When Eddie had finished cleaning up, the stain was completely gone from the sofa and he'd moved outside to clean it off the passenger seat.
Satisfied, he went back into the kitchen and put the kettle on. He thought Rachel could do with a cup of tea after her bath.
As he was stirring in the milk, he heard her coming down the stairs.
She walked into the kitchen, dressed in a fresh pair of pyjamas and her dressing gown. She was holds a small bundle of clothes. Eddie studied her carefully, noticing her red, puffy eyes and the dried tear tracks on her pale face. She'd been crying.
She smiled at him weakly, her eyes filled with sadness again.
Eddie noticed from the way she was holding her stomach from the pain that she had a small, but noticeable bump from where the baby had been growing. He wondered if she'd noticed and thats why she was so upset.
The first thing she noticed was the blood stains on his white shirt and blazer. Her blood. It made her feel sick.
"If you want to go and change, I can put your clothes in the wash with mine to get the stains out" she said
Eddie nodded, heading out of the kitchen. He took a T-shirt out of his bag and a pair of jeans, changing into them and removing the blood stained ones. He took them back into the kitchen handing them to Rachel. She was quiet as she put them into the washer. It made Eddie feel uneasy.
"Are you ok?" He asked gently
"I'm fine" she nodded, her back turned to him as she put the washer on the correct setting
Eddie sighed
"Rach, look at me" he instructed softly
She turned to him, avoiding his gaze completely. If she made eye contact with him she was certain she would breakdown again.
Eddie walked over to her, placing his hands on her arms. The contact alone made her immediately drop her guard.
She sank into him, sobbing. Eddie didn't say a word as he pulled her into his arms holding onto her tightly. He knew she needed to feel the grief, even if it made no sense to her. Even if she hadn't wanted the baby, losing a baby was painful and traumatic. He knew she was in physical pain too, and that wasn't helping.
He guided her into the living room, sitting her down on the sofa before going back into the kitchen. He added a few sugars to her tea, hoping it would help her to stop shaking.
She took it from him gratefully when he handed it to her, warming it in her hands. Rachel had to admit, she loved Eddie's cups of tea. Even though he was an avid coffee drinker, he made tea perfectly.
He sat beside her carefully, letting her lean into him again. She sighed deeply. She had stopped crying, and her breathing was a little calmer. They sat in silence. Neither of them needed to say anything. Just having Eddie by her side was a comfort.
"I'm sorry" she said eventually
"Rach, you're grieving. You've suffered a loss, it's a big deal, even if you didn't want that baby, losing it is still traumatic. I'm here for you, I'm not going anywhere" he soothed
"I don't know what I ever did to deserve you" she whispered
Eddie smiled, stroking her hair softly.
She suddenly let out a groan of pain, her hand moving to massage her stomach. Eddie leapt into action.
"What's wrong?" He panicked
"Nothing, I'm just really sore. The doctor said it was normal" Rachel sighed
"I'll make you a hot water bottle" Eddie decided, heading back into the kitchen
He made her a hot water bottle, taking it back into her with some paracetamol. She took them from him, swallowing the tablets. When she put the hot water bottle onto her stomach, she sighed in relief, the pain dying down almost instantly.
"Thank you" she mumbled
Eddie gave her a small smile
"My pleasure. It'll have to be a takeaway for dinner tonight I'm afraid. You were right, there's nothing in the cupboard or fridge" he explained
"That makes a change" she replied
"What does?" He frowned
"You, admitting I'm right" she said, smiling weakly
Eddie laughed, passing her the menus he'd found on the coffee table.
"Decide what you want and I'll order it" he said, leaning back on the sofa
Rachel nodded
After looking through all the takeaway menus Rachel had, they decided on a Chinese Takeaway. Eddie ordered it whilst Rachel put the TV on and found something to watch in an attempt to drown out her thoughts.
An hour later, they had finished their food. Rachel hadn't eaten much of hers at all and had put it in the fridge for tomorrow. Eddie didn't push her on it. He knew she wasn't feeling well and eating was the last thing on her mind.
They were sat in front of the TV. Rachel was yawning uncontrollably, barely able to keep her eyes open. The pain in her stomach and back hadn't gone away; she felt every sharp pain shoot through her stomach and across to her back. Her body was sore and tired and she felt incredibly weak all of a sudden, like all the energy had been sucked from her. The doctor had warned her about all of these symptoms, they were common after a miscarriage.
Eddie noticed how tired she looked and contemplated whether or not to take her up to bed.
Before he could make the suggestion, Rachel moved over to him and curled into his side, resting her head on his chest, wrapping her hand in his. He smiled, wrapping an arm around her and stroking her silky soft hair with his hand. She hummed contentedly, closing her eyes involuntarily.
"I think you should go to bed, Rach. You look tired" Eddie suggested
"Thanks!" She grumbled sarcastically
Eddie laughed
"You know what I mean! Come on, let's go" he said, offering his hand out to her
Rachel gave in, turning off the TV before taking his hand and getting to her feet. She winced at the pain the movement caused, but pushed passed it, following Eddie upstairs.
When they got to the landing, she frowned as Eddie went to put his bag in the spare room.
"What are you doing?" She asked
"This is where I'm sleeping" he shrugged
Rachel giggled that rare, girly giggle of hers, causing Eddie to frown.
"Eddie, we're not roommates!" She exclaimed
"Is that an invitation to your room?" He asked, raising an eyebrow
"Yes, if you feel comfortable to" she nodded
Eddie placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, before heading across the landing to the bathroom to brush his teeth and to change into his pyjamas. Rachel went into her ensuite to clean her own teeth.
Eddie was the first into the bedroom. He sat on the bed, feeling a little nervous. It had been a long time since he'd shared a bed with someone.
Rachel came back into the room and Eddie suddenly felt at ease.
"I just have to go back downstairs. I need to make another hot water bottle and take some paracetamol" she explained, rubbing her back uncomfortably
Eddie shot up
"I'll make it for you if you want?" He offered
Rachel laughed at his eagerness. He just wanted to look after her as much as he possibly could. And she was grateful.
"If you want to, thank you" she nodded
Eddie headed downstairs and switched on the kettle, grabbing the box of paracetamol whilst it was boiling. He made the hot water bottle and carried it back up to her, along with a glass of water. He passed her the water and the paracetamol first, letting her swallow the tablets and drink the water before giving her the hot water bottle.
They climbed into bed together, Rachel cuddling into him again. There was no awkwardness between them at all. Once again, it felt so natural, so right. She wished they could stay like this forever. She'd never felt so comfortable around anyone before.
She placed the hot water bottle on her stomach, the stabbing pain easing a little. Eddie was concerned that she was still in pain, even though the doctor had told them it was normal.
"Is there anything I can do?" He asked, nodding to the hot water bottle placed on her stomach
Rachel shook her head
"I'll be fine, it'll pass" she reassured
Eddie nodded
"Rach, when I spoke to the doctor earlier, she mentioned referring you for some counselling sessions. I just wondered how you felt about it."
Rachel processed the question carefully. The thought of talking to a complete stranger about what she'd been through made her feel sick. Even talking to someone she knew about it made her feel that way. But she had to admit, she had been considering it for a few weeks now. So much had happened; she couldn't process and heal from it all without help. Of course she had Eddie, he was her rock at the moment. But in order to go back to work and do her job properly, she needed more. Counselling didn't seem like the worst idea. She wasn't sure though.
"I don't know, what do you think?" She asked
"I think you should give it a try, if you want to. You know I'm here for you and you can talk to me about anything, I don't want you to feel like I'm brushing you off," he started
"I know you're not" she reassured
"I understand what you're saying Eddie. It's actually something I've been thinking about for a little while. I think I need it" she continued
"Ok, well, we can make a referral tomorrow. I'll support you all the way if that's what you want to do. And if you don't, its ok" Eddie decided
Rachel nodded, her heart skipping a beat. He was being so kind. What had she done in her life to deserve someone like Eddie Lawson?
"We need to talk about me coming back to work" she said, sitting up to look at him
"Do you still want to?" Eddie asked
She nodded
"Yes, I really do. But, maybe I should give it a few weeks. I'm still healing aren't I? Physically and emotionally I guess"
"Yes, Rach I agree, and the LEA will too. I don't want you rushing back to work before you're ready. Remember, you've been signed off work until December; the job is still yours to take back until you decide otherwise. You don't need to rush"
"I know. I'm mainly worried about my wrist. Paperwork, writing and typing is going to be a challenge" she sighed
"It'll be alright Rach, just give it time. If it's still on the mend when you go back, Bridget will have to help you out with typing and writing, and you'll just have to do your best with your signature. And I'll help where I can too obviously" he reassured
Rachel nodded
"Now, go to sleep. We can talk about everything else tomorrow, ok?" He added
"Yes, Mr Lawson" Rachel huffed, rolling her eyes sarcastically
He chuckled, kissing her forehead gently as she settled further into his chest, draping her arm around his torso.
Within minutes, they were both asleep, completely relaxed in each other's arms.