Six weeks later...
Eddie woke up to the sound of retching coming from the bathroom. He shot up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he stepped into the en-suite.
His eyes fell on Rachel, who was sat on the floor beside the toilet. Her face was pale and clammy, her breathing heavy. She looked at him wearily, putting a hand to her head.
Eddie sat down next to her, pulling her into his arms. She rested her head against his chest, sighing heavily. The room was spinning and tilting, her stomach churning violently. She closed her eyes, taking some deep breaths, hoping it would stop.
"Are you alright?" he asked gently, stroking her hair away from her face
She nodded tiredly
She was lying of course. She hadn't been feeling well for the last week or two. Every morning, she'd woken up feeling sick and dizzy. She was tired all the time, no matter how much sleep she got. The days just seemed to suck all of the energy out of her.
But this, today, was the worst it had been. She'd woken up at 5AM, her body screaming at her to run to the bathroom as the bile was rising in her throat. She'd only just made it.
She hadn't told Eddie how ill she'd been feeling of course, she didn't want him to worry. But he was worrying now, seeing her like this. She could feel him stressing. This wasn't like her at all. Rachel Mason didn't get sick, ever. She knew it, and he knew it. Eddie always joked that her immune system was made of steel; no illness could go against it and win!
He thought back to last year, before they'd got together, when they went out for a meal with the staff. They'd all ordered the exact same meal, and all the staff had come down with horrendous food poisoning, Eddie included. But not Rachel. She'd somehow come out the other side, unscathed.
When the flu had gone round the school last year, in Rachel's first few months as Head Teacher, all the staff and students had gone down with it at some point. But again, not Rachel. She just didn't get sick somehow.
So, her being sick now meant there had to be something wrong. And that scared Eddie.
"I think it's just nerves, we have that Inspector coming today from the LEA. I'll be ok once we get to work" Rachel said, sitting up
"Why don't you go back to bed for an hour? It's only 5:15" Eddie suggested
She nodded. Normally she'd be up and dressed by now, but her body was aching and exhausted, begging for sleep.
With Eddie's help, she stood up. Her legs were shaking as she walked back into the bedroom. Eddie wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her before helping her back into bed. He wrapped the covers around her, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
"I'll get you a glass of water" he decided, heading back into the bathroom
When he came back a couple of minutes later, Rachel was already asleep. He smiled. She looked so peaceful; it would be cruel to wake her up again. So he left her. She could have the glass of water when she woke up.
He lay back in bed beside her, wrapping an arm around her carefully. She cuddled into him instinctively, draping an arm over his torso. Eddie closed his eyes, falling back into sleep.
...
When Eddie woke up again, his alarm was screeching at him. He sat up with a yawn, noticing Rachel was sat on the edge of the bed, getting dressed. She turned, smiling at him weakly.
"How are you feeling?" he asked
"Better" she nodded
She was lying again; she didn't feel well at all. But she wasn't about to tell Eddie that.
If she was honest, she wanted nothing more than to crawl back under the covers and sleep the day away. She was so tired and she couldn't understand why. Never in her life had she felt or been this tired.
The nausea had calmed down a little now, and the room was spinning a lot less. But she still felt awful. It had to be a sickness bug. Maybe her immune system wasn't as invincible as she and Eddie had thought.
Either that or it was anxiety. Today was a big day. An inspector from the LEA was paying the school a visit. Rachel always got nervous and anxious about days like this. It wasn't the first time she'd been sick before an event like this. She had been working tirelessly to get everything sorted and ready the last few weeks. Things at the school had been busy. She had been working hard, maybe too hard. Maybe this was burn out and her body was telling her she needed to slow down again. It was a possibility.
Once she was dressed, she went downstairs and into the kitchen, Eddie following closely behind her. Just the walk down the stairs had drained her, causing her to sit down at the table, breathing deeply as the room began to spin again. She hated feeling like this, especially when she didn't know what was wrong.
"Why don't I make you some toast? You might feel a bit better if you have something to eat" Eddie suggested
She nodded. Maybe eating something would help. She hadn't eaten much over the last few days, not from lack of trying. Almost everything she ate, or attempted to eat, made her feel sick. She couldn't physically keep food down. Water was easier to stomach, but even then, she'd struggled.
Eddie put two slices of bread in the toaster. He couldn't lie, he felt slightly relieved that she had agreed to try and eat something. If she hadn't, it would have increased his concern for her.
Once the toast was ready, he put it onto a plate, buttering it lightly before passing it to her. She smiled gratefully.
As the smell of the bread wafted up her nose, her stomach started to churn again. She groaned quietly, closing her eyes. Suddenly, the toast and the smell of it repulsed her.
Eddie watched as the colour drained from her face completely.
"Rach?"
Before she knew what was happening, she dashed over to sink, hurling into it violently. Something had come over her, and she just couldn't control it.
Eddie was by her side in seconds, holding her hair back. His concern only grew as he watched her heave and retch into the sink. This wasn't right.
Once she was finished, Eddie guided her back over to the table. She groaned as she sat down, resting her head on her arms. Eddie sat beside her, rubbing her upper back gently in an attempt to comfort her.
"I'm sorry" she mumbled
"You can't help it, Rach. I do think you need to see a Doctor though. You've been like this for a few days and you're getting worse" he told her
She shook her head frantically
"No, no Doctors. I don't need a Doctor" she whispered breathlessly
Eddie sighed. He knew she hated doctors, especially after Stuart's attack in July. And because of the miscarriage. But if she wasn't getting better, they needed to do something.
"Alright, no doctors, for now at least. But if you're not better in the next few days, I'm calling them, ok?"
Rachel nodded tiredly
At that moment, Philip walked into the kitchen, yawning. He smiled at Eddie and Rachel as he put some more bread into the toaster.
Philip had noticed a change in his Auntie too. She didn't look well at all today. Even when she'd smiled at him just then, he knew it had been forced.
"Everything ok?" he asked, looking from Eddie to Rachel
Rachel nodded, heading out of the kitchen and back upstairs to put on some makeup. She hoped some foundation and a bit of mascara would cover up her ghostly complexion. No amount of makeup could mask how ill she felt though.
Eddie sighed, watching her leave. He was worried about her. There was nothing he could do though. There was no way she'd take the day off today, even if he could hold the fort for her at school. And she wouldn't see a Doctor either.
"Is Rachel ok?" Philip asked, buttering his toast
"She's fine, mate. She's just not feeling well, that's all" Eddie reassured
Philip nodded. He had a feeling there was more to it than that, but he wasn't about to push Eddie for answers.
Ten minutes later, Rachel walked back into the kitchen, offering Eddie a small smile. Even with makeup on, she still didn't look well.
"Are you sure you should be at work today?" Eddie asked, walking over to her
Rachel rolled her eyes
"I'm fine, will you stop worrying? You know I can't have today off!" she huffed
"I'm sure the Inspector would understand. If you're sick, you need to rest, Rach" he argued
"I'm fine" she said firmly
Eddie nodded, sighing in defeat. He wasn't going to win. She was going into work whether he liked it or not.
"I'm going to head off. I have a few things I need to sort out" she told him
"I'll come with you" he offered
"No, I can take my car. I haven't used it for a bit. I'll see you there, ok?" she insisted
Eddie nodded, pecking her on the lips before watching her leave again.
Rachel headed out into the chilly November morning, unlocking her car. She sighed as she climbed into the driver's seat. Her nerves were increasing by the minute as she started the car and pulled out of the driveway. Hopefully today would be nothing to worry about.