Major apologies for how long it's been since I've updated! I've been so busy during Christmas and New Year! I hope everyone had a fantastic time and I hope you enjoy this new chapter *Insert straight face emoji here* It's a long one and I was going to cut it in half but I thought seeing as it's been so long since I updated I should leave it this length...
Carla awoke at precisely seven fifteen am on a very cold Saturday morning.
She opened her eyes to the sight of an empty living room. It was still dark outside so she couldn't see much but there was just a little of bit light coming from a street lamp through the window and as Carla sat up, she was horribly reminded of what today was going to entail.
At seven past two this afternoon she and Jada were going to be boarding a flight to Los Angeles.
At seven past two, Carla would be separating Jada from the wonderful family she'd got to know extremely well over the past few months.
At seven past two, Carla was supposed to say farewell to a man that everyone else except for him knew, that she still loved and not just because he was the father of her child.
Saying goodbye to Peter was never ever something that Carla had been good at.
In the beginning, years and years ago when he had insisted they just had to be friends, she couldn't let him go even then and then once they were finally together, the thought of losing him was one that terrified her to no end.
This is why when Jada was just a mere week or so old Carla had ended up upping and leaving without telling him what she was planning.
The last time she'd gone, She packed what little things she and Jada had and then snuck off to the airport without Peter even knowing until just before the flight and by that point it was too late for him to do anything about it.
Carla had always thought it was cruel to leave Peter behind like that, she had always felt incredibly guilty about how she had left Weatherfield but she knew that there really was no other option.
There was no way she could ever have managed to get the actual words out, even when Peter had called her and begged for her to come back, Carla hadn't actually told him Goodbye… she had never actually said the word.
This time had to be different.
This time Carla knew she wouldn't be able to just up and leave… even if she wanted to, she knew that Peter was going to be right by her and Jada's side until that very last moment.
Sometime yesterday morning Peter had made the slightly insane and completely heart-breaking decision to drive Carla and Jada to the airport so he could say goodbye to them before they go through security and ever since he'd decided that, Carla couldn't help but wish he hadn't.
It was a lovely gesture of course, a sweet one, one that Carla knew was going to be highly important to Peter but she also knew that it was going to be heart wrenching to have leave him stood at the airport alone.
Carla had fallen asleep on the sofa sometime last night. She didn't know exactly what time that she had finally dropped off to sleep but she knew that it had hadn't been something she had planned.
After a lot of tidying up, she had settled down on the sofa to try to relax and watch some TV. She hadn't received much sleep the night before of course but due to sheer exhaustion, Carla soon found herself lying down on the sofa and stretching right out. Peter was still in the bedroom putting Jada to sleep and Simon was in the kitchen so she could take up as much space on the sofa as she wanted.
The next thing she knew, Carla had woken up on the sofa in the same position she had been last night… only someone had put a blanket on top of her so that she wouldn't be cold.
As she pulled the light blue blanket off her, Carla couldn't work out whether it was Simon or Peter who had put the blanket on top of her but she was more than touched by the loving gesture as she began tip-toing across the living room.
It was so quiet at twelve A Rosamund street that Carla could almost be mistaken for thinking that she was the only person in there. She bent down and switched on the Christmas tree lights so that she could see a little more and as she began to quietly walk down the hallway, she took a deep breath.
She stopped at Peter's bedroom door and gently eased it open to find, Peter, Simon and Jada fast asleep on the bed. They were all under the covers and Jada was lying in the middle, her head rested on one of Peter's arms.
Tears pricked Carla's eyes as she stood watching Jada lying so peacefully with her Dad and brother, she smiled sadly because she was glad that they had all managed to get to sleep in the end, especially since they had done it together but soon enough, watching the sight of Jada, Peter and Simon was too much for Carla, so she hastily but also quietly left the bedroom before she started to get too overwhelmed.
Carla had so many things that she needed to do this morning, things that she needed to pack… things that she needed to say but right now she couldn't do any of them because she couldn't bare to interrupt the beautiful sight that was in Peter's bedroom.
So she stayed in the living room alone, watching television and reading for as long as she could but eventually she knew that she had to start getting ready… She knew that time was starting to really run out now and that within a matter of hours she and Jada would be miles and miles away.
Carla looked down at the clothes that she was still wearing from last night and knew she had to start sorting herself at least so that once Jada was awake she could concentrate on her, So she very quietly walked back into the bedroom where Jada, Peter and Simon were still asleep.
She walked over to the pile of clothes she had left out last night and picked them up along with the outfit she had left out for Jada, she decided once she was showered she would have to get Jada up but for now she would let her sleep a little bit longer.
"Mornin…" A gruff voice suddenly said although it didn't make Carla jump. She turned around slowly to see Peter was rubbing his eyes and sitting up as best he could without waking up Jada, who had been resting on his arms since last night.
"Mornin." Carla nodded, she gave Peter a nervous smile as he got up and off the bed. He swallowed as he walked towards Carla and although he was absolutely dreading the day ahead, he managed to let out a little smile.
"I… was just thinkin I should hop in the shower…" Carla began, "It's starting to get late n…"
"Yeah… I know..." Peter nodded, looking at a clock on the wall, which showed that it was almost nine o'clock, he rolled his eyes and sighed in a way which made Carla look down at her feet guiltily.
There was suddenly an awkward silence as they both stood opposite each other for a moment. Peter eventually shook his head frustratedly and cleared his throat before he said,
"Today's going to be… a nightmare…" Carla nodded as she looked back up at Peter with her eyes full of tears. She went to say something but Peter shook his head again, he shook it softer this time and then he gently pressed a finger up against Carla's lips so that she couldn't speak and also so that goosebumps appeared all over her arms and neck. "Don't apologise. You don't ave to say anything… I just need you to know that if I'm… a little… off today… it's only because I don't quite know with how to cope with all of this… Okay?"
"Okay…" Carla nodded, still covered in goosebumps due to Peter's touch even though he had already removed his finger from her lips.
He was still stood within touching distance and what Carla really wanted to do to Peter was something that wouldn't be appropriate seeing as she was leaving today and especially seeing as they were in a room with two children in, so instead she just gave Peter another nervous smile and said,
"I better hop in the shower then…" She awkwardly pointed to the direction of the door before leaving the bedroom quickly. She left Peter stood in the same spot and also left him wishing that he was a lot braver than this.
He wished that he had enough strength and will power to promise that he'd never ever mess up again and he wished that he had enough strength to convince Carla to stay but deep down Peter just felt like he couldn't do it.
This is why he didn't follow Carla out of the bedroom, instead he waited a few moments and walked into the kitchen to set about making some breakfast.
As Peter prepared the eggs, bacon, beans, toast and sausages, he tried not to keep looking at the time on the clock. He knew that every single moment he wasn't with Carla, Jada and Simon was time being wasted but he also knew there was nothing he could about it.
Eventually Carla came back into the kitchen half an hour later with damp hair and in a brand new outfit. She was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans, a black fitted jumper with a high neck and was clutching last night's outfit in her hands.
She took a quick look around the living room before walking into the kitchen and saying,
"Jada still asleep then?"
"I think so…" Peter replied, nodding with a knife in his hand as he buttered toast. He was almost done with breakfast as he stood only a few feet away from Carla and smiled at her as she began folding the clothes she had been wearing last night. "She's probably exhausted from the party last night. It was a right mission to get her to sleep, that's why I was in the bedroom so long, I'm sure she had a last minute sugar rush from all the fairy cakes she ate… anyways after four stories she eventually dropped off and when I came back out you were asleep too."
"Was… it you who put the blanket on me then?" Carla asked quietly, smiling back at Peter even though her heart had began racing at the thought of this being their last morning together.
"It might ave been..." Peter smirked, actually forgetting what today had in store as Carla smiled at him so fondly.
"Well if ya did… thank you, it were really sweet." Carla replied, she sighed lightly and took another look at the clock, which now read that it was twenty to ten. "I'm gonna ave to go n wake her up aren't I?" She watched Peter closely who had already turned back around and started to butter toast again. "Unless… you want to of course?" Peter turned back to face Carla and for a moment he thought about saying yes but then he knew he wouldn't be able to face waking Jada up without bursting into tears so he shook his head and said,
"Nah I don't fancy being the one to interrupt Jada's sleep…" He was grinning at first as if he was going to make a joke about it. "I'll let you do it… " He gave Carla a look, which explained exactly how he was feeling, she nodded at him before she picked up her folded clothes from last night and headed back towards the bedroom.
Luckily for Carla, Jada was already awake. Unluckily for Simon however she had found a pen on Peter's bedside cabinet and she was comically drawing on his face and giggling.
"Jada!" Carla hissed, running over to the bed and pulling the pen from an amused Jada's fingers.
"Shhh Mummy." Jada giggled as Carla chucked the pen back on the bedside cabinet.
"Jada that was very naughty." She said, giving her daughter a stern look before sitting down on the bed next to her. She then looked at Simon who was still asleep only now he had black pen marks on his forehead and going up and down one side of his face.
"I decorating Simon." Jada said proudly, climbing onto Carla's lap obviously feeling accomplished.
"Simon doesn't need decorating, he's not a Christmas tree…" Carla laughed, shaking her head and wondering whether she should wake him up as well. "Jada…" Carla then began, she looked down at her daughter and bit her lip before asking her, "D'ya remember where we're going today?" Jada thought for a moment but she soon shook her head. "We're going back to California… to see Susie for Christmas."
"Auntie Susie…" Jada nodded, smiling at the thought of seeing her.
"Yes." Carla nodded, smiling back at Jada who looked genuinely happy to hear they were going on a trip. Of course little Jada didn't have a clue what going to California actually meant so she kept on smiling.
"Carla!" Peter called from the kitchen, "Wake up Si as well will ya?"
"Daddy." Jada beamed at the sound of his voice.
"Go on… Daddy's made breakfast…" Carla said, looking at Simon and grinning at the pen strokes that were on his face.
Jada climbed off her Mum's lap and ran happily towards the bedroom door, she ran down the hallway and into the kitchen to find her Dad placing streaky bacon on some plates that already had eggs, sausages and beans on.
"Good Morning Jada." Peter grinned, as Jada walks towards the breakfast table.
"Morning." Jada replied, clambering up onto one of the chairs as Peter finished up serving the breakfast. He leant forward and kissed his little girl on the head lovingly, trying his absolute best to not think about how this would be the last time they'd get to have breakfast together.
"What do you want to drink Princess?" Peter asked as Carla appeared in the kitchen.
"Juicey." Jada said, already reaching towards her plate for a sausage. "Mumma where Simon?"
"He's coming…" Carla said, sitting down next to Jada with a grin on her face and as Peter looked at her, he couldn't help but grin back. "He's just gone to the bathroom."
"What?" Peter said coming back to the table with a bottle of apple juice from the fridge, knowing Carla must be finding something funny. He didn't have to wait too long to find out what was funny though.
"Hey!" came Simon's voice from the bathroom, Carla looked even more amused as he came running into the kitchen with an eyebrow raised. It took Peter a few moments to realise that Simon was stood in front of them all with black ink all over his face but when he did realise, his lips broke in to an even bigger grin than before. "Who drew on my face?" Simon asked, looking between his Dad and Carla who were both trying hard not to laugh.
"Jada!" Jada giggled, actually raising her arm in the air as if she was really proud of the artwork she had left on Simon's face.
"Jada…" Peter laughed as Simon shook his head at his little sister but he wasn't at all mad anymore and instead he ran over to tickle her.
"Thanks for that sis." Simon cried as Jada squealed out loud. She tried to resist her brother's tickles but she was unsuccessful and had to endure a few more moments of it before Simon picked her up and gave her a loving cuddle instead.
"I walked into the bedroom and found her scribbling all over your face…" Carla said as Simon sat down on the chair next to where Jada had been sat. "I did tell her it was naughty but I just couldn't help but letting you find out what she did for ya self."
"I clean it…" Jada nodded and before anyone could stop her she slid off Simon's lap and ran towards the coffee table where there was normally a packet of wet wipes. "Mummy…" Jada said, turning around with her hands in the air like she had lost something.
"Oh…" Carla said, getting up instantly because she had taken the packet of wipes that were normally left in the living room and put them into Jada's backpack ready for the flight later. "They're in ere…" Carla said as she walked towards the bedroom where she'd left all the luggage she and Jada were going to be taking with them.
As Jada was already up she ran after her Mum and left Simon and Peter alone. Simon smiled at his Dad bravely before he asked him,
"Are you okay Dad?"
"As okay as I can be…" Peter replied, smiling back at Simon as best he could before returning the question and saying, "You alright Si?"
"Yeah…" Simon sighed, he nodded but he knew that him and his Dad were not okay… at all. They sat in silence until Carla and Jada returned, Jada had the packet of wipes in hand and climbed back onto Simon's lap so she could start cleaning his face.
When she was done removing the black pen marks off her brother's face, Jada then moved towards Peter with the wipes and began wiping his face too.
For a while, they all managed to forget what was going to be happening this afternoon and have some general chit chat but it was clear that the thought of what was coming next was still lingering in the backs of Carla, Peter and Simon's minds as they couldn't stomach much breakfast. They left their plates half full but Jada had practically cleared hers and even went after some of her brother's toast too.
After breakfast, it was time for Jada to get washed and dressed. Carla offered Peter the opportunity to do so and at first he was going to say no because he thought it would be too hard, but then he realised he would regret this decision this time tomorrow so he took Jada by the hand and went into the bathroom with her, leaving Carla and Simon alone in the kitchen.
"Are you finished?" Carla said to Simon who was sat opposite her, Simon nodded as she got up off the chair and took his plate, which still had a slice of toast and most of his bacon on it. She took all the plates over to the sink and put them inside it as Simon brought over the mugs they had been using.
They began to clean up the kitchen companionably and even managed a few smiles as they did so, especially when Peter and Jada eventually returned from the bathroom but when Jada insisted on getting herself dressed all on her own and was comically putting on her top back to front, Peter, Carla and Simon found it hard to keep on smiling.
They were all thinking the very same thing… that soon this would all be over.
As Peter pulled Carla's hefty suitcases out of his front door and over to his car which he had parked right outside, he tried really hard not to cry... just because he was now on his own for a moment he knew he couldn't let it all go now.
Despite how oddly pleasant it had been during the first part of the morning, The last hour or so had gone dreadfully. Carla eventually had to intervene when Jada was getting dressed because she just couldn't seem to get her blue jeans on properly and when her Mum sat down in front of her and took hold of the pair of little jeans, Jada started shouting and yelling that she was a big girl and that she could do it herself.
Peter and Simon watched because they didn't want to get involved and also because they wanted to cherish whatever moments they had left with Carla and Jada… even if those moments were full of Jada's loud shrieks.
After Jada had finally got dressed, Carla then went around the flat and gathered up all the rest of their things, she quietly did so not wanting to draw much attention to herself but Peter and Simon couldn't bring them selves to say anything either so there was almost a whole fort-five minutes of silence before Peter said he would go and get his car.
It was almost eleven at this point and with all of Carla and Jada's belongings packed, Peter knew it was time for them to head to the airport, he also knew that Michelle and his family would arrive to say goodbye any minute and once they did… it would be the beginning of the end.
As he put Carla's large black suitcases into the boot of his car, Michelle was the first to arrive. She already had red eyes from crying as she walked towards Peter's flat and as he closed the boot of his car, she cleared her throat and said,
"Hi Peter…"
"Hi." Peter said, sighing a little as he leant on his car. He was already wearing his black coat and went into his pocket to pull out a packet of cigarettes as Michelle looked sympathetic and delicately asked,
"You alright?" Peter rose an eyebrow at Michelle who shook her head and then said, "I know that's a really stupid question…"
"It's okay…" Peter replied as he put a cigarette in his mouth, he looked utterly broken already and Carla hadn't even left yet. Michelle cursed herself as she went over what she had just said and then she went over what she had just seen Peter do and then said, "Hang on… is this your car?"
"Yes." Peter said nodding with a sigh, he knew what Michelle was thinking and this was confirmed when she frowned and said,
"You're driving them to the airport…"
"Yep." Peter nodded again, "And yes I know it's going to be hard… mind numbingly hard but I ave to be there… I ave to be there until I can't be there anymore…" Michelle nodded at Peter understandingly and moved closer to him as he exhaled cigarette smoke.
"Is Simon going?" She asked but Peter shook his head and said,
"No… I asked but he said he thought it was going to be too hard… I get it..."
"Oh okay…" Michelle said softly, "Well do you want me or... maybe Steve to come with you? I mean at least then you won't have to come home on your own y'know."
"Oh…" Peter replied after taking another drag of his cigarette, he thought about having Michelle or Steve come with him and Carla to the airport but he shook his head in the end because he wasn't exactly sure how he might react when they got there so he said, "Thanks for the offer but I'd rather it just be us… no offense."
"None taken…" Michelle said with a nod, just as Simon came out of the flat next carrying Jada's Minnie Mouse suitcase and her brand new Frozen one too.
"This is it…" He said as he brought over the two little suitcases to his Dad's car. "Carla's just got her bag and Jada's left… She's coming down in a minute…"
"Okay…" Peter said, standing upright as he opened the boot once again so they could put the other two suitcases inside. As he heaved Jada's suitcases into the car, Simon shook his head and said,
"I can't believe this is actually happening…" Michelle leant forward and gave Simon's back an appreciative touch as he sighed and said, "I can't believe they are going… call me naive but I've still been hoping Carla would change her mind."
"Me too." Michelle said caringly, she and Simon looked at Peter who didn't say anything and just continued to smoke.
Michelle could hardly bare to look at him or Simon as she waited outside number twelve in the cold, she could have gone inside of course to see Carla but she had guessed that maybe Carla wanted some time alone in the flat… and she was right.
"Come on Jada…" Carla said picking up the little leather jacket she had purchased for Jada when they had first arrived in Weatherfield. "We ave to go." Jada had been sat on the sofa with Simba and her Mermaid doll either side of her watching telly whilst her brother and parents were in a state of emotional turmoil but as Carla switched off the TV, Jada looked up and said,
"We going now?"
"Yes… come n get your coat on." Carla said, she was smiling brightly at Jada but also falsely as she walked towards her with her coat in hand. Jada got off the sofa and walked towards her Mum and once she had her coat on, Carla picked her up and said, "Right…" She breathed in sharply because she wanted to cry and looked around at the place they had been staying for the past few weeks as she said, "Say goodbye to Daddy's flat Jada…"
"Bye bye." Jada said waving, she didn't really understand what was happening especially when she looked at Carla and said, "Back soon?"
"Yeah…" Carla nodded although she wasn't sure they'd be back soon. "One day…" She added as she took another lingering look around the living room, which now looked so odd because it didn't have any of their stuff lying around, the Christmas Tree lights were still flickering on and off and Carla didn't even want to think about the thought of spending Christmas without any of the Barlow family near by.
This flat… This home… it held so many beautiful memories for Carla and whilst there were also so many bad ones, she knew the good ones were going to be the ones that she would really remember and right now, Carla honestly couldn't believe that she really was about to say goodbye to it.
"This is our real home Jada… we must never forget that okay?" At first it pained Carla to know that Jada probably wouldn't remember any of this in a years time but then she soon began to get jealous of her little two year old because whilst the past three weeks were going to be soon forgotten by Jada… Carla knew she'd never get over them.
"Kay." Jada nodded, she waved again as she sat in her Mum's arms but before it all started to get that little bit too much for Carla, She quickly sniffed hard before putting Jada down on the ground and said,
"Go n get Simba n Ariel so we can go…" Jada went to get her toys whilst Carla picked up their bags, she didn't want to spend too much longer in the flat contemplating on what could have been so she very quickly made sure she had everything and took Jada by the hand.
Carla took one last and painful look at the flat before opening the front door and taking Jada with her downstairs. They walked out of the building to see that it wasn't just Michelle with Simon and Peter anymore… Ken, Tracy, Amy, Steve and Roy were all stood waiting for them and as Jada ran towards them all excitedly, Carla felt a lump form in the back of her throat.
"Mornin…" She said hoarsely, walking towards Peter's car, which was now full of their stuff. He didn't say anything to her but he gently took her and Jada's bags from her hands and put them into the back seat of his car.
There was a highly awkward silence for a moment, which Carla tried to diffuse by saying,
"It's dead cold init…" but when Michelle responded with a dejected,
"At least you'll be in the sunshine soon…" everyone became silent again. Carla turned to look at Peter who had both hands in his pocket and looked as if he might cry at any given moment and then turned to everyone who had come to say goodbye to her and said,
"Thanks so much for coming ere you lot…" She sniffed as she then walked forwards to start saying proper goodbyes to people, the first person she approached Roy whilst Ken bent down and picked up his Granddaughter.
"Bye bye Jada…" He said sadly and the look he had on his face when he spoke was one that Peter hadn't seen since his Dad had lost his beloved wife Deirdre, Peter bit his lip hard so he didn't start crying in front of everyone but as Jada put her arms around her Granddad's neck, he knew it wouldn't be long before he was going to bawling like a baby.
"Bye Granddad." Jada said as Carla hugged Roy tightly and said,
"Thank you for all your useful advice over the past few weeks Roy, I couldn't have done this without it."
"You are welcome... I shall miss you lots..." Roy said, sniffing stiffly and pointing at Jada as he said, "That little girl is very lucky to have you as a Mother..." Carla smiled as Roy paused and then he added, "Hayley would have been so proud of how far you've come…"
"Oh…" Carla said and before she knew it, tears were streaming down her face at the mention of her old best friend Hayley. She threw her arms around Roy whilst Ken said to Jada,
"You make sure you look after your Mummy okay?" He had seen how upset Carla was already and knew that all the joy she'd get over the next few days and weeks would be from her daughter. Jada giggled at Ken's comment and nodded as he gave her a kiss and then turned towards Tracy who said,
"Go on then Dad, hand her over…" Ken nodded and handed Jada over to Tracy who had kept it a well-hidden secret how attached she had become to her niece. She gave her a kiss on the cheek and laughed as she said, "Good bye Mini Peter… I'll miss you n your funny little ways."
"Bye bye Auntie Tracy." Jada laughed, Carla let go of Roy at this precise moment and saw Tracy holding Jada so lovingly that she couldn't help but well up again.
Peter and Simon were both stood by the car with their arms folded and for them it was like they were stuck in a nightmare that they just couldn't seem to wake up from. Watching Carla and Jada say goodbye to their friends and family was more difficult then they had ever imagined and Simon was beginning to absolutely dread when it came to his turn to say goodbye.
Michelle was also stood watching and after Tracy and Amy said their goodbyes to Jada, she decided she'd try and get some of it over with whilst Carla approached Ken.
"Ken…" Carla began, shaking her head and trying to keep composed as she spoke. "Thank you for everything."
"Me?" Ken exclaimed, "What on earth for?"
"For being so understanding…" Carla said nodding, "There ave been so many times that your wise words ave helped me and Jada… and Peter too… I am so glad you and Jada ave had the time to get to know each other so well…" Carla took a deep breath as a tear ran down her cheek and she was almost unable to finish her sentence but eventually she got it out and said, "I'm just sorry I'm taking her away from you again."
"Don't you dare apologise." Ken said firmly, "You are doing what you think is best, I honestly think you are the bravest person I know… and you know what else, I think you are a fantastic mother... Jada is lucky to have you."
"Thank you." Carla nodded and with that she put her arms around Ken. Michelle had scooped Jada up and was in the middle of her goodbyes to her as Peter leant towards Simon and said,
"You still don't ave to do this ere in front of everyone… you can always come to the airport and say your goodbyes there." Simon looked at Carla who was in his Granddad's arms in tears and then looked at his sister who was laughing at something Michelle had said and then he shook his head and said,
"I can't… I can't come to the airport… I'm sorry Dad… this is torture enough." Simon spoke very quickly, as if he might burst into tears but Peter very quickly shook his own head and said,
"It's okay… I understand, I just wanted you to know that you had the option." He then went to look back at his Dad and Carla who were just letting go from their hug. Carla saw that Peter was watching them both and then turned back to Ken who was now joined by Tracy and said a tearful,
"Look after em both…" She turned back to look once more and saw that Peter now had his arm around Simon.
"We will." Tracy nodded and surprising every single person stood outside Peter's flat, she then threw her arms around Carla.
"Now there's a sight I never thought I'd see…" Steve said with a raised eyebrow, Michelle nudged him and shook her head because she really didn't think that now was the time for jokes. She had put Jada down now and Roy who wanted to say goodbye was now approaching her slowly.
"Come ere…" Michelle heard a voice say and when she turned around she saw Carla standing in front of her with tears in her eyes.
"Ohh…" Michelle cried, "I really don't want to do this… I don't wanna say goodbye to you again…" Carla pulled her best friend towards her and shook her head as she said,
"This isn't goodbye Chelle… this is see you soon…"
"But I won't will I?" Michelle asked, "I'm not gonna be able to just pop across the road n see ya will I?"
"No." Carla sighed, she gave Michelle a proper hug who nodded and said,
"I know you ave to do this babe… I really do and I understand completely… I'm just gonna miss you n Jada like mad."
"We're gonna miss you too Chelle." Carla said nodding too, tears pouring from her already red eyes. "But we'll talk every day okay?"
"Yeah…" Michelle sniffed, "It's not enough but okay." She and Carla half let go off each other and as they did so Carla quietly said,
"Keep an eye on them won't ya…" Michelle knew exactly who them was and nodded at Carla whose eyes were still full of tears. "I know Ken n Tracy will n I've also asked Roy to maybe check in from time to time, I just… I want Peter n Simon to ave as many people around em as possible." Carla watched as Michelle's face practically crumpled before her eyes and said, "What?"
"N just how many people are you gonna ave around you eh?" Michelle asked because she knew life in Los Angeles could be very lonely for Carla at times.
"I'm gonna be alright… I've got Jada… N Susie…" Michelle didn't look too convinced so Carla hugged her again and said, "I promise Chelle." After another long and lingering hug with Michelle, Carla went to say goodbye to Steve and she also asked him to keep an eye on Peter too, which of course, Steve said yes.
Peter had no idea that even in a moment that was supposed to be all about her, Carla was trying to make sure that he was going to be okay and was looking down at his watch because he knew that they really had to leave now.
"I hate to do this but… we better get going…" He said and his words suddenly made everyone tense up… well everyone except for Jada who was relishing all of the attention she had on her right now. She was holding hands with Amy but then a slightly distressed Simon came over to her, knowing that it was time for him to say goodbye.
Carla and Peter both stared, almost in horror as Simon bent down in front of Jada and said,
"Can I have a hug?" Jada laughed and threw her arms around Simon in such an adorable way that made both of her parents struggle to stand upright.
Everyone watched and Simon hugged Jada tight and as all of the adults around him were almost in tears, Simon took a deep breath and said,
"I'm gonna miss you very much Jada but I'll still see you everyday okay." Jada nodded at her brother as he then said, "On Mummy's phone…"
"Or on iPad." Jada nodded firmly, she looked back at Carla and Peter who both turned away so that she couldn't see them both in tears and then as she turned back to Simon she said, "You see Simba too and Ariel."
"Definitely." Simon chuckled, knowing that he'd be having lots more in depth conversations with Jada's toys as soon as she was back in California. "And I'm gonna come n see you n Mummy in California soon so we can do lots of puzzles and reading."
"And colouring!" Jada excitedly said, Simon nodded at Jada again but a tear ran down his cheek and before he could wipe it away, Jada spotted it and said, "Simon sad?"
"No… I'm just cold that's all…" Simon lied and he stood up before picking Jada up and giving her a loving kiss on the cheek. "Come on let's take you to Mummy n Daddy eh?"
Simon approached his Dad and Carla with Jada in his arms and even though they both had blotchy faces and red eyes they were both smiling as if they were trying to pretend that nothing was wrong. Simon squeezed Jada one last time and said,
"I love you so much Jada."
"Love you Simon." Jada said, wrapping her arms around Simon's neck tightly. He kissed her again before giving Jada to his Dad and as Peter took Jada, Simon looked at Carla lovingly and said,
"I love you n all."
"Come ere…" Carla said and once again she was crying. Michelle was stood in Steve's arms whilst Roy stood on his own, clutching his shopping bag tightly and whilst Ken, Tracy and Amy were all holding hands.
"I'm sorry about not coming to the airport…" Simon began but Carla shook her head and said,
"Don't even worry about it, I understand n I love you too… so much. You're the best big brother Jada could ever ask for…" Simon just nodded as if he didn't believe what Carla was saying and as he pulled away from her she just had to add, "I mean it… I truly do."
Carla went around and very quickly gave everyone another hug before taking Jada off Peter and waving as she said,
"We'll come n visit… I promise." Carla was especially looking at Simon as she spoke and as she and Jada climbed in the back of Peter's car, he lost control of his own tears and was almost inconsolable.
"Come on…" Ken said, taking Simon gently and putting his arms around him. Jada began waving wildly out of the car window whilst Peter very quickly got into the driver's seat of the car.
He knew he had to stay calm if he wanted to drive Carla and Jada to the airport safely and as he started the ignition, Tracy shook her head and said,
"How on earth he gonna get through this…"
"We're going to be here for him when he gets back…" Ken said as they all started waving at Carla and Jada who were waving out the back window of the car. They all stood on the cold street until the car left their sight and for a moment, they lingered about for a moment, not exactly what to do next.
"How about everyone comes to the café for a coffee?" Roy awkwardly suggested, "On the house of course."
Everyone stood on the street of course including Roy knew that a coffee wasn't going to solve anything or heal the pain of Carla leaving but they all said yes an headed towards the café because they had a lot of hours to kill before Peter would come back.
By the time Peter had driven to the airport and parked his car in the car park, it was almost twelve thirty pm. There was so much traffic on the way to the airport that the journey had taken a lot longer than anticipated and as he, Carla and Jada climbed out of his car, Peter wasn't sure whether to be saddened or pleased that it had taken this long to arrive.
On one hand it was good that it had taken so long for them to get to the airport because it meant that there wouldn't be so much time to hang around but on the other hand Peter knew that all the time he was driving was time wasted.
The long journey wasn't all bad though, Peter still had a Disney CD of Jada's in his Car stereo and had put it on so Jada could sing along to all her favourite hits… which she did hilariously.
"Ere…" Carla said, handing Jada to Peter as they walked into the terminal. "I'll go n check us in…" Peter nodded as Carla pulled all the suitcases over to check in which was rather a hard job because there were four of them and whilst Carla got into the check in queue, he looked at Jada and said,
"I'm gonna miss you so much Jada…" He knew that Jada must have heard this a hundred times today so he wasn't expecting too much of a response but she put her head on one side and responded with,
"I miss you Daddy… lots and lots!" She had both hands in the air as she spoke to show her Dad just how much she was going to miss him and all Peter could do was kiss her on the head and tell her how much he loved her… not only her and her but her Mum too. He looked over at Carla who was still in the queue and he decided that now would be a really good time to say goodbye.
He decided that it might be easier on both him and Carla he said goodbye to Jada alone, so he took her over to a waiting area with some seats and place her on one. She was clutching Simba of course and had Ariel the mermaid poking out of the top of her backpack, which Peter placed on the floor next to her seat and as he bent down in front of her, Jada smiled and said down to Simba,
"Simba we goin on big airplane soon."
"Yes you are…" Peter said nodding, as he looked at his little girl in awe still unable to believe he had the chance for these few precious weeks with her and still unable to believe how incredible she was.
"Are you coming too Daddy?" Jada asked because seeing as Peter was at the airport too it made perfect sense to her that he would be coming.
"No I'm not darlin…" Peter said shaking his head slowly, "I ave to stay ere remember." Jada nodded but for the first time today Peter saw a hint of what looked like an upset look on his daughter's face. "I'm sorry I can't come… but I know you're going to be in good hands with Mummy…" Peter turned to look at Carla who was still in the check in queue and turned back to Jada before saying, "She's going to look after you and you need to look after her okay…" Jada nodded at Peter and lifted up Simba as she said,
"And Simba too."
"Simba too…" Peter nodded, smiling because he was glad his daughter didn't understand much of the situation and because at least she wasn't in pain. "We're gonna say goodbye in a little while but I want you to never forget that I love you… and your Mummy… lots and lots…" Jada nodded again at Peter and as he lent in for a kiss, she said,
"Love you Daddy." Peter put his arms around Jada and pulled her close for a hug and then he got up and sat next to her in the waiting area. Carla eventually returned and found Jada and Peter sat on the seats. She smiled at them and looked down at her watch to see that it was now half past twelve, the smile faded off her face as she realised that she, Jada would probably have to go through security soon.
They went for a quick coffee but sure enough time went ridiculously fast and Carla and Peter had to approach the security entrance.
Time really had run out now.
"I guess this is it…" Carla said, looking at Peter with tears in her eyes. He was holding Jada in his arms and nodded before he looked at Jada and said,
"We're going to say goodbye now Jada…" He then looked at Carla, "I spoke to her about it a little bit earlier…"
"Okay…" Carla nodded, she sniffed and then took a deep breath as Peter kissed Jada on the head lovingly and said,
"Bye Bye Princess… I love you to the moon and back."
"Bye Daddy." Jada said, she kissed Peter back twice and waved before he handed her to Carla who had tears in her eyes again.
"Peter…" Carla said, breathing rigidly, "Thank you so much… for everything… I never dreamed this would have gone the way it did…" Jada looked between her heartbroken parents and had started to notice that something was wrong she frowned and said,
"Mummy what wrong?"
"Nothing…" Carla said she watched Peter who looked like an utter mess and then went to hug him. Peter put his arms around Carla and Jada and as he looked at the security entrance that was just before them he knew that this was it.
A million different things were running through his mind as he, Carla and Jada embraced, when they eventually let go he took a deep breath. Carla turned to look at the security area that only people with boarding passes could go through and with Jada in her arms she bit her lip.
As hard as she had found it in the past... Carla finally said it,
"Goodbye Peter…"
She waited patiently for his response but for a while Peter didn't say a word.
He was too chocked up too heartbroken to speak but he also knew that he couldn't just let them leave like this… he couldn't not fight.
So even though he knew it was far too late and that it was so typical of him to wait until now but he blurted out,
"Don't go…"
"What?" Carla breathed, shaking her head. Peter took a deep breath and decided he had nothing else to loose so he might as well just come out with it... all.
His breathing was unsteady as he stepped forwards and said,
"Carla… just hear me out okay? The past few weeks you have been back… well they ave been the best ones of me life… I can't live without you and Jada I really really can't…" Peter had tears streaming down his face and Jada looked at him in astonishment because she'd never seen her Daddy cry before. "This is stupid… I'm stupid but how can you do this to Jada? How can you do this to your self?"
"Peter don't…" Carla began but he shook his head and interrupted her,
"I love you…" He cried loudly which made several people around them look their way. "And look… I know it's probably mad to think so but… I think you love me too… so please… please don't go." Peter said, looking at Carla pleadingly and as if this was the most important thing he ever had to say.
"Peter… I… ave to go… I've booked flights I took a job..." Carla began but once again an almost frantic Peter interrupted her.
"Look I know you're probably confused because I pushed you away that night of Jada's birthday…" Peter said, knowing he should have said all of this much much sooner but also knowing there was nothing that he could do about that now. "Carla I only did that because I thought it was best… I heard you were leaving n I was gutted… It definitely wasn't because I didn't want you… no way on earth was it because I didn't want you, as I said I really really love you."
"N why the hell are you telling me this now eh?" Carla cried, not wanting to shout because she had Jada in her arms but finding it hard not too. "I'm about to board a plane for god sake."
"I know… I know the timing is ridiculous but I couldn't let you go without telling you this." Peter said apologetically. "Can you just please think of stayin… please."
"Peter…" Carla said, exasperatedly, "Things were... okay… more than okay at times but who knows what is going to happen with us in the future… I can't go through another break up with you Peter n I can't put Jada through it either, she's older now… she'll start to understand all of this soon..." She looked at Jada who put her thumb in her mouth and looked slightly worried to be in the middle of this exchange between her parents.
"Who says we ave to break up? Who says this can't be forever?" Peter asked, looking at Carla heart wrenchingly. She had tears run down her cheeks as she shook her head and said,
"Peter… this is me n you we're talking about ere… I really hate to say it but one of us is bound to mess up soon."
"Okay fine, I get that…" Peter nodded, knowing that he was starting to sound desperate now, "But who says we even ave to get back together… I mean we've had such a great time being mates… we can carry on that way n then you can still stay ere."
"Peter we're not mates… we can never be just mates." Carla said sorrowfully.
"Yes, Yes we can Carla." Peter nodded determinedly, not caring that almost everyone who walked past them were looking and listening to their conversation.
"Peter I'm sorry but I remember what it was like for me to just be your friend n I'm sorry I can't do that again... It's too hard." Carla said, shaking her head again.
"Okay…" Peter nodded, "It's just... Carla I will do anything to stop you and Jada leaving. If you don't wanna be with me then I get it, in fact I really wouldn't blame ya… It wouldn't be sensible to give me another chance, I'm a failure I know but I just… I can't stand ere let you leave."
"Peter, it's not that I don't want to be with you…" Carla replied, as Jada removed her thumb from her mouth and began nervously fiddling with one of Simba's ears. "Far far from it and You're not a failure... it's just… I'm still petrified when I think about a future with you." A security guard who had been watching from afar soon approached Carla and leant in and asked her,
"Excuse me, is this man bothering you?"
"No I'm not bothering her!" Peter snapped, not giving Carla a chance to answer the security guard who was just trying to make sure that everything was okay.
"Mam?" The guard asked, looking at Carla instead of Peter for an answer.
"No, no he's not." Carla said with a deep breath. The security guard nodded and walked away but only slightly as Carla looked back Peter and said, "Peter… I really appreciate everything that you've said… n had you said it before now… maybe… things could be different… I've got responsibilities in L.A that I just can't ignore..."
"No Carla…" Peter said shaking his head because he knew Carla's mind still hadn't been changed. "Please don't…" Carla took a step backwards with Jada in her arms and had tears running down her cheeks as she said,
"I promise we'll come back n visit… I really really do…"
"No!" Peter cried, moving forwards and gently taking hold of Carla's arm.
"Peter… let us go… please." Carla said, pulling her arm away as the security guard in the distance made sure he kept an eye on the situation. Peter knew if he carried on he'd probably end up getting removed from the airport so he stepped backwards from Carla slightly.
"How?" He sobbed shaking his head, "How on earth am I supposed to let you two go?" Carla didn't answer him and just looked at Jada before she waved at him. "Carla don't…"
"Jada say goodbye to Daddy cause we ave to go." Carla sniffed. Jada waved goodbye to Peter who felt utterly powerless as Carla began moving backwards towards the barriers, which led to the security entrance.
"Carla please don't..." Peter begged again, looking wretched as Carla sniffed hard and held onto Jada tight. "Don't do this again."
"Mummy..." Jada said quietly.
"Jada say goodbye to Daddy or we will be late." Carla said trying to look and sound firm but failing to do so.
"Bye Daddy." Jada said, looking perplexed and also worried about her parents.
Peter knew that there wasn't anything else he could do but wave back at Jada and as he did so, Carla was sure that she felt her heart actually break into pieces.
There was a part of her that really wanted to change direction and ran back towards Peter but Carla knew that she had listen to her head instead of her heart so she got her and Jada's boarding passes ready and walked towards those glass doors that led through to security.
There was one... excruciatingly painful look back towards at Peter who looked completely destroyed before Carla made the decision to go through those doors and not return.