I'll keep you safe

Chapter 151

The next day...

It had taken Rachel some time to re-adjust to her surroundings when she woke up the next morning. She had been in such a deep sleep, that when waking up, she was a little confused and disorientated. She had panicked when the smell of the disinfectant wafted up her nose. Her heart had started to race when her eyes had come to focus on the white blankets wrapped around her, as well as the nightgown she was wearing. The sound of the machines beeping away next to her had freaked her out. She'd panicked even more when she'd realised Eddie wasn't with her.

As she lay in the bed, trying to calm her breathing, the events of the day before came flooding back to her. She knew why she was here, but she didn't want to be. She didn't feel safe. She just wanted to be at home with Eddie. It had got to a point where she was contemplating discharging herself and going home.

Once the Nurse had been in to check on her and had reassured her that everything was ok with her and the baby, however, she had calmed down significantly. She was in the best place for her and the baby. Eddie was going to stop by later to see her, that was what was keeping her going. Everything would be ok.

She was not feeling better, not in the slightest. She hadn't expected to either. Her head was still pounding, her whole body aching and weak. If she moved her head too fast, the room would start to spin. The cut on her head felt bruised and was throbbing painfully. And she was tired, so tired. If she could, she would sleep the day away. She didn't think that would happen. The curtain surrounding her little cubicle was good for privacy, but it wasn't sound proof. The ward was incredibly noisy, full of machines beeping, Nurses, Doctors and other patients chatting or pacing up and down the ward. It wasn't helping her headache.

It was now 9:30AM. Rachel had just, for the first time in two weeks, managed to eat something without throwing it straight back up. It was only porridge of course, and it had taken her an hour to finish it, but it was a start. It had been half an hour since she had finished eating, and so far so good. The anti-sickness medication was doing its job, or so she hoped. The nausea hadn't completely vanished just yet, she did still feel a bit queasy, but it was manageable. Even though she was still feeling awful, she took the fact that she had been able to eat as a positive.

It was now just a case of waiting for Eddie to turn up. There was nothing else for her to do but lie in bed and wait. The hours were going to drag by, she could feel it. Rachel was used to being on her feet constantly, always having something (or someone) to keep her on her toes. Today she had nothing. Even at the weekends when she wasn't at school, she always had something to do to keep her mind busy, such as filling in paperwork, cleaning, cooking, food shopping, or going for a walk with Eddie. Today all she could do was try and rest. She didn't see it happening with all the noise surrounding her.

...

It was 2:45pm. Eddie was in Rachel's office, packing his things away. He was planning to leave the minute the bell rang. He needed to head home and pack a bag with some clothes and toiletries in for Rachel. He also needed to stop at the supermarket to get some other bits before heading to the hospital.

Rachel had been in touch twice. Eddie had called her at break to check on her. Apart from being tired and unable to have a nap, due to the noise on the ward, she was ok. She had also told him she had managed to have porridge for breakfast with no vomiting incidents. Eddie had promised to bring her some ear plugs when he saw her tonight (that was one of the reasons he needed to go to the supermarket).

She had also texted him at lunchtime to let him know that she was ok and had managed to eat a bowl of soup and a slice of bread. Eddie was relieved. It was a step in the right direction.

Whilst he had been given the reassurance that she was ok, he needed to see how she was doing for himself. Just because she was in the safe hands of the Doctors and Nurses, didn't mean that he wasn't worried about her.

He had felt so guilty leaving the hospital last night, knowing that she would wake up in the morning and he wouldn't be by her side. The panicked look on her face when he'd told her she'd have to stay in hospital for a few days had threatened to break his heart. He hated the way her eyes had filled up with tears and the way her lip had trembled. If he'd had the choice, he would have stayed with her all night; just to make sure she was ok. But he had already been breaking the visiting hour rules. The Nurses had been kind, but he didn't want to push his luck. So when he was sure Rachel was settled and asleep, he had left.

If he was honest, he couldn't wait to see her. Even though they had been sleeping in separate rooms for the last week, not having her in the house at all felt odd. It had been horrible coming down the stairs this morning to see the kitchen and living room empty. He was used to coming downstairs in the morning to see her up and ready for the day. Her side of the bed felt even colder than usual when he'd climbed under the covers last night. The house just felt empty without her there.

He wasn't used to being apart from her for such a long period of time. Since July, they had constantly been in each other's company, even more so when Eddie had sold his flat and had moved into her home permanently in September and they had made their relationship official. Not being able to see her was killing him. Even though he knew she was in the right place, he couldn't wait to have her home. He was sure Rachel felt the same.

Eddie had announced in assembly this morning that Rachel would be away for the next week, due to being in hospital. He knew there would be people coming up to him asking him where Rachel was, and he knew answering them separately would send the rumour mill going around. It was easier to address everyone at once, so that they all had the same information. He hadn't said why Rachel was in hospital, but just the mention of her being in hospital had caused concern amongst both staff and pupils. Throughout the whole day, flowers, cards and chocolates had been dropped off in the office, all addressed to Rachel. The coffee table and desk were covered! Eddie planned to take all the cards to the hospital with him tonight for Rachel to look through. Even though she was now staying on as Head Teacher at Waterloo Road, he wanted her to know how much the kids and staff respected her and loved her.

The loud knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts. He looked up to see a worried Bolton stood in the doorway, a bunch of flowers and a card in his hand.

"Bolton, what can I do for you?" Eddie greeted

"I, uhm- me and my Mum bought these for Miss Mason, Sir" he explained, holding up the flowers and card before setting them down on the desk

"That's kind of you. I'll make sure she gets them" Eddie smiled

"Will she be ok?" Bolton blurted

Eddie nodded.

"She'll be fine, mate" he reassured

"She's coming back though, yeah?" Bolton checked

Eddie suddenly remembered the deal Bolton had made with Rachel yesterday. With all the chaos, it had completely slipped his mind. He hadn't even thought about telling him that Rachel had already made up her mind and was staying.

He lifted his head to look at Bolton.

"This goes no further than you and me, ok?"

Bolton nodded.

"Miss Mason is staying"

The biggest smile formed on Bolton's face. Eddie couldn't help but smile too.

"Oh, Sir, that's great, man!"

"I thought you'd be pleased" Eddie nodded

"I am, Sir. She's the best Head Teacher. The school needs her"

Eddie completely agreed.

"Will she be out of hospital in time to come to my first Boxing Match next week? The whole school is going" Bolton added

Eddie had forgotten about that too. All the staff and students were going to support Bolton on the last day of term. He knew Rachel would come if she could. It would just depend on whether she was well enough.

"I can't make any promises, Bolton. But she will be there if she can"

Bolton nodded, saying goodbye before exiting the office.

Eddie sighed as the bell rang to signal the end of the day. He glanced at all the flowers, wondering how he was going to carry them all to his car and get them into the house. That would be a job for tomorrow.

He grabbed the pile of cards, slipping them into his bag. He had taken pictures of all the flowers to show Rachel.