Finally, the day came when they were planning to gradually reduce Rachel's sedation and allow her to wake up. Eddie sat with her for hours, holding her hand, feeling the occasional twitch of a finger, seeing the flutter of an eyelid, hoping and praying that this would go well. It got dark outside, the nightshift came onto duty, and the hospital lights were dimmed for the night. Visiting hours were long over, but today, nobody sent him away. Eddie found himself drifting off to sleep in his chair. He was woken by the sound of her struggling for breath. He jolted awake, worried what was happening. But one look at her face told him that this was pure panic. He leaned over her, gently stroking her face and repeating over and over, "it's OK Rachel, you're safe, you're in the hospital, it's OK."

She was desperate to reach out to him, pull him close and bury her face into him. She tried to lift her arms, but found herself too weak to do so. The harder she tried, the more panicked she felt. What was wrong with her? Was she paralysed? Why had no one told her it would be like this? The transition back to reality was harder than she imagined. She had expected it to feel like waking up from a long sleep, but in reality it felt more like she was being pushed off a cliff, as she gradually became aware of her own weakness and pain. She noticed his hand against her cheek, closed her eyes, and focused as hard as possible on the warmth and softness of his touch, the sound of his voice gently repeating, "it's OK, you're safe." She felt the warmth of his body move closer, his hands on her shoulders, his face next to her own, and she felt herself melt into him. Eventually, her panic reduced, as he continued to repeat until she began to believe it, "it's OK, you're safe, it's OK, you're safe."

Every time Eddie tried to move away, she began to panic again. Eventually she felt him wrapping his arms around her and holding her body tightly against his own. She realised he was lying beside her on the bed and felt at first affronted by this closeness, but she could not help but feel soothed by his presence. At first he could feel her heart pounding against his chest, but he gradually felt it return to a normal pace, and her panicked, ragged breaths grew calm. He stroked her hair, allowing her to bury her face in his chest as she grew calm and fell back to sleep.

The next thing he knew, he was awoken by a sudden bright light. Taking a moment to get his bearings, he found himself lying with Rachel in the hospital, holding her, as the morning shift came onto duty and turned on all the lights. Exhaustion must have got the better of him. His daily trips to the hospital, along with organising building repairs, defending Rachel's job, and making plans as acting headteacher of the school, had taken its toll on him. The long summer holidays had not been any kind of break for Eddie.