Five days later...
After spending two more blissful days in Whitby, Rachel and Eddie made their way home on Friday night.
Rachel hadn't wanted to leave Whitby and had been quite sad about the fact that they'd had to. Over the week they had spent in Whitby, she had fallen in love with its charm and beauty. It had only been two days since they'd returned, and she already missed waking up to the sounds of the sea and going for strolls on the beach or around the town. The memories she had made there with Eddie would be ones she would remember forever. It was definitely a place they would be going back to fairly soon.
The only reason she didn't have 'Holiday blues' was because she and Eddie had spent the last two days getting ready to go back to work. She was nervous, but she was looking forward to going back. It was going to be a good term; she would make sure of it.
It was Monday morning, the first day back after the Christmas Holidays. Rachel and Eddie had a busy day ahead of them, what with the return of Kim Campbell in her role as Head of Pastoral Care. There was a lot to do and that's how Rachel liked it.
When Eddie finally arrived in the kitchen, dressed and ready for the day, it was 6AM. Rachel had, as usual, woken up at 5AM. Being pregnant was making her more tired than usual, meaning that it was no longer so easy to get out of bed so early. But she was determined to keep to her routine.
"Morning" Eddie greeted, placing a kiss on her cheek
Rachel smiled, relishing in the way her heart fluttered as his lips made contact with her skin.
"Morning. Are you ready for today?" she replied, shutting down her laptop
"About as ready as I'll ever be, Rach" he chuckled
"Don't forget we've got Kim starting back today" she reminded
Eddie groaned, causing Rachel to sigh.
"What is your problem with her?"
"Nothing... it's just... well, she left Jack in the lurch at the last minute to go to Rwanda, meaning that Steph had to be put in as Head of Pastoral Care. It just makes me question her commitment, who's to say she won't do it again? If she hadn't left in a rush, we could have found someone better to do the job!"
Rachel sighed, rubbing her hand over her forehead. She understood where Eddie was coming from, but she didn't completely agree. Just because someone upped and left abruptly, didn't mean they were incapable of doing their job. Before Kim had left, she had been Head of Pastoral Care for six years. Rachel had only ever heard good things about her work at Waterloo Road. She was a valued member in the eyes of the students and staff. Tom wouldn't have recommended her if he didn't think she was good.
"Just give her a chance, for me?" she requested, wrapping her arms around his waist
Eddie rolled his eyes playfully as he dropped a kiss in her hair.
"Anything for you, darling" he whispered
Rachel smiled softly.
"Have you eaten?" he asked
"No, I was waiting for you" she told him
"Cereal and a banana?" he guessed
"Yes, please" she nodded, swallowing her tablets with some water
Eddie passed her the box of cereal, as well as the milk and orange juice. He also placed a banana and a small handful of walnuts onto a small plate for her.
"So, are we going to tell everyone our news today, or not?" he asked as he buttered his toast
"Well, I don't think we'll be able to hide either of them for very long" she pointed out, placing a hand on her stomach
Eddie chuckled. She wasn't wrong. Whilst she was only twelve weeks pregnant, her still flat stomach was growing and changing each week. It wouldn't be long before it would become noticeable that she was pregnant.
And as for the ring on her finger, well, you couldn't miss it! Even though it was small, it was still distinctive and eye-catching.
"We don't have to announce anything until you feel ready, Rach. Our relationship and private lives are none of their business" he told her
"I know. Steph already knows I'm pregnant and I wouldn't put it past her to tell people. I don't want to be a source of gossip, so I think we should tell them about the baby and the engagement in this morning's briefing"
Eddie nodded.
"If that's what you want to do, Rach, that's fine"
"Are you sure? This has to be as much of your decision as it is mine" she checked
Eddie reached for her hand, squeezing it gently.
"Rach, I'll back you all the way, whatever you decide" he reassured
Rachel smiled. She loved him so much.
It was at that moment that Philip walked into the kitchen. Rachel had noticed over the last two days that he seemed a little down and quiet. He wasn't exactly chatty and confident normally, but he was definitely more upbeat and talkative than this.
During his stay with Candice and Bolton, Philip had picked up some of Bolton's catchphrases. He was also now into rap music, which made Rachel cringe a little. Bolton wasn't a bad kid, and she had no issue with rap music, but it just wasn't Philip and she was a little concerned that he was just pretending to like it to fit in.
Rachel had expressed her concerns to Eddie, who had told her to "Let him be" and that he would find his own feet eventually. She hoped he was right.
She watched as he headed over to the sink to get a glass of water. He kept his head down the whole time, not even giving his usual "Good morning" greeting. He was quiet as a mouse and she could feel a sad, low energy radiating from him.
There had still been no word from Melissa. Philip had decided to text her, but had received no response. Rachel hadn't really had chance to discuss it with Philip, but she was beginning to wonder if Melissa's lack of contact was making him feel low.
She headed over to the sink, standing next to him as she placed her bowl on the side. He looked up, offering her a weak smile. The lights of the kitchen highlighted the dark circles under his eyes.
"Are you ok?" she asked him gently
"Fine" he nodded, grabbing a cereal bar from the cupboard next to him
Before Rachel could question him further, he had left to kitchen and was heading up the stairs. She sighed heavily, her concern for her nephew only growing.
"He's fine, Rach. He's probably just nervous for the first day back" Eddie reasoned, sensing her worry
Rachel nodded, unconvinced. She had a niggling feeling that there was more to it than that.
...
When 7:30AM rolled around, Eddie and Rachel made their way to work.
Rachel couldn't deny that she was nervous. The first day back could be a disaster, or a success. It could be chaos, or perfectly calm. She hoped it would be calm and she would come home feeling positive.
She was looking forward to going back. She hadn't really missed the paperwork, but she had missed the kids. The chaos was something she was looking forward to going back to, as long as it was good chaos and not bad. There was a big difference between the two.
When they arrived in the school car park, Rachel spotted Kim getting out of her car.
"Oh, look, here's our new Head of Pastoral Care. We should have got the red carpet out, shouldn't we?" She said to Eddie with a light chuckle
Eddie smiled weakly, suppressing the heavy sigh that was desperate to escape.
He was still sceptical about this, Rachel could tell by the expression on his face. She was going to have a job trying to get him to come around to the idea. He could be as stubborn as she was sometimes.
"Shall we go and say hello?" she suggested
"Sure" he nodded
They grabbed their bags and got out of the car, heading in Kim's direction. Rachel greeted her with a beaming smile.
"Good to see you, Kim!"
Kim smiled back. This was her first time meeting Rachel Mason in person. Kim liked to think she was a confident person, but she couldn't lie, the thought of returning to Waterloo Road had made her feel nervous. Meeting new people and reuniting with old colleagues was sometimes a little intimidating. Waterloo Road had changed so much since she'd left, she was worried as to whether she'd still fit in.
Her nerves had disappeared when she'd seen Rachel making her way over to her from the other side of the car park. She had a warm energy to her and a kind smile that put her at ease.
"Hi" she greeted
"It must be strange coming back to your old haunts, eh?" Rachel commented
"Yeah... yeah... a lot of memories" Kim nodded, glancing fondly at the school building as she swung her bag onto her shoulder
The sound of scuffling gravel caught Rachel's attention. She turned to Eddie, who was nervously kicking at the ground with his shoe. She nudged him to let him know she was about to make introductions.
"Kim, this is Eddie Lawson. He's my Deputy and my... well, my fiancé"
Eddie smiled politely at the other woman, shaking her hand.
"Nice to meet you" Kim greeted
"You too, Kim" he replied
His tone was a little cold. Kim hadn't noticed it, but Rachel had.
"I've got to say, Rachel, I'm blown away by what you've done here. There's a real family-feel to the school" Kim complimented
Rachel smiled.
"Thank you"
"I hope that spreads to the management team as well?" Kim joked in an attempt to break the ice
She looked to Eddie. It was obvious that he was uncomfortable in her presence, but she wasn't sure why.
"I hope you're not disappointed" he answered sarcastically
An awkward silence engulfed the air. Rachel wanted to shoot Eddie a stern glare, but she refrained. She had asked him to be nice and he had done the exact opposite. Kim's return probably wasn't going to be as smooth sailing as she'd hoped.
"Right, well, shall we get started?" Rachel asked, breaking the deafening silence
"Yeah-uhm- can you just... give me two seconds?" Kim requested, opening the back door of her car
Rachel smiled when she saw the car seat with the little girl sitting contentedly inside. She hadn't told Eddie that Kim had a daughter; she didn't really think it was relevant. It didn't affect her ability to do her job.
She had to fight hard to stop herself from laughing as he watched Kim lift the little girl onto her hip.
"Do you need a hand carrying anything, Kim?" Rachel offered
"Yes, please. Can you just grab that bag on the seat for me?"
Rachel nodded, grabbing it and handing it to a still bewildered Eddie. He huffed angrily, swinging the bag onto his shoulder as Kim walked the short distance to join them. He was incredibly confused by all of this.
"A baby?" was all he could stutter out as Rachel and Kim moved to walk ahead
Kim and Rachel paused, turning back around to face him.
"Yeah, you know... a small human being?" Kim answered sarcastically
Rachel smirked.
Eddie rolled his eyes as they continued to walk along. His annoyance and confusion dissipated a little when he saw Rachel interacting with Kim's daughter, Grace. He smiled as he watched her pulling faces at her and chatting to her, causing the little girl to giggle. She was a natural with children.
They arrived in the school corridor. Kim looked around curiously. The place hadn't changed one bit.
"I'll let you go and get Grace settled in the crèche, Kim. When you're ready, come to my office and we'll have a chat, ok?" Rachel suggested
Kim nodded, making her way down the corridor. Rachel smiled as Grace waved at her.
She turned to Eddie, who looked less than impressed by the whole situation. She sighed. They needed to have a chat before things got worse.
"Come on, Lawson" she huffed, taking his hand and dragging him up to her office