Two days later...

It was 5AM on a Wednesday morning. Rachel sighed contentedly as she sipped on her cup of tea at the kitchen table, waiting for her laptop to load. It was a cold and grey morning. Whilst it was currently pitch black outside, she could hear the rain pelting against the glass and the wind howling through the gap in the front door. She didn't really care though. The sounds were a comfort, blocking out the silence of the quiet house. She was the only one awake, not by choice. She'd woken up at 4:30AM and couldn't get back to sleep, so had decided to get up.

She couldn't deny it; she was in a good mood today. Rochdale's miserable weather wasn't going to ruin her good mood.

Yesterday, she had, had her second counselling session with Louise. It had gone well, to her surprise and relief. It was hard, opening up to a stranger, but at the same time, it was incredibly cathartic.

It was the first time since Eddie that she had opened up to anyone.

Even though it was only her second session, she was getting along with Louise so well. She'd put her at ease the second they'd met. She listened, didn't judge and responded to the things Rachel spoke about with compassion and empathy. They talked through her problems and her distant and current past in a way that was logical and gentle.

Eddie knew all there was to know about Rachel, and she knew everything about him. They had no secrets. But there were some things that Eddie did know about that she couldn't discuss with him, such as her nightmares, her childhood, the hell she went through as a prostitute, what happened the night Stuart attacked her, and the fears that were rooted deep into her soul. Even though he was supportive and loving and she knew he would listen, it was too painful. Exploring these things with Louise was lifting the weight off her shoulders. As hard as it was being vulnerable, she was glad she was doing it. Maybe one day she would have the courage to discuss these things in depth with Eddie.

The fact that her counselling sessions were going well wasn't the only thing make her feel upbeat this morning. Tonight, she and Eddie were going to the hospital for their twelve week scan. Rachel was looking forward to seeing her little one again and to see how much they'd grown since a few weeks ago. It was the first appointment they'd had for the baby that she wasn't worrying about and was actually looking forward to.

Last time, it had been the most magical experience seeing the tiny, blob-shaped baby on the screen for the first time and hearing their heartbeat. It had made it feel more real in a way. She couldn't wait to get the up-to-date scan photo and sit on the sofa with Eddie to compare it with the nine week scan photo to see how much they'd grown and changed.

Progress had also been made with Philip in the last 48 hours. Baby steps, of course, but still steps in the right direction. Rachel had completed and sent off his referral to the school counsellor. She hoped that, by the end of the week, Philip would have had had an initial assessment before being offered weekly sessions. They were still looking for an after school club he could go to.

He had also written a letter to his Dad, which they had posted last night. It was now a waiting game for a response, if he would respond at all.

Rachel couldn't deny it, she was nervous. Philip wanted to do this, and he was aware of the potential repercussions. She was proud of him for taking the leap and reaching out to him. But she also knew these things didn't always have a good outcome. The last thing she wanted was for Philip to get hurt.

In himself, Philip seemed a lot brighter. To say it had only been two days, there had been a huge turn around. Rachel was glad. She had been concerned about his mood, especially with his GCSE mock exams starting tomorrow. She knew they were only mocks, but he still needed to take them seriously.

At 6AM, Eddie made his way downstairs.

He stopped in the kitchen doorway, watching Rachel. She had her back to him, humming to herself as she made her breakfast. When she turned and saw him, she smiled. Eddie's heart skipped a beat when he saw the sparkle in her chocolate brown eyes.

"You're in a good mood" he observed as she walked over to him

"I'm just happy" she shrugged, pressing a kiss to his lips

"Any particular reason?" he asked curiously, wrapping his arms around her waist

"Well, I have you. And we're seeing our little one tonight"

Eddie mirrored her smile. Her good mood and positive energy was infectious.

"Those are two very good reasons" he agreed

"I think so" she whispered

Eddie chuckled, kissing her forehead gently. He was glad that she was excited for this scan. He was excited too. Seeing their little one on the ultrasound screen would never get old or boring. He was counting down the days until they would be in his and Rachel's arms.

"Don't forget to drink loads of water today" he reminded

Rachel groaned. She had forgotten about that.

Aside from the internal scan she'd had last time (which she didn't need to have today), having a scan with a beyond full bladder was the most uncomfortable thing she had ever experienced. It was so bad, it was physically painful. It had been worth it of course and she was more than happy to do it again to be able to see the baby, but she just hated the feeling of it.

Eddie chuckled as she groaned, dropping a kiss in her hair.

"Just remember what you're doing it for, eh?" he whispered, placing a hand on her stomach

Rachel smiled.

"Just don't make me laugh while we're waiting at the hospital, ok?" she huffed

"No guarantees, Rach, I am a comedian by nature!"

She giggled, proving Eddie's point.

"Come on 'Mr. Funny Man', make your coffee and eat some toast" she instructed, shoving an empty mug into his hand and sliding the loaf of bread over to him

Eddie chuckled, doing as he was told.

"Busy day ahead?" he asked, switching on the kettle

"Always" she nodded, nibbling on her toast

She wasn't wrong about that. She had a ton of paperwork to do (as usual), as well as a meeting with Tom, Chlo and Kim.

She also planned to have a word with Bolton about his actions on Monday. There was no denying that she was still furious with him for what he'd done, but she knew why he was behaving like an idiot again.

With Rob Cleaver having left, handing in his resignation letter to the LEA over the holidays, Bolton no longer had a coach or Boxing sessions. Whilst Rachel hadn't approved of Rob's 'training methods', she knew that Boxing had kept Bolton focussed and out of trouble. He was going to go off the rails again if she didn't do something quickly.

Thankfully, the LEA had sent in another PE Teacher, Aaron Davidson. Rachel had spoken to him yesterday. He had agreed to carry on Bolton's sessions, but they had agreed to open it up to any other students who wanted to join, meaning it would be a Boxing Club, rather than 1-1 sessions. All Rachel had to do now was get Bolton on board.

She was also holding interviews for a Healthy Eating Co-ordinator, a scheme initiated by the LEA. They'd only informed her yesterday that the interviews were taking place, so she'd had very little time to prepare.

If she was honest, she didn't see the point. The food Candeece and Rose made was perfectly acceptable. Why change it? Once again, what the LEA wanted, the LEA got.

That was the plan for today. Her jam-packed schedule didn't even cover unforeseen disasters, like student fights, bad behaviour or staff absences, which she knew were all highly likely to happen. There was no doubt in her mind that by the end of today she would be exhausted and rushed off her feet. The thought of the scan was keeping her going.

...

Three hours later...

It was the first lesson of the day for Kim Campbell, and it seemed to be going well.

With Davina away, she had been a little nervous about having Karla in her class. Davina had reassured her yesterday that Karla was more than capable of being in an Art class on her own and if there were any problems, she would just say. Having only known Karla for less than ten minutes, it hadn't put Kim at ease. But she'd refused to complain, she had worked with students who were much more complex and challenging than Karla.

As it turned out, Davina had been right. They were halfway through the class, and Karla was getting on with her work with no issues. Kim was impressed, not just by Karla's calm behaviour, but also by the talent she had for drawing. Her work was some of the best she'd seen! It captured every minute detail of her inspiration. Realistic and creative all at the same time.

She was so impressed that, with Karla's permission, she'd showed the class her work as an example of what they should be drawing and focussing on.

Whilst she was doing that, there was a knock on the door. All heads turned to see Tom (Mr Clarkson) stood in the doorway. Kim smiled at him.

"Sorry to interrupt, Miss Campbell. You've got a visitor" he explained

Kim frowned at him. She hadn't been expecting anyone. Who would come to visit her when she was at work?

Confusion turned into fear when she saw David Medar, Grace's uncle from Rwanda, step forward. Her heart began to pound rapidly against her chest when she saw the smug look on his face and the evil glint in his eye.

How had he found her? That was the first question that came to her mind. He had been calling her relentlessly over the past couple of weeks, she knew that. Of course she had deliberately ignored his calls, hoping that he would give up and go away. Now, he was here, in front of her, and she was sure she had never been more terrified. How could she be so stupid and naive to think that he wouldn't track her down?

Tom's eyes darted back and forth between Kim and David, sensing the tension between them. When he shot a questioning glance at Kim, she brushed it off, snapping out of her daze and back into reality. She had to go along with the lie and pretend that she had been expecting him.

"Yes, thank you, Tom. Could you take him to Reception for me, please? As you can see, I'm in the middle of a class"

"Sure. I can give you a tour of the school if you like?" he offered, turning to David

"That would be great. Maybe I can go to the crèche and pay Grace a visit? She must be missing her Uncle" David replied, grinning at Kim

"Yeah, of course. I'll take you up there now" Tom nodded

Before Kim could protest, they were gone. She stood frozen in the doorway, desperately trying to calm her racing heart. All she knew was that he couldn't get to Grace, she couldn't let him. He would take her away and she refused to let that happen.

"Miss! Robbie just drew on my work!" one of the students whined

That was enough to snap her back into reality. She had a job to do, she was at work. She had a responsibility for her students. She turned to them, ignoring the confused glances.

"You can all pack away and have a ten minute break before your next lesson" she told them

The students cheered, rising from their seats as they threw their belongings into their bags.

Without hesitation, Kim dashed out of the room, sprinting down the corridor and up the stairs as fast as her legs could carry her towards the crèche where David and Tom would be. She sighed in relief when she saw the two of them stood in the corridor, chatting. The door to the crèche was closed, meaning that Grace was, for now, safe.

Tom and David stared at her for a moment as she caught her breath.

"Thanks, Tom. I can take it from here" she said, smiling politely

Tom nodded, saying goodbye to David before descending down the stairs.

Once she was sure he was gone, she shot David an angry glare. She wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug grin off his face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she spat

"Well, you've been avoiding my calls. I had no choice, I had to come" he replied with an innocent shrug

Kim sighed.

"What do you want, David?" she asked nervously

She watched as the evil glint flickered in his dark brown eyes. There was no doubt in her mind that she was in trouble.