In the end, it was always his fault. Too slow, stupid, cocky, arrogant, cowardly, unlucky. Stupid, idiotic reasons that didn't numb his pain now she was gone.
In the case of Rose Tyler, it was all of these and more. In the past, they seemed a perfect excuse not to tell her.
But now...
The dying seconds echoed in his mind. Two seconds was all he needed. Just two. It's better with two.
For once in his life, the Doctor realised that the time he wasted could not be regained. That hesitation could break a heart.
Break the heart.
His.