Eddie returned five minutes later, having been unsuccessful in finding the Nurse. He hadn't wanted to leave Rachel alone for too long, so he'd given up and come back. And he was glad, because she was only getting worse.

"Rach, I can't find the Nurse. We need to get you home, and we need to book you an appointment at the Doctors. You need to be checked out" he reasoned

Rachel shook her head frantically

"I don't, I'm fine" she wheezed

"Rachel, you've got a fever!" he argued

"I haven't" she mumbled

Eddie shook his head in despair

"There's a thermometer in my bag, I'll take my temperature myself and show you" she huffed, sitting up a little

"I'll get it" he insisted, laying her back down

He walked over to her desk and picked up her handbag, before sitting back down on the coffee table. He passed her handbag to her, watching as she rifled through it and pulled out the thermometer.

She placed it into her mouth carefully. When it finally beeped, she took it out, turning it away so Eddie couldn't see.

"Don't even try and hide that from me, Rach, let me see!" Eddie scolded

Rachel rolled her eyes, passing it to him with a sigh.

His eyes widened in shock when he saw the number. 38.0.

"Ok, you definitely need to see a doctor" he told her, the urgency evident in his tone

"I don't. I just need to go home and rest" she insisted

"Rachel, you've been resting for the last week and you're no better! Your temperature is through the roof, you're wheezing and you've got a really bad cough! You need to see a Doctor!" he argued

"I just want to go home, please, Eddie? If I can't bring my temperature down at home in the next couple of hours, I'll call the Doctors, ok?"

Eddie sighed. He wasn't going to win this argument. He'd never won any argument with Rachel Mason before.

"Alright, Rach. But if you're going home, I'm staying with you" he announced

Rachel nodded quietly. She was too tired to argue with him. And besides, she felt safer knowing that someone was there to keep an eye on her, just in case anything happened.

"Come on, I'll drive you home" he offered

He helped her to stand, wrapping an arm around her waist to steady her. The room continued to spin violently, but Eddie held onto her tightly so she wouldn't fall.

By the time they got to Eddie's car, he was practically carrying her in his arms. She was becoming weaker and weaker. Her vision was blurring in and out of focus as the world continued to tilt from side to side. She felt lightheaded again.

Eddie got her into the car, helping her to put her seatbelt on. She coughed loudly, Eddie cringing at the barking sound that came out. She groaned, rubbing her chest painfully as she struggled to get her breath. Eddie put his hand on her arm comfortingly.

"Let's get you home, yeah?" he suggested

She nodded weakly.

Eddie climbed into the driver's seat, starting the car immediately. He reversed out of the parking space, driving at a faster pace than normal. He was determined to get Rachel home so she could rest.

Rachel closed her eyes, her body begging her for sleep. She was so tired. She'd never felt this tired before in her whole life. It scared her.

Somehow, she managed to keep her eyes open until they pulled up on her driveway. Eddie dashed round to her side of the car, helping her to her feet. Once again, he half carried her to the doorway.

She was coughing continuously now, unable to control it. She let go of Eddie, grabbing onto the wall of the doorway for balance as she coughed and spluttered violently. Her chest felt like it was on fire, as well as a heavy weight sitting on it.

Eddie looked on at her with concern, she was coughing so hard and so aggressively, he thought she might throw up.

"Rach, we need to get you inside. Where are your keys?" he asked

She quietly passed him her handbag. He took it from her, finding them buried in the bag next to the thermometer. He pulled them out, unlocking the door and guiding Rachel inside.

He lay her down on the sofa, watching as she coughed and wheezed. Somehow, she was even paler than before. She was shivering and sweating, rubbing and clawing at her chest. Eddie sighed. This wasn't right.

"Will you please let me call a Doctor, Rach?" he pleaded

She shook her head

"Come on, Rach. You're not well! You know you're not well! You need help!" he begged

She shook her head again as she continued to cough, wheezing with every inhale. It was so bad now that she couldn't speak.

"Look, I'll come to the Doctor's with you and I'll do all the talking, ok? I won't leave your side, we need to get this sorted, Rach. You can't recover from this without help" he reasoned

"I just want to sleep. Please" she whispered, her voice raspy and croaky

Eddie sighed. He wasn't going to force her to go to the Doctors. He couldn't.

"Alright, Rach. Let's try and get your temperature down, yeah? I'll make you some tea, and you can get some sleep. But if you're no better in a couple of hours, I'm calling the doctors, ok?"

She nodded

"Do you have any Paracetamol?" he asked

"In the kitchen, cupboard on the left" she told him

Eddie went into the kitchen, turning the kettle on. Whilst it boiled, he looked through her cupboards. He found the paracetamol, as well as some honey and lemon mixture. Even though she was going to have the paracetamol and the warm honey and lemon, he knew he'd still be making a phone call to a Doctor later. Paracetamol and tea could only do so much; it couldn't cure a fever as bad as Rachel's. But it was a start.

Once the kettle was boiled, he poured the boiling water into a mug, adding the honey and lemon mixture into it. He found a clean wash cloth in the ironing basket and soaked it with cool water before wringing it out.

He picked up the honey and lemon drink, the paracetamol and the wash cloth, carrying them back into the living room. He placed everything down on the coffee table. He then grabbed a few extra cushions from the other sofa, propping Rachel up against them carefully.

He handed her the paracetamol and the warm drink. She took it from him gratefully, swallowing the tablets as she sipped her drink.

Eddie took the wash cloth, dabbing it gently on her forehead and cheeks. She sighed in relief as the cool water dropped onto her burning skin, cooling it just a little. The effect quickly wore off however, since the wash cloth had soaked up the heat on Rachel's skin and made it a warm compress, rather than a cold one. Eddie sighed, placing it back on the coffee table.

When she'd finished her drink, she rested her head back against the pillows, closing her eyes for just a few seconds. Eddie could hear the wheezing in her chest again.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked

She shook her head, coughing painfully.

"I just want to sleep" she whispered

Eddie nodded

He helped her settle down into the pillows, stroking the hair back from her face. Within seconds, she was asleep, her hand subconsciously resting in Eddie's. Normally, Eddie would have teased her about this, but on this occasion, he didn't mind.

He watched her for a moment as she slept peacefully. He smiled.

There was denying it, he had feelings for Rachel. He was fond of her. She was a beautiful, funny, confident, kind hearted and strong woman, and an even better Head Teacher. He loved everything about her, from her passion for her job, to her stubborn nature. Rachel Mason was one of a kind.

He didn't know if she felt the same way about him as he did about her. Probably not. But that was ok. They were friends, and if that's all they were ever going to be, that was fine.

Her letting him take care of her like this gave him a little hope for the future though.