Eddie pulled Bolton from the cooler, leading him down the corridor to Kim's office where she and Sarah-Leanne were sat talking.

Kim groaned when she saw Eddie enter. She was confused and irritated by his presence in her office, especially when she noticed he had Bolton with him. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours and she already couldn't stand Eddie Lawson. She had an inkling that the feeling was mutual.

"Miss Campbell, Bolton has something he'd like to say" he announced

All eyes turned to Bolton, who suddenly became nervous.

"Miss, it was me that pushed Philip into Sarah-Leanne"

His gaze moved to Sarah-Leanne.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that was going to... I didn't mean to embarrass you or frighten you or anything" he added

Sarah-Leanne scoffed.

"Frighten me? Sweetheart, you want to try doing a personal appearance in Maestro's, Middlesbrough's premier night spot. That'd show you the true meaning of fear"

She moved to step out of the door, slapping Bolton's cheek playfully on the way out. Bolton felt himself blushing at the contact.

The bell rang out to signal the end of the school day. Eddie sighed in relief.

"Go on, Bolton, off you go" Eddie instructed

"Thanks, Sir" he mumbled, leaving the office

As the office door closed, an uncomfortable and tense silence engulfed the room. Kim was a little annoyed that Eddie had dismissed Bolton before she'd had a chance to talk to him properly. There was every chance that he had confessed to cover for Philip. She'd hoped Eddie wasn't the biased type, but she wasn't so sure.

Also, just because Sarah-Leanne didn't want to pursue the incident any further didn't mean that Bolton wasn't in trouble. She hoped he realised that she wouldn't let him get away with it.

"I hope you're not letting him get away scot-free just because Sarah-Leanne isn't pressing charges"

"No, Rachel and I sorted it earlier. He's spending his breaks and lunches in the cooler for the next two weeks" Eddie explained

Kim nodded. It was better than nothing.

"Has he apologised to Philip?" she asked

"Yes. You might want to apologise to him as well" he grumbled

Kim scoffed as he walked away. She knew he was right, but she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of letting him know that she thought so. She and Philip had gotten off to a bad start, there was no denying that. She hadn't liked his attitude this morning when he'd stormed up to her, demanding to know where Sarah-Leanne was. He had acted like a prat. Because of that, she had jumped to conclusions without having all the facts. She did owe him an apology.

She stood up from her chair, sighing as she made her way over to the cooler.

...

Eddie stepped into Rachel's office, watching her as she typed away on her computer. Grace, who was now wide awake, was sitting on her lap, babbling away to herself as she played with a pink teddy bear.

"She's finally awake then?"

Rachel smiled, looking down at Grace before flicking her gaze back to him.

"She was a little unsettled when she woke up. But she's fine now" she explained

"I can see that" he chuckled

He couldn't stop himself from smiling as Grace grinned at him. She was a cute little thing.

"Has Kim not come by to fetch her yet?" he asked

"No, she called by a few minutes ago to say she had something to do and then she'd come and get her" Rachel replied

Eddie nodded.

"What are you doing?" he questioned, watching her continue to type away

"Looking for some counselling for Philip and seeing if there are any clubs in Rochdale that he could join so he can try and make some friends" she explained

Eddie frowned at her, waiting for a more detailed explanation.

With a deep sigh, Rachel relayed her conversation with Philip to Eddie. He was just as shocked as she was. Neither of them had, had any idea.

Eddie couldn't believe how well he'd managed to hide it. He was a good liar, who had mastered masking his feelings. As far as he and Rachel had been aware, he had been going out with friends every night. They had been none the wiser. How had they not noticed?

He felt so guilty, and he knew Rachel was kicking herself for not picking up on it either. It wasn't her fault, but she was going to blame herself anyway. They were both his legal guardians now. They both had a duty to protect and care for him. In this instance, they had both failed.

"Rach, you know this isn't your fault. We both missed it, and we can both fix it" he reassured

She nodded.

"I think we need to have a chat with him properly before we go home. Can you go and fetch him from the cooler for me, please?" she requested

"Of course, I'll be back in a minute" Eddie agreed, leaving the office

Grace's excited squeal pulled Rachel from her thoughts. She followed the little girl's gaze over to the door, eyes falling on Kim. She smiled at the other woman.

"Sorry, I got caught up with a few things. Has she been ok?" Kim asked cooing at Grace

"She's been absolutely fine" Rachel nodded, smiling at the little girl as she passed her over to Kim

"How has your first day been?" Rachel asked

"Good, yeah. A bit challenging, but good. I'm really sorry about what happened with Philip. I've apologised to him. I jumped to conclusions and I shouldn't have"

"Not at all, Kim. I would have done exactly the same" Rachel insisted

"I don't think I've been 100% at my best today, I've made some mistakes. I'm assuming you already know that Chlo Grainger walked out of her NVQ exam this afternoon?"

Rachel nodded.

"That was partially my fault. I was talking to her this morning. I was just a little taken aback that she'd given up on her education when she'd been doing so well before I left and... Well, to cut a long story short, we've sorted it and have come up with a new plan. She's decided to give up hairdressing and wants to go back to doing her A-levels. Would that be ok?" she explained

"Of course. She'll have a bit of catching up to do, but if she puts the work in, I'm sure she can do it. Why don't we set up a meeting to discuss it all with her and Tom?" Rachel suggested

"That sounds good" Kim agreed

Rachel nodded. If she felt anything, it was relief. It was one less thing for her to sort. Whilst Chlo was her student, she didn't know her that well. Getting through to her would have been a challenge. She was grateful that Kim had stepped in and that it was being sorted. Chlo was in safe hands.

"I don't think I've had the opportunity to say it today, but, congratulations" Kim said, nodding to Rachel's stomach

"Thank you" Rachel replied, smiling

"How far along are you?" Kim asked

"Twelve weeks. I've got a long way to go yet!" she laughed

"It'll fly by, trust me!" Kim reassured

"Oh, I know. Eddie and I are already arguing about my maternity leave"

"Let me guess, he thinks you should stay at home for a year to look after the baby? And you want to come back before then and he doesn't agree?" Kim guessed, rolling her eyes

Rachel nodded.

"I guess I won't know what I want to do until I've had the baby. I know I want to be a good Mum and give the baby my full attention, but I think I can do that and do my work here too. Eddie seems to disagree though"

Kim smiled sympathetically. Currently, she wasn't sure who was more unreasonable, Eddie Lawson or Grace. She refrained from stating her true opinion about Eddie Lawson. It wouldn't do her any favours.

"When did you stop working when you were pregnant with Grace, Kim?" Rachel blurted

Kim paused. How was she meant to get out of that one?

"Oh-uhm- I don't really remember to be honest. I went back to work not long after she was born though. Maybe three or four months later?" she answered

Rachel nodded.

"I just... I worry about being a working Mum, you know? I'm worried that I'm currently being naive and it's going to be more challenging than I think it will. But I don't want to prove Eddie right" she sighed

"It's harder than I expected, to be honest. But, I wouldn't change it for the world. And besides, you've got Eddie and Philip to help you out when you need it. You won't be on your own" Kim reassured

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see" Rachel shrugged

"When are you due?" Kim asked

"End of July"

Kim let out a dramatic and sympathetic sigh.

"I know, it's not the best time of the year to be in excruciating pain" Rachel laughed

"Honestly, it's not as bad as you think"

Kim internally kicked herself. What did she know about labour and childbirth? She'd never experienced the pain herself. That didn't mean Grace wasn't her daughter though.

"That's reassuring to know. I guess it's different for everyone though" Rachel replied

"It's good timing really. You could come back after Christmas at the earliest if you felt ready to. Or you could have a bit longer off if you needed it and can return after Easter" Kim suggested

"That's what I was thinking. I could come back in January for the new term, with the baby. I just need to get Eddie on side"

"He'll come round to the idea, I'm sure" Kim reassured

Rachel nodded. She wasn't entirely sure he would, but she was hopeful. Eddie wasn't backing down on his argument toward the situation, and she wasn't going to either. Someone would have to win in order to get their way. She was determined that it would be her.

"I should get going. Thank you so much for looking after Grace for me" Kim announced, shifting Grace onto her other hip

"No problem at all. I'll see you tomorrow, Kim" Rachel nodded

She watched as the Mother and daughter exited the office. Grace smiled at her cheekily, waving at her. Rachel smiled, waving back at her.