Enjoy, beautiful people x

"Love, are you sure I can't get you anything else?" Peter asked, as he rubbed his partners back affectionately. He hated seeing her in such a helpless state. This was the fifth time that she had thrown up in about three hours.

"I'll be fine in a minute. Go back to bed." She instructed, as she slowly braced herself to stand up.

"I'm not going to leave you, especially when you're feeling like this." He told her. "I won't let you do this on your own." He added, trying to reassure her that he was going nowhere.

"You did last time." She snapped, hormones, tiredness and exhaustion getting to her. Carla immediately felt guilty for her outburst. "I'm sorry." She apologised, turning back to look at Peter. He seemed very hurt by her comment, looking at her with great regret. Although he had internalised much of his guilt and sadness, she could see that her comment had cut deep.

Taking a deep breath, Peter reminded himself of how Carla must be feeling. This past week and a half had been absolutely awful for her, and by now, she must have been running on empty. He silently sighed, suppressing any urges that he had to fight back with her and loosely wrapped his arms around her. "This time, it's going to be different. I promise." He softly spoke, as Carla closed her eyes. There was something so comforting to her when she was in Peter's arms. It was as if all her worries just melted away. They were insignificant when they were together. It was just him and her against the world. After letting her go to freshen up, Peter could see exactly how tired she looked in the cold, harsh light.

"I feel faint." She told him, securing herself by gripping onto the sink to make sure that she didn't fall. Peter came behind her and held her up, making her feel a little more secure.

"We can stay here for a bit if you want, until you feel a little bit better?" He suggested, as she mumbled something incoherently.

"I love you." He reminded her, kissing her softly on her neck.

"Come on, love. Let's get you back to bed." He added, before letting his wife out of his warm embrace and leading her back into their bedroom. He knew that she needed sleep, but he also knew how likely they were to be back in the same place far too soon.

- C S -

"Carla, this can't carry on." Peter warned. This was now the eighth time that Carla had made the increasingly familiar trip to the bathroom. She was, of course, followed by Peter, who had stayed by her side, holding her hair back and reassuring her that it was alright. But he now knew that it was far from it. His girlfriend was tired, ill and needed help. There was no way that this could carry on for another day, let alone a few more months.

"Peter, please don't." She mumbled, knowing full well what he was going to suggest, not that it would have been the first time that night.

"Carla, you need to be checked out by someone. This isn't normal." He insisted, with Carla shaking her head slowly.

"No, Peter." She insisted, still sitting on the cold, tiled floor.

"Please, just let me take you to the maternity unit." He practically begged, only wanting to help his suffering partner, and to protect the life of his unborn child.

"It'll be closed." She told him.

"Then A and E?" He suggested.

"It's just morning sickness." She insisted weakly. She was getting too tired to argue.

"It's 3AM and we've been making these trips since about half ten!" He reminded her, as she sighed, resting her head on her hands, which were resting on the edges of the toilet bowl.

"Go back to bed then." She sighed

"I know you're worried about it, but this won't just go away." He added, coming down to her level. "Surely it's better just to get it checked out."

"Peter, it's normal." She insisted.

"You and I both know that's not true." He sighed, still keeping his voice soft.

"I don't remember you training as a doctor." She mumbled sarcastically. "Just go back to bed." She instructed. Peter placed a soothing hand on her lower back.

"I'm not leaving you." He insisted, taking her hair away from her face. "I won't say anything more about it." He promised her, knowing that if he pushed her to do anything, it would cause more trouble and stress for her.

- C S -

It had been about half six when the couple decided that they weren't going to get any more sleep. Carla was feeling well enough to come downstairs, so the pair sat on the sofa, and cuddled, watching the television despite none of them remotely interested in what was on. Besides, they were both too tired to concentrate. About an hour later they heard someone come in, and assumed it would be Ken, back from the dog walk. But it wasn't the pensioner, it was Tracy.

"You look awful." Tracy commented as she came into the living room of number one.

"Thank you very much." Carla replied sarcastically, as Peter flashed her a sympathetic smile.

"I don't mean it like that." Tracy insisted, placing her bag down on the dining table. "Are you alright?" She asked, taking note of Carla's pale complexion, that fact that she was wearing no make-up and seemed to be quite lethargic.

"I'm fine." She assured her sister-in-law.

"Well, you don't look it." She responded, her suspicions aroused. Wondering if she was coming down with something, but didn't want to tell anyone. "No ones said anything, have they?" Tracy asked, noticing how Peter had his arms around his partner, comforting her.

"No. Everything's fine." Carla reassured her, as Tracy nodded, and made a mental note to do some more digging later. There was clearly something going on.

"So, where's Dad?" Tracy asked, wanting to ask her father a favour.

"Out walking Eccles, why?" Peter asked her back, suspicion in his voice, knowing by the look on her face she wanted something from the pensioner.

"I wanted to know whether he was free this morning." She responded, shrugging her shoulders, knowing that it had nothing to do with her brother.

"Again, why?" Peter questioned her, knowing she would probably have ulterior motives.

"Because Mary asked for the morning off and I have a few deliveries to make, so I need someone to watch the shop for me." She explained briefly.

"Right, I see." Peter nodded, with a smug look on his face. He knew Tracy didn't just come over for a catch up.

"What?" Tracy asked defensively.

"No, nothing." Her brother shrugged.

"You think I'm taking advantage, don't you?" She told him, as he sighed in agreement with her statement. "You've got the morning off. You could always help me out." Tracy suggested, as Peter chuckled.

"Me? Selling flowers?" Peter chuckled.

"Yeah, I get you're point. You'd scare off half of my customers." She remarked, as Ken walked into the room, joining the three others. "Oh, Dad, you couldn't do me a favour, could you?" She asked. As the father and daughter were conversing, Carla was beginning to feel worse.

Without making any excuses, she got up from where she was sitting, passed Tracy and Ken, and virtually ran up the stairs and into the bathroom. Peter followed his partner after making a empathetic exchange with his dad.

Carla had locked the door, leaving Peter to wait outside on the landing for his girlfriend. It was agony hearing her on the other side of the door and not being able to comfort her. He whipped his phone out of his pocket and started googling. Morning sickness: the facts, the myths and when to be worried. Glancing over the article worried him. Carla had trouble keeping anything down, she wasn't eating much or staying hydrated, and said earlier she felt lightheaded - all of which were 'worrying signs.'

- C S -

After a brief shift at the flower shop, Ken walked into his living room to see Peter sitting on the sofa, with Carla curled up asleep lying on top of him, her head rested on his lap. Peter was running his fingers through her hair, which he had began doing to help her fall asleep and neglected to stop, knowing that it soothed her a little.

"Hi Dad." Peter greeted in a hushed tone, as he noticed his father in the doorway. "Is she ok?" Ken asked matching the hushed tone, concerned about his daughter-in-law.

"She's fine at the moment, while she's sleeping, getting some rest." Peter quietly sighed. "She didn't sleep last night, she was so sick, I thought I might have had to take her to hospital at one point." He explained. "She has been getting messages from Kate, I've just seen one pop up on her home screen." Peter expanded, as Ken shot him a worried glance.

"I'm guessing they're not checking to see how she is." The older man commented.

"She's so unwell and all the stress and pressure her family are giving her is not helping, especially when they don't know how important it is for her to stay calm and relaxed right now." He worried.

"When she wakes up, why don't you take her to the medical centre? Get her checked out and make sure that everything is alright with her and the baby." Ken suggested, seeing how much his son was worrying about Carla and her welfare. He then proceeded to take a seat on a dining chair, directly in front of Peter.

"She said she doesn't want to go." Peter told him, shaking his head slightly.

"Why not?" Ken asked, raising his eyebrows slightly, clearly thinking that her decision to neglect to get medical help was the wrong one.

"I don't know." Peter sighed. "She doesn't like doctors? She doesn't think that anything is wrong? She doesn't want anyone to find out yet?" He suggested, not really sure himself.

"It would be best for her to get herself checked out. If she can't keep anything down, she could be dehydrated and she can't be getting enough nutrition to look after herself, let alone the baby." Ken told him sensibly, before relaxing back into his chair thoughtfully. "Did she have really bad morning sickness when she was pregnant last time?" Ken asked, as Carla began to slowly wake.

"I don't know Dad..." Peter trailed off, not noticing that his girlfriend was rousing from her sleep. I don't think so." He added. "I don't even remember Carla saying she felt sick last time." He sighed, feeling guilty for not being able to do more for her, or even knowing what she went through last time and being able to compare the experiences.

He didn't want to bring the last pregnancy up, knowing it would give Carla reminders of a less happy and more stressful time, something he didn't want to do, after all, it was his fault that he wasn't around last time.

"I was sick last time. Not as much as this though." Carla told Peter, as she looked up to him.

"I'm sorry love, I didn't want to wake you." Peter apologised, with Carla smiling lightly. "It's fine." She told him peacefully, her voice croaky and sleep filled. "How are you feeling?" he asked her as she sat up slowly.

"Ok." She hummed, sitting up only to begin leaning into Peter's side. He wrapped his arm around her middle so his hand rested gently on her stomach, cuddling her softly.

"Carla, I really think you should get yourself down to the medical centre. Just have a check up, make sure that you're not dehydrated and that the baby's ok." Ken told her softly, being very careful with his choice of words, but also trying to make her see sense and get checked out. "Dad!" Peter exclaimed, shooting his father a warning glance.

"No Peter, your Dad is right." Carla told him. "Maybe I should get an appointment at the medical centre." Carla added, with Peter glad that she had finally given in.

"Alright love, do you want me to book it?" Peter offered.

"Yeah, alright." She smiled. He squeezed her thigh gently, before getting up to use the phone and call the medical centre.

"I'm sorry if you think I was out of order." Ken apologised, as Carla shook her head softly.

"You weren't." She assured him. "I just think, if there's something wrong, I would rather not know about it." She reasoned.

"Why would there be anything wrong?" He questioned softly.

"Being so ill, my age. I'm hardly the perfect example of a mum-to-be." She told him. Ken could see the fear in her eyes, and guessed that she hadn't told Peter any of this.

"I'm sure that everything will be fine. You're otherwise fit and healthy, there shouldn't be too much to worry about." He replied.

"I've had a kidney transplant, and I don't know..." She trailed off. "It feels different." She revealed.

"Well hopefully, seeing the doctor will be able to put your mind at rest." Ken smiled optimistically.

"Hopefully." She mused, as the pair heard Peter coming off the phone.

"They've managed to squeeze you in an appointment at three. Is that OK, love?" He asked after coming back into the living room.

"Fine." She mumbled, as Peter sat on the arm of the sofa, letting Carla fold into him. He could tell how exhausted she was.

"I'm going to go and meet Daniel." Ken announced, getting ready to leave.

"What time will you be back?" Peter asked him."

"I'm not too sure." His father answered. "Why?" He asked back.

"I was just wondering." Peter replied.

"Ok, well, I'll see you later on."

"Bye Dad."

"See you, Ken." Carla mumbled, as the older man left the house, leaving Peter and Carla alone once more. She yawned, clearly still exhausted from the lack of sleep she was getting.

"Why don't you try and get some sleep in before we go?" He suggested.

"Just don't leave me." She whispered.

"I won't." He promised her, matching her volume which kept the tone of the room calm. "Let's go back up to bed." He suggested, standing up and offering his hand to his girlfriend. She gratefully took it, and he helped her up from the couch.

- C S -

"Ok, so Carla, how many weeks do you think you are?" Doctor Phillips asked, taking some notes down on his computer.

"I think about seven weeks." She told him. Having done all of the sums in her head, there was no way that she could be further along, or much less than seven weeks pregnant.

"How long has it been since you found out?" He asked, looking up from his screen and making eye contact with his patient.

"About two weeks." Carla confessed, feeling like a failure already, worrying that the Doctor would be judging her for not going to see someone almost as soon as she found out she was pregnant, especially because of the tablets she was on.

"OK, do you have any concerns?" He asked, which Peter giving his partner a soft look, urging her to ask about all of the questions she had.

"I've had a kidney transplant, will that effect the baby?" Carla asked. Peter took her hand, having noticed that her breathing had changed, probably down to the stress and worry that she was harbouring.

"It depends." He told Carla. "How long ago was it?" The GP asked.

"Thirteen months ago now." She revealed, as the doctor pulled up some of her medical records on the computer.

"Right, there's nothing to suggest that a kidney transplant would harm the baby in any way. It seems like you've had good kidney function, so nothing to worry about there." He smiled. "However, I do recommend you speak to someone more specialist about your medication, moving forward." Doctor Phillips added.

"What about the..." Peter trailed off, encouraging Carla to speak a little more about the concerns she had.

"I had a miscarriage, in 2014. Is there a chance of it happening again?" She asked the GP. Carla could feel Peter's thumb grazing her knuckles, bringing her some much needed comfort.

"There are no guarantees, but I don't see any reason why it should." He replied, as Peter felt a weight lift from his shoulders. From what the doctor had said so far, everything was looking optimistic. He had been given another second chance, which was in his eyes a miracle. He was determined not to let Carla or the baby down.

"What about my age?" She asked, as she exposed another one of the fears she had - that she was too old to keep a baby healthy.

"Although the risk of miscarrying increases with age, there can be a lot of other factors when it comes to miscarriage. There is no reason, I see, for you to worry about things like that." He reassured Carla. "However, you are at a greater risk of high blood pressure and other conditions such as gestational diabetes. But, the midwives will keep an eye on that for you. It's best not to stress about things, especially at this early stage." Doctor Phillips added.

"So, I read from you're appointment booking that you're not just here to discuss the pregnancy." Doctor Phillips told them, looking to Carla to give him a little bit more information. Carla remained silent, somewhat unable to tell him exactly what was going on.

"She can't keep anything down, Doctor." Peter declared.

"What about water?" He asked.

"Absolutely nothing." Peter confirmed, as Carla tightened her grip on his hand, her worry evident.

"How long has this been going on for?" Doctor Phillips quizzed.

"The last week or so." Carla responded, feeling a pang of guilt. With the doctor asking more questions, she wondered whether she had put her unborn baby at risk by leaving it this long until she saw someone.

"Any other symptoms?" He interrogated, poising his pen, ready to make notes.

"Fatigue, dizziness..." Carla listed. Peter placed a reassuring hand on her thigh.

"Have you been under any particular stress lately?" He asked, wondering if his patients we're being made worse by any other contributing factors.

"A little bit." She confessed.

"Her family are giving her a hard time." Peter jumped in, giving the doctor that information. He knew that Carla wouldn't be pleased, but he thought the facts, without the finer details, would be useful.

"Peter!" She exclaimed, not wanting to spill her current family feud in front of the medical professional.

"About the pregnancy?" He inquired, furrowing his brow.

"No, about something else." Carla answered vaguely.

"Ok, what I'm going to do is prescribe you some anti-sickness tablets and suggest that you speak to the renal consultant at the general - I'll refer you over to him to discuss the pregnancy after your transplant, just to reassure you. You're currently on cyclosporine which is already one of the safest immunosuppressants to take during pregnancy. Although, I'm sure you'll have some questions. If it's ok with you, I'd like to book you in for an ultrasound scan, preferably sooner rather than later." Doctor Phillips explained.

"Why? Is there a problem?" Carla stressed.

"Not necessarily. It's just to be on the safe side. Given the fact that you're over a certain age and you've previously suffered a miscarriage, I think it'll be the safer option. Hopefully, it'll put your mind at rest too." He smiled.

- C S -

Coming out of the medical centre, Carla and Peter walked past Audrey's and prepared to cross the road. They had every intention of avoiding Kate, who was stood outside the pub. Her arms were folded and she looked as if she wanted a fight with her sister.

"I don't even know what you're still doing round here." Kate shouted to Carla from across the street.

"Just leave it." Peter called back.

"Why should I? She killed my wife!" She continued, still shouting.

"I never did anything." Carla told her, looking in her sisters eyes and being met with nothing but pure hatred.

"Why would Gary lie?" Kate asked, as Carla wished she knew the answer. "Michelle's told me all about how you hid the fact your ex husband killed Liam." She revealed, as Johnny came out of the pub and stood close to Kate.

"I was scared." Carla tried defending herself, Peter holding her that bit closer wanting nothing more than to get his girlfriend back inside. They had both had an eventful night, with little sleep and stress from her family was the last thing she needed, especially right now.

"We all know what you're like. Only out for yourself. Family hasn't ever mattered to you. Just ask Rob." Kate shouted, knowing exactly how to hurt Carla.

"Kate, I think that's enough." Johnny dared to tell his youngest.

"Well I don't. Rana would still be here if it wasn't for her." She protested, turning to her father. Carla had tears rolling down her cheeks. This day was just too much. She turned to her partner, burying her head in his chest. She felt broken. Why wouldn't Kate believe her?

"What's the matter?" Kate asked. "Guilt eating you up, is it? Good." She jibed, before Johnny ushered her into the pub.

"Let's just get you inside, love." Peter soothed, crossing the road with his distraught partner, wishing this could all just be avoided.

"Peter, You believe me, right?" She asked as Peter got his house keys from his pocket and unlocked the front door. He noticed the fear in her eyes, and wanted nothing more than to lay into Kate for what she had just done. No doubt, this encounter would play on Carla's mind for the foreseeable.

"Of course I do, love." He reassured her, shock in his voice that she even had to ask him such a thing. "I know that you'd never do a thing like that." He added, opening the door, holding it open for Carla to enter the house first.

"Why don't they know that?" She asked him, still on the doorstep.

"I don't know. They'll find out the truth one day." He promised. "The truth always comes out in the end."

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