The Final Straw- A Reddie Fanfiction

Chapter Eight

Three hours later...

Eddie wanted to pretend he hadn't just seen what he had seen when Rachel had slid off her hospital gown to get into the shower. He wanted to ignore it, but he couldn't. The images were stuck in his mind.

There were two large bruises on her upper back. He could tell by the way the colours hadn't quite fully come out yet that they were fresh. She had obtained them within the last couple of hours.

As he sat on the bed, waiting for Rachel to come out of the shower, he had been able to do nothing but think about the bruises. It hadn't taken him long to put two and two together. Rachel hadn't wanted to go near Max for a reason. He had done this to her, Eddie knew it. The way she had tensed in his arms earlier when Max had approached them in the corridor made sense now, as did her reluctance to go back into her office. She had been quiet over the last few hours they had been here. Part of it was down to being tired and recovering from the birth, but there was something more to it that Eddie hadn't been able to put his finger on until now. Max had hurt her. It made his blood boil.

He knew she wouldn't admit that he had hurt her, but he was going to ask her about it anyway. He needed to. What had happened between the two of them after he had left to go and teach his class? What had happened in the hour before she had entered his classroom to tell him that she was in pain?

A small whimper coming from the hospital cot next to him pulled him from his thoughts. He watched as his little girl stirred, screwing her face up as she started to wail. Eddie lifted her into his arms, shushing her and rocking her.

"Hey, hey, it's ok. Daddy's here, you're alright" he soothed

The little girl settled instantly. He smiled as she wriggled softly, a tiny hand reaching up to his face. She was absolutely perfect. He was completely in love with her. His heart threatened to explode with love every time he looked at her. She was a mirror image of Rachel. A small tuft of dark brown hair covered her head. Her nose was the same shape as Rachel's, as well as her lips and olive skin. Just like her Mother, she was beautiful.

For a moment, Eddie's anger toward Max melted away as he looked down at his little girl. All he could focus on was her. She filled his heart with happiness.

The bathroom door opened, pulling Eddie back into reality. He watched as Rachel smiled at him weakly, setting her towel down on the chair. She looked so tired. Eddie thought she was going to collapse on the spot. He stood up, helping her into bed. He watched the way she winced as she lay back against the pillows. He needed to talk to her about Max.

"Is she ok?" Rachel asked, nodding to their baby girl

"Yeah, she's fine, darling" Eddie nodded

Rachel nodded quietly.

"Do you know when Kim is coming? She said she would go and pick up my hospital bag"

Eddie looked at the time. He hadn't realised that three hours had passed. Kim had said that she would be at the hospital just after 3:30pm. It was now 6pm and she hadn't turned up yet.

"I'm sure she'll be here soon. She probably just got caught up with something at school" he reassured

Rachel nodded, shifting uncomfortably.

"Are you ok?" he asked gently

The response he got hadn't been what he was expecting. Rachel burst into tears, her body shaking with sobs.

Eddie put their daughter down in the cot before sitting on the bed beside her. He pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair softly.

Rachel had seen the bruises on her upper back. She hadn't expected them to be as bad as they were. The sight of them had shaken her. She had been adamant that she wasn't badly hurt, but she was. She was in a lot of pain; just lying back on the hospital bed was too much. Max had done this to her.