Chapter 12:
A/N: A bit of a pointless chapter really to just tie up the loose ends before I carry it on.
Carla
"How's the patient?" I hear Johnny's voice as Nick opens the door and I debate hiding behind the sofa.
"Johnny, I'm not dying. I got punched in the face." I groan as he enters, eyeing up the bruise on my cheek. "There's no need for grapes."
"Well I didn't bring you any grapes, but I did bring you some wine." He offers and my eyes light up, taking it from him. "Anyway, I just came to tell you that me and Aidan are taking care of the factory for the day, so take the day off."
"I think I'll decide when I take leave thank you." I place the wine down, getting up to get dressed.
"Hey, maybe he's right?" Nick stops me. "You don't really want to be surrounded by gossiping workforce all day do you?"
"I had the day off yesterday!" I exclaim. "And the day before, you know I can't stay bed ridden for too long, I get all fidgety."
"So, we'll go out for the day?" He offers. "Go shopping?"
"Nicholas, you hate shopping." I point out and he shrugs.
"Yeah, but it's a sacrifice I am willing to make." He debates, holding his arms out for me to walk into. "If it means stopping you from working too hard." He links his arms around my waist and I switch my gaze between me and Johnny, thinking about the idea. "I'll take you to that new wine bar in town?"
"Oh don't..." I whine, knowing he was swaying me. "Fine, but Johnny the O'Driscoll's order has to go out today. Make sure Kirk counts the order correctly because last time they got four hundred hot pink bras instead of six dozen white lace thongs."
"Right." Johnny calculates, looking slightly embarrassed despite the fact he works in a knicker factory. "I'll make a note of that... Enjoy your day."
"See you." Nick waves him off as he leaves, before turning to me.
"How are you feeling?" He studies me with that same look that insinuates pure love and care, and I almost melt under his gaze.
"Alright, really." I smile and he kisses me gently, running his fingers through my hair as he does so.
"Mm." I murmur as he pulls away and I pull him in again for another kiss, hearing him laugh lightly as we part again.
"Go and get dressed then." He orders, spinning me around gently and pointing to the stairs.
"Yes boss." I salute him, playfully before disappearing up the staircase.
Nick
"When you said shopping... I didn't realise you meant this." Carla screws her nose up at the sight of the supermarket, and I grab a trolley, inserting a pound before wheeling it towards the automatic doors.
"Well I've promised we'll go 'real shopping' afterwards." I remind her, heading towards the first aisle.
"So how does this even work?" She questions, looking unpleasantly at the fruit and vegetables aisle we were heading up.
"Well sweetheart, you pick things up off these things, which are called shelves, and put them into this thing called a trolley, and then pay for it." I explain, sarcastically, and she raises her eyebrows.
"Ok sarcy." She sasses me, taking a pile of things off the shelves and placing them in the trolley.
"Why do we need baby corn and lychees?" I read the labels of the products she's thrown into the trolley. "When are we ever going to eat these things?"
"I don't know, when are we going to eat anything from here, really?" She grins, pointing at the next aisle. "Ooh the alcoholic drinks aisle, yes please."
"Hold on!" I call after her, finding it quite amusing that she was childishly strutting around the place, as if she had no cares in the world. "Do we need some apples?"
"Yes." She nods, studying the different bags.
"Red or green?" I ask.
"Both." She shrugs.
"I'm not a millionaire." I scoff, as she puts three different bags of apples into the trolley.
"No Nicholas, but we have just bought a house that was way bellow our budget." She points out. "So I'm sure a few bags of apples won't break the bank." I follow after her, as she loads two bottles of wine into the trolley, heading towards the cereal aisle. "You wanted some more of that muesli, didn't you? The one with the berries in?" She questions and I just nod, fixating on her happiness, soaking it up.
"See this is kind of fun, isn't it?" I ask her, watching her pile the trolley up with pointless things I knew would just end up going way past their sell by dates in our cupboards. But I didn't care, she was happy, that was all that mattered.
Carla
"I need a drink after all of that." I head towards the Bistro, excitedly, shopping bags in hand.
"You need a drink?" Nick practically splutters. "My wallet is crying."
"Ah, well I'll buy then." I link my spare arm with his and he holds the door open for me, before approaching the bar.
"Flipping heck, you have been busy." Michelle exclaims, her eyes widening as I pile the shopping bags on to the bar top.
"Mm and spoilt rotten." I smile, leaning my head on Nick's shoulder.
"Red wine is it?" Michelle guesses.
"Large." Nick orders, groaning at the sight of all the bags.
"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad." I nudge him, moving so my chin was resting on his shoulder, looking up at his tired expression.
"You spent an hour in a shop you didn't even buy anything in!" He cries and I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing.
"You know we'd do this at least once a week after work when I worked at the factory?" Michelle places the glasses down on the counter and I offer her my card, which she scans on the sensor, handing it back to me. "Retail therapy."
"There's nothing therapeutic about it." Nick shakes his head, milking it for all he was worth, which I was enjoying watching. "I'll never understand how women can actually enjoy that."
"Did you get anything for yourself?" She asks, clearly bored as she leans up against the bar.
"Well, this one picked me out some t-shirts, and I paid for them." He declares and Michelle gapes at me.
"Ahh, you didn't treat him?" She scolds me.
"Uh, I bought lunch!" I interject.
"It's true, she did buy lunch." Nick nods in agreement. "But then we went to a posh wine bar afterwards at my expense."
"Oh yeah, drinking with the competition?" Michelle interrogates him, her eyebrows raised.
"Oh no it could never compare to here." Nick lies and I scoff, before he hits me lightly on the arm, causing me to laugh.
"It's nice seeing you both happy." Michelle's tone becomes serious but genuine and I turn back to her, feeling Nick's arm wrap around my waist. I smile at her, appreciatively, enjoying the moment before the door flies open and it's ruined.
"Brilliant." Michelle sighs as Tracy saunters over to the bar, sitting down on a stool. "I wouldn't get comfortable if I were you."
"Sorry?" Tracy frowns, innocently.
"You can go and drink somewhere else Tracy." Michelle demands, taking the menu out of her hands as Tracy looks over at me. I sink into Nick and he wraps his arm around me tighter, protectively.
"You're actually turning me away?" She gasps, as if she was some sort of celebrity who's custom should be respected wherever she went.
"Uh, yep." Michelle replies matter-of-factly and Tracy looks back at me, fury in her eyes.
"You do know I used to own this place?" Tracy reminds her.
"Oh yes and why was that again?" Michelle plays her, as if trying to recall Tracy's schemes from last year. I hated any talk of this, any talk of the past and especially when Nick was around. "Because you blackmailed and conned it off my best mate?"
"Yeah because that slapper was sleeping with the chef!" Tracy raises her voice victoriously and I put my head in my hands, tired of hearing my mistakes being replayed over and over again.
"Oh just shut up Tracy." Nick practically spits. "It's old news, so take your sad and pathetic schemes somewhere else. We don't want to hear it."
"Tracy, just because you're miserable, doesn't mean you have to do the same to everybody else." Michelle persists and I try to cover my ears, trying to block the words and the truth and the past out. "Maybe if you didn't screw every bloke over that you've ever been with, you wouldn't be drinking alone."
"Or maybe it's just because I don't get second chances like some." Tracy shoots at me, bitterly. "Enjoy your drinks. I hope your cheek doesn't hurt too much Carla."
"She is pushing the boundaries." Nick mutters when she's left and I finally muster the strength to look up, clenching my fist before releasing it.
"You know this is exactly why I wanted to leave in the first place." I plead with myself, weakness in my voice. "Because this follows me wherever I go. I can't start a fresh or forget about anything. There's always something, someone there reminding me of how I've screwed up in the past."
"Look, forget about it, ok?" Nick tries to soothe me, running his fingers up and down my back. "She's gone, don't let this spoil your day."
"...No you're right." I sigh, forcing myself to calm down, draining my glass and pushing it towards Michelle for a refill. "If I've got to live on the same street as her, I'll have to start ignoring her snide comments sooner or later."
Nick
Mum's face lights up as she opens the door to number eight, seeing me standing on the doorstep.
"Nick!" She smiles, standing aside. "Come on in."
"Evening." I walk past her into the living room, where I see gran sitting with Bethany on the sofa.
"Would you like a piece of cake?" She offers and I shake my head. "No Carla? What a shame."
"How are you gran?" I ignore mum's remarks, sitting down in the arm chair.
"Oh I'm ok lovely." Audrey assures me, pressing the off button on the TV remote.
"Hey, I was watching that!" Bethany exclaims.
"Bethany, say hello to your uncle Nick." Gran tells her.
"Hello uncle Nick." Bethany drones, getting her phone out.
"How are you doing?" I ask her, concerned. "After the trial I mean?"
"Fine." She puts, bluntly and I take the hint that she doesn't want to talk about it.
"Hi uncle Nick!" Max practically jumps on me and I ruffle his hair playfully.
"Do you want a brew?" Mum questions me.
"No I can't stop." I insist. "Just came to see how gran is."
"Oh don't stop on my account." She tells me.
"Got to get back to Carla, have you?" Mum digs at me and I roll my eyes. "I heard about her scrap in the street the other day."
"I bet you did." I nod my head. "I'm surprised you didn't print it on the front page of the gazette."
"Well it's hardly breaking news." Gail lectures me, raising her voice. "It's not like she hasn't done it before, is it?"
"Gail, now that's enough." Gran scolds.
"No mum, he needs to be warned!" She continues and I close my eyes momentarily, refraining from lashing out.
"Warned?" I'm careful with my tone, trying not to scare Max. "I'm a grown man mother, I can make my own decisions, and quite frankly who I fall in love with is none of your business."
"I'm just saying that you could do so much better! She's a liar, a cheater, she drinks far too much!" Gail shrieks at me and I stand up, turning and jumping as my eyes set straight on Carla.
"Carla?" I say, gently, praying she hadn't heard any of the conversation but knowing she had. "I thought you were staying at home?"
"You forgot this." She hands me the present I was supposed to bring for gran, clearly trying to hold back tears. "I did knock on the door but nobody answered... I'm just gonna... Go."
"No wait, I'm coming now." I try to stop her but she's already disappeared. I turn around to mum, furious, handing gran the present in the process. "Maybe next time when you try to lecture me on my love life, you should take a look at yours. See you gran." I storm out, heading up the street and opening the door to our house, walking in to see Carla pouring herself a glass of wine.
"How much did you hear?" I ask, gently and she avoids my gaze as she sits down on the sofa.
"Enough." She responds. "I mean, if I didn't already know your mum couldn't stand the sight of me... I do now."
"She's very protective." I try to negotiate with her.
"Yep." Carla nods, staring off into space. "Bet she wouldn't give me her earrings to wear now though, would she?"
"She'll come around." I reassure her, sitting down in the chair next to the sofa. "In time."
"Time." Carla scoffs, under her breath, taking a long gulp of her wine. "That's something I haven't got much of, for anything."
"She's hardly a role model of goodwill and respect herself, is she?" I point out.
"No." She shakes her head, still staring at the wall in front of her. "But you are."
"I'm not an angel, Carla." I remind her. "Even in her eyes; I've ran away from home enough times for her to realise that."
"But no woman will ever be good enough for you." She drains her glass, slamming it back down on the coffee table with such force I'm worried it'll smash. "Not Maria, not Leanne and especially not me."
"I don't care what anybody else thinks!" I raise my voice slightly and she snaps her head around to look at me. "I love you and I want a future with you. That's all that matters!"
"I know you do." Her voice cracks and I can tell she's forcing back tears as she looks around the room. "But everybody likes you Nick; I'm not a likeable person. I've made more enemies than I've had glasses of wine. I've listened to so many people talk about me behind my back, but I don't care what they say, it's just that I have to hear them. Like Gail proved earlier; everybody knows what I've done, the mistakes I've made and I just feel like everywhere I go, everything I do, all of that just follows after me. I feel like everybody just knows me for that, like they've already got their opinion of me and it's something I can never change."
"Right, so what then?" I shrug, deciding to go for the tough love approach. "So, we're gonna move back to Devon? Move everything back over, cancel the sale of the house over there and sell this one all over again? Go back to those memories, all of that bad stuff that we'll be constantly reminded of? Everywhere you go, the past will always follow you. I mean, I moved to Canada, and couldn't escape it! It's not about running away, it's about fighting your demons and facing up to them. Because the Carla Connor I know is tougher than that, isn't she?"
"Tilsley." She corrects me, and we both try to keep a straight face, failing when we see each other's reactions. "Says on my drivers license and all." She rummages in her bag and shows me her license, proudly.
"Hey, you got it back." I take it from her, looking at the updated name and address. "See you are officially now a Tilsley."
"Mm..." She mumbles, as I hand it back to her. "Not part of the family yet though."
"So we'll make our own family." I tell her and she smiles, appreciatively.
"I've never been good at family." She opens up, sadly. "Not one I can be proud of, anyway. Nobody who's not an alcoholic druggie or prisoner."
"You've got Johnny, Aidan, Kate." I remind her. "Michelle."
"Oh yeah sorry I forget about them sometimes, you know?" She mutters. "You know, after the forty odd years of prolonged DNA results."
"Stop beating yourself up." I whisper, putting my hand over hers. "And smile, because you deserve to, and I'm gonna prove that to you."
