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"We can do this… Carla we can… I promise you… me n you can raise her… we can be happy."
She believed him.
When their new born baby had just been placed into her arms and when he was sat by her side with tears pouring down his cheeks, she truly believed that this would be the making of him.
She believed him when he said that Tina was just a blip, a mistake and that he would never ever hurt her again.
She believed him when he said he was now a changed man, that the birth of his daughter had made him see just how precious his life was and that he would never ever drink again.
She believed him.
She hung on every single word that he said to her and so that was why she just couldn't believe that night when he had come home so steaming drunk.
Jada was only three days old.
Three days it took him, just three days to break every single promise he'd made to her at that hospital.
That first time he'd come home like it he told her it wouldn't happen again.
The time where he stumbled into their flat and said that he was sorry, that it was just a slip-up and that he was going to get help… well she believed him that time too.
She believed him because he told her that he was finding it hard to deal with everything, the new baby and getting out of prison only a month ago.
He told her that being convicted of murder had really affected him in ways that she just couldn't understand.
She believed him because she really wanted it to work for the three of them.
She believed him because she wanted them to make it.
It only took until the third time that he came home drunk, that time he crashed into their coffee table and flew to the ground for Carla to see that they just wouldn't make it.
Blood poured from his head as he lay on the ground motionless and the sight of it made Carla so scared that she just started screaming out loud.
Her ear piercing screams attracted the attention of Tracy who was downstairs in the second hand shop and who had come running.
She saw Peter on the floor, knocked out. She saw a distraught Carla with a shrieking baby in her arms and even though they hadn't spoken since Carla had ruined her wedding, Tracy got her act together and helped her out.
Tracy had to, that crying baby in Carla's shaking arms was her niece after all.
Tracy called an Ambulance and stayed with Carla and Jada until it came and took Peter away.
He had actually woken up by the time they had arrived but Carla refused to speak to him let alone let Jada anywhere near him.
Carla could barley breathe as Peter stood before her with blood trickling down his face.
Even though Jada was only five days old and wouldn't remember a thing, Carla turned her away from her father and covered her head carefully so that she wouldn't be able to see.
Even though Jada couldn't really see Peter it made Carla feel a little better to know that she was protecting her from it.
Carla didn't want Jada to be like her.
She had grown up in a house where she had seen things that no child should have seen.
She had grown up in a house hearing sounds that still haunted her in her sleep.
She had grown up in a house where alcohol was abused, amongst other substances and there was no way on this earth that Carla was going to let the same thing happen to Jada.
No way.
Whether it was the pressures of prison mixed with being a father again, she didn't care anymore… she just had to made sure that she and Jada got out of that kind of environment and fast.
Whilst Peter had his head examined in the hospital with his disappointed father and sister by his side, Carla was at home packing her and Jada's bags.
She packed all the little gifts that Jada had been bought or made by various friends and family.
The little pink blanket that had been sewed together by Emily, the little white booties that had been crocheted by Deirdre, the toy lion that Peter had bought her from the Disney store that was way too big for a newborn and everything else that she thought Jada might need was thrown into the pink plaid changing bag and zipped up tight.
Carla then went across the road to stay with Roy Cropper, the husband of her beloved dead best friend.
It wasn't the most ideal situation of course, Roy wasn't a natural when it came to new born babies and Jada's cries were definitely going to keep him up at night but Carla didn't have anywhere else to go.
Of course, Michelle had offered the pub as a place for Carla and Jada to stay, she begged and she pleaded in fact but Carla said no.
She said no because she was breastfeeding Jada and during these most trying times, Carla was doing her hardest to stay away from alcohol so staying at the pub would certainly not be a good idea.
It didn't take long for Peter to get home of course, his injuries were just superficial and he was driven home by his Dad, who had read him the riot act for getting so drunk and told him that he really needed to buck up his ideas or else.
It was too late.
Peter knew they were gone from the moment that he stepped into his dark and empty flat.
The flat felt cold, as if all the love that it had once been filled with had been sucked out of it and as Peter turned the lights on he saw that Jada's Moses basket was missing, so were her tiny little clothes, her nappies, everything, along with a lot of Carla's stuff too.
"No… no… no." he cried in pure panic mode.
Peter left his flat within seconds and marched right across the street to the Pub where he was sure Carla would be.
Michelle told Peter that he was wasting his time and that Carla wasn't there but he didn't believe her.
He didn't believe her so he checked.
He steamed his way around The Rover's Return and checked every room with Michelle right behind him.
After checking the last room and realising that Carla was nowhere to be seen Peter finally believed Michelle when she said,
"I'm telling ya Peter, they aren't ere!"
It didn't take him all but five minutes to realise where else Carla could be and he was thumping on Roy's door loudly within the next minute.
Carla sighed and tried to ignore it.
She tried to get Roy to ignore it too but he wouldn't and eventually he went and answered the door.
Peter flew straight past Roy and ran up the stairs to find Carla sat on the sofa with Jada in her arms. She got up and as Roy came into the room, she gave Jada to him. She then asked Roy to take Jada into the bedroom so she and Peter could talk.
"Carla… what... are you doing ere?" he asked, looking like a state with stitches on his head and trembling from his alcohol withdrawals because he had pretty much sobered up from all those hours at the hospital and from the coffees that his Dad had been making him drink.
"Why d'ya think I'm ere Peter? I can't do this… we can't do this." Carla began, speaking as calmly as she could because she knew that from now on… she had to remain that way.
She had a baby to look after now.
Someone who depended on her and only her and that made Carla feel strong, even if she didn't necessary look it.
"Yes… yes we can Carla… we can do it." Peter said, nodding as he spoke as if he was trying to assure himself of that fact as well as Carla.
"Actually… let me rephrase that… You can't do this." She said.
"Yes… I can." Peter said, still nodding and looking totally petrified about what was to come. "The drinking… it's just because I've been finding everything so hard lately…"
"And what d'ya think it's been like for me eh?" Carla asked, "Peter, I don't sleep, I don't eat, I don't do anything but look after our baby girl and worry about you… I would love to just walk out of ere n get wasted on a few bottles of wine but I don't and d'ya know why? Because I ave a responsibility now."
"We Carla… We… ave a responsibility…I can be a good Dad…" Peter began but he was quickly interrupted.
"You can't be a good father to that baby in there Peter…" Carla shook her head, "Look at the state of you… your head was practically sliced open tonight, you're covered in bruises from when you fell over the other night due to being so drunk and you're going through alcohol withdrawals as we speak… you're in no fit state to be a Dad to that little girl."
"Carla just give me a chance…" Peter said, moving closer to her and trying to take hold of her hand. "Come back home and we'll talk some more…"
"Are you mad? I can't live with you… Peter I can barley look at ya right now… I can't sit there with our baby and wonder if every time that you go out that you might come back paralytic or worse… that you might not come back at all… what kind of life is that for me to lead eh? What kind of life is that for your daughter to live?' Carla cried, tears were fighting their way through her eyes as she backed away from Peter and then shook her head. "We're not coming home… it's over… get used to it."
"No… no it's not!" Peter cried, his own tears spilling down his cheeks. "It's not over… you can't do this… I need to be with you both…. Please Carla… I'll get help… I'll do anything."
"Yeah n how many times ave I heard that eh?" Carla sobbed, wiping her nose and shaking her head again.
"Do you want me to beg?" Peter asked, getting down on his knees in front of Carla and putting his hands together.
"Peter… don't" Carla sniffed as the sound of Jada's cries came from the bedroom that Roy had taken her into. "Peter get up."
"No… Carla I won't lose you and Jada… I can't… I can't be without you both… I don't know how to be without you..." Peter cried, getting up off the floor and shaking his head as he sobbed.
"It's too late Peter…" Carla said as Jada's screams became louder. "She's crying… I ave to go to her… we'll talk about this another time… just go."
"No!" Peter shouted, unpredictably and in a way that made Carla jump. "I'm not going… not without her… Let me see her... now Carla."
"No Peter." Carla said, standing her ground.
"What? Don't you trust me with her or something?" Peter asked, clearly hurt that Carla could be thinking like this and clearly devastated that he was responsible for all of this hurt in her life.
"No… I don't not when you're like this." Carla began, but this only made him more upset and angrier.
"Carla!" He cried moving closer to her and out of sheer desperation grabbing hold of her by her arms. "Please let me see her!" he begged, unintentionally digging his nails into her arms and praying that she'd see how much he needed his daughter in his life.
"No…" She cried, "Don't you see? This is why I can't ave Jada around you right now." She knew Peter wasn't going to physically hurt her, not on purpose anyway but she didn't trust him to act rationally either.
Make no mistake here she still loved Peter like mad.
Saying all of this to him broke her heart but it was all stuff that he desperately needed to hear.
She loved him with every single bone in her body... she just loved Jada more.
This baby girl, the one that she had almost lost after finding out about Peter's affair, well she was the most important thing in Carla's life and she would be damned if she was going to let Jada live in a world like this. A world where Peter could be so unpredictable, a world where alcohol was still concerned and a world where she wouldn't be able to promise Jada that her Daddy would be home at a decent time.
"Peter…. Please…" Carla closed her eyes, her eyelashes spiked with tears.
Peter let go of her quickly and stared down at the hands that he'd just had on each one of her arms.
He was stunned.
He shook his head, as if he was in shock of what he'd just done, as if it was a complete out of body experience and that he had just watched himself do it.
"I'm sorry." He said, sniffing hard and backing away from Carla. He was shaking but this time she couldn't tell if was the lack of alcohol or the shock of the situation that they were now in.
"Peter…" She began, actually softening towards him now because she could see how troubled he was and how ashamed but he stumbled out of Roy's flat as fast as he could.
Carla wondered when she would see Peter again, she didn't have to wonder for long because there he was, outside Roy's the next morning.
He was once again, thumping on the door and when Carla opened the window, she could see that he'd definitely spent the night drinking. He was shouting and making a real scene.
He was saying that he would never ever give up on getting Carla and Jada back and that she would never be able to get rid of him.
He said that he would wait there forever if he had too.
Carla closed the window and found Roy stood near by, he said not to worry and that Peter would eventually go home… that he would eventually accept that it was over.
Peter did go home, he had to because his Dad and Sister had intervened but he didn't accept that it was over.
He came back every day and made more and more noise.
He made it so that the entire street knew that he wasn't going to give up on his daughter and that he wouldn't leave Carla alone until she let him see Jada.
She didn't blame him of course, in fact if he hadn't fought so hard then she would have been very disappointed in him but the fact that he still seemed to be drinking plagued her with fear and made her want to start on the booze herself.
It was soon beginning to become very difficult for Carla to do anything other than stay in and she knew that Jada needed to get used to some fresh air.
The thing is, going out meant having to deal with him.
When she would take Jada for walks Peter would be there. He'd be begging to hold Jada, to kiss her and hug her but Carla could see that he wasn't stable enough to do it alone.
After a few more days of trying, Carla eventually let Peter have Jada at the flat one afternoon, so long as Ken promised to be there. She knew that Ken would keep an eye on things and he did.
It was when Carla went to pick Jada up that the problems began.
Peter refused to let her in.
He said Carla had no right to keep him from his daughter.
He said he'd been through it with Simon and that he wasn't going through it again.
Ken assured Carla that Jada was okay but she was distraught.
She wanted her baby back and stopped at nothing until she got her.
"Peter! Let me in! Let me in right now!"
She banged and banged on the door to her and Peter's old flat and was getting increasing upset as he continued to ignore her calls.
In the end… Nick Tilsey had been passing by and had seen how distraught Carla was.
She was in tears and asked him to do something.
Well, she more like screamed it.
"Please Nick… I'm begging ya! Help me… do something… anything."
So Nick did.
He took one step back and booted down the door to Peter's flat within seconds. He then followed Carla upstairs where Peter was sat on the sofa with Jada and Ken.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Carla cried, reaching out for her daughter with tears still streaming down his face.
"Carla…" Peter said, standing up and holding Jada close to him. He saw the look on her face, he saw how worried she was. "She's okay… she's fine."
"Just give her to me Peter…" Carla said, trembling as Ken and Nick stood by and watched.
"Peter." His Dad warned, sighing and nodding towards Carla.
Peter knew he was defeated and gave Jada back to Carla... not knowing that this was going to be the last time that he would be seeing his child for almost two years.
It was Christmas Eve when Carla left Weatherfield for California.
She didn't tell anyone other than Michelle that she was going.
She couldn't risk it.
She didn't want to go but she saw no other option.
Peter's little stunt had made her scared that he might try it again so… she had to make sure she went before he did.
She had applied for a passport for Jada the moment she was born, just in case she needed it and as it came on December twenty third, Carla took it as a sign.
She had to go.
She knew that Christmas was probably not the best time for it but she also knew that it was now or never.
That she'd be able to get away now whilst Peter was distracted with Simon and the rest of his family.
She had got to the airport before Peter found out where she was.
Michelle had accidentally told Steve and he had told Peter who of course, phoned Carla instantly.
"Carla… you listen to me and you listen good… you cannot do this… you cannot take my baby thousands of miles away you just can't… I won't let you." Peter said, he was getting in a cab at the time, one that was going to race him to the airport and hopefully get him there in time.
What Peter didn't know was that Carla was in the departure lounge and that her flight was due for boarding in minutes.
There was no way he'd be able to get a ticket and get through security in time.
Carla told him all this but Peter still refused to turn back.
"I don't care… I follow you out there… I'll follow you both… I won't give up Carla… I'll fight everyone and anyone who tells me I can't be a part of Jada's life." Peter said.
"Go ahead! You do that!" Carla hissed into her phone, Jada was sleeping next to her and she didn't want to cause too much of a scene as there were lots of people nearby who would probably be able to hear the conversation. "Peter there is not a court on this earth that would allow you to have custardy of Jada and you know it."
"You can't do this to me… Please Carla, It's Christmas… don't do this…"
"Yes I can… I ave to Peter… she deserves more than this… she deserves more than you."
"Please Carla… I'm begging you come back… I can't live without you..." Peter cried, she could practically hear how heartbroken he was in his voice and a part of her almost said that she would come back but when she looked down at the beautiful baby that was in the Moses basket, she just couldn't do it.
"I'm so sorry Peter…" Carla said, as the doors to the board the plane opened and her seat number was called. "I'm going now… We're going now... I'll send you pictures… I'll tell her all about you… She's got that Lion you bought her... I'll tell her that her Daddy loves her… I promise." Carla said hoarsely, before hanging up and switching off her phone. She picked up her sleeping daughter and began to board the plane, telling herself that one-day her and Jada would be back.
Two years later…
"Mummy!" Jada cried, craning her neck and staring out the window as Carla leant over and fastened her seatbelt.
The plane that they were on was beginning on it's decent into Manchester airport and the pilot had pressed the fasten seat belt sign.
"Look Mummy!" Jada cried, "Fluffy clouds... Simba see!"said the twenty three month old, lifting up her most favourite and oldest cuddly toy, which was the young lion called Simba and waving it at the window. "Mummy look!"
"I know baby…" Carla nodded, smiling down and kissing her daughter who had seemed pretty much unfazed for most of the flight, Carla took a deep breath and then said, "We're home."
