It was lunchtime. Rachel was in her office when Eddie walked into the room.
She couldn't deny it; she'd gotten worse throughout the morning. She'd only been sick once, and she'd managed to do it at break time, away from Eddie, Linda and everyone else. The dizziness and fatigue was something she wasn't hiding so well.
Eddie could tell her energy was slowly being drained. He intended to keep her sat down for the entirety of their lunch break. It was only 45 minutes, but it was better than nothing.
"Are you ok?" he asked as he approached her
Rachel nodded tiredly, rubbing her temples.
"Why don't you go home, Rach? Linda knows you're not feeling well. She's seen you now; you've given her a tour of the school and spent some time with her. I can take over for the rest of the day" he suggested
Rachel shook her head, causing Eddie to sigh.
"Rach, please? I'm worried about you!" he huffed
"I'm fine, Eddie. I promise" she mumbled
Eddie scoffed. He didn't believe that for one second! But there was no arguing with her. He knew he wouldn't win.
"Did Earl behave in class this morning?" she asked, changing the subject
"He was great! Linda was really impressed with him" he nodded
"Well, that's one less thing to worry about" she sighed
Eddie nodded again
"I'm going down to the canteen, Rach, do you want anything?"
She shook her head. The smell of the food coming from the canteen was what had caused her to be sick at break time. The thought of eating anything repulsed her.
"What about some water?" Eddie suggested, determined to get her to have something
Rachel nodded at that. She could just about handle water.
"I might go outside and get some fresh air" she told him, standing up from her chair
She immediately regretted that action. The second she stood up, a wave of dizziness washed over her. She closed her eyes, putting a hand to her head as the room began to spin violently.
Eddie dashed over to her, sitting her back down in the chair.
This time, sitting down didn't help. Her legs were shaking. She felt so dizzy and lightheaded. Her vision was blurring in and out of focus, so much so that there were two Eddie's kneeling down in front of her.
"I think I'm going to pass out in minute" she warned him
Eddie leapt into action, recalling his First Aid training.
He gently placed his hands on her knees to get her attention.
"Alright, Rach. It's ok. Bring your head to your knees and take some deep breaths" he instructed
Rachel shook her head in protest. She knew that was the guidance given to anyone who felt faint. She'd coached students through the simple technique countless times. But, in this moment, it felt like it was only going to make things worse. If she were to do that now, she would end up vomiting all over shoes- and maybe Eddie too.
"Come on, Rach" Eddie encourage gently
"I'll be sick" she whimpered
"You won't be, I promise. Just try it" he reassured
Reluctantly, she agreed, lowering her head down so it resting between her knees. She took some deep breaths. To her surprise, it did help, and she didn't vomit. The room eventually stopped spinning, and the nausea melted away.
After a few minutes, she carefully sat up.
"Ok?" Eddie asked, gazing at her with a mixture of concern and love
She nodded tentatively
"I'll go and get you some water" he decided, leaving the office
Ten minutes later, he returned, a bottle of water, a sandwich and a small pack of biscuits in hand. He placed the bottle on the desk next to her, as well as the biscuits. She frowned at him.
"They're ginger biscuits. I read somewhere that ginger helps with nausea" he explained with a shrug
She nodded quietly, unscrewing the lid of the water bottle and taking a sip. Eddie opened the pack of biscuits for her whilst he ate his sandwich.
Rachel eyed the biscuits sceptically. She'd heard ginger was effective for nausea, but not ginger biscuits. They were two different things.
Still, she took one out the packet and nibbled on it slowly. Eddie watched her carefully, noticing that the colour had drained from her cheeks again. He couldn't help but be concerned. She really did look ill.
"Will you please just think about going home, Rach?"
Even if she wanted to, she didn't feel safe doing so. What if she had another dizzy spell whilst driving? It wasn't worth the risk. And besides, she was needed here.
"I can't, Eddie. And anyway, wouldn't you rather I be here, where you can keep an eye on me? What if I passed out at home, or on the way home?" she argued
Eddie sighed. She did have a point, he knew that. She would be better off being here, even if she was doing it because she was stubborn. If something happened to her, he'd never forgive himself.
"You're really stubborn, you know that, right?" he huffed with a small laugh
She smiled, raising an eyebrow
"You've only just realised?" she teased
Eddie chuckled, placing a kiss in her hair.
"How are you feeling now?" he asked
"A bit better" she nodded, continuing to chew on the ginger biscuit
"Good" Eddie smiled
The bell rang for the start of afternoon classes. Eddie groaned. He didn't want to leave Rachel when she wasn't well.
"Just go, I'll be fine" she reassured
Eddie nodded, kissing her cheek before heading over to the door.
"I'll see you in a bit" he told her
...
In the Girl's Changing Rooms, Maxine and Janeece were tidying away the pom-poms used for the Girl's Cheerleading Team.
Maxine was furious with Steph after their earlier conversation. She was tempted to give up trying to reason with her. It seemed like she just wasn't interested and blew everything out of proportion. She couldn't change Steph's mind about Earl, she had a set view of him. And it hurt and made her angry that Steph didn't support her. It was making her question everything. Did Steph even love her? If she did, why couldn't she just let her be happy? Why couldn't she give Earl a chance?
Maxine did care about and love Steph, of course she did. Steph had been the Mum she'd never had. She'd taken her in during the hardest time of her life and had given her a home. Her life was back on track because of Steph.
But she was grown up now, and she loved Earl. She was going to be with him whether Steph liked it or not.
She knew Janeece would understand. She was her best friend. Even if she didn't approve of Earl, unlike Steph, she knew Janeece would give him a chance. As long as she had the support of her best friend, it would be ok.
"So, what did you pull me in here to talk about?" Janeece asked as they tidied away
"It's about me and Earl" Maxine explained
Janeece sighed. She was sick of hearing about Earl Kelly! It was all Maxine could ever talk about! She barely got to see Maxine as it was, and when they did spend time together, it was all about Earl!
"What about him?" Janeece huffed
"We're going to start a family"
Janeece's jaw dropped to the floor. Maxine giggled at her best friend's reaction.
"You're going to have a baby... with Earl?" Janeece checked
Maxine nodded, beaming as she blushed furiously.
"A baby, Max?"
"We're just talking about it" Maxine shrugged, waving around a set of pom-poms
"What, now?" Janeece questioned
"Yeah!" Maxine nodded
"Maxine, have you lost your mind?" Janeece scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief
Maxine huffed, turning to her best friend.
"You're as bad as Steph! How come everyone was happy for Chlo?"
Janeece sighed
"All I mean is... babies are usually an accident, aren't they?"
"Exactly. But Earl isn't like that! We're going to get a place to live, so when the baby comes it's in a proper home" Maxine explained dreamily
Janeece frowned. This all sounded too good to be true. Earl didn't seem the type to want to settle down.
"Have you told Haydock?" Janeece asked
"Yeah. Fat lot of good that did! She's always hated Earl!" Maxine huffed
"Well..."
Maxine sighed. It seemed Steph wasn't the only one who didn't have her back.
"You as well, eh, Janeece?" she growled
"No! It's just... you know what people say, Maxine!" Janeece reasoned
"They don't know him! And neither do you!" she shot back defensively
Janeece sighed, retreating a little. Maxine's face softened.
"You should have heard him, Janeece! He knew all about the other baby. He understands that it's a big deal for me. He really cares, you know?"
"But..."
"Janeece, you're supposed to be my best mate!" Maxine huffed, slamming the pom-poms down and storming out of the changing room
Janeece groaned, running after her.
Maxine stormed away. She was furious. Of all the people she'd thought would understand, it was Janeece. After all, they'd always talked about them becoming Auntie's to one another's kids, and how their children would grow up to be best friends, just like they had. Janeece was as closed-minded as Steph. No one was on her side with this. Not that it mattered. She'd thought it would, but it didn't. Earl was the only person she needed. If it was going to be the two of them against the world, so be it.
"Maxine? Have you seen Earl?" Marley asked as she walked passed him
"He had to go somewhere. He had an appointment with your social worker or something" she told him
Marley frowned
"No, that was yesterday"
Maxine shrugged. Why did everyone question Earl's every move? She was tired of it.
"He just left, alright? Call him and ask him if you want!" she huffed, walking away
Janeece had caught up with her by this point. The icy glare Maxine gave her felt like a knife to the heart.
"Max, please?" she begged
"What? Janeece, Earl means everything to me! He makes me feel dead special! If you can't be happy for then we're done" she huffed
She turned away, leaving a teary eyed Janeece in the corridor. Her best friend was slipping through her fingers and there was nothing she could do. She would have been happy for Maxine, if this was what she really wanted. And Janeece wasn't sure that she did.
A few months ago, the two of them had been talking about getting their A-levels and going to University. Maxine had been set on it. A life being a young, stay at home Mum, living with Earl Kelly wasn't what she wanted.
...
In the staffroom, Steph, Tom and Matt were talking. Steph had told them about her conversation with Maxine. Tom was surprised.
"I always thought Maxine was quite sussed" he commented once Steph had finished talking
"She's chosen the nastiest, most untrustworthy little scrote going!" Steph huffed
"I'm sure most parents of teenage girls feel a bit like that about their boyfriends" Matt reasoned
"Earl isn't exactly your average scrote though, is he?" Tom pointed out
"She's doing it to wind me up" Steph grumbled
"Steph, this isn't about you" Matt sighed
"That's easy for you to say, Matt!" Steph scoffed, rolling her eyes
"Yeah, maybe. But you kicking off about all this isn't going to change Maxine's mind, is it? Why don't you meet her halfway?" he suggested
"Meaning?" Steph questioned
"Why don't you give Earl a chance? Talk to him" he explained
"Matt's right. You're just going to push them closer together, and then you'll be stuck with the little sod" Tom agreed
"Don't tell me I have to like him?" Steph groaned
"Ok, forget Earl. Make this about you and Maxine. Show her you're on her side, no matter what" Matt advised
"Yeah, and then, if you do invest in Earl, he'll lose his rebellious appeal to Maxine and she'll look elsewhere" Tom added
Steph raised an eyebrow at him.
"Reverse psychology. Parental approval, the great passion killer!" Tom shrugged
"Everyone thought that Sam Kelly was a lost cause. She was from a family of hopeless cases. All she ever needed was a chance. A bit of time and respect" Matt spoke
Steph nodded. She did see where Matt was coming from. Matt had fostered Sam Kelly and had spent time with her. She'd been misjudged, maybe Earl had too. She could give him a chance, if only to not lose Maxine.
"Sam's a lucky girl" Steph smiled
"Yeah, who might be going home for good today" Matt nodded, sighing heavily
Steph rubbed his arm to comfort him. She knew how fond he'd become of Sam. Letting go of her wasn't going to be easy.
"How did we end up like this, eh? Have you heard us? None of us have had kids, but here we are, a trio of anxious parents, worrying about troublesome teenagers" Steph chuckled
Matt smiled weakly before standing up to head to his classroom.
Steph sighed. She needed to talk to Maxine, before it was too late. Maybe Earl too.
...
Meanwhile, in the crèche, Rachel was showing Linda around.
She was feeling much better. To her surprise, the ginger biscuit Eddie had given her had calmed her stomach, and the dizziness had faded away. She still felt tired and had a headache, but it was manageable now without all the other symptoms.
Showing Linda the crèche was one of the things Rachel had been dreading about today's inspection. Teen pregnancy was already a controversial topic. But having facilities like this in a school could make it seem like Waterloo Road was supporting and encouraging teen pregnancy. Rachel hadn't implemented the crèche for that reason; she'd done it to support the pupils. After the discovery of the grave of Maxine's baby on the school premises last year, Rachel didn't want any other pupil to go through what Maxine went through. No teenager should have to suffer in silence, out of fear of being judged. Even though pregnancy at any age was preventable, it did still happen. No one should judge be judged or denied help, especially a teenager. It was why she had been supportive of Chlo after finding out she was pregnant. She didn't need judgment, she needed support.
Even so, as she looked at Linda, who was looking around inquisitively, she had a feeling she was about to have to justify and defend her beliefs.
"You've certainly gone for it" Linda commented
"Well, some schools are in serious denial about pupil-parenting. We try to give our students as much support as possible" Rachel explained
Linda raised an eyebrow
"Some might say by supporting them, you're encouraging them"
Rachel paused. She'd seen that comment coming.
"We're helping them to continue their education. With the crèche, a Mum is learning and getting help with childcare. And a lot of our other students like to help out here too, which allows them to have a much better idea of what is actually involved when it comes to making their own decisions"
"So you're seeing it work as a deterrent" Linda challenged
"Hands on experience can only be a good thing. The more Mum knows, the better for everyone" Rachel shrugged
Linda nodded. Rachel was unsure if she was convinced or not.
To Rachel's relief, Eddie walked in at that moment. She smiled at him.
"Ah, Mr Lawson! Miss Mason has just been telling me about the usefulness of the crèche" Linda explained
"Yes, we've found it really useful, for the young parents, and for our students to have work experience in childcare, should they want it"
Linda nodded
"I actually came to escort you to the staffroom, to introduce you to Mr Clarkson. He's one of our English Teacher's, and he's happy for you to sit in on his lesson" he explained
"Lead the way" Linda smiled
"I'll be in my office" Rachel told them, walking away
Eddie led Linda over to the staffroom. He groaned when his eyes fell on the scene before him as they entered.
Tom and Rob Cleaver were fighting, pushing and shoving one another. Linda looked on in horror.
"TOM! ROB! WHAT'S GOING ON?!" he roared
Davina immediately pulled Tom away, taking him over to the other side of the staffroom.
Rob walked away, giving Linda an apologetic look.
Eddie stormed over to Tom.
"I'll speak to you later. You've got a class to teach" he growled, nodding over to Linda before walking away
Once Tom had led Linda out of the staffroom, Eddie walked back over to Rob.
"Would you care to inform me what the hell that was about?" he hissed
"Davina accused me of... kicking Bolton during training, and bullying him" Rob explained with a heavy sigh
"Did you?" Eddie challenged
Rob scoffed
"No, of course I didn't!" he exclaimed
Eddie sighed
"We'll continue this conversation later" he huffed, leaving the staffroom