A very small chapter for you all, I'm probably going to do a time jump forward again to get things moving, I hope you enjoy even if it is short!
Thank you for the reviews
The concept of Michelle's miscarriage daunted Carla who was internally grieving for the loss of something she didn't really know meant so much to her. Carla and Peter spent the last few days doing things as a family such as going out on the boat together as well as taking the girls to indoor play centres to give them all a chance to do stuff as a family. Michelle was in close contact with Carla still, she was also desperate for Carla to visit as she could really do with the support of her best friend causing Carla to be put in a predicament she really didn't like, even if it was for Michelle.
"So what are you going to do about Michelle?"
"What about it?" Carla questions incredulously chopping some vegetables for dinner later "I don't know what to do, do I?"
"Well I think it's pretty obvious" Peter scoffs as Carla glares at him "Just go and see her, she needs you"
"I know she does, I'm just not ready" Carla mutters as Peter groans in response at her reluctance knowing that Michelle really needed her "And what about Emma? She's starting her therapy in the next few days"
"I guess" Peter trails off "You could only go back for a night, I'm sure Michelle would be willing to put you up?"
"Peter" Carla shoots him a glare as he sighs bringing her in for a hug "We both know what will happen when I go back"
"That you'll fall in love with living there again and you'll want to move back?" Peter grins as Carla raises an eyebrow
"You wish" she scoffs "No, I just don't want to be hounded about the girls, about Underworld, about everything and anything. I want a peaceful life to come to terms with Emma's diagnosis"
"I know, I'm sorry for pushing I just think you'll regret not being there for Michelle," Peter says as the phone goes off causing him to answer "It's Michelle"
"Give," Carla says as Peter hands her the phone "Hi 'Chelle…I have but I just don't think it's a good idea…you really like to make this difficult for me don't you?...because I don't want to deal with the likes of Gail and Aidan droning on about Emma and Underworld…Hayley's fine she's starting preschool soon so it'll be interesting to see how that goes…Emma? She's ok I guess…Michelle, please don't do this…ok fine, I'll come up for a night…I can get a train today?...of course babe, I'll see you later yeah?...bye love"
"You see" Peter whispers kissing the side of her head "Wasn't that hard"
"You're not coming though, you're staying here with the girls" Carla mutters as Peter kisses her gently on the lips as she smiles giggling slightly "Let me go and pack"
Carla packed for Weatherfield only chucking a few outfits into her holdall along with some more leaflets to read in relation to Emma's foetal alcohol syndrome. She then got her laptop and looked up train tickets for later that evening whilst Emma played on her playmat, Peter trying to get her to crawl. They had started doing more physical things with Emma in an attempt to improve her motor skills such as crawling and trying to get her to stand, all attempts proving rather fruitless.
The time came and Carla's nerves heightened that she started pacing the room as the anxiety crept up on her about going up north to see Michelle leaving Peter rather concerned about her whole persona but he knew that she needed to do this for her friend. Carla got on the train after saying goodbye to Peter and the girls at the train station, then she took the almost five-hour train journey to Manchester and met Steve at the station.
"Steve" Carla nods lifting her case into the boot of his car as Carla brings him in for a hug "How is she really?"
"Distraught, she cries practically all the time the only time she doesn't when she's on the phone to you," Steve says as Carla sighs in response "How's Peter and everyone?"
"Good-ish, let's not get into my problems ey?" Carla smiles slightly as they drive back to the street, Steve pulling the car up outside the Rover's "Can we go through the back?"
"Of course" Steve smiles taking Carla's holdall for her as they enter the Rover's through the back door, instantly greeted by Liz
"Thank god you're back" Liz cries giving Carla a hug causing her to frown in response "Michelle's gone into a drunken meltdown upstairs"
"Your room?" Carla questions to Steve as Liz shakes her head "The baby's?"
"Yes," Liz says "I'll show you the way, Steve make a coffee," she says as Steve nods defeatedly going into the back and making Michelle a coffee as Carla heads upstairs to find Michelle sobbing over her late son's baby grows
"Chelle?" Carla questions as her eyes dart up, she rushes over to Carla and holds her close dissolving in a fit of tears "It's ok, I'm here"
"Thank you for coming," Michelle slurs as Carla smiles swaying her in her arms "I'm a bit drunk"
"I know, Liz said sweetheart, Steve's making you a coffee" Carla whispers as Steve appears holding a coffee as he hands it to Carla "Get this down you" Carla hums as Michelle nods sipping away at the coffee as Carla sits in the rocking chair, Michelle sitting on her lap holding her best friend close "Speak to me"
"I don't know what to say, I just want to hold my baby" Michelle mumbles as Carla nods stroking the hair out of her friends face "I miss him"
"I know you do, I'm here so I can do whatever you want, babe" Carla reassures Michelle as she nods defeatedly "Shall we all just watch a movie together and chill?"
"Are you staying the night?" Michelle questions sobering up a bit as Carla smiles wiping her friend's tears
"If you need me to, I have a few bits with me," Carla says gently as Michelle nods "Is that a yes to me staying?"
"Please don't leave" Michelle begs as Carla smiles kissing her forehead "How are the girls?"
"Good, yeah" Carla smiles slightly still unsure about revealing Emma's foetal alcohol syndrome "My problems don't matter yours are more important right now"
"You would tell me if something wasn't right?" Michelle questions as Carla sighs in response knowing she was lying through her teeth "Car?" she prompts as Carla bites her lip guiltily "What's happened?"
"I don't want to inflict more grief onto you and compared with what you're going through I just don't see how it would be helping you"
"Trust me, I've had enough of wallowing in tears and upset, give me something else to focus on for a bit please" Michelle begs as Carla sighs in response gesturing for her to get off her lap so she could retrieve her holdall pulling out the leaflets which she stashed in there when she was packing and handing them to Michelle who reads them "You're pregnant?"
"No" Carla groans "God no, never again two's enough" she mutters as Michelle raises an eyebrow "It's Emma"
"What about Emma?"
"Her development, she wasn't reaching her milestones, we always knew that because I didn't know I was pregnant it was a possibility that when I was drinking throughout the pregnancy that it could've affected her"
"So what? She's going to be ok though?" Michelle questions skimming through the leaflets "Now I know why you don't want to come back"
"Hm" Carla hums "We're doing everything we can to help her, she's got her first therapy in a few days, they're going to help her with her motor skills as well as her speech"
"That's good, what implications does this have on her future though?" Michelle asks concerned for her niece's future as Carla sighs, even with all the leaflets she had no idea what the future would hold
"In all honesty, I have no clue, I've read so much over the last week or so ranging from mental health issues when she gets older, to the fact that I will probably have to care for her for her whole life, it's just crazy"
"Well, you're not alone" Michelle reminds her "Have you told Gail?"
"No" Carla scoffs "We're just trying to settle back down into a routine before we start to think about telling people things as well as finding out more about her condition ourselves"
"Fair enough" Michelle murmurs as she glances down to the leaflet "So what can Emma do or should I say what cant she do?"
"Well, she can eat solids, she can't crawl, walk, she's small for her age, she can't speak or laugh"
"Will she able to do any of those things?" Michelle asks as Carla sighs in response she really didn't know herself and that was something that scared her
"No clue. With the therapies, things will hopefully improve" Carla says confidently as Michelle nods slowly
"What about you? How has this affected you?" Michelle questions as Carla rubs her forehead in exasperation, she was fed up with talking about the way she felt
"Confused but I know it's not my fault if that makes sense?"
"Good, you shouldn't blame yourself" Michelle replies as Carla smiles at her "Shall we watch a movie or something?"
"Sounds good to me"