Hello everyone!
Thanks so much for the reviews on the last chapter! Here's the next one and as always, any reviews are much appreciated, enjoy!
Carla slammed the door to her flat as she leaned against the wall. Her tears finally began to fall as she felt like she couldn't breathe as she slid down the wall, falling to the floor.
"You should come up with us. Just to give her extra reassurance he can't come anywhere near" Nick suggested to the officer as they headed upstairs with Johnny too.
Nick opened the flat door to see Carla sat on the floor, howling.
"Hey.." He rushed over to her, pulling her into his arms and holding her for a second as Johnny and the police officer awkwardly entered the flat.
"Come here" Nick whispered as he helped Carla back to her feet before wrapping an arm around her waist and holding her close to him.
"I know it isn't the news you wanted." The police officer started.
"You can say that again." Carla said.
"But I'd like to reassure you that Mr Preston has very strict bail conditions and if he breaks them, he'll be straight back in custody."
Carla let out a small, sarcastic laugh. "Like I haven't heard that before."
"He isn't able to contact you in any way, speak to you. Nothing. Neither of you." The female officer said, looking at Nick too.
"Yeah but come on, he could easily stop me on the street.." Carla said.
"As I said, he has very strict conditions. Plus, he'd be a very stupid man to even try and speak to you."
"Well, Robert is a very stupid man." Carla said, angrily.
"She's pregnant you know? She doesn't need all this." Johnny raged.
"I'm sorry.." the police officer said. "If you don't have any questions, I'll see myself out and leave you to it." she said, letting herself out of the flat.
Carla turned to face Nick as he put his hands on either side of her waist. "I promise you he's not going to speak to you or touch you. I'm here to look after you." Nick said, pulling her into a hug.
Meanwhile, Robert was down an alleyway on the street, watching the police car drive away from outside Victoria Court.
He had to be smart about his next move.
He knew he had to get his point across to Carla and Nick, especially Carla as she was the one who got him arrested and in this position in the first place.
His idea hit him. The perfect plan. He just had to wait until later when the daylight was disappearing and it was starting to get dark to carry it out.
"Why did this have to happen on the day of the scan?! I don't need this." Carla angrily said.
Johnny sat down and sighed. If he ever saw Robert again, he wasn't sure he'd be able to control himself..
"I know it's easier said than done but you just need to chill out, Carla.. The scans in a few hours." Nick said.
Carla looked at Nick with fear in her eyes. He knew that look.
"Nick.. What if? I've been so stressed recently."
Nick shook his head, taking her hand. "Hey, don't. It'll be alright."
"I don't want what happened last time to happen again.." Carla trailed off.
"And it won't. You're not going to lose this baby, Carla." Nick said, before giving her a kiss.
Johnny looked up upon hearing those words. He made eye contact with his daughter, who pulled away from Nick's hug.
"Carla..." Johnny said, hoping he had heard what Nick had just said wrong.
"It's a long story.." Carla sighed. "I was married to Peter and I fell pregnant. He was sleeping with Tina behind my back. Remember that's why Rob.. killed her?" Carla said, as Johnny nodded. "The police suspected me and I was in and out of the station being questioned and the stress of everything, Peter, Tina, the murder.. It all just got too much for my little girl.." Carla cried, as Johnny went over to sit beside her.
"I'm so so sorry." he said, giving her a hug.
Nick and Carla were both now sat in the waiting room. Their scan should've been 5 minutes ago.
"Hey, it's going to be okay.." Nick said, putting his hand on her knee as he noticed her nervously playing with her rings.
Eventually they got taken for the scan. "We've got a strong heartbeat. And can you see the head here, along with a hand here?" The midwife pointed out as both Carla and Nick began to well up, both squeezing each other's hands.
"I'll take a picture for you." The midwife smiled. "Everything is looking perfectly normal and baby seems to be happy in there"
"See, I told you everything would be fine" Nick said, as he gave Carla a kiss.
Meanwhile, Robert was lurking outside at the back of the pub ready to put his plan into action.
Michelle came out with the rubbish. She went into the alleyway behind the pub to put the rubbish into the bins. She was in a world of her own while she closed the lid.
Robert suddenly crept up behind her and knocked her over the head, causing Michelle to fall onto the cobbles. She didn't move and Robert took this as his chance to run. He smirked to himself as he ran away. Surely it would get his point across to Carla and Nick if he had hurt Carla's best friend.
10 minutes later, Steve came outside as he wondered where Michelle had got to. He saw her lying next to the bins and feared the worst.
"Michelle!" He shouted, while grabbing his phone from his pocket, phoning for an ambulance.
Carla and Nick were arriving back onto the street when they saw an ambulance outside the pub.
"What's happened?" Nick asked, as Carla was in her own world staring at her scan photo.
Nick watched as someone was put into the ambulance. "Uh, Carla.."
"What?" Carla looked up as Nick nodded towards the scene outside the pub.
Carla's face fell and her hand rose up to her mouth in shock. "No... Is that Chelle?!" she said, opening the car door and rushing towards her best friend.
"Michelle, no.." Carla said, starting to cry as she got closer and realised it definitely was Michelle. "Steve, what happened?!"
Steve looked at Carla in shock as Nick reached them both.
"I.. I don't know. I found her like that outside by the bins."
Carla shook her head, in complete shock as Nick wrapped his arms around her.
"Steve, we'll follow on behind" Nick said as Steve climbed into the ambulance with Michelle.
"Come on.." Nick said, leading an emotional Carla back to their car.
Nobody saw Robert who was hiding, watching the scene of Carla breaking down with worry, smile and snigger to himself. His plan had worked.
