Thank you for the reviews.

Maybe this was going to be up before I went training but... honestly, time is running away from me. And I don't know how to stop it. I think I need Bernard's Watch (I hope I haven't shown my age there and that other people know of that show... if not, I am out here on my own...).

Anyway, I am here now.

Although, I don't know what the madness of the next couple of days is going to bring... I'll sort it out when it happens...

Chapter Eight
Tuesday 8th December

Kim already knew why Max was looking rather thoughtful as he looked out of her kitchen window. She knew that he was probably asking the same question that she was asking herself but, if Kim was being honest, she didn't really need an answer.

Max would do.

Half of her wondered why she allowed herself to become this weird middleman between Rachel and Max. It was exhausting at times. Especially when there had been a big misunderstanding between them. To Kim, it did just seem like they weren't communicating properly but any attempt to make that happen fell apart. And Kim wasn't always convinced who was at fault.

On one hand, she knew that Rachel knew how to do her job and knew how to work at a school like Waterloo Road. She had seen her LEA record after Max had accidentally left it on the kitchen table and Kim couldn't resist a look. Her success rate was high and Kim knew that she had succeeded with Waterloo Road as well just from her first day back. But Kim wondered whether that did stop Rachel from listening to some of the suggestions that Max had. That she was stuck in her ways and wasn't as open to new ideas that were so far off her own.

But then Kim knew that Max's views on certain things, like behaviour and discipline, even contrasted to her's. And, like Rachel, he probably was quite set in his ways. He saw a problem and wanted to fix it instantly in a way that he knew how to fix it in. Which wasn't a bad thing necessarily.

And that was probably where most of the arguments arose from.

The clash of differing opinions on how to tackle it.

Eddie was sometimes a voice of reason when it came to Rachel but Kim did think that, sometimes, he was only one word away from knocking Max out. And when that happened, Rachel seemed to change what she was saying. Being slightly more accommodating.

The thing was that Kim did believe that Rachel was trying to get on with Max. And she believe that Max was trying to get on with Rachel.

But there was something still missing.

Like the three of them knew something that she didn't about why there were so many tensions at the top.

"Do you know?" Max said as he turned to her.

"Know what?" Kim said.

"The 14th. I don't believe the whole… appointment thing."

"I don't know. Rachel is 39. They could be keeping an eye on her for a number of different reasons. Her age. Her medical past. We don't know the whole story and that isn't for us to know."

He shook his head. "You saw her. She shut down."

"Max, we don't know why. And I don't know why you would want to change the date of the meeting. What can't wait two days? Whatever the reason, I don't think it is for us to know or to question." Kim paused for a moment before she sighed. "Don't push it. Please. I don't know about you but… Rachel has seemed off this last week. I don't know whether it is about the meeting or something completely different but I don't think it is something to push."

"She might tell you," Max said, turning back to look at the window, completely ignoring what Kim had just said.

"Yes, she might." She said, sounding unsure.

"Just ask. There is no harm in asking, is there?"

Kim wanted to say that there was but she watched Max as he finished his morning coffee, placing the mug in the sink and walking away without washing it up. She sighed again, knowing that if she was going to ask then it wasn't going to be because Max had asked her to. And if she was going to ask, then she knew that she would only do so when it seemed like Rachel was in the mood to talk about it.

Although, she was sure that if she asked the question, Rachel would automatically assume that she was asking for Max.

As much as she wanted to be Rachel's friend and Max's girlfriend, Kim was struggling to make it work and she wondered whether she needed to pick a side soon. Maybe before the meeting.

With how Rachel had been reacting that morning, Kim wasn't going to see her unless it was absolutely necessary. She already knew that Rachel would act very defensively and Kim couldn't blame her if Max had done what she suspected that he had done when he said about Rachel not listening to him.

This was a moment when she was firming on Rachel's side and she didn't see why Max couldn't just brush this off.

So she went to Rachel's office only to see what damage had been done.

Not because Max had asked her to go and ask.

This was the moment when she was Rachel's friend.

And her suspicions were confirmed when Rachel only glanced up from her paperwork for a moment to see who it was before a frown settled on her face.

"Kim. How can I help?"

Kim had hoped that, at some point, the rift between them would start to shrink. Maybe when things had calmed down.

But things hadn't calmed down and the rift refused to shrink.

And it was days like that where that rift was felt the most.

"If you think I am here to ask about the 14th, I am not. I can read between the lines and understand whatever it is, it is incredibly personal and… damaging, for use of a better word, to you. And I respect that and understand that you are under no obligation to tell me unless you want to. And then I understand my role as head of Pastoral Care to keep that in absolute confidence."

Even if she wasn't looking at her, Kim knew that Rachel was listening. She was sure that Rachel wouldn't have ignored her, even if she wanted to. She wasn't rude like that. But Kim knew that moment when Rachel became more relaxed and willing to have the conversation.

"Thanks, Kim." Rachel said as she gave Kim her attention.

"And I will find a way to get that through to Max."

"In the best possible way that I can say this… I wouldn't tell you. With or without Max. I only told Eddie last year because I felt like he deserved to have some sort of explanation to why I wanted to come back to work when I did. When I wasn't ready. He wouldn't know otherwise."

"Even now? With the baby and engagement?"

Rachel nodded and Kim knew that she would do everything in her power to stop Max from asking again.

"But I do feel like I do have to say this," Kim said. "I don't think you are coping well with whatever it is. And this isn't a comment on your professionalism or anything like that. I just want you to know that… if you can vaguely talk about it, I will listen."

"It will be okay, Kim. It is appreciated. But it will be okay. I've just got too many things happening at once and I am not always good at prioritising the right things."

Even though Kim knew that she had repeated herself a number of times, she felt like she had gotten her point across. Rachel wasn't going to talk and Kim respected that. But she would listen if Rachel did want to talk.

"There is something else," Kim said as she took a step forward. "Gina Davies. A couple of things have come to my attention. I just wanted to let you know what they are and how I am thinking of dealing with it."

That was a conversation that both of them were more comfortable with and as Rachel gestured for her to carry on, Kim knew that they both needed this to break the ice between them.

"Both Max and Kim have asked me about the 14th." Rachel said.

They were at home and Philip was out. It seemed to be the perfect time for Rachel to discuss with Eddie what had happened. Not that Philip didn't know how it affected her. The poor boy had watched Melissa drown herself in drink and Rachel throw herself into her work so much that, on a couple of occasions, she was still working when Philip came down for breakfast the next morning.

"Well, when I say Kim asked me about it." She continued. "I mean that she said about it and told me that I didn't have to tell her if I didn't want to but she was there if I did want to talk."

"Which explains why she came to talk to me this afternoon," Eddie said.

"Just… I've thought about it more since."

"And you and thinking at this time of year."

"Eddie, I'm being serious."

"And so am I."

They stared at each other for a moment and Rachel found that it was her that broke the eye contact to sigh. Maybe she was overthinking things. Maybe she was reading into things that she shouldn't be reading into. It was hard not to. Especially when she was trying to guess what Max's next move was.

"I'm not certain that Kim would have said something if Max hadn't asked her to say something. She might have said things that he wouldn't have wanted to say and I'm sure that he would have wanted her to find out the reason why the 14th is so bad." Rachel said.

"I agree," Eddie said. "I do think that he asked her and she, being a better person, knew that it wasn't something to push."

"I think she was rather taken aback when I said that you wouldn't have known if last year didn't happen."

"Would I have not then?"

She waited for him to look up at her before she shook her head. "I've… never really told anyone before. I don't like being the centre of attention. That sort of thing… screams attention. Maybe because Melissa would tell anyone and everyone and I just saw the way that they… pitied her over it. I just don't like it. I would rather hide away from it all."

"I think we've gathered that might be something to do with your vastly differing personalities."

"And I am glad that I told you. Because you didn't pity me over it. You supported. Like you always do."

"I did say that I wanted to be the exception."

"And you are. Completely and utterly."

He looked thoughtful for a moment and Rachel wondered what he was thinking about saying next. Because it definitely looked like he was trying to choose his words.

"I think she might be genuinely worried about you," Eddie said.

"So?"

"So why don't we see how things go? Why don't we see how you are on the day and after the weekend? She might ask questions if you are unnaturally quiet. You won't answer them."

"No, I won't."

"With your permission, obviously… maybe I'll try and get the gist of things and maybe I'll tell her. On the day. On the 14th. Because I do think that she would be our best way to keep Max away from you. Because it would just be that day where he decides to start some drama, like last week with Steph. I don't think Kim would pity you for it."

For Eddie's face to change as quickly as it did, she could tell that her own face gave away that she was so unsure about the idea. She knew that if she trusted anyone to tell someone else about it, then Eddie was that person. Especially when she reminded herself how gently he had told Michael. He would do it with all the carefulness that it needed.

But the difference between Kim and Michael was that Michael was family. He was going to be her stepson and she already treated him like he was her own. Kim was, now, almost a stranger again. If they still had the friendship that had blossomed between them, then she probably wouldn't have been as hesitant.

"Just think about it," Eddie said. "I'm not going to say anything unless you tell me that it is okay. Okay?"

"Okay." She said, knowing that it would be the thing that would occupy her mind for the next week on top of everything else.