Chapter Text
“I’m-“
“The next word out of your mouth better not be pregnant. I’m not doing this again”, Lisa shoots out as she enters the kitchen, cutting her daughter off. Betsy just laughs, thrilled to have succeeded in winding her mum up in just one word. Carla looks at Lisa, baffled by this early morning exchange in the Swain-Connor house.
“It’s April Fools’ Day.” Lisa explains to her confused girlfriend. “For the last 3 years, Betsy has told me she’s pregnant. I never fall for it.”
“You did the first year. You almost had a heart attack. And you know, one of these days I might actually be pregnant.” Betsy teases.
“Stop tormenting your mother, Betsy.” Carla cuts in, shooting her a warning look.
“Never.” She replies. And with that, Betsy flounces off to her room to get dressed.
“She seems good. I mean, like she’s getting back to normal.” Carla muses.
Lisa nods and smiles at this. It’s been a tough few months, with Carla being ill and Mason getting killed. Betsy was slowly but surely starting to perk up, after struggling with her grief and guilt for months. Lisa likes to think that officially moving in with Carla was what made the difference. The pair put an offer in on number 6 as soon as Yasmeen put it on the market, and the trio, plus their cat Poirot, had moved in a couple of weeks ago. Having two adults to rely on and support her through her grief had made the world of difference. Lisa was finally starting to think that maybe her daughter would be ok.
“And speaking of getting back to normal, I better get ready.” Carla stands up, but Lisa holds her hand out to stop her.
“What do you mean?” She asks, fearing she already knows the answer.
“I’m going to the factory today.” Carla says casually, as if it’s no big deal.
“No way, it’s too soon”
“Lisa, it’s been, what, 7 weeks now? I’m feeling a lot better.”
“Yeah and the doctor said 12 weeks. Can’t you keep working from home?” Lisa pleads.
Carla’s face softens at Lisa’s worry, but she’s not backing down on this. “I’m sick of sitting around here all day. It’s 100 metres down the road. I’ll be fine.”
“I don’t want you to stress yourself out.”
“I won’t.” Carla assures her.
“Ok, but if start feeling unwell in any way-“
“I will come straight home.” Carla promises.
“Ok, good.” Lisa feels somewhat reassured, but makes a mental note to ask Betsy to keep an eye on her.
*
True to her world, Carla had taken it easy all morning. She let her staff run around after her, and hadn't left her office all morning. It’s lunchtime when Betsy flounces in to disturb her peace, throwing herself down in the chair in front of her desk with a mischievous look on her face.
“Don’t you ever knock?” Carla sighs, pretending to be annoyed but secretly enjoying the intrusion.
“Sorry.” Betsy shrugs.
“Go on then, what do you want?” Carla asks, reading the look on Betsy’s face.
“I just thought you should know that mum has asked me to spy on you.”
“Of course she has”. Carla had already assumed as much, based on how often Betsy had been checking her phone and how worried Lisa had been.
“She’s been texting me like every half an hour for updates.”
“And you’ve been telling her that I’ve been taking it easy, I hope?”
“I just told her you were lifting heavy boxes.” She smirks.
Carla is momentarily confused - she’s barely left her desk all day - until it dawns on her that Betsy probably did it just to annoy Lisa. “You didn’t? Is that your idea of a joke?”
“Well the pregnancy one didn’t land, so…”
“What did I tell you this morning about winding your mum up?” Carla warned, fixing Betsy with a stern look.
Betsy rolls her eyes, swiftly moving the conversation on to the real reason she came into Carla’s office. “Can I borrow a tenner? For lunch?”
“No. Get out.” Carla points towards the door.
Carla sighs as her phone rings - it’s Lisa.
“That Mum?” Betsy smirks.
“You know it is. Get out.”
Betsy exits and Carla answers her phone. “Right, before you say anything, I haven’t been lifting anything, that was Betsy’s idea of a joke.”
Lisa’s sigh of relief is audible through the phone.
“And stop spying on me.”
“I knew I couldn’t trust her to keep quiet. Are you feeling ok?”
“I’m fine Lisa.”
After reassuring her girlfriend a few more times that she really is fine, Carla finally manages to get Lisa off the phone. She was feigning frustration, but there’s part of her that loves having someone looking out for her. Lisa is good at that.
*
When Lisa walks through the door that evening, she’s relieved to see Carla taking it easy in front of the TV - and looking well.
“Hi.”
“Hello officer.”
Lisa leans in to kiss her. “It’s Detective Sergeant, actually.” She whispers, sending a shiver down Carla’s spine.
“Uh huh.”
“How was your day?” Lisa enquires as she joins Carla on the sofa, subtly scanning her face for any hint of discomfort or stress.
“It was great, actually. It’s nice being back.”
“Good. And listen, I’m sorry if you felt like I was being overbearing. I just worry about you.”
“That’s ok. But seriously, you don’t need to be. I’m feeling good, the doctors are happy, and I’m not pushing myself.”
“Good. And you know, if you are feeling ok, I’ve got big plans for you tonight.” Lisa says, reaching her hand forward and playing with Carla’s hair.
“Oh yeah?” Carla quirks an eyebrow. After having their honeymoon period cut short by Carla’s kidney failure, the pair were making up for lost time the best they could with a teenager in the house.
“Oh yeah.”
“I look forward to it.”
“Is Bets in?”
“I sent her out to get a pizza. A while ago, actually. I don’t know where she’s got to.”
“You didn’t give her your credit card did you?” Lisa sighed, having been burned by that one too many times.
Carla shakes her head, “I gave her cash, don’t worry.”
At that moment, Betsy comes in, arms laden with pizza boxes.
“I’m back.”
Carla moves to get up, but Lisa stops her. “You stay put, I’ll get the plates.”
Betsy puts the pizzas down on the coffee table. Carla holds her hand out. Betsy looks at it, confused.
“Change?”
“Oh there wasn’t any.” Betsy lies.
“Can I see the receipt?”
“There wasn’t one.” Betsy shrugs.
“You must think I was born yesterday.”
“Ugh, fine. But you do still owe me fifty grand, bee tee dubs.” Betsy shoots out as she hands over the change.
“What does bee tee dubs mean?”
“It means by the way, somehow,” Lisa interjects, handing out plates to Carla and Betsy.
“Look at you, down with the kids.”
“You have to be in my job,” Lisa explains as the trio start tucking in to the pizza, “You have to know all the slang, all the street names for things, et cetera.”
“What, like drugs?”
Lisa nods. “Amongst other things.”
“Do you think you could teach me some of the street names for drugs Mum? Just so I know what to say to my dealer,” Betsy jokes, prompting laughter from Carla as an annoyed Lisa chucks a balled up napkin at her daughter’s head - which she dodges with ease.
Carla’s phone buzzes, and she pulls it out of her pocket. Her heart drops when she reads the message. She’s vaguely aware of Betsy and Lisa talking, but she’s entirely focused on the words on her screen - a message from an unknown number, simply reading You can’t ignore me forever, Carla.
“You ok Carla?” Lisa asks, noticing that her partner had gone quiet.
Carla snaps out of her trance and puts her phone away. She can’t tell Lisa about this. “Yeah, I’m fine.”