Rachel didn't even acknowledge Eddie when he walked into her office. She had emptied out the entire contents of her bag at this point, hoping that she had been mistaken and had actually put her medication into her bag. It was clear now that she definitely hadn't.
Eddie was completely oblivious to the contents of Rachel's bag being strewn across her desk, or the fact that she was panicking about something. He was too busy worrying about the mess he had just made with Steph. Rachel was going to kill him when he told her what he'd done. But he had to tell her, he had to be honest.
"Rach, we've got a problem"
Rachel's head shot up at that. She was wondering how much worse his predicament was compared to hers. By the worried look on his face, she knew it was bad.
"What is it?" she asked
"Steph knows you're pregnant, she didn't react well. I'm sorry... I confronted her about she said to you last week, and I told her that what she'd said had really upset you. She kind of put two and two together and figured it out. I'm so sorry, Rach"
If he had told her this any other time, she probably would have freaked out. But his words had gone straight over her head. It didn't matter. Steph finding out that the person she currently hated most in the world was pregnant wasn't a big deal. It was going to happen eventually anyway.
"It's fine, Eddie" she mumbled, putting some items back into her bag
Eddie raised an eyebrow at her, taken aback by her calmness toward the situation. He began to wonder if she had actually heard what he'd said. He'd expected her to have a go at him, or to do something other than what she was doing right now when he'd told her. Her relaxed attitude frightened him a little.
"It is?" he questioned
"Yes, Eddie. It's the least of my problems right now anyway" she sighed, slamming her bag down on the desk in frustration
"Hey, hey, what's happened?" he asked gently, moving to stand beside her
"I've left my anti-sickness tablets at home. I completely forgot to put them in my bag when we left this morning" she blurted
Whilst he knew she was panicking, Eddie couldn't help but be relieved that it wasn't anything more serious. Of course this was serious, but it was fixable.
"Rach, it's ok. Why don't we stop off at home on the way to the Boxing Match and get them?" he suggested
"We can't, Eddie. It'll take too long. Even if we go now, we'll still be late for the match" she sighed
"It'll be fine, Rach. We won't be ridiculously late if we go now. It'll only be by five minutes at the most" he reasoned
"No, Eddie. I'll be ok" she insisted
"You won't" he argued
"I will. I took one before we left this morning. I felt a bit sick earlier, but it's gone now. I'll be ok till we get home tonight. I've got water in my bag, I can manage"
Eddie sighed. She wasn't going to back down on this.
"If you're sure"
"I am. I just need to eat something" she nodded
"It's a good job I went to the canteen before coming up here then, isn't it?" he chuckled, placing the sandwich and orange juice on her desk
"Have I ever told you I love you?" Rachel smiled, leaning up to kiss him
"Once or twice" he laughed
"Eat that and see how you feel afterwards" he instructed, opening his own sandwich
Rachel nodded.
Ten minutes later, their sandwiches had been eaten and Rachel had finished her orange juice. They were sat side by side on the sofa, Rachel's head resting comfortably on Eddie's shoulder. The queasy feeling she'd felt before had gone completely now she'd eaten something.
"Are you feeling ok?" Eddie asked, running a hand across her upper back
She nodded.
"I just can't believe I forgot to put the tablets in my bag" she grumbled
"I guess 'baby brain' is a real thing, eh?" Eddie teased
"It's not funny, Eddie!" she huffed, unable to suppress the giggle that escaped her lips
Eddie chuckled, pecking her gently on the lips.
"Are you sure you'll be alright without your tablets?" he checked
"I'll be fine, I promise. I can't rely on them forever" she insisted
Eddie nodded.
"In that case then, we should get going" he told her, placing a kiss in her hair
"I'm too comfy" she mumbled, settling further into him
Eddie laughed, standing up.
"Come on, lazy bones! We've got a Boxing Match to go to" he teased, pulling her to her feet
Rachel giggled.
"I need to nip to the toilet before we go. Shall I meet you on the playground?" she asked, swinging her bag onto her shoulder as they stepped out of the office
"Ok" he nodded, kissing her cheek gently
Rachel headed into the toilets.
When she came out of the cubicle, her heart filled with dread. Steph was stood by the sink, washing her hands. The last thing Rachel wanted was a confrontation.
Steph spotted her in the reflection of the mirror. She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.
"I don't bite, Rachel" she said coldly
Steph was right. She was being stupid. She took a silent, deep breath, heading over to the other sink. She wished her legs would stop shaking.
"Hi, Steph" she greeted, massaging the soap into her hands
Rachel didn't miss the subtle glare that was shot in her direction as she ran her hands under the water.
"Are you going to the Boxing Match?" she asked tentatively
"Of course. Are you?"
"Yes" Rachel nodded
"I wasn't sure if you'd be too sick, what with you being 'knocked up' and all that"
Rachel rolled her eyes.
"No, Steph. I'm fine"
"Good. Congratulations on Baby Lawson" Steph replied, her tone icy and laced with spite
Rachel couldn't stand it. The tension in the staff toilets was insufferable. She could feel the anger and hatred Steph had radiating onto her. They couldn't carry on like this. She wanted to come back in two weeks time and not have to feel like she had to tread on eggshells around Steph. They used to be friends. Steph had been the one to talk some sense into her when she had thrown Eddie out after he had showed her the petition Bolton had made. Steph had been the one who had sat with Eddie when she was unconscious in the hospital after Stuart's attack. Steph had been the one to pull her to safety, away from Stuart when he had tried to attack her again in her own home. She had stayed with her and Eddie until the Police had arrived. They had been good friends before all of this. She wanted that back.
"Look, Steph, I know you blame me for what happened to Maxine, but can we sit down and talk, either one day during the holidays, or when we come back? I... hate this tension between us"
Steph frowned at her.
"Tension? What tension? I think you are the one with the problem, Rachel. I'm happy for you and your baby. Let's just hope they don't end up becoming a prostitute, eh?"
Rachel scoffed, the comment rolling off her as Steph left the toilets. She tried to ignore the pang of hurt that shot through her. Steph was grieving and angry, she didn't mean it. That's what she needed to keep telling herself.
She exited the toilets, heading downstairs and onto the playground where Eddie was waiting for her. She stood next to him, helping him to usher the kids onto the coaches.
"You took your time" Eddie commented, nudging her gently
"I bumped into Steph" she told him
Eddie paled, his heart filling with dread.
"Don't panic. It was fine" she soothed, sensing his worry
Eddie knew it wasn't fine. He could tell by the way she couldn't quite look him in the eye. He wouldn't put it past Steph to twist the knife one last time before they broke up for Christmas.
"Did she say anything to you about the baby?" he questioned, placing a hand on her arm
She wanted to say yes. She wanted to repeat what Steph had said. She wanted to rant and get it off her chest. This was upsetting her, and she knew Eddie could offer her the comfort that she was craving. But she also knew he would kick off and start an argument with Steph. She didn't need that right now.
"No, we were... just talking about the Boxing Match"
He observed her carefully as she chewed on her bottom lip, fighting hard to keep the tears at bay. What she had just said was evidently a lie. He wanted to know the truth, he wanted her to trust him and get it off her chest. But he knew not to push it with her. She would tell him when she was ready.