"Look I appreciate your policy on letting people in to see the babies but this is important. This little girl could be my daughter and well I just want to see her, she's poorly and well if anything happened then I don't want to think I never saw her." Nick said as he stood at the reception desk at the hospital's maternity unit. "Sir I'm sorry but without the mother's consent we can't allow anyone access to the children. It's a security issue which I'm sure you can appreciate is reasonable." The receptionist said somewhat flustered. "Well as much as I'd love o have the mother's consent it's a little difficult given that she passed away just after the birth." Nick said his voice raw with emotion. The receptionist looked unsure of what to do as she looked for a senior member of staff to take charge. She sighed in relief as a senior paediatrician came over. "Is there a problem?" He asked as the nurse nodded.

"I'm trying to explain to this gentlemen why we can't allow him access to the babies if he hasn't authorisation."

"But it's not exactly the same as usual I swear." Nick said as the paediatrician furrowed his brow.

"Why don't you come talk to me in private sir, it's not exactly ideal discussing sensitive matters at a reception desk is it." He said as Nick sighed but nodded.

"She's going to be a little stunner this one isn't she." Stella said as she stroked her hand over Megan's baby toes as Eva nodded. "You reckon that Peter will let me be a proper Auntie? I wasn't exactly nice with Leanne when…well when she was with us." Eva said as she bit her lip and winced as she caught a bit of dry skin and snagged it. "Oh I'm sure he will lovely. Besides Megan will need some girly time what with having her Daddy and a big brother. She'll love seeing her Auntie Eva." Stella said with a sniff as she wiped her tears with a tissue. "Anyway I guess we should get going soon, your Nan'll be driving poor Karl up the wall no doubt and well I'm exhausted if I'm honest." Stella said as Eva nodded.

"Well I'm going to nip to the toilet so I'll ring the taxi then." Eva said as she smiled at her sleeping niece and headed out of the special care baby unit. As she did so she thought she caught sight of someone familiar at the reception desk following a docto to a coonsultancy room.

Peter smiled as he came out of the bathroom and saw his son snuggled up against Carla as she gently ran her hand through his chocolate brown curls. "Hey, I started the story and well I think he was just absolutely wiped bless him." Carla said as her green eyes met Peter's brown one's, he sporting a pair of jogging bottoms and a old T-shirt, his brown hair still wet from the bath. "Do you want me to take him?" Peter asked as he rubbed his damp hair with a towel. "No it's okay. He's fine for now. Bath okay?" Carla asked as a banal television show echoed from the TV set. "Yeah it was lovely thanks. Listen we really appreciate you having us stay but if you don't want us here it's okay." Peter said as Carla pursed her lips. "No offence Peter but you've surely known me long enough to know that if I didn't want you here you wouldn't be here." She stated as Peter smiled slightly.

"True, well just promise me you won't let us outstay our welcome. I don't want you to end up resenting us from cramming your style." Peter said as he chuckled at Carla's arched eyebrows.

"Oh please. You know that won't happen." She said as Peter nodded and gazed at his slumbering son.

"I'll take him upstairs, he gets surprisingly heavy after a while leaning against you." He said as he scooped down to gently lift his son up in his arms, his biceps bulging as he did so and Carla trying her hardest to pretend she wasn't looking.

Peter eased Simon into the double bed in Carla's spare bedroom sighing as Simon shuffled a little in his sleep and his lashes fluttered. He hated that his son was having to go through this pain, true Leanne's death had hit him hard but Simon had adored her too. Hell he sometimes was pretty sure that the only reason Leanne had endured all she had was because of that little boy. It was in part her love of Simon that had been the reason he had been able to persuade her to come home when he had found her when she was working in Leeds. He tenderly kissed his son's temple and arranged the duvet over him before heading downstairs to where Carla was stood in the kitchen area making them both a coffee. "He stay asleep?" She asked as Peter nodded. "Yeah."

"So what about you. Is all you need to go to sleep a few pages of Harry Potter?" Carla asked as she poured the water out of the boiled kettle. "Hmm I wish it was that easy. Carla?"

"Hmm?"

"Is it wrong that right now all I crave is a bottle of decent whiskey?" Peter said as Carla brought over the two steaming cups of coffee. "No, it's not wrong, if anything it's completely understandable. But it might help numb the aching pain right now but you'll only feel worse when the alcohol leaves your system and you realise it was just a temporary fix." Carla said as she sat down besides Peter on the couch, clad in a pair of jogging bottoms and a slogan T-shirt. "I've got to meet up with Stella and that about planning the funeral tomorrow. It's just this time last week me and Leanne we were busy folding baby clothes and debating what our little baby girl would look like and tomorrow I have to talk about what type of coffin to bury my wife in." Peter said his voice cracking with tears as he spoke as Carla felt her heart breaking for him.

"Morning sweetheart. You're up early." Carla said as she came out of the bathroom to find Simon sat on the couch, his little cheeks tearstained as he bit his lip. "I had a bad dream an…and well Dad's asleep still and I didn't want him to be upset too." Simon said as Carla sighed gently and sat besides Simon on the couch as she put her arm around the small boy. "Oh sweetheart. Do you want to tell me about it?" Carla asked as Simon shook his head. "No, bu..but can I watch TV?" Simon asked as Carla nodded softly.

"Of course love, shall I get you some breakfast as well?"

"Can I just have some juice." Simon ventured as Carla nodded kissing his temple and went to get him a drink after putting on some cartoons for him. "Carla?" Simon asked as she gazed over.

"What love?"

"My Dad, he…he was really sad when he came to bed a..and he cried for ages. Will he start drin…drinking again?" Simon asked as Carla passed him the glass of orange juice.

Peter awoke and blinked repeatedly adjusting to the unfamiliar room that he was in. He groaned as he remembered why he wasn't in his own room back at the bookies flat and then worried when he realised that his son was no longer asleep in the bed. "Si?" He called out aware it was still fairly early and not wanting to awaken Carla. "Simon!" He called again a little panicked that his son was not in the spare room where he had been last night. "He's down here." Carla's voice called from the bottom of the spiral stairs that led up to the mezzanine bedroom. Peter let out a relieved sigh as he headed downstairs not wanting to stay in the bed alone, feeling though there was an obvious void there. "I made you coffee." She said as she handed him a steaming mug of coffee. "Thanks Car." Peter said as Simon was happily absorbed in an episode of Spongebob Squarepants. "So what time do you have to go round to talk about the erm…"

"The funeral, it's okay Carla you can say it. It'll be probably about 10ish. Erm listen I know it's a lot to ask and please if it's not okay it's fine but wo…would you be able to look after Simon for me? Just whilst I'm at the Rover's. I don't think it's a good idea for him to be there when well people will be getting upset and things. I'd ask my dad and Deirdre but I think this has really shaken them and well I know Deirdre wasn't feeling too well the other day." Peter said as Carla smiled at him warmly.

"It's fine, besides I think maybe it's easier that he's somewhere he doesn't connect straight away to Leanne. I could take him out for the day."

"You sure it's not affecting the factory or anything. I don't want to be imposing on you if you need to be at work. I'm sure Emily would take him for me but I think he'd prefer to stay here." Peter said. Simon looked around as he heard his name mentioned. "What you saying Dad?"

"Well I've got to go out in a bit Si and well I was asking Carla if she'd mind looking after you again." Peter said as Simon looked up hopefully towards Carla. "Will you, I'll be really good I promise." He said as Carla smiled at him. "Of course you can stay with me sweetheart. We can find something fun to do hey." Carla said as she knew that whilst she could do with heading into work, right now all she wanted to do was to make sure that Peter and Simon were okay.

Steve looked up as Michelle glanced at her phone and then slammed it down on the table, making the plat of toast he was digging into shake in it's place. "Whoa what's the poor phone done to you?" He asked as he spread some jam onto his toast. "Carla, I appreciate she's trying to help Peter out but the factory won't run itself whilst she's away and well one of our buyers is coming in this afternoon and I know for a fact he has a thing for Carla and she can always get a better price from him and then Frank Foster is practically stalling on his decision on the basis he wants to deal with her only. Apparently I obviously aren't good enough!" Michelle snapped as Steve rolled his eyes rather wishing he hadn't asked her to elaborate.

"Well she's obviously trying to help Peter out as much as she can."

"Fair enough but at some point he won't need her help anymore and what will she be left with? A factory in steady decline?" Michelle said as Steve sighed. Personally he thought it was admirable of Carla to be caring so much as she had no reason to give her home up at a moments notice to let Peter and Simon stay. Michelle ignored him having frantically grabbed her phone and was busy tapping away a message to Carla.