Donna looked at the Doctor, the hurt showing in her eyes. The tears began to well up as she turned away, not wanting the man to see her in this vulnerable state. She walked quickly out of the control room and into her room. She lay down on the bed and stared up at the unnaturally high ceiling, allowing the tears to run freely down her face.
The Doctor hadn't meant to hurt her. In fact, the comment he had uttered nonchalantly was kind and thoughtful. But they hit her. They hit her like a ton of bricks. Because she knew that such a statement didn't, and never could, apply to her.
"I have yet to meet a person who is unimportant."
The phrase was innocent enough. But for Donna, believing this phrase included even her was a struggle. She knew she was unimportant. Insignificant. Unworthy. She was just a simple office temp, for god's sake. The only thing that gave her any ounce of value was him. The Doctor. Now, he was special.
But for some reason the Doctor thought she was unique. She often wondered why he thought this. Everything in her life, besides him, told her he was wrong. The love of my life only loved me for power, and chose a giant arachnid over me, she thought.
This memory brought on a whole new round of tears, and she accidentally let a sob escape between her tightly pressed lips.
At that instant, the Doctor entered the room. He leaned on the frame and looked at her, knowing he had done something wrong. Donna wiped her face and said, "Oh, don't you worry about me. I'll be fine." She sat up, swinging her feet over the edge of the bed, but she didn't stand. She bowed her head so he wouldn't see that the tears that were still streaming down her face.
He walked over and sat next to her. "What did I do?"
She dropped her head in her hands and began to speak through the sobs. "You didn't do anything, honestly. Something you said just…it just hit a nerve."
"What did I say?"
She hesitated before speaking, but then let her emotions spill out in front of this man, who she had only just met but had come to be her best friend. "You said that you have never met a person who is unimportant."
Recognition entered the Doctor's eyes. He wrapped his arms around his friend and she leaned her had against his chest. She could hear the two hearts beating, and for some reason this made her feel better. Safe. Wanted. They sat like this for a minute before he spoke. "I'm so sorry, Donna. "
She raised her head and looked back at him. "I'm going to be fine, really." She stood up and wiped the rest of the tears from her eyes. She smiled at the man as she said, "Now, don't we have a planet to save or something?"
She walked toward the door.
"You know, you are special. You are the most important person in my universe."
Donna stopped and turned around, looking longingly at this man she had come to love. "I wish that were true." She left, leaving him alone in her room, staring at her as she exited.