A/N: The next big plot point is coming up in the next couple of chapters so I hope the people who read this continue to do so. As I said, updates might become a bit slower as I work out some bits and pieces but I do plan on continuing. x
Carla returned home hours later. Well after Rachel's bedtime. She just didn't think she could handle being around her innocent little girl with the way she had been feeling. Instead she walked around aimlessly as she thought over the conversation with Peter after she had confessed to him. She thought maybe telling someone would assuage some of her guilt but it had achieved the complete opposite.
'Peter was right. I am selfish. How could I get another innocent party involved in all of this? As if my eight year old wasn't bad enough, I had to open my trap and implicate the man I truly love in this whole sorry mess.' Carla thought to herself as she hung up her jacket aimlessly.
"Where have you been?" Frank's voice pulled her back into reality as he made his presence known. He had been silently watching her the second she had walked through the door. Even from that few feet of distance between them, he could see she was rattled. He just hoped to god she hadn't gone and done something impulsive like going to the police.
Carla's eyes closed as she drew in a deep breath to compose herself. She plastered a small smile on her face as she turned to face him. "I just went for a walk to clear my head." She told him.
Frank grunted and stepped closer to her. "Yeah well...Rachel was asking for you. She wouldn't go to bed until I let her settle in our room. Maybe now we should start thinking about getting her into therapy. Especially after everything that's happened this week."
His fiance's shoulders slumped as if she had a huge weight resting on them and in a way she did. "Maybe we should all consider some type of counselling." She stated truthfully as she made her way to the kitchen to make herself a cup of calming green tea.
Frank tracked her slow movements with his eyes as he stood by the kitchen counter. She was about to turn the kettle on when he grabbed onto her wrist. Carla looked up at him and frowned. "Are you going to tell me where you've been for the last eight hours?" He asked again.
Carla wrenched her wrist out of his hold and continued the task of making the beverage. "I went for a walk." She insisted.
The dark haired man scoffed and shook his head disbelievingly. "Oh come on, Carla. You don't expect me to believe that do you? I bet you just so happened to come across a wine bar on your little stroll." He spat at her.
A mug was slammed down onto the counter top in response. "Don't be ridiculous." Carla muttered under her breath.
"Ridiculous?!" Frank repeated incredulous, "No, Carla. What is ridiculous is that you decide to wonder off god knows where all afternoon and evening whilst you fiance and child worry. I tried to phone you multiple times but your phone was off. I even called the Rovers-"
Carla whirled on him and glared at his words. "Are you keeping tabs on me?!" She questioned him.
Frank threw his hands up in the air. "Someone has to!"
"You aren't my keeper!" Carla retaliated.
"Stop yelling!" A distraught voice shouted out.
The two adults turned towards the cry only to see their daughter stood by their bedroom door with tears streaming down her face. Her little body was visibly shaking from both fear and the slight chill in the flat. Wanting comfort despite being upset with both Carla and Frank, she ran over to the pair and held up her arms towards her mother.
Carla felt tears build up in her eyes as she wasted no time in lifting her daughter into her arms, thankfully she had taken some pain medication about half an hour before she arrived home. Rachel hid her face into the crook of her neck and wrapped her arms around the woman tightly. "Shhhh. I'm sorry, sweetheart. We didn't mean to shout." Carla whispered as she swayed gently. With a sharp glower towards her fiance, Carla brushed passed him in order to get the little girl settled once more. Due to the chaos over the past couple of days, she had almost forgotten that the next day would be Rachel's first day back at school. The last thing they needed was the teachers being on their backs about their daughter's well being.
Frank gripped onto her upper arm tightly. "We aren't done here." He said lowly.
A stone cold look was the initial response he got. "We are for now." Carla snipped back just as lowly and continued on towards their bedroom.
The next morning a haggard looking Carla stirred her morning coffee. Not even a rejuvenating shower could hide the fact that she had barely slept a wink the previous night and she was hoping that a strongly caffeinated beverage would do the trick. She was so preoccupied by her troubled thoughts that she almost failed to notice Frank's presence looming behind her as he prepared himself for work.
"Think we can have a civilised conversation and clear the air? We don't want our daughter going back to school worrying about whether or not we're tearing chunks out of each other." Frank spoke seriously but made sure to keep his tone gentle.
Carla heaved a sigh and nodded her head in agreement. She definitely didn't want to send her child off to school whilst she was feeling anxious. That surely wouldn't end well. "You're right and I'm sorry about last night. I just needed some room to breathe." She hoped that now that they had some time to think about the previous days events, Frank would be able to accept her explanation and move on. They certainly could do without any more tension in their lives.
Frank let out a soft breath and hugged her from behind. "And I'm sorry for suggesting you was out drinking. I was just worried about you. Especially because I couldn't get through to you on your mobile." He told her.
The usually feisty woman turned in his arms and gave him a sheepish smile. "Yeah...it ran out of battery."
Her fiance gave a nod of acceptance and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Now that we've got that straightened our...I've been thinking-"
"Oh, careful. Don't want to lose too many brain cells so soon after a bang to the head." A familiar spark lit up in Carla's eyes at her cheeky quip.
Frank smiled when a tiny glimpse of the woman he knew and loved made a guest appearance. "Watch it." He warned teasingly, "but seriously, when all of this over I'm going to take you somewhere with palm trees and a crystal clear blue sea." He added on.
Carla's face fell at his suggestion of a fancy holiday and hummed in fake amusement. "Because we're worth it." She said bitterly. The least they deserved was a carefree getaway after their deception and all the pain they – she – had caused.
"Because we need it." Frank returned pointedly.
His counterpart shook her head at him to show she didn't agree with him. "Everyone will think we're running away or that we've got something to hide." She told him.
At that moment, Rachel came down the stairs dressed in a fresh set of school uniform. "Mummy! We forgot to get Layla a birthday present and her party is today!" She whined as she waved a birthday card in her parents faces.
Carla grimaced and whispered a very quiet 'shit' under her breath. She addressed her daughter when a solution popped into her head. "It's ok, darlin'. I'll go into town this afternoon and pick something up." She reassured her daughter.
Rachel shook her head, clearly not pleased at the suggestion. "But I wanted to pick out the present." She complained.
Frustration began to build up within Carla but before she could snap at the girl, Frank decided to step in. He dug into his pocket to retrieve his wallet and pulled out a fifty pound note. "Here. Put this in the card. That way Layla can buy herself exactly what she wants." He told Rachel as she took the money from him.
"Wow. Fifty pounds?!" The eight year old exclaimed in wonder
Carla stepped out of Frank's arms. "Frank, that is way too much." She protested.
Frank held up his arms in defence. "Maybe but I don't have anything smaller on me. Besides, I don't want you traipsing around town all afternoon when you should be resting. Don't forget, you have that doctors appointment at lunch time." His fiance went to protest some more but he ignored her and turned to the child who was looking between them, not knowing what to do. "Go and get your school stuff. We need to leave in the next five minutes or you'll be late."
Rachel looked at her mother who eventually relented and nodded her head. "Go on, Rach." She told her daughter.
"I forgot to pack my overnight bag for my sleepover with Faye tonight. Can you drop it at her house when you go to the doctors?" Rachel asked. Her mother assured her she would and Rachel thanked her before skipping off to collect her school bag and wait for Frank by the front door.
Guilt came back with a vengeance and it was clear in Carla's eyes. Frank held onto her shoulders and stooped down to look into her eyes. "You need to get your head on straight. We can't have you walking around the street with that look on your face. People will start to suspect something's up." He told her sternly.
Carla rolled her eyes at him in exasperation. "That's because there is." She reminded him even though there was no need to.
"Even so," Frank began, "we've both agreed that this is our only option to keep our family together. The last thing that little girl needs is for her parents to disappear out of her life."
His fiance exhaled and nodded. "Yeah. You're right." She agreed and plastered on her fake smile. "Is this better?" She asked.
Frank smiled and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Much better. Although, you will never not be beautiful in my eyes. You could be bawling your eyes out with mascara running down your cheeks and you will still be the most stunning woman in the world." He told her. They shared a quick kiss to the lips and after Carla assured him she would make sure her phone was fully charged before she left the house, Frank left her to her own devices with Rachel trailing behind him.
"So are you excited for this birthday party later?" Frank asked his daughter as they strolled towards the gates of Bessie Street Primary School.
Rachel nodded enthusiastically and hopped up and down. "Yes! Layla said there's going to be a bouncy castle and a magician. Do you think he will be as good as Sam? I thought he was great!" She rambled.
Frank smiled and shrugged. "I'm not sure, blondie. Your grandfather isn't a professional like the one you're going to see later on." He stated.
The little girl beside him suddenly let out a gasp and pointed to two figures just up ahead of them. "There's Simon! Hey, Simon!" The smile on Rachel's face fell instantly when the little boy she had called out to turned briefly just to glare at her. She went to run over to Simon and his mother but a hand on her shoulder stopped her from doing so. She looked up at Frank in question. "Why did he look at me like that?" She asked sadly.
Her father smiled down at her in sympathy and crouched down in front of her. "He's probably just worried about Stella. She is his grandmother. Imagine if your Nana Hayley or Anne had been hurt really badly like Stella has been. You would be sad too, wouldn't you?" Frank tried his best to explain although the look the younger boy had given his daughter suggested that maybe something else was on Simon's mind.
Rachel thought over his words and then nodded. "I guess so."
Frank shot her an encouraging smile as he stood up and once again guided her towards the entrance of the school. "Everything is going to be ok. You'll see." He assured her. "All you need to do for the moment is focus on your schoolwork and enjoy the first day of year four."
His daughter sighed and made no more comments about Simon or his odd behaviour towards her. Instead she changed the subject of conversation onto her mother. "You'll look after Mummy whilst I'm at Faye's tonight, right?" She asked him as she lined up at the designated area for her class in the school playground. Frank assured her he would and after a quick hug goodbye - which was not quite returned – on his part, he left the playground and headed towards the factory.
Later that morning, the students of Bessie Street were having their late-morning break from lessons. Rachel watched Simon intently as the little boy brooded on one of the benches in the playground. Deciding it was a good idea to offer her friend some comfort, she went over to him and sat down.
"Hi, Simon. I'm sorry about your grandma. I hope she gets better soon." She told him and was about to put her arm around Simon who shrugged her off and turned away from her. "What's wrong? Why won't you talk to me?" Rachel asked when she realised that Simon was mad at her.
"I'm not allowed to be friends with you any more. My mum said your dad ran Stella over and my dad said I should stay away from you." Simon spat out.
Rachel's bottom lip wobbled as tears ran down her face in response to the news she had just been told. Simon and Faye were her best friends. The boy was like her little brother and now she wasn't allowed to talk to him?! Anger built up inside of her when she realised that Frank was to blame for Simon being angry with her.
'He ruins everything! His stupid mum made Mummy upset the other night and that's why she crashed the car! Stupid Anne, stupid Frank!'
"Frank isn't my dad. I don't even like him. Especially now." Rachel protested and chose not to reveal the truth to Simon. She just knew that if she did, he would tell his parents and then her mum would get into big trouble and go to prison.
Simon scoffed at her. "He adopted you. Like my mum did me. That means he is your dad and he's a bad man." He spat at her.
Rachel stood up from the bench abruptly and clenched her fists. "He's not my dad. I hate him and I hate you too! Don't talk to me ever again!" She exclaimed before she stormed away.
"I'm not allowed to anyway!" Simon yelled in the direction of her retreating back. The two kids glared at each other before they quickly turned away from their counterpart's harsh gazes at the same time. They didn't speak or even acknowledge each other for the rest of the school day and they both wondered if they would ever be friends again.
Carla arrived at the factory around one that afternoon after her appointment. She had just dropped Rachel's overnight bag at the Windass residence and decided to pop her head in on Frank to make sure that everything was ok. She had turned her phone on after seeing the doctor only to see that her fiance had tried calling her five times. She began to worry that there was a big problem at the factory or that something had happened to her daughter whilst she was at school.
The woman entered the office apprehensively and sighed softly in relief when Frank didn't seem at all stressed. However, uncertainty took hold of her once more when she saw that he wasn't entirely content and closed the office door behind her knowing that the discussion they were about to have probably shouldn't be overheard by their work force.
"Hey." She greeted softly.
"'Hey' yourself. Where have you been?" Frank asked. He was trying his best to hide his annoyance with her but his run in with Karl about an hour beforehand had put him on edge. Anyone would be when they found out their fiance had lied to them. Karl had told him how Carla had turned up at the hospital the night before which made him suspicious about whether or not she had confessed to their deceit.
Carla gave him a strange look as she answered his enquiry. "I went to the doctors, remember? I just dropped Rachel's stuff at Anna's and decided to pop by here before I went home. Is everything ok?" She asked him when she realised he was refusing to look her in the eyes. In fact, he instead focused on fiddling with stuff on his desk to avoid even looking in her direction.
"Why was your phone off?" He asked as he flicked through a file.
Carla resisted a huff of annoyance and decided to keep her voice soft so as not to irritate him any more that he already was. "I turned it off for the appointment. It's back on now." She told him.
Frank sat back in his chair and stared straight into her eyes in order to gage whether or not she was telling him the truth. "Did you really go to that appointment?" Carla cocked her head to the side questioningly. Frank ignored the gesture and continued his interrogation. "Or were you maxing out the plastic at a fancy hotel with a footballer...oh no wait - don't tell me - you went to 'Harvey Nicks'." He spat sarcastically.
His fiance shifted from foot to foot, unsure where the conversation was heading. "What are you talking about?" She asked him.
"You lied to me, Carla. You went to the hospital last night. Karl told me all about your little visit." Frank spoke slowly as he stood up and approached her as if he was a man on a mission. "What were you doing there?"
"I had to go." Carla insisted weakly and looked down at the floor.
Frank shook his head in disapproval. "You had to stay away." He hit back. "You looked me in the eyes last night and this morning and lied to me."
Carla shook her head and pleaded with him to understand. "I didn't plan to go." She told him.
"Obviously not, the Carla I know wouldn't be so stupid." He told her. "But maybe that's it. Maybe I really don't know the real Carla Connor. This...woman I've spent the last few days with isn't the intelligent woman I fell in love with." Frank claimed.
Carla's eyes filled with tears at his harsh words. "I didn't think it through." She admitted.
Frank nodded with a hint of sarcasm. "Damn right you didn't. That doesn't make it ok though. You've risked both our freedom with your thoughtless actions." He continued to belittle her, despite the crushed look in her eyes. "What did you say? Who did you talk to?" He fired out as he pressed her for answers. "No, let me guess...you begged Stella for her forgiveness."
The dark haired woman shook her head desperately. "No. No. I didn't see Stella. I didn't s-" She told him honestly.
"Don't lie to me!" Frank suddenly roared which made Carla flinch away. He then quickly composed himself when he remembered the nosey machinists out on the factory floor. "You spoke to someone. You've told someone. I can see it as clear as day in your eyes – even through those crocodile tears. Who did you tell, Carla?"
"Peter. I told Peter." Carla uncharacteristically squeaked out and took a step back, afraid of his response.
Frank let out a humourless laugh and shook his head. "Of course you told him and what was your precious Peter's response. Did he wrap his strong muscly arms around you and tell you everything was going to be ok? Maybe a sneaky kiss or bunk up in the hospital loos made the pain disappear?" He ranted.
Carla tutted at his accusations. "The exact opposite actually. He wants nothing to do with me." She informed him.
"Oh well that's a shame." Frank pouted mockingly. "Looks like your plan hasn't worked out. What was the plan, Carla? Tell him so he could tell the police and get me locked away? Yeah...I bet you was hoping for me to be carted off by the time you got back. Get me out of the way so you and Peter Bloody Barlow could live a cosy little life together." He walked towards her forcing her to walk back until she was pressed up against the door. His hands came up to her upper arms and squeezed tightly. "Did you even think about the consequences? The consequences for us, for our child."
Carla shook her head slowly and bit into her bottom lip. "He won't say anything." She told him.
"He better not." Frank spat out before letting her go.
A tense silence engulfed the room as Frank paced up and down whilst Carla nursed her aching arms. The silence continued for a few moments as Frank took some calming breaths. "You do realise I've risked everything for you. I'm looking at a fourteen year stretch to save your backside and you betray me like this?" Carla remained silent as she worked up the mental strength to respond. "Answer me." He demanded.
"I didn't ask you to cover for me." Carla finally found her voice to stand up for herself.
Frank's eyes widened at her statement and barked out a humourless laugh. "You didn't-" He stopped himself from raising his voice again, "don't you see...the only reason why I'm taking the fall for this is because I love you! Did your exes damage you so badly that you think you're so unlovable?"
"Do you really love me?" Carla asked somewhat rhetorically and with a hint of sarcasm. The tone of her voice made it sound like she was asking herself rather than him.
"What kind of question is that?" Frank responded. "Of course I love you. Why else would I risk a lengthy prison sentence if I didn't love you?"
Carla rolled her eyes and it was now her turn to pace up and down. "Maybe you just want to control me. Well now you have leverage over me, don't you?" She raised an eyebrow as she ground out her own accusations which she knew deep down were the truth. "You keep banging on about you facing prison so much...do you really think that's helping with all this guilt I've been feeling?"
"You're starting to sound paranoid." Her fiance told her. "I love you. I wouldn't be here now if I didn't. I just want us all to get through this with as little stress as possible. I'm trying to keep our family together." Frank picked up a photo frame from his desk and showed her the picture that had been taken of Carla and Rachel on the first day the girl attended Bessie Street. Carla took the picture from him and she couldn't help but smile at the memory presented to her. She clutched the object to her chest and looked up at the man before her. She wished she could go back in time and make different decisions. One decision being getting into a relationship with Frank. "The only thing that's given me any type of comfort the past few days is the fact that no matter what happens to me, you and our little girl will still have each other. It's not just me and you who could lose everything. If Peter decides to go to the police, Rachel could lose us both."
Carla's lips wobbled as small sobs escaped from her throat. "I'm sorry. He won't tell anyone. He promised."
Frank suddenly felt smug when he realised he had finally gotten her to see the 'error of her ways' – he had her exactly where he wanted her. He hoped that going forward, she would bend to his will and go along with everything he said.
Instead of showing his real motive, Frank smiled at her seemingly in comfort and wiped the tears from her face. He pulled her towards his chest and rubbed her back. "Shhh. It's ok. I forgive you. This will all blow over soon and I'll be right by your side. I'm not going anywhere and neither are you." He swore to her.
The couple had just left the factory just as Anna was walking towards The Kabin with their daughter as well as her own in tow. Rachel saw her parents out of the corner of her eye and grinned. "Miss Anna, can I go say 'hi' to my mummy and Frank?" She asked and Anna nodded. Rachel ran over to Carla and Frank and almost crashed into her mother but a mini disaster was prevented by Frank who rested a hand on Rachel's shoulder.
"Woah there, blondie. You need to be careful around your mummy, remember? She's still in quite a bit of pain." Frank reminded the girl. Rachel looked down at the cobbles guiltily which caused Carla to feel some resentment towards Frank for making their child feel that way.
'He wasn't thinking about my injuries when he was manhandling me back in the office not too long ago.' Carla thought to herself bitterly but was able to keep a soft smile on her face as she greeted her daughter with a hug.
Rachel looked up at her mother and pouted when she saw that Carla's eyes were swollen red like how her own got when she cried. "Have you been crying?" She asked in concern.
Frank wrapped his arm around Carla's waist and answered for her. "It's as i said, Mummy is in a bit of pain at the moment. Nothing for you to worry about." He said and then looked over to where Anna and Faye were patiently waiting. "You better get going or you and Faye are going to be late to the party."
The little girl looked unsure at first but after she heard her friend shout for her to 'hurry up', she gave her mother another tight hug. Carla stroked the top of her head and bent down so she could press a kiss to the top of her daughter's head. "Have fun at the party and be good for Miss Anna, ok?" Rachel nodded and with 'I love yous' exchanged between mother and daughter, the little girl skipped off towards Anna and Faye. Carla took that opportunity to call over to the other woman, "Don't forget, you can call anytime if there are any problems!"
Anna nodded in agreement and waved goodbye to Carla and Frank who returned the sentiment. The factory owners watched as their child disappeared into the sweet shop with her friend and Carla heaved a sigh. Frank squeezed her to try and reassure her.
"She'll be fine. Stop worrying. At least it's not us that will have to deal with their sugar rush later." Frank joked. Before the crash, the preplanned sleepover was meant to be held at their home. They had almost cancelled the event much to Rachel's dismay but then Anna had volunteered to be the host instead.
Carla still remained unsure despite his assurances. "I hope so. It's just...the nightmares she's having aren't showing any signs of going away any time soon." She told him.
Frank was just about to sooth her concerns once more but then a police officer approached them which prevented him from doing so. The officer explained that he had just come from Peter Barlow's flat and that he now had some follow up questions to ask them. They both agreed and led the police officer into the factory so the conversation was not witnessed by any passer bys.
Once inside the office, Frank retold his story for what felt like the hundredth time. He stumbled and panic rose up in both himself and Carla when he slipped up and said that he was still in the car when Peter had left the flat to investigate to commotion. He was quick to correct himself and apologised as he explained that the events on that night happened 'very fast'. The officer then told him he would need to accompany him to the station to amend his statement.
Carla made her excuses and said she would follow behind once she had sorted out some contracts that needed to be looked over. She was left alone to her own thoughts once the two males left. Hope rose within her when she realised that Peter hadn't told the police that it was her who had been driving the car. It made her think that in the future, there could be some hope for them.
'Don't marry him.'
That was what Peter had said when Carla revealed that she wasn't in love with Frank and that she was in fact in love with Peter himself.
A few hours after the conversation containing so many mixed messages, Carla found herself curled up on her couch back at her flat with a mug of tea clutched tightly in her hands. The torn woman couldn't help but think back to the time when Rachel had told her that even she didn't want her to marry Frank. Surely two people voicing the same opinion on the matter couldn't be wrong? Ok, so one of them was a child and the other might have some ulterior motives but even Carla herself still had her doubts. Doubts that always seemed to come back tenfold whenever the man causing them wasn't around.
So lost was she in her own thoughts, Carla failed to realise when Frank returned home. A carrier bag with their dinner in his hand.
"What happened to you?" He asked suspiciously as he placed the bag on the counter top.
Carla shifted uncomfortably and readjusted her position slightly so she could look over in his direction. "I'm so sorry." She apologised for her lack of presence at the police station. "I just couldn't face it. I think the pain meds i took just after you left kicked in as soon as I was done at the factory so I came back for a nap and overslept."
Frank pointed out the fact that he had brought home food but much to his dismay, Carla claimed she wasn't hungry. He asked if she was ok and even though she said she was, Frank could tell that she was still fighting her inner demons. He thought that informing her he was only being charged with 'driving without due care and attention' would make her feel better which it temporarily did. Frank sat on the arm of the couch and kissed her forehead.
"Now we can put this all behind us and concentrate on the wedding." Frank told her. Carla unconsciously stiffened but forced herself to relax and tried to voice her concerns regarding their upcoming nuptials. However, Frank ignored the fact that she was about to say something and continued to speak his own thoughts out loud. "Mind you, we might need to get a driver for the honeymoon. I could get a ban with this charge." He sighed. "But you know what? A ban is nothing. I would have done time for you, Carla."
Carla stared into the corner of the room and sighed. "I know." She whispered.
"Sorry...what were you saying about the wedding?" Frank asked and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
Looking down into her mug of rapidly cooling tea, Carla hesitated before she came up with something. Now was definitely not the time to raise her concerns. "We need to start working on a table plan." She informed him
Frank smiled and kissed her forehead, glad that she was in agreement of them getting on with the rest of their lives together.
Just as they were about to get to work though, Carla's phone – which was laying on the coffee table – blared out its incessant ring tone. Carla groaned as she leaned over and picked up the device. "It's Anna." She told him and showed him the screen that was lit up.
Frank sighed and got up to dish up their dinner. "You better answer it." He advised her.
Carla smiled in agreement and answered the call. "Hi, Anna. Everything ok?" She asked. The woman assured her Rachel was fine but that the girl wanted to speak to her. "Yes, of course. Put her on." Shuffling was heard on the other end of the line as the phone was handed over.
"Mummy?" Rachel whispered.
"I'm here, baby. What's up?" Carla asked gently. She could tell by her daughter's voice that something was wrong but the child was clearly trying to hide it. However, Carla was her mother and her instincts had kicked in as soon as Rachel breathed the first syllable of her newly acquired term of endearment.
Sniffles could be heard down the line and Carla's heart broke as she imagined her baby girl fighting back tears. "I want to come home. I...I tried to sleep but when I did...I had a n-nightmare about the c-crash..." By the end of the explanation, Rachel had burst out into sobs as she struggled to get any more words out.
Carla looked over her shoulder at Frank who was now looking over at her in concern "Ok, darlin'. There's no need to cry. Frank is on his way right now to get you." She told the girl softly. Frank shook his head in question and she mouthed the word 'nightmare'. She ran a finger down her own cheek to gesture that their daughter was crying.
Frank sighed and visibly deflated. He was hoping he and Carla could have a kid free night for the first time in a while. He knew that he didn't have to wait long until they were on their honeymoon but he was looking forward to the two of them spending some alone time together in their home considering the stressful couple of days they had experienced that week.
"Ok, sweetheart. I know you're upset but I need you take some deep breaths." Carla raised her voice half an octave when Rachel began to hyperventilate down her ear. She gestured for Frank to hurry which he did. "Frank will be there very soon, baby. Hey, why don't you tell me about your day? How was school and the party?"
Rachel drew in a few breaths and her breathing slowed down enough in order to give Carla a run down of her very busy schedule that day. She then asked Carla about her own day and the mother found herself making up a few things, not wanting her daughter to know that her and Frank had argued again. There was no point telling the child when her and Frank had near enough cleared the air. They had just started discussing what they would do for the lazy weekend they had planned when Carla heard Frank greeting Anna in the background.
"Ok, sweetheart. I'll have a hot chocolate waiting for you when you get home. Can you pass me back to Miss Anna?" Carla asked.
Rachel agreed and handed the phone over to her friend's mother. "She wants to talk to you." She told Anna who took the phone from the little girl.
"Have you got your stuff?" Frank asked expectantly and Rachel gestured towards her backpack that was at the bottom of the stairs. Her father picked up the bag just as Anna hung up the phone.
Anna sighed sadly and turned to Frank. "I'm sorry if I interrupted yours and Carla's dinner plans. She was just telling me about the food you took home for her. I wish someone would bring me a takeaway every once in a while."
Frank shook his head dismissively and assured her that she hadn't called at a particularly vital moment. "Don't worry about it. It's nothing a microwave can't rectify." He quipped regarding her concerns over the food. "We did say to give us a call anytime. Carla had a feeling something like this would happen."
"Frank, I want to go home." Rachel whined out. All she wanted at that moment was her mother and the conversation going on around her was preventing that from happening.
"Ok, ok. But first you need to say 'goodbye ' to Anna and thank her for having you and taking you to the party." Frank reminded the girl.
"See you soon, Miss Anna. Thank you for today. I'm sorry for being a pain." Rachel told the woman who waved her off and gave her a hug.
"Don't you worry, sweetheart. You're never any trouble." Anna promised her.
Goodbyes were exchanged between Anna and Frank as father and daughter headed towards the door. Rachel climbed into the back seat of the courtesy car Frank had received from his insurance company and had buckled herself into her booster seat.
Frank put her stuff in the boot of the car before climbing into the driver's seat. "You strapped in?" he asked as he clicked his own seatbelt into place. Rachel wordlessly nodded as she looked out of the window. Frank started the engine and they were soon headed in the direction for home.
True to her word, Carla did indeed have a hot chocolate waiting for Rachel when they arrived home less than twenty minutes after Carla had received the phone call. The eight year old dumped her stuff by the door and kicked off her shoes haphazardly before bolting over to the sofa where Carla was.
She came to a sudden halt as if she had remembered something and gently climbed up beside her mother. In normal circumstances, she would have launched herself into her mother's arms but she was aware that Carla's body was still injured. Carla retrieved the hot chocolate and handed it to the girl who sipped it slowly. The mother wrapped her arms around her daughter and placed a kiss to her daughter's temple.
"Feel better now that you're home?" Carla asked as she ran her fingers through the girl's ponytail.
Rachel nodded just as Frank had come over and sat down next her. "Anna said she was very well behaved." He announced.
Carla smiled and jutted out her chin towards the coffee table. "Pass me the remote. I think we all deserve a movie night." She claimed.
Frank handed her the remote and sighed. "What about dinner?" He asked and looked over to the kitchen where their food was left half dished out still.
His fiance shrugged. "What's a movie night without a takeaway? I'm sure you've got plenty to go round. Just make up one plate for me and her to share." Frank gave her a look of concern and she gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm not that hungry and I think she'll just pick at it. I bet you've had enough junk food today to last you for ten years, aye?" She teased light heartedly and poked the girl in the ribs.
Rachel giggled and jerked in Carla's arms as her mother continued her 'assault'. The mug in her hands was quickly removed from the fooling around by Frank who got up off the couch to sort out their food.
A couple of hours later, Frank looked away from the scrolling credits of the family movie he had just suffered through only to see that Carla and Rachel were asleep. By the look of them, he assumed that they had been sleeping for a while as Rachel was sprawled out over Carla who, even in sleep, refused to loosen her grip on their daughter.
Frank smiled softly and stood up. He stretched out his aching muscles before reaching out to shake Carla's shoulder in a rousing fashion. Her eyes sprung open and she practically jumped out of her skin, her breathing only slowed when she realised who had disturbed her slumber.
"What time is it?" She whispered hoarsely and glanced down at Rachel who remained asleep.
"Just gone eleven. We should head to bed. It's been a long day." He whispered back.
Carla extracted the girl from her arms and with the help of Frank, she was able to stand from the couch without waking Rachel. "I don't want to wake her but I don't think I can lift her right now." She admitted begrudgingly referring to her aching injuries.
Frank placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "I'll deal with her. You get yourself ready for bed. She in with us again?"
His fiance nodded to his question and pressed a kiss to his cheek in thanks before slowly making her way to the bedroom. Frank shook his head and carefully and lifted Rachel into his arms. She whined a little and Frank made some calming noises as he rubbed her back which got her right back to sleep.
Making his way slowly into his and Carla's shared bedroom, he was just in time to see Carla climb into her side of the bed. She pulled back the covers and patted the space beside her. Frank took that as the go ahead to lay the girl in his arms down.
"I'm just going to take a quick shower." Frank whispered and Carla nodded. She gave him a hint of a smile as he bent over to place a kiss to her forehead and one to Rachel's temple.
The smile left her face as soon as he was out of sight and she felt Rachel fidget beside her. She tightened her hold on the girl.
"We'll be free soon, baby girl. Then it will just be me and you against the world. I promise you that." She vowed quietly.