So she had kidney failure, it wasn't that a big a deal right? She'd ride out the pain, the tiredness then when the timing was better she would ask her family for help. Carla was sick of Roy pestering her like a flea in her ear, she knew he had her best intentions at heart but she couldn't get it through to him that now wasn't the right time. They had words, strong words, which resulted in Carla storming out of the café and taking refuge in the Rovers. She had only been sat in a booth a matter of minutes nursing her orange juice when Aidan came and sat opposite her to talk shop. Part of her welcomed the distraction from her ever growing list of problems but her body told her otherwise; the sudden tiredness that came over her made her zone out from what her half brother was saying and as much as she tried to concentrate she just couldn't. Aidan soon realised Carla was paying no attention and didn't even seem remotely interested and as she tried to assure him that wasn't the case, she ended up having her second falling out that day. Michelle quickly stepped in to calm things down to only be met Carla screaming in her face "BACK OFF MICHELLE!" Great. She was quickly running out of allies and deep down Carla knew she needed these three people more than ever. But rather than sorting her differences with them, in true Carla fashion, she decided to bury her head in the sand and run and before she could say 'new kidney please' she was booked on the 10pm flight to LA to see Suzie.
Carla waited until Roy had gone out before she went back to the flat, she sat at the bus stop across the road, hidden by darkness as she watched him leave with Mary for a night of chess. As quick as her limp body could carry her, Carla went upstairs and packed all she would need for a few days of head clearing in the sun. She rushed down the stairs, bag in one hand and phone in the other trying to call a cab, whilst ignoring the stabbing pain in her side.
The night air was cold against Carla's pale skin, her hands started to become numb as she waited for the car she began to think wasn't coming. Frustration got the better of her and she marched across to the cab office, the sound of her heels striking the cobbles echoing in the silence. The stabbing pain got sharper. 'Ignore it, ignore it' she repeated to herself, but the pain becoming too strong to ignore. She felt sick, her head span and before she knew it she was flying forward to the ground face first. She was out cold.
Michelle knew something was wrong with Carla for her to have gone off like she had, she was used to managing her moods and could tell when her friend was just being stroppy but her gut instinct told her that something was very wrong. She called her phone countless times but received no reply. Usually she would have thought she was getting the cold shoulder after they had words but instead she panicked. 'Chelle rushed out of the pub and was about to head for Roy's. Something made her turn and look the other way to where she saw a heap of blackness with hair and a bag lying on the floor.
"CARLA" she screamed, dropping to her knees and violently shaking her friend. Nothing. Michelle phoned the ambulance and then Aidan and Roy.
By the time Carla and Michelle arrived at Weatherfield General, Aidan, Johnny and Roy had already arrived. Roy stood up to speak to the doctor as Carla was wheeled into a treatment room.
"She was diagnosed with kidney failure in December, without a transplant she will die" he confessed before turning to see three open mouthed, tear stained faces behind him.
"She's what?" Michelle said, not sure which emotion was currently dominant.
"Kidney failure" Roy repeated, as if they hadn't heard.
"No, not Carla" Aidan said, taking the denial route. "She's tough, she wouldn't have...that"
"I'm afraid so" Roy saddened as he took a seat. "I've been begging her to tell you for weeks, you are her best chance of a transplant match, her blood relatives, I wasn't but you could be"
"Wait wait wait, slow down" Johnny now piped up for the first time. "You've know for how long?"
"Carla phoned me just before Christmas" Roy stated.
"And you never said a word?" Johnny continued, anger taking hold.
"She swore me to secrecy and the only chance I had of keeping her safe was to keep quiet and get her to move in with me so I could take care of her"
"That's my job, I'm her dad" Johnny now shouting.
Roy's fury began to match the red faced man squaring up to him. "Shame you waited forty years to use that one. I was there for her through Frank, Peter, the baby, Nick, the gambling, the drinking, would you like me to continue?"
"That is enough" Michelle ordered as the sense of reason, pointing her finger at Johnny. "This isn't Roy's fault, you know how stubborn Carla can be and anyway none of it even matters now, what matters is that Carla pulls through"
"He started it!" Johnny snapped back, pushing Michelle's hand away from his face.
"All of you stop it!" Aidan shouted over the top of all of it. Silence resounded. "Michelle's right, none of it is important now, we are all to blame, we should have known something was up, her not drinking, her tiredness, her unusual helpful caring behaviour. But what matters now is helping her, I'll give her a kidney" he said as he went to find a nurse, calling Kate on the way to be tested.
The three left behind in the waiting room sat in silence, still miffed at each other, still angry with themselves, still terrified for Carla.
Hours passed, Kate arrived, she was filled in and quickly followed in her brother's footsteps to be tested too. Michelle sat cradling Carla's bag that kept ringing. She searched through it to find her phone. 4 missed calls from Michelle, a text from Aidan and 9 missed calls and a voicemail from Suzie. 'Chelle listened to the message.
'Hi Carla, just phoning to check you're ok, not sure if you missed your flight or had a change of heart but I'm standing at the airport like a numpty, your flight has landed and you're not on it. I've called a few times and now I'm worrying, give us a text or call when you can eh? Just let me know you're ok, I know what you're like you've probably met a bloke, got smashed and forgot! Alright love you loads babe, bye'
"She was on her way to Suzie's in LA" Michelle said in disbelief, still holding the phone to her ear. "Suzie's at the airport worrying. Typical flamin' Carla, when there's a problem, what does she do, she runs away"
Michelle sent Suzie a text to say Carla was rushed to hospital and needed a transplant before she died. The test results came back and both siblings were a match. They just had to wait until Carla was more stable to be operated on. The five people closest to her kept vigil at her bedside, hoping, praying, talking to her. It had been twelve hours since the test results were back but still no change.
All of a sudden the door burst open. There stood a tall slim woman with hair as red as blood, straight as a knife's edge, parted in the middle and resting half way down her back, her grown out fringe formed around her cheeks meeting under her chin, making her already pale skin look even whiter. She had cheekbones that could cut glass and her subtle makeup highlighted her bright blue eyes. She was dressed in a black bodycon dress that left nothing to the imagination, black tights and high heeled suede boots that were pulled up over her knees. She wore a black leather jacket, the sleeves rolled up her to elbows and she finished the outfit with silver costume jewellery that stood out against the dark clothes; a thick silver necklace with a heart pendant that rested on the top of her cleavage, big hoop earrings and almost a ring for every finger with countless bracelets on her arms. Her black patent handbag with a silver chain detail was thrown over her right shoulder.
"Who the hell are you?" Michelle asked. Aidan sat open mouthed, blown away by her sexiness.
"Looks like a hooker to me" Johnny sniped "Think you're lost love"
"Don't you think she looks a bit like Carla?" Kate whispered to Michelle "But with red hair"
"Suzie, I'm Carla's friend from the states. I've heard a lot about you all. So, how is the old bag doing?"