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Jack Bolton's mind was filled with basketball plays as he made his way down the hall. East High had won their first game against their rivals West High Knights, and he was on a high. The last straggling students dashed for their classes as he dribbled an invisible basketball and sunk an invisible basket.

Celebrating by saluting the invisibile scoreboard, he came to a swift realisation that the hall wasn't so empty when a fuming woman stepped out in front of him.

'My office. Now!' declared Ingrid Darbus.

Wincing inwardly at the sudden steely grip on his upper arm, Jack Bolton obediently deviated from his initial path and stepped into the small room on his left, wondering what he had done wrong this time.

He pulled his arm free as the irate woman flounced away from him and stood on her side of the desk. He took a moment to look around the small room. He never realised Darbus had an actual office before. And even if he did, he doubted that he would have had any interest in knowing where it was.

He snapped back to attention when Darbus snapped her fingers in front of his face. 'Explain this,' demanded the blonde haired woman, pointing at an object lying on top of one of the several tall piles that lined her desk.

Spotting a piece of plastic that looked suspiciously like a pregnancy test, Bolton responded with cheek. 'Well, when a Mummy loves a Daddy very much they make a baby,' he smirked. 'Or when the stork pays you a visit Johnny and Janey, they now have a little baby to play with,' he added. 'Take your pick.'

She was not amused.

Noticing the glare from Darbus was still focused on him, he sighed heavily. 'Which student do I need to get the shotgun out for?' he asked in an exaggerated manner. 'Got an address?'

'You tell me,' came the short response.

What?!

Momentarily bemused, he came to a realisation. She wanted his address. So that must mean... 'Troy?!' he said startled.

He knew his son and girlfriend Gabriella were going steady, but he hadn't thought that they'd taken it to the next level. Whilst he had made sure that Troy was well versed in the facts of life, he'd thought his son would be older when the time came to, well, use that knowledge. And if what he thought Darbus was telling him was true, his family was about to expand by one.

Shaken by the prospect that he might soon be a grandfather, his eyes came back to focus on East High's drama teacher as she deliberately placed both hands on her messy desk, leaning forward to rest her body on her arms.

Why was she shaking her head?

'Think back Bolton,' she said softly, her tone hard. 'About, ooh, nine weeks ago.'

Rolling his eyes at her flair for the dramatic, he obediently thought back to what he was doing more than two months ago. Basketball, Miami, basketball, end of year party, basketball, holidays, wait... the party.

It was as if she could read his mind as she pushed her glasses up her nose and stared deep into his own eyes. 'Yes. The party.'

As his face showed his disbelief, Darbus laughed harshly. 'Congratulations Bolton, you're going to be a father.'

He stumbled from the room. The sinking feeling that he was going to be a grandfather young had been replaced by an altogether new feeling at the realisation that he was going to be a father again.

Jack Bolton didn't remember how he got through the rest of the day.

Basketball practice could have been a scene right out of The Sound of Music and he wouldn't have noticed. He allowed his assistant coach to run the drills - a rare event in itself - as he stonily read the stat sheets.

He brushed off his son's questions after practice as they walked to the car after. When they pulled into the driveway, he was thankful Troy hadn't crashed on the drive home, although he couldn't really be sure, his supervision less than stellar.

He cited a long day at work as his excuse for a less than enthusiastic welcome home for his wife and his monosyllabic conversation at the dinner table.

Lying in bed later that night, staring up at the dark ceiling, Jack Bolton wondered what mess he had gotten himself into.

Next chapter: A phone call.