Jack leaned back in his chair, his thoughts focused on Kate. She had kissed him. Again. He leaned back further, sinking into it. He played with his hands. It was wrong, but it had felt so right. The connection between him and Kate, it was electric. He couldn't stand it anymore. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
***************
Kate watched her class reading. She still felt guilty, but at the same time, she didn't. When she had kissed Jack, she felt like she was alive, well, more alive than when she had kissed Dan. She heard her phone vibrate in her bag. Making sure that her class didn't see, she leaned into her bag and pulled her phone out. She looked to see who was texting her. It was Jack. She looked around again, and read the text. As she finished, the bell rang. She told her class to pack away and watched as they left the room for lunch. Once the last of them had left, she checked the time, grabbed her coat, and left for lunch.
**************
'What do you think was wrong with Kate this morning?'
'Dunno, something to do with Dan maybe?' Kim said in reply to Andrew's question, 'No, I know Kate. There's something more to it'
'Then why ask me then?' Kim said, Andrew shrugged and kissed her cheek. 'It'll be you two next' Tom said as he sat down opposite them, Izzie following behind. 'Nah, it'll be Kate and Dan probably' Izzie said, 'he comes home soon doesn't he? Maybe we should organise a night out or something, all go for a drink.' She took a sip of coffee. 'You'll need to cut down on that now Iz' Izzie hit Tom on the leg, 'Oh, sorry'
'Cut down on what Izzie?' Kim asked, but deep down she knew what was coming next, 'Well, Tom and me were going to wait for a while, but, well may as well say now. We're having a baby!'
'That's fantastic!'
'Congratulations'
'Early days yet' Tom pulled Izzie closer and kissed her, and smiled. Right now, he felt like the happiest man alive.
****************
Kate stepped into the pub and looked around. She saw Jack, hidden away in a corner, sipping on a pint. She went over to the bar and ordered a glass of Coke, then made her way over to Jack. She sat opposite, and looked at him, 'what is it Jack?'
'I think you know what it is. That kiss this morning'
'It was an accident'
'Was it?'
'Yes, it was' Jack smiled smugly, and took another sip of beer. Kate took a sip of coke, and got up, 'Where are you going?' Jack asked, 'The loo' she replied. Jack watched her leave. He downed his beer, and followed her through the pub, and into the toilet. There was only them in there, Kate was in the middle cubicle. Jack turned back to the main door, and flicked the inside lock so no one else would come in. He stood outside the cubicle, and waited for her to open the door, when she did, he was ready. Kate went to shut it again, but Jack held it open, Kate was breathing deeply, staring at him, then she seemed to stop, and the moment Jack had been waiting for happened. She ran at him, and kissed him again. She pushed him backwards against the sinks, then pulled away, 'If we do this Jack, we do it on my terms, when I want, where I want'
'Anything you want' Jack leaned in close, and carried on kissing her.
******************
It had been a month since Jack and Kate had started to see each other, and no one was any the wiser, well, at least that was what they thought. Andrew sat looking at Kate. She was on the phone, again. He sat looking at her from the other side of the staff room. She sat alone on the phone, twisting her hair with her fingers, laughing and flirting with the caller, and somehow, he didn't think it was Dan. Andrew took another sip of coffee. His gaze was broken, as Kim sat opposite him, 'hello' she leaned over and kissed him, 'Kim, do you think that Kate's been acting strangely lately?'
'No' she shrugged, 'why?' Kim took a sip of her sweet smelling green tea. Andrew looked over her shoulder; 'It's just that, she's always on that phone'
'So? Loads of people are on their phone'
'But this is different'
'How?'
'It just is'
'Andrew'
'Kim' Andrew looked at her, and Kim looked at him, 'why are you so worried, Andrew?' He sighed. Something was wrong, he knew it. He had seen her like that before, all those years ago, when they had been together. The bell rang for the start of the next lesson. People slowly filtered out of the room, but Andrew hung back. He had a free lesson, and he knew for a fact, that Kate did too. Kate shut her phone, as Andrew sat down opposite her, 'Hello' she said cheerfully, and for the first time in a month, he had a chance to look at her properly. There was something hiding behind her eyes, a secret. Something in his face gave him away and the cheerful mask faded away and changed into a frosty glare, 'what do you want Andrew? Spit it out'
'You're seeing someone else aren't you' it was a statement, rather than a question, 'don't be daft' she stopped looking at him, 'who is it'
'None of your business what I'm doing'
'I think it is'
'Well, I don't' She stood up, and Andrew did too. 'Get lost Andrew'
'Not until you tell me who it is' Kate sniggered, 'you really want to know?' Andrew looked at her in stony silence, 'Jack Rimmer' His name rolled of her tongue. 'Jack? You're seeing Jack?'
'Yes I am.' She moved closer to Andrew, 'This won't stay a secret'
'Oh, I think it will' She moved closer again, placing a hand on his chest. He pushed it off, 'You tell Davina or Dan about it, and I'll tell Kim about your little African secret'
'Kim already knows that I was nearly engaged'
'Oh, no. Not that secret. The other secret. The reason why you asked her to marry you' That had hit Andrew hard, 'how did you know that?'
'You don't remember, do you?' Andrew rooted around his mind, when had he told her? He had never told anyone, 'we were completely rat arsed. And you told me all about it, all the sordid details. Just remember that Andrew. Not a word, or Kim finds out.' Kate gave him one last glare, as she left the staff room. She stormed down the corridors until she got to her classroom, where she pulled her phone out, and quickly dialled a now familiar number, 'My house after school' she slammed the phone down, and sank down into her chair.
***************************
Kate ran her fingers through her hair nervously as she sat on her sofa waiting for Jack to arrive. The doorbell rang, and she took one last look in the mirror, and pulled her top down a little, exposing her red lace bra. She went into the hallway, and opened the door. Jack smiled at her, and kissed her as he went inside. Kate took his jacket of him, threw it on the stairs, and led him into the kitchen. 'You sounded wound up on the phone' Jack said loosening his tie, 'you alright?' Kate reached for two glasses and poured some red wine into them. She sat opposite Jack and handed a glass to him. They touched their glasses together, and they took a sip, in silence. 'Andrew knows'
'What do you mean 'Andrew knows'?'
'Andrew knows. He came over to me in the staff room, said that he knew that I was seeing someone. Recognised the look in my eyes, he said' Jack set his glass down, 'Will he say anything?'
'Don't be daft. He won't say a word Jack, not one word.'
'How can you be sure of that?'
'Because I know Andrew, Jack' Kate leaned closer to Jack, he could smell her sweet perfume, her hands taking his tie off and undoing the top button of his shirt, 'Andrew won't say a word, trust me' Kate pulled away, and walked slowly out of the kitchen and upstairs, and, without an ounce of guilt, Jack followed.
********************
Izzie and Tom sat in the hospital. It was the first scan today. Tom squeezed Izzie's hand and smiled at her, she smiled back. 'Everything's going to be OK this time Iz. Me, you, Chlo, Mika, and our baby' Izzie leaned in and kissed him. She took hold of his other hand and placed it on to her stomach, 'everything'll be fine Tom. Just fine.'
'Mr and Mrs Clarkson?' A nurse called from the room that they were sat opposite. Tom and Izzie stood up together. Mr and Mrs Clarkson. Tom loved it when he heard that. He still couldn't believe how lucky he was to have Izzie. He couldn't imagine having to live without her.
The nurse made Izzie comfortable on bed next to all the scanning equipment, and Tom sat on a chair next to her, still holding her hand. 'Is this your first?' the nurse asked as she prepared for the scan. Tom didn't really know what he should say. This could have been his third child, had Lorna not had an abortion, or Izzie miscarried. 'I've got two daughters, but its Tom's first' Izzie squeezed Tom's hand. It was as if she had known what he was thinking. The nurse smiled as she ran the device over Izzie's stomach. Tom looked at the grainy black and white image on the screen, trying to see for something. The nurse pointed at the screen, 'there's the head, right there' Tom and Izzie looked at the screen. He could see it! Clear as anything! A little head, and tiny arms and legs, 'He looks like he's waving!' Izzie said, laughing a little as she looked at Tom. He was lost for words. He didn't know what to say. 'You're going to be a daddy' Izzie said, as she looked at him. He could see a tear forming in her eyes. He leaned across and hugged her. Neither of them saw the glint of worry in the nurse's eye as she looked at a small printout that she had taken, 'I'll be back in a moment, just wait in here'. Tom and Izzie pulled apart, and looked at the frozen screen shot of their baby. 'Boy or Girl? I think he's a little boy' Izzie said, 'What makes you so sure?'
'I just know!' They burst into laughter, 'Mr and Mrs Clarkson' the nurse was back, accompanied by a Doctor, 'this is Doctor James. I'll leave you too it Doctor' the doctor nodded as she left, and moved closer to the machine. The laughter faded, 'Is something wrong, Doctor?' Doctor James stood at the end of the bed, and looked at the frozen image, 'Mr and Mrs Clarkson, This is never easy. These scans can tell us a lot of information about abnormalities in unborn children. And unfortunately, a possible abnormality has been discovered in your scan' Tom squeezed Izzies hand, dreading what could be said next, 'Am I going to loose the baby?' Izzie said, 'No, Mrs Clarkson' The Doctor sat on the other chair, and took hold of Izzie's other hand, looking her in the eye, 'Mr and Mrs Clarkson, you scans show that there is a fifty-fifty chance that your child will be born with Downs Syndrome.'
