Eddie walked back into Rachel's room to find her trembling from head to foot, staring at a piece of paper clutched tightly in her hand. He put a hand on her shoulder gently, she flinched, her eyes widening in fear until she saw him.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you" he apologised
"It's alright" Rachel replied shakily
Her eyes fell back to the piece of paper in her hand. Eddie noticed the tears in her eyes.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Eddie asked gently, sitting on the bed beside her
Rachel handed him the slip of paper silently. He frowned at her, turning his attention to the note. His confusion quickly turned to raging anger as he read the words and realised who had sent it.
"Where did you get this, Rach?" Eddie questioned, trying to remain calm for Rachel's sake
"A Nurse came in and gave it to me. She said she'd been asked to. Before I could question her, she'd gone" Rachel explained, sighing deeply
"Well, I'll go and find her" Eddie decided abruptly, standing up
"No, Eddie, leave it!" Rachel instructed
"Rachel, we can't! Stuart sent you this! He was in the Hospital! He knows where you are!" Eddie argued
"Well he's gone now, so it doesn't matter" she pointed out
"I don't care! We need to tell the Police!" He persisted
"No, Eddie, we don't! Will you just leave it?! Please!" Rachel snapped
Eddie was having none of it
"I can't, Rachel! I've already given my statement to the Police about last night. They know about Stuart and the blackmail; they're looking for him right now! We need to tell them about this!"
Rachel stared at him, taken aback by his revelation about the Police.
"You told them everything?! Eddie you had no right!!" She cried
"I was trying to help! Rachel, that man hurt you in the most disgusting and vile way! He's not going to get away with it!"
Rachel went quiet. She didn't know how to respond.
Eddie sighed, sitting back down beside her
"Look, just trust me. Let me give this to the Police, they'll know what to do with it" he reasoned
Rachel nodded hesitantly, letting him put the note into his pocket.
"Are you ok?" He asked
She nodded tearfully
"I just want to go home... please Eddie"
Eddie hadn't been crazy about the idea of Rachel discharging herself from Hospital before. But now he was starting to think that maybe it was the right decision, for her safety. He reluctantly agreed.
"Of course. Come on, let's go"
Rachel attempted to stand, but sat down again instantly, crying out in pain.
"Stay there. I'll go and get you a wheelchair" Eddie decided
He headed down the corridor and into Reception, requesting a wheelchair for Rachel. A young Nurse brought one out for him. He was about to turn away when he changed his mind, turning back to the nurse.
"Do you know anything about this note? Someone came in earlier and asked a nurse to give it to my colleague, Rachel Mason" Eddie enquired, showing the Nurse the note
"Yes, he gave it to me. I passed it on to Rachel" the Nurse replied
Eddie stared at her in disbelief. How could she have been so stupid?
"You do know Rachel was brutally attacked and raped just hours ago? You didn't think it was odd that a random stranger came by with a note for you to give to her? How stupid can you be?!" He snapped, exasperated
"I'm sorry, Mr Lawson, I didn't think," she apologised
Eddie sighed. He knew it wasn't necessarily her fault. But the lack of security was a concern.
"You realise I have to report this to the Police?"
The nurse nodded, her face filled with guilt
"I can only apologise, Mr Lawson" she replied
"What did this man look like?" Eddie asked
The nurse thought for a moment, trying to recall his features.
"Tall, black hair, tanned skin. He had a black leather jacket on"
"Did he tell you his name?" Eddie questioned
"No. He just said he was a friend of Rachel Mason" she replied
"If he comes back and you see him again, call the Police immediately, ok?" Eddie instructed
The Nurse nodded
Eddie rushed back to Rachel's room with the wheelchair. He sighed in relief seeing her still sat on the bed where he'd left her. She turned to look at him, her eyes filled with worry and concern. He smiled at her in an attempt to reassure her.
"Come on, let's get you home" he said, helping her into the wheelchair
YOU ARE READING
I'll keep you safe
FanfictionWhen Rachel goes through a horrific trauma at the end of the school term, will Eddie be there for her? (Set at the end of series three of Waterloo Road)
