"Why are we going here again?" Rose asked looking up at the building before her. "I thought we were going to go answer Mickey's 'I found something really weird and I think it's aliens and you two should come right away' request?"

"We will, in a little bit," the Doctor leaned down next to her. "Besides, knowing Mickey, his definition of an 'alien emergency' could just be something rotting in his fridge."

"Yeah, could be," Rose laughed. "But seriously, what are we doing here?"

"I told you," the Doctor said. "Something weird's going on in this hospital. Plasma coils all 'round it! Been building up for two days now, so I think we should have a look! We can just check in!"

Rose shot him a glance as he grinned and walked through the doors of the Royal Hope Hospital. Various people were sitting in the waiting area, from small children with colds to reckless teens with broken bones. Rose noticed a tall man dress in full biker gear—including a shaded helmet—standing by an elevator.

"I thought you didn't like hospitals," Rose murmured to the Doctor as they walked up to the hospital's front desk.

"I don't, and, oh!" the Doctor stopped in his tracks. "I believe I forgot the most important part when checking one's self into a hospital."

"What's that?"

"An illness," the Doctor said plainly. Clutching at his stomach, the Doctor began groaning loudly. His eyes closed and he swayed in place. Rose reached forward and caught him as his knees buckled and he fell back.

"Oh, my stomach," the Doctor moaned leaning against her as she dragged him to the front desk.

"You are such a drama queen," Rose whispered to him. The Doctor grunted.

"Hello, and welcome to the Royal Hope Hospital," the receptionist said in a calm voice. "How may I help you?"

"Well, as you can see," Rose released the Doctor and he fell against the desk much to the worker's surprise. "My mate here isn't feeling well. He says it's something with his stomach. I think he must've eaten something bad or something."

"I feel terrible," the Doctor groaned lifting his head up slightly with a pouting face. He looked absolutely ridiculous. His skin seemed to have turned an unflattering shade of green and beads of sweet had begun to form on his brow. Rose brought a hand to her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

"Yes," the receptionist said slowly. "I see. Why don't you go sit in the waiting room, and we'll have someone get you a wheelchair."

"Thank you," Rose smiled and pulled the Doctor off the desk and over to the waiting area, the Time Lord groaning and leaning against her the whole way.

⋆⋆⋆DW⋆⋆⋆

"So how come you get to be the one who gets all the nice treatment and a warm bed to sleep in," Rose asked. "Whereas I have to fill out all the paperwork, make up some story on how you got sick, and get to sleep in a tiny rollaway cot."

The Doctor and Rose were currently staying in a small curtain-walled cubical in one of the hospital's rooms. The Doctor was lying in a hospital bed, snuggled in the covers, dressed in pajamas. The hospital staff announced that, since they couldn't find anything wrong with him, even though he looked completely sick, the Doctor would have to stay the night until his test results got back. This was perfectly fine with the Time Lord, for in actuality, it was his plan all along. Go out late in the night, when everyone was gone (besides the occasionally sleeping patient) and take a look around the building to see what was up. The doctors at the hospital had asked Rose if she would go out to bring her friend some more clothes, and Rose said she would. She had just been about to walk back to the TARDIS, when the Doctor stopped her and told her he'd already brought sleepwear and clothing for the next day.

"What are you serious?" Rose had said. "You've got clothes. Here, right now. In this hospital?"

To prove his point, the Doctor had reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the pair of pajamas he had worn in the Sycorax invasion on Christmas day. Complete with the long TARDIS blue robe.

"How—?" Rose began.

"Oh, come now, Rose," the Doctor had interrupted her. "Bigger on the inside!"

Then Rose had burst out into a fit of laughter, with the Doctor joining in. They quieted immediately when a nurse had walked in, and the Doctor began moaning again. Rose had clamped a hand over her mouth and turned away, desperately trying to stop her giggles.

"You don't have to stay the night here," the Doctor tilted his head toward Rose from where he was lying on the bed. "You can go back to the TARDIS if you want."

"Oh really?" Rose raised her eyebrows at him. "Then what was with the whole fanfare in front of the nurses, whining that you wanted me here?"

After getting the Doctor a room and filling out his paperwork, the hospital staff had told Rose that visiting hours would be over soon, and she would then have to leave. Upon hearing this, the Doctor went into a huge complaining fit, pleading for them to let her stay and practically clinging to Rose. He wouldn't calm down—or release Rose—until the doctors finally complied and allowed her to stay over for one night.

"I was just playing the part of a sick, needy patient," the Doctor muttered in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Right," Rose said. "So if I was just to go back to the TARDIS now, you'd be perfectly fine with that."

"If that's what you want," the Doctor shifted uncomfortably in his bed. "Going back to the TARDIS. If you would be happier and more comfortable there, I mean."

Rose smiled at him, "but would you be happier if I was here?"

The Doctor shrugged and fiddled with his bed sheet.

"I guess I'll stay," Rose sighed and the Doctor looked up at her with a happy grin. "That cot doesn't look to uncomfortable. And besides, someone's got to make sure you don't get into any trouble."

"Me?" The Doctor said. "Get into trouble? That never happens."

⋆⋆⋆DW⋆⋆⋆

Turns out, Rose never did use the cot. After talking to the Doctor for quite a long time, a few nurses came in to check the Doctor over for the night. Exhaustion swept over Rose then, and she tried to stay away to listen to what the nurses said. After what seemed to be an hour, the doctors left and the Doctor and Rose were left alone. The Doctor began telling Rose of his plans for searching the hospital that night and for tomorrow. Rose listened to him as much as she could, but soon her eyes began to close and she drifted into sleep.

"And then I guess—," the Doctor broke off when he noticed his companion had stopped responding. "Rose?"

The Doctor turned on his side and looked over to see Rose sitting in a chair with her head resting in her crossed arms leaning against the Doctor's bed. Her hair fell over her face with her eyes closed and her breathing long and steady. A smile crept over the Doctor's face as he gazed at her.

"Sleep well, Rose Tyler," he whispered and leaning forward, placed a small kiss to her head. Then settling down in his bed, the Doctor watched Rose for a few minutes until sleep overcame him as well.