Rachel paced up and down her office, her mind racing and her heart pounding. Kim had seen the bruise and cut on her cheek. She'd put 22 together. And now what?
She wasn't angry at Kim or Eddie. If anything, she was grateful to them both for caring. But knowing they cared scared her. Caring would only get them hurt. Neither of them could protect her or the baby.
...
Kim sighed heavily as she sat down in her office chair. Her suspicions around Rachel had been confirmed, but she had done the opposite of helping Rachel and had instead lost her trust completely.
If she hadn't been concerned before, she was now. Seeing the bruise and cut on her cheek had made it real. Adam was hurting her and had probably been hurting her for a long time. How could he do this to her? It made her blood boil.
The guilt was only increasing the more she thought about it. She should have known, she should have been there for her more. It made her feel sick, knowing this had been happening to her. It was all starting to make sense. Her suddenly handing in her resignation to go travelling. The lack of contact. It was all to do with Adam.
She couldn't stand the fact that this was happening to Rachel. She felt powerless. As someone in charge of Pastoral Care, she knew all the protocols to take when it came to someone being a victim of domestic violence. She had dealt with a few cases during her career with the students she worked with. She had the training and the knowledge. But no training can ever prepare you for it happening to someone you know and care about. It hits so much harder.
She had to Rachel away from him somehow. Her and the baby needed to be safe. But how could she help her if she refused the support?
A heavy sigh escaped her lips as Eddie entered the room. In a way, she was glad he was here. She needed to tell someone who cared about Rachel just as much as she did.
Eddie didn't like the worry that was etched into her features.
"Hey. Did you talk to Rachel?" he asked tentatively
A lump formed in his throat when she nodded slowly.
"What happened?" he questioned
"You were right... about Adam" she told him
"What do you mean?"
"He's..."
She put a hand over her mouth to stifle her sob.
"He's... hurting her" she mumbled
Eddie immediately felt sick.
"Did she tell you that?"
"No. I knew from the way she was acting and from the... bruise and cut on her cheek"
Eddie frowned, not recalling seeing a bruise or a cut.
"I saw it under her makeup. She'd tried to cover it, but you can see it if you look closely enough" she explained
Eddie sighed painfully.
"She shut me out, Eddie. She's angry at both of us because I told her you were worried too. I don't know what to do. I want to help her, but she won't let me" she gushed
"Ok, ok. Don't panic. Let me talk to her, I'll go now" he suggested
"No, don't. Leave it for a few hours. Let her calm down. She might be more ready to talk later" Kim insisted
Eddie nodded.
"Are you ok?" he asked
"I'm fine, I just... I feel like I've made things worse" she sighed
"Don't worry, ok? I'll talk to her" he reassured