Thank you for the reviews.

So Michael is going to feature more from now on. And in Next To Me. I have had a lot of fun with some cute situations for Michael and his half-sibling.

Now... the happiness train. It might be making a small stop for this chapter. Because I don't think that it is fair that I break Rachel all the time, is it?

Preparing For What's To Come

Eddie tried to make his sigh as inaudible as possible but he could tell that even Philip was coming to the end of his tether as well as they failed to build the flatpack furniture. He looked up at Rachel as she sat, leant against the wall, flexing and unflexing her feet as she read through the instructions while eating an ice lolly. He knew that it would be sod's law that she was reading the instructions that he wanted. Especially when he took a quick glance at them and thought that it would be easier enough to put the set of drawers together without them.

"Something the matter Mr Lawson." She said without looking up at him.

"Can't I just admire you, Mrs Lawson?"

"I think you want what I am reading."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you are trying to get part H to connect to part D with screws A and it isn't working out."

"And I am sure you can tell me how to work it out."

"I thought you didn't need the instructions."

"Then just give me a clue before I break something."

She looked up at him and gave him a smile. "For starters, part H and part D don't connect. You need to connect part A to part D and part H is part of the drawers."

"Okay, how much have we got right?"

"You are on step four, amazingly. Do you want me to talk you through the rest?"

"Please."

Rachel chewed on the lolly stick for a moment before she held it up. "I think I need another one of these first."

"At this rate, we are going to need to go and get another box," Eddie said as he stood up.

"Not my fault I am 26 weeks pregnant and it is like 18 degrees. I am only trying to keep cool."

He walked over and gave her a quick kiss before he went to get her another ice lolly, not missing the smile that was on Philip's face, which probably meant that Rachel was doing it to slightly winding him up. Not that it mattered. He actually quite enjoyed waiting on Rachel. It helped him to think about something other than the things that he thought could possibly go wrong with this child.

"Remind me why we couldn't do this at home," Eddie said as Rachel fell into her chair.

"Because Kim is coming in."

"Still? Why couldn't we have done this at home?"

"Maybe I want to get out of the house before I can't without remembering a thousand things."

"Are you okay?"

She knew from the look on his face that she was being short with him and took a moment to take a couple of deep breaths.

"I know that this is what I want but… I have a headache and my feet hurt and I did not sleep well. I constantly feel hot and sticky and sometimes that house just feels so claustrophobic. I want to get out of the house. Okay?"

"Why didn't you just say that?"

"Because I felt like your question was a stupid one."

"Sorry," Eddie said as Kim entered the room.

"I'm not going to have to play referee between you two, am I?" Kim said.

"No, I just say stupid things," Eddie said.

"And I am just cranky and pregnant." Rachel said.

"Not treating you well," Kim said as her and Eddie grabbed a chair to place it in front of Rachel's desk.

"It is hot and muggy. And he doesn't help. Great in the winter but you don't really want to be sleeping next to a radiator in the summer."

"Maybe we should have planned it better," Eddie said.

"Eddie, we left it at if it happens, it happens. And it did."

She knew that he wanted to say something else but she had obviously berated him enough over the last couple of days that he was holding his tongue. Not how she wanted things to be and something they probably should talk about when they got home.

"Kim? The new intake?" Rachel said, moving the conversation onto the reason that they were in the school. "Anything you need to bring up?"

"Nothing major. There are a couple of kids with learning difficulties but I am planning on doing the usual memo that I send around and making sure that they are highlighted. A couple of kids in care and one new carer. I'll send them an email on the first day of term, asking when they are free to talk to me just so I know exactly what type of support she is already getting and how we can help."

"Good. Nice and simple."

"I know we have the new year seven intake as well but the list is no longer than it was last year. It is just whether the staff take note of it."

"I'll mention it on the first day back." Rachel said as she nodded. "As you know, we have six new teachers. One of them is NQT Helen Hopewell."

"Which lucky sod has got her?" Eddie said.

"Luckily, Tom. Imagine if Grantly was still Head of English. She did her placement at John Fosters where she was offered a job until it was closed down. I just hope that she can adapt to public school education."

"Let's hope she is another Jasmine. Our kids would crucify her otherwise."

"Maybe for us to have a look at the timetables before they go out. Make sure she has the younger years on her first day to gently bring her in."

"Although nothing says 'Welcome to Waterloo Road' than a class of Waterloo Road's finest."

"I'll agree to that," Kim said.

"Send her to the wolves on her first day?" Rachel said. "You two are mean."

"Says the woman that won't hear the complaints," Eddie said.

Rachel shook her head at him. "Kim, when are you free during the last week of the holidays?"

"Any time really."

"Thursday, at 7 o'clock alright with you then. Just so I can introduce you both to Christopher before the start of term."

"Christopher?" Eddie asked.

"I knew you weren't listening," Rachel muttered.

"Who is Christopher?"

"Officially, my second deputy."

"What? When were you doing to tell me this?"

"I did. The other day."

"When?"

Rachel took a moment to think about it. "I can't remember when but I did tell you."

"I would remember a conversation when you said that you were having a second deputy."

"Okay, let's calm it down," Kim said.

Rachel took a breath. "The conversation that I am certain we had the other day was me telling you that I had employed the deputy of John Fosters, Christopher Mead, as my second deputy on the recommendation of Jennifer. I have done this so that we have a member of the John Fosters staff in the senior management team and for you to have someone to lean back on when you take over as acting head when I go on maternity leave. Okay?"

"Maybe I remember something about me being acting head," Eddie said.

"So I am not trading you in for a younger model for anything like that. I did mean it when I said that I wouldn't want anyone else as my deputy when I proposed to you."

"And maybe I will try to listen a little more."

"Already closing your ears to me?"

"Not intentionally."

Rachel could tell Kim's glance over to her and she knew that her and Eddie definitely had to talk.

"About today?" Rachel said.

"What about it?" Eddie said.

"Just before I have Kim on the phone telling me that she thinks that there is this, that and the other wrong with you." She sighed. "How long have you felt like this?"

"Like what?"

"Eddie, look at me." She waited for him to put down the t-shirt that he had been attempting to fold for the last few minutes before he looked up at her. "Eddie, what's wrong?"

"I'm being stupid."

"No, you are not."

"Yes, I am Rachel. You are the one carrying our baby, having to visit the hospital every week because they are worried about your blood pressure. I am just being stupid."

"Not if it is starting already."

She knew that she had hit the nail on the head when he couldn't hold her gaze.

"Eddie, why haven't you said anything?" She said.

"What was there to say?"

"That everyone going on about my blood pressure isn't helping you. That you are worried. That you are anxious. That you think something is wrong. That you want to say something and you just want me to listen rather than snap back at you. I do understand that I haven't been the easiest to get on with since we broke up for the summer."

"It felt stupid."

"How long?"

He hesitated. "Since Alison mentioned pre-eclampsia."

"And you researched it."

"I," Eddie said before he stopped. "I don't think I can go through that again."

She held her hands out to him and pulled him towards her once he did take them.

"Hey. We are a team. We work well when we are together on things. Eddie, I am as here for you as much as you are for me. It is not stupid. In fact, it is the opposite. It is very important and I am now going to listen to you. I am going to take as much notice of you as I take of our baby. Because she is going to need both of us when she is born. Because I have no idea what I am doing. Might have helped raise Philip from the age of five but that is nothing like a newborn."

"From five?"

"Yeah."

"No wonder Philip turned out to be a decent person."

"I need you, Eddie, so please, talk to me and I will listen."

"As long as you talk to me as well and I will listen."

"I will. So we are good?"

"Yeah, we are good."

"Now where will be the best place to try and wow Mr Christopher Mead?"

Rachel looked out for Christopher as they were seated. She could tell that Kim was looking between them, probably trying to see if the cracks she had seen the other week were still there. With Christopher looking like he wasn't going to be joining them soon, Rachel knew that they had to get that conversation out of the way, mainly so that the new deputy didn't have to be worried about the relationship of the current one and head.

"Are you going to ask the question Kim or do you just want me to just answer it?" Rachel said.

"Are you two okay?" Kim asked.

"We will be. We just need to keep talking to each other."

"And listening," Eddie added. "So when we start up next week, you won't have to play referee."

"Maybe just be a friend who will listen." Rachel said.

"I can do that. Will I start anything if I ask how your appointment the other day went?" Kim said.

"No. It was fine. They want me to go every day now to make sure everything is okay."

"And that's fine?"

"Kim, I am trying to be as laid back as I can about it. They obviously are just making sure that everything will be fine."

Rachel was certain that Kim was going to say something else when Christopher made his way over to the table. It was awkward for her to get up (as she was 31 weeks pregnant) but she managed it to shake his hand. Christopher shook Eddie and Kim's hand before he settled in the seat next to Kim.

"Eddie Lawson, my husband and deputy. And Kim Campbell, Head of Pastoral Care." Rachel said as he shook hands with them.

"So is this the dream team then?" Chris said.

"We like to think so," Eddie said.

"So this merger." Rachel said. "Just a couple of things. Jennifer is going to come in on the first day to see how things are running. If anything, I am expecting tensions from both staff and pupils. So best thing to do is to try and calm it down before it escalates any further than a bit of name-calling."

"Maybe we could do with Sally on the first day."

"Sally is?" Chris asked.

"My cousin's partner and a local police officer. Who has just been made a sergeant." Rachel said.

"Oh wow. Pass on my congratulations." Kim said.

"We celebrated Jane style. Or everyone else celebrated Jane style, I watched and laughed on the sidelines." Rachel paused. "Jane is my cousin."

"How do you celebrate Jane style?" Chris asked.

"With her homebrew. Trust me it is deadly." Eddie said.

"She got them all doing shots of it. Philip as well. They were all dead the next day and the day after." Rachel said. "Philip is my nephew."

"Any more family members I need to know about," Chris said.

"Probably not at the moment. Back onto the first day. Eddie will be there but I have an appointment at eight. So I hope to be back in time for the assembly but if you three are out there, as a welcoming committee, trying to be a friendly face to the John Fosters lot." She said nodding to Chris. "And a face to tell our lot to behave." She said as she nodded to Eddie. "Hopefully the day can run smoothly."

"Still got a tenner down on a fight starting," Eddie said.

"I suppose we will need to get the John Fosters into our little bets as well," Kim said.

"What bets?" Chris said.

"The whole school, and I mean the whole school, have bets on the gender of Baby Lawson. When Rachel told me that she thought it was a girl, that is where my money went."

"Is Waterloo Road really that bad?"

"The staff may not use their non-contact time… practically. Honestly, Chris, you will see when you get there." Rachel said. "It is a school like no other."

"Look, as long as you don't send all the John Fosters pain in the backsides to me, I think we will be fine."

Eddie cleared his throat. "Don't give me any ideas."

Rachel reached over and grabbed Eddie's hand. She knew that things were going to be different and it probably wasn't great that she was only going to be there for two weeks before she started slowing down and passing control over to Eddie. What could possibly go wrong?