Hello,

Ahh I've been excited to post this one! Here is another long chapter (although definitely not as long as the last one), because I don't think I know how to write a short chapter anymore! This chapter is set the day after the last one and I hope that it will be a nice read after all the drama.

Thank you so much for reading and to those of you that leave reviews, you're probably bored of me saying this by now but it means SO much, I am so self-critical when it comes to writing, so thank you so much!

I really hope you enjoy this one!

Becca xx

Future Plans and Baby Scans

8th November 2011

"What time did you say the scan was tonight? You didn't write it on the calendar." Adam asked Rachel as soon as she came down the stairs, bag in one hand and paperwork ready for the day ahead in the other. "I can't wait to see our baby." He grinned as he attempted to wrap his arms around her.

"Careful!" She wriggled from his touch as she tried to balance the files that she was holding. "The scan...it's been rearranged." She stumbled slightly over her words as she walked into the kitchen.

"What? I thought they'd already rearranged it once before!" Adam followed her into the kitchen.

"Yes, I know. They must be...overstretched or something." Rachel placed her bag on the counter and began to empty the dishwasher as a means of a distraction.

"I was really looking forward to it!" Adam huffed as he placed his hand on her stomach, she immediately flinched as he did so. "For god's sake, what's wrong with you?"

"Sorry, I'm just stressed out about work." She soon regretted giving this excuse to Adam who then started on a ten-minute rant about her job and lectured that she needed to start putting the baby first. Just as he began to suggest that she should reduce her hours; she noticed the time. "Speaking of work, I really need to go."

"Rachel, you need to get your priorities straight. You're going to be a mother; you need to start acting like one, instead of putting your precious school before everything else." Rachel really had to bite her tongue now as she gathered her things ready for work. "Don't forget your lunch." He added as he passed her some healthy concoction; he had listed the ingredients and their nutritional value to the baby earlier but her mind had been preoccupied.

From the moment that Rachel left the house, she felt relieved as she walked down the driveway and was instantly awoken by the brisk November air. Before the last few months, she had always tried to be an honest person. Keeping up the deceit with Adam went against all her morals and beliefs and she deeply regretted that she had let it escalate this far. She had hoped that by the time her second scan came around that she would have told Adam the truth, however, this was evidently not the case. Telling Adam that the scan had been rearranged was yet another lie to add to the list; she could not bear him to be there with her, cooing over a child that might not be his. Despite the exhaustion that she felt, she knew that she had to get the inevitable over with and tell Adam everything; the sooner the better.

Eddie was locking his car door that morning when Rachel's car parked next to his. They had not spoken since their conversation yesterday, however, Eddie hoped that Rachel's change of mind about his resignation was a step in the right direction. "Morning." He greeted her as she exited her car, attempting to balance a couple of heavy files in her arms as well as her bag. Instinctively Eddie rushed to help her. "Let me carry those."

After Adam fussing over her constantly at home, she was determined that she definitely did not need the same treatment at work. "I'm not an invalid, you know?" She snapped as he took her files from her.

"Sorry you just looked like you needed a hand. I didn't mean to..."

"No, I'm sorry." She apologised at her overreaction. "I'm just so sick of being fussed over."

"If it makes you feel better you can carry your own bag; it's not my colour." He joked with her, his comment broke her tense expression and she gave a small laugh before they headed towards the school.

Making their way into school and up the stairs, they exchanged some small talk, however, Eddie waited until they were in the privacy of her office to cautiously ask the question that had been on his mind since their conversation yesterday. "Rachel, are we okay?" He placed her files upon the table.

Caught off guard, she began to organise the papers on her desk; she had not expected him to be quite so upfront so quickly. "In what way?"

"Well before all the drama with Melissa, we were planning a future together. I really hope I've not jeopardised that." He lingered around the table; tensely resting his hands upon the back of one of the chairs.

"The whole thing with Melissa, it really hurt me." It pained her to admit it; to expose her emotions once more was a risk. "I think the thing that hurt the most was that I didn't feel that I could trust you anymore. I don't trust many people Eddie, hardly anyone if I'm honest, but I've always trusted you."

"You can trust me Rachel, I'm sorry that I made you feel as though you couldn't." Eddie shook his head at his own error of judgement. "I didn't even think to tell you about the engagement thing with Melissa because it wasn't even a thing... God, I've been a right idiot, I've made a mess of everything."

Rachel calmly took a seat at her desk; keeping her eyes firmly on him as she did. "I think we both have." She admitted, her tone became warmer now and captivated Eddie's full attention. "I understand why you did what you did, well most of it at least. I know that you've been trying to do the best for your son; I can't blame you for that."

"I'm terrified of losing him Rachel..." She nodded her head; she could not deny that Eddie was an amazing father. "Charlie's not the only one that I'm terrified of losing." He admitted as he moved closer to her and pushed a pot of pens out of the way so that he could lean on the corner of her desk. "Please tell me there's still a chance for us Rachel."

"I just really wished that you'd have been honest with me from the start." She sighed. After the last couple of weeks, she found it difficult to open her heart to him once more. And yet the closer that Eddie got to her, the more her heartbeat increased; like there was a kind of magnetism between them. As he sat facing her now, so close that their legs were touching, her heart pounded in her chest. "Do you honestly think we could do it?"

"Yes, I do." He confidentially affirmed as he leant forward and delicately pushed her hair behind her ear, he then moved his hand to softly stroke the contour of her jawline. "Do you?"

In response to his touch, Rachel's heart beat continued to increase. Fighting the urge to connect their lips was becoming ever more difficult when her body ached for him and the distance between them was gradually getting closer. And yet, from some rational part of her brain, she found the restraint to put her hand on his. "Don't, Eddie."

"I take it that's a no then," he disappointedly added as his hand slipped away from her cheek and he stood up from the desk.

"Not a no, just a not yet," she corrected him. Eddie's eyes lit up at this, he had not been expecting her to say that. "Can we just hold off on things, at least wait until I've told Adam?"

"I thought you'd told him the Friday before half-term?"

"I had planned to, but after the day I had, do you really think I had anything left in me to tell him? I know it's selfish of me but I just haven't had the energy to deal with the fallout of it all. Aren't divorces supposed to be one of the most stressful life events?" She sighed. "I know, I just need to get it out of the way. What are you going to do about Melissa?"

"I spoke to the solicitor again; I want to be fully prepared for when I tell Melissa, I can't risk her taking Charlie." He looked out of the office window and got lost within a thought for a moment as a painful look washed over his face. "I skyped Michael over the half term; for all of about ten minutes. It's like he barely knows me Rachel, like I'm a stranger to him."

"Eddie, I'm so sorry. I know how hard you tried to keep in contact with Michael."

"Yeah, Alison made it difficult enough when he was here, now he's at the other side of the world...I've lost him Rachel." His words were just as pained as his expression. "But at least he's happy, he has Alison and her husband; he doesn't need me and so I've just got to live with it. I can't go through that again with Charlie, at least Alison is a good mother. Melissa, she's just useless; he needs me." Eddie became choked up as he opened up about his anxieties.

Rachel found it heart breaking to see Eddie like this and wondered how she had failed to notice the pain that he had clearly been in. Naturally, she rose from her desk, grasped his arm and pulled him in for a hug. Breathing in the familiar scent of her perfume, Eddie then exhaled a slow sigh of relief; he really needed her embrace in that moment. As she tenderly stroked his back, his mouth naturally rested against her forehead and he slowly planted a kiss there.

When they eventually parted from their embrace, Eddie's hand remained on her arm and he pulled her closer once more and captured her lips. It had only been a little over two weeks since they had last kissed but after all the drama and tension, it felt like yet another reunion for the pair. Rachel dared to explore his mouth further as she gripped the collar of his jacket tightly. And then the inner conflict began; she wanted to remain in this moment with him, to not have to think about reality for even just a short while, but sadly that was not possible. She reluctantly pulled away with a sigh. "I meant it Eddie when I said not yet."

He stroked her arm gently in an attempt to persuade her. "Rachel..."

"Eddie, if we're going to do this; I want to do things properly. No more sneaking around, no more lying. I've already lied so much to Adam; it just doesn't feel right. I want us to be able to be together properly. I don't want to feel guilty for kissing the man I love!"

Eddie's grin widened even further at her last comment. "God, I love you. And I know...we've both got a lot to sort out. I just can't wait to be with you Rachel."

"Me neither." She matched his smile before adding. "Until then, I hate to remind you, but we do have a school to run Mr Lawson."

"You love to remind me." He corrected her as he glanced at his watch. "There's still fifteen minutes until the start of play."

"That's good, it'll give you enough time to make me a drink." She smirked as she patted him on the shoulder before returning to her desk. "And then you can help me to figure out how I'm going to keep Finn and Kyle separated whilst they're both in isolation for the next week!"

Unfortunately for Rachel, her brief sit down at her desk had been her last moment of peace for the day. Eddie had solved the isolation problem by agreeing to keep an eye on Kyle whilst Finn remained in the cooler. However, Rachel's and Eddie's attempts were ineffective as during the last period, Kyle managed to sneak off and attack Finn once more. Rachel certainly wasn't happy to hear what had gone on, especially after she had warned them both of the consequences of any further misbehaviour that morning. The day had been exhausting, as in addition to Kyle and Finn's conflict, Rachel had also had to confront Steph Haydock about why she had not turned up to work yesterday and endure Steph's pretence that her hangover had been a sickness bug. Of course, Steph tried to distract Rachel by asking her every question under the sun about her pregnancy; even resorting to rambling on about an article on hypnobirthing that she had read in her magazine.

After the last bell of the day, Eddie entered the office just as an enraged Kyle Stack was storming out. Upon his arrival, he found an exhausted-looking Rachel. "How did that go?"

"I don't know what's got into that boy!" She exclaimed. "He wasn't the least bit fazed by the weeks suspension but he kicked off when I told him that he's off the football team and banned from the Spanish trip."

Eddie's head tilted and his eyes widened with concern. "He didn't get aggressive, did he?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine." She assured him. Eddie had always been protective over her but even more so since finding out about her pregnancy. She did not need a man to defend her, however, Eddie was different; he made her feel safe. "It's days like these that really make me miss a glass of wine!"

"I don't know how you're coping, running this place without a drink!" He commented. "Everyone's going down the pub, why don't I treat you to a cranberry juice? You could always ask them to put it in a wine glass!"

"As much as I appreciate the sentiment Eddie, I've got somewhere to be." She commented as she grabbed her handbag and coat. "I know I said I didn't want to be treated like an invalid this morning, but you wouldn't mind giving me a hand with those files again, would you?"

"Of course not." In fact, he was glad that she was allowing his assistance given her usual stubborn independence.

Unfortunately, Rachel was in for a shock as upon reaching her car, she discovered that not one, but all of her tires had been punctured. "What the hell..."

Eddie collared a group of pupils nearby. "Did you see who did this to Miss Mason's car."

"Leave it Eddie, I think I can guess who it was. Kyle Stack." She huffed in frustration as she checked the time. "I've got a scan in twenty minutes."

"A scan?" Eddie repeated; the issue with the car now became irrelevant. "That's where you're going to?"

"Yeah, I didn't want to make a big deal of it..."

"Will Adam not be waiting for you?" Eddie had to uncomfortably force the words out. "I can stay here and wait for someone to sort out your car if you need to..."

"Adam doesn't know about the scan." She interrupted.

Eddie nodded; he could not help but be pleased by this revelation. "I'll take you then, come on, we don't want to be late" He told her as he unlocked his car, when she hesitated, he added. "We can sort out the car later."

She paused as he held the car door open for her. "Eddie, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"You can't go on your own Rachel, and anyway, I want to be there."

Their drive to the hospital was a quiet one; so much so that Eddie glanced at Rachel a few times to check that she hadn't fallen asleep, but her gaze remained fixed outside the window as her hand occasionally tapped anxiously on her knee. "What is it?" He asked once they had pulled into the hospital car park.

"I've been really worried about this scan." She confessed as she now turned to look at him. "I've just been so stressed out; what if it's had an impact on the baby?"

"Rachel, stressing about being stressed isn't going to help, is it?" He pointed out as he stepped out the car. When he made it around the other side to open her car door, she still had her seatbelt on, clearly still filled with anxiety. "Come on, I'm sure everything will be okay." He reassured her with a smile.

Fortunately, they did not have to wait long until Rachel's name was called; it was a good job as Rachel's anxiety was building by the minute. After they had both greeted the sonographer, Rachel took off her coat, which Eddie naturally took from her, along with her bag and sat down on the seat beside her. Despite knowing that having Eddie accompany her to her scan was yet another betrayal to Adam; there was no one that she would rather have beside her. Lifting up her blouse to allow for the scanner felt somewhat odd as the last time she had lifted her blouse in front of Eddie had been before the potential conception of her child. Eddie however, smiled fondly at the sight of her bare pregnant stomach.

Despite it not taking long for the sonographer to bring the baby up on the screen, to Rachel it felt like a life time; this did not go unnoticed by Eddie who observed her tensely gripping the edge of the paper sheet which lay underneath her. Witnessing her anxiety, Eddie instinctively reached for her hand and was relieved when she allowed him to interlock his fingers with hers.

Finally, the picture of her child appeared on the screen. From the instance that she heard their tiny heart beating, Rachel breathed a sigh of relief so heavy that she felt on the edge of tears. "Does everything look okay?" She asked the sonographer, still she had an edge of hesitancy to her voice.

Analysing the scan, as she pressed a few buttons on the machine, the sonographer reassured Rachel. "Everything looks fine, baby is measuring what they should be and they have a strong, steady heart beat."

With this news, Rachel squeezed Eddie's hand and her cheeks became dampened with her relieved tears. As she now looked to Eddie, she realised that his eyes had also began to fill up.

"Would you like to know the sex of the baby?" The sonographer asked.

Rachel found herself looking back to Eddie for reassurance. He smiled at her and gave a supportive nod. "Yes, please."

"Congratulations to you both, you're having a baby girl."

This time it was Eddie who squeezed Rachel's hand as he became overcome with emotion. Up until that moment, Eddie thought he had gotten his head around Rachel's pregnancy, however now the reality of it really began to hit him and he could not quite compose himself. Before now, the baby seemed so far into the future, too far to fully consider, especially considering the circumstances and yet now, it felt so real. Eddie only knew what it was to be a father of sons and he had been content with that. However, deep down, he had always wondered what it would be like to have a daughter; he just hoped that he would be able to find out.

Once they had exited the room, Rachel finally commented on the tears that Eddie had tried to subtly wipe away. "I thought I was supposed to be the hormonal one."

"Sorry, I didn't expect to get so...It just all feels so real now." He admitted as they walked down the hospital corridor.

Caught up in reflection, Rachel had been rather quiet since the news. "I can't believe it. You know when I was younger, I always thought I was going to have a daughter; I could just feel it. But then it got to a point where I accepted that it was probably never going to happen and now...I can't quite believe my luck."

When they finally returned to Eddie's car, it felt as though they had been on such a journey. Despite them only being gone for half an hour, so much had changed. Eddie did not start driving instantly and instead turned to Rachel. "I don't think I realised quite how much I wanted this until now. Rachel, I love you and whatever happens I want to support both of you, but I really hope that she's my daughter."

"I hope so too." Not just because she loved Eddie; she had witnessed him as a parent, seen the love in his eyes when he spoke about his sons and witnessed the pain on the rare occasions he spoke about Stephen. She could not wish for a better father for her daughter; she just prayed that it was the case.

Rachel was not aware of the way that she was staring lovingly into Eddie's eyes now as she dared to imagine what it could be like for them to raise a daughter together. In response to her gaze, he reached for her hand. "Do we really have to hold off on things?"

"Yes. I want it to be right this time Eddie." She insisted as she looked down to her bump; taking her hand away from his, as she held her stomach. "I realised something when I was in there, waiting to hear if the baby... if she was okay. I've been too busy focusing on everything else; the school, telling Adam, us. I've not even thought of baby names or started to buy things for her. I'm 41, this is my one shot at this; I want to enjoy my pregnancy. So, from now on, no more stressing."

Eddie raised his eyebrows. "Can I have that in writing?"

"Oy, I'm being serious!" She nudged him. "I'm going to find the time to sit Adam down and explain things. I need to stop stressing about what's going to happen with the house and how I'm going to get through a divorce. I've been through worse, much worse. I need to do what's right, soon."

Eddie couldn't help but be in awe of her. Her strength had always been something that he had admired but now it shone from her every word. "I know you do; that's why I love you."

This time it was Rachel who took Eddie's hand; she had a look in her eye that he had not witnessed in a long time, it was a sort of inner peace. "We do things properly, sort out the mess. Yeah? And then we can finally focus on us."

The love he felt for her right now, made his smile beam; he could not love her more. "Yeah." He agreed and lifted her hand which was holding his to plant a gentle kiss. As he did so, she raised an eyebrow. "Come on Rachel, I can at least kiss your hand, can't I?"

"Don't push your luck."