Ohhh,” Adam drags out the word playfully. “Got it. What you’re really jealous of is the high school forbidden-fruit vibe, huh?”  

“Exactly!” Monica doubles down, desperate to dodge admitting she was griping about Chandler. She spills some secret big-girl dreams from back in the day.  

“You don’t need to be jealous of anyone,” Adam says, dead serious. “Didn’t you and Rachel get your own taste of forbidden fruit when you went to Columbia?”  

“Hahaha!” Phoebe’s laughing so hard her stomach hurts. “Ross…”  

“Shut it!” Monica slaps a hand over Phoebe’s mouth and glares at Adam.  

“Alright, enough joking,” Adam says, wrapping it up. “Science says most guys pack on pounds after marriage, but look at Chandler—not only is he not chubby, he’s slimmed down.  

And those wobbly legs? Monica, don’t you see how hard he’s trying?”  

“I’m not saying he’s not trying…” Monica mumbles, deflating. “I’m not blaming him either. I’m just mad at myself… Look at Emma—so gorgeous. I want a baby with Chandler too…”  

She covers her face and starts crying.  

“Monica…” Chandler’s up in a flash, pulling her into a hug.  

“Monica,” Juno says, shooting Adam a look before stepping in to comfort her. “I’ve heard from Adam that it’s just tricky for you guys, not impossible. Isn’t it nice like this?  

No pressure, no precautions, just enjoying married life to the fullest. Who knows—maybe one day, an even bigger happiness will knock on your door…”  

“Really?” Monica looks at Juno, teary-eyed.  

“Really,” Juno nods firmly.  

“Thanks—ugh!” Monica starts to thank her but suddenly gags, pushes Chandler away, and bolts to the bathroom, hand over her mouth.  

Blech! Dry-heaving echoes from the bathroom.  

“No way…” Adam stares at Juno, jaw dropped. “That worked?” 😳  

Juno’s just as stunned.  

“What’s ‘no way’?” Phoebe asks, not catching on.  

“Is Monica pregnant because Juno said it?” Adam half-jokes, half-gripes.  

“Heh,” Juno catches the playful jab in his tone and smirks. “Maybe I’ve got that power. Anyone you want me to knock up? I can help!” She glances at Peggy.  

“…” Adam’s mouth twitches.  

“Pregnant?!” Chandler and Phoebe yell from the bathroom doorway at the same time.  

“PREGNANT?!” Monica, who’d just finished puking and rinsing her mouth, screeches at an ear-splitting pitch as she steps out.  

“Adam, what’d you say?” She shoves Chandler aside, rushing to Adam with hopeful eyes. “You think I’m pregnant?”  

“Maybe,” Adam says, dialing back her expectations. “Nausea’s just one sign. You’d need a pregnancy test to be sure…” He pauses, then adds, “And even those aren’t 100%—an ultrasound at the hospital’s the real deal.”  

Snap! Monica doesn’t even wait, grabbing her bag and darting back to the bathroom.  

“Uh…” Chandler gives everyone an awkward smile. “Ever since Adam had us get checked and we found out it’s tough for us to have kids, she’s been dying to try… Like, super dying. She carries pregnancy tests everywhere—five in her bag at all times…”  

He doesn’t mention that she’s burned through a dozen or so in the last few months.  

Hmm. Even with no symptoms, if she gets a hunch, she’s testing right away.  

Chandler’s nagged her about it plenty, but Monica’s OCD doesn’t budge. Eventually, he figured it’s a nice break for him, so he let it slide. He’s not sweating a few bucks for tests—his back and sanity are worth more.  

“…” Everyone’s just staring, dumbfounded.  

She’s really desperate for a kid!  

Ten minutes later—  

“Two lines! I’m pregnant, I’m pregnant!!!” Monica’s ecstatic shriek could shatter the sky.  

Chapter 544: A Contribution to the Merit List 

Adam's apartment.  

"Pregnant…"  

Hearing the deafening shout in his ear, Chandler zoned out.  

In that moment, Chandler—a guy who never lifted a finger and couldn't tell wheat from rice—finally understood how farmers felt.  

Turns out, hard work does pay off! 🌾  

And this payoff? It was pure happiness, beyond anything else!  

Suddenly, all those late nights of effort and the exhaustion that left him clutching his back and feeling weak in the knees turned into sweet memories filled with pride.  

Labor is glorious, after all!  

"Adam, Monica's pregnant!"  

"Congrats, but—"  

Before Adam could finish, Chandler tackled him in a bear hug, repeating the news over and over. Adam smiled slightly, patting Chandler's back. "Congrats, Chandler! You're gonna be a dad."  

For a moment, Adam felt a mix of emotions and relief.  

In his past life watching Friends, one of the biggest regrets was that this lovable couple, who matched his values so well, couldn't have their own biological child.  

Sure, they ended up adopting twins, which seemed like a happy ending.  

But those twins? Their birth mom seemed clueless, not even sure who the father was.  

And of the two possible dads, one was a murderer.  

Not to mention, this adoption wasn't kept secret.  

What if one day the twins' birth parents regretted it or turned malicious?  

It'd be a total mess, with no peace at home.  

At the end of the day, having your own biological child is just better.  

A kid with your genes, their features reflecting you and your partner—there's an innate love there, isn't there?  

Chandler acted like he didn't care, even offering to use someone else's "gold" to fulfill Monica's dream of having a biological child.  

But that was because he loved Monica so much.  

In front of a Monica who was once desperate for a child, he had to act like it didn't matter, just to comfort her.  

But now, Chandler was showing his true feelings.  

Ecstatic beyond control!  

"Honey! We're having a baby!"  

At that moment, Monica walked out of the bathroom, her expression exaggerated, practically dancing as she repeated loudly, "We're having a baby!!!"  

"Yeah, we're having a baby," Chandler said, letting go of Adam and pulling Monica into a half-hug, kissing her forehead.  

"Don't get too excited," Adam said with a laugh. "You might be pregnant now, so you need to be careful for the baby. No more Geller Cup games or anything like that."  

The Geller Cup—a violent football game between Ross and Monica, the siblings.  

"Ugh~" Monica groaned, but her eyes were full of joy.  

Who needs to play silly games with her dumb big brother when she's about to have a kid to play with?  

She's gonna be a mom soon!  

And maybe the Geller Cup will turn into a real competition in the future.  

Ross already has two kids, and if he has a few more, and she and Chandler have a few more too…  

Their kids could form teams and compete—wouldn't that be way more fun than just her versus Ross?  

And she knew for sure: her and Chandler's kids would win!  

Just like their mom always beat their Uncle Ross! 🏆  

"Of course, playing now wouldn't even be fair," Adam teased. "Just stick out your belly, and let's see if Ross dares to fight you for the ball."  

"He'd dare!" Monica and Chandler shouted in unison.  

The soon-to-be parents' eyes were filled with protective and fierce determination.  

"OMG! Monica, you and Chandler finally have a baby!" Phoebe jumped in to congratulate them, hugging both of them tightly.  

"Yeah… sob!" Monica laughed, then burst into tears.  

Juno gave Adam a playful look, smiling.  

"…" Adam's mouth twitched, but after a moment's thought, he stepped forward and hugged Chandler and Monica from behind.  

When in Rome, right?  

Group hugs are a classic heartwarming scene in American TV shows.  

The four of them stayed huddled together until Monica stopped crying.  

Juno, Karen, and Peggy stood quietly to the side, watching the moment unfold.  

When everyone finally let go, they stepped forward to offer their congratulations. "Congrats!"  

"Thanks, thanks!" Monica said, wiping her tears and beaming.  

"Adam, thank you!"  

After thanking everyone, Monica and Chandler turned to Adam, sincerely expressing their gratitude.  

If Adam hadn't suggested they get checkups and discovered their fertility issues early, they wouldn't have started trying for a baby at their physical peak, skipping birth control altogether.  

With their situation, their chances of getting pregnant would've only gotten slimmer.  

If they'd waited until they wanted a kid and then found out, there probably would've been no hope.  

And if Adam hadn't pushed Chandler to exercise every morning—and dragged her along too—their bodies wouldn't be in such good shape now.  

Chandler's "gold" wouldn't have been so lively, and it definitely couldn't have handled the intense "wear and tear" from a while back.  

Without that, they probably wouldn't have this good news now.  

Even though they didn't know that without Adam, they might never have had their own biological child, it didn't stop them from knowing who they owed the most thanks to for this outcome!  

"You're welcome," Adam said with a smile. "I mean, I'm gonna be the godfather, right? Speaking of which, it's okay if I take that role, yeah?"  

That's right!  

Unlike his reluctant godfather role for Ross and Rachel's daughter Emma, Adam actively volunteered to be the godfather for Chandler and Monica's child.  

"Of course it's okay!"  

"You're the only godfather for our kid!" Monica and Chandler blurted out.  

"Wow! Rachel's gonna be so mad when she hears this," Phoebe exclaimed. "Adam, do you have to play favorites like that?"  

"No choice. I'm Chandler's best man, after all," Adam said, not bothering to deny the favoritism.  

Emmm.  

Yeah, it's favoritism.  

He'd put a lot of effort into this child and already felt emotionally attached. So what if he played favorites?  

Of course, he still needed a surface-level excuse to brush off others.  

Even friend circles have hierarchies.  

Adam was Chandler's best man, so it's totally reasonable to treat Chandler's kid a bit special, right?  

And judging by Chandler and Monica's reactions, it was genuine, not like Rachel's obvious "I want it all" mentality.  

"We need to tell Ross, Rachel, and Joey this great news!" Phoebe shouted.  

"Hold on!" Adam stopped her. "Let's wait until it's fully confirmed before we share the news."  

"Confirm it more?" Monica froze, her smile faltering slightly.  

"Pregnancy tests are only 85% to 95% accurate," Adam said with a laugh. "It's already pretty high, but it's better to go to the hospital for an ultrasound and see it with your own eyes to be sure, right?"  

"Then what are we waiting for?" Monica said, touching her belly and heading for the door.  

"Let's go together," Juno said with a smile.  

And so, everyone went with Monica to the medical center.  

Chapter 545: Should We Have One Too? 

At the medical center. 

Adam was personally doing an ultrasound for Monica. 

“Where is it? Where? Why can’t I see anything?” 

Monica craned her neck toward the screen but only ended up staring at a whole lot of nothing. 

“Does that mean I’m not pregnant?” 

Chandler asked nervously. 

“Don’t worry, she’s definitely pregnant,” Adam said with a grin, pointing at a tiny dot on the screen. “That right there is the embryo!” 

“That’s it?” 

Monica sounded unsure, her emotions all over the place. 

“I can’t really make it out,” Phoebe chimed in. “But it’s gotta be it. Remember Ross’s son Ben’s ultrasound pic? It was like this too—we searched forever and still couldn’t find it.” 

“Exactly,” Adam confirmed with a nod. “Right now, it’s less than 2 centimeters.” 

“But why can’t we hear a heartbeat?” 

Chandler asked, still on edge. 

“Dude, it’s way too early for that,” Adam laughed. “At 30 to 40 days, it’s just a gestational sac. At 40 to 50 days, the embryo starts forming. And it’s only around 50 to 60 days—about two months in—that you can hear the heartbeat. Monica just found out super early, that’s all.” 

“So how big is my baby right now?” 

Monica pressed, eager for answers. 

“No one knows for sure,” Adam teased. “You two have been going at it like rabbits every day—could’ve happened any time! We can only guesstimate based on the last day of your period.” 

“Hahaha!” 

Everyone burst out laughing at that.  

Normal people don’t usually go at it every single day unless they’re in that honeymoon phase. The whole “seven times a night” thing? Yeah, that’s just a fantasy—most folks can’t keep up! So when there’s a bit of a gap between sessions, it’s easier to pinpoint when conception happened.  

Hmmm. 

Sometimes you could even figure out if the neighbor climbed over the fence, so to speak.  

Of course, as knowledge about biology spread, people got craftier. Figuring out if the neighbor did sneak over became trickier. A sneaky pro could totally play it smart—make sure both the husband and the neighbor get equal action, no one left out. Go ahead and calculate all you want—if something’s off, it’s on you!  

Unless the neighbor’s genes are so obvious that people start pointing fingers and the husband ends up demanding a paternity test, it’s a secret that could stay buried forever.  

Take Ted’s romantic mom and the oh-so-charming Uncle Ted next door—there’s a story or two there…  

“So it’s been almost 40 days,” Monica calculated. “In about two weeks, I’ll hear the heartbeat!” 😊  

“Yup,” Adam nodded.  

Then he started going over a list of things to watch out for.  

“I’ve gotta call Joey and the gang—spread the good news!” 

Phoebe couldn’t hold it in anymore and started dialing up friends and family.  

“Awesome!” 

“I’m gonna be an uncle (or aunt) again!” 

That was Ross and Rachel, super excited.  

“My boy’s all grown up! I’m proud of you!” 

Joey, being Joey, was over the moon.  

“Tell Adam thanks for me!” 

That was Chandler’s mom, Nora.  

“Fingers crossed it’s a girl!” 

Chandler’s dad, Helena, chimed in.  

“Never thought our Monica would get here one day!” 

Monica’s parents were all sentimental.  

After the whirlwind of calls, Chandler took Monica home. From now on, Monica was the VIP—treated like a precious panda. Chandler couldn’t wipe the grin off his face—except for that one weirdly loaded “congrats” from his dad, Helena.  

Not only did they have a kid on the way, but they’d also get a nice long break. Hmmm. At least the first three months would be chill. With one month already down, they had two more to take it easy.  

Everything felt perfect.  

Thanksgiving night wrapped up early, and everyone headed home.  

Adam walked down the street, Juno on his left, Peggy on his right, and Karen next to Juno. The four of them strolled side by side.  

“So,” Juno said with a smirk, “seeing all your friends tying the knot and popping out babies—does it make you wanna jump on the bandwagon?”  

“Nah,” Adam shook his head. “They’re all in their thirties. I’m barely past twenty—totally different vibe.”  

“What about you, Peggy?” Juno leaned over to peek at her.  

“Me?” Peggy blinked, then shook her head. “Not interested.” 

She’d just hit adulthood, and her career was in full swing—no room for baby thoughts yet. Then she glanced at Adam, Juno, and Karen. “What about you guys?”  

“I’ve thought about it,” Juno said with a laugh. “Adam knows—back in high school, I used to wonder what it’d be like to get pregnant and have a kid. Sounds kinda fun, right?”  

“…” 

Adam’s mouth twitched. This topic gave him a weird vibe. He shot a look at Karen, but she just stared blankly ahead. When she caught him looking, she silently pulled her hoodie up over her head.  

Yup. 

Juno and Karen loved their hoodies. Even though it wasn’t a red one today, that move made Adam’s heart skip a beat.  

Uh-oh. That’s a murder vibe! 😬  

“What about now?” Peggy asked, curious.  

“Now…” Juno dragged out the word, grinning. “I still think about it sometimes, but there’s no rush. Like Adam said, we’re only in our early twenties—plenty of time.”  

“You and Karen?” Peggy glanced at the stone-faced Karen. “Adoption, maybe?”  

“We’ll see,” Juno said lightly. “Having our own would be cool, though. I think that patient Adam saw last time is a solid example.”  

“Ahem!” 

Under the three girls’ stares, Adam coughed awkwardly and forced a laugh. “It’s not that great… Why are we even talking about this? It’s like we’re about to pop out kids right now. Guess this stuff really is contagious, huh? Haha!”  

His awkward laugh was way too loud.  

It drew some stares. People glanced around, scoping out the hot guy and pretty girls, half-expecting to spot a camera crew. Filming random scenes on the streets of New York? Totally normal.  

“Let’s go!” 

Adam bolted ahead with an exaggerated sprint.  

“Childish!” 

“Dork!” 

“Boring!” 

Peggy, Juno, and Karen ignored him, strolling along at their own pace, chatting casually.  

“Phew.” 

From around the corner, Adam watched them—Juno in the middle, Peggy and Karen on either side, walking and talking like it was no big deal. He let out a long breath.  

“This Juno…” he muttered to himself, half-annoyed. “What’s she playing at?”  

That patient Juno mentioned? The one who bought Joey’s “gold” and got pregnant at the same time as her bestie—planning to raise a pair of half-siblings as one big happy family.  

“No way, right?” 

Adam’s mind flashed back to that drunken night he still couldn’t piece together.  

He still had no clue what went down. But now, he couldn’t help but wonder…  

“Nah!” 

He shook it off. “Juno’s too sneaky. She’s probably just messing with me, trying to make me paranoid so she can get back at me for Heather’s sake.”  

Yup. 

No way he’d fall for it!  

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