"What ever you are going to say to me, we can deal with it together" Peter said to her "because when your brother is concerned we know it's something bad"
"Ok" she smiled "the other night, I was trying to sleep, when I couldn't get that image of the man that attacked you out of my head"
"Right" Peter said, confused.
"I then remembered his name and where I had seen him before"
"What?" Peter shrieked, raising off of the sofa.
"Wait" Carla said, pulling him down again "I couldn't be sure that it was him, so I needed to find out if it was who I thought it was before I told you"
"You should have told me Carla" Peter said angrily.
"Then when I got into work, I got the letter from the prison"
"What does that have to do with the person that attacked me"
"Well, the person I thought it was, used to hang around with Rob"
Peter jumped back off of the sofa "I know exactly where this is going" he began to pace the floor "it was Rob wasn't it"
Carla looked at him, into his eyes.
"Wasn't it Carla" Peter probed.
Carla let a tear fall from her eye. She then nodded.
Peter grabbed his coat and stormed out of the flat.
"Peter" she called after him but he was gone.
Carla broke down, yet again Rob was causing tension in her relationship.
Peter made his way to number one. He needed to talk to someone who wouldn't get offended by the things he was saying.
Carla was full of worry. She text Johnny to keep Haisley for the afternoon, whilst she figured out what to do about Rob and until she found Peter.
Ken opened the door to his angry son. Peter barged past him, into the living room.
"I need a drink" Peter admitted.
"Peter" Ken said in shock.
"I can't believe she didn't tell me"
"What is going on?" Ken asked "you can tell me over a nice cup of coffee" he tried to distract the conversation from alcohol.
Peter rolled his eyes. Coffee wasn't going to cut it but he knew he couldn't have a drink.
When Ken returned with the coffee Peter told him everything.
"Why hasn't she gone to the police if she knows who did this to you?" Ken asked, confused.
"She never wants to go to the police about Rob, she only did last time because it was weighing on her conscious"
"That's not fair Peter"
"I can't believe she knew who it was for days and hasn't said one word dad"
"She had a lot to think about"
"Are you actually siding with her? She knows who attacked me, who took me away from my family for a week, who left me for dead and she hasn't done anything about it"
Ken sighed. Peter was angry and he didn't seem to be calming down.
"I can't believe she would do this on purpose, but she should have called the DI" Ken said after thinking about it.
"She should have, again we have a case of her protecting her brother"
"I don't think that is it, Peter"
"Well that is what is seems like"
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Ken rose to his feet to answer the door.
"Is he here?" Carla asked.
"He is but I think you should leave it right now, Carla" Ken told her knowing that he was very angry.
As soon as Peter heard her name he rushed to the door.
"Oh here she is, the traitor"
"Peter" she scolded.
"Well what would you call yourself?" he asked, standing in the doorway.
"You are such a child sometimes" Carla rolled her eyes "are you going to let me in?"
"No" Peter said, shutting the door in her face.
"Oh very mature Peter" Carla shouted through the door.
Carla stormed off and straight into Kate.
"Hey, what is wrong with you?" Kate asked, holding onto her sister's shoulders.
"I have done something really stupid"
"Come on, let's go to mine"
Carla followed Kate back to hers. She told Kate everything, leaving her to take it all in before answering.
"Wow" Kate sighed "that is a lot to take in"
"Now Peter is angry at me for not telling him and for not calling the police"
"Are you going to tell the police?" Kate asked.
"Yes, I just wanted to tell Peter first, but now he won't even talk to me, that man is so stubborn sometimes"
Kate comforted her sister until Carla needed to go home to Haisley.
"Johnny has had her for long enough and I didn't go home last night so I miss her"
"Ok, I'm here if you need me" Kate pulled her in for a hug.
Carla made her way home and just in time as Haisley bounded through the door with Johnny in tow.
"Daddy" she called.
"Daddy is not here baby, it's just me" Carla told her.
"Oh"
"I'm sorry, am I not enough for you anymore?" Carla asked sarcastically, picking Haisley up in the air into her arms.
Haisley squealed and laughed "yes mummy"
"I love you baby"
"I love you mummy"
"Go get your pjs on and then we can watch a movie"
Haisley skipped off into her bedroom.
"Thank you for having her"
"No worries, I love having her" Johnny smiled "are you ok?"
"No but I have to be in front of her" she said sadly.
"I can always take her back for a sleepover"
"No I want her here with me" Carla admitted "thank you though"
Johnny said his goodbyes and left Carla to it.
Peter was still over at number one. Tracy had now come home, and was less than pleased that her brother was sleeping over.
"Have you told Carla you are staying here?" Ken asked.
Peter nodded.
"Why what have you done now?" Tracey asked "found another woman already?"
"Tracey" Ken scolded.
"It wasn't me this time, it was her" Peter told her.
Peter told Tracey everything. Tracey was very interested as soon as she heard Rob's name.
The next morning Peter woke to an empty bed. He sighed when he remembered the reason he was alone.
He wanted to talk to Carla but he was afraid of saying something he would regret. He had to be a man and go home to his family. He needed to have a conversation with Carla.
He slowly put his key in the door.
"Oh so you know where you live then" Carla said, noticing him come through the door. She was sitting on the sofa with a coffee and a magazine.
"Carla, we need to talk"
"We do"
Carla was angry with Peter, he hadn't even listened to her, he jumped to conclusions and made her the bad guy.
"Why didn't you come home yesterday?" she asked.
"I needed to think some things through"
"Have you had enough time?" she said sarcastically.
"Why are you angry at me?" Peter asked in shock as she was being so hostile. As far as he was concerned she was the one that hid things from him.
"I really appreciate having a door slammed in my face Peter, it really topped off my day" she shouted.
"Well I love it when my girlfriend protects her murderous brother"
"I have not" she shouted at him, standing from the sofa.
"Well that is what it feels like" he shouted back.
"I don't believe you Peter" she said in anger, she paced the living room, walking towards him.
"Well I don't believe you would take his side"
"There is no side to take Peter" she shouted at him, throwing her arms out.
"Yes there is MINE" he shouted.
"Why is everyone shouting?" Haisley asked, rubbing her eyes "daddy?"
"Sorry princess" Peter said, calmly.
"Yeah, I'm sorry we woke you" Carla said, picking up her daughter.
"Why are you shouting at mummy?" Haisley asked him.
"No baby, mummy was shouting at daddy" Carla told her, as they were both shouting.
"No I heard a man's voice" Haisley told her mum.
"I am so sorry princess, we are just talking and we got a little loud"
"Yeah, daddy is just going now" Carla said to her.
Peter looked at her sadly "I am going to grandad Ken's do you want to come with me?" he asked Haisley.
She nodded "but no more shouting" Peter nodded back at her.
"I am going to take her with me but we will be back tonight, we need to finish this conversation"
"I am only letting her go because she heard us arguing, next time don't you dare do that" Carla warned. She then entered her bedroom and let the tears roll down her face. She was so emotional.
Peter took Haisley's hand. He wanted so desperately to open the bedroom door and take Carla into his arms, but he was so angry.
Michelle and Kate came over a little after Peter left.
"What happened?" Michelle asked, noticing Carla's tear stained cheeks.
"It was horrible, we both just started shouting"
"Did you sort anything?" Kate asked.
Carla shook her head "Haisley heard us shouting and came out, Peter then decided to take her" Carla wiped her eye "I was furious, how dare he take her from me"
"He was probably just taking her somewhere nice to distract her" Kate told her.
"I know but that has never happened to me, it's just been us two so when he took her something hurt inside" Carla said, letting out another tear.
Michelle and Kate looked at each other.
"And I can't stop crying" Carla took a tissue "I even cried in front of Rob which I never would do"
"Carla don't get angry" Michelle started "but are you pregnant?"
Carla just stared at her. She tried to remember the last time she had a period. When she thought about it, it was before Peter got attacked but she put it down to the stress of the situation.
"No this would be the absolute worst timing for us, we are not even talking"
"So I guess there is a possibility" Kate said.
"Well I put the no period thing down to the stress of Peter being in the hospital" Carla told the women.
"You need to get a test then to be sure, it may just be the stress" Michelle told her honestly.
"Or she has my next niece or nephew in there" Kate pointed to Carla's stomach.
The three women had more conversations about Carla's situation and about Kate's married life. They tried to distract Carla but she couldn't be distracted.
Peter on the other hand was having a good time with Haisley. He took her to Ken's and Ken made cakes with her whilst Peter thought about Carla in the living room.
"Daddy, I made pink ones" Haisley told a distant Peter.
When he didn't say anything she jumped up onto his lap "daddy" Haisley waved her hand in front of his face.
"Sorry princess" Peter told her "I love them"
Peter asked Simon to come over so he could try to spend time with both his children.
"Dad are you ok?" Simon asked, noticing the distance.
"I am fine, me and Carla are just going through something that's all" Peter told his son.
"Anything I can help with?" Simon asked.
"Yes, actually can you watch your sister so I can go and talk to Carla" he asked. Simon agreed, he loved having Haisley.
Peter rushed home. He rushed through the door, to Carla, Michelle and Kate.
He could see that Carla had been crying.
"Can I have a word with Carla please ladies?" he asked.
"Can he?" Kate asked.
Carla nodded. She placed a kiss onto Kate's cheek and gave Michelle a hug.
"Call us if you need us" Michelle said.
Once they had both left Carla turned to Peter "what do you want Peter?"
"We need to talk without shouting at each other"
"I agree but are you going to let me talk?"
Peter nodded. He sat down next to her.
"Where is Haisley?" Carla asked.
"She is with Simon at my dads" Peter answered.
Carla took in a deep breath. "I was going to go to the police after I had told you" she started "then you started shouting at me and wouldn't let me tell you that"
"Carla, you can't blame me because you knew who it was and didn't tell the police"
"No I wasn't one hundred percent sure yet but once I found out I was going to go straight there"
"Oh"
"Yes oh"
"I thought you wanted to protect Rob like when he stole the silk"
"Peter, he tried to kill you, how could I forgive that" she told him.
Peter shook his head.
"If you even tried to listen to me, I would have told you that I had a terrible time seeing him and I just needed my partner to comfort me"
"I know" he said sadly.
"I told my brother that he was dead to me" Carla told him.
"Oh Carla" he placed his hand onto hers but she pulled away.
"The thing that hurts me the most is that you jumped to your own conclusion about me and thought that I would be against you"
"I didn't"
"You did Peter, I suffered terribly when you were in the hospital, I would never try to protect the person that did that to you, especially Rob"
"Carla"
"I just need some time" she said, getting up and going into the bedroom.
Peter sat there for a little while. He wasn't sure what to do but he couldn't just sit there any longer.
"Carla" he said as he burst through the door.
"Peter, I said I need some time"
"I am so sorry but you have to admit, you should have told me when you even suspected someone"
"Ok, I guess so but I didn't want you to get your hopes up of justice if I was wrong"
Peter took a seat on the end of the bed.
"Carla, I think we should try to work past this"
"Peter, we have got through worse than this, we will be fine" Carla told him, edging closer to him "but I still need time, I need to deal with my feelings towards the whole situation"
"What does that mean? Do you want me to move to my dads?"
"No, because Haisley will think something is up but I do need some space"
Peter lowered his head "I understand" he stood up "I will go and get her from my dads" he placed a kiss onto her head.
She closed her eyes to his touch. Once he was gone she let out more tears, she had to deal with Peter, Rob and the prospect of being pregnant again.
Hopefully you like the direction this is going in. Please review! I hope I am not overloading you with chapters but I have just been inspired! Let me know what you think! :)