Holding her close (Waterloo road)

TwentyThree

Chloe knew how she was struggling with all that had happened. She felt like her mental health was taking its toll on her.

Chloe knew she and Tom had talked about having another baby. But part of her didn't feel like she was ready for it.

She knew that she wanted Poppy to have a sibling. Like how she had Grace. But with all that had happened, she didn't know how she truly felt about it all.

It was hard for her. She had been through hell so much in the past few months. And she felt like she needed to move on from that before she had another baby.

She knew that Tom was excited. And she didn't think she could take that excitement from him. It wasn't going to be easy at all. 

Chloe needed to open up. And she needed go tell someone how she was feeling. She was scared. She didn't want to be judged.

All she knew was that things were falling apart. And she had no idea how to deal with it all.

Morning came and she was lying in bed with Tom. She saw him looking at her. "What?" She asked.

"I hope we have a boy next. I'd be happy with another girl. But I'd love to have a boy. A little Tom junior," he said.

Chloe said nothing as she smiled. She didn't want to take his happiness from him. "Well I can talk with the gender fairy. See if she can make us a boy," she joked.

Tom rolled his eyes. He smiled and kissed her. "You are something amazing. You know that right?" He said.

"I wish I was. But you know, thanks," Chloe said as she kissed him and got out of bed. She looked to him. "Bacon?"

Tom nodded. He watched as she walked off. Knowing there was something going on with her.

***
Chloe went into work with Tom. He kissed her and went inside just as Grace walked over. She smiled. "Hey. You okay?" She asked.

Chloe nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine. Don't see why I wouldn't be," she said.

Grace shrugged. She looked to her. "You know if you're struggling with anything, you can talk to me. I won't ever judge you," she told her.

Chloe smiled as she looked to her. She knew how her sister cared about her. But she was scared of losing her mind. Especially with all she had been through.

***
Tom was in his classroom. He looked up as Grace walked in. "Okay. So she's definitely keeping something from us. I don't know what it is. But I'm worried," she told him.

Tom sighed and nodded. "I thought that. She was okay up until she said she wanted us to have another baby. Then she's changed. I don't want to pressure her to open up. But I'm worried about her too," he said.

"We just have to talk to her. And get her to open up. If she will. But I know my sister. And I know she keeps a lot bottled up."

***
Chloe was sitting in the staffroom. She saw Tom who walked over to her. "Grace is going to have Poppy tonight. You and I are going for dinner. And we're going to talk," he said.

Chloe frowned. She said nothing as she looked to Tom. But could she truly open up about what was going on with her?