One week later...

Eddie woke up to the 6AM alarm on his phone screeching at him. He groaned, reaching over to the bedside table to turn it off. When there was silence again, he sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. The thought of lying back down and having another hour of sleep was incredibly tempting, but he knew that he couldn't. Even though he was exhausted, today was the last day of term. At the end of the day, it would be the start of the Christmas holidays. Reminding himself of that gave him the motivation to get up and go into the ensuite to get ready.

Rachel had been discharged from the hospital four days ago. In total, she had spent five days on the ward, under the care of Doctors and Nurses. Those five days had been agonisingly long, Rachel and Eddie had hated every single minute they had spent apart.

It had been worth it though. To both hers and Eddie's relief, she was now eating and drinking properly and was slowly and steadily putting back on the weight she had lost. The dizzy spells and waves of nausea had almost completely disappeared, thanks to the anti-sickness and iron tablets the Doctor had prescribed. The colour had returned to her cheeks, and her energy was slowly returning. Eddie thought she had more of a spring in her step. She was starting to smile and laugh again. It warmed his heart to see that she was getting back to her normal self.

Rachel had also booked her first session with the counsellor, Louise, for next week, two days before Christmas Eve. Eddie was both surprised and relieved that she had decided to go through with it. It seemed that talking to Louise over the phone had taken a weight off her shoulders and she was now actually feeling positive about having counselling sessions. Eddie was proud of her, he knew it wouldn't be easy, but Rachel was the strongest person he had ever met. She would get through this.

From the minute he had picked her up from the hospital to bring her home, she had been talking about coming back to work. He wasn't surprised, not one bit. In fact, he had been expecting her to start the conversation the second they'd got into the car, not when they'd been at home for an hour and she had just gotten into bed after having a shower!

Of course he had told her she wasn't coming back until after the Christmas Holidays now. Even if she was feeling better, she needed to rest. The Doctor had been insistent on this, and Eddie was too.

Thankfully, Rachel hadn't put up too much of a fight when he had said no. Maybe that was because they had compromised and had agreed that (if she was well enough) she could come to work to oversee the last day of term and to attend Bolton's Boxing Match in the afternoon with the rest of the school. Judging by the fact that she hadn't been lying next to him when he'd woken up this morning (like she had been the last few days), he assumed she was feeling ok.

It was going to be a busy morning. The school was closing at lunchtime so that everyone could make their way to Boxing Match, which was due to start at 2pm.

As Acting Head, Eddie had a lot to get done, so, in a way, he was glad he had Rachel by his side, even if he was going to make her sit down and do the bare minimum. The most he would allow her to do would be to sign off some paperwork.

Denzil and Rose Kelly were coming in for a meeting today to discuss settling him back in after the Christmas break. He had been released from prison a few days after Bolton and Paul had made their statements and was now settling back in with his family. That was another reason he was glad Rachel was coming in today. He was sure Denzil would be relieved to be out of the Young Offenders Institute, but Eddie could also imagine that coming back almost midway through the school year, after everything that had happened wasn't going to be easy. He would have a lot to catch up on and would need help settling in and making friends. Denzil needed a teacher like Rachel who could reassure him that everything was going to be ok. He needed someone he could go to when he had a problem. Eddie knew he could be that person, but he felt Rachel was better at the comfort side of things than he was. As a Head Teacher and individual, Rachel had a calming nature about her and was able to put anyone at ease. She was more approachable and the students did seem to warm to her better than him when it came to them being upset or worried about something.

Eddie had also agreed to let Rachel come into school today for another reason. He'd agreed to let her be at work to keep her mind busy. He knew if she was left at home, her mind would wander and she would go into panic mode, which was the last thing she needed today.

Today was the day of their first scan. Eddie couldn't deny it, he was nervous for it, but nowhere near as nervous as Rachel was. Even though the Doctor at the hospital had reassured them both that the baby was fine, it hadn't put Rachel at ease one bit. Eddie hoped that seeing that their little one was ok for herself would help. It was just the build up to the appointment, the anticipation. He hoped that being at school and going to see Bolton in his Boxing Match would distract her.

Once he was dressed and had brushed his teeth, he headed downstairs. The smell of coffee and toast wafted up his nose as he made his way over to the kitchen.

He stood in the doorway for a moment, admiring the scene before him.

Rachel was sat at the table, a hand resting on her stomach. She was talking away to the baby about how to 'properly make a cup of tea'. It was the oddest but most beautiful thing he had ever witnessed.

"You know, your Daddy makes the best cups of tea. He's even better at making them than me! When we first met, he made me a coffee, I gave it back to him and told him to pour it away and make me a cup of tea instead. So he did. And the rest is history"

Eddie smiled. She was going to be the most wonderful Mother.

When she finally looked up and saw him standing there, her face lit up with a smile. Her cheeks turned a shade of crimson as she giggled. She'd had no idea he'd been standing there. Talking to the little baby growing inside her was a habit she had gotten into when she was in hospital and was sat on her own during the day. She didn't know if the baby could hear her just yet, but talking as she rested a hand on her stomach made her feel connected to them, it made it feel more real.

Eddie thought Rachel looked beautiful every day, but today there was something about her that made her look even more stunning than usual. Maybe it was the colour of her patterned burgundy blouse and grey shawl that brought out the intense warmth of her chocolate brown eyes. Maybe it was the way her soft, brown hair fell delicately down to her shoulders, the streaks of blonde glistening in the light. Maybe it was the subtle glow of her skin and rosy cheeks. He wasn't quite sure what the reason was, but her beauty took his breath away.

He moved over to her, kissing her forehead gently as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Morning, darling" he whispered

Rachel hummed contentedly as she leaned into him. She was glad to be out of hospital for many reasons. One of them being that Eddie could kiss her forehead in the morning when he came downstairs and could hold her in his arms like this. She could stay there forever if given the chance.

"Morning" she replied

"There's some toast on the side and I made you a coffee" she added, wriggling out of his embrace

"Thank you. How are you feeling?" he asked

"I'm ok, just a little tired and... worried about the scan tonight" she admitted, sighing deeply

Eddie placed his toast and coffee onto the table before sitting down next to her. He took her hands into his own, squeezing them gently to get her attention. He smiled at her as her big, brown eyes stared into his own.

"It's going to be ok" he reassured

"I know. I know the Doctor said that the baby was fine, but, with the weight loss and the vomiting..."

She paused, taking a deep breath.

"I just... I'm worried, you know?"

Eddie nodded, pulling her into a hug. He felt her immediately relax and melt into his embrace.

There was something about being in Eddie's arms. It did something to Rachel that she couldn't quite describe. The second her head was resting against his chest, the sound of his heart beating steadily against her ear, all her worries and concerns just melted away. She felt completely and utterly safe with him. She'd never felt that way with anyone else before. And she was truly grateful.

Eddie pulled away from her, tilting her chin with his hand.

"Hey, we're in this together, yeah?" he reassured

She nodded, smiling softly as he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

"Are you ready for today? The biggest day in Waterloo Road history?" he asked excitedly, sipping on his coffee

"Are you talking about me coming back to work, or Bolton competing in the UK championships?" she challenged playfully

"Both, of course" he smiled

Rachel giggled.

"Then yes, I'm ready for both"

"Remember, no work for you. You are just overseeing things. Let me handle everything else" he reminded

"I know, I know" she replied, throwing her hands up in mock surrender

"Will you at least let me have some involvement with Denzil's meeting?" she requested

"Yes, but we're handling it together"

"Fine" she huffed, rolling her eyes playfully as she swallowed her iron supplement with some water, followed by her anti-sickness tablet

"Everyone is really excited to watch Bolton today. It's all the kids can talk about!" Eddie exclaimed

"Well, it's a big deal! It's the UK championship! It's exciting!" Rachel pointed out

"If he wins today, it's mainly because of you, Rach"

Rachel scoffed, shaking her head.

"It is! If it wasn't for you he would have quit school last year and he'd probably be in jail by now. You've turned his life around, Rach" he told her

"He did most of it himself" she corrected

"But you helped him"

"Morning" Philip greeted as he walked into the kitchen, interrupting the two of them

"Morning, Phil" Rachel and Eddie replied

"Are you both going to the Boxing Match?" he asked, putting some bread in the toaster

"Yes. Are you coming with us, or are you going on the coach with everyone else?" Rachel responded, swivelling in her chair to look at her nephew

"I'm going on the coach" he confirmed

"Ok, well, remember, we won't be back till a bit later tonight. We'll order a takeaway for tea, ok?" Rachel reminded him

"Ok" Philip nodded

Eddie looked at the time, noting it was 7:15AM. He downed the rest of his coffee, looking over to Rachel.

"We'd best be going, love" he told her

Rachel nodded, standing up.

"We'll see you later, Philip, ok?" Rachel said, turning to her nephew

"See you later. I hope the scan goes well" he replied

Rachel followed Eddie into the hallway, grabbing her bag and slipping her coat and shoes on. Eddie could tell her stress levels were rising, especially as Philip had just mentioned the scan.

Once he had put his shoes on, they were both ready. They stepped out into the frosty December morning, shivering as they both clambered into Eddie's car. He watched as Rachel's hands trembled nervously as she clicked her seatbelt into place. Gently, he reached for her hand, squeezing it to let her know everything was ok. She nodded at him quietly, offering a weak smile. Not even Eddie seemed to be able to calm her rapidly increasing anxiety today.

"Last day" Eddie said, sighing in relief

"Let's do it" Rachel nodded

Eddie smiled, reversing out of the driveway towards Waterloo Road.