They were jostled about as the Doctor tried to land the TARDIS, fighting against the controls.
"Hold onto something!" he yelled, and she reached behind her to grab onto the railing, but instead grasped on thin air as she missed. She was flung back into the railing, knocking the air out of her before falling flat on the ground. As the TARDIS seemed to calm down, she scrambled to her feet, only for the TARDIS to jolt again, knocking her off her feet. She was thrown off the platform and rolled down the stairs that led to the lower level of the console. She hit each step with a sickening thud before landing flat on the floor in a heap. She felt a jolt of pain go through her midsection, that disappeared just as quickly as it came
"Clara!" he yelled, running down to stairs to check on her now he had successfully landed the TARDIS
"I'm okay" she groaned, taking the hand he had offered her. He pulled her up into a hug, causing her to make a small grunt as a pain spread through her chest.
"What's wrong? Are you hurt? Did you break something?" he asked in rapid fire questions as he pushed her away to check her over for injuries
"I'm fine Doctor, stop worrying." she told him, because she was. At least that's what she was telling herself
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, now show me a planet" she laughed"Alright Clara Oswin Oswald" he exclaimed, kissing her on the forehead
"Still not my middle name" she mumbled, but followed him happily to the doors.
"Welcome to Quompipping" he exclaimed, throwing the doors open dramatically.

"I thought you said it was lovely here in the summer" she complained as they ran through a store room that was sweltering hot
"It is! Just in a thousand years" he argued
"I guess we'll just have to wait here for the next thousand years then!" she yelled, stopping momentarily to catch her breath.
"Come on Clara" he shouted, grabbing her hand and pulling her through stacks of boxes. She crashed into one, spilling the contents all over the floor. The corner of the box dug into her stomach, sending a ripple of pain through her midsection.
"Hurry up Clara!" he yelled, tugging her hand and pulling her through a door. The creatures were gaining on them just as they spotted the TARDIS at the end of a hallway. The Doctor pushed the doors open and they ran in, slamming the doors shut behind them. She leant back on the door out of exhaustion as he piloted the TARDIS away.
"Vampires?! Really?!" she asked, sitting down on one of the seats in the console room, each breath sending a pain through her chest
"They weren't actually vampires you know. Just some aliens that dislike sunlight and garlic. It's all about their digestive system…" he continued on. She pretended to listen, knowing she wouldn't understand what he was saying anyway. She crossed her legs underneath her, wincing as she did. She tried to cover it up, but clearly didn't do a very good job as the Doctor cut himself off mid rant, coming around the console to face her.
"Are you alright?" he asked sincerely, his face full of concern
"Yeah, I'm just a bit tired after all that running. I think I'm gonna go to bed" she told him, getting up
"Okay, sleep well" he replied, not believing her. She walked up the stairs to the corridor that led out of the room, each step causing her to wince. She tripped on the final step, falling flat on her face for the third time that day. The Doctor walked up behind her, reaching down to help her up. She couldn't hide the grimace that flashed across her face as she got up as she felt another stab in her ribs.
"Clara, are you in pain? And don't try to lie to me, I've seen you wincing all day" he asked her seriously
"Not really, nothing a good night's sleep won't fix" she turned to walk away but he grabbed her hand and turned her to face him. He could see tears welling up in her eyes, and her lip quivering to keep them at bay.
"You're not getting out of it that easily. Come on" he told her, leading her over to a chair which she hopped onto, wincing as she did. "Where does it hurt?" She pointed to her general stomach area so he prodded her gently until she let out a hiss of pain.
"Owww, that really hurts Chin" she complained, moving back from him in a way which could be described as self-defence.
"Clara, I really need to take a lot at you" he said gently, placing his hand just above her knee. She groaned in response but moved forwards on the chair again
"We should really get you to a doctor"
"I've already got a Doctor" she argued weakly
"A proper doctor" he replied. She started to shake her head but stopped quickly, bringing a hand to her ribs.
"I don't wanna go" she complained, then made a funny face as he laughed to himself "What?"
"It's nothing" he said, placing his hand over hers which was on her ribs "If you don't want to go to a doctor you're gonna have to let me take a look at you" he said awkwardly, gesturing to her shirt which was covered in dirt. She unbuttoned it enough to let him see her stomach and ribs, which were slightly bruised and swollen.
"You know, if you wanted to get me undressed you could've just asked" she teased
"Shut up Oswald" he mumbled, blushing at her comment
"I'm just teasing" she said as he took out his sonic to scan her. He hit it against his palm as hit made some funny noises, but eventually looked over to a screen on the console
"Oh Clara. My impossible girl" he muttered to himself as he looked at the results
"What is it" she asked, craning her neck to look at the screen
"You've broken half your ribs Clara. When did this happen?" He asked her gently, walking back over to her and brushing some hair behind her ear
"I think when you were trying to land the TARDIS and I fell down the stairs" she told him truthfully, looking down to avoid his gaze
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't want you to worry" she mumbled. He placed a finger under her chin and titled it up so her eyes met his own. Those beautiful, big, brown eyes that were so easy to get lost in.
"Clara, look at me. I always worry about you. My impossible girl" she told her, taking her hand.
"Why do you call me that?" she asked
"Call you what?"
"The impossible girl" she told him. He'd never really thought about it before, something which slipped from his thoughts to speech.
"I don't really know" he answered kissing her gently on the forehead
"What happens now?" she asked, pointing to her ribs
"Well, first, you have to promise me that you'll tell me when you get hurt"
"Okay"
"Promise?"
"Promise"
"If you hold still I can heal them for you" he told her, taking her other hand
"No, I'm not letting you do that" she told him
"Why not? It'd make life so much easier" he tried to persuade her
"How many years?" she asked
"It doesn't matter" he said, his hands starting to glow
"Yes, it does. I can't let you give up some of your life for me" she told him, yanking her hands away from him
"I can't let you hurt when I could stop all that pain" he objected
"Doctor"
"Please Clara" he begged, taking back her hands
"I'm not letting you do this. End of story"
"But" he interrupted
"End of story" she repeated
"Okay then. Can you make it back to your room? I need to get you some ice to help reduce the swelling" he asked, to which she nodded and he helped her up. He helped her walk up the staircase and let her go into her bedroom before getting a bag of frozen peas and some painkillers. He walked back Clara's room to find her under the covers in pyjamas. She had curled up into a ball and he could see tears rolling down her face.
"Hey, it's okay" he said, sitting on the edge of her bed and wiping away the tears on her face.
"It hurts Doctor" she moaned, sniffling into her pillow
"I know it does" he said gently, stroking the hair out of her face
"Make it stop" she begged
"Clara, I need you to sit up" he told her, gently helping her into an upright position. He handed her a tablet that was much stronger than Earth painkillers which she happily took when he passed her some water. She sank back down so she was lying flat again as he pushed the covers off her. He lifted up her top slightly so he could place the peas on her ribs, holding her shoulder as she reacted to the shock of the cold on her hot skin.
"It's okay, just take deep breaths" he reassured as she wriggled to move away from the cold. She relaxed a bit, tears starting to fill her eyes with each breath she took
"It hurts" she said meekly, resting her head on the pillows behind her
"I know, I'm sorry" he said comfortingly, readjusting the bag of peas on her ribs
"Come over here" she murmured, patting the bed next to her. He obliged, sitting down crossed legged on the bed next to her head. She moaned, motioning for him to lie down on the bed, which he did after thinking about it for a while. She leant her head on his shoulder, leaving his arm in an awkward place. He kept it there until it started to hurt, so he moved it so it was behind her, pointlessly flailing it around until he wrapped it around her and gave her arm a comforting squeeze. That sat in silence for a while, with the occasional moan from Clara waiting for the painkillers to kick in.
"I think I'm dying Chin" she complained, breaking the silence
"You're not dying Clara" he said, laughing at her dramatics.
"Run you clever boy and-"she started to say
"Shut up. You're not dying"
"Agree to disagree" she mumbled, clearly becoming drowsy
"Okay, whatever you say." He let her believe it, stroking her hair therapeutically. She was clearly fighting to keep her eyes open, but gave in, her eyes fluttering closed. He stayed with her, watching her sleep until her breathing evened out and all pain dissipated from her face. He took the bag of peas off her, which were now no longer frozen. He pressed a kiss into her hair, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. He left her to sleep, going into the library to read a book in front of the fire.

He was so absorbed in his book that he didn't even notice the small figure that had snuck into the room until the sofa dipped down next to him. He put the book down on the coffee table and looked at her, her big brown eyes fresh from crying.
"I thought you were asleep" he commented as she snuggled into his side and laid her head on his shoulder
"I was" she answered simply
"Then why are you up?"
"Because I woke up. " She clearly couldn't have been awake for long, he thought, as she was struggling to form long sentences. He raised his eyebrows at her, prompting her to expand her statement. "I couldn't get back to sleep cause I was cold and my ribs hurt"
"How are they?" he asked, pointing to her ribs which she had her arm wrapped around
"A bit better, but not really" she said, as he laid his hand on her leg.
"Do you want me to get you some ice?" he asked, moving to get up. She put her hand on top of his, motioning to sit back down, which he did. She put her head where it was previously, and looked down at their hands as he tentatively laced his fingers through hers.
"I'm fine Chin, stop worrying" she laughed, wrapping her free hand around her midsection in pain.
"You're not fine, you're far from fine Clara" he told her, brushing the hair that had fallen over her face behind her ear.
"Owwww" she moaned as she adjusted her position on the couch.
"Are you sure you don't want anything?" he asked again, giving her shoulder a squeeze
"I'm sure Chin"
"Why do you call me that?" he asked, repeating the question she asked him earlier.
"It's a really big chin" she told him, giggling slightly and tapping his chin
"It's not that big!" he exclaimed
"Your chin and forehead take up two thirds of your face" she laughed, kissing his forehead as if to make a point
"No they don't!" he protested
"Okay, maybe they only take up three quarters of your face" she giggled
"Thank you" he said, kissing her forehead back. They sat in comfortable silence until he perked up again, making a grunt in annoyance
"Two thirds is smaller than three quarters!" he exclaimed, realising his mistake
"Cleverest man in the universe and you didn't realise that" she joked, bringing her hands up to her mouth to stifle a laugh.
"You, I-but-you-but…I hate you" he grumbled. They drifted into silence until she fell asleep leaning against his shoulder, sniffling in her sleep. She slowly sunk down against him so her head was laying in his lap. He pulled a blanket over them, not wanting to move both himself or Clara. He absentmindedly stroked her hair, thinking about all the times his companions had gotten hurt. It hurt him every time, but for some reason it was different with Clara. It made his hearts ache to see her hurt, even if she only had a small bruise on her knee from falling over. The last time he could remember feeling this way was with Rose, and in the end, he lost her. He wasn't going to let that happen to Clara, he couldn't lose her. A small snort from Clara broke him out of this trance like state, and he looked down at her face, so peaceful, so beautiful. He could feel himself getting drowsy, the soft lull of sleep beckoning him. He closed his eyes, promising himself it would only be for a second…

He was woken about an hour later by Clara wriggling in her sleep. They had subconsciously laced their fingers together, and his hand was resting against her hair. The blanket was tangled around her feet, clearly from her being restless. He started to stroke her hair again, and she stopped fidgeting like it was calming her. As comfortable as he was, he decided he should move Clara back to her bed, so he carefully lifted her head off his lap, and reluctantly got up. He wormed one arm underneath her legs and one under her back and picked her up with ease, carefully adjusting his grip on her as he straightened. She nuzzled in his chest, her hands grabbing onto his tweed jacket. He carefully walked back to her room, careful not to jostle her around too much. Her door swung open as he approached it, and he sent a thought up to the Tardis in thanks. Just as he was about to place Clara on her bed, her eyes fluttered open. She was still drowsy, but he could feel her grab his jacket even tighter, like she was reluctant to let go. He placed her down, and he suddenly felt a little empty now Clara had left his arms. She was still grasping tightly at his jacket, so he sat down and tried to pry her fingers off him.
"Stay" she muttered, as she let go of him and he made to leave
"Okay" was all he said in reply. She shuffled over on the bed and he lay down next to her.
"Owww" she complained as she moved over, trying to make more room.
"Do you want anything? Some more painkillers? Ice?" he asked with concern.
"Ice would be nice" she told him. An ice pack appeared on the bedside table next to him as she said it. He silently thanked the Tardis for being nice to Clara, he knew they didn't get along very well for whatever reason. It annoyed him that they didn't get on, but there was nothing he could seem to do about it.
"This is gonna be cold okay?" he said, gently placing it on her ribs. She had black and blue bruises around her ribs, which hurt him more than he could describe. She winced as it made contact with her skin, shivering at the cold. He picked up a blanket and putting it on top of her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders when he was done. He pressed a kiss into her hair, lingering as relished in the sweet smell that was Clara Oswald. She turned to face him as he pulled away from her head, looking into his eyes.
"Thank you for taking care of me"
"Anytime. Besides, it was my fault you got hurt"
"Well thanks anyway"
"No problem Clara" she was so small and vulnerable that he had to fight the urge to kiss her. He desperately wanted to comfort her, but he couldn't cross that boundary. He wouldn't risk losing Clara because he made a mistake. Nether the less, he glanced down to her lips, indulging himself in his thoughts. Suddenly, Clara bridged the gap between them and gently brushed his lips with her own before pulling back quickly, biting her lip and trying to gauge his reaction. He brought his free hand to her face, gently cupping it before kissing her back. He chuckled into her lips, causing her to giggle and pull back slightly.
"Get some rest Clara" he said, kissing her again gently
"Yes Doctor" she grinned, slipping into a peaceful sleep as he held her in his arms.

AN: Please follow, favourite and review!