She felt bad for feeling the way she did, she really did love him and even if he was miles away in a hospital her mind was still filled with thoughts about Peter. She got home and got dressed then she got back into bed and made sure she stayed warm and comfortable since she was meant to be looking after herself. She slid the ring off her finger and held it up to the dull and hearty glow from her bedroom lamp which was situated on the bedside table and smiled. She wondered why she was so off with him and the only thing that she would confirm that it was either hormones or the shock of Peter actually being able to speak to her once more after it had been a number of weeks since he had. She couldn't wait to have him home and she couldn't wait for him to be at her daughters birth.

"You seem overly chirpy today" Michelle narrows her eyes sipping on her coffee she had been dropping in to see Carla every day since she came out of hospital

"Just getting on with my life 'Chelle" she grins grabbing her makeup bag and doing her makeup "And that starts with going to see Peter"

"You're meant to be resting"

"Well Peter and I can rest together" she smirks, Michelle just shakes her head knowing when Carla had her heart set on something then she would do it anyway

"I guess you're digging your grave" Michelle shrugs, Carla rolls her eyes "Do you want me to give you a lift?"

"If you're offering" Carla smiles, Michelle nods slowly watching her friend grab a plate and put a couple of slices of bread in the toaster "You see I am capable of looking after myself"

"I never said you weren't it's just your mind gets distracted by your feelings and other things which are going on around you so you forget to look after yourself"

"Well there you are, do you want to take a picture?" she teases, Michelle just sighs in response shaking her head "Let me eat this then we can head off"

Michelle waited for Carla to finish her breakfast, she then drove her to the hospital and walked her up to the ICU for a bit of company and with Carla dropped off with Peter she went back to work. Carla immediately ran in to see Peter, she seemed much brighter he thought, maybe it really was down to the shock he was finally speaking to her again. They sat and talked, Carla had bought various magazines with her to entertain herself with just in case there were some boring periods during her visit to the hospital but there wasn't, they managed to find conversation, Carla telling him all about her cravings and what happened back home whilst he had been in hospital.

"That's gross" Peter pulls a face, Carla just shrugs "How can you even eat all that together"

"Wasnt as bad as when I got home last night, I had barbeque sauce, prawn cocktail crisps and bacon in a bowl together" she glints, Peter groans "She was very appreciative"

"I bet she was to want all that" Peter smirks, Carla just tilts her head to the side and takes his hand "You still haven't removed the ring"

"Oh..." she falters glancing down to it "No I haven't..." she takes it off, Peter shakes his head and takes the ring out of her hand and puts it back on "Peter..."

"Keep it on" he smiles, she sighs "We dont have to get married you can just wear it if it helps you feel close to me whilst I'm in here"

"Ok" she smiles slightly before sighing

"What?" he asks, she just groans and takes Peter's hand and places it on her bump "She's awake, wants to say hi to her daddy I think"

"I can't wait till I'm at home, with you, then I can spoil you"

"You need to learn to walk first" she reminds him, Peter smiles slightly "But I can't wait either, Frank and Michelle have been taking great care of me"

"Frank?" Peter narrows his eyes, Carla nods "Well good on him most people would run a mile"

"I guess" she shrugs "He was bringing me food as you know I'm not exactly a domestic goddess, Michelle had been popping in every morning and all that"

"It's good you have all the support around you" he smiles slightly

"It's not the same as you though"

"I know but hopefully soon we'll be reunited, I might have a to be in a wheelchair for a bit but that doesn't matter"

"No it doesn't as long as we have each other eh?" she smirks, Peter nods "Do you have any idea how you got in here? Like, remember anything?"

"I told the police that someone attacked me, a hit and run well I think it was that I dont really remember" he sighs, Carla nods slowly

"I guess it's just one of those things" she shrugs, Peter smiles slightly tickling her bump which she giggles at "She likes that"

"Yeah well I dont because you'll make me want to pee" she pouts her lips, Peter rolls his eyes "I can't wait to have you home, all to myself where we can cuddle and you can hold me again"

"Yesterday you seemed like you were having doubts"

"Oh" she bites her lip feeling immensely guilty "I was just thinking back I suppose, on our relationship that is, I guess ever since we've got together things have seen so dramatic, stressful and I did wonder if maybe us splitting until the baby's born would be a good way forward for her, not for us, because I really want to put her first"

"I know you do and I would understand" he smiles "But I can't live without you and if I'm right in saying this you can't live without me either"

"I can't, I love you so much, I've been pining for you since you've been in here, we've missed you so much," she says, Peter takes her hand and kisses it "Anyway I promised 'Chelle that I would head back within a couple of hours to have a rest"

"Yeah I agree with her, gotta keep this little munchkin safe" he smiles patting her bump, she smiles at him "Do I get a kiss goodbye this time?"

"Hmm" she hums leaning over and kissing him on the lips, their tongues dancing with each other as they both moan into their kiss, she pulls away and smirks "I've missed that"

"I've missed that too" he grins cupping her cheek "Look after yourself yeah? And look after the baby and keep safe any aches and pains speak to Michelle"

"I will, I promise" she smiles, he kisses her on the forehead "I'll see you soon"

Carla headed home and climbed into bed to watch more daytime TV which she was starting to loathe very quickly but she ended up falling asleep anyway so she didn't have to sit through it. She was curled up in the duvet and she was pretty sure she was dreaming of Peter and their daughter and when she would finally arrive, she was starting to get quite excited as well as nervous for the future. She was soon brought out of her peaceful slumber by the buzzer again, she wrapped herself up in her robe and was surprised to hear Frank's voice at the end of the intercom, she let him up.

"Now this is a lovely surprise" she smirks standing at the door, he subconsciously glances at her figure

"I have got something for you" he grins, she narrows her eyes and takes the paper bag he thrust in front of her and looks through it

"What is it?"

"Well I've been speaking to Michelle and she said you have an intense craving for barbeque sauce or anything that contains barbeque flavours"

"Oh?"

"So you have a chicken burger with barbeque sauce" he grins, her eyes widen before she breaks into tears "Why are you...?"

"Shut up" she snaps, she softens slightly "It's just so lovely you bought this for me, thank you so much, Frank"

"Oh, so you're not actually upset?" Frank questions, she shakes her head grabbing some plates from the drying rack and placing them on the kitchen counter "Oh I can't stay, I need to head off"

"Oh please" she whines, he just raises his eyebrows "It's lonely here without Peter"

"Ok fine, if you insist"

"I do" she pins him a look he sits down on in the armchair watching her plonk herself down on the sofa with her chicken burger "This is well good"

"Well I did go all the way into town for that" he smirks, she rolls her eyes eating it "I would so down you might get bad heartburn or indigestion"

"I dont care" she snaps "Sorry...she's just really playing with my emotions at the moment"

"It's fine" he reassures her "As long as you're both satisfied then I can't complain"

"What's that supposed to mean?" she pins him an angry look, he frowns "Gosh sorry I dont know where that came from"

"It's ok Carla" he chuckles sitting beside her, she groans in annoyance "What? Are you ok?"

"Yeah she's just moving around, look" she points to her bump where her skin was rippling gently "You can feel you know, I dont care. I gave up caring a while ago, plus it'll give her something to focus on other than my bladder"

"Oh, right" he places his hand on her bump "How do you cope?"

"Well you have to dont you, for someone you love?" she smiles slightly "Oi stop stretching me please"

"So how are you and Peter?" he asks cautiously, she just shrugs

"We're fine, more than fine" she grins, Frank nods slowly "Why?"

"I dont know really, I just wondered you seemed out of sorts without him around" he shrugs, she shrugs nonchalantly "As long as you're ok"

"Yeah we are" she smiles watching him remove his hand from her bump "How are you and the resident prostitute?"

"Yeah we're good" he nods slowly "More than good I was thinking about proposing to her"

"What?!" she exclaims knowing Peter would fly off the rails "I guess it's your life, I wouldn't want to marry Leanne, she can be a right handful"

"How do you mean?"

"You really dont know her, do you?" she chuckles, Frank shrugs "My first husband was into prostitutes seeing them behind my back one of them turned out to be Saint Leanne, I were convinced that she were having an affair with him"

"But she wasn't?"

"Well I dont know do I really? I mean I've given up looking at the past, after all, there's only one person who was involved left on this earth"

"I didn't realise" he sighs, Carla nods slowly "So what makes Peter the one then?"

"Well apart from the obvious that he's the father of my unborn child there's the fact that I would do anything for him, the fact that I love him probably more than myself thinking about it now, and the fact that he cares immensely about me, looks after me all that stuff"

"Sounds pretty perfect to me" he smiles, she nods "So you wouldn't want to leave him then?"

"What?" she scoffs "No way, I love him too much, I'm not letting this one go, no way"

"Even when the baby's born arent you going to find it hard?"

"How do you mean?"

"It might throw him over the edge, causing him to drink, that's a lot of responsibility you're going to have"

"What? I dont understand..."

"Well when the baby's born, you would be looking after her whilst also looking after Peter, looking for the signs of him drinking and balancing the care of a newborn, that's bound to be hard"

"I guess" she narrows her eyes "But I love him, I love him so much and if I have to do that then so be it...why are you saying all of this?"

"Oh nothing..." he sighs, she frowns "Ignore me, I guess I just worry about you, that's all"

"But why? You have no reason to?"

"Well you're a good friend of mine Carla, I wouldn't want to see you struggle or get hurt"

"Is this Leanne speaking?"

"No...no Carla, I'm speaking from my heart" he hums, she sighs slightly not entirely "I just worry as a friend, as a business associate"

"Well it's sweet of you to worry Franky but I can cope on my own ta"

"Well you know I am always here if you need to talk, non-judgemental of course, I would always want to help you Carla" he smiles, she nods slowly "Anyway I must head off now as I am going to be very late"

"Thank you for this" she gestures to the food, he nods "We'll speak soon"

"We will, goodbye Carla"

"Bye Frank"