Another punch to the stomach was thrown Rachel's way by Stuart.
"Don't think I don't know where to punch, Amanda. I know where I can hurt you again" he hissed, turning away from her crumpled body
Despite the pain, she stood up, rugby tackling him to the ground, pinning him there. She hit him, twice in the face, and once in the ribs.
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!!" She screamed
Stuart laughed at her, flipping her over easily so she was the one pinned to the floor. She screamed as he hit and punched her.
Eddie heard the screaming as he pulled into the drive. Steph followed a minute later, having called the police before following Eddie in her car.
They ran over to the front door, dreading what they were going to find inside.
Eddie swung the door open without hesitation, storming into the hallway. His whole body bubbled with anger when he saw Stuart on top of Rachel on the hallway floor, punching her as she screamed and kicked at him, trying to get him off.
He strode over, grabbing Stuart by his jacket, lifting him off Rachel easily.
"Get the hell away from her!" he growled
Steph slipped passed the two men, kneeling down by Rachel, who was still on the floor. She helped her to her feet and guided her into the living room, out of harm's way.
Eddie shoved Stuart up against the wall. He didn't hold back as he threw Stuart against the wall angrily, punching him over and over again relentlessly. Stuart barely reacted to the punches. Instead, he grinned triumphantly.
"What's wrong Eddie? Hmm? Did you think you were missing out?" Stuart taunted
"You're a vile piece of work!" Eddie hissed
He kicked him hard in the crotch with his knee. Stuart groaned in pain, falling to the floor in a heap. Eddie stood over him, satisfied that, after all this time, he'd finally been able to do to Stuart what he had dreamed of doing from the moment he'd met him!
The Police car pulled onto the drive, its blue lights flashing manically.
Two Officers walked in, immediately arresting Stuart and leading him away into one of the cars. Eddie breathed a sigh of relief. Stuart was gone, he couldn't hurt Rachel anymore.
Then he remembered, Rachel.
He dashed into the living room where Rachel was. She was sat on the sofa, sobbing and shaking, Steph by her side.
Eddie crouched down beside her, pulling her trembling frame into him as she continued to cry.
"Rach, I'm so sorry! Are you ok?" he gushed
She nodded weakly. He pulled apart from her, checking her over for injuries.
"Has he gone?" She asked softly
"Yes Rach, he's been arrested, they got him" Eddie confirmed
Rachel nodded, feeling only a little relieved.
Silence filled the room. Steph looked between Eddie and Rachel. They had a lot to talk about.
"I'm going to sneak off and leave you two to talk. Call me if you need anything, ok?" She announced
Eddie nodded, smiling at her weakly
"Thank you Steph" Rachel said
"No problem" Steph nodded
Steph left, leaving the two of them alone.
"Are you sure you're ok?" Eddie asked again
Rachel nodded tiredly
"God, I thought I'd lost you again, Rach" he sighed
"You haven't, I'm right here" she whispered, placing a hand on his cheek as reassurance
"Eddie, I made a mistake, and I owe you an apology. I'm sorry for lashing out at you like that; I just... got scared and jumped to conclusions"
Eddie took her free hand into his own, lifting her chin up so she was looking at him.
"Rach, I'd never do anything to hurt you, ever"
She nodded
"I know. And I've made a decision, I want to come back to Waterloo Road" she admitted
Eddie stared at her, a huge smile lighting up his face.
"Really?" He asked hopefully
Rachel nodded, smiling at him
"Yes! I looked at the petition... properly this time. I love my job Eddie, I love working at Waterloo Rod, and I love the kids. I want to stay"
Eddie's smile only grew bigger at her words.
"That's great, Rach! I'm so pleased!"
"You'll be ok being Deputy Head again?" She checked
"Of course I will! If it means you're my partner in crime again" he smile
Rachel giggled at that
"Come here" Eddie instructed, holding his arms out for her
They wrapped their arms tightly around each other, immediately feeling comfortable in each other's embrace.
After a few minutes, Rachel pulled apart from him.
"We need to talk about living arrangements" she announced
Eddie frowned at her, urging her to continue
"How would you feel about selling your flat and... moving in with me?" She asked
Eddie stared at her. He hadn't been expecting her to say that.
"Are you sure?" He checked
Rachel nodded, smiling as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"I've never been surer of anything in my life" she confirmed
Eddie smiled
"Well in that case, I'd love to move in, Rach!"
They found themselves instinctively leaning in towards each other.
Just as their lips were about to touch, Rachel let out a cry of pain. Eddie pulled away from her immediately, looking her up and down for an injury.
Rachel was clutching her stomach tightly, tears in her eyes.
Eddie put his hand on her knee in an attempt to comfort her.
"What's wrong?" He asked, unable to keep the concern out of his tone
"I don't know" she whispered
She let out another loud cry of pain, resting her head on Eddie's shoulder.
She had never felt pain like it, it was excruciating. It radiated from her abdomen to her lower back, so strong and powerful that she couldn't move.
Something was wrong, she knew it.
Stuart had punched her in the stomach multiple times, the exact spots she had been operated on 6 weeks ago. Was she bleeding internally again? The thought of that scared her.
The pain didn't ease at all, if anything it continued to get worse, reducing her to curl up into a ball on the sofa with Eddie's help. He sat by her side, trying desperately to comfort her. Her screams threatened to shatter his heart. He felt helpless all over again.
"Something's wrong, Eddie" she whimpered groaning in pain as she gripped his hand tightly
"I think we should get you to the Hospital" Eddie decided
Rachel nodded
He lifted her into his arms carefully, automatically feeling guilty when the sudden movement caused her to cry out.
Something on the sofa caught his eye. It was a stain, in the exact place where Rachel had been lying just moments before. When he looked at it properly, his heart dropped into his stomach.
It was blood, a lot of it.
"What's wrong?" Rachel moaned out, realising they weren't moving
Eddie couldn't form the words to answer her. His silence scared her.
She followed his gaze to the sofa. Her eyes widened in panic when she saw the blood. It was fresh, she could tell from the way it hadn't quite settled into the cushions.
Another pain hit her, followed by a trickle of liquid in between her legs. She reached down as she felt it run onto her jeans. When she pulled her hand back up, it was covered in blood.
"Oh god, Eddie what's happening?" She whimpered, her breathing growing rapid
Eddie stared at the blood on her hand, feeling his heart start to pound against his chest. He had to get her to the Hospital.
"It's ok Rachel, I promise" he reassured
He carried Rachel out to the car, placing her gently in the passenger seat before rushing around to the driver's seat, starting the engine immediately.
He looked over to Rachel, who was moaning and shaking in pain. Her face was drained of its colour, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. The blood had pooled onto her jeans and was spreading rapidly onto the seat.
She cried out again, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.
"Don't worry Rach; everything's going to be fine. Just stay with me, ok?" he reassured, rubbing her arm
He pulled out of the drive, guiding the car as fast as he could toward the hospital.
Rachel lay against the window of the passenger seat. Her eyes felt heavy and her body was weak. The pain was overwhelming, tearing through her relentlessly. She felt the blood pooling out, but she couldn't stop it. The world began to spin before she gave into unconsciousness.