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As Rachel approached the cooler, a bundle of nerves began to build up inside of her. For a split second, she thought about turning on her heel and running back to the safety of her office. It wouldn't look all that suspicious. No, this had to be done - this wasn't just about her; it was about the state and wellbeing of Bianka first and foremost. Rachel had never been the selfish sort, she wasn't about to have a change of heart now.

Instead, she inhaled sharply and prepared her mind for the worst: Rachel was unsure how Bianka would act at this point.

Any indications of concern or uncertainty were discarded subsequent to Rachel entering the cooler. This was the right thing to do. She was glad to see Bianka was the only pupil in the cooler, so no disruptions would take place. Equally though, this automatically highlighted just how isolated and alone she must feel. The girl had buried her head on top of the desk and it was evident she didn't plan to emerge anytime soon. This poor pupil was well and truly broken. It's likely that she's confused by her father's death: she probably doesn't know what to feel. It's a strange situation, no doubt Bianka loved her dad deeply, but did that still remain after he attempted to end her life?

It was only when Rachel exchanged words with Miss Lipsitt that Bianka was made aware of her headteacher. She just wanted to be left alone, Bianka was unsure if she could face talking to anyone - in particular Miss Mason. Of course, Bianka would have happily confided in her about pretty much anything prior to last week's incident; she was more than easy to talk to. Now though, she wanted to erase all memories of that day from both her brain and her life. Bianka anticipated that talking to her headteacher would only evoke those painful recollections rather than discard them. After all, she too had suffered through the whole event.

As if on cue, Bianka sensed a caring hand hover over her shoulder. This gesture was quickly followed up as a voice that the girl clearly recognised as Miss Mason's.

"Bianka love… can we just have a chat?"

It was unclear, but Rachel's ears were met with a faint mumble of 'go away.' This wouldn't stop her, Rachel had learnt from experience that she must persist in any given situation. So rather than accepting Bianka's requests, she pulled up a chair and hesitantly took a seat. She wasn't going anywhere.

A few moments of silence elapsed before Rachel decided to speak once more.

"You know Bianka, I can see how much your struggling here. I just think, if you speak to someone about how you feel, it'll be like a huge weight off your shoulders. Believe me. It's not healthy to keep all of this to yourself."

Somehow, the way Miss Mason said 'believe me' allowed Bianka to see this conversation in a different light. It was clear that she was struggling too. Perhaps if Bianka opened up to her it could help the both of them.

Miss Mason had saved her life.

Slowly but surely, Bianka's new found mindset gave her the strength to lift her head up slightly, to be met instantly with a genuine expression of worry and concern. This look alone reinforced the girl's previous thoughts. Miss Mason really did care. Bianka came to the conclusion that it wouldn't do any harm to share her feelings with someone who had experienced a similar ordeal to herself.

Rachel recognised that she was getting somewhere with Bianka, so allowed a faint smile to sprawl across her lips.

"Do you think that perhaps counselling would be helpful for you? Someone who truly understands the way you feel."

"I don't want to talk to some stranger. They have no idea what it's like for me. How could they get what if feels like to grieve for a dad who tried to kill me?"

Rachel regretted her suggestion almost instantaneously to Bianka's response. Everything she said was true, a counsellor wouldn't necessarily comprehend the girl's situation in the bigger picture.

Before she figured out her next best words, Bianka spoke once more.

"I just think…"

Evidently, Bianka was feeling hesitant of what she was about to say. Which was why a comment to the effect of 'go on' along with an encouraging smile from Rachel worked wonders.

"Maybe if I… kind of spoke to you about it every now and then. Just because you were there… you'd understand."

This wasn't the response Rachel had been anticipating. She had entered the cooler hoping to persuade Bianka to open up about her experience to someone, so that the girl could try and draw a line under the situation. What she didn't expect was for that person to be her.

"Bianka," Rachel began with a look of sincerity and honesty - she wanted Bianka to believe every word she was about to say, "If talking to me will help you in any way shape or form, then I'm more than happy to listen."

"I think… I think that it will."

"Well then that's what we will do. How does it sound if you and I meet maybe once a week? Of course you can come to me any other time on top of that too."

The girl began to nod before responding, "thank you miss. And I'm sorry… for being misbehaved and that around school."

Rachel rose from her chair and glanced back down to smile at Bianka, "don't you be worrying about that. Just, next time you feel like lashing out - come to see me, you know, calm yourself down a bit."

"I will miss."

As Rachel left the cooler, she exhaled a breath of relief. Straight away she realised it was a contrast to her anxious actions entering the room. Rachel's only regret in that moment was that she wished she had spoken to Bianka sooner; perhaps then, she wouldn't have bottled her personal feelings up for so long.

….

"So how did it go with Bianka?"

After a day that could only be described as long, Rachel and Eddie had spent their evening curled up on the sofa in a world of their own. They wanted to be able to cherish every bit of time together, it appeared hours of endless conversation was the greatest way to do so.

Eddie had always appreciated time spent with Rachel, especially after spending a year apart. For 365 days, he truly believed that he would never be reunited with the love of his life. For 365 days he possessed a hole in his heart and in his life. Since the events of last week, Eddie's instinct to treasure their relationship had grown dramatically. Instead of a hole, he now carried an uneasiness that was impossible to ignore. It felt to him like he could lose Rachel at any given moment. Every second was precious.

His thoughts were only reinforced by the way Rachel looked up at him before responding to his question. She was beautiful, and above all, utterly extraordinary.

"I think I am getting somewhere with her. She was a lot more willing to open up about the situation today. And, she's decided that she would like to talk to me more often, perhaps every week or so."

"That's fantastic," Eddie spoke with sincerity before swapping his beam with a look of seriousness, "how about you, how are you holding up?"

"Better," Rachel stated before resting the side of her head atop Eddie's shoulder, "I think helping Bianka will allow me to draw a line under it all you know."

"I'm glad," Eddie commented whilst planting a kiss on Rachel's head.

A few minutes passed before any more utterances were exchanged. Eddie had realised how thoughtfully quiet Rachel had been since the topic of Bianka was brought up. He was lucky in the respect that he could sense when Rachel had something on her mind.

"You've gone quiet, you alright?" He queried in genuine concern, at the same time pulling her closer.

"Hm, just thinking,"

This was said in a way which made Eddie think the exact opposite. It wasn't just thinking.

"Thinking?"

Now Rachel pulled away from him slightly, a serious expression etched across her face. Before speaking, she grasped both of Eddie's hands in her own. This simple gesture made him feel slightly uneasy about what she was going to say.

"When I was, you know in the caravan with Bianka. I really did believe it was all over. It kind of made me… assess my life in a way. I thought about everything I have achieved, but equally everything I'm not so proud of. Mostly though, I pondered on the things I haven't done, would never get to do,"

Eddie acknowledged this was clearly difficult for Rachel to say, it was evident with the slight tremble in her voice alone. He wanted to reassure her, so Eddie brought a hand up to cup her face and hoped his warmth would give her the strength to continue. He wasn't entirely sure where Rachel was going with this. What he did know though, was that he would always be there to listen to whatever she had to say. Always.

"... out of those things… something really stuck out for me," now Rachel didn't remove her gaze, she locked it with Eddie's, "... I never had a child. I was going to die childless. Eddie, being in there made me realise that I would like to have a child. I … I would like to be a mother."