Hey you lovely lot, thank you for the reviews!

I think it's time to see what Eddie is up to, don't you?

Feelings of pain, sadness, guilt, fear, trust and anger overwhelmed Eddie that day, he left that hospital and the first place he wanted to go to was to where he should of been from the start, Rachel house. He wanted to sit her down and tell her how much of prat he has been, but he couldn't. Rachel didn't deserve this, he'd already put her through so much hurt and saddness, she didn't deserve to be treated like second best, she deserved the world and more.

That's why, once he left the hospital he headed straight home. Opening the front door and slamming it behind him, he headed straight for the best cupboard in the house, the cupboard where he kept all his strong alcohol and pulling out the first bottle of whiskey he laid eyes on, grabbing a glass from the shelf walked into the living room and slumped back on the couch dwelling in his sorrows of the mess he had made and how things had turned out.

Morning had come and Eddie wasn't surprised to still find himself in the living room. Pulling out his phone from his Jeans pocket to find several missed calls from Phillip and a couple from Melissa.

Scoffing he threw his phone across the room where it hit the wall, to which then he regretted as it broke - thankfully he could save the SIM card and worry about buying a phone later but at the moment that was the least of his worries. It was the answer phone messages left on his home phone from Melissa that hit him over the edge, he couldn't take all the lies and hurt anymore and needed to get away, to clear his head and have time to think what he needed to do next.

Heading up the stairs; across the landing into his room, he pulled down a suitcase from the top of his wardrobe and packed a few clothes, then went for a quick shower and freshen up.

Sat in the kitchen with a cup of fresh coffee, Eddie pulled out his laptop and started to look at little getaways, finding the perfect location, in a little cottage at the coast of Wales. He booked it for a week but hoping that he could stay longer if need be. He paid for everything on his debit card and closed the laptop and packed it away with the rest of his luggage.

Grabbing everything and his car keys he was just about to leave the house when he remembered that he should probably leave a note for Philip, no surprise he would probably come looking for him at some point

Hey mate,

don't worry about me I'll be fine. I've gone away for a couple days, to clear my head and figure out some stuff. I broke my phone, so won't be in touch for a while.

So until then, All the best lad!!"

Folding up the note and leaving it on the kitchen table he grabbed his bags, coat and keys and headed out the door, into the car and began the long journey ahead to the coast, Pembrokeshire Wales.

Arriving at the little cottage after several hours no surprise to himself, he got lost a couple of times, he'd forgotten that Wales had a lot of back roads and it didn't help that he struggled to read the Welsh names on the signs. Eventually he arrived, it was a traditional stone cottage in the most picturesque village he'd ever seen. Stepping into the cosy home Eddie was stunned and felt right at home, the features and interior of this little cottage including the wooden beams, an open fire place, the slightly shabby country kitchen, this is exactly what Eddie needed and to feel away from it all, this little cottage was the perfect place. He walked over to the kitchen, it had elegant shaker style cupboards which were painted in a pale blue, open shelves housing a collection of blue and white ceramics and a gas hob, where Eddie then placed the kettle and waited for the water to heat up so he could have a nice cuppa. Whilst waiting he decided to carry on exploring more of the house, the living room was full of comfortably stuffed arm chairs and chintzy mismatched fabrics, in the centre of the room was tufted ottoman to be used as a coffee table. Towards the back of the house was a cosy reading nook with higgledy Piggledy bookshelves and a comfortable open arm chair that sat facing the big glass window, which overlooked the astonishing views of the mountains and the spectacular sunset over the sea.

The kettle started to whistle, he made his way back to the kitchen and poured himself a nice hot cup of Tea. Retrieving his bags with his other hand he then went up starts for a gander and to unpack his suit case. Walking into the bedroom, it has a shabby-chic aesthetic, with a white metal bedstead and more mismatched furniture, including a white metal bed frame. The room was cosy, Eddie placed his tea on the bed side cabinet and unpacked his suitcase, folding them neatly into the chest of drawers. That had taken a short few, as he didn't actually pack much, he decided to go back downstairs; picking up his drink he made his way to the reading nook. He thought a nice peaceful evening, book in hand and watching the sunset would be a great way to finish his evening.

A week had passed, Eddie had enjoyed a few coastal path walks and trips down the pub on a evening at the local village, he decided to stay longer than planned which he knew he'd end up doing anyway.

Not having a phone was a bonus, the distraction is what he didn't need, to enjoy the moment and where he was, was what he needed. Although thinking a few people may be worried as he has disappeared of the face of the earth but hopefully Phillip did manage to read his note.

On his way back to the cottage Eddie managed to pick up a cheap little Nokia phone, something he could just use for the time being just to reach out to Phillip and check in on how he is doing, no surprise he's probably annoyed with his mum for lying to him as well.

He pulled the phone out of its box, put the SIM card in and popped it in charge, whilst he was waiting for that he decided to throw a few logs on the fire and get that started. It was quite cold out this evening, so a cosy night in front of the fire watching the football Liverpool against Man United - he thought back to a memory with Rachel, they'd always watch that match as she was a Liverpool fan and he wasn't, he started to smile at the thought. He missed her so much, wondering how he was going to tell her the mess that he'd caused; no doubt she already knows as he was sure Philip would of filled her in

*the phone pinged several times*

Glancing at his phone, no surprise to him that Melissa tried to contact him a few times, before he looked at anything else he blocked her number; there was no reason for those two to be in contact with each other ever again, the baby wasn't his, he didn't love her so why would they still talk, he couldn't see a reason. Scrolling down there was texts and calls from Philip and then a name that caught his eye.

Rachel Mason, a text from Rachel. His heart started to race - clicking open he started to read

Hi Eddie, I read your letter. I think we need to talk...

Come by my house on the weekend. Speak soon,

Rachel

X

Yes I wrote her a letter, he remembered, how could he forget? And what he promised. Nothing had really changed other than the fact he's not a father to Melissa baby anymore. Shit, the weekend, it's the weekend now. He started to pace the living room, trying to think what he could write back to Rachel, what to say, what to do.

There was only one thing for it, this needed to be discussed face to face. He needed to see her again, after everything all he wanted was her and nobody else.

Eddie still had 2 days left of his break away at the cottage but after receiving a text from Rachel, there was only one thing on his mind and that was to see her, he decided to cut his holiday short. Collecting his things together and packing them away, tidying up the cottage and leaving a thank you letter for the owners and a tip, he jumped in his car and began his journey back to Waterloo Road...