Thank you for the reviews.

Bad news... Adam is in this chapter... Good news, there is lots of Reddie cuteness to outweigh it...

As said in Are You Happy?, I like to attach certain names to characters... Hence why Keria pops up again... If that isn't giving anything away (If Keria means nothing to you, then you haven't read chapter 2 of IaWW, TIDU... Shameless self-advertisement of one of my fics).

Chapter Twenty Eight
False Alarm

As much as she hated to admit it was bothering her, Rachel eventually had to close the blinds to her office and lie down after telling Joyce that she was not to be disturbed unless it was important. She had also struggled to send a text to Eddie, asking him to get her a sandwich from the canteen, even though eating was the last thing on her mind. She felt sick and the headache had been building all day, since the moment she woke up. The last thing she wanted was another migraine.

It did play on her mind. The fact that the last time she felt like this, she was pregnant. But she wouldn't let herself confirm the fact, not without speaking to Eddie first.

She didn't hear him come in until he was crouched down beside her.

"Hey." He whispered.

"Good, you're here."

"Got you a sandwich. Just ham. Kinda asked Candice to make it especially. Didn't know why you weren't feeling well."

"Good decision."

"Do you…" He started.

"I don't know. Just… I haven't felt this bad since… then."

"Are you…"

She knew what he was trying to ask. "I am actually."

"Do you want me to sneak out and get a test? Once I have seen you eat something."

"Might be an idea. You are free all afternoon, aren't you?"

"I am."

"Good, because I haven't done half the paperwork that I should do and as my deputy…"

Eddie laughed gently before he stood up and offered his hands to her. "And as your boyfriend, I think I should try and look after you."

"I still love that."

"What?"

"As my boyfriend." She said as she took his hands and allowed him to slowly bring her into a seated position.

"So do I. Now let's get some food and water in you."

Rachel could remember the last time she took a pregnancy test, it was the longest three minutes of her life. This time around, it wasn't bad at all. Not with Eddie keeping her company.

"I've never done this before." He said as he leant against the sinks.

"Really?"

"Alison told me over the phone on my lunch break. Never had to do this waiting."

"It is the worst part."

"Must be worse when you don't want to be pregnant."

"It is."

"We've never really talked about her, Rachel."

"I know. It just didn't feel right to discuss it when Melissa didn't believe it."

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "What would you have called her?"

"I hadn't thought that far ahead. I was only 13 weeks."

"That was a third done."

"I suppose. I just assumed that we would talk about it at some point, closer to the time."

"Just… Ever since you said that she was a girl, one name keeps popping into my head whenever I think about her."

"What name is that?"

"Kiera."

"Kiera." She said with a smile. "Kiera Lawson."

"I was thinking more Kiera Mason."

She laughed. "And if we were trying to say that you were the father, I think it might have been more appropriate if she took your surname. Maybe hoping that one day, I could join her."

"Is this you proposing to me?"

"Maybe me proposing the idea that I would… quite like to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Sure you wouldn't get sick of me."

"I think it would be the other way around. With you being sick of me constantly getting into trouble."

"I've accepted the fact that, that is just you. I would change a thing about you."

"You always say the right thing Lawson."

"That's because I know you too well." He smiled at her. "I wouldn't be surprised if you did propose to me."

"Do you want me to?"

"How about we see how things go? See where the wind takes us? Our number one priority at the moment is Philip."

"Although he has been better this last couple of week. He wants a party at mine for his birthday."

"I'll book a restaurant."

"Do you…"

"Absolutely not. Rach, the lad is going to be 16, pretty much all of his year is as well. The last thing he will need is the head and deputy of the school that they go to overseeing things."

"I suppose you're right." She said, even if she didn't want to.

"What have I said about saying that to me?"

Rachel couldn't help but laugh at him. "I love you so much."

"And I love you too." He said as he pushed himself off the sinks and walked over to her.

As soon as he reached her, her hands were on his neck, pulling him down towards her, while his arms wrapped around her waist. This was all still weirdly new to her. She had never believed in soul mates or the one before but she did believe that Eddie was the one for her. She felt like she could never love someone like she loved him.

She tried to tell him that with the kiss, knowing that she would never truly find the right words to tell him that. She wanted him, and at points, she needed him. Nothing would go wrong when he was by her side.

The timer on her phone going off was what broke them apart and the worry grew in her. This time she wanted the test to be positive. She wanted to be carrying Eddie's child.

Yet as she turned over the test, her heart dropped as it read negative. She didn't hide her disappointment and nor did he. Both of them obviously wanting the same result.

"We'll keep trying." He said as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I know."

"At least we know that it is what we both want."

"And we will try the other test later. Can't just try one test."

"Of course." He said as he placed a kiss on her cheek.

She placed her hands over his. It would happen. She knew it would. Just now wasn't the time.

"Do you have to keep rubbing it in?" Adam said once Eddie had left her office.

"Adam…"

"No. You know how I feel about you and you keep rubbing in your relationship with Eddie."

"And if you can't be professional about it, then maybe you should start looking for another job. I am happy Adam. I thought that, at least as a friend, you would be happy for me in that respect."

He laughed. "I thought that you were cleverer than that."

"What do you want Adam?"

"You."

Rachel sighed. "Adam please."

"No. I want you Rachel and I don't know whether I can wait for you to see that your precious boyfriend isn't the man you think he is. I'm not going to be as easy to get rid of like your sister."

"I didn't want her to leave and abandon Philip. I just wanted her to get off my back."

"You were being selfish again."

"Selfish? You think that I am selfish?"

"It is the only explanation as to why you are being like this. You know, I saw you earlier, sneaking out of the toilet together. I don't think the governors will be best pleased if they found out that their head and deputy were using school time for… more personal activities."

"You are something else entirely."

"Well, you didn't mind it once. Still up to your old tricks?"

"I would recommend that you leave now without saying another word."

"Touched a nerve?"

"I really don't understand you, Adam. You stand there and say that you want me and then in the sentence, you insult me. I think you should leave before you end up saying something that will mean I will have to fire you."

"Is that a threat?"

"Call it whatever you like. But I am done being spoken down to by you. I am the head of this school. I have been here longer than you and I know the kids better than you. You may have forgotten where we grew up but I haven't. I will not fail these kids as I was failed."

"What did I say? You're selfish."

Rachel was about to tell him to get out when the door opened and Tom stood there, looking a little confused.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?" Tom said.

"No. Adam was just leaving."

She sighed into her seat as Adam finally left her alone and Tom walked more into the room after the door slammed shut.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Eddie sent you, didn't he?"

"He thought that you might need saving."

"Third time I have been extremely happy to see you."

"Third time?"

She smiled at him. "The first time was when you came in and Stuart was here, when Mika was up the tree. The second time when Stuart had me backed into a corner, just before the fire. And now."

"Glad I can be of comfort."

"What am I going to do Tom? I can't have another year of this."

"Just sack him then. Or come up with a way to get him to resign."

"I don't think it will be that easy."

"You are in charge here. I've never liked the way that he has spoken down to you and Kim is so close to saying something as well. He hasn't really added anything to the school and has only caused you misery and despair over the fact that you are dating Eddie. If the governors want a reason, then gross misconduct. We will all back you up to say that he was being awkward."

"Thanks, Tom."

"I guess you are feeling alright now as well."

"Yeah, just a headache that had been building." She said, trying not to think about what it could have meant.

"You seem upset at that."

"It's… The last time I had a headache that bad, I was pregnant."

"Oh."

"Exactly. It was a false alarm." She said with a small smile.

"You do it as well then. Wonder how old they would be, what they would be doing."

"Can't stop myself sometimes. And today is full of me thinking that if things didn't go the way that they did, I would be on maternity leave still, looking after her. Probably getting ready to try and come back in September."

"I don't know how long Izzie would have had off. She would probably have been back by now."

"A life of what-ifs."

He smiled at her and she forgot how much she had let Tom in and the comfort he did give her. There was nobody else that she could have a conversation like that with. Someone else that's life was full of what-if moments.

"I'd better leave you to get on."

"Thanks again, Tom."

He gave her one last smile before he left her to it. To the memories and the different scenarios that she had created in her head.