This just sort of hit me while I was brainstorming for Accio, TARDIS. so yeah. SORRY BOUT THE ANGST
To anyone walking by, it seemed like a normal day. A normal man was sitting on a normal bench in a normal park.
But this was not a normal man, a normal day,a normal bench, or a normal park. This was John Smith, formerly the Doctor, sitting on the bench that he had finally sat down one Rose Tyler on and asked her to marry him. This was the day that, one year ago exactly, they had said their vows and joined together as husband and wife. This was the spot they were to meet at after Rose got off work at Torchwood, to probably have a quick snog and then go off to a fancy dinner that John Smith had been planning for weeks.
He checked his watch. Rose should have been here ten minutes ago. He wasn't particularly worried, Rose stayed late at work pretty often. He looked out at the scene in front of him. The breeze was blowing through the trees, and John watched as the branches swayed.
He listened to the sounds around him. Children were playing, giggling and screaming. Parents gathered around and talked about parent-y things (he didn't want to dig any deeper into that thought). He heard bicycle bells ringing and birds chirping. Everything was peaceful. It was the perfect day for John Smith.
Suddenly, a sound rang through the park that did not belong. Sirens were blaring, and John Smith opened his eyes. It seemed that everyone in the park had stopped to listen. He heard one of the parents say "It's a shame, for an ambulance to be called on a beautiful day like this. God help whoever it's for."
John couldn't agree more. He checked his watch again. Rose was 20 minutes late. "Don't worry," He told himself. "She was cataloging the items found in the crashed ship that we found, she'll be along shortly."
Just then, John heard his phone go off. He plucked the fancy smart phone out of his pocket. He looked at the caller I.D. The number was unfamiliar to him. He slid his thumb across the screen to answer the call. "Hello?"
"John Smith?" The voice on the other end asked.
"Yes, that's me" He leaned back on the bench. "How can I help you?"
"I'm sorry Mr. Smith, but there has been an accident." John sat straight up. "Your wife, Rose Smith, is in critical condition. Can you come to the hospital straight away?"
John stood and ran to the parking lot. "What happened? Is she alright?" He fumbled in his pocket for the keys to Torchwood's company car.
"I'm afraid she isn't doing so well," The voice said. "Please get here as soon as possible."
He yanked open the car door and jumped in, jamming the keys into the ignition. "I'm on my way." Without bothering to properly hang up, he threw the phone onto the seat next to him and threw the car into drive. Ignoring stop signs and dodging traffic, he soon pulled into the emergency lot at the Greater London Hospital. Without really caring, he parked in the closest spot, grabbed his phone and ran into the building.
A nurse was waiting for him at the front desk of the Emergency Centere. "Mr. Smith?" She asked. He just nodded. "Right this way."
He followed the nurse through the hallways of the E.R. until they reached a room. "She's right through there" The nurse said. Without looking back, John ran into the room.
He stopped as soon as he saw her. She was so broken, he almost broke down right there. She smiled when she saw him. "John..." She reached out towards him.
He quickly ran towards the bed and grasped her hand. Sitting in the plastic chair next to the bed, he pushed her hair back fro her forehead. "Rose," he started "what happened?"
"She was hit by a bus." John looked and saw a man in blue scrubs and a lab coat walk in. "Well, hit then ran over. Can I speak to you outside, Mr. Smith?"
John shook his head. "There is no way I'm leaving her." He felt Rose squeeze his hand and he looked down at her.
She smiled up at him. "Go talk to the doctor." Her voice was barely a whisper, rough and gravelly. John couldn't not do what she said. He nodded, leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I love you" he whispered to her. She smiled up at him. "Quite right, too". She gave a shaky laugh. He squeezed her hand gently and walked outside.
The doctor was waiting in the hall for him. "Hello Mr. Smith, my name is Dr. Gully, and-"
John was in no mood for this. "Look, doctor, get to the point. Is Rose going to be okay?"
Dr. Gully looked down at his charts with a sullen expression. "I don't believe so, Mr. Smith." He looked John in the eye. "She was hit and run over by a full bus, her internal organs are putting up a fight to continue to function, but she's losing the battle."
"No, no, no, no..." John couldn't believe what he was hearing. "No, Doctor, you can't give up. PLEASE, you have to save her." He grabbed the man by the shoulders. "She is the only thing I have, Literally, the only thing." He let go and began to pace.
Dr. Gully looked at John Smith with pity in his eyes. "She says it's your anniversary today, is that correct?" John looked at the man in front of him with anger in his eyes.
"Yes, yes it is." He walked back towards Dr. Gully. "And unless you want this to be both our wedding anniversary and the date of my wife's death, I suggest you get in there and DO something!" Without waiting for Dr. Gully to reply, he walked back into Rose's room.
She looked at him and smiled. "Hi" She croaked. John picked her hand back up and brought it to his lips.
"What were you thinking, Rose?" He bowed his head. "Don't you know to look before you cross the street?"
Rose sighed. "I know, I know. I'm so sorry. It's just... I was running late for our date, the cataloging was taking forever..." She trailed off and sighed. "I was really close to the park, so I just thought I could run across the street and meet ya." She closed her eyes. "I didn't even look..."
John felt tears coming to his eyes and tried to blink them away. "Hey, hey, it's ok." He stroked her hair. "You're going to be alright, we're going to get you better. Okay?" He kissed her hair. "It's going to be fine."
Just then, two nurses walked into the room. "Mr. Smith, we have to take Mrs. Smith in for surgery now. You're more than welcome to wait here, or you can wait closer to the surgery room."
John stood up. "I'm staying with her for as long as I can."
The nurses pulled up the bars on the movable bed and unlocked the brakes. John grabbed Rose's hand. She looked up at him and smiled. He walked beside her all the way, until the surgeons came and took the bed from the nurses. "We've got to take her in now, Mr. Smith." One of the surgeons said as he came up to speak with him. "She's in pretty bad shape, so if there is anything you would like to say to her, you should say it now." At his signal, the surgeons backed up a little so John could speak to Rose.
He knelt down beside her head and cupped her face in his hand. "You're going to have to be strong for me, okay Rose?" he brushed a tear away from her eyes. "You have to pull through for us."
She smiled back up at him. "I will. I'll see you later."
John choked out a laugh. "not if I see you first." The surgeons surrounded the bed as John got to his feet. "I love you." He wiped his eyes as they started to wheel her away.
"I love you, John." She croaked out as they wheeled her away.
John stood and waited there at the doors of surgery until a nurse came in and told him he needed to move to the reception area and sit down. He walked over and sat.
He waited.
For hours he waited.
Nurses came by with food and water, but he sent them away. He watched the doors through which Rose disappeared, waiting. He picked up his smartphone, his "Orange" brand "uPhone". Turning it around, he looked at the inscription.
"John, you'll always be my favorite Doctor. Love, Rose. xx"
He watched as a single drop of water fell on to the phone. He hastily wiped his eyes.
An hour later, John stood as he saw Dr. Gully walk through the doors. His heart sank as he saw the look on the doctor's face.
"I'm Sorry." Dr. Gully said.
This was just too much for John Smith. He sat down and cried. He cried like he had never cried before.
Dr. Gully sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "I know it's hard to lose a loved one," he began until John cut him off.
"How would you know?" he asked. "HOW?!" He stood and glared at Dr. Gully. "You have NO IDEA how much Rose and I have been through. NO IDEA." He felt the tears run down his face. "Of all the things, of all the places, it wasn't supposed to end like this."
He plopped down in the uncomfortable hospital seat and put his head in his hands. "It's not supposed to be this way."