A/N:
I want to thank people from now on for the time that they've spent reading and reviewing this fic. So, thank you hannah5240, Mrs Carmichael, LittleH12, Lynny and Fayeftvanity.

The collateral damage of love

'Nobody can hurt me without my permission' - Mahatma Gandhi

. . .

You could have cut the atmosphere with a knife. Eddie took a seat first watching as she hovered, unsure whether she would stick around.

Then, in a split second, they'd caught each other's gaze, and he was sure she'd smiled. Finally, she took a seat, and the session began.

Dr Williams was the last to take his seat and on doing so, he grabbed himself a glass of water. Too bad it had been nothing stronger - he could have definitely done with a drop of whisky.
Offering both a cup to Eddie and Rachel, they declined and eagerly awaited him to begin.

He cleared his throat, and began. 'Right'.

He gave himself a minute, a little unsure where he would take this.

'You two are in shock just as much as I am'. He evaluated two very different reactions. One, very open and angry, maybe even somewhat disgusted. Mistrust he thought. Eddie had put so much trust in him. The other, well, the complete opposite. Just as he could have predicted - closed, silent and reserved.

'You don't say', Eddie said as he glared straight on at the doctor.

'However, it's probably been a blessing in disguise as much as you both probably don't want to admit it'.

There was a long pause, and all three didn't quite know what to say. Rachel knew she'd probably have to have some input and asked what she'd been dying to know from the off. 'How long have you been coming here?'.

'Six months after I left Waterloo Road'. He wanted to be honest with her, and he wanted honesty in return. He left it a few seconds and then took the time to ask her. 'You?'.

'A week after you left'. He was taken aback by her response and couldn't believe that she had sought professional help that quick.

Dr Williams felt awkward, and knew that he probably wasn't the only one. 'I've never had a case like this before, I'll be honest. I want to make this as easy as possible for the both of you. There are issues, and they need to be talked through. Running will not help'.

Eddie took a long glare at Rachel, and she refused to acknowledge him. She could see him from the corner of her eye and felt rather uncomfortable.

'So, there's obviously a burning question that needs to be asked ... are you both happy?'. Dr Williams scanned his eyes from Rachel to Eddie, and then back to Rachel, almost as if he were giving her a prompt to answer. She still didn't take the hint, and so, he had to address her, 'Rachel?'.

'Yes'. It was short, sweet and a lie.

'You are?', Dr Williams questioned. She was not happy from his recollection.

Eddie folded his arms and nodded his head in disagreement. 'Doesn't look like it from where I was standing the other day'.

She didn't need this, not from him. Her whole body tensed up, and anger brewed within her. It were as if something had switched inside her, losing all self control.

'What do you want me to say Eddie? That I'm struggling? That I breakdown almost every day? That I can't cope?!', she cried out at him.

His expression softened, and he questioned whether he should have reached out to her. He was desperate to hold her, comfort her and tell her it was okay.

'Rach, I-', he wanted to apologise, but she stopped him.

'No Eddie. I don't want to hear it. You get to go home to Mel and the baby, you have a family'. A tear slid from her left eye and she furiously wiped at it to destroy all evidence.

He lowered his tone and looked straight into her eyes, 'I don't have a family, you're wrong. I have a daughter not a family'.

Her heart stopped for a few seconds, literally. She felt an almighty stabbing pain and her mouth felt dry.

Scraping only two words together, she whispered, 'A daughter'.

A daughter. Eddie had a daughter. Her niece.

'Holly'.

Silence fell in the room.

Eddie desperately awaited for her to say something, anything. Dr Williams felt the uneasy tension and knew that he had to protect the situation from spiralling further.

'It's okay to be sad, Rachel. It's hard to digest. Please don't think you have to keep it all in', the doctor spoke softly and shuffled back in his seat to take comfort.

Eddie felt that it was the right time to try to diffuse it as well. 'It's okay not to be okay, trust me, I've learnt that', he replied glumly.

Fiddling with her fingertips-a common habit that she had whilst nervous-she almost laughed in disbelief. 'Eddie, what could you possibly have to be not okay about, huh?', there was an undertone of jealousy to her voice.

'That baby was mine too, not just yours. I'm living with a woman who honestly, I don't even love. And now, you're married, and it's not right, Rachel'

'Not right?'.

'She should have never married him'.

'Excuse me?', she roared. Why did she get so defensive over Adam?

He looked straight to her. Sensing her anger, he pushed her even more. Maybe it would attract an answer. 'Can you honestly sit there and tell me you're happy?'.

She didn't speak. She couldn't.

'Rachel, answer me', Eddie spoke again.

Finally she brought her eyes to meet his, watching as he observed her. 'Do you remember that time? The time after Mel left, and you said you didn't even know her -'

It clicked. He didn't even need to hear the rest. It was exactly as he thought.

Loneliness.

He interrupted her, 'You were lonely'. He watched as she looked away, embarrassed. He wished she wouldn't do that.

'Oh Rachel, why didn't you say?'

She rolled her eyes in annoyance. 'Oh and say what Eddie? Tell you I was lonely, and that I missed you?'.

She had missed him, terribly.

'I think we need to focus on what happens next'.

'What happens next?', Eddie asked in reply to the doctor's words.

Silence, again.

'You two, well despite what you say, this has been important. I want to do more sessions, together. If you needed separate sessions then I can carry that on too', he added trying to analyse their thoughts. He had nothing.

'Rachel?', he asked. He watched as she took a moment to think, probably no doubt to over think. She also had a terrible habit of doing that.

'On one condition', she stated. Dr Williams nodded waiting for her to continue.

'We don't have to talk about the baby'.

Eddie sighed in frustration, he couldn't cope with her running and deflecting the issue. She was exhausting.

'Rachel, I think it would beneficial-', Dr Williams didn't even get the chance to finish.

'Just please, one step at a time, Dr Williams', she was pleading. Like the many times before, he knew better than to push her.

'I'd like to say something before we leave today', Eddie's voice disturbed her from her thoughts, and she couldn't quite prepare herself for his next revelation.

'I've decided that I will leave Melissa, for good'.