Three hours had gone by. Eddie was at the hospital. He'd remained by Rachel's bedside the entire time, his hand locked in hers.
She hadn't woken up yet. The doctors had explained the severity of the smoke inhalation, which had triggered her asthma attack. There was a fifty-fifty chance she wouldn't make it.
The thought of losing her made Eddie feel sick. He couldn't bear it. He loved Rachel Mason, he loved her with all his heart. He'd not felt like this about someone for a long time. And now there was a chance he'd never get the chance to tell her, or to find out if she felt the same way.
Suddenly, her hand twitched in his grasp. Eddie's head shot up at the movement, his eyes welling up with tears as her eyes fluttered open slowly. He watched as she slowly took in her surroundings, her eyes falling on him. A smile was visible through her oxygen mask. Eddie's heart flooded with relief.
"Hey" he whispered
Rachel gently pulled the oxygen mask down.
"Hi" she whispered, her voice croaky and raspy
"How are you feeling?" He asked
"Tired" she sighed, sitting up a little
She felt exhausted, drained physically and emotionally. Her chest was tight still, the inside of her throat felt like sandpaper, and her lungs felt swollen from overworking themselves.
Eddie thought that, despite the fact she looked exhausted, that the colour had returned to her cheeks. A little bit at least. He could still hear a slight wheeze in her chest, but it was barely audible now.
"You really scared me, Rach. I thought I'd lost you" Eddie blurted
"You haven't. I'm right here" she whispered, grabbing his hand
He smiled
"And uhm… what you said earlier. I love you, too" she added
Eddie's heart started to beat rapidly at her woods. She giggled softly, watching as Eddie's jaw practically dropped to the floor. If he was honest, he thought she hadn't heard him.
"You do?" He checked
She nodded
"I think I've known for a while… I just… wasn't sure if you felt the same way" she shrugged
"You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that, Rach!" He chuckled
She smiled, pulling him towards her. They kissed passionately for the first time. It felt so natural, so perfect. Rachel's heart fluttered, she'd waited for this moment for so long, she thought it would never come. It had been worth the wait.
They pulled apart, grinning at each other.
Eddie put her oxygen mask back onto her face, as her breathing had gone a little too wheezy and heavy again. It calmed down after a few minutes. Despite insisting that she was ok, Eddie instructed her to keep it on.
With her permission, he moved to sit beside her on the bed, pulling her into his arms. She lay her head on his chest, sighing contentedly.
Even though she didn't feel great, having Eddie by her side, made things feel a little better.