The next morning Carla was walking the cobbles when she saw Simon.
"Si.." she called. "You alright?"
Simon shook his head. She could see he was clearly upset.
"Here, come with me." Carla smiled.
"I knew they were up to something and keeping something from my dad weeks ago.. But everyone thought I was just acting up." Simon said sadly.
Carla sighed.
Simon looked at the woman who was once his step mum.
"So if Suzie was Eva's baby, what happened to Jacqui's baby?" He questioned.
"Has nobody told you?" Carla was surprised.
"Told me what?" Simon asked. "I kicked off when I realised Eva and Toyah had lied to my dad.. I walked out."
"The baby that Jacqui was having for your dad and Toyah... He di... Jacqui lost him, sweetheart." Carla struggled to tell the young lad.
Simons eyes filled with tears. "... just like what happened to you and dad."
"Yeah.." Carla whispered.
"I'm sorry..." Simon said.
"What for?"
"For you losing my sister." Simon said. "I know it must've hurt you.. I really would've loved her.."
Carla couldn't hold her emotions in anymore and Simon wrapped his arms around her waist.
"I didn't mean to make you cry." Simon apologised, feeling guilty.
Carla shook her head. "It's alright.. Si, that means a lot... I'm sure she would've loved you too."
"Have you been back since you walked out?" Carla asked as Simon shook his head.
"Right lets get you back. They'll be worried." Carla said, standing up.
"No. I'm not going back to where Toyah is.."
Carla nodded. "I know. I'm taking you to your dad." She held out her hand to Simon as he took it.
"... Carla, hi." Ken said as he opened the front door of number one to see Carla and Simon on the doorstep.
"I'm assuming peter is here?"
Ken let the pair in as they walked in to find peter laid on the couch. Simon ran and hugged his dad.
"Dad can you give us a few minutes please?" Peter asked as Ken politely left the room.
"I found him walking the streets..." Carla explained.
"I'm sorry dad." Simon said.
"Si, you've got nothing to apologise for." Peter was confused.
"For my little brother..." Simon said. "And sister" he added as he looked at Carla.
Peters eyes filled with sadness.
"I'll never forgive Toyah." Simon said.
"Me neither, son."
Carla had taken herself to the kitchen by this point and was trying to hide her silent tears that were falling.
She didn't even acknowledge that peter had now entered the kitchen.
"Hey.." he startled her.
"I'm sorry."
"You're allowed to be upset." Peter said.
"Johnny still doesn't know." Carla said. "I went round yesterday all set to tell him... then he told me he's considered doing what Aidan did and I just couldn't."
"Oh Carla." Peter took her hand. "Maybe knowing that he still has a part of Aidan left in Suzie will bring him some comfort."
"Do you want me to come with you? He needs to know." Peter offered.
"Thankyou." Carla said as she kissed peter's cheek.
Carla pressed the buzzer for Johnny's flat for the fourth time. She pulled out her phone and started to dial his number.
As it was ringing, one of the other Victoria court residents exited the building and let them in.
Carla went up towards Johnny's flat with Peter and Suzie in tow and found the door closed but unlocked.
She let herself into the flat and found Johnny and Liz quickly break away from each other.
"What the...?!"
"Carla, erm" Johnny and liz both looked incredibly awkward as Liz grabbed her top pulling it back over her head.
"That's why you weren't answering."
"I'm going to make myself scarce" Liz made a quick exit.
"What are you doing?" Carla asked once Liz had shut the door. "You've got Jenny."
"I love Liz." Johnny confessed. "I don't feel anything for Jenny anymore..."
"You're grieving. You're not thinking straight." Carla said but Johnny disagreed.
"Liz is the only thing that makes any sense at the moment."
Johnny noticed peter standing awkwardly with baby Suzie.
"Erm what's he doing here?"
"Sit down. There's something I need to speak to you about."
Johnny sat down with Carla as peter sat on the sofa with Suzie.
"I don't know how to tell you this and I don't know how much of a good place you're in right now to hear this but..."
"Carla spit it out."
"Suzie is Aidan's daughter."
Johnny didn't say anything.
"Eva was pregnant with Aidan's child but she didn't want her.." Carla explained. "Then Toyah's surrogate lost her and peters baby. So Eva gave Suzie to Toyah and they passed her off as her baby."
"Why did you say anything?!" Johnny directed his question to peter.
"I only just found out! Toyah kept it from me all this time. She didn't even tell me our own baby had died."
"She might've saved my son. Did he know?!"
Carla shook her head sadly. "We don't think he did."
"Carla went to see Eva yesterday about it. Apparently Eva wants her now." Peter confessed.
"No." Johnny said firmly. "That's my granddaughter. The only part of my son I've got left. Eva isn't taking her. I'm seeing my lawyer first thing."
Carla stood up and went and took Suzie from Peter's arms, into her own. "Come meet your grandad sweetheart."
Carla placed the sleeping baby into Johnny's arms as he welled up.
"She looks just like him." Johnny whispered as he took in his very first moments with his first grandchild.
Peter and Carla were about to leave. "Where's she staying tonight? You aren't away to send her to Eva are you?" Johnny asked.
"No. I've got her tonight." Peter said. "After What Toyah has done she isn't having her."
Carla reached down and squeezed Peter's hand discreetly but Johnny still noticed.
"Are you two..?"
"Early days." Carla smiled as she looked at Peter.
"I hurt her in the past I know but I've changed and I've never fallen out of love with her." Peter told Johnny.
"In the past?" Johnny was confused.
"We were married." Carla confessed. Her dad didn't really know that much about her history.
"Oh." Johnny said. "Well I hope it works out this time."
"It will." Peter smiled at the woman he'd never stopped loving.
