'What did you tell Johnny?'

'Hmm?'

'Why you couldn't work today?'

'I told him I was doing to find the big cat of Weatherfield.' She deadpans, her hand skirting over her protruding abdomen. He can tell she's stressed so he doesn't make any comments about the scan, or her sarcasm, he just lies their listening to her steady breathing.

'It will be okay, you know.'

'What if it's not?' He rolls over, so he is facing her. 'Peter, I'm nearly 46, I'm even older than last time. So much can go wrong. Look at Chelle.'

'Carla, it will be find. We will go to the scan and everything will be fine. She'll be perfect.'

'She?' He receives a smirk and a raised eyebrow. 'Really?'

'I think it will be a little girl. A mini-you.'

'God help her.' She laughs, the sound echoing throughout the room. 'Could you imagine?'

'Don't say that. She'll be the luckiest little girl in the world. You put yourself down and you need to stop that, she'll be so lucky, and, loved. Trust me.'

'What?' She is genuinely speechless at his mini outburst. She had often made these off-the-cuff comments, trying to make him laugh or make herself feel better. Her sharp sense of humour being used as a coping mechanism, trying to mask her nerves. The same ones that kept her up all night. 'You actually think that?'

'I do.' He confirms, trapping her leg in his and bringing her closer. 'I think you're going to be a brilliant mum to our little girl.'

'What if it's a boy?'

'You're going to be a brilliant mum to our baby. Boy, girl, puppy.'

-CS-

'Pass me those tablets.' She yawns, as he chucks the box in question over to her. 'These are vile. But she needs them, to help 'er grow.' She shudders, bringing the pill up to her mouth, ready to take the last pill of the regime, as she finished off her glass of water. If she had a favourite pill, it would be this one, down to the fact that it was helping her grow a baby. The others were for her, but this one was from the baby currently inhibiting her womb. The one she's meeting up for the second time today. 'Every morning, I wake up in hope it will taste better than the day before.' She complains, pushing the remainder of the food around on her plate. 'Every morning it still tastes vile.'

'Sorry.'

'For what?'

'Well, it's sort of my fault, for knocking you up.' She laughs again, looking at him. 'If I've remembered the condom.'

'And I'd stopped taking the pill. I was too old; we've been through this. It's fine though.' She smiles, rubbing her stomach. 'I can't wait to see you again.' She smiles, looking down at the bump.

'Maybe then, we'll start telling people.'

'Maybe.' She muses, examining her nails. She knows that people are going to have to know soon, she just wanted to put off the talking and the hushed whispering. She'd been the centre of attention enough and, for once, she didn't want it. It was private, unspoken words that don't need to be said in public. Saved for the precious few moments she spends with Peter, when she comes out of the shower, with only a towel to disguise her stomach, but he can still see the shape of the bump taking place, as she blushes when she catches him staring. When she's laying on the bathroom at 4AM because the morning sickness hasn't, quite, gone, the moments where he sits their room, gently massaging her head and getting her glasses of water. Or, when, they are sitting on the small table working out what Peter is going to cook for dinner, as they work out if she's eating the right things, making sure that his girlfriend and his baby are being properly looked after.

'Are you embarrassed?' He questions, gaining his attention.

'Of the baby?' he nods, biting her lip. He can never quite understand why she doesn't want to shout about it, it's a miracle. 'No.' She muses, 'no I'm not. I don't know, it's us Peter. It's me and you, our precious little thing.' She smiles, as he comes over, placing his hand on top of hers. 'I just don't want anyone's opinion; everyone will have something to say and I just don't want to.' She breathes, 'you see it all the time, when people touch your bump. I just can't.' She whispers, 'it's like it's not your body. I don't want people to-do that.' She confesses, 'it might be different when we've announced it and I'm swept up in all that.'

'It's okay, do you want me to stop?' He's taken to rubbing her bump, sleeping with his arms around it, protecting it, unlike he did with the first pregnancy, regret bubbling up in his stomach as he thinks of it. A quick rub here and there, when he's in the kitchen or lying on the sofa. These little moments, but he feels guilty now because he didn't even think that she might not like it, he just assumed that she did.

'No, you're my partner. It's your baby, you need to bond with it.' She pauses taking a deep breath, 'I read that talking to the baby is really good, I mean I'm doing all the hard work, it doesn't worry me if its you. I promise I don't mind you. It's other people, people that I don't know, nor like.' He laughs, imagining someone like Gail or Sally deciding they wanted to touch her bump. He wasn't entirely sure she'd be able to hold back.

-CS-

'I need a wee.' She whispers, crossing her legs as well as she can in the car.

'That's a good thing, we can see the baby a bit better.'

'Do you reckon she'll be in position? So, we can see? Just to confirm she's a little baby girl.'

'That's not the important thing, though.' He muses, 'as long as the baby is healthy.'

'It truly doesn't matter.' She promises, her hand falling on her stomach, 'as long as you are healthy and happy all tucked up in there, I don't mind.'

'I'm sure it will be.' He tries to reassure her, gently patting the back of her hand.

'Eye's on the road, mister.' She grins, 'eyes on the road.'

-CS-

The room was filled with couples, surprising her because they weren't all just young couples, there was another older couple at, what seems to be, a later stage of pregnancy. It might just be that her bump was smaller than theirs. She wasn't going to lie; she had been worried. Worry that something was going wrong, she wondered if that fear would ever pass. She looks around at people in their masks, all different colours. She, almost, wished she brought a more colourful mask, given the new hospital protocol, but she wasn't really sure where she would get on. So, in the end, she got a box of 50 surgical masks off of amazon.

'You okay?' He dares to ask, lowering his voice so that their conversation was kept between them. Just because there was a buzz in the room, it didn't make them want to make it public, she goes to rest her head on her shoulder. 'It's okay, you know, to be scared.'

'Are we going to find out?' She whispers, 'if you don't want too, I know I do, but I don't want you to be disappointed.'

'You know, love, I won't be. If it's a boy, great. Simon will have another little brother, we've already done that, so we won't be as naïve.' He starts, fiddling with the lose piece of string at the end of her coat. 'If it's a little girl, that will also be great.' He promises, as she closes her eyes. He knows she didn't get much sleep; he woke up sporadically throughout the night, more often than not, she wasn't in bed and he could hear the TV on low. He would have joined her, but she would have worried about waking him up and she didn't need her under anymore stress. He wished she'd tell folk so that she could cut down on the workload, but she wasn't having any of it.

'I think it's a boy.' She whispers, having a quick look around the waiting room. She wondered if these people knew what they were having, if all their babies were healthy. If they were happy. She supposed they were, there were a few woman on the whole but they all seemed happy enough.

She was happy. She was beyond happy, but there was that niggling feeling at the back of her mind. The one telling her that things weren't okay, that it would be her fault if she lost another baby. She wouldn't be able to cope, she didn't think. She didn't want to get excited.

'I thought you thought it was a little girl.' She shrugs as another couple get called in, her heartbeat racing as the thought of them going in gets nearer. 'I think it's a girl.' She smiles at this, knowing he did want a little girl. She believed that he wouldn't mind, but if it was a boy, it would be a what if, in a way that they wouldn't get if it was a little girl.

'We can tell people.' She whispers, 'after the appointment.'

'Really?' She nods, sitting up straighter.

'When we know that baby is okay.'

-CS-

'Carla Connor?' She nods, pushing herself up. 'Hi, I'm Amy and I'll be your sonographer today. You're about twenty weeks pregnant?' She nods as she's directed onto the bed.

'Twenty weeks and three days.' She confirms, as the sonographer goes through the basic questions. She wants to laugh that; last time she was here they were checking her kidneys. She'd had appointment after appointment. She remembered the painful way they managed to direct the probe, hoping she didn't pee herself. At that point, with all the poking, it wasn't a given. This was different, but she still had that resounding fear, about weeing herself. Displaced fear she thinks, worry about the baby being the real fear.

'This will feel a bit cold.' She's told, as she adjusts her top accordingly, so that the gel doesn't get on them. She's not too worried about ruining them, they were older jeans that she didn't mind, she was more worried about the discomfort it would cause on the ride home.

She winces as the probe is pressed down, suddenly feeling sick. Peter senses this, grabbing her and edging closer, if he could be on that bed with her, he would. He'd be there to reassure her, he wants her to know he's there for every step, rubbing her arm. There is a moment of palpable silence, neither of them being able to look at the screen.

Then it came, the steady thump of a heartbeat. She bursts into tears, gaining a slight smile from the sonographer.

'Is it okay?' She whispers, trying to keep her voice calm as she tries not to cry. Again. They receive a nod from the woman scanning her tummy.

'I am just going to take a few measurements, but everything seems fine.' They sit in silence, tears rolling down the expectant mothers' cheeks, she's decided it doesn't matter if anyone see's her cry. The baby was hers and it was healthy.

'Can you tell?' She eventually chokes out, 'if it's a boy or girl?' She gets a gentle squeeze from her partner, as the sonographer stares at the scan.

'Yes. Do you want to know?' A quick glance between the pair, results in a nod.

'Please.'

'Congratulations, you're having a baby girl.' A fresh wave of tears hits Carla, as Peter tries to keep a calm composure, yet a lone tear escapes, as he looks at his daughter. His little girl, with the woman he loves more than anything.

-CS-

'Can I have a decaf black coffee and a tea please, mate.' Peter smiles, getting out his card. He can't help the smiles, he's just so happy. He can't describe it; he would have loved a boy but now it was confirmed, it felt real. He grabs the cups gently, going to join Carla at the table.

'A girl.' She whispers, gratefully excepting the warm beverage.

'A mini-you.' He grins, already panning out the future. He can see her now, long brown hair, looking like her mum. 'Wow.' This time she doesn't rebuke him, she just sits there in silence, taking in the last forty-minutes. She's finally stopped crying and she doesn't need a wee, anymore. Everything is good in the world.

Then suddenly it isn't, as an all too familiar face appears. 'Peter, Carla?' The voice frightens the pair, making them jump.

'Uh, hi, Tracy.' Peter questions, looking at his step-sister. 'What are you doing here.'

'I could ask you the same thing.'

'I asked first.'

'Oliver, he's gone into, what's it called.' She pauses for a moment, missing the darting look that is passed between the pair, if it's Oliver, it's not going to be a good thing. 'Status epilepticus. It's where they can't stop the seizure, I think. He was admit I was just bringing some hot drinks to Steve, and Leanne.'

'Ever the good Samaritan.' Peter teases, looking at her.

'So, what are you here for?'

'I had a kidney check-up.' Carla buts in, before Peter can spill their news. 'You know, the one you have every six months. Peter just wanted to come from support.'

'Well isn't that touching.' She rolls her eyes, 'I'll speak to you later Peter.' They watch as she trudges up to the paediatric ward, a place where she seems to be every few days.

'Peter.' Carla starts, looping her arms into his, walking out of the hospital. 'I know we want to share the news, and believe me, I do too. I want to shout about our daughter from the rooftops, but now isn't the best time.' She tries, as he unlocks the car, having parked it near the entrance. 'You and I both know if Oliver's seizure isn't being controlled, it's not a good thing. Today isn't the day we tell everyone.'

'But.'

'Peter, you can't win this.' He nods, conceding defeat, knowing she was speaking sense. 'If people find out now, it will seem insensitive. You have to think of everyone's reactions, Simons in particular. He's his brother.'

'But that's his little sister.'

'That he knows nothing about. All we know is that they are going out of their mind with worry, Simon included. We can't tell anyone, I'm sorry Peter.' He nods, looking at her. 'I know your elated and just want to tell everyone, but I'm sorry we can't.'

'I know.' He sighs, 'but she's my little girl. I just want to show her off.'

'And we can, but not today. It's nothing about being embarrassed, I'm just trying to think of everyone else in the picture. I don't want our announcement to be tainted. Not when I, think, I can get away with hiding her. What's in a couple of days, aye?'

'I'm just so happy, and excited.'

'I know you are baby, but it's a couple of days. A week at most.' He nods, smiling at her, tears glistening in his eyes.

'I'm just so happy.'

A/N Thoughts? I'm glad you're all enjoying this! I feel like you're getting a load of pregnancy shots at the moment, but I'm finding them easier to write than the others at the moment….

I just wanted to clarify this, as one person mentioned it but no one else seemed to, did Carla tell Roy that she was going to call the baby Hayley? Someone mentioned it in response to the question about when Carla found out she was having a girl. I have a confession, I find it really hard to watch the scenes of the 6/6/2014 because they're so sad, but particularly Roy and Carla's conversation because that was so heart-wrenching, so I've only seen it a few times and I never really picked up on that…