The wedding venue.
"Hasn't it started yet?"
Leonard kept glancing at his watch. "Adam, can you hurry things up? Rachel could go into labor any minute."
"Alright, I'll check on it. Don't worry, even if Rachel's water breaks, it's still a while before the baby comes. As long as we get the registration done before Emma's born, she won't be illegitimate," Adam reassured.
Leonard sighed. "Why can't we just register first and then have the wedding?"
Work hours had already started. The city hall staff were in place, ready to process the registration quickly. But the wedding ceremony was about to begin, and according to Western tradition, the bride and groom couldn't see each other beforehand—bad luck, apparently. So, the city hall staff had to wait until the ceremony was over to complete the registration.
Given Rachel's condition, this long wait could very well lead to a "double celebration" at any moment.
When Leonard first learned Rachel was pregnant, he'd gone all out—yelling at his daughter, storming over to confront Ross, pushing for them to get married right away. But neither his daughter nor her fiancé listened at the time, dragging things out to this nerve-wracking moment.
If it weren't for the fact that today was a joyous occasion and he was out of options with his daughter and son-in-law, Leonard's temper would've erupted already. This was a man who could make a waiter cry, after all!
With Adam's persistent urging, the wedding preparations sped up.
Ross stood at the altar. Without formal attire, the best man and bridesmaids skipped the traditional walk down the aisle. Chandler and Joey stood directly behind Ross, while Monica and Phoebe stood across from them. The Geller and Green families, along with city hall staff and people like Ada, sat in rows of chairs below the altar as guests.
Ross's parents and Rachel's mom beamed with pride. Rachel's second sister, Amy, wore a dismissive smirk, rolling her eyes now and then. Her youngest sister, Jill, on the other hand, smiled warmly. Compared to Amy—who constantly stole Rachel's boyfriends, jewelry, and caused trouble—Jill was Rachel's favorite sister. With only two sisters, second-to-last was as good as it got. Their relationship was decent, and Jill was genuinely happy for her big sister.
The music started.
All eyes turned to the end of the red carpet.
At the entrance, Rachel, in a pristine white wedding dress, walked slowly arm-in-arm with her father, Leonard.
Normally, a bride walks slowly to savor the moment of being the center of attention. But Rachel had no choice—she couldn't move any faster.
When Leonard, with a stern look, handed his precious daughter's hand to an awkward Ross, the bride and groom stepped up to the altar. At Adam's signal, the priest began the proceedings—the classic "do you, I do, let's grow old together" routine.
Throughout it all, Leonard was the most nervous. He stared at his daughter's belly and face, terrified his granddaughter Emma might decide to make her entrance to the tune of the band's "Chirp, Dun Dun Dun Dun!" Thankfully, Emma behaved, giving her grandpa some peace and showing no signs of arriving early.
"…I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!" the priest declared.
Ross, holding Rachel, was transported back to years ago when his lace-loving ex-wife left him. He'd complained to Monica and the others that he didn't want another divorce—he just wanted to get married. And then, like a dream, Rachel, his high school crush, walked into the coffee shop in a white wedding dress.
In that moment, he felt moved by his own choices, convinced he and Rachel were meant to be.
His gaze shifted, reigniting a long-lost passion.
Rachel, as the bride, locked eyes with her reluctant groom and soon felt the change in him. Her heart raced.
This is what love feels like.
As they leaned closer, lost in the moment, Rachel's lips veered off course. She turned her head and blurted, "Oh!"
It wasn't just Rachel feeling the spark.
Emma, in Rachel's belly, sensed her mom's emotions and got excited too, eager to make her presence known at this big moment. She gave her mom a solid kick.
"What's wrong?" Ross asked, startled.
"Idiot! Kiss her quick and wrap this up!" Adam rushed forward, warning, "Rachel's water just broke."
"Oh, oh!" Ross, flustered, leaned in and gave Rachel a quick kiss.
"We need to get to the hospital!" Leonard, spry as ever, darted over.
"Don't worry, everything's ready," Adam said, scooping Rachel up in a princess carry and placing her on a stretcher that was already prepared. He waved everyone toward the nearby hospital.
"Call Dr. Montgomery!"
"Registration!" Leonard shouted, still fixated.
"Ada!" Adam called.
"On it!" Ada replied, fetching the waiting city hall staff.
On the way, jogging alongside the stretcher, the staff went through the process, declared Ross and Rachel legally married, and handed over the prepared marriage certificate. Leonard took it, flipped through it, and sighed with relief. He pulled out his wallet and stuffed all his cash into the staff's hands, muttering, "Thanks."
For a man who made big money but was so stingy with tips that even his kids were embarrassed and waiters spat in his coffee, this was a wildly generous move. It showed just how thrilled Leonard was.
"No problem," the staff said, delighted.
Running to process a marriage certificate wasn't ideal, but Adam had paid well, and this extra cash made it worth it.
At the medical center's VIP delivery room, Dr. Montgomery and Liz were already waiting, thanks to Adam and Leonard's influence.
After a quick check, Dr. Montgomery smiled. "Her water's broken, but the cervix is only two centimeters dilated. It needs to reach ten before delivery, so we'll have to wait a bit."
"Two centimeters is close enough, right?" Rachel said, holding up three fingers.
The wedding was done, the certificate was in hand, and if nothing else, she'd love to "celebrate" with Ross, her newly passionate husband. But her water had broken, and now she just hoped Emma would arrive soon.
"Centimeters, not inches!" Adam clarified, holding up one finger.
"Damn metric system!" Rachel cursed.
"You should be cursing the imperial system!" Adam laughed.
The imperial system wasn't even strictly used anymore—its measurements relied on metric tools for calibration. Sticking with imperial units when metric was standard globally was pointless. Even the UK, where imperial units originated, had switched to metric. The U.S. could easily adopt it too, but Americans were too stubborn. They used imperial in daily life and metric in professional settings, leading to mix-ups like this.