Poison of Calafrax

10/Rose

Hurt/Comfort/Friendship

Summary: A case of mistaken identity leads to dire consequences.

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who, its characters or its stories, other than this one. I wouldn't mind borrowing David Tennant for a time, though. I'd give him back when I was done.

Chapter 1

Rose ran through the marketplace yelling for the Doctor, her breath making steamy plumes in front of her face. She'd seen him being taken this way and she hoped to all hope that he was nearby. They'd been separated when he'd gone to look at some part for the TARDIS and she'd stayed and looked at the silks on display before her. Two pairs of men had approached them. She had only a glimpse of where the other two had taken the Doctor before her arms were pulled back and she had been yanked into the dark shadows.

It couldn't have been more than an hour she was held, but it was a long hour. The men had hit her with their fists and with some sort of instrument, hoping to get answers from her about her companion. She wouldn't have told them anything, even if she did know, but they asked her questions she had no idea about. He had 900 years worth of experience before she'd come along, and he hadn't shared every moment with her. Her brow creased with worry that some of the things they said and asked about may have been true, but she reassured herself that even if they were, he was a different man now.

After an hour or so one of them had gotten a message, and they had promptly turned her loose in the street. This was nearly more worrisome than being held captive. Normally when she was held captive her plan was to stay safe, hopefully escape, but more than likely the Doctor would come and get her. They both knew the plan. For her to be free and for him to be missing was a new and scary experience.

For a few minutes she simply stood in the cold, her breath white and smoky in front of her, and assessed her damage. Her ribs hurt with each breath, she felt bruised all over, and her face felt unnaturally warm. Probing with her fingers she found that she had several cuts that had bled down her cheeks. She probably looked a mess. But she could walk, and pretty soon she was running.

Rose dashed past stalls and booths, glancing down alleyways as she ran. Ahead of her she saw flashing pale yellow lights flickering in an alley. She ran past, barely giving it a glance. Suddenly she stopped and ran back. There, in the alley, she could see the lanky form of the Doctor face down on the ground. He was unconscious, but she could see him breathing from where she was, his breath making much smaller clouds than her own. She ran to him and dropped painfully to her knees next to him.

"Doctor? Doctor, can you hear me?" She gave his shoulder a little shake. He didn't move, and she was scared to move him for fear of hurting him.

"Doctor!" She tried one more time to rouse him, but he was unresponsive to her. Tendrils of panic washed over her. She didn't know who had done this to him, or if they'd come back. Was it premeditated, was it just a couple of kids out to make a quick quid? Plus it was starting to get even colder. His body could normally handle it better than hers, but he was injured. What if it couldn't?

Rose sat and looked at his pale, slack face for another minute, then made her decision. The TARDIS wasn't far, and the Doctor is very slim. Surely she could drag him there herself? There were enough little alleyways and side streets in the marketplace so she could do it without drawing attention to herself.

Very slowly and carefully Rose ran her fingers through his hair to his scalp and down his back, checking his head and neck for anything obvious. She repeated the process down his arms and legs, and across his ribs. She didn't feel anything moving under her hands. That was a relief, at least. She gently laid the Doctor on his back and got her arms under his armpits, his back to her front. She lifted him with a grunt as much as she could and started slowly walking backwards, his heels bouncing over the pavement.

Rose got about a block before this position became too tiresome to continue. She laid the Doctor down slowly and rested, her breath billowing out in front of her, her ribs nearly burning in pain. She checked her direction and distance. Still several minutes of walking to go, even if she didn't have a six foot Time Lord to bring along with her.

She looked down at him. He wasn't heavy, she thought. "What if I could lift him?" she mumbled aloud. "He's not big, just lanky. Even so, though, he's got five inches and probably close to two stone on me." Her voice trailed off as the thought about it. Not to be discouraged she again sat him up, and then grabbing his arm she started to pull him across her back. She wrapped her other arm around a leg and stood up with a gasp. He dangled over her like some over sized stole, but she could manage his weight for a little while. She got her feet under her and slowly but surely she made her way back in the direction of the TARDIS.

By the time Rose reached the TARDIS she was starting to tremble with exhaustion and she was breathing hard. She let the two of them inside, then headed straight for the infirmary. The Doctor was still unconscious. He hadn't moved, mumbled, or anything. Rose was horribly worried. As she trudged down the corridor her mind wandered to possible reasons behind it.

At last she made it to the infirmary. She walked over to the first couch she could find and scooted so the back of the Doctor's legs were against it. She slowly lowered him on, then turned him so she could lay him down. Unable to do more than that she felt her legs buckle, and a moment later she was on the floor, panting into the darkness that threatened to overtake her.

to be continued...