Janeece and Steph followed the small crowd out of the hall and onto the playground where Chlo and Donte's celebrations were continuing. They had stayed for an hour and had a drink, continuing the conversation they'd had in Charlotte's office.

Everything felt better, for both Janeece and Steph. It would never fully be ok or better; not without Maxine. They would always miss her, and the memory of what happened would stay with them forever. But they had each other, and that was what mattered. They would get through this.

"Do you want a lift home?" Steph offered

"No, it's ok. I'll walk" Janeece insisted

"Well, then, I'll see you tomorrow" Steph smiled

Janeece nodded.

"Thanks, Miss"

Before Steph could even head over to her car, Chlo was calling after her. Steph turned to find the girl in front of her, handing her and Janeece a pink balloon. Steph frowned at her.

"I just wanted to do something for Maxine" Chlo explained

Steph smiled tearfully.

"I don't know what to say" she whispered

"Best say nothing. Maxine used to puke when we got all soppy!" Janeece chuckled

Steph laughed, watching Chlo who was making sure everyone had a balloon in their hand.

On the count of three, everyone let go of their balloons. Steph watched with a smile as the pink and purple balloons flew up into the sky. As she watched, she thought of Maxine. Beautiful, funny and kind Maxine. She missed her so much, and it was clear that everyone else around her did too as they all shouted words of love and clapped.

"I love you, Maxine" she whispered into the air

...

The short drive home had only made Rachel feel worse. She was relieved when the car came to a gentle stop as Eddie parked on the drive. Rachel wasn't usually the type to suffer from travel sickness, but today seemed to be an exception.

With Eddie's help, she got out of the car. For a moment, she thought she would have to get back in the car, due to how weak and shaky her legs felt. Thankfully, Eddie wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her as they walked over to the front door.

When they got into the hallway, Rachel leaned heavily against the wall, placing a hand to her head as she took deep breaths. The room was spinning dangerously fast. She could feel the sour, putrid taste of the bile in the back of her throat as her stomach grumbled and churned. She had wanted to come home to get changed before going to the Doctor's, but now it felt like she needed a lie down.

Eddie placed his hand on her arm gently. She was swaying unsteadily on her feet.

"Alright, love?" he asked softly

Rachel shook her head, a whimper escaping her lips. She had never felt so ill in her life. She had been feeling bad over the last week, but right now it only seemed to be ramping up in intensity. How much worse could it get?

Eddie carefully lifted her into his arms, carrying her into the living room. He laid her down on the sofa, placing a cushion behind her head to ensure she was comfortable.

As he kneeled down beside her, he noticed how unwell she looked. She hadn't looked well for the last week, but this was different. Her skin was clammy and ashen. She was shivering, but he could feel the heat radiating off her. Her eyes were glazed over as she stared at him. She definitely needed a Doctor.

He smiled at her weakly as she reached out her hand for him. He took it, noticing how warm and clammy her hand was. He looked at his watch, noting the time was 5:50pm. They needed to be back in the car fairly soon.

He ran a hand across her forehead, the intense warmth of her skin making him even more concerned.

"You're burning up, darling" he whispered, stroking her hair softly

"I'm f-freezing" she replied, her teeth chattering

Eddie sighed. Something was definitely wrong.

"You stay here, I'll go and get you some clothes to change into, ok?" he suggested

Rachel nodded tiredly.

As Eddie went upstairs, Rachel attempted to pull herself up. She thought a glass of water might make her feel better.

As she got herself to her feet, the dull ache in her head suddenly turned into a searing, piercing pain. She put a hand to her head, groaning in pain. Black dots formed in front of her eyes, clouding her vision. Her heart felt like it was racing at a million miles an hour as the room began to spin. Her ears were ringing, blocking out the sound of her own rapid breathing. She tried to call out for Eddie, but no sound came out.

The sickening thud that came from downstairs made Eddie's blood run cold. He shot out of the bedroom, flying down the stairs and into the living room.

His heart plummeted into his stomach when he saw Rachel lying unconscious on the floor. There was a gash on the right side of her forehead, which was bleeding profusely. Judging by the blood on the inside of the living room door, it was clear that was the cause.

He sank to his knees, carefully moving Rachel into the recovery position. He placed two fingers on her wrist, checking for a pulse. To his relief, it was there.

"Rach? Can you hear me?" he spoke, tucking her hair back behind her ear

Rachel didn't move.

"Rach? Come on, love. Please wake up" he pleaded

When there was no sign of movement from Rachel, Eddie pulled out his phone, dialling 999. He was connected immediately. With a shaky voice, he explained the situation and then answered the call handler's questions. Once an Ambulance was confirmed to be on its way, Eddie put the phone down, turning his attention back to Rachel.

"Come on, Rach. Wake up"

He sighed in relief when a soft whimper escaped her lips. He rubbed her hand gently with his thumb.

"That's it, darling, come on" he encouraged

He watched as her eyes fluttered open slowly. She groaned, placing a hand to her head. Her eyes found Eddie's. He smiled at her reassuringly.

"Eddie" she whimpered

"Hey, it's ok. I'm right here" he soothed

Rachel attempted to sit up, confused as to how she had ended up on the living room floor in the first place. She regretted her decision the second she lifted her head. The room automatically started to spin violently, the searing pain in her head returning as the black dots appeared in front of her eyes again. Her hand flew to her mouth as she gagged. Eddie was quick, placing the bin in front of her as she hurled into it.

After five minutes, it finally passed. Eddie moved to lay her back down. Rachel resisted a little, attempting to fight him off.

"Stay where you are, Rach. You've banged your head" he told her

Rachel groaned painfully. Her body felt like it had a thousand weights tied to it. The more she resisted, the more tired she became. She gave in and lay back, closing her eyes.

"What's happening to me?" she mumbled

"I don't know, darling, but you're not well. The Ambulance is on its way. We'll get this sorted, I promise" he reassured

He watched as her hand moved to rest on her stomach.

"Am I losing the baby? Am I bleeding?" she asked, her voice merely a whisper

"No, darling. You're not bleeding. Are you in pain or anything?" he questioned

Rachel internally assessed herself. Apart from the pain in her head and the weak, heavy feeling of her body, she felt no pain.

"No" she mumbled

Eddie sighed in relief.

"It's going to be fine, Rach. I promise" he told her

She lifted her head as she vomited into the bin again. Eddie wiped away the droplets of sweat from her clammy forehead with a tissue he'd grabbed from the box on the coffee table. Her skin was still warm to touch, too warm for Eddie's liking. She was becoming paler by the minute as she continued to heave and retch into the bin.

Eddie's heart threatened to break in two as a frightened sob escaped her lips. The tears rolled down her cheeks as she lay back down, trying to take deep breaths. Her heart still felt like it was beating at a million miles an hour.

Eddie could see that her mind was racing. He wanted to reassure her it would all be fine, but he couldn't. He didn't know what was wrong.

He took her hand when she reached out for him, rubbing it comfortingly with his thumb as her body shook with sobs. He stroked her hair softly.

"It's ok, you're ok" he soothed

"I can't lose another baby, Eddie. I can't" she sobbed hysterically

"Rachel, I promise you, it's going to be fine. You're not losing the baby. We're going to get you to hospital and get you sorted" he reassured

Rachel nodded quietly, rubbing her stomach gently.

"I'm so tired" she whimpered, her eyes threatening to drift close no matter how hard she fought to keep them open

"I know, darling. Close your eyes, the Ambulance will be in a minute"

Rachel gave in, resting her head further into the carpet. She closed her eyes as she heard the Ambulance siren approaching, her hand still wrapped in Eddie's.