Joey participates in a fertility study, but things get hard when he has to avoid intimacy with Melanie, his new fruit-basket-making girlfriend. The gang has a barbecue, but Ross only shows up long enough to drop off Rachel's birthday present and announce he's going to China to get a bone for the museum. Later, while Rachel opens her presents, Chandler lets slip that Ross is in love with her; she goes to the airport to catch him before he leaves, but just misses him. While he's gone, she debates what to do do. Finally, she decides to go for it and goes to the airport for his return. Unknown to her, however, Ross has become involved with another woman during his week in China.

Original air date: 18 May 1995

Written by: Chris Brown
Director: Kevin S. Bright

Guest stars:
Lauren Tom as Julie
Corinne Bohrer as Melanie
Tommy Blaze as Carl
Kerrie Klark as Flight Representative

[ NOTES: This episode received an Emmy nomination for Art Direction.
This episode runs 25:55 on DVD (a typical sitcom runs about 22:00). There's more at the beginning of the teaser (the guys are bored silly with baby pictures, while the girls are overly excited). Chandler makes an O.J. joke a little later. And also, as Rachel leaves her date on the balcony to go to the airport, she offers him to Monica. ]