Eddie groaned when Kim knocked on his classroom door. Her interfering was not going to help what was going on between him and Rachel. It wouldn't fix things between them. He was sure now that nothing could do that.

His eyes remained fixed on his computer as she entered the classroom, meaning that he missed the panicked and worried expression on her face.

"Eddie, you need to come with me, now. It's Rachel" she explained

"I'm a bit busy, Kim" he mumbled

"Eddie, she's bleeding and is probably in labour!" Kim argued

His head snapped up at that. It was too early for this to be happening. Rachel was only 37 weeks pregnant. Part of him wanted to believe it was a cruel joke, a ruse to get them to talk to each other. But the other part of him knew that Kim wouldn't do that, and neither would Rachel.

"What?"

"She's bleeding and she's in pain, she wants and needs you. Are you coming or not?" Kim repeated

Eddie shot up from his chair, leaving all his belongings behind. All that mattered was Rachel.

He followed Kim down the corridor, heart hammering against his chest. He wasn't sure what he was about to walk into. Kim hadn't exactly been specific. Exactly how much blood had she lost and how much pain was she in? He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know. All he did know was that their ongoing argument didn't matter to him anymore. What mattered was getting her and the baby to the hospital where they could be taken care of.

He dashed into the office, freezing when he saw Rachel writhing on the sofa, panting in pain. His eyes fell on the blood that had stained the carpet near the desk. This definitely wasn't a cruel joke. Instead, it was a harsh and terrifying reality.

"Eddie,"

His eyes followed her voice, which had called out to him in a whimper. The tear tracks running down her cheeks threatened to shatter his heart in two.

He sat down in front of her on the sofa, holding his arms out for her as she sat up to get closer to him. She clung onto him tightly, her tears staining his shirt. He shushed her gently, his hand running softly through her hair.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" she whispered

Eddie pulled apart from her, cupping her cheek with his hand.

"You don't have anything to apologise for" he told her, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead

"I love you" she told him

Eddie smiled at her.

"I love you too"

"Are you ok?" he added, watching as she grimaced painfully

He cringed as she hissed painfully. Her hand flew to her stomach as she cried out in pain.

"The baby," she mumbled, exhaling shakily

"We need to get you to hospital, Rach" Eddie told her, trying to keep his tone calm

She shook her head frantically, her hand crushing his fingers.

"It's too early" she whispered

"I know, that's why we need to go and get you both checked over" he replied

"I'm scared" she whimpered, a strangled sob escaping her lips

"I know, darling, I know. It's going to be fine, I promise. I'll be with you the whole time, ok? I'm not going anywhere" he reassured

She nodded quietly.

"Let's get you up and I'll drive us to the hospital, yeah?" he suggested

"I can't move" she mumbled tearfully

"I'll carry you then, ok?"

"Ok" she replied breathlessly

Eddie carefully lifted her into his arms, placing an apologetic kiss in her hair as she cried out in pain. He chose to ignore the small blood stain that had sunk into the sofa where Rachel had been lying. It would only make him panic the longer he stared at it, and he didn't need that right now. Rachel was scared enough as it was. The priority was to get her and the baby to the hospital.

He turned to Kim, who was watching on anxiously.

"Can you get someone to cover my class and to keep on top of things in the office please?" he asked

"Of course" Kim nodded

"Thanks, I'll keep you updated" he replied, dashing out of the office

He sighed in relief when they made it out into the car park without any students passing them. Rachel didn't need an audience for what she was currently going through.

He headed over to his car, thankful that he'd parked fairly close to the entrance of the building this morning. Rachel was whimpering, the sounds muffled as she buried her head in his chest.

"Would you be more comfortable lying down in the back seat, or do you want to be sat up in the front seat?" he asked her

"The front seat, please" she answered quietly

Eddie opened the passenger door, helping her to sit down. Once she was comfortable and her seatbelt was on, he placed a kiss on her forehead before running around to the driver's seat.

As he sat down, she reached for his hand, groaning painfully.

"It's ok, you're ok" he soothed, rubbing the back of her hand with his thumb

She nodded tiredly, resting her head against the window as the contraction tailed off.

Eddie started the car, making his way out of the school car park.