Silent Night- A Reddie Christmas Story

Chapter Two

It was finally the end of the day. Eddie packed up his things. He was looking forward to the weekend, spending time with Rachel, doing absolutely nothing. Well, not nothing, they had the Christmas Tree to put up and decorate, and presents to wrap.

It wasn't long before their baby girl would be here. Just two weeks to go. Eddie couldn't wait, and he knew Rachel couldn't either. They'd waited so long for this. A lot longer than nine months.

They'd been trying for a year before Rachel got pregnant. Before that, it had been negative pregnancy test, after negative pregnancy test. It had been disheartening, especially for Rachel, who really wanted a baby.

And then, one day, just as they were about to give up trying, Rachel fell ill. It was odd, because Rachel never got sick. Never. And on this occasion, it was bad. Dizzy spells, vomiting and fatigue consumed her, so severe that she had to take a week off work, which for Rachel, was unheard of.

The doctor had given her a list of things to do at home to determine the cause of what was making her feel so ill. One of which was a pregnancy test. Rachel had done it straight away, along with all the other things. She hadn't thought much of the pregnancy test at all when she'd taken it. It was just a routine request from the doctor and nothing more.

That was until it came back positive of course.

As soon as she'd picked up the plastic stick and she saw the two lines, her jaw dropped to the floor. Suddenly it all made sense, even if she couldn't quite believe it. It was the happiest day of her life. She was having a baby, something she had longed for. She and Eddie were going to be parents, something they'd thought would never happen.

And here they were, seven months later, with a baby girl on the way. The nursery had been decorated and the cot and other furniture assembled. They had more baby clothes and outfits than they knew what to do with!

Rachel suited pregnancy so well, or Eddie thought so anyway. She looked even more beautiful than before, if that was possible. Eddie had lost count of the times he'd stood in doorway to their bedroom, watching and listening to Rachel talk to the baby growing in her stomach. He'd lost count of the times his heart had skipped a beat whenever he'd felt their little one kicking or wriggling around. He'd lost count of the times the breath had hitched in his throat when Rachel had come down the stairs in the morning, her skin glowing when she smiled at him.

It was safe to say, Rachel and Eddie were ready for their baby girl to arrive. And her being born in December, either in the build up to Christmas, or in the aftermath, was what made it even more special.

Eddie loved Christmas, and because he loved it, Rachel had fallen in love with it too. It was a magical time of year, if you embraced it, something Rachel hadn't done before she met Eddie. Rachel had a feeling that this Christmas was going to be even more special and magical for both her and Eddie, as they were weeks away from becoming a family of three.

Eddie strolled down the corridor and into Rachel's office, watching quietly as she packed her things away. She looked up at him with a smile. She loved him so much.

Eddie smiled back at her.

"Did you manage to sort things with Matt?" He asked

"No. I went to look for him just now, but he'd already headed off home. I'll talk to him on Monday" she explained

"I take it you didn't find a baby doll then?" Eddie checked

"No. I did a bit more searching after lunch, but found nothing" she sighed

"Doesn't one of the kids own one? Surely a sibling must have one?" Eddie questioned

"Apparently he asked, and they all said no. And besides, he wants one he can keep for next year too" she shrugged

Eddie sighed

"Are you ready to go?" He asked

"Just about" she nodded, zipping up her bag and putting on her coat

She suddenly paused as a pain shot through her stomach. She grabbed the edge of the desk to steady herself, letting out a pain-filled groan.

Eddie dashed over to her immediately, placing a hand on her arm.

"Rach? What's wrong?" He asked, panicking

The pain melted away, allowing her to breathe properly again.

"I'm fine, it was just a twinge, nothing to worry about" she reassured, offering him a small smile

"Are you sure?" He checked

She nodded

"Let's go home" she said, pushing him out of the office

When they got to the stairwell, Rachel stopped again, hissing in pain as she held the bottom of her stomach. Eddie stood beside her, rubbing her hand as she squeezed it tightly.

"Ok, don't you dare say you're fine, because I know you're not" Eddie spoke softly once the pain melted away

"I agree with you, I don't think I am" she sighed, holding her stomach nervously

"Is it just pain?" He asked

She nodded

"My back hurts too; it's been aching all day. But that's normal for me, so I hadn't thought much of it" she admitted

"Ok, well, why don't I call the hospital when we get home and see what they say?"

She nodded tentatively

Eddie took her hand again, helping her down the stairs and out into the car park.

When they got into the car, Rachel groaned as another pain came. She gripped Eddie's arm tightly, squeezing her eyes shut. Eddie rubbed her lower back with his free hand as she sat forwards.

The pain melted away again after a little while. Rachel breathed a sigh of relief.

"Eddie, I don't want to panic you, but... I think I might be in labour" she said, her eyes wide with fear

Eddie leapt into action, starting the car.

"Hospital?"

She nodded

Eddie took her shaking hand into his own, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She could do this.

"It's ok" he promised

A gush of water suddenly pooled out from in-between Rachel's legs, trickling onto the seat. She gasped, staring down at the stain before returning her gaze back to Eddie, her eyes wide with fear. She was definitely in labour.

Eddie quickly grabbed his jacket from the backseat and handed it to her, gesturing for her to sit on it. She carefully shifted forwards, sitting back again once Eddie had put the jacket down on the seat.

She whimpered, biting her lip hard as another pain came. She reached blindly for Eddie's hand, eventually finding it and intertwining it with hers, squeezing it tightly. Eddie rubbed her upper back with his free hand, reassuring her as best as he could.

When the pain melted away again, Rachel sighed, sinking back into the seat. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to ground herself. What was about to happen would change their lives forever. In the best way.

"I think we might need to reschedule putting the tree up till next weekend, Rach. What do you think?" Eddie chuckled, placing a hand on Rachel's stomach

Rachel smiled, placing her hand on top of Eddie's as she nodded.

Eddie helped her to put her seatbelt on before quietly starting the car.