Baby with my best friend (Casualty)

35

Holly knew how Cal had shut himself off since Lexi had taken Matilda. She hated how he wasn't around most of the time. He was either working or in the pub.

Holly knew that it couldn't go on like that. She couldn't raise Emilie alone. Not when she felt like she was a single mum.

She hated how Cal hadn't even asked how Matilda was. She knew that he still cared about her. He just found it hard.

All she knew was that her family was falling apart. And she didn't know what else she could do to fix it.

Morning came all too quickly for her. She saw Cal
Sitting in bed. He was looking at a picture of Emilie and Matilda. She sighed. "Babe. You need to talk to me. It's no good for you. Putting yourself through this."

Cal sighed. "She's not mine. She was never mine. She was never ours," he whispered.

Holly took his hand. She sighed. "I know. But we had two months with her. We loved her and we did what we could for her. But Lexi is looking after her for now," she said.

"And then what will happen when social services find out? They'll take her."

Holly shrugged as she looked to him. "I don't know what will happen babe. But we gave her a good life," she told him.

Cal wrapped an arm around her. Holly felt him sobbing into her shoulder. She hated how he was so broken.

She wanted nothing more than to fix him. But she couldn't.

***
Holly went into work. Cal had taken the day off. He needed time to heal. And she wanted nothing more than to help him along.

Holly smiled as she saw Lexi. She sighed. "How's Matilda? Is she okay?" She asked.

Lexi nodded. She smiled. "She's great. Iain loves her. We're going to think about adopting her."

"That's... that's great."

Lexi nodded. "I don't think it will go through though. Social services have been in touch. And they're looking for alternative arrangements for her," she told her.

Holly frowned. "How do you mean?"

"They're thinking of finding new parents for her. We've told them how we want to adopt her. But given the situation with Cal, they don't think it'll be possible," Lexi told her.

***
Holly's head was a mess. She didn't know what to think that Matilda could be taken away. She knew it was a possibility. But she just didn't think it would happen.

She looked up as Charlie walked in. She smiled. "Hey."

"Hey. How's Cal?" Charlie asked as he looked to her.

Holly sighed. "He's not good. He's struggling. And I don't know how to deal with it. I feel like it's going to get worse before it gets better," she told him.

Charlie smiled. "He's been through a lot. You both have. You both grew close to that little girl. And to find out you had both been lied to... it will hurt," he told her.

Holly just nodded. Knowing how it was all a complete mess. And she didn't know how much more she could deal with.