Hello,

Ahh thank you so much for your reviews! I really love to read your responses- they're very much appreciated! I did intend to post this sooner but life got in the way as it does.

In this chapter we're going to see what Eddie got up to after that argument on the stairs with Rachel and then how the aftermath of the last chapter unfolds from his perspective...

I know I've taken my time but we do finally get to meet a certain someone in this chapter.

Becca x

She Came Crashing into the World

As Rachel stormed off down the stairs, Eddie could not help but feel frustrated with her; for not seeing that that trying to reason with Adam was ludicrous, and for not learning from past mistakes. This was the side to her that he found impossible. The part of her that charged into precarious situations and did not know when to leave them alone. He glanced back in the direction of the office, knowing that he shouldn't leave Melissa alone in there for too long, but for now his priority had to be Rachel, because he had not forgotten how volatile Adam could be.

It was typical that the bell then rang for lunchtime. In an instant, classroom doors flung open, releasing herds of restless pupils who crashed into the corridors and obstructed Eddie's way in the process. "Slow down!" he shouted after a group of Year Eight boys that charged wildly passed him.

As he waded through the crowds, he looked over the heads of pupils to try and catch sight of Rachel; he knew that she couldn't have gotten that far considering the stage of her pregnancy. It was as he got closer to the car park that he spotted her in the distance, getting into a car which he presumed to be Adam's. Rachel certainly wouldn't appreciate him intervening, but he had to do something.

"Mr Lawson!" Eddie turned around to find Tom Clarkson, who had Kyle Stack by the scruff of his neck. "We were just on our way to Miss Mason's office. Mr Stack here has been caught selling alcohol to the Year Sevens."

With a groan, Eddie shook his head at Kyle. "What's the matter with you lad? Miss Mason's a bit tied up at the minute, I'll take him to the cooler." he insisted to Tom, and marched Kyle up the stairs. This reminded him that he would have to remove Melissa from Rachel's office sharpish.

It was only as they were nearing the cooler that they heard the commotion reverberating through the corridor. "What the hell is going on?" Eddie burst in to find pupils sat brazenly on desks with their music blasting as they chattered away. "Sit down, the lot of you! And turn that racket off! Who's supposed to be supervising you?"

When he received a collection of shrugs and mumbles, he checked the rota and found that of course, it was Grantly. As he pointed Kyle towards a desk, he spotted Finn Sharkey sat at the back. He knew from experience that it was a bad idea to leave the two left alone together and so sat at the front desk whilst he attempted to call Rachel.

Numerous unanswered calls later and finally Grantly showed up, strolling leisurely into the room with a Racing Post tucked underneath his arm. Eddie shook his head in frustration but did not stop to give him a lecture and shot off down the corridor; his shoulders grazing the window as he scanned the carpark for Adam's car. It was then that he spotted the vacant space where it had been parked and a relieved sigh left him as he presumed that Rachel had managed to keep the conversation brief and get Adam to clear off.

Believing that his only problem was now Melissa, he rushed off to the office and found Janeece with her feet up on her desk reading a magazine. When she spotted him, she quickly adjusted herself and opened up an empty word document in an attempt to look busy

"Is Rachel back?" Eddie asked.

"I've not seen her in ages. I've seen her sister though; she came storming out of the office with a right gob on her!" Janeece pulled a face.

At a loss and quickly running out of options, Eddie tried to call Rachel once more; only this time he heard ringing coming from her office and found her mobile left on the sofa where she had been sat. "For God's sake!"

"That Melissa, she was asking a lot of questions about the crèche." Janeece suddenly piped up.

It was as though Eddie was on a wild goose chase, as he now darted off to the crèche, however, he did not get far before he found Melissa storming off from that direction. "What the hell are you playing at?"

"I was trying to see my son but they wouldn't let me in. You know, you won't be able to keep Charlie away from me for much longer." She warned.

Ushering her into an empty classroom, he glared at her speculatively. "You can drop the act now Melissa. You don't want Charlie; you never have done. So, what is it? What do you want?"

Whilst perching herself upon a desk, she turned her nose up at him. "I'd forgotten how dull you are. I can see now that I had a lucky escape; the whole family man thing- never really been my type," she remarked before a smug smile set into her expression. "Okay, let's get to the point. I'll drop the custody battle, let you and Rachel play happy families. But I'm not doing it for free."

Eddie's expectations of Melissa were so low that he rarely became surprised by her, however he was currently stuck somewhere between astounded and outraged. He tilted his head, "Please don't tell me that this is going where I think it is."

Melissa rolled her eyes. "God, you're just as bad as Rachel. I don't know how you can both act so high and mighty. Thanks to you two, I'm having to build a new life for myself; which comes at a cost. Nick wants to start a new business venture, there's a lovely little B&B for sale, but sadly the price is fifty grand over his budget."

"That's what your pathetic act has been about?" This had him livid, not because of her ridiculous proposition but that she would dare to use Charlie as a bargaining chip. "You're not serious? I knew you were heartless but... do you even realise what this is? You- you are practically selling your own son!"

"You are taking this completely out of context to make me look bad. All I'm suggesting is that if you want Charlie to stay with you, then you need to help me out a bit. It's not like I'm asking for much-"

"What planet are you on? I'm a teacher for God's sake, I can't just find fifty grand!" he exclaimed.

"You'll get money from the house sale." she shrugged.

"You're not getting a penny from me. I won't let you use our son like this Melissa!"

"Fine," she lowered herself from the table. "I wonder what a judge would think of you? I'll tell them we were in a relationship, all my friends thought we were. Yes, and you left me to shack up with my sister that you might or might not have gotten pregnant. Not to mention that you've already abandoned one son; how is Michael, or do you not know?" she added spitefully.

"Don't go there." he firmly warned.

"Oh, but I would, and don't expect Rachel to support you. You saw her before, she'd never take your side over mine."

"You weren't convincing anyone, Rachel sees right through you."

"I wouldn't bet on that." she arrogantly added. "You owe me Eddie, both of you-" She sighed as her mobile started to ring. "Just a minute, this might be Nick."

He watched in utter disbelief as she carelessly took her phone call and wondered how she could have the nerve to be so audacious. Remaining in the same room with her suddenly became unbearable, and had him swiftly moving to leave, but it was as he approached the door that Melissa's face dropped and panic began to pervade her speech.

"What- I don't understand... is she okay?" she responded.

Instantly, Eddie knew. It was an instinct; one that made his stomach twist and sent goose bumps down the back of his neck. He attempted to clear the burning in his throat but found that he could not swallow. It was a familiar feeling, it transported him back to a phone call years ago when his brother had rung him out of the blue and before he had even uttered a word, Eddie knew that his mother had died.

"But- I don't know. Yes... okay." Melissa uttered, and appeared oddly shaken.

There was a brief moment after Melissa had ended the call when Eddie wished that she wouldn't tell him. He knew that it was bad news- he'd received enough of it in his life to know that- but he could not bear the reality to hit him just yet.

"It's Rachel." she told him.

Instinctively, he had already known that. But that did not stop the adrenaline from bursting into his blood stream; bringing him alive into the moment with an overwhelming sense of fresh awareness. "What did they say? What's happened?" he suddenly demanded.

"They said something about a car crash-"

He felt like his stomach had just dropped, as if he was off-balance. He gripped on the door handle to steady himself, and when he eventually caught his breath, he felt the blood rush to his head; buzzing in a rage and setting his mind racing. Guilt flooded him, for not stopping her on the stairs, for wasting time arguing with Melissa whilst she was- "Is she... is she okay? What about the baby?"

"She needs surgery- they said- something about-" she clutched at her head as she stumbled stressfully over her words. "Eddie, what if she dies? I can't lose my sister!"

"No. Don't you dare make this about yourself! Come on, we need to get to the hospital," he rushed off but abruptly stopped when he realised that Melissa had not moved an inch. "Will you get a move on."

She shook her head insistently. "I can't- I can't see deal with it."

"You need to be there, you're her next of kin. What if they won't tell me anything?" Eddie shouted at her now.

"I can't- tell Rachel that I'm sorry." She stuttered whilst rushing off and leaving him to call helplessly after her.

The journey to the hospital was a blur, Eddie did not know how he had managed to drive there when he felt like he was dreaming. It was as though he could not hear properly or fully see the world which was slowly passing him by.

He could not recall the words which he stammered out to the man on reception, he probably hadn't made much sense considering the state he was in. The man was more than helpful as he told Eddie where to wait whilst he found someone to speak to him but it wasn't enough. He felt as though he was wasting time as he sat there helplessly. His legs became restless, they ached to move, to leap up from the plastic chair and find Rachel himself.

Thankfully he managed to keep himself seated until a young doctor approached him. "Eddie Lawson," he introduced as he shot up from the chair.

"Hi Eddie, I'm Doctor Kaur. I've been told that you're a relative of Rachel Mason?"

"Not exactly. I'm her- partner." He said, finding the term to be oddly formal. As he told the doctor this, he registered a flicker of confusion on her face. "I know the man she came in with is still technically her husband, but they're getting a divorce."

"Right. So, you're not immediate family?"

It was not the doctor's fault, Eddie knew deep down that she was just following procedure, but the question still infuriated him. It was not as though Rachel had anyone else; her own sister could not even be bothered to show up. He was the closest person to her; she could be carrying his child and yet none of that seemed to matter.

But he was not the only one that cared. Just as Eddie was about to argue his case to the doctor, they were interrupted.

"I am." Philip declared. Eddie blinked in confusion before remembering that he had called Philip earlier in a state of panic. "I'm Rachel's nephew. Rach would want Eddie to know what's going on. Is she going to be okay- what about the baby?"

"We don't know all the facts yet but we suspect that she's suffered some internal injuries. Understandably, baby was distressed, and so we've rushed Rachel in for an emergency caesarean section. I believe she's still in surgery now. I'm going to go and see if I can get an update for you." The doctor informed.

Finally, Eddie could take a full breath as he knew that, for now, they were not facing the worst-case scenario. Yet, the tightness in his chest still refused to ease. "They're going to be okay, aren't they?" he asked.

"I can't promise anything at this stage, it was a serious collision, but I can assure you that they are both in the best hands. Why don't you get yourselves a drink and I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can?"

"Thank you." he told her. When she disappeared through a door, he took her advice and went to find a coffee machine. He doubted he would be able to stomach it, but he couldn't sit still just yet. When he returned, he found Philip with his hands clasped tightly together to stop them from shaking; believing that he had to be strong for Eddie's sake. "Thanks for coming mate." Eddie passed him a coffee.

"What was she even doing in a car with Adam? You don't think- I mean- he wouldn't do this on purpose?" Philip fretted.

Eddie had been trying to keep Adam out of his mind. He could not allow himself to become blind sighted by rage when Rachel needed him. For now, Rachel and the baby were all that mattered. He would deal with Adam afterwards. "Not now, Phil." he muttered.

"Sorry." Philip paused, but it was not long until he added. "What about the baby? I thought Rachel wasn't due for another few weeks, what if it's too early?"

"She's full term. Alison gave birth to the boys at thirty-seven weeks-" his voice tailed off. It didn't matter about genetics; he already loved the child. He had witnessed her growing, rested his head against Rachel's stomach as he listened to her kicks, imagined all her tiny features. He needed the baby to be safe, just as much as he did Rachel, because he could not face another tragedy like Stephen. "I- I better call Kim and tell her what's going on." Eddie excused himself as he subtly dabbed at his eyes.

Although himself and Kim would still often clash during management meetings and he maintained that their teaching styles were very different, Eddie did now consider her to be a friend; a friend that he was grateful for in this moment as after he had caught her up, she rushed to offer him some rational reassurance and insisted that she would look after Charlie.

When Eddie returned to Philip once more, the lack of new information rendered them silent. All Eddie could do was focus on the door at the end of the corridor as he willed the doctor to return with an update. However, when she finally came into his focus, his stomach knotted and he suddenly felt at peace with the unknown.

"Hello, again. I'm really sorry about the delay, I've been back-and-forth between patients. So, I've been told that baby's here, and that she's doing really well," Doctor Kaur informed.

For the first time that day, a smile broke out on Eddie's face and he could no longer stop the tears from dampening his cheeks. "Thank you. So, she okay- she's going to be okay?"

"The midwife has performed the usual tests and everything is as it should be. Of course, we need to continue monitoring her but I would be quietly confident." she offered a reassuring smile.

"Thank God," Eddie breathed out. "What about Rachel? When can I see her?"

The doctor paused, and as she clearly considered her words, Eddie felt his heart fall out of rhythm. "I'm afraid that Rachel is still in surgery, she's lost a lot of blood. I've asked to be kept updated on her condition and so as soon as I hear of anything I will make sure to get an update to you."

"Can we see the baby?" Philip asked. "She shouldn't be on her own, she needs her family."

"I don't see why not-" she said and collared a nurse who was passing through. "Would you be able to take these gentlemen to the special care unit? It's baby Mason."

Whilst the nurse escorted them there; leading them through endless sterile blue corridors, the disinfectant began to turn Eddie's stomach and he worried that his legs would give way from underneath him. He tried to stop his mind from racing, to not consider the worst eventualities; he had to believe that Rachel was going to be okay.

Despite walking past various signs leading to the ward, it was only as the nurse spoke that Eddie realised that they had arrived. "If you could just sanitise your hands." The nurse told them before going to speak to the paediatrician.

When the nurse gestured them inside, Eddie gulped, feeling nervous all of a sudden. This was a moment that himself and Rachel had discussed numerous times, but he could never have imagined that he would be meeting the baby for the first time without her.

There were a number of infants in the ward, but Eddie's eyes shot to the corner of the room in an instant. "You must be Dad." the paediatrician smiled at him, and he did not think to correct her. "Is this your sister?" she asked Philip as she walked them over to incubator that Eddie's gaze was fixed upon.

"Cousin." Philip corrected. "I thought she was okay, why is she in that plastic thing?"

"Because she's had quite the traumatic arrival, we're keeping her in an incubator for the moment so that we can regulate her temperature and keep an eye on her vitals" she explained before assuring. "Just to be on the safe side."

Eddie was oblivious to the paediatrician's words as they reached the incubator as his focus was completely taken up by the little girl in front of them. The white baby grow that she had been dressed in hung loosely from her tiny frame but did not stop her legs from flailing about as she looked around with alert hazel eyes.

"She's beautiful." Eddie took a sharp intake of breath as his eyes began to well up.

"I'll leave you for a moment. You can hold her hand if you like, just pop your hand through here." she demonstrated before going seeing to another one of the infants.

"Thank you." Eddie nodded as he gently put his hand into the incubator. When the baby then clasped her tiny fist around his finger, a smile warmed his face. "Welcome to the world."

"She's so small," Philip commented as he looked on.

"She's perfect. I can't wait for Rachel to meet her." Eddie smiled at the infant. "You've got the best mother in the world; you're going to love her."

They both took a breath. After endless hours sat in a waiting room, consumed by their trepidations, it was a relief to have a contented moment, and despite the ongoing uncertainty, the air felt lighter; as if it was full of hope.

They stayed as they were, in a peaceful silence, until the paediatrician came over and informed them that some other parents were due to arrive soon. It didn't feel right to leave the room without the baby. Eddie had only known the little girl for a short while and still, he felt his heart ache as him and Philip said goodbye. When the paediatrician saw the emotion on his face, she added. "I'm going to give her a feed in a short while, you could always come back and give her a hold?"

"Thank you, but I think that Rachel should be the first one to hold her." Eddie said, taking a last glance at the incubator before they left.

The air grew heavy once more when they returned to the waiting room. Eddie didn't realise that his leg had been tapping impatiently until Philip gave him a nudge and asked him if he was alright. He tried everything he could to pass the time: visited the coffee machine, the bathroom, read over the price of each item in the vending machine, yet everything felt so painfully static.

He insisted that Philip go home but he would not leave him, and so they sat still as everyone else seemed to move around them. Waiting.

When a doctor finally approached them, it was not Doctor Kaur. Eddie barely blinked when the man in the scrubs had walked through the door, heading to the reception desk before then approaching himself and Philip. "Hello, I'm Doctor Sharples. Are you Rachel Mason's relatives?"

This time, Eddie skipped the introductions and instead pleaded, "Please, just tell me that Rachel's okay."