That afternoon, Michelle did indeed pop-around. Carla greeted Michelle at the front-door and then led her into the living-room where she found Peter fast-asleep on the sofa. Carla could tell from the look on Michelle's face that she wanted to tickle Peter to wake him up, but Carla stopped-him from doing-so. "Michelle. No!" Carla warned-her jokingly before she then walked-over to Peter and gently stroked the top of his hair. "Seriously though, the argument with his Dad really upset him, and I just want him to sleep it off that's all." Carla told Michelle truthfully, but Michelle just giggled at her. "Sounds like you're getting into Mummy-Mode then Car…..Give him some calpol too did ya?!" Michelle teased-Carla as she cheekily nudged her. "Shhh you'll wake the baby!" Carla whispered jokingly, referring to Peter as the 'baby.'
"Anyway Carla, I forgot to say…..Congratulations!" Michelle said, giving her best-friend a hug. "Oh thanks 'Chelle…..I'm glad that at-lease is someone is happy for us….." Carla replied thankfully, she knew that Ken and Deirdre would come around to the idea eventually, but until then, it was gonna be a very rocky ride for the young couple. "Oh Love, I'm sure that things will sort themselves out in the end…..It just must have been a shock for them…..Peter's parents I mean….." Michelle sympathized with Carla. "I know…..But Ken will admit it himself, he wasn't the best Dad in the world…..So who is he to stop Peter from having his own child?! Peter just wants to let our child have a happy and pain-free childhood…..The childhood that Peter never got the chance to have himself….." Carla revealed to Michelle truthfully and slightly angrily. She just wished that she had Ken and Deirdre's blessing over this baby…..
Michelle hugged Carla as she spotted a tear or two fall from Carla's eyes. "Hey come-on Babe. Everything will be okay." Michelle tried to re-assure Carla. "But what if Ken and Deirdre are right?…..What if we are too young to be having a baby of our own?! " Carla began to question the pregnancy, which she had thought to be good-news…..Well, up until now that was…..Michelle forced Carla to look her in the eyes….."Carla. Listen to me. Are you happy that you are pregnant?!" And Carla nodded in response. "Do you want to have this baby with Peter?!" Once again, Carla nodded. "Then you're not too young Babe…..Not if the answers you've just given me are true then you're not, you're definitely not….." Michelle told Carla sweetly and the pair of best-friends hugged once-more before they then sat-down together, Carla squeezed herself behind the feet of a sleeping Peter and placed his feet onto her lap. Michelle sat on the chair opposite the both of them.
The two best-friends chatted for around half-an-hour until Peter began to stir. "Ah hello there sweetheart." Carla said as she reached-over and took one of Peter's hands into her own to give-it a quick-squeeze. Peter stretched slightly and then sat himself-up. "Hey." He said, mid-yawn before he then spotted Michelle. "Michelle…..Urm…..Hi…..You're not gonna kiss-me are you?!" Peter joked, he seemed to be in a brighter-mood now, since that sleep. Michelle laughed, along with Carla. "No I'm not, I'm sorry about that Peter…..Carla wanted me to distract you so she could prepare herself to tell you that she was pregnant, and you were about to walk-off….." Michelle trailed-off, realising how stupid the reason for the kiss was now sounding…..Peter just chuckled. "Michelle, don't worry about it….." He said to her, before Michelle decided to change the subject to a more serious one.
"Peter are you okay now? I hear that your Dad didn't take the news of the pregnancy too well?!" Michelle asked, full of pure concern for her two friends. Peter frowned at Michelle. "I don't see what his problem is, if Me and Carla want to have a baby together then that's our business, not his, we just had common-sense and the politeness to let him know about it…..Who cares if we're only 19 and 20 Years Old…..There are much younger people than us who's babies are now toddlers!" Peter ranted and Carla squeezed Peter's hand to remind him that this wasn't Michelle's fault.
As Peter looked at Carla, he spotted the faint red marks from where Carla had been crying slightly to Michelle earlier on. "Baby are you okay?! Have you been crying?!" Peter asked, moving his hand to the side of Carla's face and then gently rubbing her cheek with the side of his thumb. Of-Course, Peter's concern only brought Carla's worries, and therefore her tears, back to the surface. "I'm sorry baby I didn't want to cry infront of you….." Carla said sadly. "What is it Carla? Come-On you know you can tell-me anything…..We've been through enough….." Peter tried to encourage her and she eventually spoke-up.
"I was just worried about having the baby after what your Dad said…..I mean maybe he was right Peter…..Maybe we are too young…..Plus having a baby is expensive…..I mean, we're barely keeping up with paying the bills on this place as it is….." Carla trailed-of sadly, and Michelle decided that it was time for her to leave. "I'm gonna go and leave you two to talk alright?! Cya soon yeah guys?! Okay…..Bye!" Michelle excused herself from the conversation before showing herself-out-of the front-door and then making her own way-home.
"Carla where has all of this come-from?!" Said an almost devastated but shocked Peter. Peter wasn't angry with Carla; but he just needed to know the reasons behind her sudden change of heart. "When you spoke to your Dad about the way he brought you and your Sister-up…..Or didn't bring you up in your case…..It made me realise that we are gonna want to give this baby the chance of a happy and pain-free childhood…..Something which neither have us ever experienced when we were kids…..But how are we supposed to do that if we have no money, and no support from the Grandparents?!" Carla asked in an ever-so-slightly raised-voice. She was really stressing herself out now.
"Carla calm-down. Stress is bad for the baby." Peter told-her softly and sweetly. Carla suddenly flipped. "HOW CAN I PETER?! I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF WANT THIS FLIPPIN BABY YET?!" She shouted at him in retaliation, but she didn't mean too. Peter then shot Carla a look which told her that he had been hurt by her shouting and she sighed in guilt. "Oh Peter I'm sorry….." She said, trying to hug Peter but he rejected all of the attempts and looked-away from Carla. "Baby look at me….." There was no response. "Please Baby, I didn't mean what I said…..I'm just…..I'm just worried that's all….." Eventually, Carla put her hands against Peter's cheeks and forced him to look at her. "If you didn't mean what you said then why did you even say it in the first place Carla?! Now listen, I know that things are difficult at the moment, but things will settle down, if we go through with this pregnancy, then my Dad and Deirdre aren't gonna have a choice but to accept-the fact that they are gonna be Grandparents...Okay?!" Peter replied in a gentle but firm way; however he was still slightly hurt by what Carla had said. "I know Baby, and I'm sorry for what I said, I really am…..It just came-out without me even planning to say-it….." Carla apologised to Peter meaningfully. "And I'm sorry too….." Peter replied. "What for Baby?!" Carla asked as she held Peter closely towards her face. "For not realising how upset you were over what my Dad had said. I Love You Carla." Peter told-her sweetly.
"I Love You Too…..And I love the fact that you're the Father of OUR Baby…..And no-matter what I said, or what I might say in the future, remember that I said this now…..You, Peter Barlow, and this baby of ours….." Carla took both of Peter's hands and placed them against her stomach so that he could feel the Baby's heartbeat. "Baby Barlow…..Mean the absolute world to me…..And I don't know where I'd be right-now if it weren't for you Peter…..I Love You So Much." Carla told both Peter and the unborn Baby, ever-so-slightly-tearfully. Peter then slid his hands around to Carla's waist. "You took the words right out of my mouth Carla…..Now come-here and let-me kiss-you!" Peter joked in sweet kind-of a way before the couple then both leaned-in towards each-other, and kissed each-other on the lips in a loving and meaningful-way…..