I just want to say thanks for all the reviews and reads. It really is amazing to read them and makes writing this even more worthwhile. I have read and taken on board all your comments and suggestions and some have been used. I am aware that part of the situation is realistic. However I am writing this as a fictional piece and am using some 'poetic license.' I hope you all keep enjoying it, thanks again. Tasha x Chapter 20
Jess lifted her head from the toilet. She had been hoping that the morning sickness might have passed. She was nearly twelve weeks pregnant and hadn't been sick for nearly a week. Karen pushed open the bathroom door.
"You ok?"
Jess nodded. "Yeah...maybe it's just nerves..." She had managed a couple of hours sleep after talking to her Mum last night, but she couldn't describe any of it as being particularly restful. However she knew that she needed to go into school. The longer she left facing them the worse it was going to be.
"Ok. Well I'll get breakfast sorted for when you're ready." Karen closed the door behind her. Jess flushed the toilet and took a few deep breaths before standing up. She looked in the mirror. Her hair was sticking to her sweaty face and there were spots threatening to break out on several parts of her face. She sighed before walking back into her bedroom.
Half an hour later she had sorted her hair and put on a basic amount of make-up. Recently she hadn't bothered with the full lot. It seemed like a waste of time. She grabbed her school bits and walked down the stairs. She couldn't help but smile as she saw the breakfast table. There was coffee in the machine and a pile of pancakes being worked on by Bex and Harry. "Now this I could get used to." Jess pulled out the chair next to Karen and sat down.
"Well I wouldn't get too used to it, but I did think that we could all do with something to smile about this morning." She reached over and poured coffee into the mugs in front of Jess and herself. "I know that today isn't going to be easy...but if we can all try and keep calm then it'll be easier...promise."
"That's all very well Mum." For the first time that morning Harry spoke up. "Jess is our sister...and Maria is a bitch..."
Karen tried not to laugh. "That's not going to help anyone...I admit that Maria isn't easy." This time it was Bex that was laughing.
"Er, understatement. Harry's right Mum...she has no right to say anything about Jess...and Dad's being an idiot...he should be able to see what a..."
"As I said before." Karen cut across Bex before the breakfast table being an arena for public slanging of Maria. "We all need to try and stay calm today. I know that isn't going to be easy. Believe me, I would like to tell Maria exactly what I think, but for Jess and for everyone else we need to stay calm. She looked around the table and each of her kids started nodding in agreement. They could do this as a family.
...
Karen pulled the car into the school gates. The four of them had decided to go together. Rob had text Karen to let her know that he was on site early. Karen had to smile. She had only ever intended to see Rob casually. Then when Jess had told her she was pregnant Karen backed right off from Rob. She had expected him to run a mile, but instead he had been there more. He was good with the kids and never pushed anything about what his relationship with Karen was...or where it was going. She felt as though he was the closest friend she had, and she knew that she was falling in love with him. When he protected Jess from Charlie he had cemented everything she already knew.
Karen pulled the car up. She looked into her mirror. Charlie's car pulled into the gates behind her and parked opposite. She felt Jess tense up in the seat next to her.
"I can't do this Mum..." Jess looked up at her. Her normally bright eyes full of worry. Karen could see that she wanted to burst into tears. She reached across and kissed her gently on the cheek.
"Of course you can. You're my girl..." Karen knew that she didn't need to say anymore.
Jess nodded. She reached down and picked up her bag before opening the door and getting out of the car. Karen watched Bex grab one of Jess' arms and walk with her quickly into the building. She made sure that she watched them inside before she checked her hair in her mirror and got out of the car. The first thing that caught her eye was Rob walking from his car towards her. However in front of Rob was Charlie who was also walking towards her and didn't look happy.
"Karen we need to talk." Charlie stopped in front of her and folded his arms across his chest. Maria was following behind and stopped at his shoulder.
Karen could see Rob, he had stopped just behind Maria and Charlie. She knew what he was doing, he wanted to be careful that they couldn't be accused of anything, but at the same time he wanted to be sure that Karen knew he was there for her. She had meant what she had told the kids about staying calm, she was determined to do the same herself. "I think that considering what's happened Charlie this isn't the time or the place to talk. In fact I'm not sure that we should be talking at all." She was careful to stay looking at Charlie, she wasn't sure that she could stay calm once she looked at the woman with him.
Charlie shook his head. "What you mean it, that we shouldn't talk about the lies your daughter has told." He took a step towards her. "Well...we need to talk Karen, and we need to talk soon."
She looked up at him. She was determined to hold her ground. Even though she couldn't see Rob, she knew that as Charlie had moved forward, he would have followed. She picked up her bag. "I said no Charlie." She walked past him and into the school, she gave Rob a smile and he walked in next to her. They didn't say a word. It could all be said later. Karen didn't look back, she didn't need to, she wasn't going to let her children down.
