This was suggested by a few people on Twitter so I thought I'd give it a go. Somewhat rushed as I wanted to get it written while it was still relevant, and given my current writers' block, don't be expecting miracles! Ideally this slots into the show, just after Carla's brief chat to Kylie in the bistro.
"Hey, you look like you could use this" Carla placed a glass of brandy on the table in front of Rita, the gentle clink of the glass echoing around the near silent bistro. "You alright, love?"
Rita gestured her thanks, nodding softly in response. "I'm fine... thank you".
"Red eyes, thousand yeard stare, yeah I know all about that kind of fine," Carla smiled, gesturing towards the chair next to the other woman. "Mind if I sit here?" She sat down as Rita merely shook her head, a suppressed sob interjecting a hopeless sigh.
"Brings it all back, doesn't it?" Carla placed her own half empty wine glass on the table, keeping hold of it at it's widest point.
"I'm just being silly, I'll be fine in a minute." She took a large sip of the brandy in front of her, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye and attempting to laugh at her own weakness.
"Nothing silly about it, love. All this," Carla looked around the room, the same tired, drained expression on everyone's faces as they leaned over their drinks and clung to loved ones, "it's bound to bring it all back".
"I suppose"
"You know," she leaned forward towards Rita, lowering her tone as though confiding a secret, "Standing out there, everyone huddled together, watching people trapped and helpless... You think you're the only one reminded of that night? It stays with you, something like that..." She trailed off , aware that she was in danger of saying too much.
Rita merely smiled in response, an unspoken knowledge filling the space. "I know," she eventually replied, "I just can't help feeling selfish, you know when there's so many folk in need; scared they could lose the people they love, and I'm the one sitting here feeling sorry for myself-"
"Hey," Carla cut her off. "You lay there for hours on end under 6 feet of rubble, god knows what going through your head. Of course that's gonna have affected you. No one would deny you the right to be a bit shaken by it tonight".
"Thank you". Her tone was soft and heartfelt.
There was a brief silence as neither woman quite knew what to say, before Carla eventually broke the silence once more. "Anyway, where's Norris got to?"
"Oh, he's just nipped out to check on something. He did say but..." She shrugged. "He'll be back in a bit".
"Who'd have thought it, eh, his moaning actually saved someone's life tonight!"
"Don't tell him that, his head's big enough already!"
They grinned, before Rita reached across the table and, slowly, aware that she was potentially crossing a boundary, placed her hand comfortingly over the other woman's. She felt some slight relief that the woman didn't pull away, or tense up at her action. "I'd have thought this would've brought things back for you, as well?" Their eyes met briefly, before Carla broke away, looking towards the door at nothing in particular. "It does for everyone, doesn't it? Why do you think I'm on the vino?!"
"What you said, about being affected by things. It works both ways, you know".
Carla smiled, "Hmm. I know. It's taken me... However many years to realise it but I guess I got there in the end".
"You know, me and you, we're not too different".
"I'll that as a compliment!" Carla grinned, pushing her empty wine glass slightly away from her.
"Hey, we should start a club: Weatherfield Victims of Fire"
"Nah-uh, never the victim, always the survivor" she smiled warmly.
"The Survivors' Club it is then"
"Perfect"
Carla's attention was diverted back to the door as Norris returned. As he approached the table, she stood to leave. "Anyway, I'll um, leave you to it" She said, grabbing her back from the table, suddenly feeling out of place. "I'd better get back and help Peter, anyway, I said I'd only be five minutes!"
As she turned to leave, Rita called her back. "Thank you, Carla" She said with a warm expression.
"Don't mention it," she replied. "Survivors Club, we've gotta stick together, right?!"