I know I will probably get slated for what I've done and I know some people will be very unhappy but I feel like I write better when I do the dark stuff, either way, I hope you like the direction I'm heading with it.

Thank you all for the supportive reviews, don't be afraid to voice your opinion :)

Trigger warning: Sexual abuse


After an unsettled night in hospital Carla's mind was still plagued with the thoughts of what happened to her when living with Rob for a month. She was agitated and jumpy, still scratching at her wrists every now and then but she mainly just sat with the thoughts in her head and stared at her hands which were fiddling with each other in her lap. She was somewhat excited today as Peter was bringing Evie in to see her, but Carla was worried about how much she had missed when being with Rob. Carla jumped at the knock on the door, her heart racing in response but there was a small smile on her face when Peter entered the room with Evie in his arms.

"Hey, love" Peter whispers as Carla smiles slightly glancing to him briefly then back down to her lap where she was staring at the marks on her wrist

"Hi" she whispers timidly as Peter smiles taking a seat on the chair next to her, Evie gurgling in response

"Look Evie it's Mummy" Peter whispers as Evie whimpers reaching her arms out "I know, it's exciting eh?"

"Hey, baby girl" Carla whispers glancing to her quickly before returning her gaze to her wrists "Can you p-place her on the bed?"

"Yeah, of course, I'll go really slow ok?" Peter questions as Carla nods, Peter slowly sitting on the edge of the bed with Evie in his arms and placing her on the bed slowly "Do you want me to place her on your lap? So that you can look at her better?"

"Ok" Carla whispers as Peter places Evie on Carla's lap really slowly allowing Carla to take hold of her "Hey baby"

"She's big now isn't she?" Peter chuckles as Carla nods planting a kiss on her forehead as she laughs

"She can laugh?" Carla questions as Peter smiles nodding in response rubbing his hand over Evie's head "You're so pretty, baby girl"

"She was showing Cath her little laugh on the boat" Peter smiles as Carla nods allowing Evie to settle in the crook of her arm as the psychiatrist enters the room causing Carla to jump

"Sorry Carla" the psychiatrist replies apologetically "Is this your baby?"

"Yes" Carla responds agitatedly as the psychiatrist nods slowly watching Carla shuffle around on the bed

"Doctor Andrews still says you have a few of hours to submit a rape kit Carla" the psychiatrist smiles as Carla shakes her head holding Evie close to her chest

"I said no" Carla sighs as the psychiatrist nods glancing to Peter who sits on the edge of the bed carefully

"What's going on in that head of yours sweetheart?" Peter questions as Carla looks up at him, the fear in her eyes prominent as Peter sighs at her expression as she shakes her head

"I don't want to talk about it" she replies firmly as Peter nods "When can I get out of here?"

"Soon Carla, we just need to check your kidney function again then we need to think about support as well as you allowing us to do a blood test, we understand it may difficult for you to let us do that but we will be patient"

"Can y-you do it now?" Carla questions with a small smile on her face glancing to the psychiatrist as Peter smiles at her courage

"I'll be here if you're worried darlin'" Peter reassures her as she nods slowly, the psychiatrist leaving the room to get Doctor Andrews

"I've had worse done to me" she sighs as Evie stirs in her arms, sneezing gently as Carla jumps before Evie looks up at her confused "Sorry baby"

"Hi Carla" Doctor Matthews smiles taking a seat on one of the chairs slowly ensuring not to spook her as she glances up at him briefly with a smile on her face before returning her attention to Evie

"Hi"

"How are you feeling?" Doctor Matthews questions as Carla sighs adjusting Evie in her lap

"Tired, my wrists hurt a bit as well" she replies honestly as Doctor Andrews nods slowly taking notes on his notepad as Evie starts to whimper "Peter"

"It's ok" Peter smiles reassuringly "She may need changing, do you want me to take her?"

"Yeah" Carla nods as Peter smiles slowly taking Evie off Carla and holding her close as well as grabbing the changing bag and heading into the bathroom to change Evie leaving Carla to talk to her doctor and psychiatrist

"I can provide you with more pain relief if you want?" Doctor Andrews offers as Carla nods pulling her legs up to her chest and resting her head on her knees "I understand you want me to do a blood test?"

"Yeah" Carla whispers "I want to go home"

"Ok, how about we wait for Peter to change Evie then we can think about doing it?"

"She's all nice and clean now" Peter smiles as Carla smiles briefly at him before wrapping her arms around herself before sighing, Peter placing Evie in her car seat which he brought in with him when he arrived

"Right, let me just prepare the needle then we can get this over and done with" Doctor Andrews smiles grabbing the band to wrap around Carla's upper arm "I'll go really slowly ok?"

"Ok" Carla whispers hesitantly "Peter"

"Yeah, darlin'?"

"Hand" Carla asks as Peter gives her one of his hands to squeeze as well as to have some comfort

"Almost done Carla" Doctor Andrews smiles placing some tubes of blood into the tray he had before slowly pulling the needle out "Here, hold this to your arm"

"Well done Carla, that must've taken a lot" the psychiatrist smiles as Carla's eyes fill with tears, the psychiatrist offering her some tissues as she takes one to wipe her eyes

"I'll get these samples to the lab then we can think about discharging you" Doctor Andrews smiles as Peter nods on behalf of Carla, Evie starting to whimper and let out a cry

"Oh dear" Peter smiles scooping her up out of the car seat to settle her

"Give," Carla asks as Peter nods slowly handing Evie to her gently in case she flinches allowing Carla to settle her in her arms

"Do you want to give her a bottle?" Peter offers as Carla nods, Peter grabbing one from the changing bag and handing it to Carla to feed her, Evie accepting gratefully

"She'll probably fall asleep after that" Peter laughs slightly as Carla smiles not engaging in the conversation at all as she feeds Evie

"You done?" Carla questions as Evie spits the bottle out causing Carla to shrug her shoulders, handing the bottle to Peter so he could put it away "Can I sleep w-with her?"

"If you want sweetheart" Peter smiles grabbing Evie's blanket "Why don't you position her on your chest then you can put this over her"

"Ok" Carla whispers shuffling down the bed slightly and positioning Evie on her chest allowing Peter to place the blanket gently over them both "I've missed this"

"I bet you have" Peter smiles gently "I'm always here if you want to talk, you know that right?"

"Yeah… I know"

"Why don't you get some rest, I'll stay and watch over you both, you won't be alone" Peter smiles as Carla nods watching Evie's eyes flutter shut, hers following a short while after


Peter watched Carla and Evie sleep peacefully together giving him time to think of a way to make Carla feel more comfortable at home. He reached the decision that the pub may not be the best place for Carla to come home to considering it was quite noisy at the best of times and she needed his attention now more than ever, so he was possibly thinking about moving them to a flat in Victoria Court if there was one available for them both. He didn't want to make any decisions without Carla's input though, he wanted to give her control over the situation as she hadn't had much control over her life the past month. His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Doctor Andrews and the on-call psychiatrist which was helping Carla through the aftermath of her time away.

"I can wake her if you want?" Peter offers as Doctor Andrews nods "Carla sweetheart"

"Mmm," she groans glancing around the room looking at the expectant faces of Doctor Andrews and the on-call psychiatrist as well as Peter "How long were we asleep for?"

"A couple of hours, you obviously needed the sleep" Peter smiles as Carla shuffles up the bed supporting Evie so she could see everyone a bit better

"Hi Carla, we've had your results back" Doctor Andrews smiles pulling up a chair causing Carla to jump slightly and run a hand through her hair

"And?"

"We really need to know what happened in the squat Carla, this is for your health ok? We just need to establish some things before we give you these results"

"Come on, love" Peter smiles "You can tell us, we won't judge you"

"I-I" Carla starts "I can't remember"

"Ok…do you remember being assaulted Carla?" the psychiatrist steps in as Carla glances to Peter then to Doctor Andrews

"I-I want to speak to P-Peter, please?" Carla questions as the psychiatrist sighs in response, nodding and leaving the room with Doctor Andrews

"Hey?" Peter starts "Don't get upset"

"Sorry, I just don't want to talk about it" Carla mumbles as Peter nods in response

"I know but listen to me, whatever happens, I won't be angry ok? I want to help you Carla and I want you to feel safe, we also need to find out these results don't we?"

"I guess"

"Do you want a hug?" Peter questions as Carla shuffles over on the bed allowing Peter to get on it with her, Carla resting her head against his chest, breathing in his familiar scent as Evie continues to sleep on her chest

"I was in the squat then there was Michelle, we were sitting on the mattress…we were trying to get out but Rob found out about my plan to get us out so he punished me…he separated me from Michelle and put me in this room, I was blindfolded and gagged, then…then he came in with this man then I remember they offered me water I just accepted it then I-I felt really heavy like I couldn't move my legs"

"Do you want to stop?" Peter questions noticing she had stopped as Carla sighs in response Evie turning her head to look up at Peter

"I couldn't see, I remember people touching me, pulling at my clothes but I just blacked out, I must've been slipped something in the water I don't know Peter, it was so scary"

"I know sweetheart, I know, but you're safe now, with me" Peter replies firmly as Carla nods stroking Evie's head, Peter running a hand through her hair gently trying not to spook her

"Can you tell them for me?" Carla questions glancing up at him as he nods "You promise you will? I don't want to relive it"

"I promise sweetheart" Peter smiles leaning his chin on her head and breathing in the scent of her freshly washed hair as Peter beckons the psychiatrist and Doctor Andrews back in

"Can Peter tell you?" Carla questions to Doctor Andrews as he nods glancing to Peter

"She was in the squat with Michelle then they were trying to get out and then Rob found out and punished her for it by blindfolding her and gagging her, he gave her water and she had some of it, her limbs started to feel heavy and she still couldn't see but she felt people pulling at her clothes" Peter informs them as Doctor Andrews nods slowly

"They kept doing it but I had no choice I needed to have water to survive" Carla cries as Peter hushes her gently running a hand through her hair

"Ok Carla, thank you for that, I really appreciate it. I don't suppose you know how often it happened to you?"

"No, that's all I remember, I was out of it most of the time" Carla confirms as Doctor Andrews nods glancing through the notes he made

"Right, this might come to a shock but the blood test came back as you being pregnant-"

"I can't be! I was breastfeeding Evie, this can't be right!" Carla cries as Peter consoles her gently only for Carla to cry into his chest

"I know it's a shock Carla, we reckon you're around three weeks pregnant" Doctor Andrews informs her as Carla shakes her head in response, her hands gripping onto the railings of the bed as she grabs the sick bowl and heaves into it, Peter removing Evie from her chest as Carla curls up into a foetal position, wincing in the process as she does so, Peter strapping Evie into the car seat

"I'll leave you to it" Doctor Andrews smiles leaving the room allowing Peter to comfort Carla

"Baby?" Peter questions tearfully as the psychiatrist removes the sick bowl, Peter rubbing Carla's back comfortingly

"I can't be pregnant Peter" Carla cries as Peter sighs "This can't be happening!"

"I know darlin' it's a shock, come here" Peter whispers allowing her to fall into his arms as she sobs into his chest, a knock at the door stopping her sobs, Carla looking up somewhat bewildered as Michelle enters the room

"Hey," Michelle says quietly knowing that Carla's mental health was very hit and miss, she takes a seat on the edge of the bed watching Carla cling onto Peter

"Michelle's here to see you" Peter whispers into her head as Carla looks up with a small smile on her face, Michelle taking a seat where Peter was moments prior

"Hey sweetheart, how are you doing?" Michelle questions as Carla shakes her head clinging onto Peter still, not wanting to answer the question which was given to her

"Do you want me to tell Michelle?" Peter questions as Carla shakes her head nervously, looking briefly into his eyes before huddling into his chest again, breathing in the scent of his aftershave

"Alright, it's ok" Peter whispers glancing to Michelle who was biting her lip, Evie starting to whimper in her car seat, Michelle scooping her out

"Oh dear" Michelle laughs "You're heavy now aren't you princess?"

"Hmm she's getting big, are you going to show Auntie Michelle your laugh Evie?" Peter questions as Michelle coos at Evie, her face breaking into a smile, as a wave of giggles erupt from her mouth

"Oh wow" Michelle gasps, kissing Evie on the forehead as Carla looks at the union before glancing to Peter who kisses her forehead gently which caused her to retreat away a bit

"Sorry"

"Don't apologise" Peter smiles as she hugs her legs to her chest, wincing in the process

"I almost forgot" Michelle beams as Carla raises an eyebrow "I brought you some snacks, I know you hate hospital food so…"

"Oh…thank you" Carla smiles as Peter takes the bag off Michelle, rummaging through it and pulling out some crisps "Ohh gimme"

"I'll open them for you so you don't hurt yourself" Peter smiles as Carla nods, ripping open the packet and handing them to Carla who puts one into her mouth

"Oh yeah, Kate and Jenny send their love as well as Robert and our Ryan and Ali too" Michelle smiles as Carla nods polishing off her bag of crisps as Evie reaches her arms out towards her, Michelle offering her to Carla which causes her to flinch at the sudden movements

"Sorry" Michelle sighs as Carla smiles at her taking Evie and holding her close, rubbing her back gently as she gurgles

"She's missed you" Peter chuckles as Carla nods slowly, rubbing her hand over the top of Evie's head as she sucks on her thumb, Peter grabbing her the dummy

"Can I?" Carla questions as Peter nods allowing her to take the dummy from the palm of his hand and give it to Evie who accepts; Carla, breathing in the scent of her daughter as Doctor Andrews enters the room

"Hello Carla" Doctor Andrews smiles as Carla glances up briefly before returning her gaze to Evie who was gripping onto a piece of her hair "We have some information on your brother as well as the rest of the people in the squat"

"Is this really necessary? She's been through enough" Peter questions defensively as Carla nudges him to shut him up, Evie glancing up at Doctor Andrews with a beaming smile on her face

"I'm afraid it is-"

"Michelle, do you mind?" Carla questions not wanting Doctor Andrews to tell her "I'll explain later"

"It's fine, sweetheart" Michelle smiles before Peter mouths a thank you to her whilst she leaves the room Carla turning her gaze to Peter

"Where's Rob?"

"As you know there were police with firearms and you heard the gunshots didn't you?"

"Yes but…Rob, he left me, there were the men then…" Carla rubs her forehead as Peter runs a hand through her hair "There was a gun, the pistol?"

"I know this must be difficult for you. Rob was wielding the gun, the pistol to be precise, and the officers had no choice but to shoot him as he was deemed unstable, he pulled the trigger twice but missed both times"

"What?" Carla questions angrily as Peter pulls her into his body hoping it would calm her but Carla just shrugs him off obviously annoyed

"Anyway we tried our best to stop the bleeding, but he passed away around an hour ago, I'm so sorry Carla" Doctor Andrews sighs as Carla shakes her head in an attempt to get rid of the horrid memories in her head, Peter watching her carefully as she rubs her wrists

"We also need to talk about the other people in the squat as well, some officers want to speak to you, is that ok?"

"Ok" Carla replies quietly as Doctor Andrews beckons the officers in

"Hi Carla, we'll be really slow with you but we just need some information on what happened inside the squat as well as wondering if you could maybe identify some people"

"Ok" Carla replies hesitantly as the officer smiles taking a seat really slowly on one of the chairs, Carla glancing briefly to her before returning her attention to Evie who was huddled in her lap still

"Shall we start with how you got there?" the officer questions as Carla shakes her head, tears filling in her eyes as the officer nods knowing not to push her

"Ok, well do you remember what happened when you got to the squat?" the officer asks as Carla looks to Peter who smiles at her gesturing for her to continue

"I-I…Rob took me there, Michelle was there" Carla replies vaguely not really wanting to continue "I want to stop"

"Alright" Peter whispers as Carla looks at him with tears lining her eyes "It's ok"

"Ok Carla, why don't we continue with the questions another time. We just want to show you some photo's if you're ok with that, you can just point to them so you don't have to say anything" the officer smiles handing her a pack of photos as Carla takes them out seeing a series of men Carla glancing to the officer with a confused expression on her face

"These are the men who were in the squat with you or we believed they were in the squat with you, working for your brother, Rob Donovan"

"Oh" Carla frowns taking the rest of the photos out of the plastic wallet and spreading them out in front of her, a bearded man around the age of 40 catching her eye as she narrows them picking the picture up to take a closer look

"Do you recognise that one?"

"Yes"

"Ok, do you remember what they did or what they were doing?"

"Yes, he gave me the water" Carla looks up at the officer handing her the picture as the officer smiles writing notes on her notepad

"The water where you were slipped the drugs?"

"Yes"

"Thank you Carla, do you want to look at the rest or is that enough?" the officer questions as Carla looks through the rest of the photos before tears line her eyes, she closes them as her mind flits back to her time in the squat, before her eyes flutter open, remembering the silhouette of the man who raped her, his face coming into view

"Him" Carla states as Peter glances to her "It was him"

"What was him Carla?" the officer questions as Carla starts to cry, Carla shaking her head not wanting to continue

"He raped me"

"Thank you Carla, can I give you some information into this man's background, if that's ok?"

"I don't know…" Carla trails off as the officer smiles slightly taking the photos away

"I'll be really vague ok?"

"Ok"

"Well, he's known to us as a sexual predator, we've actually been looking for him for quite some time and women have come forward in the past because of what this man did to them, all evidence has been inconclusive but we can open this case again and sentence him if, I know it's a big ask, you submit a rape kit, you still have time left but it would really help us in the respect that we could get him off the streets for good"

"Peter"

"I know sweetheart, I know it's scary but I will be with you all the way" Peter reassures her as Carla sighs in response turning to the officers

"I'll do it"

"That's great thank you, Carla, we just want to make sure we protect the public as well as you" the officer smiles "I'll get a nurse to come in and administer the kit, I'll see myself out"

"You're so brave you know that?"

"No"

"Well I think you are and so does Evie" Peter smiles as Evie looks up at him reaching her arms out as Peter lifts her onto his lap "I love you so much, both of you and whatever happens, I will always be by your side, both of us will"