And then it hit her, the rumble of nausea she had been expecting for a few days now, she groaned, burying her head in her pillow wishing for it to go away, sleep beginning to wash over her. She knew it would be a small price to pay for what she got at the end of it all. Johnny checked in on her, she was fast asleep so he let her rest deeming that it was important for her. Carla woke around eleven that morning, she dragged herself downstairs and stuck a couple of slices of bread in the toaster, she walked out of the kitchen and jumped at Peter walking into the room, he raised an eyebrow at her still in her pyjamas. She just went to walk past him thought but he grabbed her arm.

"Let go of me" she hissed, wrangling her arm free, he looked at her and narrowed his eyes "What do you want Peter?"

"Why did you lie?"

"What?" Carla frowned, she huffed in annoyance "Look can you just say what you need to say, I have things I need to do today-"

"About your appointment, Johnny said you didn't have an appointment to see your kidney doctor"

"Well Daddy dearest doesn't need to know the ins and outs of my life" she hissed, craning her neck towards him and sniffing "You're drunk, sober up"

She walked off and tutted.

"This is your fault you know, you slept with Adam"

She turned her head slowly to look at him, she bit her lip.

"But I also know you Carla you're hiding something" Peter stared up at her, she dropped her gaze and breathed out "Another one-night stand? Hey maybe an affair, that would be an amazing way to get your own back-"

"You're so pathetic" Carla snapped at him, she noticed Johnny out of the corner of her eye "Just go Peter, I have nothing I want to say to you right now"

"I think you should leave," Johnny said, Peter shook his head and looked up at Carla

"People will see the real you soon enough" Peter snapped and walked out of there, Carla shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose

"Carla-"

"Don't just..." she shook her head and walked upstairs, he sighed softly and shook his head knowing she didn't need the stress of all this

Carla sat on the bed, her laptop balancing on her legs as she researched paternity tests because she just had a split second of doubt that this would actually work, that everything would be fixed between her and Peter if she just knew. Soon enough the thoughts caught up with her, she placed it aside, closed it and breathed out, it didn't matter she told herself, it didn't matter who her baby's father was because either way there was no certainty that she would heal from this. This was her chance, it was her chance to do something new, to not fall back on the past and focus on the future. Carla walked downstairs and she heard Johnny and Jenny whispering, she walked into the room and Carla looked at them both, tugging the sleeves of her jumper down over her hands.

"Hey love, you look tired" Johnny smiled softly at her, his eyes focusing, Carla swallowed and sat down at the table, she rubbed her head "We've had some news..."

"News?" Carla looked up at him, a soft frown on her face

"It's Adam, he's in the hospital, he's been attacked-"

"Attacked?" Carla looked at him, her mind spinning as she dropped her gaze "You think I did it-"

"No! No of course not" Jenny rolled her eyes, she sat down at the table "The police, they want to speak to Peter-"

"They've been here?"

"Yeah, looking for him, I didn't want to wake you" Johnny murmured, Carla rubbed her head and breathed out "You don't need the stress of this so I was thinking why don't you go and see Michelle in Ireland for a bit, I know she's been banging on about you coming to visit-"

"No I need to be here" she whispered, Johnny nodded slowly "I have to be here, I'm not running away, I can't"

"Well the option is there," Johnny told her, she offered a weak smile and breathed out "We'll give you some space"

Carla nodded and watched them both leave the room, she breathed out and grabbed her phone, she got up and grabbed her coat, pulling it on as she walked out of the pub, an idea instantly coming to her head.

Carla walked to work, she sat in her office and grimaced at the smell of food coming from outside of it, she shut the door and took a moment to close her eyes, think things through, and come to terms with her disastrous life. She rubbed her head and let a tear dribble down her cheek but she brushed it away, thumb brushing against her belly. She got up and left that factory, Nick noticed her from across the road, she looked up at him, tears smarting her eyes, she shook her head and walked off. She kept her head down and entered the café, Roy smiled a little at her and Carla sat down, her head resting in her hands.

"Here"

Roy pushed a cup towards her, she swallowed and sniffed it almost gagging at the smell of coffee.

"I'm okay, thank you" Carla whispered pushing it back towards him, she breathed out and swallowed "Everything is such a mess"

"I sense this is down to Peter"

"Got it in one" Carla muttered, she breathed out "Adam was attacked last night and they want to talk to Peter..."

"Do you think he did it?"

Carla pulled a face at that direct question, she shook her head and breathed out, her fingers tapping against the table.

"What is there to worry about?" Roy looked at her, Carla shrugged a little and breathed out, her eyes fluttering shut "Unless you did it?"

"That better be a joke Roy" Carla rolled her eyes, she picked up her phone and breathed out "I have more important things to worry about than attacking my ex-boyfriend's nephew who I slept with"

Roy just stared at her stoically.

"Don't look at me like that, trust me I'm as disappointed in myself as you are in me but if Peter dies because of this..."

"You didn't make him start drinking-"

"I contributed" she stated and shook her head "And the consequences of that will be felt Roy, we can't just move on"

Her eyes fell to her hand resting across her belly, she breathed out and shook her head, maybe this wasn't the right time to do all this, especially alone, especially with not knowing the truth.

When she left the café she sighed at Peter being thrown in the back of a police car, she just walked past him, shaking her head. Peter glared at her before shouting the odds that this was all her fault, Carla just stood there staring at him, she shook her head and dropped her gaze before heading home. She sat down and let out a sigh, she breathed out and just closed her eyes, a glass of water in front of her as she challenged herself to drink it knowing she needed to stay hydrated. Johnny walked into the back room, she smiled a little at him and he sat down with her. He got up and grabbed the post, he passed her letters to her and she tore them open, smiling a little at her appointments next week.

"It's an appointment with the kidney doctor" Carla whispered, she breathed out and nodded "And then one with the midwife to talk about things..."

"That's good isn't it?"

Carla nodded and smiled.

"Could you come with me?" Carla looked at him "I don't want to go alone and I have no one else..."

"Of course" Johnny nodded and smiled a little "Have you thought any more about Peter and Adam and..."

He gestured to her, she shook her head.

"I saw them bundling Peter into the back of a police car..." she trailed off with a shrug, "He wasn't happy but then again why would he be? He started shouting all sorts at me, it was obvious he was drunk but I just thought right at that moment if I was doing the right thing, going through this now with everything that's going on but then I thought about it again and I might not get another chance..."

Johnny smiled sadly and nodded at her.

"There's always a chance that this baby is Peter's and I'm holding onto that but even if it's not..." she let the tears fill her eyes "If it's Adam's...is it wrong that I still want to continue with this?"

"No love, not at all" Johnny whispered, he pulled his chair up to sit beside her "You know, I think about the past and I think about if Sharon hadn't had you..."

Carla smiled a little.

"I would have regretted that so much having got to know you now"

Carla smiled to herself and nodded, she bit her lip and breathed out, her hand resting on her belly.

"That kid in there will be lucky to have you even if you don't think you can do it on your own, you made them and you have a chance to do something amazing, be better than your mum"

"You really think that?"

He nodded and smiled.

"I guess I should contact Nick, and tell him I'll be out of the office sometime next week" she breathed out and picked up her phone "Let's just hope nothing else goes wrong"

Johnny smirked and nodded.

It was nice to see her in such high spirits considering everything that had happened this past week.