Born in the fire- A Reddie Fanfiction

Chapter Six

Six hours later...

It had taken them half an hour to get to the hospital. It had taken another 45 minutes for Doctor's to assess Rachel's breathing and the impact of the smoke inhalation, as well as to temporarily bandage and stabilise Rachel's leg and ankle and to clean up and stitch the two gashes on the back of her head.

By the time they arrived at and were settled in a room on the labour ward, Rachel's screams had taken a new octave.

Six hours later, and the pain was becoming unbearable. The contractions were getting closer and closer together, and more intense. Rachel had never felt pain like it. It was paralysing and excruciating. She wanted to be up on her feet, it was so uncomfortable having to lie down, but, due to the fact she couldn't put any weight on her foot, standing up and moving around wasn't an option.

Eddie had his arm wrapped around her shoulder as he stroked her hair gently. He was whispering gentle encouragements in her ear as she groaned and whimpered in pain. He hated seeing her like this, especially when there was nothing he could do to help. If he could it for her, he would, in a heartbeat.

Another contraction came. Rachel bit her lip hard to stop herself from crying out. She really hadn't expected it to be this painful. The pain climbed and climbed until Rachel thought she was going to pass out, and then it just stopped. And the process repeated itself. She was exhausted. She wanted it to stop. She knew it would hurt, of course, but she thought she would be able to handle it. Usually, she had a high tolerance for pain. Not on this occasion it seemed. She didn't think the pain of her potentially broken leg and ankle was helping. The searing pain continued to shoot from her knee to her toes relentlessly.

As the contraction reached its peak, she couldn't hold it in anymore. She screamed, almost crushing Eddie's hand. She was sure the whole of the labour ward could hear her, but at this moment she was in too much agony to care.

When the contraction finally stopped, she threw her head back against the pillows, breathing heavily. Eddie stood in front of her, taking both her hands into his own. She looked at him, eyes clouded with fatigue, her forehead and hair damp with sweat. She was doing so well, maybe she didn't think so, but Eddie did. Six hours of labour, with a potentially broken ankle and no pain relief, and things were progressing perfectly, or so the midwife had told them.

"You're doing amazing" Eddie smiled, tilting her chin so she was looking into his eyes

She shook her head as she whimpered, feeling another contraction building. She couldn't do this anymore. It was too much, the pain was too much.

She let out another pain-filled cry as the contraction ramped up in intensity, squeezing the life out of Eddie's hands. There was a pressure building in-between her legs, something that was becoming more and more impossible to ignore. It got worse with every contraction. She knew what it was, or she thought she did anyway. The baby was coming; she was moments away from giving birth and meeting her daughter for the first time. The thought both excited and terrified her.

There was no break from the current contraction to the next, it hit her harder than she'd expected, leaving her no time to catch her breath. The pressure was unbearable this time, so much so that she couldn't ignore it. She followed her body's natural instinct, bearing down with a groan. It really was happening.

"Eddie, she's coming! I need to pushhhhhh!! Aahhhh!" she screamed

Eddie panicked, leaping into action and pressing the buzzer on the wall.

"It's ok, Rach. Just breathe" he reassured

She shook her head frantically.

"I can't!" she whimpered, moaning in pain

"You can. Breathe with me" he instructed, starting to take deep breaths himself in the hopes she would copy him

Rachel tried to breathe, she really did. But the urge to push was a lot stronger; her body was completely in control. She screamed into her next push.

The door opened, their midwife, Sarah entering the room.

"How are we doing?" she asked, strapping on a pair of gloves

"Please help me" Rachel whimpered, groaning into yet another push

Sarah sat down on the end of the bed, rubbing Rachel's knee comfortingly.

"Alright, Rachel, it's ok. Let me take a look"

Rachel moaned as Sarah parted her legs gently.

"I can see the top of baby's head, Rachel. You're doing so well" Sarah encouraged

Rachel looked at Eddie, smiling at him lovingly. He smiled back at her, kissing her forehead gently. They were almost there.

She pushed again with the next contraction. The pain turned into a searing, burning sensation. She screamed, gripping Eddie's hand tightly as she shifted uncomfortably. The entire inside of her body felt like it was on fire.

"That's it, Rachel, keep pushing!" Sarah encouraged

Rachel cried out, shaking her head frantically. She couldn't do it, the pain was too much. She was sure the pain was going to finish her off.

"I CAN'T DO IT!" she yelled, throwing her head back against the pillow

"You can, darling. You're doing so well!" Eddie reassured, kissing her head softly

"You really are, Rachel. One more push and we'll have baby's head" Sarah chimed in

Rachel groaned. She squeezed Eddie's hand as she used the little energy she had left to push. A blood curdling scream escaped her lips as the burning increased. She was sure she was going to split in half- that she was going to dissolve into a pile of ash.

And, finally, it stopped. Rachel sank back into the pillows, giving herself the chance to catch her breath.

"The baby's head is out, Rachel, you're almost there. Two more pushes and we'll have a baby" Sarah announced

'Almost there'. Rachel clung onto those words. They were her lifeline. It was nearly over. She was minutes away from meeting her baby girl, from becoming a Mother. The thought both excited and terrified her.

Another contraction came. Rachel gathered the last of her strength, bearing down into another push. The burning sensation returned- building and building until she thought she might explode.

And then, relief.

Rachel looked down to see a tiny infant being laid onto her chest. She smiled, bursting into tears. Their little girl was here. She was wailing loudly, but it was the most beautiful sound. Her arms instinctively wrapped around the little girl's back as she sobbed.

"Hello, little one" Rachel whispered, kissing the little girl's forehead gently

Eddie smiled at the tiny little girl lying in Rachel's arms. She was perfect. He watched as she settled at the sound of her Mother's voice. He smiled at Rachel as she looked up at him. He loved her so much. He loved both of them so much.

"She's beautiful, Rach" Eddie breathed, leaning down to kiss her forehead and the baby's

Rachel smiled, humming contentedly.

"I love you" he told her

"I love you too"

Rachel placed a kiss on his lips before returning her gaze to their daughter.