My first fic! And for the Who fandom no less. As I love Ten/Martha so much and there aren't many stories out of them I decided to make a go at writing them. I apologize for any writing mistakes in advance as I don't have a beta. I also have no medical background whatsoever so please forgive any inaccuracies.
This story is set sometime after Journey's End.
Disclaimer: don't own anything Doctor Who just burrowing the amazing characters, and created a few of my own.
Chapter 1
Martha left the operating room having performed her last surgery of the day. A major accident had occurred during the night but thankfully everyone had survived, and the surgery she performed was successful. It was almost daybreak now and she felt exhausted but her day wasn't over. She still had to carry out her main assignment of discovering what secrets the hospital held. So far, she had come up empty-handed but from her experience nothing remained hidden for long.
However, before Martha could do anything she was paged to the emergency room. When she arrived it was basically empty when compared to a few hours ago, but Martha could hear commotion in one of the screened off rooms. She entered the room to find a panicked nurse and a seemly dazed medic both standing back whilst a woman thrashed on the bed in deep distress. The woman was extremely pale and dark blood was hemorrhaging from her eyes and nose.
Martha quickly checked the patient's chart and made a quick assessment.
"I'll need your help sedating her," Martha ordered the man who still stood back.
He flashed Martha a scared look, so Martha asked, "What your name?"
"It's Steve," the medic stammered.
Martha very calmly said, "Steve, she is confused, disoriented and very sick. We need to treat her immediately but I can't do that unless you help me. Can you do that Steve?"
Steve nodded his assent.
Before touching her Martha said, "Can you hear me Margret; we are going to help you. But I need to inject you with something don't be alarmed." The woman focused her attention on Martha and slurred some words which Martha could not make out. Martha took the needle but the movement caused the woman to lash out at Martha, scratching at her. Steve had to forcefully hold her still until Martha was able to insert the needle and she went limp in his arms.
As Martha began examining her she instructed, "Steve, could you setup an IV for her," and turning to the nurse she said, "Could you put an oxygen mask on her as well, her breathing is too shallow."
However, before either of them could act the woman began convulsing and flat lined. Martha immediately began CPR but despite her best efforts she could not bring her back. After the grueling night she had just had, losing someone felt a little raw. But it always upset her to know that no matter what she did, she could not save everyone.
However, she swallowed her emotions and asked the nurse before her, "What's your name?"
"It's Shelley," the nurse said.
"What happened to your face?" Martha said gesturing to below her jaw.
"She struck me before you came in," Shelley said grabbing a clean cloth and wiping the blood off her bruised jaw line.
"Who brought her in? Her chart didn't say," Martha asked.
The medic spoke up, "I did. She walked into the hospital and collapsed."
"And did you find her in that condition?" Martha queried.
Steve shifted nervously, "Yes."
"Do you know anything about what happened to her?" Martha questioned.
"No," Steve answered immediately.
"Okay, it's been a long night, you two can go and get cleaned up and I'll handle all the paper work," Martha told them.
Steve seemed unwilling to leave but reluctantly followed Shelley out the room. When they were gone Martha screened off the room again and reexamined the woman. She found no physical injuries on her so she took another look at the woman's chart. Her name was Margret Forest and she had no previous medical history of major health issues. This made no sense to Martha as both her heart rate and blood pressure were double the normal rate. This would have at least suggested she suffered from heart disease or hypertension. The hemorrhaging however confused her as she had recently been admitted to the hospital but her medical file had no reports of a potential health issue. She decided to call the UNIT and report the case.
After her call, Martha wasn't reassured by their response or later by the team's treatment of her. The UNIT team barged into the hospital assuming complete authority. They side lined her and removed everything which came into contact with Margret Forest. But what vexed her was their feeling the need to question her and make her feel like a common criminal when they knew they were on the same side. She hoped they weren't subjecting Steve and Shelley to the same sort of treatment.
When she finally managed to call the UNIT Commander to express her outraged and requested to do the autopsy, or at the very least to have access to its results, he threw a lot of red tape at her causing her to cut the conversation short.
Thus, she decided to do some digging of her own. Unfortunately, the CCTV tapes in the hospital had been down which security blamed on a glitch in the system, which she had discovered were a frequent occurrence. She managed to gain access to some of the street level cameras but none showed Margret arriving at the hospital. She would have liked to do a full city sweep on her own but she did not have the time, skill or resources at her disposal to do that. So after three days, all she had to go on was Steve's implausible story that she had walked into the hospital on her own.
To aggravate matters UNIT continued to dodge her requests and had failed to give her any information on the autopsy. Martha dismissed thoughts they begrudged her leaving them for Torchwood as they had called her up when she arrived in America. But at times she had to wonder.
Frustrated and tired Martha decided to take a break and think out her next step. She went to the hospital cafeteria which was thankfully empty. As she sat down and tried to eat the hospital food she detested, her mind inevitably drifted to thoughts of her life. When Martha thought back to less than a year ago, she was happily engaged, her family was stronger and happier than ever with her parents back together, Leo married to Shonara, and Tish having recently gotten engaged. They were all still forging new happy lives for themselves but hers had derailed.
Martha contemplated for the umpteenth time if things could have worked out any differently with Tom. She was drawn to Tom Milligan because of the man she had met during the Year That Never Was. But no matter how she tried to deny and ignore it, she had been in love with a ghost. This Tom though still amazingly brilliant was a different man. She sometimes wondered whether she held on to him for so long because of his connection to the life she lived with the Doctor, but she always tried to dismiss those thoughts quickly. The endless wedding postponements should have been a clear sign but it was only when he declared he wanted to live in Africa indefinitely and expected Martha to drop everything and follow him, did she admit marrying him would be a huge mistake. So she broke off her engagement to her mother's horror.
Then there was Mickey, which was a huge mistake from the outset. Martha knew jumping from one relationship immediately into another would not end well, but with her track record with relationships she wasn't sure whether she should be surprised. He had fallen hard for her and proposed after only six months into their relationship. She rejected his proposal and decided to leave Torchwood as well which Jack was understandably angry about. But, she needed a fresh start where she could make a new beginning without any holdups from her past. Yet, she could not deny she missed the Torchwood team and her family.
She looked down at her barely touched food and pushed it away having lost her appetite. She looked across the cafeteria and spotted Shelley walk in and sit down alone. She decided to walk over.
"Hi, do you mind if I sit down", Martha asked brightly.
Shelley looked up at Martha and smiled, "Yeah sure, doctor."
"Call me Martha," Martha said taking a seat.
"Thanks for helping me the other day," Shelley said referring to another incident when she had been unable to do a routine check. "Not a lot of doctors would have helped out a newbie nurse."
"You'll come to find I'm not your normal doctor. How have you been, you seem to be having a hard time of it?" Martha asked genuinely concerned.
"I'm beginning to wonder whether I made a mistake becoming a nurse. And thinking back to that day, it just seems more and more like I'm not cutout for it. I mean, I keep remembering how scared that woman was and how I failed to help her. In training they tell you be ready for anything but I don't think they could have prepared me for that." Shelly said dejectedly.
"That was an exceptional situation and you handled it as well as you could. You don't have to be perfect at everything; no one expects that. You work to do the best you can which is exactly what you did. You know if you need to talk to someone I'm here or I could arrange for someone to chat with you," Martha said supportively.
"No I'm fine, but lately…, never mind," Shelley said suddenly clamming up.
"Yes?" Martha inquired.
"No it's nothing," Shelly said dismissively.
"Is something wrong?" Martha asked.
"I'm being silly," Shelly insisted.
"You can tell me anything," Martha encouraged.
"I just haven't been feeling well but I'm sure it's nothing," Shelley said.
"I could do a quick checkup if it will put your mind at ease," Martha offered.
"No, I don't want to bother you. Plus I have to get back to work soon," Shelley said.
"It won't take long," Martha insisted.
Martha waved away the younger woman's protests and led her to one of the examining rooms. Martha ran a few standard tests and got her blood work checked out. When she saw the results she knew there was a problem. Her blood work showed an unidentifiable substance and her blood pressure and heart rate were elevated. Her hemoglobin count was also low. Hiding her worry behind a profession smile she said, "I just need to check out a few things but stay here while I get it sorted."
Martha left and found an empty room and dialed the UNIT Commander.
"Doctor Jones?" she heard him say.
"Commander Shaw, are the autopsy results ready?" Martha asked already knowing the answer.
"The results will be available to you as soon as they are ready," Commander Shaw replied. "Do you have something to report?"
"I'm not sure; I have to look at the autopsy report first," Martha maintained.
"If there is something to report I need you to tell me now," the Commander asserted.
"It's a simple request Commander, I need a copy of the autopsy," Martha replied.
After a short silence he said, "Can you find a safe computer to view it on?"
"Yes," Martha said.
"Okay, I've raised your security clearance. You can access the file now," Commander Shaw stated.
Martha went to an empty administrator's offices and opened up the file. When she read through the report she asked, "Why didn't you send this to me earlier?"
"It was on a need to know basis," Commander Shaw stated.
"As one of your field agents I am on a need to know basis. How can I carry out my assignment successfully if I don't know all the pertinent facts?" Martha contended.
"It was out of my hands. What do you have to report?" he asked.
"Firstly, if you want me to stay on this assignment I cannot be left in the lurch," Martha asserted.
"Agreed, now what did you find?" Commander Shaw asked.
"The report shows Margret Forest's body underwent physiological changes which thickened her blood, reduced her hemoglobin count and contained an unidentified alien substance. Those same changes are happening to one of the nurses in the hospital. Her name is Shelly Cumberland. I am not yet sure how she got infected but I would also suggest checking Steve Evans who is a medic here."
When she had hung up, Martha walked back to the examining room to find Shelley gone. Though she would have liked to warn Shelley, her priority was to find Steve. After a few quick inquiries she found out he had not shown up for his shift today or the previous night. She cursed herself for not keeping a closer eye on him but she managed to get his address from his personal file. She decided to check up on him personally as she could not trust Commander Shaw to keep her informed.
She left the hospital and drove to his home. As she pulled up to his house, out of habit she scanned the streets which were empty. She decided on impulse to take a few supplies and her gun. She had learnt to always be prepared after a few nasty run-ins in the past. She exited her car and headed for the front door.
She knocked on the door and receiving no answer she picked the lock. She surprised herself by getting pretty good at it after getting frustrated one too many times that she did not have a certain sonic screwdriver to grant her access. As she entered the house she noted all the blinds giving the house an eerie feeling. She cautiously checked each room on the main floor until she arrived at his bedroom. She found him lying unconscious on his bed with his mouth and nose trailing blood which stained his bed. Like Margret Forest his blood was a darker shade than it should have been and an odd odour hung around his body which Martha had wrongly assumed was a perfume Margret wore.
Martha put on some gloves and checked for a pulse. He was dead, but she couldn't be sure for how long. It worried Martha that he had succumbed so quickly as it didn't give Shelley much time. She wasn't sure what caused Steve to gain what she now assumed was an infection but she hoped a sample of his blood would lead to some answers. She took a sample for herself, and then grabbed her cell to make a call to UNIT.
However, she stilled when she heard footsteps approaching. She wasn't sure she locked the front door when she came in or whether someone had been in the house already. She also didn't have enough time to hide, so she placed her hand on her gun and readied herself for a confrontation.
A tall man in a brown pinstripe suit filled the door frame.
"Doctor!" Martha said shocked.
"Martha Jones!" The Doctor said equally surprised.
They were both momentarily rooted where they stood until Martha overcame her shock and walked over to hug the man she never expected to ever see again after their last parting. The Doctor lifted her up in a tight hug happy to see his former companion
When he released her Martha asked, "What are you doing here?"
"The Tardis brought me here. I scanned the area and got strange readings from this house so here I am. And by the looks of it, it is not good," the Doctor said spotting the man lying on the bed.
Martha watched the Doctor approach the bed and knowing his bad habits she said, "Don't touch him," she warned, "He seems infected by something which could be contagious. He was a medic at the hospital I now work in."
"What happened to him?" the Doctor asked.
Martha gave a quick explanation of the events which led her to this house.
"Whatever's in this house could be linked to what happened to him." Let's take a look around the Doctor said.
They exited the bedroom and checked the last remaining room on the main floor before heading to the basement. The room looked like any ordinary basement full of stacks of boxes and junk. The Doctor opened the door leading to an adjoining room but instead of walking in he froze at the door.
"What's wrong Doctor?" Martha asked.
"Stay back Martha," the Doctor said sternly.
She peaked around him and saw an alien standing in a room which resembled a mad scientists laboratory more than a basement. The alien was extremely tall and broad like a wrestler, and encased in a black shell which resembled an exoskeleton of a beetle forming claws as it reached its hands. A grey leathery head was visible from the neck upwards.
It was an imposing figure which she would have been wary to face alone, and was glad the Doctor was with her. When the Doctor spoke, she could not understand what he said as it sounded like gibberish. The Doctor spoke again but the alien maintained its stony silence examining them. However, its chest shell began to flash a deep purple and red which Martha would have thought beautiful if it wasn't so menacing. She studied the array and easily became mesmerized by it. She vaguely saw its mouth move and felt like it was speaking to her mind, ordering her to surrender. She felt an overwhelming urge to do as it said but when the Doctor took her hand she snapped back to reality as if awoken from a dreamlike state. He stiffened and spoke again. Martha finally heard the being speak but though she could not understand it she had to assume its reply was not good as the Doctor slowly started to inch backwards. It produced a sword Martha had previously not noticed and started approaching them.
Without warning it lunged at them and the Doctor pushed Martha to the side and he fell in the opposite direction to avoid its attack. Martha quickly crawled behind a pile of boxes which created a flimsy barrier between the alien and herself, which now separated her from the Doctor.
The being examined Martha curiously, but then ignoring her lunged again for the Doctor who just managed to get out of its way. Martha drew her gun and fired three successive shots before it could launch another attack. The creature's amour flashed a deep red and purple again causing her to involuntarily drop her gun. However she managed to injure it which allowed the Doctor to maneuver himself and grab her hand.
"Run!"