"Mmm what's that smell" She asked as they entered the Barlow's house for Amy's birthday dinner
"What smell love"
"The one that reeks"
"I think you're smelling stuff dear"
"Probably, just another glorious factor of pregnant life I guess"
"Well whatever it is, you won't have to put up with it too long, because we're not staying all night"
"But it's your daughter's birthday"
"Yes I know and she probably won't even notice me here, so we'll stay for a little while but then we're going"
"Oh hello there" Deidre said coming through from the kitchen with two big pots in her hand
"Just come take a seat, and I'll get the others down"
"Smells nice, what is it" Steve said as they both got a seat next to each other.
"Amy's favourite, Macaroni cheese" She said smiling before walking away as Michelle nearly puked on the spot.
"Can't eat it" He asked watching his girlfriend repeatedly gagging, but when she didn't answer he looked closer and realised she physically needed to be sick.
"Come on let's get you outta here" He said carefully picking her up and calling out to Deidre and the others they needed to pop out for a moment and as soon as they got out the garden into an alleyway she immediately started throwing up, the all too familiar acidy taste burning the back of her throat.
"Oh ello there" Carla said coming up behind them
"Oh hey" Steve said continuingly trying to comfort Michelle while she threw up what felt like to her almost all her insides.
"Well we'll eh leave you guys to it" Peter said pushing Carla away to try and give her former sister-in-law and boyfriend a bit of space which they clearly needed.
"No Carla wait" Michelle cried running up after her, but a rush of dizziness passed over her causing her legs to buckle and smashed her head into the garden wall before falling back into Steve.
"Agghh you fucking bastard" She said standing back up from Steves tightly gripped arms.
"Right we're going home before you do anymore damage to yourself"
"No Steve I'm fine just a little bump nothing much now come on we're going to your daughter's birthday dinner"
"Not if you're not feeling well we're going straight home"
"But I'm feeling fine"
"No you're not, you've just been sick like 5 times and then you fell straight into a wall that's not fine"
"Okay well maybe I'm not feeling 100% Steve but I can't remember the last time I was, now we're going whether you like it or not and if I feel or look worse then we can go home"
"Okay okay that's fine"
"Good that's sorted now let's get back in"
"Wait come here a moment" He said tugging her arm back, before wrapping both his arms tightly around her.
"You don't know how much I wanted you to do that babe" She said gently nuzzling her nose around his neck
"Well you'll like my next idea even more then" He said swiftly picking her up off the ground while smothering her exposed chest in kisses.
"God Steve" She moaned into his neck getting enjoying the little moment of pleasure he was inflicting on her.
"Someone is a little sensitive tonight"
"Maybe it's just the affect you have on me" She mumbled into him feeling slightly more tired but wasn't going to let it get to her.
"Ahh there you two are come on we're all waiting" Deidre said opening the gate of her back garden.
"We were just wondering actually would there be any chance that we could have something different Chelle's a bit funny with cheese"
"Yeah I guess I could heat you some more of Kens pie up, he doesn't like cheese much either"
"Aww no no no it's fine I'll just have something later" She said giving Steve such a glare so much so he felt it burning through him, so decided to play nasty back and started sucking gently on the pulse point on her neck, the place that always made her so weak, she would become putty in his hands.
"Are you sure it's not that much fuss seriously"
"Eh n-n-o-o it's e-hh finee" She managed to stammer out
"Are you okay, you seem a bit well off tonight"
"Yeah just waiting for Steve to get a move on inside"
"What is he up too"
"Sitting kissing me honestly it's really cute babe, but now's not the time or place"
"Right well get a move on everyone else is waiting"
"Yep we're just coming" Steve called after her, carrying a now very wound up Michelle back into the house.
"You are a flamin chancer you know that"
"Yep but you still love me"
"So what you going to do to apologise" She asked tightening the grip on her legs around his waist.
"I will do whatever you want me to do my love"
"Just hold me"
"You're getting tired aren't you" He said as he sat them both down on separate seats but made sure that she was always cuddled into him and watched as she slowly nodded her head.
"Right so Michelle doesn't want anything" Deidre asked serving the plates
"No I don't think so" He said gently kissing through her hair as he watched Deidre sloop a spoonful of macaroni on his plate. For Michelle this was pure torture, she was hating the smell and look of the food and just made her feel more sick than she already was and on top of all this, her little baby was still giving off painful kicks despite whatever the nurse had given her earlier, which was not working it had just made her leg feel dull and heavy. The only good thing that had come out of tonight for her was the intimacy between her and Steve, which today especially had just given her the extra happiness that she desperately needed in her life, particularly over the course of the next few days.
"Michelle whatever is the matter with you today" Tracy asked sarcastically obviously trying to provoke a reaction.
"Eh nothing" She said trying to keep her calm, when thankfully Carla butted in and changed the subject to her little brother who had somehow managed to disappear for the night, so she made herself comfy beside Steve again and started picking away at the chips on the side of his plate.
"Eh I'll have you know those are my chips" He said muzzling his nose in her hair.
"Bubbas hungry" She replied in a quite whisper so no one could hear her.
"Well I guess that's acceptable enough"
"Good because it's a right kicker when it's hungry"
"And that stuff not helping"
"Nope just given me a dead leg"
"Don't worry I'll get you too bed soon enough"
"Good"
"Dad come see my stuff with me" Amy said tugging at Steves arm.
"Its fine you go" Michelle said sitting up off him only to feel the thinner, bonier arms of Carla wrap around her.
"Hey babe how you doing" She asked as Michelle shifted her position so she was in exactly the same place she was with Steve a few seconds ago.
"Been better I guess"
"Well how about we go take a seat on the sofa and you can tell me what the problem is" Carla said pulling her best friend up and over to the sofa as Deidre tidied up the plates.
"I went to the hospital to get bumpy checked up"
"And what did they say"
"That I eh need to work less"
"Ah so that's why Doctor Carter came up to me with a important letter"
"Yep probably"
"Well take as much time as you need off"
"Don't let Steve hear you say that"
"Don't let Steve hear what" He asked coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her neck.
"That she can take as much time as she needs off work, anyway I must pop to the loo" Carla said cheekily smiling while Michelle glared back at her.
"Oh yes because im known for chaining women to the bed"
"As long as you're there I couldn't care less to be honest" She said as he popped round onto the sofa replacing Carla.
"Don't worry not that cruel, I'll just do whatever you want me too"
"Stay and cuddle me, make sure Ryan doesn't get into trouble and make sure there's always enough food in the house" She said planting her head on his knees, where she felt him gently kiss her cheeks.
"You tired baby" He asked after a few moments of them both sitting in silence listening to everyone else's conversations in the room.
"Yeah well I wouldn't put up a fight if you took me home"
"Good we're going"
"You can pull me up then, too tired to try standing up on my own"
"I can do more than that, I'll just carry you back"
"Yeah sure whatever, just mind and put me to bed too"
"Don't worry I'm sure I won't forget that" He said picking her up and arranged her so she was in a comfy enough position to be carried home.
"Michelle surely you can walk home on your own to legs" Tracy said noticing how she was being discreetly carried out the room by Steve.
"Tracy just leave it" Steve said turning back round, almost pleading with Tracy to leave his tired lover alone so she could get home in peace.
"No Steve I will not be spoken to like that, I asked a perfectly reasonable question so I would expect a reasonable answer" She said standing up, making a bigger scene out of it than needed.
"Because Tracy she is half asleep and I'm not waking her up to then make her walk home when I could just quickly carry her back"
"Well you could at least say goodbye to your daughter upstairs then"
"I have and anyway she's coming round tomorrow"
"Right well she'll be round 8.00 sharp and yes Steve that does mean you're both to be up and changed, not half naked like the last time I bought her round"
"Yes I will, Chelle's only getting up if she feeling okay, now is the interrogation finished"
"Yes sorry Steve you can go now" Deidre said coming out the kitchen to see what all the commotion was about.
"Right ok well thanks for having us and we'll see Amy nice and early tomorrow"
"Good" Tracy said pushing them out the door causing little whimpers of pain from Michelle as she got pushed right into Steve squashing her bump.
"Oh Michelle do us a favour and shut-up"
"Oi" Carla said coming out with Peter
"Not you as well"
"Yes me as well and if you want a job to come back to on Monday I would watch very carefully what you say" She said barging past Tracy with Peters arm linked trough her own.
"Goodnight Tracy" Steve said sarcastically walking away with Michelle tucked up in his arms, leaving Tracy standing speechless at her front door. He got upstairs to the flat to hear the muffled voices of Ryan and Katy inside.
"Are you sure you're mum and Steve are okay with this" He heard Katy asking as he opened the door quietly.
"Yeah they'll be fine trust me"
"Eh we'll be fine about what" He asked shutting the door, slightly too loudly which resulted in him almost dropping Michelle as she jamp out her skin.
"That Katy and Joseph are staying with us for a bit"
"And what did your mum say"
"Not asked her yet"
"Well I think it would be a good start to ask her"
"Mum"
"Not now you dope when she's awake"
"Don't say I didn't try then"
"Don't say I didn't warn you" He said walking Michelle into the bedroom as he could feel her slowly getting colder and colder in the loose black t-shirt she had on. He got her into the bedroom and quickly changed her into a spare pair of pyjamas she had lying around and tucked her into bed making sure she was as comfy as possible before walking out and back into the living room with Ryan, Katy and Joseph.
"He can stay tonight but he'll have to be quite and then you can see what your mum says in the morning"
"Thanks mate and is mum pregnant"
"Ryan" Katy said shocked at how he could speak to his mum like that.
"We'll talk about that tomorrow" He said reaching up into the cupboard and getting Michelle's hot water bottle out to fill with boiling hot water from the kettle.
"So she is"
"Never said she was, now you two be quite, she needs to sleep" He said walking back in, to find Michelle tossing and turning frantically in the sheets.
"Hey baby what's wrong" He asked crouching down beside her side of the bed when he noticed the tears falling down her face.
"It won't stop kicking" She said suddenly waking up with the sense that Steve was beside her.
"Look come on we'll go get you some food, see if that stops it" He said carefully picking her up and instantly felt her tense up with the colder air so wrapped her warm fluffy gown around her.
"What is there" She asked leaning her head on Steve's shoulder when she spotted Ryan and Katy snuggled on the sofa cooing over baby Joseph.
"Ryan" She almost yelled, jumping out of Steves arms, when her brain slowly processed what must be happening.
"Yes mum"
"What the flamin hell is going on"
"Katy and Joseph need to stay with us for a bit"
"What happened to asking first and where, there is hardly any room in this tiny flat with 3 of us never mind 5, 6, 7, and what you're going to want to be getting up at 7 every morning when Joseph wakes up, and there's the little fact that you're not going to be able to go out drinking every night, cause there's no way you're dumping me with another kid every night"
"Mum there would never be more than 6 people in here anyway"
"Ryan I am flamin pregnant"
"Are you"
"For god shake it doesn't take a genius to work that one out"
"Aww well done"
"You know what I'm going to bed, we'll talk about this later" She said storming back into the bedroom with Steve just behind her.
"Come on babe, sure you don't want to talk about this tonight" Steve said pulling her arm to try and get her to stop.
"No I'm sure, I'm just going to bed end of"
"Okay well I'll make sure you get to sleep alright and then go for a shower and stuff and then come back to bed with you"
"There's no need too"
"Yes but I want to so chop chop" He said slowly pushing her onto the bed and tucking her nice and carefully in again while she slowly fell asleep