DISCLAIMERS: I DON'T OWN WATERLOO ROAD OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS!

Rachel's head thumped painfully as she heard the blaring sirens of the ambulance as it approached. Each sound was like a separate stab in her mind, making her wince as the ambulance pulled up just metres from where she was laying. Chris stood up and waved his arm, and Rachel felt relief wash over her as the siren was suddenly cut off, releasing her from her momentary torture.

"They're here now, Rachel, you're gonna be just fine." She saw Chris smile at her before her sight was clouded with the face of a male paramedic.

"Hiya love, my name's Fin, I'm a paramedic."

"This is Rachel Mason, she's been sick twice in the last hour and then she collapsed." Chris quickly informed them. "She also had some pain in her chest earlier and was coughing a bit."

"Thanks mate. Okay Rachel, can you tell me if anything hurts?" She breathed deeply before speaking.

"I've got some pain in my chest, a burning feeling, almost like heartburn, and my head is pounding. I also feel a little bit sick." She closed her eyes as the paramedic began checking her chest and her breathing.

"Okay Rachel, how would you rate the pain on a scale of 1 to 10?"

"It's not that bad, maybe a 4, or a 5. Honestly, I'm not feeling that bad, I've probably just got a bug or something." She shrugged as Chris and the paramedic helped her to sit up.

"Well, I think it's best to take you to hospital as a precaution because of the chest pain and the breathlessness, and the fact that you were unconscious for a brief period of time. You're also showing a some symptoms of dehydration, which can be treated easily at the hospital."

"It's absolutely necessary, is it?" Rachel looked at the paramedic with a slightly scared expression. Ever since the school fire, she'd been a bit scared of hospitals, especially as she'd woken from a three week coma with no one by her side and not knowing where she was. The thought had never bothered her until after the fire.

"I'd advise that you go in and get yourself checked love, better to be safe than sorry, eh?" He gave her a small smile, unwrapping a blood pressure cuff from her arm. "Also, it was mentioned on the call that you were involved in an explosion earlier today?" She nodded in response.

"Yes, um, it was caused by a gas leak. Someone damaged a gas pipe and added a lighter to the mix."

"Okay, were you checked by the paramedics at the scene?" She hesitated, then shook her head slowly.

"I just wanted to get back to my school."

"Okay love, you probably should've stayed just to be checked out earlier, but that's alright. Just one more quick question and then we'll get you into the ambulance, Did you have any exposure to the gas before the explosion?" Tentatively, Rachel nodded her head.

"I was in the caravan for about 20 minutes while gas was being leaked, before the explosion. Do you think the gas has anything to do with this?" Her heart began to thud as she was waited for the paramedic's response.

"From what you've just told me and the symptoms you've shown, I suspect that this could be a case of mild carbon monoxide poisoning. The doctors at the hospital will be able to confirm or deny it though." Chris looked at Rachel sympathetically, grabbing her arm as he helped her to stand up and make her way over to the ambulance.

"I'm going to get in my car and I'll meet you at the hospital, okay?" He said as he helped Rachel sit down on the stretcher.

"You don't have to, I'll be fine. I'm sure you have some stuff to be getting on with, anyway."

"No it's okay, I want to. I've not got much to do, and I'm sure you'd like to have a friend with you at the hospital." Rachel looked up at Chris and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you, Chris."

The paramedic put down the chart he'd been filling in and watched Chris step out of the ambulance. He quickly reached over and closed the doors, before shouting to his partner at the front.

"Right, let's get going!" The ambulance jerked as it pulled off, making Rachel's nausea rise a little, but she breathed deeply, relieved when she found it starting to go back down.

The paramedic looked over at Rachel, noticing the absent-minded look on her face.

"You've got a good friend there love. Some people I've tended to, their mates wouldn't help them even when we asked them to."

Rachel blinked, drawn from her thoughts as the paramedic's voice cut through.

"Hmm? Sorry, I was a million miles away." She chuckled, but it quickly turned into a coughing fit. Placing a hand on her chest, Rachel tried to take some deep breaths, hoping to alleviate the pain. The paramedic grabbed an oxygen mask.

"Okay, let's pop this on you. Try and take some deep breaths Rachel, that's it, just relax, we'll be at the hospital soon."

Taking the paramedic's advice, Rachel leaned back against the chair and tried to focus on her breathing. She didn't know why, but she found herself suddenly wishing that Chris was with her, wanting to get to the hospital all the more quickly.

The remainder of the ambulance ride passed in a blur, and soon Rachel found herself sat in a cubicle in the A&E, waiting for Chris to arrive. Upon arriving, Rachel was glad to be given painkillers to alleviate the pounding in her head and the pain in her chest, although the constant beeping of the heart monitor was beginning to do her head in. The doctors had agreed with the paramedic after they assessed her; carbon monoxide poisoning, but they had to confirm with a blood test. So for now she had to sit and wait in the cubicle, an oxygen mask on her face while she awaited the results. Looking out into the waiting room, Rachel breathed out a sigh of relief as she spotted Chris making his way through the doors. She watched as he quickly made his way to the front desk and smiled as the nurse showed him to her cubicle. Taking the oxygen mask off, she turned to Chris.

"Hey." Chris smiled.

"Hey yourself. So, what have the doctors said?" He crossed his arms and looked out into the waiting room, trying to see if any doctors were heading their way.

"They also think it's carbon monoxide poisoning, from inhaling the gas at the caravan. They're just waiting for my blood test results to confirm it."

"Well, at least it's not something more serious."

"Yeah, so long as it's not too bad then I'll be able to leave in a bit. I'm feeling better already though."

"That's a good sign then. Once you get the all clear I'll drop you home, yeah?" Rachel put her hand on Chris', which was now resting on the bed, and smiled up at him.

"Thank you." She turned and looked at the waiting room, seeing the doctor approaching. "Here's the doctor now."

Chris looked up as the doctor made her way into the cubicle.

"Well Miss Mason, from the results of your blood test I can confirm that you have a mild case of carbon monoxide poisoning. I'd like to keep you here under observation for a couple of hours and keep you on oxygen to help with your symptoms, and then hopefully you can go home if there are no further problems. Now, I'd like you to put that mask back on, relax, and then I'll be back in a bit to check on you."

"Thank you doctor." Chris said before she turned and walked out of the cubicle. Immediately he turned to Rachel and grabbed the oxygen mask, motioning for her to put in back on. She huffed in reply.

"You want to go home soon, don't you? So, you need to listen to the doctor and put that mask back on." Rachel sighed, before putting the mask back over her face.

"Right, I'm going to grab a coffee and something to eat, you just rest, alright? I'll be back in a minute." He smiled and left the cubicle.

Rachel sighed and shifted in the bed, trying to get comfortable. She knew Chris was right, if she wanted to go home she had to stop being so stubborn and just listen to the doctor. She turned over again, finally managing to get comfortable, and closed her eyes, drifting into darkness as sleep took hold.

"Rachel? Rachel, wake up."

Groaning, she turned over and opened her eyes, immediately raising her hand to shield them from the bright LEDs. She noticed Chris sat in a chair beside the bed and scowled, realising he'd been the one to wake her up from her peaceful snooze.

"Sorry to wake you, but the doctor wants to check you over before she can discharge you." She looked up and smiled as the doctor approached.

"Hiya again Miss Mason, I just need to check you over and make sure you're okay for me to discharge you." She asked Rachel how she was feeling and checked her pulse, oxygen levels and blood pressure before writing down the information in Rachel's chart, a look of satisfaction spread across her face.

"Okay, you seem to be responding well to treatment and I'm confident that you're ready to be discharged. I'll just go and get the papers for you to sign and then you can go." Letting out a breath of relief, Rachel took off the oxygen mask and began to grab her things.

"I just want to go home now. Go home and go straight to bed." Chris chuckled, noticing how she'd perked up a bit from earlier, a clear sign that she was starting to feel better.

"Well, once the doctor comes back I can take you home."

"Thanks again for that Chris, you don't have to give me a lift, but I'm very grateful." She smiled at him.

"I'm just glad you're okay. And I don't expect to see you in school tomorrow, take a sick day and spend the day recovering, you can trust me to hold the fort for one day." Rachel just laughed in response.

The doctor made her way back to the cubicle with the discharge papers in hand. Rachel quickly signed them, picked up her bag and let out a sigh of relief as she and Chris made their way out of the cubicle.

"Right, time to get you home, eh?" Rachel looked up at him, a small smile of thanks on her face.

Pulling up outside Rachel's, Chris smiled at her as she gathered her things and opened the car door.

"Remember, no coming to school tomorrow. Stay at home and rest, you deserve it after today." Rachel turned to look at Chris and mumbled a quiet thanks and got out of the car. Just before closing the door, she said, "Thanks Chris. When I'm back in work we'll have that drink we were going to have earlier. I'm sure Kim put the wine in one of my cupboards." They both chuckled and he nodded, before Rachel closed the door and made her way to front door. Giving Chris a quick wave as he drove off, Rachel unlocked her door and made her way into her house. Hanging her bag and coat on the banister, she quickly took off her shoes and made her way up to her bedroom, getting dressed into her pyjamas and sliding under the covers. She welcomed the darkness as it overcame her, finally allowing herself some much deserved rest.

Sure, she'd had a bit of a crap day, but she knew she could always rely on her deputy. With that thought in mind, Rachel fell into a peaceful sleep, a small smile playing on her lips.

Hi guys! That is it for this fanfic. If you enjoyed this then please R&R, and I'd love to hear some ideas for future stories I could write. The next story will be up soon!

Thanks guys!

Tia x