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Neighbourhood > Guest Character Profiles > Kayla Thomas Virginia Ryan

After finding herself pregnant and being thrown out of home by her mother, teenage Kayla Thomas decided that she would rather risk life on the streets than tell her boyfriend Anthony Johnson about their baby. Having decided to give up her unborn child for adoption, Kayla met prospective parents Max and Stephanie Hoyland through an adoption agency. Deciding that they were the people she wanted to give her baby to, the arrangements were put in place, with Kayla lying that Anthony didn’t want to know her once he found out about the pregnancy. However, only days later, Kayla broke the rules of the adoption agreement by getting in touch with the Hoylands and asking for help when she had to quickly move out of the hostel she was staying in. Soon after, Kayla coincidentally found herself stealing leftover food from the bar that Max co-owned. When he caught her, and later saw her begging for money outside, he and Steph decided that they would have to offer Kayla a place in their home, despite the fact that it was against regulations.

After staying for just one night, Kayla had a chat to Max’s son, Boyd, who started her thinking about giving her child away and that she might have other options. Not wanting to risk the adoption, Kayla quickly left Ramsay Street, but later returned, having realised that staying with Max and Steph was worth the risk in the final days of the pregnancy. Her bond with Boyd deepened, and he tried to make sure that she was certain about giving up her child, before accompanying her to the hospital when she suddenly went into labour. After giving birth to Ashley, Kayla began to have serious doubts about giving up her baby girl, and admitted to Boyd that she probably wouldn’t be doing it if she had the support of a partner. It was then that Boyd suggested that he act as a father figure to Ashley and Kayla grabbed at that chance to keep her child. After breaking the news to a shocked Max and Steph, Boyd and Kayla, along with Ashley, were forced to move into the Hoyland house, as they couldn’t afford their own place. As Boyd and Kayla struggled to form a romantic relationship, the atmosphere was extremely tense, almost causing the end of Max and Steph’s marriage, leaving Kayla feeling increasingly guilty. The final straw came when Peter Reece from the adoption agency found out about Kayla’s time with the Hoylands and told Max and Steph that they were being permanently removed from the list of adoptive parents.

Kayla decided that it would be best for everyone if she simply went, leaving Ashley behind with a note explaining her actions. Although Steph wanted a baby more than anything, she couldn’t allow herself to keep Ashley without at least trying to find Kayla and talk her ‘round. Through Kayla’s mother, the Hoylands got the address of Anthony, Ashley’s father, and found Kayla at his house. Kayla then admitted that Anthony knew nothing about Ashley, and she wanted to keep it that way, but she was forced to tell the truth when Anthony came outside and asked what was going on. Fortunately for Kayla, the whole mess had a happy ending when Anthony happily accepted his new role as a father. Boyd asked Anthony to look after Kayla and Ashley well, and the Hoylands left the happily reunited family to get on with their lives.

Biography by Steve

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