It had started an hour before the end of the school day. Rachel had been in her office, catching up on some emails, when a dull ache started in her abdomen, radiating to her back. It was uncomfortable, but bearable, and so she thought nothing of it. If anything, she thought it was her period finally making an appearance, after two months of not having one.
It wasn't uncommon for Rachel to skip a period, especially not in the last few years. She definitely wasn't pregnant, she was sure of that much. A month ago, when she had missed her period, she had done a pregnancy test just to be sure. It had been negative. So it had to be her period. There was nothing more to it.
And so, she carried on typing out her email to the LEA, shifting uncomfortably in her chair. She made a mental note to pick up some paracetamol from the supermarket tonight.
When the bell rang, Eddie dashed straight up to her office, ready to debrief on the day before heading home with Rachel.
Today had been a hectic one for Eddie. He'd had a full day of classes as well as running break and lunch revision sessions for the year 11s. He felt like he hadn't had a second to sit down and catch his breath, or to see Rachel. He'd missed her.
He strolled into her office, smiling at the sight of her. She closed her laptop, smiling as her eyes met his.
Eddie couldn't help but notice she looked a little pale. The last few weeks, she hadn't been feeling great, suffering with nausea, headaches and dizziness. He'd often woke up in the early hours of the morning to find her side of the bed empty, seeing the light on in the en-suite. He'd lost count of the times he'd held her hair back as she vomited into the toilet. Majority of the time, she'd been too weak and dizzy to stand, so Eddie had carried her back to bed.
Of course he'd tried to persuade her to go to the doctors. She'd refused, insisting that it was stress and nothing more. When you work at a place like Waterloo Road, stress comes with the job. He'd offered to help her with her workload; he was her deputy after all. But Rachel was a perfectionist, everything had to be just so. No matter if Eddie got it spot on, it wouldn't matter. She had to have everything done in a specific way. So he had backed off and stopped nagging her.
"How was your day?" She asked, walking over to him
"Busy, yours?" He replied, wrapping his arms around her waist
"Busy too" she sighed
He leaned in, catching her lips with his own. She smiled, instantly relaxing.
"How did the revision classes go for the year 11s?" She questioned, pulling apart from him
"Well, I think. They found it useful" Eddie reported
"Good. We should probably implement it for every academic year from now on if it continues to be a success. We could timetable after school sessions in too, not just for maths but other subjects too, like English" Rachel decided
"Grantly will love you for that!" Eddie smirked sarcastically
Rachel giggled
"Now, will you stop talking about work for two minutes?" He added
Rachel rolled her eyes
"Fine, what do you want to talk about, Mr Lawson?" She huffed, smiling as she played with the collar of his shirt
"I was thinking...Why don't we have a date night tonight? I could book us in at that Italian restaurant. You need a break" Eddie suggested
Rachel's smile faded a little. As much as she loved date nights with Eddie, she wasn't feeling up to it tonight. If anything, she just wanted to go home and curl up on the sofa with him and watch a film.
"That sounds lovely, but could we do it another night? To be honest, I just want to get into my pyjamas and spend the evening on the sofa" she admitted
"Well, that's what we'll do then. We can order a takeaway and watch a movie. How does that sound?" He decided
"Perfect" she whispered, staring lovingly into his eyes
He tilted her chin, leaning in again to kiss her. Now she was even closer to him, he noticed she looked even paler.
"Are you ok? You look a bit pale" he asked
"I'm fine. It's just a headache" she reassured
"I wish you'd go to the doctors" Eddie huffed
"I'm fine, Eddie. I'll be even better when we get home" she insisted
Eddie sighed
"Fine. But will you at least let me stop at the pharmacy to get you some painkillers?"
Rachel nodded
"Good. Come on, let's go home"
Hand in hand, they walked out of the school together. Rachel's head was pounding. The dull ache in her stomach and lower back hadn't subsided as she'd hoped. She was looking forward to the evening Eddie had planned though. A cosy night in, in their pyjamas, with a takeaway and a movie. It didn't get more perfect than that.
They stopped at the pharmacy on the way home to get the paracetamol. Despite her protests, Rachel waited in the car whilst Eddie went in. He was, annoyingly, such a gentleman sometimes!
Rachel breathed a sigh of relief when they pulled into the driveway. The car ride had made her feel sick, so she was glad to get out.
"I think I'm going to have a bath" Rachel decided once they were inside the house
"Ok, I'll make you a cup of tea for when you come out" Eddie smiled
She kissed him on the cheek gently, feeling butterflies in her tummy as she did so. She'd never get tired of that feeling she got when she kissed him, or how he blushed when she did.
She headed upstairs, grabbing a fresh pair of pyjamas whilst the bath was filling up with warm water. She hoped a soak in the bath would help with the cramps.
Once the bath was ready, she stepped in, lowering herself into the water. She sighed in relief as the pain almost completely disappeared, providing temporary relief.
40 minutes later, she got out and changed into her pyjamas, her back and abdomen aching a little less than before. She wrapped her dressing gown around her tightly, before returning downstairs to the kitchen where Eddie was waiting for her.
As promised, he handed her a mug of steaming hot tea and two paracetamol capsules. She took them from him gratefully.
"Feeling better?" He asked, placing his hand on her hip
"Mmm, a little" she nodded swallowing the tablets with her tea
She moaned as Eddie started to massage her shoulders, releasing the knot of tension.
"What do you fancy for dinner?" He asked between placing kisses on her neck
She giggled at the way his lips tickled her skin.
"Anything" she breathed
Eventually, they agreed on a Chinese. They decided what they wanted and Eddie ordered it whilst Rachel sat down on the sofa to drink the rest of her tea.
The food arrived an hour later. Rachel wasn't really hungry. They shared out what they'd ordered between them, but Rachel pushed most of it around her plate after only a few mouthfuls. She'd started to feel sick again and the room was spinning a little.
Eddie noticed.
"Are you alright?" He asked, placing his hand on her knee
She nodded, continuing to push her dinner around her plate.
Eddie wasn't convinced. He put his plate down on the coffee table, turning to face her. He took her plate from her, placing it beside his own.
"What's wrong, Rach? Tell me" he pleaded, stroking her hair away from her face
She shook her head
"It's nothing, I'm fine. I just don't feel well, that's all" she sighed
"How do you mean?" Eddie questioned
"I feel sick and a bit dizzy" she admitted, putting her hand to her head
"Again? Rach, you need to go to the doctors! This has been going on for weeks now!" Eddie exclaimed
"I don't need a doctor, Eddie. It'll pass" she promised
Eddie sighed. There was no point arguing with her. Rachel Mason always got her way whether Eddie liked it or not.
"Well, what can I do to help? If you won't go to a doctor, you have to let me do something!" He insisted
"Can you make me a hot water bottle, please?" She requested
"Of course" he nodded, taking the plates into the kitchen
He switched on the kettle and made her a hot water bottle. He carried it back into the living room, handing it to her. She sighed in relief as she placed it on her stomach, the warmth instantly easing the pain.
Eddie sat down beside her again, pulling her into him so she was propped up against his chest. He rubbed her lower back in slow, gentle circles as they watched the film on the TV.
"Is this helping?" He asked as he continued to massage her back
She nodded quietly, relaxing further and further into his embrace.
The relief didn't last long. After just a few minutes, the effect of the hot water bottle wore off, leaving Rachel in discomfort again. Eddie rubbing her back wasn't even taking the edge off anymore. She shifted uncomfortably in his arms, sitting up in defeat. The world started to spin again. She groaned, hunching over, resting her head on her arms that were placed on her legs.
Eddie looked at her, his eyes filled with concern.
Something wasn't right.
"Rach? Why don't you go to bed? Get some sleep?" He suggested
"No, I'm ok" she mumbled
"You're not Rach, you look exhausted. You need to rest. You'll feel better after you've had some sleep" Eddie argued
"What about our date night?" She questioned
"It doesn't matter; we'll have one another night. I'm more concerned about you" he reassured, placing his hand on her shoulder
Rachel sighed in defeat. She had to admit; she was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to sink into her bed.
"Ok, I'll go" she agreed
"Good, come on, I'll take you up" he nodded
He helped her to her feet, guiding her up the stairs.
Without hesitation, she climbed into bed. Eddie wrapped the covers around her, kissing her forehead gently.
"You feel better, ok?" He whispered
Rachel nodded tiredly
"Will you at least think about going to the doctors, Rach? For me? I can't stand seeing you like this" he asked, partially pleading
Rachel sighed. Eddie wasn't wrong; she probably should go to the doctors. Whatever this was didn't seem to be passing.
"I'll call them if I'm not better in a few days, I promise" she nodded
Eddie sighed in relief. It was a start at least.
"I'll let you rest, ok?" Eddie whispered, kissing her gently on the lips
Rachel smiled, settling down further into the pillows, closing her eyes.
Eddie left the room, closing the door behind him, before going downstairs to start his paperwork. It wasn't the evening he'd had planned, but as long as Rachel was ok, it didn't matter.