"You alright David? Looking for something in particular?" Rita enquired as she looked over the Kabin counter as David perused the card selection. "Erm I wanted a blank card or something. It's the anniversary of Tina's Dad passing away." David said as Rita sighed. "Oh it completely passed my mind."
"Well we're going to the Rovers later for a drink if you want to join us. I know Tina's fond of you." David said as Rita smiled slightly. "Well thank you David. Dennis and I might come over for a drink to Joe." She said as she furrowed her brow wandering when David Platt had stopped been the devil child he had been in the past. David picked up a card from the rack and headed to the counter with it. "Erm am I invited along tonight?" Norris asked as David scratched his nose. "I suppose it's a free country."
"Should we let Stella know that Megan has been discharged from hospital, or do you think Peter might have told her?" Deirdre wandered as she put together the few bits and pieces she'd brought from Frescho's sensing that Peter and Carla probably hadn't picked up much in the way of groceries. "I'm not sure love. I mean I know she has a right to know but I don't think Peter will want her there today. Besides if we do tell him about her plans to apply for temporary residency of Megan then I think Carla's apartment is the last place she should be going." Ken said wisely as he put on his jacket. "Yes but what if she goes up to the hospital to visit? She's going to work out that Megan's been discharged." Deirdre said. "I know that but hopefully it might not be until later. By then perhaps we can have spoken to Peter about the options he has available." Ken reasoned. Deirdre picked up the bag of groceries as they headed out of the door.
"Simon shush, Megan's trying to sleep." Peter said as Simon rolled his eyes a little. In his opinion he was been fairly quiet, but it was hard to play the computer game he was without making some noise. "I don't think Megan's too fussed with any noise are you." Carla said as she smiled at the tiny girl who was laid in Peter's arms, her little lashes fluttering against her cheeks as she sucked her dummy, Peter's gentle swaying lulling her into slumber. "Right you reckon that this looks alright?" Carla said as she'd set up some small nibbles on the table. "You know you don't have to make a fuss, it's only my Dad and Deirdre. They'll be happy with a brew and some digestives." Peter said as he looked over at the selection of dips, breadsticks, mini pizzas and such that Carla had put on the table. "Well I should at least make an effort. Anyway maybe we might have some other visitors." She ventured knowing that there was a possibility that Stella and the Price family might call round once they knew Megan was home. "Well they should be happy with a brew and digestives an' all." Peter said as Carla smiled slightly at him.
Toyah sipped another cup of tea as Stella gently traced her finger over her daughter's face, frozen on a photograph. "She always reckoned she'd find you one day, though you found her." Toyah said as Stella nodded. "Well after the tram-crash I saw her name in the paper, an article about her and Peter getting married whilst he was close to death. I knew then that this could be the only chance I had, she might have moved away in the next few years or something. And now well imagine if I'd put it off and been too late to ever meet her." Stella said softly as Toyah sighed. "Mam, Gran said that my shoes aren't appropriate for a funeral but..." Eva stopped as she looked at the woman sat beside her mother at the table. "Who's this?" She asked, a stiletto shoe in her hand with extremely high heels. "This is Toyah, Leanne's stepsister." Stella said as Eva looked a little put out by this. "Oh." "Hi it's Eva isn't it." Toyah said politely as she quickly came to the conclusion that Leanne would view Eva as a little vacuous. "Yeah." Eva said as she put the shoe down on the armchair. "When did you get here?" "We got here just before lunch." "We?" "My partner and I. He's stayed with his great-aunt, Emily Bishop. He thought it would be a little intrusive and well he's not great when people get emotional." Toyah said with a smile thinking of Geoffrey.
"Oh this is nice." Deirdre said as they entered the porch of Carla's apartment building as Ken searched for the buzzer with Connor written below it. Pressing it he waited a moment before Carla's voice came through on the speaker. "Hello?" "Hi it's only us, can we come up?" Ken said as Carla pressed the buzzer allowing them access to the apartment complex. "It's the second floor." Deirdre said as she looked at the floor plan. "Well lets go up then." Ken said as he waited for the elevator to open. He sensed he'd struggle up two flights of stairs as would Deirdre. "Oh it'll be lovely to see that little angel out of the hospital, I bet she's got gorgeous little clothes." Deirdre said as Ken chuckled. "I do hope Carla's helped to choose what she's wearing, our Peter won't have a clue." "Don't be so mean. Anyway your Susan once showed me some pictures from when her and Peter were little, you weren't too great at picking out outfits either!" Deirdre said as Ken smiled softly thinking of his late daughter. "She'd have loved seeing Peter been a father. Always forced him to play with her dolls when they were younger." Ken said as Deirdre smiled at her husband knowing it must be hard for him to think of his son and daughter's childhood years which he had missed out on. "Somehow doubt Megan will have quite as much success persuading Simon to play dolls tea parties when she gets older." She mused as the elevator stopped on the second floor.
"So do you think I'll be able to go up to the hospital to meet Megan?" Toyah asked as Eva was busy contemplating whether her new shoes were perhaps a little over the top for a funeral. "Oh I'm sure we can head up there later. No point until after the rush hour has settled down. I'm sure Eva can help out at the bar for a few hours." Stella said as she looked at her youngest, silently annoyed at the poor impression Eva had likely made. "I can't Mam, I'm meeting Kate from sixth-form, you remember her right. She wanted to catch up and thought I might need a bit of cheering up." Eva said as Stella sighed. "I'm sorry. Perhaps we can go tomorrow, though I did hope that she'd be out of hospital by now." Stela said as Gloria ambled into the hallway, looking for some more crisps. "Oh you told Toyah about us looking to get custody?" She called as Stella shot her mother a glare. "What?" Toyah asked confused.
Deirdre handed Carla the bag of groceries before making a beeline for her baby granddaughter who was lying snuggled in Peter's arms. "Oh look at the little princess. Aren't you beautiful." Deirdre gushed as Peter chuckled at his stepmother. "You want a cuddle of her?" He asked as Deirdre beamed and nodded taking the tiny girl in her arms. "Would you both like a drink?" Carla asked as Ken smiled gratefully at her. "That'd be lovely pet. I'll have a coffee please." "Deirdre?" "Oh I'm fine thanks Carla." Deirdre replied as she tenderly stroked her granddaughter's soft cheek. "Look at your pretty little dress. Don't you look adorable." Deirdre cooed as Simon looked at his Grandma oddly as she spoke in a baby voice. "Carla brought that dress. She bought loads of clothes for Megan." Simon said as Carla looked down a little. "Well it's a godmother's right to make sure her goddaughter has lovely clothes. If I left to you boys you'd have her in a baby City kit." She said as she poured herself, Peter and Ken some coffee. "Si do you want a drink?" "Juice please. Can I have some food now they're here?" Simon ventured. "Simon don't be rude!" Peter admonished as Carla smirked at Simon's childlike behaviour. It was nice to have some normalcy when so much had gone on in his little life. "It's okay, go help yourself sweetheart." Carla said as she put the tray of mugs on the coffee table.
"David sat contemplating something to write in the blank card. 'Thinking Of You' seemed somewhat inadequate considering the history he shared with Tina. He'd never been overly keen on Joe but he knew that Tina had been devastated when her father died and well whatever had happened between them, Tina had been the first girl he had truly loved. He wandered if he hadn't gone off the rails following her abortion whether they might have been able to settle down. Though if he was entirely honest with himself, Kylie matched him better. "Hi David!" Max called out as he came through the front door, Kylie following holding a bag of shopping. David panicked and slipped the card into the pages of the TV Guide, knowing that if Kylie found out about a card for Tina she'd likely go off on one regardless of the fact it was completely innocent. "Max will you quit it!" Kylie snapped at her young son whose lip quivered as his Mum shouted. "Kylie!" David spat as Max ran to him eager to be comforted. "He's doing me head in!" Kylie said as she slammed down a loaf of bread on the kitchen counter. David comforted his stepson as well as he could settling him down and getting out some toy cars. He sensed that bringing up a evening at the Rovers with Tina was likely to start world war three, the mood his wife was currently in. "I'm off out with a few of the blokes tonight. You want to come?" David ventured idly knowing she'd likely have no desire to hang out with him and the likes of Gary and Tyrone. "No. I've offered to help out at the Bistro anyway, with Leanne gone well I think Nick appreciates my help. No offence but your Mum's more of a hinderance at times than a help." Kylie said as David snorted. "Sounds like Gail." He said somewhat relieved she was otherwise engaged for the evening. "I take it Gail's having Max then?" "Yeah. I think she was all up for helping in the Bistro but then there's a party of sixteen booked in and well she's not great with big parties." Kylie mused.
Toyah shook her head a little as she took in what Stella was saying. "...it's not a permanent thing, it'll just be for a little while whilst he sorts his head out. I mean Leanne must have mentioned what's happened in the past with little Simon when he's fallen off the wagon. I mean he almost toasted the pair of them one night." She reasoned as she had hoped Toyah might have been able to see she was only acting in the best interests of her granddaughter. "But she's his daughter. He's just lost his wife and now you want to take away his baby girl! If that's not enough to knock him from the wagon I don't know what is." Toyah said as Stella furrowed her brow slightly. "Excuse me darlin' but I appreciate you and Leanne were close but you haven't seen Peter when he's on the ale. He's reckless and rude, uncaring. Hell he can't look after himself when he's at his lowest ebb let alone a seven year old and a newborn." Gloria said as she ventured in having heard arguing. "Maybe he just needs some support." "And maybe he needs a bit of time to get used to Leanne not been around. I appreciate that maybe it seems a rash thing to do but we wouldn't be stopping him seeing her." Stella explained as Toyah sighed rubbing her forehead with her fingers. "I know, and deep down maybe it is a short term solution but I do know Peter a little and I know he won't take it well. Even if it is meant to be a supportive gesture."
"Erm on Tuesday are you coming to ours for the funeral car to pick up? And who's taking Megan because I know you might not be overly keen but Tracey did offer. Emily wants to be at the funeral I think." Deirdre said as she nibbled on a mini chicken pizza. "I want Megan with me." Peter said firmly as Ken scratched his nose. "Do you not think a funeral might be the wrong place for a baby? I mean I'm still not sure that it's appropriate for Simon to be there." "Firstly Simon wants to say goodbye to his Mum, he knows that people might be sad but he wants to be there." "We have spoken to him Ken and we'll take some books and his game console and if it gets too much then I'm sure Michelle or someone would take him out of the service so he doesn't feel obliged to sit there if it does get too upsetting for him." Carla said diplomatically not wanting Peter and Ken to argue. "If needs be I'll take Megan out of the service if she starts crying or maybe someone like Janice might. Though I think Megan here might offer a source of comfort to a lot people there." She continued as Ken looked down. "We just wanted you to know that you had some options." "I'm well aware I have options Dad, but I want my children with me." Peter said stubbornly as Ken nodded knowing that he would soon have to broach the subject of Stella wishing to apply for guardianship of Megan. He knew that Peter wouldn't take the news well and he only hoped that he wouldn't cause a scene in front of Simon.
"So this Carla, I take it she's single?" Anne said as she sipped a glass of wine at the modern kitchen island in the kitchen. "Mum, I'd really rather not discuss it yet. I mean I'm taking her out to dinner and hopefully things will develop from there." "I hope she wants little ones. I rather fancy a few grandbabies. That Sophie I swear was taking contraceptives on purpose." Anne said disdainfully talking of her former almost daughter-in-law whom in her opinion was nowhere near good enough for her son. "Calm down a little, she's going on a date with me." "Well you never know the date could go well and who knows. A baby conceived on a one night stand isn't ideal but maybe she'd be sensible enough to realize when she was onto a good thing." Anne said as Frank balked a little at his mother taking such an interest.
"Oh dear I think someone wants her bottle. Simon, you coming to help give your sister her dinner?" Carla said as Ken took a deep breath knowing that he'd have to tell Peter of Stella's intentions soon. "Listen Peter there's something that you need to know." He said as Deirdre frowned slightly and hoped her stepson wouldn't loose it. She eyed the expensive designer vase on the mantelpiece and hoped it wouldn't be at the recieving end of her stepsons temper. "What is it Dad?" Peter asked as Carla was busy checking the temperature of Megan's formula, Simon busy chattering away about how boring it must be to just have formula for every meal. "Well listen Peter, don't go off on one because we've already thought of a small possible solution but well..." Ken wrung his hands awkwardly as Peter looked at him. "Well what? Come on Dad!" "It's Gloria and Stella. They want to apply for temporary custody." Ken stammered as he awaited his son's reaction.