Fic: The Doctor and His Time Ladies (Chapter 4)
Title: The Doctor and His Time Ladies
Author: country_who
Rating: PG
Word Count (This chapter): 3837
Genre: AU, Action/Adventure
Characters/Pairings: Ten/Rose, Tenth Doctor, Human Doctor, Rose, Jenny
Summary: AU Journey's End. Rose gets trapped in the TARDIS instead of Donna and now holds the mind of a Time Lord protected by the Bad Wolf, but what happens when the human Doctor dies, and the Time Lord tries to take her to a planet to get her mind off of him, and fulfill a promise? Does the Doctor have more to lose than gain?
Author's Note: Thanks to othermewriter who solidified the main ideas swimming in the soup I call my brain.
Prologue| Chapter 1| Chapter 2| Chapter 3
Rose had her arm looped around the Doctor’s waist by the time they reached the encampment. She didn’t mind helping the injured Time Lord to walk; however, it would have been greatly appreciated, if he would have stopped trying to convince her that he was ‘just fine.’ It seemed like every ten minutes, he would murmur the now dreaded phrase, push off from Rose, and nearly land face planted on the ground.
Sighing, she tried to not think of what was really wrong with the Doctor’s leg. She had told him that he was going to be fine and that it was only a flesh wound, but she had no real way of knowing. When she tied a torn piece of her shirt’s fabric around the wound, she wasn’t really trying to do a full blow treatment or examination. I was just a fast, messy job to get most of the bleeding slowed and, hopefully, stopped.
“Almost there,” Rose told the Doctor, a hint of triumph on her voice.
He grunted a reply, while he shifted uncomfortably beneath her now unyielding grip. He gave her a wounded look, but she glared at him and tightened her grip even tighter around his waist just to illustrate her point. He wasn’t going to collapse again.
“Hold still,” Rose chastised, her voice rose slightly, as she began to scan the area for anyone to notice them.
The volume of her voice was enough to catch the attention of a man and a woman dressed in tan uniforms. If not for the guns, the Doctor would have thought they were better suited for a wildlife documentary. All they really needed was a couple of pith helmets. The woman’s red hair was tied back tightly in a ponytail behind her head, while the man’s hair was almost gone.
He gave them a subtle stare while he sized them up. They seemed friendly enough-concerned even. The woman had what he knew to be the equivalent of a second lieutenant’s insignia of the Humanoid Federation on the forty-fifth century. It was a golden star surrounded by a serpent, signifying medical experience. Her crisp appearance seemed to go beyond her uniform as even her eyes seemed to be all business. Her olive skin was darkened from long hours spent in the sun. Her complexion would have been flawless if not for three white scars running down the length of her arm.
The man was only wearing a t-shirt, likely because of the heat, and not wearing anything with to portray rank. The Doctor, however, assumed that he was close to the woman’s rank; by the way they addressed each other. His skin was much darker than the woman’s, almost the same shade as chocolate. His kind eyes were deep, peering into the Doctor’s and lingering on Rose. Something stirred within the Doctor at the thought of someone staring at her, but he pushed it aside. When did he become so human?
A slight wheezing noise escaped the man’s lips, but no one other than the Doctor appeared to be noticing. He assumed it must have been because of the amount of loose dirt floating in the air from the dry conditions. With the lushness of the forest, it was hard to fathom why the encampment was placed in the middle of a miniature dustbowl.
“Hello,” the Doctor greeted them cheerily and pushed off from Rose. She tried to catch his shoulder, but he managed to shrug her off easily.
“I’m John Tyler; this is my wife, Rose. We seem to have gotten into a spot of trouble with a group of angry Saigans. I’m a Doctor, by the way; I was told that there was a shortage, so the higher ups called on me. Rose, here, she’s my…well, everything, but among that she’s also the best assistant I’ve ever had.”
He rubbed his neck when he felt Rose’s eyes begin to burn the back of his head.
“I mean… she’s… she’s not my assistant… Well, she is, but not. She’s more than that,” the Doctor stumbled over his words, while the man gave him a sympathetic look and the girl gave him a humored look.
“I’m sorry,” Rose said to them. “He’s not feeling well, what with his leg all. He rambles when he’s trying to hide something.”
“She knows me too well,” the Doctor said, sending a wide grin in her direction.
Rose put on a smile and tried not to think too hard on why the Doctor was suddenly referring to her as his wife. She hoped it meant he was regretting what he had done this morning, but one could never be very sure about anything with him. That fact became especially true when it came to matters of his hearts.
She was about to loop her arm around the Doctor’s waist, but she found him reaching for her hand instead. She felt a cool, metallic object slip into her palm and automatically, she slipped it on behind her back. She looked down to see the Doctor had slipped a matching golden band around his finger and was twisting it on further to bring her attention to it. She glanced up at his face and opened her mouth, but closed it quickly. He gave her a crafty wink, as the man took the Doctor away from Rose and allowed him to lean on his bulky frame.
Rose never realized how small, and thin the Doctor was until she saw him next to the man. His arms were like tree trunks compared to the Doctor’s. The rich, dark color of the man’s skin seemed to add to the seeming grey pallor of the Doctor’s skin tone.
“I’m Nala, and this is Herman,” the girl said, bending down to lift the Doctor’s pant leg and get a better view of the injury. “We’re both lieutenants. I’m head nurse around here, and Herman’s here lending a hand to the nursing staff, but he’s also been helping in planning offensive attacks on the Saigans.”
It was clear that she was talking to get the Doctor’s mind off of his injury, but in knowing this, he couldn’t ignore the pain that was radiating from the area. Not on his own accord, the Doctor found himself looking over to Rose for assurance. The moment lasted only for the briefest of seconds, but Rose picked up on immediately. She squeezed his hand in return, letting her confidence radiate into him.
The Doctor winced as Nala peeled the blood-soaked fabric of Rose’s t-shirt away and revealed that the blood had started to flow freely again during the walk over. He gritted his teeth and put on a brave face for Rose, while she tried to keep her eyes trained on the Doctor’s face and not his leg.
This wasn’t how he was supposed to be. The Doctor never succumbed to anything, never faltered and never failed. He had never done that when they were together, or maybe that was just how she tried to remember him. It meant that when she was hopping from dimension to dimension that she wasn’t doing it to be selfish. She was doing it to save a hero for the rest of the universe. That’s what he told herself. The Doctor was a hero and there was not another way that it could be phrased.
“Mrs. Tyler,” Nala stared. “I’m going to take your husband into see out chief medical officer. I’m a nurse, but this is a bit beyond my experience.”
“What d’you mean?” Rose asked, noticing the Doctor growing a bit paler. She put a hand to his cheek in a comforting motion and felt sweat beginning to percolate there.
“’M fine,” he said softly to her, but Rose could tell he was lying now.
Nala shrugged her shoulders. “It doesn’t look right. I mean the wound it’s like it’s rotting, but you said he just got it. This was the Saigans, right? They must have developed something.”
Nala was taking on an assertive tone to her voice and instructed Herman to lift the swaying Doctor into his arms. “I don’t want him standing on it, it’ll make the blood rush faster, and we don’t want whatever they’ve infected him with running into the rest of his system.”
“Mr. Smith, can you tell me how you’re feeling?” Herman asked, as they four of them began walking into a wooden building with a green moon painted on the side of it. ‘Universal Symbol for Hospital,’ Rose recalled.
“Fine really, just tired, but that’s the blood loss. My leg hurts, but no more than you would expect,” the Doctor said, looking over at Rose and back at his position in Herman’s arms as if it was a huge affront to his dignity. “Just need a bandage, then I can help you all. That’s what I’m here for isn’t it?”
Rose held open the doors to the hospital as everyone else stepped through.
“Don’t worry about that, Dr. Tyler,” Nala said, when Herman placed the Doctor on one of the exam beds in the makeshift hospital. “Any medical conditions we should know about, sir?”
The Doctor nodded, taking the bell of the stethoscope she was getting ready to use and placing it over each of his hearts. “I’ve got two,” the Doctor stated. “That’s not a problem, is it?”
Nala shook her head. “Not at all. You’re clearly here to help and were shot at the hands of our enemies; I don’t see any reason to fear you. General Tents, I’m sure would be willing to take you two in, especially given your medical experience. We just welcomed a new mechanic with two hearts. I did her physical.”
The Doctor frowned at Nala, but decided not to press it. There were lots of creature with a duel cardiovascular system, Time Lords had the best of course, but none the less there were. “Thanks.” The Doctor grunted a reply.
In the background, Herman handed Rose a flannel and a shallow basin of cool water. “For his fever,” he whispered in her ear.
“No dissections, Rose,” the Doctor teased, while he eyed the flannel wearily.
She was leaning over by his head, while the two nurses made a call for Dr. Atali Tents.
“There better not be, considering I’m your wife, now,” Rose replied teasingly, while she bit down on the edge of her tongue in a trademark Rose Tyler smile.
She began to make herself useful with the flannel. She removed his Jacket, shirt, and t-shirt, so she could sponge cool the ever increasing temperature of his chest as well as his face.
His twin hearts galloped in his chest against her hands, as they tried to battle whatever toxin was trying to have its way with him. She repeatedly dipped and wiped, over and over again, until, Dr. Tents, came in and introduced herself.
“I’m Rose, this is the Doctor, that’s his nickname,” Rose introduced them.
“Nice to meet you,” Atali greeted, reading the Doctor’s chart and staring at the newly cleaned wound. The cleaning had slowed down the progression of the flesh’s deterioration, but there was still a great deal of damage already done. Rose had told them at first it was a clear way to view the path of the bullet, but now the wound had grown and manifested into an abnormal shape that the Doctor swore looked like Queen Victoria.
“She wouldn’t be amused by that,” Rose murmured lowly for only his ears. He gave a dreary attempt at a smile as he closed his eyes.
He could feel Atali rechecking his blood pressure and his hearts. A thermometer was buried under his tongue. The idea that the instrument might melt briefly crossed his mind, while he wondered if they would make him pay for it. He didn’t have any money with him, which could be almost detrimental. He felt the cold flannel cross over his forehead again and tired to make a sound of pleasure, but couldn’t quite remember how.
Rose smiled as the Doctor’s mouth formed a word silently on his lips. There was clear pleasure from her action and she quickly repeated it. Her hands worked on their own accord after a few more strokes and she was soon looking up at Atali.
Her face was hidden behind the clipboard as she compared readings. Two thin, dark eyebrows rose up and exposed themselves, but she managed to keep composure in her voice.
“Doctor, I’d like to take you into surgery and removed the rotting flesh, hopefully that should catch it in time and solve your problem,” Atali explained. “Are there any medications you can’t have?”
She looked down at the Doctor, but found that he had finally succumbed to what was running rampant through his body and drifted into unconsciousness. She looked to Rose, who nodded seriously.
“No Aspirin, any at all and he’s as good as dead,” Rose warned. “Or, any pain medication. He’ll be fine, he’s good with pain, but he cannot have any pain medicine. No matter what.”
Nala looked sorrowfully at the Doctor, but Atali agreed, seeing how serious Rose was. This wasn’t going to be fun for the Doctor in the slightest.
“Okay,” Atali said, taking a deep breath and turning to Herman. “Get my father in here ASAP and tell him his surgeon has arrived in a bad way, alright? Make sure he comes, got it?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Herman said, and he hurried off.
“It shouldn’t be long for him now, Rose,” Atali promise, as she took the flannel from the younger girl’s hand and placed it in the basin. “He’ll be fine. We’ve got the highest survival rating compared to any other unit.”
Rose nodded and gently roused the Doctor back into consciousness with a soft kiss on his forehead. “Rose,” the Doctor groaned.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Rose told him. “You heard her, best survival rate. You’ll be fine.”
“Will you be?” the Doctor asked.
“I’m always alright,” Rose told him, “as long as you are.”
“They said there was someone else with two hearts,” the Doctor whispered. “It’s a long shot, but would you mind checking? Don’t tell her who I am or who you are yet, but just see what you can get from her. I don’t want you to be pacing around waiting for me.”
“Alright,” Rose said, rising to her feet as heavy footsteps sounded behind her.
A large, sturdy man approached the two of them. His eyes lingered on the Doctor a moment longer than Rose would have expected, but she decided to brush it aside. The man introduced himself as General Tents, and the Doctor proffered his hand for a shake. It didn’t have the normal firmness that it usually did. Instead, Rose saw the Doctor squeeze the man’s fingers before letting his hand drop limply to the bed. His eyes remained bright, however and he was definitely winning the General over.
“Well, Doctor,” the General said, kneeling down next to the Doctor’s bed to level better with the ill man. “I can assure we will fix you up in no time, and take good care of your wife while you’re laid up. Can I assume that the two of you are willing to still help out around here even after what happened?”
“Yes, Brandford,” the Doctor said with an effort, trying to himself seem less of an urgent case than he was.
“See you later, Doctor,” Rose whispered, cupping his cheek briefly.
The Doctor muttered something unintelligible, as he drifted off and Herman began ushering her out of the room, as they disrobed the Doctor and prepped him for surgery.
xXx
Jenny had stripped off her ruined jacket and was leaning over the engine of a Jeep and muttering something every now and then. Her blue t-shirt was covered in grease from not bothering to find a towel. Her feet were about a foot from the ground, while she leaned awkwardly over the car’s hood. Her arms were reaching deep into the bowls of the jeep to replace the ancient internal combustion engine block’s ruined pieces.
“What have you boys done to it?” Jenny shouted to the group of men surrounding her, she was assuming they wanted to learn a lesson. Unfortunately, Jenny wasn’t in a position to realize what they were actually trying to get to know. “The flywheel looks like it’s been hit with a bat repeatedly and there’s more dirt in those cylinders than on the ground. Honestly, don’t you have to learn the parts of an engine before you use one?”
“Well, we thought it was the fan-belt making that noise,” a young-man with a smirk unseen to Jenny.
“Well it’s not, you’re lucky the entire engine didn’t blow on you,” Jenny, said, as she got up and wiped her hands on her t-shirt again, it was ruined anyway. “Guh, can you guys handle mending those cylinders, while I try to fix the carburetor on the ambulance? What were you guys going to do if you were going to bug out?”
“Run screaming for our lives,” the man that she had come to first, Bent, stated.
“Oh, well, I can help you there, too,” Jenny said with a wide grin. “Love the running.”
“My friend says the same thing,” a feminine voice said from behind the sea of men. “Loves the running, can’t keep up with him half the time. That was his first word to me, ‘run.’”
Jenny smiled and poked her head up from under the raised bonnet of the ambulance, and stared at a blonde woman standing in jeans and a torn t-shirt. There were some blood stains on her clothes, but she didn’t seem to be in pain, so Jenny decided not to press it. She wore a look of worry that would not allow Jenny to ask.
“Sounds like fun,” Jenny said, beaming. “I’d like to meet him.”
Rose nodded, not addressing the topic further; instead, she moved to Jenny’s side and leaned over the engine block of the ambulance.
“I’m Rose, Rose Tyler,” Rose introduced, while she reached down and replaced a spark plug in place where the previous one had appeared to have gone missing.
“Thanks, I’m Jenny Anderson, and I’d introduce to you Mr. Anderson, but he’s still in the jeep, working on the electronics, can you believe these blokes let these beautiful works of art deteriorate so far?”
Rose laughed, and glanced behind her to see a couple of blokes passing the missing spark plugs between them and craftily hiding it in a box of spare parts sitting on the floor. She found herself rolling her eyes and turning back to Jenny leaning unknowingly over the engine.
“I think that does it,” Jenny said, standing up and rubbing her hands together. She stopped in front of the group of boys and gave them a hard stare, while she scooped Anderson into her hands and brushed some grease from his hair. “Don’t you dare touch any of these vehicles. I’ve got them all fixed up, and I’d like for them to stay that way.” Her glare fell on the group of men.
They gave her a mock serious stare, as she walked off with Rose in tow. She pushed her heavily on the shoulder and giving her a smirk. Jenny looked up at her bewildered, but didn’t seem affronted.
“You had all of them yearning for you, Jenny,” Rose told her.
“What d’you mean?” Jenny asked innocently, but she bit her lip and averted her gaze.
“Oh, you evil girl,” Rose teased. “I like you.”
“Really?” Jenny asked, getting a bit hyper and bouncing on her heals. “I’ve never had a proper girl friend before, Just Anderson here, but he’s not a girl, obviously. He’s also a bit of a worrier.”
Anderson harrumphed his disagreement and held out a paw for Rose to shake. “I Anderson, I brave, Jenny lie, Rose pretty.”
Rose pretended to blush and shook the Chubchuck’s hand.
“So, what’s your story, little one?” Rose asked.
“Anderson born wrong on Anderson’s planet, stumpy tail.” Anderson shook his furless and short green tail to demonstrate.
“Anderson outcast. Jenny save Anderson. Anderson first officer.”
Rose looked up at Jenny, and she briefly touched her fingers to her lips to tell Rose not to continue with the topic. She nodded her understanding, but to her surprise, Anderson kept talking on his own accord.
“Jenny look for father,” Anderson whispered softly, rubbing some tears from his eyes. “Anderson never have parents to love. Anderson don’t want the same for Jenny.”
“That’s very honorable, Mr. Anderson,” Rose told him, gently accepting him into her hands as he motioned to Jenny. “I’m sure Jenny is very appreciative.”
“I do,” Jenny told him, as they began walking into what appeared to be a mess tent. They sat next to each other at a vacant table and let the Anderson sit on the table. She must have noticed Rose’s confused look and she hurried to explain. “My dad thinks I’m dead. I jumped in front of a bullet to save him… I didn’t even think. That look on his face when he thought I was dying. It was so lost. I… I didn’t mean to hurt him.”
Rose immediately swopped Jenny into her arms and held on tightly. The young woman wasn’t sobbing loudly, or making a scene, but she was clearly distraught. Rose spoke softly too her, rubbing her back in a constant circled.
Jenny didn’t know why she suddenly started opening up to this woman. She just seemed right, like she was supposed to like her. She seemed familiar; despite the fact that she had only just met her.
“That friend I was talking about earlier,” Rose started, wondering to what degree she should tell Jenny about the Doctor. “We travel together. He can help you find your father. He’s a genius-when he’s not being a complete idiot. He loves helping people, Jenny. He’s a bit banged up at the moment, but I’m sure he’ll be fine. Just give him a bit of rest, alright? He needs it.”
Jenny nodded, a beam suddenly breaking across her face, as she threw her arms more tightly around Rose’s neck. “Oh, thank you, thank you, Rose. My ship crashed, it’s not even repairable, just a heap of metal. I had to regenerate. I was lucky Anderson got out fine.”
Rose swallowed hard and stared at Jenny as if she had snakes for hair.
“You said regenerate?”
“Yeah,” Jenny said nonchalantly, while she tugged on her long blonde pony tail. “No big deal, really. I mean, it’s something Time Lords do. That’s why my father thought I was dead. He didn’t know I was Time Lord enough to survive.”
“What’s your father’s name?”
Jenny looked down. “Never told me his proper name, just, ‘the Doctor,’” Jenny explained. “I know that sounds dumb, but I think he does it to hide something.”
“All that pain,” Rose murmured.
Author: country_who
Rating: PG
Word Count (This chapter): 3837
Genre: AU, Action/Adventure
Characters/Pairings: Ten/Rose, Tenth Doctor, Human Doctor, Rose, Jenny
Summary: AU Journey's End. Rose gets trapped in the TARDIS instead of Donna and now holds the mind of a Time Lord protected by the Bad Wolf, but what happens when the human Doctor dies, and the Time Lord tries to take her to a planet to get her mind off of him, and fulfill a promise? Does the Doctor have more to lose than gain?
Author's Note: Thanks to othermewriter who solidified the main ideas swimming in the soup I call my brain.
Prologue| Chapter 1| Chapter 2| Chapter 3
Rose had her arm looped around the Doctor’s waist by the time they reached the encampment. She didn’t mind helping the injured Time Lord to walk; however, it would have been greatly appreciated, if he would have stopped trying to convince her that he was ‘just fine.’ It seemed like every ten minutes, he would murmur the now dreaded phrase, push off from Rose, and nearly land face planted on the ground.
Sighing, she tried to not think of what was really wrong with the Doctor’s leg. She had told him that he was going to be fine and that it was only a flesh wound, but she had no real way of knowing. When she tied a torn piece of her shirt’s fabric around the wound, she wasn’t really trying to do a full blow treatment or examination. I was just a fast, messy job to get most of the bleeding slowed and, hopefully, stopped.
“Almost there,” Rose told the Doctor, a hint of triumph on her voice.
He grunted a reply, while he shifted uncomfortably beneath her now unyielding grip. He gave her a wounded look, but she glared at him and tightened her grip even tighter around his waist just to illustrate her point. He wasn’t going to collapse again.
“Hold still,” Rose chastised, her voice rose slightly, as she began to scan the area for anyone to notice them.
The volume of her voice was enough to catch the attention of a man and a woman dressed in tan uniforms. If not for the guns, the Doctor would have thought they were better suited for a wildlife documentary. All they really needed was a couple of pith helmets. The woman’s red hair was tied back tightly in a ponytail behind her head, while the man’s hair was almost gone.
He gave them a subtle stare while he sized them up. They seemed friendly enough-concerned even. The woman had what he knew to be the equivalent of a second lieutenant’s insignia of the Humanoid Federation on the forty-fifth century. It was a golden star surrounded by a serpent, signifying medical experience. Her crisp appearance seemed to go beyond her uniform as even her eyes seemed to be all business. Her olive skin was darkened from long hours spent in the sun. Her complexion would have been flawless if not for three white scars running down the length of her arm.
The man was only wearing a t-shirt, likely because of the heat, and not wearing anything with to portray rank. The Doctor, however, assumed that he was close to the woman’s rank; by the way they addressed each other. His skin was much darker than the woman’s, almost the same shade as chocolate. His kind eyes were deep, peering into the Doctor’s and lingering on Rose. Something stirred within the Doctor at the thought of someone staring at her, but he pushed it aside. When did he become so human?
A slight wheezing noise escaped the man’s lips, but no one other than the Doctor appeared to be noticing. He assumed it must have been because of the amount of loose dirt floating in the air from the dry conditions. With the lushness of the forest, it was hard to fathom why the encampment was placed in the middle of a miniature dustbowl.
“Hello,” the Doctor greeted them cheerily and pushed off from Rose. She tried to catch his shoulder, but he managed to shrug her off easily.
“I’m John Tyler; this is my wife, Rose. We seem to have gotten into a spot of trouble with a group of angry Saigans. I’m a Doctor, by the way; I was told that there was a shortage, so the higher ups called on me. Rose, here, she’s my…well, everything, but among that she’s also the best assistant I’ve ever had.”
He rubbed his neck when he felt Rose’s eyes begin to burn the back of his head.
“I mean… she’s… she’s not my assistant… Well, she is, but not. She’s more than that,” the Doctor stumbled over his words, while the man gave him a sympathetic look and the girl gave him a humored look.
“I’m sorry,” Rose said to them. “He’s not feeling well, what with his leg all. He rambles when he’s trying to hide something.”
“She knows me too well,” the Doctor said, sending a wide grin in her direction.
Rose put on a smile and tried not to think too hard on why the Doctor was suddenly referring to her as his wife. She hoped it meant he was regretting what he had done this morning, but one could never be very sure about anything with him. That fact became especially true when it came to matters of his hearts.
She was about to loop her arm around the Doctor’s waist, but she found him reaching for her hand instead. She felt a cool, metallic object slip into her palm and automatically, she slipped it on behind her back. She looked down to see the Doctor had slipped a matching golden band around his finger and was twisting it on further to bring her attention to it. She glanced up at his face and opened her mouth, but closed it quickly. He gave her a crafty wink, as the man took the Doctor away from Rose and allowed him to lean on his bulky frame.
Rose never realized how small, and thin the Doctor was until she saw him next to the man. His arms were like tree trunks compared to the Doctor’s. The rich, dark color of the man’s skin seemed to add to the seeming grey pallor of the Doctor’s skin tone.
“I’m Nala, and this is Herman,” the girl said, bending down to lift the Doctor’s pant leg and get a better view of the injury. “We’re both lieutenants. I’m head nurse around here, and Herman’s here lending a hand to the nursing staff, but he’s also been helping in planning offensive attacks on the Saigans.”
It was clear that she was talking to get the Doctor’s mind off of his injury, but in knowing this, he couldn’t ignore the pain that was radiating from the area. Not on his own accord, the Doctor found himself looking over to Rose for assurance. The moment lasted only for the briefest of seconds, but Rose picked up on immediately. She squeezed his hand in return, letting her confidence radiate into him.
The Doctor winced as Nala peeled the blood-soaked fabric of Rose’s t-shirt away and revealed that the blood had started to flow freely again during the walk over. He gritted his teeth and put on a brave face for Rose, while she tried to keep her eyes trained on the Doctor’s face and not his leg.
This wasn’t how he was supposed to be. The Doctor never succumbed to anything, never faltered and never failed. He had never done that when they were together, or maybe that was just how she tried to remember him. It meant that when she was hopping from dimension to dimension that she wasn’t doing it to be selfish. She was doing it to save a hero for the rest of the universe. That’s what he told herself. The Doctor was a hero and there was not another way that it could be phrased.
“Mrs. Tyler,” Nala stared. “I’m going to take your husband into see out chief medical officer. I’m a nurse, but this is a bit beyond my experience.”
“What d’you mean?” Rose asked, noticing the Doctor growing a bit paler. She put a hand to his cheek in a comforting motion and felt sweat beginning to percolate there.
“’M fine,” he said softly to her, but Rose could tell he was lying now.
Nala shrugged her shoulders. “It doesn’t look right. I mean the wound it’s like it’s rotting, but you said he just got it. This was the Saigans, right? They must have developed something.”
Nala was taking on an assertive tone to her voice and instructed Herman to lift the swaying Doctor into his arms. “I don’t want him standing on it, it’ll make the blood rush faster, and we don’t want whatever they’ve infected him with running into the rest of his system.”
“Mr. Smith, can you tell me how you’re feeling?” Herman asked, as they four of them began walking into a wooden building with a green moon painted on the side of it. ‘Universal Symbol for Hospital,’ Rose recalled.
“Fine really, just tired, but that’s the blood loss. My leg hurts, but no more than you would expect,” the Doctor said, looking over at Rose and back at his position in Herman’s arms as if it was a huge affront to his dignity. “Just need a bandage, then I can help you all. That’s what I’m here for isn’t it?”
Rose held open the doors to the hospital as everyone else stepped through.
“Don’t worry about that, Dr. Tyler,” Nala said, when Herman placed the Doctor on one of the exam beds in the makeshift hospital. “Any medical conditions we should know about, sir?”
The Doctor nodded, taking the bell of the stethoscope she was getting ready to use and placing it over each of his hearts. “I’ve got two,” the Doctor stated. “That’s not a problem, is it?”
Nala shook her head. “Not at all. You’re clearly here to help and were shot at the hands of our enemies; I don’t see any reason to fear you. General Tents, I’m sure would be willing to take you two in, especially given your medical experience. We just welcomed a new mechanic with two hearts. I did her physical.”
The Doctor frowned at Nala, but decided not to press it. There were lots of creature with a duel cardiovascular system, Time Lords had the best of course, but none the less there were. “Thanks.” The Doctor grunted a reply.
In the background, Herman handed Rose a flannel and a shallow basin of cool water. “For his fever,” he whispered in her ear.
“No dissections, Rose,” the Doctor teased, while he eyed the flannel wearily.
She was leaning over by his head, while the two nurses made a call for Dr. Atali Tents.
“There better not be, considering I’m your wife, now,” Rose replied teasingly, while she bit down on the edge of her tongue in a trademark Rose Tyler smile.
She began to make herself useful with the flannel. She removed his Jacket, shirt, and t-shirt, so she could sponge cool the ever increasing temperature of his chest as well as his face.
His twin hearts galloped in his chest against her hands, as they tried to battle whatever toxin was trying to have its way with him. She repeatedly dipped and wiped, over and over again, until, Dr. Tents, came in and introduced herself.
“I’m Rose, this is the Doctor, that’s his nickname,” Rose introduced them.
“Nice to meet you,” Atali greeted, reading the Doctor’s chart and staring at the newly cleaned wound. The cleaning had slowed down the progression of the flesh’s deterioration, but there was still a great deal of damage already done. Rose had told them at first it was a clear way to view the path of the bullet, but now the wound had grown and manifested into an abnormal shape that the Doctor swore looked like Queen Victoria.
“She wouldn’t be amused by that,” Rose murmured lowly for only his ears. He gave a dreary attempt at a smile as he closed his eyes.
He could feel Atali rechecking his blood pressure and his hearts. A thermometer was buried under his tongue. The idea that the instrument might melt briefly crossed his mind, while he wondered if they would make him pay for it. He didn’t have any money with him, which could be almost detrimental. He felt the cold flannel cross over his forehead again and tired to make a sound of pleasure, but couldn’t quite remember how.
Rose smiled as the Doctor’s mouth formed a word silently on his lips. There was clear pleasure from her action and she quickly repeated it. Her hands worked on their own accord after a few more strokes and she was soon looking up at Atali.
Her face was hidden behind the clipboard as she compared readings. Two thin, dark eyebrows rose up and exposed themselves, but she managed to keep composure in her voice.
“Doctor, I’d like to take you into surgery and removed the rotting flesh, hopefully that should catch it in time and solve your problem,” Atali explained. “Are there any medications you can’t have?”
She looked down at the Doctor, but found that he had finally succumbed to what was running rampant through his body and drifted into unconsciousness. She looked to Rose, who nodded seriously.
“No Aspirin, any at all and he’s as good as dead,” Rose warned. “Or, any pain medication. He’ll be fine, he’s good with pain, but he cannot have any pain medicine. No matter what.”
Nala looked sorrowfully at the Doctor, but Atali agreed, seeing how serious Rose was. This wasn’t going to be fun for the Doctor in the slightest.
“Okay,” Atali said, taking a deep breath and turning to Herman. “Get my father in here ASAP and tell him his surgeon has arrived in a bad way, alright? Make sure he comes, got it?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Herman said, and he hurried off.
“It shouldn’t be long for him now, Rose,” Atali promise, as she took the flannel from the younger girl’s hand and placed it in the basin. “He’ll be fine. We’ve got the highest survival rating compared to any other unit.”
Rose nodded and gently roused the Doctor back into consciousness with a soft kiss on his forehead. “Rose,” the Doctor groaned.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be,” Rose told him. “You heard her, best survival rate. You’ll be fine.”
“Will you be?” the Doctor asked.
“I’m always alright,” Rose told him, “as long as you are.”
“They said there was someone else with two hearts,” the Doctor whispered. “It’s a long shot, but would you mind checking? Don’t tell her who I am or who you are yet, but just see what you can get from her. I don’t want you to be pacing around waiting for me.”
“Alright,” Rose said, rising to her feet as heavy footsteps sounded behind her.
A large, sturdy man approached the two of them. His eyes lingered on the Doctor a moment longer than Rose would have expected, but she decided to brush it aside. The man introduced himself as General Tents, and the Doctor proffered his hand for a shake. It didn’t have the normal firmness that it usually did. Instead, Rose saw the Doctor squeeze the man’s fingers before letting his hand drop limply to the bed. His eyes remained bright, however and he was definitely winning the General over.
“Well, Doctor,” the General said, kneeling down next to the Doctor’s bed to level better with the ill man. “I can assure we will fix you up in no time, and take good care of your wife while you’re laid up. Can I assume that the two of you are willing to still help out around here even after what happened?”
“Yes, Brandford,” the Doctor said with an effort, trying to himself seem less of an urgent case than he was.
“See you later, Doctor,” Rose whispered, cupping his cheek briefly.
The Doctor muttered something unintelligible, as he drifted off and Herman began ushering her out of the room, as they disrobed the Doctor and prepped him for surgery.
xXx
Jenny had stripped off her ruined jacket and was leaning over the engine of a Jeep and muttering something every now and then. Her blue t-shirt was covered in grease from not bothering to find a towel. Her feet were about a foot from the ground, while she leaned awkwardly over the car’s hood. Her arms were reaching deep into the bowls of the jeep to replace the ancient internal combustion engine block’s ruined pieces.
“What have you boys done to it?” Jenny shouted to the group of men surrounding her, she was assuming they wanted to learn a lesson. Unfortunately, Jenny wasn’t in a position to realize what they were actually trying to get to know. “The flywheel looks like it’s been hit with a bat repeatedly and there’s more dirt in those cylinders than on the ground. Honestly, don’t you have to learn the parts of an engine before you use one?”
“Well, we thought it was the fan-belt making that noise,” a young-man with a smirk unseen to Jenny.
“Well it’s not, you’re lucky the entire engine didn’t blow on you,” Jenny, said, as she got up and wiped her hands on her t-shirt again, it was ruined anyway. “Guh, can you guys handle mending those cylinders, while I try to fix the carburetor on the ambulance? What were you guys going to do if you were going to bug out?”
“Run screaming for our lives,” the man that she had come to first, Bent, stated.
“Oh, well, I can help you there, too,” Jenny said with a wide grin. “Love the running.”
“My friend says the same thing,” a feminine voice said from behind the sea of men. “Loves the running, can’t keep up with him half the time. That was his first word to me, ‘run.’”
Jenny smiled and poked her head up from under the raised bonnet of the ambulance, and stared at a blonde woman standing in jeans and a torn t-shirt. There were some blood stains on her clothes, but she didn’t seem to be in pain, so Jenny decided not to press it. She wore a look of worry that would not allow Jenny to ask.
“Sounds like fun,” Jenny said, beaming. “I’d like to meet him.”
Rose nodded, not addressing the topic further; instead, she moved to Jenny’s side and leaned over the engine block of the ambulance.
“I’m Rose, Rose Tyler,” Rose introduced, while she reached down and replaced a spark plug in place where the previous one had appeared to have gone missing.
“Thanks, I’m Jenny Anderson, and I’d introduce to you Mr. Anderson, but he’s still in the jeep, working on the electronics, can you believe these blokes let these beautiful works of art deteriorate so far?”
Rose laughed, and glanced behind her to see a couple of blokes passing the missing spark plugs between them and craftily hiding it in a box of spare parts sitting on the floor. She found herself rolling her eyes and turning back to Jenny leaning unknowingly over the engine.
“I think that does it,” Jenny said, standing up and rubbing her hands together. She stopped in front of the group of boys and gave them a hard stare, while she scooped Anderson into her hands and brushed some grease from his hair. “Don’t you dare touch any of these vehicles. I’ve got them all fixed up, and I’d like for them to stay that way.” Her glare fell on the group of men.
They gave her a mock serious stare, as she walked off with Rose in tow. She pushed her heavily on the shoulder and giving her a smirk. Jenny looked up at her bewildered, but didn’t seem affronted.
“You had all of them yearning for you, Jenny,” Rose told her.
“What d’you mean?” Jenny asked innocently, but she bit her lip and averted her gaze.
“Oh, you evil girl,” Rose teased. “I like you.”
“Really?” Jenny asked, getting a bit hyper and bouncing on her heals. “I’ve never had a proper girl friend before, Just Anderson here, but he’s not a girl, obviously. He’s also a bit of a worrier.”
Anderson harrumphed his disagreement and held out a paw for Rose to shake. “I Anderson, I brave, Jenny lie, Rose pretty.”
Rose pretended to blush and shook the Chubchuck’s hand.
“So, what’s your story, little one?” Rose asked.
“Anderson born wrong on Anderson’s planet, stumpy tail.” Anderson shook his furless and short green tail to demonstrate.
“Anderson outcast. Jenny save Anderson. Anderson first officer.”
Rose looked up at Jenny, and she briefly touched her fingers to her lips to tell Rose not to continue with the topic. She nodded her understanding, but to her surprise, Anderson kept talking on his own accord.
“Jenny look for father,” Anderson whispered softly, rubbing some tears from his eyes. “Anderson never have parents to love. Anderson don’t want the same for Jenny.”
“That’s very honorable, Mr. Anderson,” Rose told him, gently accepting him into her hands as he motioned to Jenny. “I’m sure Jenny is very appreciative.”
“I do,” Jenny told him, as they began walking into what appeared to be a mess tent. They sat next to each other at a vacant table and let the Anderson sit on the table. She must have noticed Rose’s confused look and she hurried to explain. “My dad thinks I’m dead. I jumped in front of a bullet to save him… I didn’t even think. That look on his face when he thought I was dying. It was so lost. I… I didn’t mean to hurt him.”
Rose immediately swopped Jenny into her arms and held on tightly. The young woman wasn’t sobbing loudly, or making a scene, but she was clearly distraught. Rose spoke softly too her, rubbing her back in a constant circled.
Jenny didn’t know why she suddenly started opening up to this woman. She just seemed right, like she was supposed to like her. She seemed familiar; despite the fact that she had only just met her.
“That friend I was talking about earlier,” Rose started, wondering to what degree she should tell Jenny about the Doctor. “We travel together. He can help you find your father. He’s a genius-when he’s not being a complete idiot. He loves helping people, Jenny. He’s a bit banged up at the moment, but I’m sure he’ll be fine. Just give him a bit of rest, alright? He needs it.”
Jenny nodded, a beam suddenly breaking across her face, as she threw her arms more tightly around Rose’s neck. “Oh, thank you, thank you, Rose. My ship crashed, it’s not even repairable, just a heap of metal. I had to regenerate. I was lucky Anderson got out fine.”
Rose swallowed hard and stared at Jenny as if she had snakes for hair.
“You said regenerate?”
“Yeah,” Jenny said nonchalantly, while she tugged on her long blonde pony tail. “No big deal, really. I mean, it’s something Time Lords do. That’s why my father thought I was dead. He didn’t know I was Time Lord enough to survive.”
“What’s your father’s name?”
Jenny looked down. “Never told me his proper name, just, ‘the Doctor,’” Jenny explained. “I know that sounds dumb, but I think he does it to hide something.”
“All that pain,” Rose murmured.