Eddie had never been so relieved to see Steph in his entire life.

She got out of the Taxi. Her demeanour was calm and not bouncing with energy like it usually was. Steph knew something was wrong, she had, had her suspicions in the pub, just like Eddie had. The only difference was that she'd managed to hide them better than he had. So when Eddie had called her, she was worried. And she was right to be.

She looked Eddie up and down. He looked exhausted and haunted. He was shaking, even though it was a relatively warm evening. Seeing him so emotional, the usually stubborn, sometimes arrogant deputy head, took her by surprise.

"Let's go and sit down, eh?" She suggested

Eddie nodded

They sat down on a bench outside the Hospital entrance. He sighed heavily, staring at the floor.

"What's happened Eddie?" Steph asked, breaking the silence

"She was attacked... Rachel was attacked...and raped" he stammered

Saying those words aloud made him feel sick.

Steph stared at him for a moment, processing his words. She hadn't been expecting that. She suspected maybe the pair of them had taken the end of term celebrations too far, got too drunk and Rachel had taken a tumble. Like Eddie, the reality hadn't even crossed her mind. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"I don't... I don't understand,"

"Stuart Hordley. He... he came to the school and he,"

Eddie couldn't finish the sentence, he was shaking with anger.

"My god" Steph breathed, putting a hand to her mouth

"We were at the pub Steph... we were at the pub talking and having a laugh, while she was going through that! I sat there in that pub, upset with her because I thought she'd bailed on me. I sat there and accused her of that, whilst she was being attacked and raped in her own office!" Eddie blurted, his tone frantic and filled with pain

Steph's eyes glazed over with tears

"Eddie, this isn't your fault" she whispered

"Steph, I sat there, angry at her because I thought she'd bailed on me!" He exclaimed

"Well, if you're blaming yourself because of that, then I may as well be to blame for this too!" She argued

Eddie frowned at her, urging her to explain

"We both sat there, thinking she'd stood you up Eddie! That doesn't make any of it yours or my fault!" She explained

"I could have waited for her Steph. I could have waited for her to finish packing away her things. She insisted I go and I just turned away and did as she said because it was... easier"

Steph sighed. She could see where Eddie was coming from, but he was wrong. Eddie wasn't to blame for this.

"Eddie, how long have you and I known Rachel?" She asked

"A little under a year" he answered

"And in all that time, has Rachel ever lost an argument to either of us?" She questioned

Eddie shook his head

"But that's not the point, Steph" he added

"No, Eddie that is the point! Rachel is stubborn; she wouldn't have let you wait for her, no matter how much you protested! You couldn't have known that, that little scumbag was hanging around the school. Neither could she, just like you couldn't have known he was going to do what he did to her! You are not responsible for what happened, and Rachel certainly isn't! Stuart Hordley is a monster and a coward; he is the one who needs to be strung up, not you!"

Eddie shook his head

"You weren't there Steph; you didn't see what I saw. She'd somehow managed to drive home. When I found her, there was blood everywhere and she was lying unconscious, beaten and bruised on her bathroom floor. I didn't even know she'd been raped until the Nurse told me!"

He took a deep shaky breath before continuing

"Every time she regained consciousness, she passed out from the pain almost immediately. I felt so helpless, she was screaming in pain and I couldn't do anything to help her! All I could and can think about is how I let her down"

Steph wiped her own tears and placed her hand on top of Eddie's as he sobbed.

"Eddie, you have not let her down in any way,"

Eddie cut her off

"Yes Steph, I did! Not just tonight! I judged her on her past when I didn't even know the full story! Stuart was making her life hell and where was I? Judging her and kicking her while she was down! I wasn't there for her when she needed an ally, someone to listen to her"

"But you did listen to her in the end, Eddie. That's what's important! You put your judgment aside, let her explain and you had her back! Let me tell you, most men would run a mile if they were in your position! But you didn't. You stayed and stood up for her when she needed you"

Eddie stared at the floor, half listening to what Steph was saying. Steph was determined to get through to him, to make him see this wasn't his fault.

"Who went and checked on her tonight? You did! Sure, she could have stood you up, but you didn't give up. You knew something was wrong, so you took initiative and went to find her! Most men wouldn't have given her a second chance, let alone go to her house to talk to her! If you hadn't gone round there to check on her, she could have died! You saved her, Eddie. She wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for you"

Eddie nodded; too exhausted to argue and tell Steph once again why she was wrong.

"How is she now?" Steph asked

Eddie sighed heavily

"I don't know. I only know what the nurse told me. She's in a bad way, Steph. Her physical injuries will take weeks, maybe even months to start healing. And then there's the emotional damage. In a way, I wish they would just keep her sedated so she doesn't have to deal with it all"

"I know what you mean. But Rachel is strong. Between you and me, in all my life, I've never known such a strong and driven woman as Rachel Mason. She will get through this, it'll be hard, but she will do it. Just give her time. She'll need you Eddie"

Eddie nodded

"I know, and I'll be there for her" he said

"Then go and be with her now. Go and sit with her, hold her hand. Let yours be the first face she sees when she wakes up, eh?" Steph persuaded

Eddie nodded again, smiling at her weakly.

"Thanks Steph" Eddie sniffled

She rubbed his arm comfortingly with a reassuring smile.

"Call me if you need anything, yeah? Let me know how she's doing"

"Of course" he nodded

He stood up, heading back into the Hospital, leaving Steph sat on the bench outside. She couldn't ignore the tears that were pricking the back of her eyes.