Today was Carla's twenty week scan. Peter couldn't sleep due to excitement.
"I want to find out what we are having" Peter said to Carla as she woke in the morning.
"I am still undecided"
"Carla, the control freak in you cannot not find out" Peter reminded her.
"Oh yeah?" Carla questioned "I can wait"
"But you can't, you like to be in control" Peter told her.
"I know I do, so shut up and do what you're told" Carla said, stradling Peter.
"Ok, but you're going to have to hurry because she will be in soon" Peter told her, looking at the time.
"I told you to shut up" Carla smirked, placing his arms above his head. Then placing a passionate kiss onto his lips.
Just after they finished and right on queue, Haisley ran into the room.
Kate was having Haisley for the day today which she was very excited for. Kate was taking her to the zoo with Aiden, Emma and Archie.
Carla was gutted she would miss the family day out but she was far too excited to see her baby.
After the family ate breakfast together, Haisley was dressed and waiting for Kate to arrive.
Just on queue Kate knocked on the door.
"Is my favourite niece ready for her day at the zoo?" Kate asked, entering.
"Yes auntie Kate"
"I also want to know whether I am having another niece or another nephew" Kate told Carla.
"I am not going to find out" Carla told her, causing Kate to laugh.
"You're joking?" Kate laughed.
"No"
"She keeps saying this but I know she will have to ask when we are there" Peter told her, placing his arm around Carla.
Carla smiled and shook her head "Have a nice day with auntie Kate baby"
"Thank you mummy"
Peter gave Haisley a kiss and watched her walk away with Kate.
"Come on, let's go see our baby" Peter smiled holding out his hand.
Carla took his hand and smiled at him.
Once in the waiting room Carla was nervous again. She wasn't sure as to why, maybe it was because she just needed to know that the baby was ok or maybe it was because she wasn't sure if she wanted to find out the gender or not.
"Mrs Connor"
Carla took a deep breath. Peter held out his hand for her to take, she smiled at him and took it, both walking into the room.
Carla laid down on the bed, pulling up her shirt to reveal her small baby bump.
The gel was squirted onto her stomach causing her to shiver. She took Peter's hand as the sonographer placed the scanner onto her stomach.
She moved it around her stomach, trying to find a clear picture.
"Is everything okay?" Peter asked her.
"Everything is fine, listen" she said, pressing a button to reveal the heartbeat.
Carla let out a little tear. She was so overwhelmed with everything right now that her baby's heartbeat made her feel so emotional.
"Would you like to know what you are having?" the sonographer asked.
Peter looked at Carla with his puppy dog eyes. Carla rolled her eyes.
"Yes please" she said, leaving Peter with a massive grin on his face.
"Are you sure, I understand it's a big decision" she asked them.
"I'm sure if you are" Peter told her.
"Ok, I want to know" Carla said, making Peter chuckle "shut it you" she said, hitting his arm as he knew she would need to know.
"Ok, I can tell you you are having…."
The couple arrived home. They were over the moon that their baby was healthy and growing properly.
Peter protectively placed his arm around Carla's shoulder as they walked down the street.
"Well well well" they heard from behind them.
Carla turned first to see Nick stood in the middle of the street off his face drunk.
"Nick, I think you should go home" Carla said, noticing that he was drunk.
"I don't have a home" Nick slurred "thanks to you"
Peter spun around to look at his nemesis "I think that was down to you"
"I wasn't talking to you"
"Nick please" Carla asked, knowing that Peter was not going to take much more.
"Carla, I have nothing to lose" Nick took a few steps closer to her. Peter stepped forward protecting her from him.
"Nick I am warning you, leave her alone, she doesn't need this right now" Peter warned.
"Oh yes, the Barlow sprog"
"Excuse me" Carla called, offended with his choice of words.
"Carla, I didn't mean that, can we go somewhere to talk?"
"Nick, have you completely lost your mind?" Peter asked, finding it hard to keep his cool.
"Carla, please" Nick said, completely ignoring Peter. He took a step closer, leaving Peter to push his hand against Nick's chest.
"I am warning you"
"Carla, I know I have been drinking right now but everything I have said to you in the past still stands"
"Right that's it, come on" Peter grabbed Nick by the scruff and dragged him back to Gails. He threw him onto her doorstep.
"Peter, she will talk to me at some point" Nick said, looking up at him.
"No nick, she won't, she wants nothing to do with you and you are just embarrassing yourself" Peter said "now if you don't mind I am going home with my girlfriend"
Nick watched as Peter returned to Carla, taking her hand.
Carla sat on the sofa at home in silence.
"Carla, are you ok?" Peter asked, handing her a glass of water.
Carla nodded at him "I just don't understand why he has to be so aggressive, why can't he just move on?"
"I don't know love, I think he has some problems with understanding reality since his brain injury"
Carla smiled "you don't need to be mean"
"He will eventually get the message, you would think you being pregnant with someone else's baby would make him move on but you are so unforgettable that I do understand why he hasn't" Peter placed a kiss onto her forehead.
"So when are we telling everyone the gender of the baby?" Peter asked, changing the subject from Nick.
"I have just text Michelle asking her to organise a gender reveal"
"I didn't have you down for a gender reveal kinda girl" Peter teased.
"Well now we are a proper family I want to do it properly, besides I think it will be nice for Haisley"
"I agree, any reason to celebrate our baby" Peter pulled her in for a hug and placed his hand onto her bump. Peter beamed with pride.
That weekend was their gender reveal party. Michelle had worked so hard to sort out the most amazing party for the couple at the bistro in the short notice she was given. The decorations were beautiful, the room was full of pink and blue balloons. It had banners with boy or girl written on them.
"Thank you so much for this" Carla said to Michelle in an embrace as she looked around the bistro.
"I just want to make you happy and I want to know what you are having so the quicker the party the quicker the reveal" Michelle laughed. Carla had refused to tell anyone what she was having until the party.
"Ah so it was selfish reasons then" Carla joked.
A little later everyone had arrived. Haisley was so excited to find out whether she was having a brother or a sister.
Carla had a special confetti cannon made for Haisley so she could be the one to let it off. Everyone was excited to be there but nobody more than Johnny.
He loved being a grandfather to all his grandchildren but there was something about this pregnancy that made him beam with pride. Maybe because he wasn't there for Carla he feels like he needs to make it up with her children.
"Carla, I am so happy for you" Johnny told her as he pulled her aside.
"Thank you Johnny but I am not telling you what we are having"
Johnny laughed "that is not what I meant, I just want you to know that, I am glad everything worked out with Peter"
"Ok, thank you" Carla replied with a smile. It was strange having a parent around whilst Pregnant. Haisley was two when she found out that Johnny was her dad so he was never really around when she had a tiny baby.
This pregnancy was so different as she had a lot of people around her to support her.
"Right everyone" Peter called "is everyone ready to find out the gender of our baby?"
Carla smiled "Haisley" she called, as Haisley approached her.
"As you all know we have had a special cannon made for Haisley as we feel she should be the one to tell you all, although she doesn't know herself yet either so this could go either way" the crowd rescinded with a laugh.
"So on the count of 3 Haisley" Carla said to her daughter as she nodded back in response.
"1, 2, 3" the crowd chanted.
Haisley heard the number 3 and pulled her trigger, shooting out blue confetti.
"It's a boy" the crowd cheered.
Peter scooped Haisley up "how do you feel?" he asked her.
"A brother?" she asked.
Peter nodded "is that ok?"
"Yes daddy" Haisley responded, giving her dad a hug. Carla placed her arms around them both.
"Are you happy baby?" Carla asked her.
"Yes mummy"
"You will always be my princess" Peter told her "you know that right?"
Haisley nodded at him. It was a very emotional day for all three of them as they were going to a family of four.
Both the Barlows and the Connors cheered.
"Another little boy" Johnny cheered.
"He gets to grow up with Archie" Aiden said, pulling Carla in for a hug. Aiden placed his hand on her bump.
Emma approached with Archie in her arms "congratulations Carla"
"Thank you Emma, our boys will be so close"
"I know, I would love nothing more" Emma told her.
"Are you ok?" Carla asked her.
"Yes, just tired that's all"
"Ok, take it easy won't you" Carla told her.
Michelle appeared next to her best friend "a boy" she said as Carla nodded at her "A boy is not what you are used too"
"No it is not but I am so happy" Carla told her as Kate approached the women "now I have one of each, my life is complete"
"I am so happy for you sis, that little boy is going to be a style icon if his sister is anything to go by" Kate told her, referring to Haisley's amazing style.
"I hope so, I think boys clothes are so much better than girls clothes" Carla told them.
"We are going to have some amazing shopping trips" Michelle told them.
"I agree, who would have thought that this would be happening this time last year?" Carla told them "I wasn't even thinking about coming back to the street this time last year"
"That is true" Kate agreed.
"What are we talking about over here?" Peter asked, snaking his arms around Carla's waist.
"Just our boy" Carla told him.
"I can't believe we are having a boy" Peter said with a giant grin.
"Someone was very happy with the gender" Carla told the group.
"I bet he was" Kate laughed "he hasn't stopped grinning since he got here"
It was true Peter was so happy that was until five minutes later.
"Nick, you need to leave" Michelle pleaded with the drunk man who stumbled through the door.
"I am here to toast to the new baby" Nick slurred, he looked around the room, noticing the blue confetti "I take it it's a boy then"
"Nick, what are you doing here?" Michelle asked him quietly.
"I am here to talk to Carla"
"She is busy" Michelle told him, worried that her friends day would be ruined "you need to leave"
"She won't ask you again" Aiden said, squaring up to Nick.
"Aiden, I just need to see Carla and then I will go"
"No way" Aiden said, pushing him a little.
Nick scanned the room for Carla, he saw her standing at the back of the room with Peter by her side, Haisley was running around in the confetti, it was a perfect family picture.
"Carla" Nick called, catching other family members attention.
"Nick, I think you should go home" Simon said to him, noticing the state he was in.
"No Simon, I have to talk to her" Nick pushed past Aiden and Simon, tripping over a chair that was in front of him.
Nick got himself up off of the floor, now the whole room was watching him. He stumbled towards Carla and Peter.
"Get out" Peter shouted "how dare you come in here today" Peter took a step in front of Carla, protectively.
"I just wanted to tell Carla that I am happy for her"
"Well now you have, you can go" Peter told him sternly.
"I love you Carla" Nick shouted, causing the whole bar to go quiet. Nick had been having some sort of breakdown ever since Leanne threw him out. He was relapsing on his meds which made his brain deteriorate, hence his odd behaviour.
"I warned you" Peter told him.
"I am not listening to you Peter" Nick said, stumbling backwards, not noticing Haisley skipping behind him.
Nick crashed to the floor, knocking Haisley over in the process.
Haisley screamed in shock and began to cry.
Peter saw red.
He grabbed Nick by the scruff, along with Aiden, who had also had enough. They both dragged him outside, whilst Carla rushed to Haisley's side.
Once outside Peter pushed Nick against the wall "I have tried to be nice to you Nick but you keep on coming back for more, Carla is mine and doesn't want anything to do with you"
"I love her Peter" Nick told him. His brain was telling him that he needed to be with Carla, which of course wasn't true.
"You seriously are as mad as everyone says" Peter said to him.
"She will be mine, she doesn't want you, all you do is let her down, I put her back together last time and I can do that again"
That was it. Peter smacked him in the mouth "Maybe you will learn the hard way"
Nick fell to the floor, leaving Peter to jump on top of him, punching him in the face and stomach. But Nick didn't stop teasing Peter, it was like he wanted him to hit him.
"Get off of him Peter" Aiden called, noticing the arrival in the background. Aiden tried to pull Peter off of him.
But Peter was having none of it.
"Peter, let go of him" Carla called from the doors. Peter looked up at the sound of Carla's voice. He softened, he stood up, releasing Nick.
"I bet you will never be faithful to her, I bet you are at it right now with the new local bike" Nick said, wiping his bleeding lip.
Carla looked at Peter with her doe like eyes, knowing that Peter wouldn't stand for a comment like that.
Aiden tried to hold Peter back but he used his foot to kick Nick in the stomach.
Wincing in pain, Nick rolled on the floor.
"Stay away from Carla and leave my family alone" Peter stood over him, pointing at him as he shouted.
Peter returned to Carla who was standing in the doorway "Peter, violence isn't always needed"
"I know, I'm sorry but he has to leave us alone Carla, he also hurt my daughter"
Carla nodded "she is fine" Carla placed her hands on his cheeks "Peter, I don't like it when you use your fists"
Aiden walked back into the bistro past them "he deserved it Carla"
Carla scowled at her brother for backing up Peter's behaviour.
Carla and Peter had returned to the party after Nick's arrival and thanked everyone for coming. Michelle told them to go home with Haisley and have a chilled evening which Carla gladly accepted.
"She is asleep" Peter said, emerging from Haisley's room.
"Thank god" Carla said, from the sofa "I'm exhausted" Carla placed her hand on her bump.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Peter walked over to open it. It was late evening so this knock was out of the blue. Peter had a cold feeling as soon as he opened the door to see the police standing there.
"Mr Barlow?" The officer questioned.
"Yes, that's me" Peter answered.
The police officer grabbed him by the arm and said "I'm arresting you on suspicion of assault"
"No, this is not happening" Carla said, approaching the door, shaking her head fiercely.
"It's fine Carla, call Adam" Peter said as they led him away "I'll be fine"
Carla stood on her doorstep in tears "this was his plan" she said to herself, letting the tears stream down her face.