"Seriously Rose, it cannot be that hard to pick a cot," the Doctor groaned as his wife pulled him into yet another furniture store. Who knew there would be so many places within walking distance that sold cots?

"It's gotta be perfect though, Doctor," Rose told him patiently with a smile, squeezing his hand. "Casey at work told me everything to look for; when she was pregnant it took them ages to find the right one, but now it's been through all three of their kids! It's gotta have the bars on the sides but they've got to be able to come down so when he gets bigger then he can practice standin' and stuff, and plus you don't want a hugely expens-"

"Rose," the Doctor interrupted her spiel with an exasperated chuckle, and she turned to him, eyes wide and innocently questioning.

"Yeah?"

"First of all, take a breath!" She rolled her eyes at him and took an exaggerated deep breath. He grinned and nodded. "Better. Now, d'you think that maybe we're taking it a bit too far? This is the fourth shop today," the Doctor reminded her, and she looked around as if only just realising.

"Is it?" Her expression grew surprised. "Blimey, didn't even realise."

"Plus you liked that last one we looked at," the Doctor probed with a hopeful smile. "With the patterns down the sides?" Anything to avoid another hour wandering around another store, and he'd noticed her moving slower, more sluggishly than usual. Rose considered it.

"That's true...I thought it looked like Gallifreyan," she mused; that made him smile. "An' it was cheaper than most..." Rose bit her lip and rubbed her forehead, unable to think straight for some reason. The Doctor moved to face her and took her shoulders gently, bending slightly to her height.

"Rose, c'mon. That's enough for today, yeah? We can always come back, there's still another month and a half at least, right?" the Doctor said to her softly, and she looked him in the eyes, nodding.

"I s'pose you're right," she sighed. "As usual," she added teasingly, and he grinned cheekily at her. He tucked his arm around her shoulders and lead her back out of the store, onto the street. The pair made their way to the parking building - thank goodness they had parked on the ground floor - and Rose lowered herself into the car with her husband's help.

"I'll be really glad when I can get myself in an' out of the car again," she grumbled, and he chuckled, shutting the door. The ride home wasn't long, though the Doctor noticed Rose's eyes glazing over tiredly, staring out the window. He seized her hand with his free one, linking his fingers through hers. She turned to him and smiled, squeezing back and resting her head on the headrest, watching his face as he drove.

"No falling asleep in the car," he warned teasingly. I'll never get you out if you're asleep, he added on in his head, and out the corner of his eye, saw her poke her tongue at him, making him laugh. The Doctor pulled into the driveway of their two-bedroom house, parked, and went around to help Rose out of the car. He opened her door and she waved him off.

"No, I'm gonna do this," she told him, determination furrowing her brow. "You go grab the groceries or something; there's ice cream that'll be melting." He stepped back, hands raised with a small proud smile on his face. He did as she suggested, unlocking the boot and taking the first lot of groceries inside while Rose worked her way around in the seat so her legs dangled out the car door. He grabbed the last few bags and came around the end of the car just in time to see her get into a standing position, beaming widely.

"You were brilliant," he told her with a chuckle, kissing her cheek. However instead of replying, the grin faded from Rose's face, and it suddenly struck him how white her face was. She swayed and staggered forwards a few steps, eyes unfocused.

"Doctor," she tried to say, but her tongue felt swollen, and she wasn't sure what came out. The world spun, and her heart pounded; her head felt as if it was stuffed with cotton wool. She heard him yell her name as she felt her legs give out and she was pulled into blackness.

**TO BE CONTINUED...**