Silent Night- A Reddie Christmas Story

Chapter Five

Two hours later...

Rachel and Eddie were back in the living room. Eddie continued decorating the tree, whilst Rachel lay on the sofa.

Whilst she felt better after having a bit of sleep, she was in a lot more pain than she was earlier. The contractions were ten minutes apart now, and more intense. Her back was aching constantly, and she was struggling to find a comfy position to sit or lie down in.

Eddie placed the last bauble onto the tree, standing up to admire his work. He smiled. The tree looked good.

"What do you think, Rach?" He asked, looking at the tree

Rachel smiled as she stood up. She had to admit, he'd done a good job. The tree looked beautiful and had been decorated perfectly. She couldn't have done a better job herself.

"Not bad, Mr Lawson" she smirked, curling herself into him

"I'm glad you like it" he nodded, wrapping an arm around her waist

Rachel suddenly groaned in pain. She whimpered, burying her head in Eddie's chest. It was getting harder to breathe through the contractions. She bit her lip hard to suppress the cry of pain that was desperate to escape.

Eddie pulled her into his arms, allowing her to wrap her arms around his neck as she battled through the pain. He felt helpless, knowing how much pain she was probably in, and there was nothing he could do to help.

"It's ok" he whispered reassuringly

"My back" she whimpered painfully

Eddie moved his hand, massaging the lower part of her back slowly, feeling the knots dissolve. She sighed in relief as the pain eased a little.

He felt her tense body relax in his arms as the contraction melted away. He sat her back down on the sofa, kneeling down beside her.

"Do you think we need to head to the hospital?" Eddie asked her

She shook her head

"They're not strong enough yet" she whispered

"That doesn't matter, Rach. We can get you looked at and settled in the hospital" Eddie reasoned

She shook her head again, resting her head on her arms.

"The contractions have to be 2-5 minutes apart, and they're not yet" she reminded him

"They might be by the time we get to the hospital" Eddie shrugged

"I'm not ready" she mumbled

Eddie sighed, stroking her hair away from her face gently. He knew she wanted to avoid going to the hospital until she really couldn't anymore. He knew they still had some time to go yet, but he didn't want to wait until it was too late. But he wasn't about to push Rachel into doing something she wasn't ready for.

"Then we'll wait a bit, ok?"

Rachel nodded

"Why don't I run you a bath? It might help your back" Eddie suggested

Rachel agreed

Eddie helped her to stand again and got her upstairs. Once she was sat comfortably on the bed, he went into the ensuite and started running a bath for Rachel.

He went back into the bedroom, his eyes falling on Rachel. She was squatting against the bed, whimpering in pain as she gripped the mattress tightly. Eddie moved beside her, rubbing her back again. It was something he could do that he knew was somewhat helping.

"It hurts" she mumbled shakily

"I know love, I know. You're doing so well" he reassured

"The bath is ready" he added

He helped her to her feet, guiding her into the ensuite. Once she was undressed, he helped her to lower herself into the bath. To her surprise, the warm water got to work instantly, taking the edge off the dull ache in her back. She sighed, closing her eyes for a few moments. Eddie sat beside her, rubbing her hand with his thumb.

The relief didn't last long. Sure enough, another contraction came. Rachel moaned, shifting carefully onto all fours in the water, holding onto the side of the bath with one hand, the other hand moving to her lower back. She groaned, the pain intensifying. The bath suddenly didn't feel comfortable anymore. Whilst she was grateful that Eddie had suggested it and had sorted it for her, she wanted to get out.

"I'm sorry, I need to get out" she whispered, just loud enough for Eddie to hear

"Ok, love. Don't worry" he nodded, helping her to stand

She stepped carefully out of the bath tub, grabbing the towel Eddie had put on the radiator to dry herself off with. She then grabbed the night gown she'd been wearing, slipping it over herself again.

She groaned as another contraction began. She whimpered, biting her lip hard as she held onto the sink for balance. The contractions were definitely getting worse. She knew that was a good thing, but it scared her. She squeezed her eyes shut, desperately trying to breathe through the pain, but her breaths came out in small whimpers instead. It felt like there was a vice gripping her stomach and back, getting tighter and tighter until she thought she would dissolve into a pile of ash. And then, it just stopped. She wasn't sure how much longer she could do this for, she was already tired. Her energy was draining with every contraction.

Eddie took her back into the bedroom once her contraction had gone, sitting her down on the bed gently. She smiled at him weakly, her eyes clouded with pain and fatigue. He smiled back at her encouragingly, tucking her hair back behind her ear.

"Are you sure you don't want to head to the hospital?" He checked

She nodded

"I think it's going to be a while yet" she admitted, placing a hand on her stomach

Eddie sighed

"Can I get you anything?" He asked, sitting down beside her on the bed

"No, I'm ok" she insisted

She cupped his cheek with her hand, causing him to look up at her. She could see his concern for her in his soft brown eyes.

"Stop stressing. Everything is ok" she reassured

Eddie nodded, smiling at her

"I know, I just feel a bit... useless" he admitted with a deep sigh

Rachel smiled softly

"Just you being here is enough" she told him

Eddie smiled, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. He really did love her so much. She was his everything. And he was hers.