Carole never saw it coming.
As she thinks about it in hindsight, she realizes that there were signs she missed. Subtle signs, but signs nonetheless. It had been about a month ago that Finn started acting a little strange. Finn had become a little jumpy and stressed – that is when he wasn't being reclusive and holed up in his room doing God knows what. As a mother, she should have caught the signs; Carole mentally berated herself, if only she hadn't been so damn busy working two jobs and cooking and cleaning on her only day off. She should have stopped to talk to her son much sooner than she actually did. When she had noticed his out-of-character behaviour, she had been too tired to really think about it, so she excused it. She chalked it up to homework load, football stress, and teenage boy hormones and didn't investigate further – not until she caught him singing to a sonogram.
If she had taken the time she would have realised that there was something very wrong in Finn's life – not that the innocent baby would ever be wrong, but it was just not the right time for Finn to become a father. She knows, though, that even if she had caught the signs and delved a little deeper into her son's life, there was nothing she would have been able to do to change the outcome.
Except there was something she could have done.
It had been an oversight on her part, a mistake that many parents make. As Carole thinks about her error, her heart breaks – not for herself, but for her son. She knew Finn was growing up. She knew high school would be a cesspool of hormones, urges, and new feelings for Finn. She should have sat down with him and educated him about his body, sex, and reproduction long before he even reached high-school age. The truth is she almost had. The summer before high school started she had gotten up the courage to sit him down to have the talk, but she became nervous and knew Finn would just tune her out, so she quickly talked herself out of it. She regrets that now – because her son has found himself in a very hard predicament, but also because she feels like an utter failure.
But wallowing in self-pity and thinking about what could have been isn't going to help Finn's present situation. All she can do now is support her son. Nothing Finn ever did or would do could change the love she has for him. Quinn's pregnancy is certainly a bump in the road and not at all what she wished for her teenager, but she would never desert him, not when he needs her the most.
As she folds the laundry, having left Finn in his room to watch Die Hard with a grilled cheese in hand (it's always been his comfort food), Carole thinks about how soon, in addition to folding Finn's long pants, she will be folding wee little pants, shirts, dresses, and the tiniest of socks. She hasn't yet talked with Finn about what Quinn's plans are or what the living arrangements will be, but Carole knows in her heart Finn would never abandon his child. He has had the misfortune of growing up without a father and it has been tough on the both of them.
So even if Finn and Quinn decide they want the baby to live at the Hudson residence full time, Carole will make it work. She is a single mother, sometimes struggling to make ends meet; she is no stranger to adversity. She hasn't been perfect and has definitely made mistakes while raising Finn, but she knows her way around motherhood and will definitely step up her game. She will help take care of the infant, not only by being a physically presence, but by providing financial support. Raising a child is costly so if she must get a third job in order to pay the bills, she will – for her grandchild and for Finn – because above all, she loves her son. And love means being there through the tough times.
Becoming a grandmother isn't something Carole had ever wished for, at least not at her relatively young age, but in a very short time, she has become prepared for it. She has to be, because Finn and Quinn will need all the help they can get. In addition to moral support, she will teach them how to cope with regular everyday things, like bathing their daughter, feeding her, dressing her, and what to do when she gets sick or is fussy.
As she walks down the hallway towards Finn's room to put away his clothes, Carole makes her body relax. She can't let it show how scared she is or how disappointed she is because that will make Finn fall apart again. She has to be strong. She will be strong. She is strong.
Carole never wanted this for her teenager but now that it's happened, she and he will never back down from this – from their family. Together, with Quinn, they will raise the best little Hudson possible. Their lives are about to change. It will be hard but Carole knows they will do it together.