Chapter 9: Truth will out

Jamie

Jamie ran full pelt down the cobbles, tears streaming down her face. In her terror, she could think of only one place to go; one place she could feel safe and find help.

She burst in through the front door of the Rovers, the first time she'd been in the public bar area of her dad's home.

Overwhelmed by the alien sights and sounds that confronted her, Jamie froze, small and alone, in the entrance.

Steve was the first to notice her.

"Peter."

Peter turned to Steve, still unaware that his daughter was stood, scared and distressed, mere steps from his station behind the bar.

"Same again, mate?"

Steve nodded towards Jamie.

"You've got a visitor."

Peter saw Jamie for the first time. Immediately he rushed around the bar to where she was stood rooted to the spot and crouched down to her level.

"Hey, baby girl, what's wrong? Where's your mum?"

"Mummy."

Jamie began crying; Peter felt the panic rise within him.

"Sweetheart, where's your mum?"

"Mummy… Mummy fell over. I couldn't wake her up."

"Show me."

Peter took Jamie's hand in his as she led him out of the Rovers, down Victoria Street and into the alley by the Victoria Court main entrance.

Jamie pulled free from Peter's grasp and ran to her mum who was lying unconscious, slumped against a wall.

"Mummy, please wake up."

Jamie sobbed; she held her mum's hand tight as her dad made a frantic phone call.

"Ambulance. Victoria Court Apartments, outside the front entrance. Hurry, please."

Peter rushed to Carla's side.

"Carla? Sweetheart?"

He turned to his daughter.

"What happened?"

"I don't know."

"Was she feeling poorly?"

"I don't know. I'm sorry, daddy."

"Darling, it's okay. Come here."

Peter pulled Jamie into a cuddle.

"She's gonna be okay, baby. She has to be okay."

Jamie sobbed into her dad's chest. She felt safe in his arms, but she still wanted her mum; she always wanted her mum.

The sirens wailed, faint at first, but soon Jamie covered her ears, the sound was so piercing. Her dad let her go as he spoke to the paramedics. Jamie stood there alone, watching as they lifted her mum onto a stretcher and lay her in the back of the ambulance.

"What's going on? Is that Carla?"

Jamie turned to see her Uncle Aidan rushing towards the ambulance.

"We don't know. She fell over, or fainted, I'm not sure. Jamie came to fetch me from the pub."

Aidan looked down at Jamie before taking Peter by the arm and leading him out of his niece's earshot.

For what felt like forever to Jamie, but was in reality no more than a minute or two, she stood lost and scared, watching as her mum was taken away, to where she didn't know.

Then comforting arms were around her; Uncle Aidan was there, hugging her, kissing her tenderly on her head.

"Where's mummy gone?"

"Mummy's gone to the hospital. I'm going to take you there as well, okay?"

Jamie nodded.

"Where's daddy?"

"He's gone with your mummy in the ambulance."

"Is mummy going to die?"

Aidan didn't know what to say; all he could do was pull Jamie in for another hug.

Peter

It was just another day for Peter behind the bar of the Rovers. He had no idea that his life was about to be turned upside down.

But when he saw his daughter, he knew immediately that something was very wrong.

The fear that had threatened to overcome him as he and Jamie ran towards Victoria Court was nothing compared to the cold vice-like grip of sheer terror that had encompassed his heart when he saw Carla lying unconscious on the ground. Carla, the woman who had always been so strong, so resilient, was now at her weakest.

The mental images of the last time he'd seen Carla so vulnerable flashed through his mind; that night, over six years ago now, when she'd taken an overdose of sleeping pills, washed down with copious amounts of vodka, and almost died. He'd been terrified then of losing her. Now he didn't know how to feel, he didn't know what was wrong. That scared him more than anything; the unknown.

"What's going on? Is that Carla?"

Peter looked up to see Aidan approaching him.

"We don't know. She fell over, or fainted, I'm not sure. Jamie came to fetch me from the pub."

Taking Peter by the arm, Aidan guided him to one side.

"Listen, umm, Carla begged me not to say anything, but I reckon this changes things."

"What are you on about?"

"It's Carla. I know why she collapsed."

"Well spit it out then."

"She's got kidney failure."

Peter felt like he'd been kicked in the guts; as if Aidan's words had the power to rip his heart right out of his chest. His head span; he reached out and gripped Aidan's arm.

"Are you alright?"

"Jamie. Take care of Jamie."

"Of course. What –"

"I'll go with Carla."

Peter staggered away from Aidan and climbed into the back of the ambulance.

"She's got kidney failure."

"I'm sorry?"

Peter had spoken too softly for the paramedics to understand.

"She's got kidney failure."

No matter how many times Peter said it, he couldn't quite believe in the truth of the statement. He couldn't. How could someone so young, so beautiful, someone with everything to live for, be dying.

The next few hours for Peter were like walking in a daze; he barely remembered arriving at the hospital, or the anxious wait while Carla was in with the doctors as he paced the hospital corridors.

Finally, he was allowed to see Carla. As he stood outside her hospital room, looking in on the suddenly frail woman sleeping inside, the reality of Carla's condition suddenly hit him. The realisation that she might soon be gone from the world, his world, almost overcame him; he wanted to run away, to hide, to drink.

He wanted to drink.

The thought of his daughter was the only thing that stopped him; the only thing that gave him the strength to enter that hospital room, to sit by Carla's bed, to hold her hand as she slept.

Carla

Carla heard her daughter's panicked voice calling for her.

"Mummy! Mummy!"

That precious voice quickly faded; soon she heard nothing, saw nothing, felt nothing.

Carla's eyes flickered open. The hardness of the cold pavement had been replaced by soft warmth. She felt someone stroking her hand.

"Jamie?"

"No, love, it's me, it's Peter."

Carla focused her gaze on the dark blur sat by her bedside.

"Peter?"

"Hey."

"Hey yourself."

Carla tried to sit up but struggled to catch her breath.

"Easy now."

"Help me up."

Peter assisted Carla to a sitting position, propping pillows behind her back for her to recline on.

"How're you feeling?"

"A bit silly to be honest. Do you…?"

"Aidan told me."

"Right."

"I wish I'd heard it from you."

"I didn't want to worry anyone."

"I'm not just anyone, Carla."

"I was going to tell you in my own time. After…"

"After what?"

"After you'd gotten to know Jamie better. That's why we moved back here. Why I chose now to bring her back into your life."

"What do you mean?"

"I needed you to build a relationship with her before… you know."

"Oh, love, don't talk like that. You're gonna get through this. You have to stay positive –"

"Peter, please just listen to me."

Peter stopped talking; instead he looked at her with those soulful brown eyes of his. Carla felt weak at the sight of those eyes that had the power to see right through her, into her very soul. Carla forced herself to forget about Peter's eyes, for now. She needed to make him understand.

"I need to know that, after I'm gone, Jamie is going to be surrounded by family that will love her and look after her."

"Carla –"

"Peter, she's going to need you. Okay? Promise me you'll look after her."

"Please don't talk like this, like you've given up."

"Peter! I need you to promise. Please."

Tears slipped unchecked down Peter's face. He shook his head; he couldn't accept what was happening, what Carla was asking of him.

"Carla, no."

Carla reached out and gripped his hand in hers.

"Please, Peter."

They looked at each other; Carla silently pleaded with him, her green eyes flashing with a fiery passion. Peter couldn't help but think of those eyes, the light in them extinguished forever. He couldn't bear it; but he had to. He had to for the sake of their daughter. He tearfully nodded his head.

"I promise."

A knock at the door; Carla looked up to see Aidan.

"I hope you don't mind, I couldn't keep her away."

Aidan ushered Jamie into the room; she looked shyly at her mum. The sight of all those wires and tubes attached to her mum scared her, but then Carla smiled at her and all her fears dissipated.

Jamie ran to the bed and climbed up onto it. She crawled into her mum's arms and cuddled up to her, burying her head, like an infant, into Carla's breast.

"Hey baby."

Carla wrapped her arms around her daughter, stroked her hair and kissed her softly.

Carla looked up at Peter and mouthed the words "Thank you".