Thank you for the reviews.

The title for the chapter is a line from the song Push My Luck... one of my favourite lines from the song... Even though every line of the song is my favourite line... I just love the song okay. It is a great song.

Anyway... Back to the story and an overly worried, overtired Eddie... That is with the assumption that you haven't murdered me already...

Chapter Eleven
Is It Okay If I Stay? 'Cause I'm Dying To

They gave Eddie the once over, which basically consisted of them giving him oxygen till he had calmed down enough. In the meantime, Tom had gone to see how Davina was and arrived back with Eddie as he discharged himself.

"How is she?"

"Conscious, which is the main thing. She had really given me a scare. They are going to keep her in overnight to monitor her and they believe that she can be discharged tomorrow."

Eddie knew that Tom wasn't someone who would take charge instantly but he was glad to have him by his side as they tried to find where Rachel was. They jumped back in the car and made their way from Rochdale Infirmary to Fairfield General Hospital after the receptionist told them that it was probably there that the ambulance took her.

He was glad that Tom didn't really ask him any questions until they had found out roughly where Rachel was.

"Stuart came back to see Rachel. They were arguing on the stairs just down from her office." Tom said

"Right."

"I guess she felt a little guilty because I ended up pushing him away and he lost his footing and fell down the stairs."

"After everything he has done to her and she still tries to save him."

"Eddie, I know."

"Know what?"

"I know that you're not the father of Rachel's baby. Stuart is."

Eddie suddenly stopped and turned to him.

"So the lie has become the truth for you too," Tom said after he didn't respond.

"I wonder whether Steph may have worked it out after what Stuart said this morning."

"If she has, she hasn't said anything to me."

Eddie hesitated for a moment before he said anything. "You know the day when Rachel was out of her office for the whole day and then the next day, she shared your office with you. The night before, Stuart… had forced himself on her. I've… just been trying to help her. Give her support. I offered the lie when she told me she was pregnant. Explaining that Stuart was the father would bring up too many questions."

"But you still wanted it to be true."

"I went to the first scan with her," Eddie said as they started walking again. "She asked me if I would go with her and I couldn't see any reason not to. The way we keep speaking about it, it does just seem like one drunken night that we don't remember. I don't feel like she does have anyone else. I want to help her. I want to be there to support her."

"You love her."

"Asked her out this morning. Or hope she saw it as me asking her out."

Eddie thought about mentioning the kiss that he had shared with her but for the moment, it was a private moment for him. Having Rachel Mason in his arms while kissing her just felt so right and the moment was perfect. Their timing, not so much, but Eddie felt like it was probably how it was going to be with her. Never the right time but always the perfect moment.

They arrived in the intensive care section of the hospital and went straight to the desk. The woman sat there shocked that they had basically ran at her.

"A Rachel Mason should have been brought here. From the school that is on fire." Eddie said.

"Umm… We do have someone here with that name but unfortunately, I can only let next of kin through and give information about her health. As we are contacting the local authorities about that, I doubt I can give you any information."

"To my knowledge, she doesn't have any family that she is still in touch with."

"He is the father of her unborn child. Surely he deserves to know what state she is in." Tom argued for him.

In fairness, the woman was only doing her job. She didn't really need them demanding things off of her.

"I'll go and find the matron. See what she has to say."

Eddie nodded at her. All he wanted to know was whether Rachel would be okay or not.

Maybe if the doctor had explained outside of the room, Eddie may have taken in more of his words. He heard things like 'critical but stable condition' and 'medically induced coma'. His eyes and attention was more on Rachel, lying in the bed, with a number of wires hooked up to a number of machines and an oxygen mask over her face.

Tom was still with him and he knew that he might be able to fill Eddie in later. When his head was in the right place.

"Eddie."

He shook his head at Tom's voice.

"Mr Lawson, I was just explaining that, unfortunately, your baby is no longer alive. It might help her recovery if we… deliver the baby. As we have not heard back from the relevant authorities about her next of kin and we need a decision fast, we were hoping that you could make that decision. As you are the father after all."

Eddie could stop himself from swallowing and turning back to Rachel. It felt like he had failed another child. A child that wasn't biologically his but was going to be his anyway. Worse of all, he felt like he had failed Rachel. For him, his support was also about trying to keep her safe and with everything that had happened that day, he felt like he hadn't been able to do that. He hadn't kept her safe and now she was lying in a hospital bed.

"Mr Lawson?"

"Yes. Umm, deliver the baby. Anything to help her recovery."

He felt Tom's hand on his shoulder in support. All Eddie knew was that he had to be there for Rachel no matter what.

"Eddie, don't take this the wrong way, but you look rough," Steph said.

Eddie didn't take it the wrong way. He knew he looked rough. Alison had told him exactly the same thing when he went to see Micheal a couple of days ago. He hadn't really been home for two weeks and when he did it was only for a shower and a change of clothes. He had spent nearly every moment by Rachel's bedside and making decisions over her health. They still hadn't been able to get in contact with her next of kin and Eddie wondered whether she had just put down a random name and telephone number so that she just had someone to put down.

With the staff room area of the school been deemed safe, there was no better place that Eddie could think of to gather the longest and most trusted members of staff to rally them to his cause. Not that he thought that most of them needed rallying.

"Thanks, Steph. Look, the reason I have asked you all to come in, and I appreciate that you are all here, is to tell you that the board of governors have called a meeting on Friday. I say a meeting. Ralph Mellor, who has taken over as the chair of the governors, has called for a vote of no confidence. Against Rachel. I don't think it is fair of him to do that while she can't defend herself."

"No change then?" Tom asked.

"A little. She is able to breathe on her own and they are currently debating whether to try and bring her out of the coma next week."

"So you want us to be a part of that meeting to do what exactly?" Steph said.

"I can stand there and say everything that I believe that she has done for the school but I don't feel like it would hold any merit if I was the only one there. As the longest and most trusted members of staff, I am hoping that you lot showing your support for Rachel as well will help swing the other governors that maybe haven't made up their mind yet."

"You can count me in," Tom said.

There were a couple of other teachers that nodded at him.

"What's in it for us?" Grantly said.

Eddie blinked at him. "What's in it for you?"

"Well, we are not better off at the moment than we were when Jack Rimmer left. Why not allow the LEA to ship in another associate head to mess with the curriculum again? Maybe not one with a past."

"Because we shouldn't be the ones kicking her while she is down. Do I have to remind you of how she has turned this school around? How well behaved the kids seem now? I mean, before Rachel, I don't remember seeing the cooler so empty as it has been some days more recently. She is good for this school. Plus, I think if it was the other way round, she would be here trying to rally support to save your job. She wouldn't give up on you as you would happily give up on her."

"I'm in," Steph said.

Eddie could start to feel the coffee wearing off and he knew as much as he wanted to get back to the hospital to be with Rachel, he should probably go home to get a couple of hours of sleep. He would have to look in slightly better shape for the governors.

All he had to do was get Grantly on side. The longest-serving member of staff.

"Do you actually want to know how close to the truth you were? Yeah, I did resign after I found out about Rachel's past. But she convinced me to stay. Look Grantly. It is up to you. You don't even have to say anything. But if you turn up, there might be a bottle of scotch in it for you."

He was glad that the other members of staff didn't look as bothered by the offer. Eddie was going to buy them a drink anyway for helping him out. He just knew that Grantly would need more persuading. He was grateful when Grantly finally agreed to help.

"Right, here, 10 am on Friday." Eddie paused for a moment. "Is anyone going my way? I really don't think I should be driving."

Eddie could feel his head starting to go as his eyes closed on their own accord. He forced his eyes open and sat up a little straighter before adjusting himself in his chair. He knew that it was important for him to be there and he wanted to be awake when she finally woke up.

The doctors had decided that it was time to try and bring Rachel out of her coma and over the last few hours, they had been slowly bringing her off the drugs that were keeping her unconscious. In all honesty, they wanted him there. He had been the one who had been there nearly every day since the fire, talking to her, holding her hand. They obviously felt like it would give her some comfort if he was the first face that she saw.

"I'll have to bring Micheal at some point." He said as he tried to think of something to keep him awake. "He has been asking about you. He's even made you a card that he wants to give to you by himself. I told him that he could when you were awake. I didn't think that you would have wanted him to see you like this. I don't think I would have wanted him to see you like this and the questions that he would have had." He leant forward and placed his hand in hers. His thumb started to stroke the back of her hand. "Come on Rach. Come back to me. We still have so much to do together. We still have that date we need to go on and I wouldn't mind a repeat of that kiss."

He didn't expect it when she squeezed his hand. He stood up and gently placed himself on the edge of the bed. He placed his other hand over hers, cupping her hand in his.

"Come on Rach. I'm here. I will always be here for you. I said that I would support you and that is what I have been doing for the last couple of weeks while they fail to contact your next of kin. I am here to look after you. That's if you let me."

He notified one of the nurses as they came round to check on the other patients on the ward. They told him to keep doing what he was doing and it felt like it wasn't long before her eyes opened and she was blinking up at him. There were only a few moments of calm before she bolted up.

"Alright, Rach. It's okay." He said, letting go of her hand and placing his hands on her shoulders. "It's okay. Take a few minutes to take it all in. Everything is fine."

"The fire." She said hoarsely after she took a few moments.

"Everything has been taken care of."

He didn't like the way that her hand went to her stomach, resting where her baby should have been. He had hoped that he could have left it a bit before telling her. He didn't have to say anything. She must have guessed. He moved closer towards her and wrapped his arms around her as she leant into his shoulder. He felt like he might have to tell her properly once she had gotten over the confusion of just waking up but for that moment, he just held her as she tried to piece everything together.