One hour later...

Rachel wasn't exactly sure where the time had gone, but, by the time they had dealt with Bolton and Candeece, it was 5:30pm and they needed to head to the hospital. She had been hoping to be able to go home, get changed and have some time to prepare herself for the scan, but it seemed to be that nothing was going as planned today.

They had made it to the hospital with fifteen minutes to spare. They'd only been sat in the waiting room for five minutes so far, and Rachel was already becoming fidgety. Her stomach was doing flips, her heart racing at a million miles an hour. It wasn't that she wasn't excited to see her little one for the first time, she really was. But, currently, the dread and concern over the baby's health was drowning out any ability to be excited.

In a way, her mind was still in Head Teacher mode. After everything that had happened today, she couldn't quite switch off. They'd had no news about Bolton's opponent, Johnny Hayes, or how he was doing. Rachel liked to think that no news was good news usually, but today she wasn't so sure.

She had been expecting to have a peaceful day today, completing her paperwork before going to the Boxing Match and watching Bolton win before they broke up for the Christmas Holidays. Instead, she had witnessed another teenager lying on a stretcher in a neck brace. She had, had to suspend a teacher she'd thought she could trust, and had, had to deal with a distraught Bolton, who was blaming himself for being potentially disqualified when it wasn't his fault. All of this, on top of battling with nausea because she had forgotten to bring her anti-sickness tablets to work with her.

Candeece had texted Rachel while she and Eddie were in the car. The walk-in centre had sent them to the hospital so he could have further tests. Rachel hoped that whatever Rob had given him hadn't done too much damage. To her, he had seemed ok and wasn't experiencing any effects from the pills, but she could be wrong.

The sound of Rachel's foot tapping anxiously against the floor echoed through the waiting room. Her hand was wrapped tightly around Eddie's as she watched the seconds and minutes drag by on the clock on the other side of the room. The subtle smell of disinfectant mixed with pungent air freshener was giving her a headache.

She was uncomfortable too. To be able to have the ultrasound, she needed to have a full bladder. Thankfully, she had drunk a lot of water throughout the day and had only been able to go to the toilet once. She was desperate now, so much so that it was becoming physically painful. She was rocking backwards and forwards a little in her chair just to take her mind off it.

Eddie knew her anxiety was increasing by the minute. Her hand was shaking in his grip, her foot tapping rhythmically against the floor. He placed his free hand on her knee gently, smiling at her when her gaze connected with his. She smiled softly back at him.

"It's ok" he reassured

She nodded quietly.

"Sorry, I'm just worried about... everything" she whispered

Eddie pulled her close to him, placing a kiss in her hair. She sighed, sinking into him and resting her head on his shoulder.

"It's not helping that I feel like I'm going to pee all over the chair at any second" she huffed, shifting uncomfortably

"Nice to know! That explains why you were rocking backwards and forwards a minute ago!" Eddie chuckled

Rachel giggled, wincing at the discomfort the action caused.

"It's becoming a little uncomfortable" she grumbled, shifting in the chair

"Hopefully it won't be much longer before we're seen" Eddie sighed

"I will run to that toilet as soon as they tell me I can go!"

"Rachel Mason, running? Who'd have thought!" he teased

"Don't make me laugh, or I really will pee all over this chair!" she huffed, smacking his chest playfully

"Sorry" he chuckled

"Rachel Mason?"

Rachel sighed in relief at the sound of her name being called. She looked over to the sonographer, who smiled reassuringly at her. Slowly, she stood up, refusing to let go of Eddie's hand as they walked down the corridor.

They were escorted into a large, dimly lit room. The only light source was coming from the computer in the back corner. A bed was placed in the centre of the room, with a chair beside it. A machine was placed on the other side, attached to a screen and other medical equipment.

The sonographer smiled at Rachel and Eddie politely as she shut the door. Rachel would have been more reassured if she hadn't clicked the lock on the door into place. She knew it was to stop someone from walking in, but it still made her uncomfortable. If Eddie didn't have a secure grip on her hand, she would be screaming at the sonographer to let her out.

"Ok, Rachel, my name is Lizzie, I'm going to be doing your ultrasound today"

Rachel smiled at her weakly, her grip on Eddie's hand tightening.

"Is this Dad?" Lizzie asked, looking to Eddie

Rachel nodded.

"Eddie Lawson, nice to meet you" Eddie cut in

Lizzie smiled.

"Alright, Rachel, have you ever had an ultrasound before?" Lizzie asked

"No, but I know how it works" she answered

"Ok, we're going to get you settled onto the bed and then we'll start with the internal ultrasound before doing the external one" Lizzie explained

Rachel frowned at her.

"Internal ultrasound?"

"Yes. We usually do an internal and external ultrasound at your first early pregnancy scan. The internal scan will give us a better idea of how far along you are and if everything is ok with baby, on top of the scan we do on your tummy"

Rachel felt a lump forming in her throat as her heart started to pound against the wall of her chest. She couldn't do this. She knew it was medically necessary for the health of her and her baby. But she was terrified. Her mind uncontrollably wandered back to July and the aftermath of Stuart raping her, having her legs forced into stirrups and being held down by a strong, rough pair of hands when she tried to pull them away. She couldn't do this.

A fire ignited in her lungs, spreading to her chest and throat. There was no oxygen in the room, she couldn't breathe. The world around her began to spin as she rubbed at her chest, attempting and failing to take deep breaths to ground herself. The walls were closing in, inching further and further towards her.

Eddie was watching Rachel carefully. Her face had drained of its colour as her chest began to rise and fall rapidly. She was staring at the wall in front of her, eyes glazed over with tears as her hand started to tremble in his. He knew exactly where her mind had gone to and what she was thinking about. The memories of being in the hospital after Stuart had attacked her still haunted her. She had pretty much been forced to have an internal exam that day. Her legs had been forced into the stirrups so the Doctor's could get the evidence they needed for the Police. He should have known this internal scan would bring up traumatic memories for her.

"Can you give us a few minutes, please?" Eddie requested, looking to Lizzie

Lizzie nodded sympathetically, disappearing through the door at the back of the room.

Eddie turned his attention to Rachel, sitting her down on the bed and pulling her into his arms. She clung onto him tightly, body rigid with fear as she sobbed and fought for breath. Eddie pulled her as close to him as he could, running a hand through her hair softly as her body started to tremble violently.

Rachel's mind was going into overdrive. The same worries and fears over the scan returned.

What if the baby was sick?

What if they weren't growing and developing like they should be?

What if there was no heartbeat?

So many thoughts and worries were racing through her head, blurring into one big ball that she couldn't unravel. She couldn't get her breath, no matter what she tried; her lungs were so tight she felt they would dissolve into dust at any second.

When Eddie heard her breathing become more erratic and wheezy, he pulled apart from her, tilting her chin as he took her hands into his own. She looked at him, eyes filled with fear and tears. Her chest was rising and falling at a dangerously fast rate. He reached up to cup her cheek with his hand, rubbing his thumb over her skin.

"Breathe, darling" he instructed gently

Rachel shook her head. She couldn't do it, her lungs wouldn't allow it. It was physically painful to take even a small breath.

"Come on, darling, do it with me. In and out, nice and slowly" he told her

He began to take slow, deep breaths, in through his nose and out through his mouth, gesturing for Rachel to copy him.

Rachel glanced at him tearfully, reluctantly beginning to mirror him. She winced as her lungs protested, but her determination won out as they eventually expanded and let the oxygen enter her system. She continued to copy Eddie's deep breaths, gripping his jacket tightly between her fingers as she willed herself to keep her eyes open to keep the image of Stuart's sickening grin at bay. She hated that, after all this time, what he had done still affected her and was haunting her like this.

Eddie massaged the back of her hands as her breathing slowed down to an even pace and the tears stopped rolling down her cheeks. She finally lifted her head to look at him, eyes clouded with fatigue as she smiled softly at him.

"Alright?" he asked, tucking her hair back behind her right ear

She nodded quietly.

"I'm sorry" she mumbled shakily

"You don't need to apologise, Rach" he reassured

"I'm just scared" she whispered

Eddie caught the stray tear that fell down her cheek, brushing it away with his thumb.

"I know, I know. But I'm right here, ok? I'm not going anywhere. Why don't I talk to the sonographer and explain?" he suggested

Rachel shook her head.

"I have to have it done... and I want to... I just... I'm scared" she told him

"I know, it's a lot, but we can get through it. You can get through it. We'll take this nice and slowly. If it gets too much or too painful, she will stop, yeah?" he reassured

She nodded, pulling him into a hug.

After a couple of minutes, Eddie pulled apart from her, stroking her cheek gently with his thumb as he smiled at her. She smiled back at him.

"Are you ok?" he asked

She nodded again, a little more confidently this time.

"Hey, just think, the sooner it's done, the sooner you can go to the loo!" Eddie joked

Rachel giggled.

The door at the back of the room creaked open again, an apprehensive Lizzie entering. She smiled warmly at the couple, offering Rachel a box of tissues.

"How are we doing?" she asked

"We're getting there I think" Eddie answered, rubbing Rachel's knee comfortingly

Rachel sniffled, wiping her eyes with the tissue she'd taken from the box. She shot an apologetic look over to Lizzie.

"I'm sorry, I feel like I'm wasting your time" she mumbled

"Not at all. I know this is all a bit overwhelming, Rachel. You take as long as you need, ok?" Lizzie reassured

Rachel sighed, leaning her head against Eddie's chest. He could feel her trembling lightly against him still.

"Rachel, I won't force you to do anything that you don't want to do. If you just want to do the external ultrasound, we can do that. The purpose of the internal ultrasound is just to get a more accurate measure of how things are developing with you and baby. The external ultrasound will give us enough information, but the internal will give us a bit extra" Lizzie explained

Rachel took a deep breath.

"No, it's ok, do the internal scan"

"Are you sure?" Lizzie checked

Rachel nodded.

"Ok, I will leave you to get changed, Rachel. Once you're ready, just pop onto the bed and put this sheet over your bottom half and let me know when it's ok to come in" Lizzie instructed, pulling the curtain around her and Eddie

"Are you sure you're ok with this, Rach?" Eddie checked once Lizzie had disappeared from view

Rachel nodded, slipping off her shoes.

"I'm going to have to have these things done for the next few months, Eddie. I need to try and work through it as best as I can" she told him a she removed her trousers

Eddie nodded quietly, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. He was so proud of her for being so brave, even if she felt she had no choice. He knew how hard this was for her, and the fact that she was being so strong made him love her even more. If he'd been through the hell that she'd been through and had to do this, he wasn't sure he'd be handling it as well as her. She was the strongest woman he'd ever met.

As she settled on the bed and draped the white sheet over herself, he sat down beside her in the chair, pulling her hand into his own. She smiled as he pressed her fingers to his lips, kissing them gently in an attempt to comfort and reassure her. Having him by her side made all of this a lot less scary. Her nerves dissipated as she stared into his soft brown eyes. She felt like she could tackle the world head on with him beside her.

Lizzie returned, sitting on the stool next to the ultrasound machine as she got everything ready.

"Alright, Rachel, we're going to do this internal ultrasound nice and slowly. It will be a little uncomfortable, but it shouldn't be painful. I won't put the screen in front of you for this bit, as I'll just be checking everything is ok and you won't be able to see baby anyway. If it gets too much at any point, let me know and we can take a break or we can stop, ok?"

Rachel nodded, her grip on Eddie's hand tightening.

Once Rachel was comfortable, Lizzie inserted the probe. Rachel winced, taking a deep breath as she closed her eyes. As Lizzie had said, it wasn't painful, but it was definitely uncomfortable, especially with a full bladder that was threatening to burst at any minute. She groaned quietly, desperately trying to lie still. Eddie squeezed her hand gently to get her attention. She turned her head to look at him, sighing as he ran his fingers through her hair, smiling at her reassuringly.

For the remainder of the scan, her eyes remained locked with his. Everything that was going on around her melted away. Eddie was her lifeline.

"Ok, Rachel, we're done. I'd say you were nine weeks pregnant, plus five days" Lizzie announced after a few minutes, gently removing the probe

"And everything is ok?" Rachel checked

"Yes, everything is developing as it should" Lizzie nodded

Rachel and Eddie both sighed in relief.

"Right, I can imagine you really need the loo, so we'll get on with the other ultrasound now"

Rachel nodded with a small laugh. She temporarily let go of Eddie's hand as she rolled her top up, exposing her still flat stomach. She shivered a little as the ultrasound gel was squeezed onto her stomach. She had expected it to be cold, but not that cold!

"Alright, are you ready?" Lizzie asked, looking to the couple

Rachel and Eddie nodded eagerly. Both took a deep, nervous breath, their hands interlocking as the screen was turned towards them.

Lizzie moved the ultrasound probe around Rachel's abdomen. The silence in the room was suffocating. It felt like they had been sat there for hours, waiting for something, anything, to happen.

Rachel was concentrating on Lizzie's face, watching for a smile or a frown of concern, anything to tell her if their baby was or wasn't ok. To her annoyance, Lizzie's face remained blank and neutral.

And then, finally.

"Ok, here we go" Lizzie announced, turning the screen in their direction

It took a few moments before anything appeared on the screen. But when Rachel saw the tiny, blob-shaped foetus on the grainy image, her heart fluttered in her chest and her eyes welled up with tears. That was their baby. They were tiny, not yet in the shape of a baby, but they were perfect.

As she continued to gaze at the screen, an overwhelming feeling of love and joy washed over her. Her worries and concerns melted away, replaced by excitement and curiosity of what the future would hold once their little one was here.

When she had received the positive pregnancy test a few weeks ago, it hadn't felt real. But now, looking at the tiny, bean-shaped blob on the screen, she knew that it was real. In just 31 weeks, the blob on the screen would be a baby, and that baby would be in her arms. This was really happening! She was having a baby. She and Eddie were going to be parents! It was all she had ever dreamed of and more.

She reluctantly turned her head to look at Eddie. If she was honest, she had forgotten he was there and had only just realised his hand was still wrapped around hers. He was staring at the screen, eyes sparkling with love and amazement, confirming to Rachel that he was just as excited and happy about this as she was.

He finally met her gaze, the biggest, proudest smile forming on his face as he stared at her lovingly.

When the sound of a faint, but noticeable heartbeat erupted through the room, Rachel burst into tears, Eddie welling up too. It was the most beautiful sound they had ever heard. If Rachel could have that sound put onto a CD, she would listen to it forever.

"Ok, Rachel, baby looks really healthy and is growing nicely. I'd put your due date at around the 28th of July next year" Lizzie announced

Rachel smiled as relief rushed through her, flushing out all of the worries she'd had before. After everything, their little one was still safe and growing well. They had a steady heartbeat and the morning sickness Rachel had been experiencing hadn't seemed to have affected them. It was going to be ok.

"I managed to get some images from the ultrasound, I'll go and print them while you get dressed and clean yourself up" Lizzie added, stepping out of the curtain

Rachel wiped the ultrasound gel off her stomach before putting her underwear, trousers and shoes back on. She couldn't stop smiling.

Once she was dressed, she turned her attention to Eddie, who had the biggest grin on his face. She stood up, wrapping her arms around his middle as she leaned up to peck him on the lips. This was the happiest moment of her life so far, she was sure of it. It was the start of a new chapter for her and Eddie, one that she hoped was filled with happiness, love and memories to last a lifetime.

"How do you feel, darling?" he asked, snaking his arms around her waist

"Wonderful... but more desperate for the loo than ever!" she giggled, swaying slightly on her feet

Eddie chuckled.

"We're having a baby" he whispered, kissing her forehead gently

Rachel's heart fluttered again.