There's probably only a couple of chapters left in this one...

Somehow crossing fingers was something that would soon turn into a nightmare, a living one at that. Carla had yet to name her daughter, maybe she held onto the sliver of hope that Peter would be her father and that they could do it together and two weeks on she was still very much confused about the whole thing. The results were taking ages and it was making her sweat with nerves, she was struggling to look after the baby and she didn't know what to do right now as she felt ever so useless because she couldn't walk and get up and do things. The nurses gave her time though with her daughter but unfortunately, the hospital didn't have the capacity to keep the baby there the whole time but they allowed her to stay until Carla had the results of the test.

"This is for you," the nurse says, Carla gulps looking at the envelope

"Is that the results?"

"I would believe so" the nurse confirms, Carla takes the envelope off her and glances at her baby "I'll leave you to it"

"Thank you" Carla confirms biting her lip, there was a reason she kept bigging it up in her head times previous, maybe because she thought that when she actually received the envelope then she was able to act normal around it but unfortunately her hands just shook, she tore it open and read the contents before glancing at the baby, it all made sense now…

"What are you doing here?!" Leanne questions as Peter enters the flat, he sighs slightly "Peter? You haven't been drinking have y-"

"I haven't been drinking!" he snaps, she pulls a face and walks over to the kettle "Do you have any of Simon's stuff?"

"I thought you didn't want Simon's stuff?" she reminds him because that is what he said, even if it was meant out of grief

"I want it now" he states, Leanne sighs and heads into the spare room pulling out a couple of boxes stacked on top of each other "Thank you"

"Have you spoken to Carla?" she interrogates, Peter pulls a face

"Why would I have?"

"You're nervous about the results of that paternity test" she points out as it was obvious, Peter sighs "You haven't even been to see her since they did the test-"

"Shut up this is none of your business-"

"Don't take it out on me" she scowls, Peter glares at her "It's not my fault your ex-wife can't keep her knickers on!"

"Oh leave off you're hardly whiter than white!" he snaps pulling out a framed photo "Perfect, thanks Leanne"

"Woah hold on-" she starts but he was too late, Peter was gone causing her to sigh

Peter was working hard on this mission, he needed to do this for closure and for the future even if the future seemed uncertain. He stormed around to Michelle and Lucas' and started banging on the door, she opened and raised her eyebrows at him wanting him to explain himself before he came in and caused a scene. Unfortunately, the past stung when Sammy appeared looking up at Michelle and then at Peter causing his heart to sink at the possibility of Carla's child not being his, Sammy had a half-sister now, that is what hurt for him.

"Do you have the photo, the one in the Rovers?" he questions, Michelle frowns

"The one of you, me, Steve and Carla" he adds, she sighs and nods allowing him in, Lucas narrows his eyes watching Michelle grabs the album "You're a lifesaver"

"What's this for, might I ask?"

"You'll see," he says quietly looking through the album and spotting one of Kate, Aidan and Carla, the three siblings, posing to the camera "And could I have this one?"

"Uh yeah sure" Michelle frowns looking at Lucas who just shrugs knowing Peter was on a mission

As soon as Peter had the photos, he was gone leaving Michelle and Lucas to look at each other awkwardly and sigh

"Who was that?" Sammy questions running his toy car along the top of the sofa, Michelle grins and lifts him onto her hip "Who?"

"One of mine and daddy's friends" she pecks him on the forehead before realising how unconventional this setup was but that didn't matter, all that mattered was love

"Cool" Sammy shrugs returning to play with his toy car

"I was thinking why don't we have a chippy tea tonight?" Lucas suggests, Sammy instantly nods and Michelle laughs

"Go on then, I guess we don't have a choice…"

"You're ok" she rocks the small bundle in her arms trying to settle her child "Go to sleep sweetheart, off you go"

"Are you ok?" the nurse asks, Carla nods slowly "Is she being fussy?"

"She always is" Carla chuckles allowing her child to rest against her chest which settled her instantly "Don't worry I'm trying to make some arrangements for her"

"Hi"

"I'll leave you two to it" the nurse smiles before leaving, Carla bites her lip and closes her eyes

"Look there's no easy way to say this-"

"No" Peter shakes his head, Carla cries as well holding her baby "Please no"

"I'm so sorry" she whispers as the tears continue to fall down both of their faces "She's not yours Peter"

"You're lying!" he cries, she shakes her head passing him the letter and he immediately slumps into the chair next to her and cries "I really thought we had a chance...I'm so sorry"

"Why did you have to go and sleep with him!" he exclaims tearfully, she just cries even more and the tears that dropped onto her baby instantly woke her "Why!"

"I don't know!" she cries once more "If I knew I would have told you! I would have…"

"It has to be wrong-"

"Peter it's not wrong. Trust me I want it to be wrong as well but it's not!" she whispers looking down at her baby "I don't know what to do, I need to go off to LA Peter to have my treatment and she can't stay here with me or come with me so I'm making the executive decision to have her fostered-"

"Carla no you're not doing this, not after everything with Sammy!" he presses a hand to his head, she looks down at her baby "I can't let you do that, not to her, not after Sammy"

"I don't have a choice," Carla says "Who would look after her? Johnny and Jenny? Because that's going to go down well at the pub isn't it?"

"I'll do it"

"Peter" she sighs in annoyance, Peter closes his eyes "I don't want to inflict this on you-"

"I've been there for all of her life when she was inside of you, I've been there watching her grow and I will continue to love her like she's my own if I look after her!"

"You're mad" Carla shakes her head in disbelief, her options were limited but she didn't know whether she trusted Peter not to resent her child when she grew up and treat her differently because she wasn't his own

"Please Carla" he pleads, she looks up at him then down at the baby "I don't see how many other options you have here. Michelle and Lucas have Sammy...Johnny and Jenny have the pub, Kate's abroad and then there's fostering where she wouldn't even grow up around people her mother knows, you really want that for her do you?"

"Of course I don't" she laments wiping her eyes "But I just don't understand why you would want to look after her Peter, she's not yours-"

"She's a part of you and I love you!" he says it, she looks startled all of a sudden and blinks rapidly knowing he hadn't said that in a while "I love you, there I said it"

"How can you even love me Peter?" she questions in complete and utter shock "I cheated on you, I lied to you for all the time we were together. How can you love me?"

"Grief makes you love people, being on death's door makes you realise how much you love people even though all of their wrongdoings, please let me do this Carla. You don't have a choice"

"I don't know" she looks down at her daughter who was sleeping peacefully against her chest, she then looks up at Peter and into his eyes and in a weird way the simplicity of that gave her the confirmation she needed. This would have to work, it just had to…

Peter was sitting at the table of number one, somehow it was awfully lonely at his flat and he knew that he needed to speak to his father about his plans. He really did think everyone would approve of them but there were always those niggling doubts in his head as to whether they would. Keeping the love he had for Carla alive was the only thing worth it now, having her child with him would secure that until he was able to see her in person again but he knew it was unhealthy all the same. It was as if the love was an addiction and he laughed because it was like swapping out one addiction for another but this one was so much more powerful because it was Carla, his Carla, the Carla that would always be his.

"Hello?" Adam questions, Peter looks up from the laptop causing Adam to raise his eyebrows "What are you doing?"

"Researching" he comments with a small smile "Don't look so shocked, I can use a laptop you know"

"I would never say you couldn't" Adam laughs causing Peter to roll his eyes and get up to flick the kettle on "Tea please"

"Sure" Peter smiles watching Adam look at what he was researching, Ken enters the room and frowns "Look before you both start-"

"You have got to be kidding me" Ken groans, Peter rubs his forehead passing the brew to Adam who smiles "Have you thought this through?"

"Uh yes," Peter confirms "It's a no brainer isn't it?"

"Peter you won't be able to cope!"

"Oh wind your neck in dad" Peter mutters sitting down at the table "It's the best way forward-"

"I'm sorry but this isn't happening" Ken states firmly and Peter chuckles slightly shaking his head knowing he was a grown man and he could do what he wanted "Adam could you leave us to it please"

"Fine I see when I'm not wanted" he states placing the cup down on the table and leaving

"Lecture me all you want this is happening whether you like it or not-"

"Ok, so you're taking Carla's child under your wing-"

"Yes, and I will look after her and go to LA with Carla so she has access to her daughter" Peter confirms looking at the prices of apartments out there "I will get a job and support her during her recovery, we will have the support of all of her friends out there so we won't be alone-"

"Is this what you want though?" Ken questions, Peter looks up at him and frowns "Is this just not some pipe dream? Is this because of Simon, you miss him so much and you're trying to hang onto the good times by going off with Carla trying to rectify the mistakes that you made with him on her little girl because of the regrets you have-"

"No" he whispers as the tears prick his eyes, Ken places a hand on his shoulder "Not at all"

"I'm sorry but I don't believe you son. I really want to but-"

"I'm doing this" he states looking up how to get a passport for a newborn "Whether you like it or not"