I'll keep you safe

Chapter 66

Rachel was back in her office. It was now 3:30pm. She was waiting for Eddie to finish teaching his revision class, so they could go to the hospital.

Candice hadn't been able to provide any answers for her about Bolton, as she'd expected. There was no known cause for his behaviour. It would remain a mystery until Bolton decided to talk. There wasn't much more she or Eddie could do.

After speaking to Rachel, Candice fetched Bolton from the cooler and took him home. The whole time, he remained emotionless and silent, which only made Rachel more concerned.

The bell finally rang to signal the end of afternoon lessons. Rachel sighed. In a way she was relieved. But her day wasn't over yet. She had a potentially long wait in the hospital to look forward to before she and Eddie could crash on the sofa and relax. She really didn't want to go, but she knew Eddie would drag her there anyway. And besides, she was fed up of being in pain whenever she used her wrist.

Eddie walked into her office as she was packing away her things. She looked up at him, smiling.

"Ready to go?" He asked

"Just about" she nodded, closing her bag and putting on her coat

She put her bag on her shoulder and walked around the desk, catching Eddie's hand with her own as they exited her office. Eddie smiled at how natural, how comfortable her hand felt intertwined with his, how the feeling gave him butterflies every time.

"How did the revision session go?" She asked as they walked towards Eddie's car

"It was ok. They're still not taking it seriously that this is their exam year, but it's early days" he shrugged

"I'm sure they'll come round to the idea soon. Hopefully not at the last minute though!" she chuckled

Eddie nodded

"Did Candice take Bolton home after I left?" He asked

"Yes. I'm hoping she'll talk to him and try and get to the bottom of it" she nodded

"She will, Rach. You're forgetting though, we're working with hormone enraged kids here, he's probably fine" Eddie reminded her

Rachel nodded dismissively. She knew Eddie was looking at the situation rationally. Rachel was following her gut instinct, which was telling her something wasn't right.

They got into Eddie's car, driving in the direction of the hospital, chatting away about various things.

It was only when they arrived at the hospital that Rachel's nerves resurfaced.

As she stared at the large building, her throat started to constrict, her heart pounding in her chest. When she blinked, she saw the blood again, followed by Stuart's sickening grin.

Eddie noticed the colour had drained from her face completely. She was trembling lightly, her eyes glued to the hospital building. He knew she was re-living the miscarriage all over again, that Stuart was haunting her mind. If he could take the memories away from her, he would, in a heartbeat.

He placed his hand on top of hers gently, in an attempt to calm her breathing, which had quickened in pace. She turned her head towards him, eyes wide with fear.

"It's ok" he reassured

She nodded, her lip trembling

"I'll be with you the whole time, yeah? I'm not going anywhere" he promised

She nodded again

Eddie got out of the car and helped Rachel out. Together, they walked over to the entrance of the hospital. Eddie's hand, which was resting firmly in her own, was the only thing keeping her upright.

...

Rachel was seen to within an hour of arriving at the hospital. She had sat with Eddie in the waiting room, clinging onto his hand for dear life, until a doctor called her through.

To her relief, the doctor was female and didn't ask too many questions. She was friendly and put Rachel at ease. Having Eddie beside her helped too.

Before she knew it, her hand had been cleaned and stitched up, her wrist examined and x-rayed.

Eddie was in the waiting room, waiting for Rachel to come back from her x-ray. He hoped for her sake that the damage to her wrist wasn't too bad, that it was just taking a long time to heal. But it didn't seem that way. Rachel could barely hold a pen in her hand without it causing her pain. And when the doctor had examined her wrist, Rachel flinched and hissed in pain at the lightest touch. It seemed it had healed well on the outside; the puncture wound from where the metal had been embedded had left a large, but healed scar. But on the inside, there was damage, potentially to the bone. Something hadn't healed properly in Rachel's wrist, and it was causing her pain and discomfort. Eddie just hoped the damage could be repaired.

Finally, Rachel walked into the waiting room. Eddie noticed the huge cast on her arm straightaway. He sighed.

She smiled at him weakly

"It's still broken" she sighed

Eddie frowned

"How? I thought they reset the bone when it first happened?"

"They did, but it wasn't stable enough and it came out of place again when I banged it on the door at school yesterday. That's why I've been in so much pain and why I can barely lift anything" she explained

Eddie sighed

"So you're in a cast now?"

She nodded

"For the next 8 weeks. This will keep it in place while it heals properly. They're going to keep an eye on it" she explained

"That's something at least" he said

"Come on, let's go home" he added

Rachel took his hand into her own as they walked into the car park. She breathed a silent sigh of relief when the October evening breeze hit her face. The doctor had been kind, but she was glad to be leaving the hospital. The cast on her arm was already irritating her. It was heavy and bulky and felt like she was wearing concrete. But she'd rather have it than be in pain. At least her wrist now had a fair chance at healing.

As they drove back to the house, Rachel suddenly remembered her conversation with Eddie about Melissa that they'd had this morning.

"Did Melissa come back to pester you after this morning?" She asked

"No, she didn't" Eddie replied

Rachel sighed in relief

"Have you texted her yet?" He asked

"I haven't. One, I don't know what to say. And two, I'm not sure if I want to" she explained

"That's understandable, Rach. It's a big decision to make. But I'll support you, whatever you decide" he reassured

"I know you will, and I love you for it" she smiled, squeezing his hand gently

"I guess it won't hurt to give her a shot. I'll invite her and her partner for dinner, like we said we would" she decided

Eddie nodded, parking on the drive

Once they were in the house and Eddie was making dinner, Rachel got out her phone and texted Melissa.

"Mel, its Rachel. Eddie passed on your number. I've decided to give you a chance. Eddie and I would love to have you and your fiancé join us for dinner next Thursday if you're free? We'll be having a takeaway.

Let me be clear Mel, this is your last chance. Please don't make me regret it.

Rachel x"

A few minutes later, Melissa had replied:

"Thanks Rach, you won't regret it, I promise. See you on Thursday! Xx"

Rachel could only hope she was doing the right thing.