After promptly dropping off the note at the Police Station, Eddie had come back to Rachel's and had made a start on scrubbing away at Rachel's bathroom floor with the bleach. To his relief, the blood he'd scrubbed away so far had come off fairly easily and had left no marks or stains. It was one less thing for Rachel to deal with.
To his relief, Rachel had been fast asleep when he got home and hadn't noticed he'd nipped out. He'd put away the soup and bread he'd bought and had cleaned the blood stains off the front door and carpets, before making a start on the bathroom. The carpet had been a difficult task to get the blood out of, but he'd got there eventually.
As he scrubbed away at the tiles, he thought about the Police investigation. How was he going to tell Rachel that the Police wanted to talk to her in the next couple of days? She'd probably been expecting it, but they were expecting and asking her to re-live the worst thing that could happen to anyone, ever. Whilst Eddie understood why, it was cruel. Of course it was her choice if she talked to the Police or not. He would support her, whatever she decided.
Eddie jumped in fright as a scream came from Rachel's room, chilling him to the bone. He dashed into Rachel's room to find her still asleep, thrashing and screaming, throwing her arms at some invisible force that Eddie couldn't see. He gently knelt beside her on the bed, dodging her thrashes.
"Rachel? Rachel love, wake up" he spoke softly
He took her hand gently in an attempt to calm her.
Rachel screamed. Her eyes shot open. She kicked and thrashed, trying desperately to get away from Eddie.
"Rachel? Hey! It's me, it's Eddie" he soothed
Rachel looked at him, her eyes wide with fear. Her breathing suddenly calmed as she realised it was Eddie sat next to her.
"Eddie?" she whimpered, tears filling her eyes
"It's alright, I'm here. I'm here, you're safe" he reassured, rubbing her hand with his thumb
Eddie moved to wrap his arms around her, trying not to feel hurt as she abruptly pushed him away, drawing her knees up to her chest. She immediately felt guilty for the action, knowing Eddie had only been trying to comfort her. The thought of a man coming anywhere near her at the moment, made her feel sick.
"I'm sorry, Eddie" she whispered
"Hey, shh, it's ok" he reassured her, standing up
"I'll let you get back to sleep" he added, heading for the door
"Wait!" She called after him
He turned back to face her
"Stay... please?" She asked, her lip trembling
Eddie nodded, sitting back down beside her on the bed as she lay back down.
She bought her hands to her face and began to cry, her body shaking with sobs. Eddie desperately wanted to wrap her in his arms, but he didn't want her to flinch away again. He wanted her to trust him. Instead, he sat with her patiently. Knowing he was beside her was a comfort to Rachel.
"I can't go back to sleep" she said eventually
"It's alright Rach, I promise. It was just a dream, you're safe. It's just you and me here" Eddie soothed
"It felt so real" she sighed, wiping the tears from her cheeks
"You can tell me about it... if you want to" Eddie offered
Rachel shook her head frantically. She couldn't drag Eddie into what she'd been through. Even though it had only been a nightmare, it was a memory of what had really happened.
"I can't" she whispered
"You don't have to Rach, its ok. But I'm here if you do. For now, we can just stay like this"
Rachel nodded, resting her head on the pillows and looking up at the ceiling. She definitely wasn't going to sleep, but lying down was the only thing that was comfortable.
JE LEEST
I'll keep you safe
FanfictieWhen Rachel goes through a horrific trauma at the end of the school term, will Eddie be there for her? (Set at the end of series three of Waterloo Road)
