A/N: This one isn't as long as the few before. I had a little trouble writing this one as I was trying to make it as realistic as possible. The endings a little rushed but I'm just trying to move the story along a bit more because there's plenty more drama to come!
Chapter 9:
The next morning Frank woke around six o'clock and turned over in bed expecting to see Carla still fast asleep beside him. However, the other side of the bed was empty and the woman on his mind was nowhere to be seen.
Frank sighed and decided to get out of bed to look for her. Half dressing himself in his trousers and under shirt, he climbed out of the bed and made his way into the large living space
The first thing he saw was the bottle of vodka and glass on the coffee table. He picked up the bottle and was relieved when he saw that it was thankfully unopened. Then that's when he noticed Carla curled up on the couch fast asleep, a small blue trainer clutched to her chest.
Frank crouched down in front of the sofa and carefully extracted the shoe from her death grip which had the desired affect of waking up the woman. Carla bolted into an upright position and looked around the room. She sighed in relief when she saw Frank was the one to wake her and not some intruder.
"Good morning." Frank greeted in a gentle whisper.
Carla cocked an eyebrow. "Is it?" She rasped out.
"What happened to you last night? How did you end up out here?" Frank asked, already knowing the answer.
Carla wrapped her arms around her midsection as if she was trying to give herself a hug. "I couldn't sleep. I didn't want to disturb you with my tossing and turning."
Frank sat down beside Carla and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, wanting to shut out the rest of the world.
"I think we will both feel better after a home cooked breakfast. We can sit down and talk before I head to work." Frank suggested.
Carla groaned and shook her head. "I'm not hungry. I wasn't really a breakfast person until Rachel came along…" she trailed off as soon as she said the little girl's name.
Frank turned his body slightly, forcing Carla to lift her head from its previous position. He looked her dead in the eyes and spoke sternly. "I insist. You jump in the shower and by the time you come out, breakfast will be ready." Carla went to protest but he shook his head and raised a hand in the 'stop' motion. "Not another word about it. I bet you any money you didn't eat at all yesterday because I certainly didn't see any food pass through those lovely lips."
Carla rolled eyes to show she relented and then pouted her lips. Frank understood the gesture and placed a kiss on her mouth. She let a small smile slip onto her face before rising from the couch and heading towards her bedroom.
"I know this is probably the last thing on your mind but…are we planning on going public about us?" Frank asked before taking a sip of his strong black coffee.
Carla shrugged and then nodded. "I suppose we better. No point keeping it a secret. People will gossip when it all eventually comes out." She said although anyone who knew her could tell she was rather distracted.
Frank smiled but then turned serious. "I'm sure Maria will have something to say about us becoming an item. I don't want her to start spreading those vicious lies about me again. That won't help you getting Rachel back."
Carla sighed and rubbed at her makeup free face. "Urgh…why can't anything good in my life be straightforward. Why does everything have to be so complicated?" She stressed.
Frank sighed and reached across the table so that he could squeeze her hand in a comforting gesture. "Life is complicated but you're a fighter. You'll have it all sorted in no time." He told her. Carla looked at him slightly unsure about what he was saying. He chose his next words carefully, "look, why don't you take the morning off? You can start researching some solicitors who specialise in custody issues. Find out where you can go from here then you can go and give that Jackie what's her face what for."
Carla shook her head and looked away from him. "No. I need to be at the factory today. It will look odd to the staff if I don't show up two days on the trot." She waved off his suggestion.
"Carla," Frank didn't continue until Carla looked into his stern eyes, "today you come first. The factory comes second. Nothing is more important than you getting that little girl back. You need her and she needs you. You're taking the morning off."
"Ok, well I'll be in after the lunch hour. Just tell the girls and Sean that I'm at a meeting or something. They don't need to know anything just yet." Carla eventually gave in after she realised that Frank was right.
Frank smiled and nodded. "Sure thing." He said before standing up and taking his empty mug and plate to the sink. "Right well I best be off. I'll see you later on?" He told her as he collected his car keys.
Carla nodded wordlessly and puckered up when Frank stooped down to place a kiss on her lips.
As soon as he left, Carla looked at her plate disgustedly and pushed it to one side. She then went over to where she kept her laptop and booted it up. Once the desk top loaded, she was quick to open up the internet browser. She didn't want to have to look at the background picture. It was a photo of Rachel who was sat on the couch and pulling a funny face. Carla knew that if she stared at it for too long, she would end up breaking down again and she couldn't do that. She needed a clear head if she was going to figure the whole sorry mess out.
A couple of hours of research later left Carla feeling disheartened. The information she had read had basically concluded that she wouldn't have much of a leg to stand on. The authorities didn't tend to give troubled kids to busy and single individuals who didn't have much of a support system around them.
Carla, now frustrated, slammed the laptop lid down without turning it off and leaned back on the dining room chair. She furiously tapped her finger tips on the table she was sat at and stared ahead trying to come up with her next move and that's when the idea struck her. She opened up the computer once again and typed into the google search engine 'Weatherfield Social Services'. Carla picked up her mobile and typed in the number that came up in the information box.
Carla steadied her breathing as the phone rang. It didn't take long for someone to answer her call.
"Weatherfield Social Services, how can we help you today?"
Carla sat up straight in the chair and ran her fingers through her slightly damp hair. "Uh hi, yeah I was wondering if you could help me actually. I was meant to phone a social worker called Jackie Preston regarding myself and my husband potentially fostering one of the kids under her. I've stupidly gone and accidentally deleted her number so I was just wondering if there's anyway you can get me in touch with her." She was aware that once again lying and deceiving was probably not going to help her chances but she was willing to do just about anything to get her girl back.
The polite voice on the other end of the line responded, "you're in luck. She's actually in her office right now. I can put you through to her. I'm just going to need your name."
Carla panicked and almost hung up the phone. She knew she couldn't give her real name otherwise there was a chance that Preston wouldn't accept her call. However, she didn't hang up but instead said the first name that popped into her head.
"Uh it's Michelle…Michelle Donovan." She fibbed.
"Ok, Mrs Donovan. Please hold."
Carla sat on tenterhooks for about a minute or so until another voice spoke into her ear. "Mrs Donovan? I'm sorry but-"
"It's Carla Connor. From the hospital yesterday?" Carla interrupted before Jackie could finish her sentence.
There was a brief moment of tense silence and then Jackie sighed down the phone. "Mrs Connor, I really don't think this is appropriate." She said, sounding tired.
Carla felt tears build in her eyes and she bit into her bottom lip, almost hard enough to draw blood. "Please, just hear me out. I know what I did was wrong and you probably aren't going to believe me when I say this but I do love Rachel. She brought this huge bright light into my life that I didn't even know I needed." There was silence on the other end of the call so Carla carried on talking, "is there no way I can see or even speak to Rachel? She's going to be terrified I just know she is."
The response Carla received was less than satisfactory in her opinion. "I'm sorry Mrs Connor but it's best for everyone involved if there is no contact between the two of you. We don't want to cause that girl anymore confusion. She found it rather difficult to settle into the care home she was placed in last night."
Carla felt her heart shatter. "A care home?! As in a big cold house with about twenty other kids?! You're telling me that's better for her than being with me. In our home?!" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. All she could think about was horror stories she had heard on the news about corrupt institutions in the social care system. She hated the thought of her little girl being in one of those places and being subjected to god knows what.
"Except your home isn't Rachel's, Mrs Connor." Jackie 'reminded' her coldly. "If you really want to show your commitment to that girl, you could always apply to become a foster parent."
Carla shook her head and glared at nothing in particular. She knew there would be a slim chance she would be accepted as a foster parent what with her driving ban still hanging over her like a dark shadow.
Jackie let out a small chuckle, as if taunting Carla. "I didn't think so. Look, I have to go. Please don't waste my time again."
Carla's eyes widened as she realised the social worker was about to hang up. "No wait! Can you at least tell me how Rachel is? She had a tummy bug yesterday and what with her arm and everything…"
"I'm sorry, I can't give you that kind of information. Only a legal guardian is privy to something as private as a child's health and since you have no authority in this case, you don't have a right to anything of the sort."
Carla nearly growled down the phone as she felt her blood boil. She wished she could reach through the phone and give the snarky woman a well deserved slap. Instead she spat out a quick 'thanks for nothing!' before hanging up before the social worker could do so. She resisted the urge to throw her phone across the room and instead decided it was about time she headed into work.
Carla arrived at the factory about an hour after she had spoken to Jackie. She was still fuming over the outcome of the call and was in no mood to listen to the machinists mindless gossip. Of course, that was exactly what she came across when she made it over to the factory floor.
Sean was being his usual flamboyant self. "Aye, Mr Foster was wearing that suit yesterday, wasn't he? I reckon he had a booty call." He pointed out and raised a suggestive eyebrow.
Izzy had a thoughtful look on her face before her eyes widened and she gasped. "Oh my god, you're right! Is it just me or have he and Mrs Connor seemed pretty cosy this past week or so? I bet she was the booty call!"
Before Sean or anyone else could respond, Carla made her presence known. "I would appreciate it if you didn't speculate about my private life but by all means, carry on if you want to be out of a job!" She ranted and glared at the machinists who all looked down in shame. "No?! Then get back to work! And don't think there will be anymore tea breaks for the rest of the day!" With that, she stormed off towards the office and slammed the door behind her.
Once inside the room, Carla was disappointed when she realised Frank wasn't there. She sighed and sunk into her office chair. She could have really done with some comfort at that moment.
Feeling lost, Carla pulled her phone out of her pocket and unlocked it. She was about to call Frank to see where he was and when he would be back but then she caught sight of her background picture. Another picture that just reminded her of how much she had lost. It was a photo of herself and Rachel. They were laying on Carla's bed and Rachel was smiling at the camera whilst Carla had her head turned to the side and her lips firmly on the girls cheek.
Carla was so lost in her thoughts, she hadn't heard Hayley enter the room and make her way to the spot beside her. The factory supervisor had only come into the office to make sure her boss was ok. Since the whole being held hostage thing, the two of them had become somewhat friends and had made an effort to check in with each other from time to time. Hayley had seen that Carla was stressed when she had been yelling at the staff and she just knew she was upset at more than just their gossiping.
"Awww, that's a nice photo. A daughter of a friends, I presume?" Carla jumped out of her skin at the sudden voice and was quick to hide her phone. She looked up at Hayley, her mouth slightly open, not knowing how to respond. It wasn't very often Carla Connor became speechless which only made Hayley even more concerned. The older woman tried to lighted the mood with her attempt of a joke, "unless you've managed to hide a daughter all of these years."
Hayley was immediately made to feel bad when seemingly out of nowhere, Carla's face crumbled as she began to break down. Tears streamed down her cheeks as he body shook with the strength of her sobs. Hayley was quick to brush her shock aside and wrapped her arm around Carla's shoulder, surprised when the usually closed off woman didn't push her away.
It took a few minutes but Carla, with Hayley's soothing words and comforting arms, was able to calm down slightly in order to hold a conversation. Hayley was the one to break the silence with a rather hesitant question. "Who's the girl, love?"
Carla shook her head as if to wave off the enquiry. "Oh, Hayley. If I tell you, you'd think I've gone mad."
It was then Hayley's turn to shake her own head in the negative. "Trust me, Carla, there's not much that can shock me anymore." She admitted.
After just staring at the woman for a moment, Carla eventually gave in. After all, she trusted Hayley and it's not like she had a long list of people she could confide in. "You might want to sit down for this." Carla told her and pointed at the chair opposite her desk. Hayley adhered to her advice and tentatively sat down so she was now facing her boss.
True to her word, Hayley wasn't shocked at the story she was told. However, she was feeling extremely sympathetic towards Carla. "Well if it's any consolation, I think what you did was lovely. It might not have been lawful but I'm sure that little girl doesn't care about what the law says. I hope she realises how lucky she was to have you looking out for her, even if it was just for a little while." Hayley said after carefully thinking about what to say.
Carla scoffed and bit her lip. "Thanks Hayley but I think I was the lucky one. Getting the chance to get to know Rachel has been the best thing that's happened to me in a long time." She admitted. "I just want her back."
Hayley frowned in response. "Have you not thought about going through the formalities by getting registered as a foster parent? Roy and I have done it - that's how we met Fizz."
The factory boss nodded her head. "I did but then I realised I'm not likely to get accepted. I'm on a driving ban, no husband or family around. That's hardly qualities of a good parent."
Suddenly out of nowhere, Hayley gasped and she leapt up from the chair she had been sat on. "I've just thought of something!" She exclaimed, a huge smile on her face.
Carla frowned and looked up at Hayley who was practically vibrating with excitement. "What's that then?"
Hayley then became serious, "I'm sorry, Mrs Connor but I've just realised there's something I urgently need to do. Is it ok if pop out for twenty minutes? I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important." She rambled.
Carla was confused by the sudden change of subject and just nodded her head in agreement as she didn't have the energy to protest. She was left even more baffled as Hayley - without so much as a 'thank you' - ran out of the office and proceeded to leave the factory.
A while later, Frank had returned back to the factory and was busy working on some paperwork whilst his business partner stared into space. It was clear to anyone that the woman was distracted and wasn't in any type of mind frame to get any work done.
Carla was about to get up and make some coffee when her phone started ringing. She looked down at the device and sighed when she saw that it was Hayley calling her. Still curious as to the woman's behaviour after their conversation, Carla answered the call in the hopes of getting some answers.
"Hayley? Is everything ok?" Carla asked.
"Yes. Yes! Everything is fine. It's great in fact!" Hayley exclaimed obviously still quite excited about something.
Carla smiled a little in response. "Oh good, I was starting to get worried. When will you be back?"
Hayley hesitated a little before responding. "Well the thing is, Mrs Connor, I think I might need to take the rest of the day off."
At that moment, Carla became concerned. Sure, a number of her employees tended to be slackers from time to time but Hayley was certainly never one of them. "Are you sure everything's ok, Hayley? Only when you left you said it would only be for twenty minutes and now you're asking for-"
"What's Rachel's social worker's name?" Hayley said before Carla could finish her sentence.
"Why do you want to know the name of Rachel's social worker?" Carla asked. If she wasn't confused before, she certainly was now. Out of the corner of her eye, Carla saw Frank glance up and look at her intently at the sound of the girl's name. Carla held up a finger and shook her head.
Hayley thought for a moment as she decided on how to respond. "Well, I hope you don't mind but it told Roy about your…predicament and we've both decided that we want to help. We were going to call Rachel's social worker and let her know that we are willing to take her in temporarily until you get certified."
Carla gasped and held a hand to her chest. "Are you being serious? Oh Hayley, you are a star!" She exclaimed. "If you were in front of me right now I could kiss you!"
On the other end of line, Hayley laughed lightly. "Don't mention it, Mrs Connor. Roy and I are suckers when it comes down to lost souls and I think it's safe to say that little girl is one of them."
Carla grinned and nodded but then realised Hayley couldn't see her. "Thank you so much. I'll send over the social worker's details as soon as we end this call."
"Ok and as soon as I've spoken to her I'll let you know what she says. Don't get your hopes up too much, Mrs Connor. It's been a long time since Roy and I have fostered anyone so they might not let us have her but we're going to do our best." Hayley promised.
Carla closed her eyes and felt a mixture of both happy and sad tears fall down her face. If all went well, she could see her girl sooner than she thought. Ok, so it wouldn't be in the way she imagined it but at least she would see Rachel on a daily basis.
"Mrs Connor? Are you still there?" Hayley's voice brought Carla out of her thoughts.
"Uh yeah, I'm still here. Look Hayley, thanks again for everything you and Roy are doing. I have to go and start some paperwork…I've been slacking since I've got to the office today." Carla told her even though she was way too anxious and excited to concentrate.
"Of course, Mrs Connor. Phone me back when you aren't too busy. I should have an update for you." And with that, the two women said their goodbyes before hanging up.
Carla threw her phone onto her desk and squealed as she practically bounced up and down in her chair, almost fist bumping the airy. The sudden interruption to the usual quietness of the office startled Frank who looked up at his partner.
He smirked at her just glad to see a smile back on her face. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Frank asked.
Carla stopped her celebratory movements before standing up and making her way over to Franks desk. Without a word, she spun his chair around and planted herself in his lap. They stared into each other's eyes intensely and Carla brushed her fingers down the side of his face before she leaned down and planted a slow and sensual kiss on his lips.
They pulled apart and Frank tilted his head to the side questioningly. "Not that I'm complaining but what was that for?" He asked as he wrapped his arms tightly around Carla's waist.
Carla looked up at the ceiling briefly before turning back to face Frank. "Call it a celebratory kiss." She told him and shrugged nonchalantly.
"Oh? And what exactly are we celebrating?" Frank questioned.
Carla grinned and shook her head as if she was still in denial about what Roy and Hayley were prepared to do. "Don't ask me how but Hayley found out what had been going on with Rachel. Not long after I told her everything, she went really weird and said she had to leave." She explained briefly taking in a deep breath and then blurted out her next words, "they're going to call Jackie and see if they can take Rachel in until I get myself certified!"
Frank was stunned momentarily by what he had just been told. On one hand, it was great to see his girlfriend looking much happier than she had been the last couple of days. However, on the other hand, Frank had been thinking and wasn't entirely sure that Carla getting custody of the girl at some point would be a good thing. It was a well known fact that foster kids could be difficult and found it hard to adjust. The last thing that needed to get between his and Carla's new relationship was a troubled kid.
Frank was torn from his thoughts by Carla who was still sat on his lap with her arms crossed, "Frank?! Did you hear what I said?!"
The man cleared his throat and shook his head as if trying to shake his thoughts away. "Uh yeah sorry. That's great news, Carla. I'm so happy for you!" He lied.
Carla smiled softly in response. "Thanks…now I just have to wait for Hayley to ring me back."