"Sick and Tired"
It was dark. As dark as deep space but not empty. It felt closed, like being trapped in a very dark box that slowly got smaller and smaller, leaving you trapped and frightened. And that's exactly what The Doctor felt, as he remained a prisoner in the suffocating darkness that surrounded him. He wondered briefly if this was in fact the void but just as quickly brushed it off as impossible. Impossible… Such a preposterous word. He was, in essence the very definition of impossible. So who was he to judge what it included? Besides, he had other, more pressing matters at hand. He had to get out of there… That is, wherever 'there' happened to be. He attempted to move his arm but all he gained was a twitch of his thumb. He tried again, a bit harder this time but he was left with the same results. Blimey was this confusing… Never had he in his odd thousand years ever been trapped like this and 'this' didn't even make sense. He was just about to try to move again when his world erupted into a blank canvas of white light. The Doctor flinched and attempted to move away from the source of his discomfort but to no avail. The bright light seared his retinas forcing him to shut his eyes tightly in pain as brighter and brighter the light shone. After a while it got so unbearably bright that The Doctor simply couldn't stand it any more and sunk down into unconsciousness.
When he did wake his return to full awareness was slow. At first all he knew was darkness akin to earlier, but soon he became aware of a soft weight resting on his forehead. He nuzzled into it's furry warmth and was just about to sink back into the darkness when the weight was removed from his fore head and moved to his cheek where it patted his pale skin fervently, demanding his attention. He groaned in acknowledgement and finally mustered the strength to blearily open his eyes. It took a few seconds to focus on the tabby girl in front of him. She was smiling kindly at him, her bright green cat-like eyes sparkling as she did so. Though despite her bright smile she looked exhausted, he wondered why she looked so and gazed at her curiously.
Catching The Doctor's curious gaze Molly began to speak, trying in vain to hide the obvious fatigue in her voice.
"Morning sleepy head!" She said a bit too cheerfully. "You had me worried for a bit there. How do you feel?" She finished inquisitively.
The Doctor attempted to answer her but all that came out of it was a coughing fit. Concern in her eyes Molly gently pulled him into a sitting position and rubbed soothing circles on his back until the fit subsided and he could once again breathe normally. After she was sure that the coughing had indeed ended she grabbed a glass of water from the nightstand and brought it to his lips, urging him to drink. He did so and gave her a look that conveyed his gratitude for taking care of him. Only after he finished the water and settled back on the pillow with Molly sitting against the headboard next to him did he finally find his voice.
"What happened?" He queried.
"Oh, you don't remember?" Molly said a bit surprised.
"Well not much…" He admonished. "Just darkness, then a really bright light and then nothing. It's all really confusing, I hate when my brain gets all bungled up like this. I was hoping that you could fill in the blanks?" He finished hopefully.
"Yes I can." She started. "You had and are currently getting over a very bad strain of old Earth Influenza. You must've caught it when we went to 2000 to see the millennium and just not known it."
"Oh, how did I get here?" He wondered.
"Well you kind of passed out in the console room, um two days ago… I think… so I carried you here. The T.A.R.D.I.S has been a real help with giving me the right types of medicine. I would've been lost without her." Molly said and patted the wall fondly, earning an appreciative hum from the sentient time ship. "The old girl's been beside herself with worry. You were actually conscious for a little while, but I think the fever fixed that. Never, have I ever seen the flu as bad as you had it and I was a nurse's aid for a bit. When you get sick, you GET sick." Molly said sympathetically.
"Whoa, did you say two DAYS?" The Doctor questioned confused.
"Yes." Molly confirmed. "Two days or so…"
"Or so…?" He asked.
"Well since time doesn't exist here, well not normally any way… Two days. And you are still sick." She finished.
"I am not." He countered with an indigent huff.
"All right then." Molly challenged. "If you're not sick then get up and walk to the door and back, if you can walk in a straight line I'll believe you if not then back to bed you go. Do you accept my terms?" She asked him pointedly. The Doctor agreed and swung his long legs over the side of the bed taking the covers with him in the process. He then shakily stood, leaning against Molly who still looked skeptical at his exploits and began slowly walking to the other side of the room. He was doing very well until he reached about halfway and stumbled ungracefully into the wall and sunk to the floor panting. Molly rushed over to where the Time Lord lay against the wall and put her paws on her hips as if to say, "I told you so." The Doctor just groaned and attempted to get off the floor. Molly gave up her posture of superiority and helped him to stand then allowed him to lean against her as they made there way back to the bed were Molly deposited the ill Time Lord and made him lie back as she once again pulled the covers up to his chin.
"Well it looks like bed rest for you mister." Molly said as she felt his fore head. "And you're still warm…why don't you take a nice nap? I'm sure that it'll make you feel better." Molly ventured.
"But I'm not tired!" The Doctor half-heartedly whined.
"Don't give me that rubbish. I can see that you are exhausted; you can barely keep your eyes open. One little nap won't hurt, in fact it'll probably make you feel better."
The Doctor was about to complain again but thought better of it when Molly looked at him pleadingly. He was tired; he just didn't want to admit it. And a nap would be good about now… So he decided to take Molly's advice and rest for a while. Molly smiled when he snuggled deeper into the covers and sighed contentedly.
"Good night Doctor." She whispered as his eyes slipped shut and he fell into much needed sleep.
Fin.