Eddie stepped into the antechamber of Rachel's office. He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes when he saw Steph smirking at him.

"Alright there, Mr Lawson?" she smirked

Eddie sighed, opening Rachel's office door.

"In. Now" he instructed firmly, pointing to the office

Steph stood up, rolling her eyes as she casually and awkwardly walked into the office. The pungent scent of alcohol wafted up Eddie's nose, making him cough.

He followed Steph inside, closing the door behind him. Steph was standing in the middle of the room, swaying dangerously on her feet.

"Sit down" Eddie told her as he sat down in Rachel's chair

Steph huffed, sitting down in the chair opposite.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he blurted angrily

"I could have said the same to you when you started dating Rachel" she shot back with a smirk

Eddie scoffed.

"Charlotte was only trying to offer you some support and you threw it back in her face!"

"And you and Rachel gave Earl Kelly another chance after he'd killed those birds, and he threw it back in your faces by killing Maxine! Looks like we both made mistakes!" she retorted

Eddie sat back in his chair, sighing heavily. He didn't blame Steph for being angry. She had every right. But blaming Rachel wasn't going to fix anything, especially when it wasn't her fault. It was his. He'd been in charge of Earl, the red flags had been staring him in the face, and he'd ignored them. He'd believed Earl when he said he hadn't killed those birds, because it was easier, and because he'd wanted to. Earl was a very convincing liar.

"Steph, if it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I was in charge of handling him and his behaviour. Rachel had nothing to do with it!"

"She let him into Waterloo Road in the first place! Even when his previous school told you his history, she still let him stay!"

"And it was my job to keep an eye on him and to handle his behaviour, not Rachel's. She's not to blame for this, Steph"

"Of course you'd defend her. You're her lapdog"

"Steph,"

"Did you know when Earl was in Nursery, he smacked his key worker in the mouth with a Postman Pat van? He knocked her teeth out and kept them in his pocket all through primary school as a 'trophy'"

Eddie raised an eyebrow.

"And you know how I found that out, Eddie? Rose told me! You and Rachel would have known from the start that he was a hopeless case if you'd looked into it a bit more! Any other school would have turned him away! Maxine would still be here if he'd never been let into this school"

"Yes, Steph, any other school would have turned him away. But we're not just any other school, you know that! We give all of these kids a fair chance; we don't give up on them. We gave Earl the same chances we would have given every other kid"

Steph rolled her eyes.

"So, are you going to suspend me?"

Eddie sighed. If he was honest, he didn't know what to do. It was times like this when he needed Rachel. Making decision like this on his own made him feel uncomfortable. Especially in Steph's circumstances.

Really, he should suspend her. She'd lashed out at another member of staff and had been drinking alcohol on school premises. But, as angry as Eddie was with her regarding her behaviour, he also knew this wasn't Steph. She was grieving and she was heartbroken. He understood, and he knew Rachel would too. He knew if Rachel was here, she wouldn't suspend her. So he wasn't going to.

He stood up, popping his head out of the office door. Bridget stared back at him expectantly.

"Can you get Matt for me, please?" he requested

Bridget nodded, setting off to find him. Eddie went back into the office. Steph watched as he sat back down opposite her.

"To answer your question, Steph, no, I'm not going to suspend you. But, I want you to apologise to Charlotte, and you need to be on compassionate leave until the school re-opens next week"

Steph scoffed.

"It's alright for you; your home isn't a crime scene!"

At that moment, Matt walked into the office.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes, I did. Can Steph stay with you for a bit?"

"Of course" Matt nodded

"I don't need charity" Steph huffed

"It's not charity, Steph! I'm just trying to be a good friend to you! You can stay with me for as long as you need to!" Matt huffed

Steph sighed. Maybe staying with Matt was the best option for now. She couldn't face going back home.

"Fine, I'll go"

"Good. Matt, can you take her now, please?"

Matt nodded, helping Steph up. Together they left the office.

As soon as the door closed, Eddie put his head in his hands and sighed deeply. At least Steph had agreed to go on compassionate leave. That was one thing.

He sat up, his eyes moving to the clock on the wall. It was 1:30pm. Rachel would be done at the Doctors by now. Or he hoped so anyway.

He opened the desk drawer and took out his phone. There were no messages or missed calls. He couldn't help but feel worried and disappointed. Was she ok? Did she even make it to the Doctors? He didn't know anything. He felt guilty that he couldn't go with her today. If he wasn't needed at Waterloo Road in Rachel's absence, he would have stayed at home with her and taken her to the Doctors himself. When he got home tonight, he planned to ensure Rachel put her feet up, whilst he looked after and took care of her. She needed him.

He scrolled through his contacts on his phone, dialling Rachel's number. He just wanted some reassurance that she was somewhat ok. He had thought about sneaking away at break to check on her, but he knew she would have told him off. Eddie phoning her now to check on her was a compromise really.

His concern grew when the call went to voicemail. Eddie sighed, ending the call without leaving a message. He placed the phone on the desk, running a hand through his hair. So many questions were racing through his mind.

Had Rachel made it to the Doctors for her appointment? And if she had, how had it gone?

Would she be able to tell him what was wrong when he got home, or would they be waiting for blood tests and scans?

What if she hadn't gone to the Doctors?

Eddie had told her that morning to call him if she didn't feel well enough to drive herself. He knew she wouldn't call him, but he'd hoped that maybe she'd prove him wrong today. But she hadn't called him. Sure, she might have been feeling better and had managed to drive herself to the Doctors. But, what if she wasn't answering her phone because she was lying somewhere in the house, unconscious? The thought of it made him feel sick. All he wanted was to go home and be with her.

Only another hour and a half left...

...

Rachel sat in her car, admiring the view in front of her. She'd driven to the park, one of the few nice places in Rochdale. Just from sitting in the car, all she could see was endless green fields and trees. The birds were chirping away as they flew into the distance. The peace and quiet of the area calmed her racing heart and reeling mind. She thought that, maybe, if she walked far enough into those fields, she might just fall off the edge of the world.

It was 2pm. Rachel knew she needed to be back home soon, or Eddie would get back before her. He'd panic if she wasn't there. But, she could afford to have a few minutes to herself before going back to face reality.

As she sat in her car, staring out at the view, her hand came to rest on her stomach. There was a life growing inside of her. A tiny baby.

She wanted to be happy about it, she really did. Deep down, she was. But the fear and the guilt were stronger than the happiness she should have been feeling. After everything, she didn't deserve to be having a baby. She didn't deserve to be happy.

The Doctors appointment had only lasted 15 minutes, but it had felt like a lifetime.

Rachel had explained her symptoms. She had been examined, she had done a urine sample so the Doctor could do another pregnancy test, and she had, had a blood test.

The pregnancy test had come back positive. That was more than enough confirmation for Rachel. Her blood sample had been sent off for testing and would officially confirm if she was or wasn't pregnant, and how far along she was. The Doctor had estimated she was around six weeks pregnant, but the blood test would tell them more.

In a way, she wished Eddie had gone with her to the appointment after all. The physical examination she'd had, had brought back the memories that she had spent the last few months trying to push to the back of her mind. Stuart's attack and the aftermath of it in the hospital. The miscarriage.

The Doctor she'd seen today, Doctor Haig, had been friendly, patient and understanding. But she couldn't stop the memories from re-surfacing in Rachel's mind. Eddie wouldn't have been able to either, but she would have felt safer had he been there. She always felt safe with him.

She still didn't know how she was going to tell Eddie that she was pregnant. She wasn't sure that she wanted to. He would probably run a mile and leave her. Everyone did eventually. It was what she deserved.

She jumped as her phone started to ring in her pocket. She pulled it out; sighing when she saw it was Eddie calling. He was calling to check on her. She hated leaving him in the dark, but was better to tell him what was going on face to face at home, rather than over the phone. So she put the phone back in her pocket and let it go to voicemail.

Once her phone had stopped ringing, she started the car. The nausea had started bubbling in her stomach again. She just wanted to do was go home and crash on the sofa. Maybe if Eddie came home and she was asleep, he wouldn't bombard her with questions.