"Your biopsy has confirmed that you have stage 2 ovarian cancer. I'm so sorry." The doctor announces.
"...we all knew what the results would come back as. Hardly a bombshell, is it?" Carla replies, after a few minutes of silence.
"Car..." Peter whispers.
"What?" She turns to look at him, her voice breaking with emotion.
Seeing his look of devastation, she looks back down and let's out a small whimper.
"Come here." Peter cries, pulling her to his chest before they both break down. "I'm so sorry."
After cuddling for a while, Peter looks up at the doctor. "So, What now?"
"Unfortunately, The cancerous cells have spread to both ovaries and the womb. It's at grade 2 which means it's growing right now but not quickly to the point where we have to take urgent action as soon as possible."
"Right...what are you going to do then?" Peter questions, his lover to upset to even talk so instead she buries her head in his chest.
"Surgery is the best option because it'll remove all the cancerous cells. This means we'll have no other choice but to remove both ovaries and give you a hysterectomy." He explains.
"A hysterectomy?" Carla looks up.
"The cancer has spread there so to give the best outcome...to survive...we need to do a hysterectomy." He replies.
"But that means...she won't be able to conceive." Peter sighs, bringing a hand to the bridge of his nose and taking deep breaths.
"I'm afraid so."
"That's not fair though..." Carla cries. "There's got to be another way."
"We wanted to have a child." Peter says.
"We've not even been given a chance yet...look, I lost our baby a while back and all we want is a child together. Don't take that away from us." She sobs.
"I understand this is a lot to get your head around-..."
"No. No you don't understand because you're not me. You haven't had your child cruely took away from you and then to find out you can't even try again, have a second chance, because I've got this...thing killing me." Carla shouts.
"Calm down, baby." Peter mumbles.
"Why are you so calm, do you not care about the fact we won't be able to have kids." She replies.
"Of course I am. But what's this achieving? This is the only way to make you better, Carla." Peter says.
"But...it's just not fair." She repeats, putting her head in her hands.
"So...after the surgery, is she better?" Peter hesitantly asks.
"All the cancerous cells will be gone however she'll have to do a course of chemotherapy for 3-4 weeks to be on the safe side."
"This just gets worse..." Carla whispers. "I can't do this..."
"Yes you can, baby. We'll get through this together."
"We can discuss this more in depth another time when emotions aren't so high." The doctor suggests.
"I think that's best. Come on, love. And thanks, Doctor." Peter smiles, slightly.
"I can't believe it, Peter. How have our lives change so much over a couple of days." Carla shakes her head.
It'd now been a few hours since they got back from their hospital appointment. She was now sat on the sofa, looking forwards with tears in her eyes.
"I don't know. But we have to talk about...what the doctor said." He moves so he's sat next to her, holding her hand.
"I don't want to." She mutters.
"We have to, love."
"It's...it's too painful." She sniffs.
"I know it is. I know." Peter kisses the side of her head.
"I will get it if you want to leave me and find another woman, by the way. I understand." She sighs.
"What?" His eyes go wide, tilting her chin so she's looking at his shocked expression. "Why the hell would I do that?"
"Because...I can't give you what you want." She whispers.
"What do you mean? Is this about the hysterectomy? Because there is no chance ever that I'll leave you. I love you more than anything in my life." He reassures her.
"But, I'm not going to be like other women anymore, Peter. I won't have a womb, I can't have children. I'll be sick, I'll require so much from you...just go." She shakes her head.
"Never! I have Si, don't I? I don't need another child. I only need you-..."
"Well you might loose that privilege too."
"Stop speaking like that. It shatters my heart when I hear you speaking like you're going too...you know." He snaps.
"Die? Go on, say it. Because one day you might have to face up to it, Peter. That might be how things end up."
"Carla..."
"I can't do this...just leave me."
"When will you get that I love you. I don't want to be with anyone else, I'm here whether you like it or not. What kind of person would I be if the love of my life gets sick and I just walk away, you must have a very low opinion of me."
"It's not that...I'm just trying to think of you. I feel selfish, I'm holding you back."
"No you aren't. I already have a kid!" He strokes her hair.
"And I want one." She breaks down, sobbing violently.
"I know, I know." He embraces her, tightly.
2 days later...
"Are you sure you can do this?" Peter questions, making her a coffee as she brushes her hair in the living area.
"I'll have to do it sometime...might as well be now." She replies, quietly.
"I know that...I'll be holding your hand throughout, okay? And if you feel like you have to, just leave the room and I'll speak to them."
"Thank you, baby." She walks over to him and pecks him on the lips, before the buzzer goes off.
"They're here." Peter sighs.
"Let them up." She says. "Oh my god, I'm so nervous."
"It'll be okay." He presses the buzzer and unlocks the door.
"Heya, love. You okay?" Johnny asks, walking in and hugging Carla. "My god, you're pale. Are you still ill from when you fainted?"
"Erm..."
"Hey, you alright now?" Michelle embraces her friend.
"Alright?" Kate smiles. "Gonna explain why we were all summoned?"
"Can you guys all sit down a sec?" Peter clears his throat.
"You're worrying me now..." Johnny narrows his eyes.
"Oi you...is this about your hospital visit the other day?" Michelle holds Carla's wrist, gently.
"If you let me get on with it then I'll explain everything." She mumbles.
The three visitors sit down and wait anxiously whilst Peter makes them drinks and Carla walks around then sits down on the sofa.
"There you go." Peter hands them all a coffee before sitting next to Carla and holding her hand.
"So?" Johnny pipes up.
"Erm...you know when I fainted, in the factory?" Carla croaks.
"Mm-Hmm." Kate nods.
"Well...they're pretty sure they found out something. So I've been in and out hospital...getting tests."
"What kind of tests?" Johnny frowns.
"What did they find out?" Michelle pipes up.
"I have...I have cancer." Carla announces, sending shockwaves through the room.
Michelle immediately gasps, a hand going to her mouth and her eyes water.
"You what?" Johnny whispers.
"C-Cancer?" Kate stutters.
At the sight of their reactions, Carla looks down and bites her lip. She was so emotionally drained and was surprised she had any more tears left; at the sight of her family, it made her tremble and feel guilty is a weird sort of way.
Things were finally getting rebuilt after Aidan's death. Obviously nothing will ever be the same without him but Johnny and Jenny have the Rovers which was working out great for them. Michelle was back with Robert and they were sorting out their wedding and Kate had recently married Rana. They were all finally happy again and now this happened.
Now Johnny could loose another child, Kate could loose another sibling. Michelle could loose another cousin...but also a best friend.
"What kind of...cancer?" Johnny sniffs.
"Ovarian cancer. It's spread in both ovaries and my womb so I've um...I've got to have surgery." Carla explains.
"Surgery? To do what?" Kate questions.
"They're going to remove my ovaries and do a...hysterectomy."
"A hysterectomy?" Michelle cries. "Oh, darling."
Michelle moves in front of Carla, sitting on the edge of the coffee table and holds her free hand.
"And then what? Then you're better?" Johnny says.
"Well all the cancerous cells will be gone but she'll have to go through chemotherapy to make sure it doesn't return." Peter pipes up.
"Oh god...why does this have to happen?" Michelle cries.
"Hey...it's okay." Carla whispers to Michelle, tearfully.
"How can you say that?"
"I can get through this if I've got all of you by my side." Carla sighs. She was lying, she was petrified and had it engraved into her head that this illness would beat her. But she couldn't watch Michelle in this state, she wanted to comfort her.
"Babe...you don't have to act strong right now." Peter mutters to her.
"Please don't act like this on my account. Ignore me." Michelle wipes her eyes. "How are you feeling? Really."
"Just...numb. I don't know. It hasn't sunk in yet."
"What stage is it?" Kate questions.
"Stage 2." Peter replies.
"At least they found it quite early then." Johnny sighs.
"Oh yeah, because having to have your womb and ovaries removed is an early sign?" Carla snaps. "Sorry, sorry. I've got to go."
She gets up and leaves the flat without taking her phone.
"I didn't mean-..."
"Leave it, Johnny. She's just really upset as you can imagine. She'll be okay one minute and the next be like that, it isn't your fault. It's no ones fault. Peter replies.
"I still feel awful."
"Peter, how are you doing? A hysterectomy is affecting you too." Michelle asks.
"I've just to be there for Carla, you know? We hadn't officially planned to ever try for a child again but...after last time...we never ruled it out. We were always open to the possibility of trying again and having another chance to be a family. Both of us wanted it but we never knew this was going to happen." He explains, emotionally.
"I understand. We're not all just here for Carla too by the way, we're here for you too." She hugs him.
"Thanks. Erm...I'm going to look for her."
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