Can we love again?- A Reddie Short Story

Chapter Five

Once the pain had melted away, Eddie sat her back down on the sofa. Surprisingly, she didn't fight him, lying back against the cushions.

"I think you're in labour, Rachel" Eddie sighed

Rachel rolled her eyes playfully

"Whatever gave you that idea?" She said sarcastically, with a giggle

Eddie chuckled

"We need to get you to the hospital" Eddie sighed

"How? We're stuck in here!" Rachel groaned

Eddie had forgotten about that. He'd been so caught up in the moment; he'd forgotten how they'd got to this moment in the first place.

"Oh this is just perfect timing, isn't it?" Rachel huffed, placing a hand on her stomach

"Indeed" Eddie nodded

He sat down on the sofa next to her, panicking.

"Rach, I don't know what to do" he sighed

"Try the office phone, see if any of the caretakers are still on site" Rachel suggested

Eddie stood up, sitting at her desk and dialling the caretaker's office number. The line was dead.

Eddie slammed the phone down angrily, resting his head in his hand. Rachel looked at him, sensing how stressed he was. She was worried too, but Eddie was freaking out and she needed to stay calm. Not just for his sake, but the baby's too.

"It'll be fine. The contractions aren't that bad. Someone will find us" she reassured

"It might not be for hours yet, Rach! We need to get you to the hospital now!" he sighed

Rachel groaned as he started to pace up and down the office. He was making her dizzy.

"Eddie, stop! Sit down!" She ordered

Eddie obeyed, sitting down beside her on the sofa.

"Look, there's nothing we can do, Eddie. We just have to wait" Rachel reasoned

Eddie nodded

"I'm sorry. How are you feeling?" He asked, directing his attention back to her

"I'm ok, just a bit uncomfortable" she reassured

"Does anyone know? About the baby?" He asked, placing a hand on her stomach

"The LEA knows. Obviously I had to tell them so I could take maternity leave. And the hospital, of course" she explained, placing her hand on top of hers

"No one else?" Eddie checked

Rachel shook her head

"Have you been for all the scans and everything?" He asked

"Yes, and the Lamaze classes, and yoga, which I hated and never did again!" she nodded with a chuckle

She stood up, grabbing her handbag off her desk. She searched through it, opening her purse to grab the ultrasound image she'd kept in there from her most recent scan. She handed it to him.

Eddie stared at the little image in front of him, instantly falling in love. That was his baby. His and Rachel's baby. His heart fluttered at the thought of it. But it didn't erase the guilt he felt. He hadn't been there for her, or the baby.

"They're absolutely fine, perfect in fact" Rachel commented, staring at the scan photo too, her heart swelling with love all over again

"When did you find out?" He asked tentatively

"About a month after we split up" she admitted

Eddie sighed heavily

"Are you upset with me?" She asked, nervously

"No darling, of course not! I just... can't help but feel bad that you went through all of this on your own. I mean, what were you going to do if you went into labour and hadn't told anyone you were pregnant? How were you going to get to the hospital? What were you going to do when the baby was born and you had to come back to work? What if something had gone wrong?" He blurted

"I don't know, I hadn't thought that far ahead in all honesty. I was just trying to get through each day" she shrugged

"Well, I'm here now" he reassured

She smiled, rubbing his cheek with her thumb.

Rachel suddenly cringed, grabbing Eddie's hand as she hissed in pain. Eddie leapt into action, rubbing her back with his free hand as she sat up.