I think I should write another chapter of New Beginnings.

*A wild plot bunny appears*

Whoops.

The BBC still owns Doctor Who not me.

A/N: this is a semi-sequel to my other story "Doctors Make the Worst Patients", but this can be read on its own as well. Although I would like it if you read the other story as well and leave me some feedback.

It was a completely domestic gesture. Not that he would admit it, of course. The word domestic left a worse taste in his mouth than pears ever did. And for him that was really saying something. But still, he did it anyways. The Doctor, the last Time Lord in existence, known to many as the Oncoming Storm, was standing in the kitchen on board his TARDIS happily making tea for himself and his best friend in the entire universe, Rose Tyler. He was even humming, which was something new for this regeneration.

Speaking of Rose, she had yet to make an appearance. He was already mildly frustrated that his favourite human liked to spend an inordinate amount of time sleeping but today she seemed to be sleeping a lot longer than she usually did. Usually by now she had sauntered into the kitchen with an incredibly infectious smile on her face (and if he was very, very lucky it would be the one where she poked her tongue out between her teeth. Oh how he loved… um… liked that smile), said 'good morning' in a very lovely sing-song voice, accepted a very nice hug from her very favourite Time Lord, gotten a nice cuppa masterfully crafted by him and they would both sit together chatting away as to where in time and space to go next. But, so far Rose had failed to make an appearance. With a sigh he picked up his own mug (a brown and blue stripy one Rose got him as a gift shortly after his regeneration. She was being so adorable he just had to use it on a daily basis) and took a long swig of his tea which had cooled enough that he wouldn't burn his tongue. He made himself some toast with marmalade, finished it, had another cup of tea and a banana for 'dessert'. Rose's tea had long since gone cold and with a heavy sigh he poured it out into the sink after briefly considering drinking it himself but (1) it was too cold (2) there wasn't nearly enough sugar in there for his taste (C) he was caffeinated enough and with his manic personality, well, more caffeine wasn't a good mix and (iv) it was Rose's.

With breakfast finished and still no Rose, the Doctor began to worry. Humans didn't need to sleep this much did they? He left the kitchen and began making his way to Rose's bedroom. He barely made it halfway there when he spotted her coming his way.

"Ah, there you are! Blimey you know how to sleep! Been waiting ages for you!" He smiled and made it a joke to hide the fact that he was getting ridiculously worried about her not joining him for breakfast. Rose however, didn't smile back. He noticed that she was still dressed in her bright pink flannel pajamas, her blonde hair was tousled all over the place and she didn't have any makeup on.

"M'sorry. Had a rough night. Barely slept." Rose mumbled as her voice was hoarse.

"'Barely slept'?" He parroted her words back at her. "Rose, if sleeping was an Olympic event you'd win gold! Me on the other hand, I wouldn't even qualify. Strange that there would be an event that I would actually do poorly in. Hundred metre dash! Now that's an event I could see myself doing well in."

"Doctor."

"You'd be good at it too! Well I mean look at how much training we get on a near-daily basis."

"Doctor, please I don't…"

"I actually wonder though: who would win if we were to race each other? Sure, I'm taller and have a longer gait than you. Plus I got that respiratory bypass and a binary vascular system which naturally makes me…"

"DOCTOR!" Rose shouted and promptly crumbled into a coughing fit. He finally snapped out of his rambling and in a few quick strides he's right beside her rubbing her shoulders as she was coughing so violently it looked like it really hurt (not because he was head over Converses for her. No, no… just really great friends.)

"You alright?" He asked gently.

"No, I'm bloody not alright!" Rose snapped as her coughing subsided. She felt his hand drop away from her shoulders and caught his expression that made him look like a kicked puppy. She sighed as she leaned her head on his shoulder. To her surprise he didn't flinch away. "Sorry, I just get rather tetchy when I'm sick." He brought his arm back up and gathered her in for a half-hug while he brought his other hand up to her forehead.

"You're hot Rose."

"Well I do my best." She tried to make a joke to make up for snapping at him. He didn't laugh.

"Yeah, you do… ah! I mean… a fever Rose! You've got a fever!" He stepped in front of her, took her face into his hands and knelt so he was eye to eye with her. He instantly noticed her eyes weren't as shiny as usual, and her face was flushed, and not in a good way. "Look, I don't often say this but you look awful! How long have you been feeling like this?" Rose pondered a moment, trying not to think about the fact that he still hadn't moved his hands from her face.

"Had a bit of a sore throat last couple of days. Nothing major." She shrugged.

"'Nothing major'?!" He was repeating her again his voice pitched up a couple of octaves. He stood up straight and Rose tried very hard not to feel disappointed when his cool hands dropped from her too warm face to rest on her shoulders. "Rose, it's vital that you tell me when you start feeling sick. You're human, and there are a lot of alien viruses that can… well… let's not think about that." Evidently he did as he involuntarily shuddered. "Now, Let's get you to the med bay. We'll get you all hunky-dory in no time." He grinned, and then grimaced. "Hunky-dory? No… never saying that again!"

The Doctor guided Rose by the hand into the med bay (which the TARDIS moved just down the hall from their previous location as she just adored Rose so much) and pointed to one of the exam tables. She was hesitant at first, as the table's surface looked hard and uncomfortable, but he insisted she lie down on it with the insufferable words: "Doctor's orders." Another violent coughing fit overtook her as she was climbing up and she flopped down on her side on top of the table to avoid choking. She was also trying not to be disappointed that he wasn't rubbing her back this time around. Instead he was busy rifling through cabinets nearby. Her coughing subsided after a few excruciating long moments and she gasped both for air and in surprise as the surface of the table moulded to her body creating a perfect cushion. Squeezing her eyes shut, she curled in on herself. On any other occasion she would just love the feeling of near weightlessness the cushion was giving her if her ribs and lungs didn't feel like they were on fire and her throat felt like she swallowed razor blades.

"Pop this in your mouth and lie on your back." Rose opened her eyes and saw the Doctors hand in front of her face. He had what looked like a piece of yellow candy in his palm.

"A cough drop? Really? You have all this advanced tech at your disposal and you give me a stinkin' cough drop!?"

"Yup!" He chuckled popping the 'p'. "Weeeell, it's a bit better than a cough drop. Try it!" She begrudgingly took the candy out of his hand and popped it in her mouth. She rolled her eyes when she recognised the flavour. Banana. Of course he would have banana flavoured cough drops! She looked up and shook her head at him.

"Only you…" she said and stopped, suddenly realising the pain in her throat and chest were gone. She gave him a wide eyed stare and he grinned at her while rocking back and forth on his heels.

"It's an analgesic and antitussive candy! See? Soooo much better than a cough drop!"

"A what candy?" Oh he loved… ah… liked it when she scrunched her nose at him like that. Usually he just glazed over the fact that he sometimes used fancy words instead of speaking plainly, but seeing as she was sick he decided to indulge her.

"Pain reliever and cough suppressant. Only temporary mind you, but it'll make you feel better until I know how to treat this properly. Now, lie on your back please, I need to do a scan." Rose did as she was asked as the Doctor pressed a few buttons on the side of the table. The surface she was lying on lit up and she could hear a soft hum. A holographic display appeared in front of the Doctor's face and he put his glasses on and studied it intently. He nearly jumped when he felt Rose's fingers brush against his. But this time he had to bat her hand away.

"Hold still!" He said a bit firmer than he intended. "You don't want to muck up the scan." He dropped his eyes from the display and looked down at her. His first instinct was to take her hand into his. She looked so scared and so very small. He wanted nothing more than to just comfort her, but he wasn't lying when he implied physical contact between them would corrupt the scan, and he didn't want to do this more than once. "You okay… well… other than the obvious?"

"What you said before, that this could be an alien virus."

"Yeah?"

"How bad could it get?"

"Rose…"

"Could it be fatal?"

"I said let's not think about that."

"So in other words… yes." He sighed and shoved his hand through his hair, making it stick up at even more random angles than normal.

"Rose, please. You know I'd never let it get that far. You know I…" The table suddenly stopped glowing and the display in front of him revealed the scan results in Gallifreyan. "Well, what do you know? It is an alien virus…" He practically mumbled. Rose sat up straight and grabbed at his hand again. This time he let her and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Doctor, how bad is it? What planet is it from?" He stayed silent for a long moment his eyes locked on the display. Rose desperately wished she could read his language, her mind rushing through all the worlds they recently visited and how she may have contracted an illness. "Please tell me!" She tugged on his hand. He took a deep breath and removed his glasses before he spoke.

"Well… I say alien but what I really mean is Earth." He sniffed as he tugged at his earlobe with his free hand. She blinked. His face broke into a manic grin, the laugh he was trying to bite back bubbled out of him. She suddenly remembered her best friend was a daft old alien. A daft old alien she felt like smacking until he regenerated (even though she just got used to this version of him). She smacked him hard on the arm. He laughed harder and bundled her into a hug. "You'll be just fine in a few days. You just need some rest. So that means no adventures for the next little while."

"No adventures?" She sighed and pulled out of the hug and poked him squarely in the chest. "You're gonna go so mad with boredom."

"Nah, I'll manage." He grinned. "I'm finally a Doctor with a patient." She rolled her eyes at his lame joke and he chuckled.

"So I'm going to be fine?"

"Absolutely. If you do what I say for once in your life."

"I do!"

"Well, the words 'don't wander off' come to mind."

"Oi!"

"Don't argue with the facts, Rose Tyler. You are very jeopardy friendly."

"Then why do I have to save your skinny hide all the time?"

"Oi!" He tried to sound offended but his smile betrayed him.

"What would you ever do without me?" She flashed him that tongue in teeth smile.

"Die probably. I mean without you constantly saving my hide, weeeell…" He shrugged gave her a somewhat sad smile. "Truth is Rose: I don't think I could live without you." His voice was suddenly very serious. Her breath hitched at his confession.

"Doctor I…"

"It's okay." He sighed as took her by the shoulders and placed a quick, gentle kiss on her still too warm forehead. "I know. You don't have to say anything."

Rose nodded and bit her lip.

"Now, we just need to do something about this fever of yours…" He released his grip on her and took a step back seemingly ignoring the fact that he did indeed just kiss her. "Go back to your room and I'll be there in a few minutes. I've got an idea." Rose tried not to cringe. Every time he said he had an idea it invariably ended in trouble. And by the look of the manic grin he was once again wearing, it meant big trouble. She reluctantly hopped down from the exam table and made her way to the door. Whatever was in the candy he gave her (or that all too brief forehead kiss… she couldn't be sure) made her a bit wobbly and she had to steady herself on the doorframe.

The TARDIS thought she'd be kind to Rose and repositioned her bedroom door to be right across the hall from the med bay. She flopped herself back into bed and got herself comfy under the warm covers. She had noted that since the candy had completely dissolved, her throat was beginning to get sore again. True to his word, a few minutes later the Doctor waltzed in her room pushing a small cart with his usual manic grin plastered on his face. She also noted that he had relieved himself of his jacket and tie and the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up past his elbows.

"Now, first things first…" He picked up a small amber bottle and a spoon from the cart and came and sat on the edge of her bed. Remembering some of the hideous medicines her mum had thrust upon her during her life, Rose instinctively brought her comforter over her mouth and cringed when the Doctor poured red sticky looking liquid into the spoon. He caught her movement out of the corner of his eye and laughed lightly. "Open up." He grinned at her. She shook her head and stayed resolutely under the comforter. He quirked an eyebrow. "Now Rose… you want to get better, right?" She shrugged, and then coughed.

"Can't I just have more of those banana things?"

"That was only to get you to stop coughing long enough for me to do the scan. Now…" He brought the spoon closer to her. She closed her eyes and shook her head again. He frowned at her. "Don't be so daft. Don't you trust me?" Rose opened her eyes again and shrugged non-committedly.

"I just hate medicine…" She sighed.

"Then you'd never had mine. You think I'd ever give you anything nasty?" Rose bit her bottom lip. Those banana candies were the best cough drops she'd ever tasted in her life, so he did have a point about not giving her nasty tasting medicine. He was right, she was being daft. She lowered the comforter and tried not to giggle as he quite literally spoon fed her the medicine.

She nearly choked on it as it tasted worse than anything her mother ever gave her.

"You liar!" She spat at him. He quickly got up and returned to the cart and busied himself with filling the spoon with another sticky liquid.

"Sorry, but it's a universal truth that the nastier a medicine tastes the better it works. This'll help though." He brought the spoon back to her lips and she glared at it with even more suspicion. "Eat this honey." She blinked. Her mouth dropped open in shock.

Was she just hearing things?

Did he really just call her that?

He gently slid the spoon into her mouth.

Oh…

He was just telling her what was in the spoon this time.

Damn…

She took the spoon handle out of his hand and extracted it herself. The sweetness of the honey canceled out the bitterness of the medicine and she hummed appreciatively.

"Better?" He asked. Rose just narrowed her eyes at him and hit on lightly on the shoulder with the spoon and tried desperately not to laugh as it stuck to the fabric of his shirt. He smirked and shook his head a little at her.

"You're such a pudding brain." Rose rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm a what?" She reached up and tapped him lightly on the forehead.

"It's like you got pudding in there instead of brains." He laughed lightly at that remark (and filed the insult away in his mind to use later if the need ever called for it) realising the medicine was making her slightly tipsy.

"I can assure you, Rose Tyler, that I only have an impressive Time Lord brain in there, you on the other hand…" He brushed the backs of his fingers over her forehead a moment seeing that she was still burning up. He stood and returned to the cart and picked up the basin full of water and cloth he brought with him and settled them on her bedside table. She watched him carefully and suddenly realised what he was about to do. He carefully dipped the cloth into the cool water and after wringing out the excess he pressed it gently to her forehead. She smiled and let out a contented sigh as her eyes drifted closed.

"You're finally getting me back…" she said softly.

"Just looking after you, is all." He shrugged pressing the cloth to her cheek. "Just as you've looked after me. And 'cos I really…" He sighed as he dipped the cloth back into the water.

"'Cos you… what, Doctor?"

'Don't deserve someone like you after all the terrible things I've done in my lifetime?'

'Love you?'

He licked his lips finding that his mouth and throat suddenly went dry. He couldn't say the words that were filtering through his mind right now even though he knew in his hearts that they were absolutely true. Every little thing he did on her behalf that day was so domestic and he didn't care. He didn't care how domestic it was because he could finally admit to himself that he was in love with Rose Tyler.

But how could he ever tell her? His previous regeneration was right. He was a coward every time.

He opened his mouth to try and speak again, but was cut off by the soft sound of Rose's snoring. He smiled at her. Despite his earlier irritation at the fact that she slept so much, he always loved how peaceful she looked while sleeping. He folded the cloth and placed it carefully on her forehead and with a non-verbal command to the TARDIS; he lowered the lights in her room so she could get some proper rest. He gathered the bowl from her bedside table and placed it back on his cart and moved to leave so she could sleep in peace. He made it to her door and snuck a look back at her over his shoulder.

"Sleep well, my beautiful Rose…"