It was 4:30pm. Rachel had just woken up from a nap. If she was honest, she couldn't remember falling asleep. The last thing she remembered was having her blood pressure checked and taking the iron tablet and paracetamol the Nurse had given her after lunch. She figured she must have conked out after that. She wasn't surprised really, she was exhausted. She had thought that she wouldn't get a chance to have a nap today, with all the noise on the ward. The fatigue had clearly won, and she was grateful.

Her head was still pounding, and the room began to spin a little as she slowly sat up, she was feeling a little queasy again too. It seemed no matter how much she was resting and sleeping, nothing was curing the fatigue she currently felt. She knew she had been in hospital for less than 24 hours, the medicine and fluids would take a bit of time to start doing their job, but she couldn't help but be a little impatient and frustrated by the fact that she wasn't feeling even a little better.

As her head turned to look at the clock, her mood improved slightly. Eddie would be here soon. Her heart fluttered. Even though she was handling being in the hospital better than she'd expected, she couldn't wait for the next few hours. Not having him around felt odd. She was so used to his presence in her life now that being without him just felt wrong. She couldn't lie; she felt a little lost without him. She wanted him to tell her all about his day (it wouldn't take much to make it more interesting than hers!). She wanted to know that everything was ok at the school after the events of yesterday. She did feel a little bit like she was leaving Bolton and Paul in the lurch when they needed her support. But there was nothing she could do about that. She trusted Eddie to handle it of course, but she wished she was there dealing with it herself.

Her phone buzzed on the table beside her, Eddie's name flashing up on the screen. Rachel smiled, opening the message:

"On my way, love. Will be there soon. Love you xx"

Rachel sighed contentedly as she lay back against the pillows. For the next few days, Eddie coming to visit her in the hospital was going to be the highlight of her day.

She was relieved that Eddie was on his way. She was excited to see him, but she also needed someone to help her get to the bathroom down the corridor. She needed the toilet and was sick of having to press the buzzer to ask one of the Nurses for their help. Of course she knew it was part of their job, but it just made her feel like a nuisance.

She also wanted to have a shower and to change into the pyjamas Eddie was bringing with him. She felt gross and knew a shower would make her feel more comfortable. Someone would have to be in the bathroom with her in case anything happened. She'd feel more comfortable if Eddie was in there with her instead of a Nurse. If she didn't feel so dizzy and lightheaded when standing up, and if she wasn't attached to her IV rack, she would be able to walk herself down there. But she couldn't, not yet at least.

...

It was as Eddie was driving to the hospital that he realised he wasn't very good at time management. He had planned to be at the hospital for four o'clock. It was now 4:30pm. Packing a bag for Rachel had been more of a challenge than he'd realised.

After much thought and panicking, he had settled on packing her two sets of pyjamas and a nightie, as well as her slippers, dressing gown, underwear and a towel. He'd also grabbed the book she had been reading from the bedside table. Maybe that would keep her occupied.

By the time he had finished, it was already 4pm. He had dashed out to his car, driving to the supermarket round the corner where he had picked up a few toiletries and noise cancelling ear plugs for Rachel, as well as a sandwich and a drink for his dinner. He didn't know how long he would be allowed to stay for, but he was planning to stay as late as he could.

When he finally found a parking space at the hospital, it was 4:45pm. Rachel had always told him the skill he lacked in his personal life was time management. At work, he got things done on time, but at home, he was usually late to things, or little jobs never got done. He hadn't believed Rachel when she had said it to him at first. He was now starting to believe she was right.

Once he'd parked, he wasted no time. He grabbed the two bags out of the boot and made his way over to the main entrance of the hospital. He hoped Rachel wasn't worrying that he hadn't shown up yet. He had sent her a text as he was leaving the supermarket to let her know he was on his way, so hopefully she wasn't panicking.

He smiled at the Nurse who opened the door to let him onto the ward. Once she had pointed him in the direction of Rachel's cubicle, he made his way down the never-ending corridor.

When he approached the curtained cubicle, he paused. He was suddenly nervous. He hadn't heard from Rachel since lunchtime. She hadn't replied to the text he'd sent to let her know he was on his way. Of course that could mean nothing. One of the Nurses or Doctors would have called him if something was wrong. She was probably fine, but even so, he couldn't help but be concerned.

Pushing his worries aside, he moved over to the curtain.

"Knock, knock"

Rachel smiled as Eddie poked his head through the curtain. Her heart flooded with relief at the sight of him. She'd missed him more than she'd realised. She couldn't help but let out a small giggle when he smiled goofily back at her.

As he stepped into the cubicle, drawing the curtain back across, he studied Rachel carefully. In his view, she did look a little less pale. He could tell by the cloudiness in her eyes that she was tired, completely worn out and drained. He wasn't surprised; she had been vomiting consistently for a week and hadn't been sleeping, eating or drinking well. That would be enough to tire anyone out.

Once he had set the two bags down on the floor, she reached her arms out for him. Eddie sat down on the bed beside her, pulling her into a hug. He placed a kiss in her hair before she leaned up to peck him on the lips.

"How are you feeling?" he asked when he pulled away from her

"Not great, but I'll live" she replied

Eddie tilted her chin so her tired eyes were staring into his. She smiled at him softly.

"I think you look a little better" he commented

"I wish I felt it. My head feels like it's going to split in two" she sighed, leaning back against the pillows

"It'll take time, love. You'll get there. Have you told the Nurse how you're feeling?"

She nodded quietly.

"She gave me some Paracetamol at lunchtime. It hasn't done much"

"You probably can't have anything else, because of our little one" Eddie assumed, unable to keep the smile off his face

Rachel smiled, her hand instinctively moving to rest on her stomach. That probably was the reason. And it was ok. She could handle the pounding headache if it meant the tiny baby growing inside her was safe.

"Well, if that's the reason, I guess it's worth it"

"I think so too" Eddie nodded, squeezing her hand gently

"Can I get you anything? I've bought you some pyjamas and toiletries" he added

"Actually I... I really want to have a shower and change clothes. I feel gross, and I need the toilet" she admitted, blushing a little

"Ok" Eddie nodded

"I need the Nurse to remove my IV tubes" she told him

"I'll go and get her" Eddie decided

"No, it's ok. I'll press the buzzer" she insisted, pressing the remote by the side of her bed with her thumb

After five minutes, a Nurse showed up. Eddie gathered the things Rachel would need whilst she was having her IV tube removed from the cannula in her arm. Once the Nurse had left, Eddie helped Rachel to sit up.

"Let's do this nice and slowly, ok?" he suggested

Rachel nodded, carefully swinging her legs over the bed. Eddie wrapped her arms around his neck as he gently pulled her to her feet. She clung onto him tightly as the room began to spin. Her legs felt like jelly. She was used to this happening now. Every time she had gotten to her feet to go to the bathroom in the last 24 hours, the first few minutes had been like this. She'd lost count of how many Nurses she had, had by her side, telling her to take deep breaths and to sit back down if she needed to.

Eddie wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her steady as she rested her head on his chest. Even with her head resting on his chest, she could feel his concerned gaze burning through the top of her head.

"I'll be alright in a minute" she reassured, taking a deep breath

"Sit back down and I'll go and ask for a wheelchair" he instructed

"No, I'm ok. I can do it" she insisted

"Rach, I don't want a repeat of yesterday" he argued

"There won't be one. This always happens at first when I stand up" she told him wearily

Eddie raised an eyebrow at her.

"And you think that's normal, do you?" he questioned

"No, but the Nurses have said it is. I just need to get my strength back. I'll be alright; it'll pass in a minute"

Eddie wasn't convinced. He was moving her closer and closer to the bed. As he was about to sit her back down, Rachel stopped him by cupping his cheek with her hand.

"Stop stressing, it's ok" she whispered

Eddie couldn't help but let out a small laugh. He was supposed to be the one reassuring her, not the other way around.

The dizzy spell eventually passed, allowing Rachel to stand up properly. She smiled at Eddie, an 'I told you so' look plastered on her face. He chose not to say anything as he wrapped an arm securely around her waist. Together, they slowly made their way out of the cubicle.