Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who and never will. Whoniverse belongs to BBC.
Melody's eyelids were too heavy. She couldn't keep her eyes open anymore, but she tried to fight it. She saw blurred vision of a tall man standing in front of her. Melody could hear some muffled sound. Then she noticed that the man's mouth was moving. He was definitely telling her something she was sure was important, but was only able to catch the end of it.
"...sleep well, Melody Pond," The Doctor gave her a peculiar crooked smile, which was more sad than happy. His eyes were irritatingly cagey. She was sick of all the secrets she had to keep or be kept from. She wanted to say that she didn't want to sleep at all, that she was fresh and well-rested. Melody didn't know when he is coming back- whether he even is coming back and she was determined to get the answers she deserved. However her body was too slow. The bowtie is ridiculous. That was her last thought. Then she gave in and blackness overwhelmed her. After all, it had been a hard day.
The Doctor glanced at her for a while, thinking about everything that had happened so far and was to happen in the future. He was watching Melody (or was it River already? He couldn't wait to find out) unconsciously smiling like a freak. She was still such a child. He felt a strange warmness spreading amongst his chest as she was lying there, sleeping and looking so innocent. Quite the opposite of the impression she gave when she was awake. But Doctor knew it was just a mask she put on in order to deceive people and especially him. In which she always succeeded when she was older. He was thinking about the River Song he knew and how different she was from the River lying before him so young. So immature, so pure. It was odd, even frightening, how easily he could read her. The Doctor didn't expect the first time she met him to come so soon. That very moment was the beginning of an end. Even though he was still new in their relationship, he sensed panic rising somewhere deep inside him. He could clearly see how much he had influenced her. The Doctor felt guilt pulling him down to the floor. He had screwed her up more than anyone before.
She woke up abruptly. Her body was aching. She couldn't remember what happened the day before. Then she looked at her hands-far paler than the ones she was used to and the memories came back quickly and violently. She wasn't ready for them being so confusing. It was so absurd that she wasn't sure whether it really happened. But then she noticed the TARDIS blue book on the bedside table. It was real. This body was real. Her parents knowing who she was were real. The Doctor-the man she had been trying to kill since she was able to walk- was real. Oh God, he was real. Then she saw cat nurses and spooky ill aliens and they all were real. Was it a dream or a nightmare?
A cat nurse noticed that she was awake, "Good morning, Ms. Song. How are you today?"
River Song. What a stupid name. Her throat was dry and sore when she tried to speak, "Fine, thanks. Could you tell me what date it is?"
She knew that the question might seem odd to the nurse-but she really didn't care. She had to know at least a bit of the usual stuff that all people know to keep her sanity.
"Of course, dear. It is 15th September."
"Year, tell me what year it is, please," The cat nurse shot her a strange look, as if she thought Melody was nuts.
"It is 5123."
She wasn't astonished. It looked like the future, "Where am I?"
"You are in the hospital of The Sisters of the Infinite Schism."
"Yes, I got that I'm in a hospital, but in what city?" Her urgent tone could be considered as rude. And indeed, the nurse seemed to be a bit offended, because her voice was cold when she spoke.
"New New York," It didn't help her much, but she knew something at least.
She got bored short after the cat nurse moved on to another patient. She banned herself to think about her situation, because she knew it was pointless and her brain would hurt even more than it already did. Melody had been slightly too energetic in her past regenerations and she found out that it didn't change much since then. She tried to keep herself entertained by observing a big fat blue man whose skin was covered in big purple dots, which quite obviously shouldn't have been there. Yes, she was gaping at him and yes, it was a bit impolite, but she couldn't help herself. He was blue, for God's sake. Her surprise rose as the man seemed to have noticed her and she could clearly see spark of recognition in his eyes. He sat straight and watched her as if he couldn't believe his eyes. His mouth spread in a huge smile.
"Isn't it Doctor Song herself? What are you doing here?"
She was certain she had never seen him before. But he used the name and although she wasn't comfortable with it yet, she knew he must have meant her, "I am sorry, have we met yet?" He laughed.
"I see what you are trying to do. You made a fool out of me, but that's already forgotten."
She smiled politely, still very confused, "I have no idea what you are talking about."
"You really mustn't pretend you don't know me. The Doctor returned me the vortex manipulator"
What?"I assure you I'm not pretending anything. I don't know you."
The man frowned as he tried to work it out. She was glad he apparently did in the end as he smiled even widely than before, "Oh, of course, well this is strange. I reckon you really haven't met before. How stupid of me not to consider this possibility. My name is Dorium Maldovar. I'm a merchant."
Melody simply nodded. She didn't know what to say.
"What a coincidence that we met here. The hospital staffs are rubbish- I should have had my own room, but they got it all wrong. What are you here for?"
She was frantically thinking for a while, unsure of what should she tell him, "I got poisoned."
He grinned like an idiot, "Honestly, that doesn't surprise me. You lead very dangerous life, Mrs. Song."
She was glad when a cat nurse came to him and told him that his room was ready.
"Goodbye, Mrs. Song," Her voice was weak when she replied to his hail.
Melody's head was banging as the man's words were twirling in her mind like a mantra. Doctor Song, dangerous life, vortex something. She didn't think it possible, but things got even more complicated.