Silent Night- A Reddie Christmas Story

Chapter Three

When they reached the hospital, Eddie helped Rachel out of the car. He'd already called the labour ward at the hospital, so they were expecting them. There was every chance it could be too early, as Rachel had told him. Since her waters had broken, she'd only had one contraction. Before, they had been frequent, and now they seemed to be infrequent. But just because she wasn't in a significant amount of pain, didn't mean that she wasn't in labour. They needed to know where they were at before they could decide what to do next.

The two of them were stood in the car park, Rachel staring at the hospital building as they waited to cross the road. Eddie could tell she was nervous, and he didn't blame her. He was nervous too. They'd been reassured over and over that their little girl was healthy, but they both knew that, until she was in their arms, they wouldn't be able to fully believe it.

It didn't help that Rachel hated hospitals. They scared her. She wasn't sure what it was exactly. Maybe it was the strong smell of disinfectant, or the hustle and bustle of the corridors. Maybe it was the memory of waking up in the hospital, six weeks after the fire at Waterloo Road, the event that had changed her life in more ways than one.

It didn't matter what the root cause was. Hospitals set her on edge- that was all she needed to know. It was all Eddie knew really. And it was all he needed to know.

As the traffic lights flashed at them, letting them know they could cross the road, Eddie grabbed Rachel's hand. She smiled as he squeezed it reassuringly. There was nothing to be scared of, not with Eddie by her side. She could do this.

They entered the hospital, quickly making it up to the labour ward, where a midwife was waiting for them. As Rachel breathed through another contraction, Eddie gave the midwife her details. They were then taken to a little room, where Rachel was instructed to lie down on the bed.

Once she was situated, she reached for Eddie's hand. He took it, sitting beside her in the chair next to the bed.

Rachel placed her free hand on her stomach, smiling when she felt the baby kick lightly in response. She looked to Eddie.

"She's awake" she whispered

Eddie smiled, putting his hand on Rachel's stomach. He chuckled as the little girl kicked away, pressing her foot against his hand.

The midwife, Elle, set about checking the baby's heartbeat. Rachel and Eddie smiled when it appeared on the monitor, the beautiful, strong sound echoing through the room.

"Baby seems to be happy and comfortable, Rachel. I'm going to examine you now, if that's ok?" Elle, the midwife, requested with a kind smile

Rachel nodded, her hand shifting in Eddie's.

She groaned painfully, squeezing her eyes shut as she was examined internally. Eddie rubbed her arm gently with his free hand in an attempt to comfort her. It was over in minutes, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief.

"You're two centimetres dilated, Rachel. Things are progressing slowly but steadily" Elle announced

Rachel nodded. She had thought that it was too early, since the contractions weren't so intense and she wasn't in a great deal of pain.

"So what happens now?" She asked

"Well, as you're only in the early stages of labour, we usually give people the option to either go home for a few hours and come back when contractions are closer together, or we can admit you to the maternity ward until you're in established labour and then we can move you to the labour ward" Elle explained

Rachel nodded, looking to Eddie. She wanted to know what he thought.

"It's up to you, Rach" he told her

She knew what she wanted to do. She didn't really want to stay in the hospital any longer than she needed to. If she could go home, even for just a few hours, she would. She needed to get her hospital bag anyway.

"I want to go home for a bit" she decided

Eddie nodded, smiling reassuringly.

He helped her to her feet, holding onto her tightly as she breathed through another contraction. She winced, gripping Eddie's shoulder as the pain took over.

The pain disappeared again, allowing Rachel to exhale, her body relaxing again.

"Ok?" Eddie asked, rubbing her arms

She nodded with a soft smile

"Let's get you home for a bit, yeah?"

She nodded again

Once Elle had told them what to look out for and when to come back, they left the hospital. Rachel sighed in relief when they got out into the car park. Even though she had somewhat made peace with her fear of hospitals, she still didn't like being in them.