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Prologue, Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6,Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10
Chapter 11. She-Wolf Overcome
The TARDIS doors swung open automatically as Jack and the Doctor approached. Jack rushed towards the infirmary, depositing his precious load on the bed there. The Doctor activated the monitors above the bed, flinching as they immediately began to flash warnings. He stood irresolute by the cot. Rose was exhausted, her energy levels dangerously depleted. Her body was ensuring adequate resource for the foetus, her heart and other organs labouring with effort. There was, however, nothing medical he could do to help her; she needed time and complete rest. If she deteriorated any further he could place her on life support, but that was a worst-case scenario and he refused to contemplate it. They simply had to wait for Rose to heal herself. It was not a prospect he enjoyed, the concept of waiting; the inability to intervene, to force things along, was an anathema to him.
He set about treating the bruise on her side, where the stone had impacted. That done, he tentatively touched her mind, careful to apply no pressure, nothing that might deplete her further or distract her from the task in hand. The golden glow was there, but was still horribly frail. Her consciousness made no attempt to commune with his, made no acknowledgement of his presence, and somehow that felt worse to him than it not being there at all. It frightened him more than her unconscious body; she had become a living presence in his soul and to find her silent felt like bereavement.
Jack waited silently as the Doctor contemplated his mate. His watched the Doctor ghost a hand over Rose’s forehead, his hand unsteady. His entire stance screamed his distress. Eventually, when he could bear it no more, Jack gently pulled the Doctor away, positioning him on a chair so that he could treat the Doctor’s gunshot wound. The Doctor was pliable beneath his hands, showing no sigh of awareness of his actions as he removed his jacket and shirt, extracted the bullet and pressed a regenerative skin patch over the area, binding the area tightly.
The Time Lord’s eyes remained trained on Rose, charting the rise and fall of her chest, noting her pallor, the unnatural stillness of her face. Even in repose, Rose was normally so active. This was not sleep. He glared at the infirmary diagnostic panels, as if they were somehow responsible for the amount of time he seemed to spend in here these days. Ever since Rose’s return it had been one disaster after another. He was meant to protect her, yet she kept being harmed. He had never felt so useless, so inadequate.
He felt a nudge against his mind and, for a brief second, he felt joy flare until he recognised it as the TARDIS. The Doctor could feel the ship’s extreme anxiety. It rankled.
This is your fault! He raged You helped her and now look. Look what you’ve done!
The TARDIS almost cowed beneath his onslaught, her blue shimmer signalling repentance but also necessity in his mind. The message was clear; there had been no stopping Rose. Had the ship not helped, Rose would have tried it alone and the consequences could have been worse.
You should have stopped her!
The ship rumbled with discontent. She is more than she was. You belong to each other now, it was her right. If I had not assisted her she would have tried it alone.
But she did try it alone! Look at her. She warped time, she moved matter. She stopped bullets for me. She saved me. Again. She didn’t have the strength but she did it anyway!
As you tried to save her, the TARDIS rebuked, seeing full well what he had done, how he had come to need saving.
That’s different.
How?
It just is.
Hardly an argument worthy of a Time Lord, Theta. You protect Rose, Rose protects you. I protect you both. We are family. You would have regenerated. Rose found a better way.
Better? The Doctor’s tone was bitter. How is this better?
Rose will be well again. This has not cost her life. It would have cost you yours. She would not have that. Would you deny your mate the right to choose, Theta?
The Doctor was silent, giving the mental equivalent of a pout. He was not sure that he liked this newly articulate TARDIS. She’d been bad enough when he could just shock him, refuse to operate properly or deliberately break things. Now she scolded and her tone had an unpleasant redolence of Jackie Tyler.
That really isn’t the point. He sulked.
The TARDIS did not deign to respond. Her hum deepened and rippled in what he suspected was a chuckle. His tone was conciliatory when he spoke to her again.
She will be alright, won’t she?
He felt comfort cushion him, She will be well.
He sagged in relief and finally allowed himself to be conscious of the physical world. Jack was standing beside him, striped to his t-shirt, which was stained with the Doctor’s blood. The Time Lord realised Jack had dealt with his shoulder and was in the process of treating the cuts and bruises from the stoning. The ex-Time Agent stared at him anxiously;
‘Doc? Where’d you go?’
‘I was having a word with the TARDIS. She says Rose will be fine.’
‘Thank God! What’s wrong with her? Is the baby alright?’
‘She’s suffering from exhaustion. The baby is fine. Rose protected her completely. Just like she protected me.’ He shrugged aside Jack’s continued attempts to treat his wounds, moving back to Rose’s bed, ‘No thought for her own safety, of course. As soon as she’s strong enough we’ll be having words about her priorities.’
Jack suppressed a smile. He had no doubt Rose would have a few words to say about the Doctor’s heroics, too, not to mention the fact he’d gone off on his own in the first place. He was looking forward to being a spectator to that conversation. Grabbing a chair, he shoved it behind the Doctor and pushed him into it. If he was going to hover by Rose’s side he might as well be comfortable. Patting the Time Lord on his good shoulder he headed off to make them a cup of tea.
The Doctor leant forward and snaked his hand beneath Rose’s small one, gripping it gently. She was so terribly pale and she felt cold. Springing to his feet he rushed to get a blanket, returning to tuck it carefully round her still form, making sure to leave her right arm free so he had something to hold. Settling back down, he scooped up her hand again, cradling it, rubbing little circles across the back of it with his thumb. Until she was well, her physical presence was all he had of her and he felt almost pathologically afraid of letting go. He tried not to think about just how quickly his mental link to her had become vital to him, like breathing. He knew she would be fine, but still he felt terrified. Until she touched him he would not feel safe. He closed his eyes against the bleakness of his soul without Rose to light it for him.
The scent of tea roused him as Jack returned. Pulling up a chair the Captain settled beside his friend, placing the Doctor’s tea on the floor, perceiving that the Time Lord had no intention of relinquishing his hold on Rose. They both ignored the fact that the tea would therefore go untouched, since his other arm was still healing and did not yet have the strength to hold a cup. Sipping from his own cup, Jack settled in to wait for Rose to wake up, trying to ignore that this was second such vigil in only a few days. Rose really was jeopardy friendly.
And so they waited, as around them the TARDIS began to sing, soothing her children as best she knew how.
Chapter 12
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Aww thats a lovely end to the chapter.
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