As she looked down on the stranger's face that now belonged to her Doctor, Rose Tyler felt a lump rise in her throat and tried to swallow down the many swirling emotions constricting tightly within. The old Doctor's face still echoed in her memories, and her mind automatically rejected this new Doctor, who continued to sleep while the earth threatened to burn around him. The pilot fish had come and gone, and the real enemy had yet to reveal itself. But still the Doctor slumbered.

Rose sighed and sank into the chair beside his bed. Automatically, her fingers sought out the damp cloth kept on the dresser nearby, which she used to carefully mop his slightly sweaty brow. The gesture surprisingly calmed her and soothed her slightly turbulent thoughts. For two minutes, she simply quietly sat beside the Doctor's bed, cleaning the sweat from his face and keeping him cool. And as she worked, a thought gradually formed in her mind, materializing first as an indistinct bud, then slowly blossoming into full realization.

No matter what, he was still the Doctor. He was still her Doctor.

"My Doctor," she murmured, so quietly even a conscious Doctor would have a difficult time picking up the words for sure. A soft, tender smile crossed her face as she slowly set the damp cloth back down in its place on the dresser. Her fingers reached for his face, now, though she hesitated, almost didn't complete the action at all. Indecision flared in her eyes as her hand hovered a few inches away from his face. Finally, her fingers lightly grazed his flesh, seeking to memorize the contours of his new face. And as the contact was made, she found tears suddenly blurring her view of her brand new Doctor.

"How could I ever have doubted that you're still my Doctor? The man who showed me the stars and the ends of the universe." A fresh lump of emotion formed in her throat, and she suddenly found herself choking on a sob, though she was smiling through her tears. Her fingers continued their trembling caress of the Doctor's face, even taking some time to run through his brand new hair, then trace his brand new lips, ones she hadn't yet kissed. And then, the words were pouring out, spilling out even faster than the tears.

"I don't know what I would have done if I'd never met you. I love you, Doctor. I looked into the heart of the TARDIS for you. I absorbed the power of the time vortex for you." Her hands now moved to his shirt, tightening into fists in the cloth while she simply pressed her cheek against his chest, listening to his dual heartbeats, however faint and erratic they might have been. "I love you, Doctor. Please come back to me."

"Rose?"

Mickey's voice was uncertain, and he hovered in the doorway to the bedroom, apparently unable to make himself enter. Still sniffling, Rose hastily wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater and sat up, giving him as brilliant a smile as she could manage, though her eyes were still suspiciously watery and her face a little blotchy.

"Are you okay?" He actually took a step into the room now, though he still seemed uncomfortable being there. But Rose's nod managed to stop his rather unwilling entrance easily enough.

"I'm fine. I just hope he wakes up soon."