Ten minutes later, Kim stepped into Rachel's office. Grace was settled contentedly on her hip.

"Eddie passed me in the corridor and gave me some money to get you something to eat from the canteen. He thought you wouldn't have anything otherwise" she explained, holding up a sandwich

"Thanks, Kim" Rachel smiled gratefully, taking the food from her

"That's ok. I thought I should do it so I didn't end up in Eddie's 'bad books' again" Kim replied with a laugh

Rachel smiled weakly, opening the sandwich. She wasn't massively hungry, but she knew she needed to eat. Not just for her health, but for the baby's too. If she didn't eat now, she would run the risk of becoming lightheaded during the afternoon, which was the last thing she wanted or needed.

"Is everything ok?" Kim asked

"Yes, sorry. I'm just... worried about Philip" Rachel replied, a deep sigh escaping her lips

Kim frowned.

"Why? What's happened?" she questioned, sitting down in the chair opposite Rachel's desk and placing Grace onto her lap

"He kicked off in Eddie's class. Karla drew a picture of him and he just... lashed out" Rachel explained

Kim sighed, offering her friend a sympathetic smile. She decided to refrain from mentioning the comments Philip had made about a woman's breasts when he had been in her lesson this morning. The last thing she wanted to do was add to Rachel's stress. And besides, she had shot him down quite quickly. There was no need for any further action.

"I just don't know what to do, Kim" Rachel blurted

"Do you have any contact with his Mum?" Kim asked

Rachel scoffed.

"She is the reason he lives with me and Eddie, she was physically and emotionally abusive! I didn't even know he existed until a few months ago! Before that, Melissa and I hadn't spoken for nearly 20 years. I took him in when she kicked him out and ran away. I'm just unsure if that was the right choice now" she explained

"What was the alternative?" Kim questioned

"Foster care. I couldn't do that to him though"

Kim nodded sympathetically.

"I take it his Dad isn't in the picture either?"

Rachel shook her head.

"He left when Philip was two, apparently. Philip has contacted him. He posted a letter to his address yesterday. I don't hold out much hope for him to get in touch to be honest. Even if he did, he wouldn't be able to do much"

"It's a tough one" Kim replied

"You can say that again!" Rachel huffed, running a hand through her hair

"I think you're doing your best in what is an impossible and difficult situation, Rachel" Kim commented

"I'm not so sure"

"Well, for starters, a lot of people in your situation would probably have put him straight into care. You've given him a roof over his head and you care about him. That to me is you and Eddie doing your best" Kim pointed out

Rachel nodded quietly. She still wasn't convinced that was the truth. But there was no point dwelling on any of it. She had a school to run.

So, she changed the subject.

"I had a look into what we were talking about earlier. I'm sorry, Kim, I can't get you an advance on your salary"

"Oh, that's ok, don't worry about it! I'll ask my Mum. I should have just asked her in the first place" Kim reassured, her heart filling with dread

"Are you sure?" Rachel checked, feeling guilty that she wasn't able to help her out more

"Yeah" Kim nodded

Grace suddenly started squealing, reaching out for Rachel from across the desk. Rachel smiled at her, wrapping her fingers around her tiny hand.

"Hello, you" she cooed

Grace replied with a bright, beaming smile that melted Rachel's heart. She laughed at the toddler as she started to squirm in Kim's grasp to get to her.

"I think she wants a cuddle" Kim laughed, passing her over to Rachel

Rachel smiled, finishing the rest of her sandwich as she placed Grace onto her lap. To her surprise, she settled instantly, resting her head against Rachel's shoulder.

"Was that what you wanted? Hm?" Rachel asked her

Grace giggled, the sound warming Rachel's heart.

She turned her attention back to Kim.

"Is she settling in at the Crèche now?"

"A little. She still cries when I leave, but not as much" Kim answered

"That's a good sign, isn't it?"

Kim nodded.

Her eyes were suddenly drawn to the window, beyond the playground and to the gates where David was loitering. Her heart started to race. She had thought he'd gone and would leave her alone. Wishful thinking.

"Everything ok?" Rachel asked

Kim turned, wiping her sweaty palms on her trousers. She needed to deal with this before more trouble was caused.

"Kim?" Rachel prompted

"Yeah, yeah, everything is fine. Would you mind just watching Grace for a few minutes? I just need to make a phone call before we start the interviews"

"Of course" Rachel nodded

Kim smiled gratefully. There weren't many people that she trusted to look after Grace. Rachel was one of the few. Grace liked her and she knew she would be safe with her.

"I won't be long"

Grace started to become a little fussy as Kim stepped out of the office. Rachel bounced her gently on her knee in the hopes of preventing any tears.

"It's alright, Grace. Mummy is coming back" she soothed

The little girl settled instantly, rubbing her eyes as she snuggled into Rachel.

...

Kim marched up to the school gates. The smug grin on David's face made her feel sick. Why couldn't he just leave her and Grace alone?

"Why are you still here?" she hissed, lowering her voice so that the loitering students nearby couldn't hear

"Do you have my money?" he asked

Kim shook her head, heart pounding against her chest as she watched his expression darken.

"Do you think I'm joking? I want my money by the end of the school day, or my family will have to take whatever action necessary to retrieve Grace from you" he growled

He walked away, leaving a trembling Kim at the school gates, fighting for her breath. She had known David was serious and she had genuinely believed that she would be able to get him off her back. But she couldn't give him the money he wanted, not by the end of the day at least. All hopes of being able to had now gone. Trying to get an advance on her salary had been her last chance. There were no options left, and now there was a threat on her life.

She knew David's family well. Their threats were never harmless or empty. They would do whatever it took to get Grace. That included murdering or harming anyone who got in the way. She couldn't even run and take Grace with her. She'd done that before by taking Grace back to England with her, and today he'd found her. She was stuck with no one to help her. She had never felt so powerless in her life. Usually, she could always find a solution to everything. Every situation was fixable in one way or another. But this wasn't.

The only solution to this was to give David the money. But how could she if she didn't have it? And even if she did have it, there was no guarantee he would go away. People like that always came back wanting and demanding more.