Carla's Heart Failure

Chapter 1: My Secret

Carla's POV:

This was it the moment when everything would change for me forever as I drove onto the cobbles on Christmas day 2017, it has been over a year since I've been in Weatherfield but as I got out of my car and sighed to myself I looked around and saw that nothing has changed here. As I walked inside the Bistro I saw Johnny, Aidan, Kate and Jenny all sitting around a table and Michelle standing beside them waiting for them to order, no-one noticed that I was here so I slowly walked behind Michelle and grabbed her shoulders and screamed Merry Christmas into her ears causing her to jump and then turn around to see me and of course she wouldn't be my Michelle if she shouted at me for scaring her totally oblivious to the fact that she has just seen me for the first time in over a year!

Michelle's POV:

I was waiting for my family to decide what they all wanted for Christmas lunch when someone suddenly grabbed my shoulders and screamed Merry Christmas into my ears causing me to jump and turn around I instantly recognized the voice that just screamed at me, straightaway I forgot that I hadn't seen her in ages and started shouting at her for scaring me saying that 'I could've had a heart attack!' she of course being Carla Connor I know, she started laughing and as she did she said 'Well I've had warmer welcome's Chelle!' I then remembered that I hadn't seen her in ages and I wrapped my arms around her squeezing her tightly 'Michelle let go of me I can't breathe!' 'Serves you right scaring me like that why the hell did you do that?' 'For fun!' she said smiling as a chuckle escaped her mouth in her desperate attempt to hide it, I smiled knowing that she really was Carla Connor. Johnny butted in and said 'Carla what are you doing here?' Carla of course being Carla we all know replied with 'I wanted to see my family at Christmas or can't I do that?' 'Of course you can' he said and then he stood up and hugged Carla almost as tight as I'd hugged her and then of course once Johnny had hugged her Aidan and Kate both stood up and hugged her together while Jenny who felt awkward just smiled politely when Carla looked at her and went back to looking at the menu trying to decide what to have to have for Christmas lunch.

Carla's POV:

After a while everybody calmed down and Michelle got me a chair to sit on 'I wish you told me that you were coming!' she said as she watched me sit down 'I know but where'd be the fun in that eh!' I replied to her feeling suddenly guilty about what the real reason I came back to visit my family was. 'Well then promise me that next time when you come for a visit tell me please?' she said doing her puppy dog eyes aiming them straight at me and then I immediately smiled at her which let her know that next time I would let her know before coming even though I knew very well that there would be no next time, after a while I was reading a menu and I started to feel out of breath and the words on the menu started going all blurry I knew that was reality catching up with me so I tried to forget about it and blinked a few times and continued to read the menu after a while Michelle came back to take our drink orders Johnny immediately said 'A bottle of red and five glasses please Michelle' this was the moment I was dreading I couldn't drink wine but everyone would think something was wrong with me if I didn't have a glass of it but I had no choice so I said 'Actually I'm not drinking so make it four glasses please Michelle' suddenly everybody at the table went horribly quiet because of what I'd just said and Michelle asked me 'Carla are you sure?' I could feel my neck starting to sweat making my top stick uncomfortably to my hot neck I swallowed as I could feel the tension between me and my family as everyone was staring at me waiting for me to speak I replied 'Yeah I'm sure Chelle, I'll just have a lemonade please thanks.' I said in a strong tone of voice but even though Michelle smiled at what I said and walked off to get our drinks she knew me too well and I was worried as to what she might think and that she might guess wrong or worse she might guess right! About an hour later and everyone had finished eating I felt bloated one of the many wonders of my condition I thought to myself along with feeling exhausted at half two in the afternoon and that wasn't the worst part I had started to feel out of breath again but this time it was worse so I excused myself from the table and walked quickly to the restrooms trying to catch my breath back even though everything was going blurry again so when I got there I poured some water onto a paper towel from the tap and used it on the back of neck and my forehead after a while I felt a little better so I stopped doing this and moved myself against the wall but as I held myself up against the wall trying hard not to let how tired I was effect me and make me fall asleep, I didn't know if I could stay awake it was hard making myself stay awake really hard.

Meanwhile Michelle who was standing at the bar cleaning the surface, was worried because she couldn't see Carla so she went over to her family's table and asked Kate 'Kate where's your sister?' 'She went to the restroom, why?' 'Oh no reason I just wanted to catch up with her.' 'Oh alright' to be fair what Michelle said to Kate was not a lie but neither was it the truth, the truth was that Michelle was worried that there was something wrong with Carla and usually when they had their catch ups Carla would tell her what was wrong so Michelle took a deep breath and walked to the restrooms to go and see Carla and catch up but never in a million years would she be ready for what she would see in that restroom never.