I'll keep you safe

Chapter 128

Eddie stepped into the hallway, slipping off his coat and shoes. It was good to be home at last. It had been a long day.

The house was quiet. When he'd pulled up on the drive, the hallway and living room lights were both on. And now, judging by the fact her car was parked on the drive, her shoes were by the door and he could hear the TV playing in the living room, it seemed that Rachel was home. Whether she was ok or not was a different matter.

He stood in front of the living room door, listening for any sign of movement coming from the other side of the door. There was silence, apart from the muffled voices on the TV. He didn't want to open the door if she was asleep. Rachel was the lightest sleeper he'd ever met, she'd wake up the second he opened the door. But he needed to know if she was ok.

Carefully, he pushed on the handle, poking his head round the door.

Rachel was lying on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket. Her hair fell delicately across her face. She was fast asleep, her breathing soft and slow. Eddie sighed in relief. She looked so peaceful.

He tip-toed into the room, grabbing the remote off the coffee table next to Rachel. He switched the TV off before lightly pulling the blanket up over Rachel's shoulders. Thankfully, she didn't stir.

It was as he was watching her sleep that he noticed how tired and pale she looked. As he suspected, she was far from ok. Whatever this illness was seemed to be sucking all the energy out of her. He wished he could make it better for her, but he didn't know how. All he could do was hope she had been to the Doctors this afternoon and that they had told her the next steps.

He exited the living room quietly, closing the living room door gently behind him. He knew he couldn't do much to help her right now, but he could let her sleep as much as she needed to.

He grabbed his bag from the hallway, pulling out the paperwork and marking he'd planned to spend his evening completing. He made himself a coffee, before settling at the kitchen table, turning his attention to the paperwork. If he was honest, he had thought about leaving the paperwork for Rachel for when she felt well enough to do it. She was a perfectionist when it came to her paperwork, there was a system and a method that Eddie thought he understood but didn't. But, right now, she wasn't well enough, and he knew she would start stressing if her paperwork was piling up. So he was doing it for her, so that all she had to focus on was getting better.

As he read through the documents, occasionally scribbling his signature onto the paper, he heard the front door quietly open and close. Philip was home. In a way, he was relieved. Having someone else in the house to keep him company would stop him from worrying about Rachel so much.

"Hi, mate" Eddie greeted when Philip walked into the kitchen

Philip smiled awkwardly.

"Hey. Where's Rachel?"

"Asleep in the living room" Eddie told him

"How is she?"

Eddie shrugged.

"It's hard to tell. She doesn't look great. I'm taking the fact that she's sleeping as a good sign"

Philip nodded.

"Everyone's been asking about her today. They're all worried" he added

"She'll be ok" Eddie reassured

Philip nodded, hoping it was true.

"There's a rumour going around that Miss Haydock got sent home drunk today"

Eddie sighed heavily. He'd been naive to think it would stay between himself, Charlotte and Matt. Of course the kids would find out. Poor Steph.