Doctor Who

"Who Needs Who?"

In which circumstances require that paybacks can be Hell, indeed.

10th Doctor/Martha/Donna

Special Appearance from 9th Doctor

PG-13 (K-T)

"Doctor!" Donna tripped over a panel in the deck of the Tardis, and caught herself on the console. Donna heard a loud thud and immediately looked down at her feet. For an instant she thought she had fallen. Events in and around the time machine over the last few months had taught her that nothing was really as it seemed. Sometimes the thud came before the fall, sometimes after. Sometimes she fell with no sound at all. Donna took nothing for granted anymore. Reality was changeable. In this case she was still standing, but The Doctor was nowhere to be seen. His face had been directly across the console from her a moment ago. Now nothing. No one. The Tardis lurched again causing her to hang on and brace her knee against the console.

"Doctor!"

"Donna"

"Thank God. You scared me, you bloody twit. Where the Hell are you?" Donna leaned as far as she could around the controls, but she could not see The Doctor.

"Knocked down. I'm fine."

"Then get up. Bloody Hell, the Tardis is shaking hard enough to knock all the screws out. Turn it off before it comes apart."

Donna caught a glimpse of tousled hair and then The Doctor's eyes appeared over the screen. He did something with his hands and the Tardis stabilized. Donna tested it by taking one hand off and waiting. Then her other hand. Still standing.

"Brilliant. That worked. Why does it have to shake like that? Can't you get it new shocks or something? Can't we have comfy chairs? I have bruises all over my arse, and people are going to think black and blue is my natural color, and it so clashes with my hair. I'm going to need a helmet and knee pads if you don't fix this." Donna waited for the expected repartee, and when The Doctor was silent, she frowned, walking over to his side of the console. "Doctor? Are you all right? Did you hurt yourself?" Donna knew the change in tone from nag to concern would reveal more than she wanted to about her feelings. She also knew that nothing escaped The Doctor, and he already knew how she felt. He raised his head, a half smile quirked his lips, but the luminous eyes were distant. Something was wrong. Donna steeled herself.

"Maybe." He said.

"Cracked a rib?" Donna cracked, tilting her head, fishing for information.

"Nope."

"Cracked your head?"

The Doctor snorted and stood up straight. He had his right hand over his right side, right over the ribs. Did he have ribs? Donna frowned again.

"Then what? Do you need a …" she let that one go. What was she thinking?

"Let's get on with this." The Doctor smiled, "I'll be fine. Just a twinge." But his eyes darkened and Donna heard the edge of a lie. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Bollocks. You've gone a bit green around your mouth and pale around your eyes. I'm no doctor, but I know what that means. You're in real pain. You did break something, didn't you." Donna dared him to lie again.

The smile faded. "Well…." He dragged the word on and made it sound like a complete sentence. "Something hurts, but I didn't fall on anything. Everything regenerates anyway, so whatever it is will be gone soon." His face registered concern. "S'posed to, anyway." His cheek twitched. This was something new to him. After 900 years she could tell that he was feeling something quite different.

Donna took his arm and he didn't resist. This alone bothered her somewhat, but when he gasped and bent over with a loud groan she lost it.

"I'm calling 999. You are going to Hospital!" She picked up the mobile.

"NO!" The force of his response caused her to drop the mobile. "No hospital. They will poke me and then wait for me to die with glee so they can get on with the post mortem. No hospital."

Donna stomped her foot. "Sit down, you daft bugger. Then I'm calling Martha. She'll know what to do." She pushed him just hard enough to get him to sit in a console chair. Donna picked up the mobile from the deck and touched Martha's number. "Are we even on Earth? Aren't we? Weren't we going to a shop for shoes? I had to get you out of those red trainers. Are we in London? Donna glanced at the door, keeping one eye on The Doctor, she strode over and peered out. London. Check. When? She looked up and around, time looked right. They were in an alley. SoHo, perhaps. Excellent.

"Martha! It's Donna. You remember me from…well, from the Atmos thing. Right? Yes, he's here. But Martha, I think he needs a doctor. I know, I know, but this is different. I mean, I wish you would come. Please come. I'm not sure, SoHo, I think. Across from a shoe shop." Donna nodded and clicked the phone shut. She glanced up at The Doctor. He looked terrible now, his face was gray and his cheeks had a hollow look. His hair hung limp over his forehead and his eyes appeared to be twice their normal size. Something twisted inside her. A monster, fine. An alien army, ho hum. Bolts of energy weapons and swooping imminent Death from above, exhilarating. But Donna had not felt real fear until now.

Waiting for Martha was excruciating. The Doctor had not stayed in the console chair but had slid silently to the deck plates and lay folded in a fetal position. He lay very still, Donna knelt beside him. She rested her hand lightly on his arm, not wishing to hurt him, but wanting him to know she was there. She held her tongue. He was very obviously concentrating. She wouldn't disturb him for the world. Martha burst in making both of them jump. The Doctor groaned.

"I'm here! I came as fast as I could!" Martha dropped breathless to the deck and gently pulled The Doctor so he was lying on his back. Donna gasped at the changes in his face. He looked ghastly now. Pain had drawn deep lines around his mouth and his eyes were huge, nestled in dark cavities. He blinked at Martha and tried to smile, but the smile turned quickly to a grimace as he stiffened and tried to bring his knees to his chest again.

"Oh my God!" Martha breathed. How long has he been like this?" She turned stricken eyes on Donna.

"Half hour, that's all. It has happened very fast. I don't know what to do. I called you. I don't know…" Donna felt hot tears on her cheeks.

Martha quickly loosened his tie and unbuttoned his vest. The stethoscope appeared to leap into her ears and an instant later Martha was deep in concentration. Donna held her breath. Martha's shocked face turned slowly to meet her eyes. "He has four heartbeats," she breathed. "Four!" Martha shook her head as if to clear that thought and placed the stethoscope on The Doctor's chest again, then moved it around his abdomen.

"What?" Donna whispered.

"I don't know, but something is going on in there. I mean, I don't know what it supposed to sound like, but I do know he is only supposed to have two hearts, and the extra noise…can't be good. Here feel this…" Martha took Donna's hand and placed it gently on The Doctor's stomach. "Do you feel how tight that is? That's just wrong. What were you two doing right before this happened?"

Donna thought, "We were arguing…"

"No, no, I mean, were you on another planet, another time? Did he get doused with chemicals, or shot with a space ray, or bitten by a monster, or…"

"Yes, yes, I see what you mean." Donna thought. "We were on another planet. He was hanging from a rope. I mean we were escaping and the rope was the only way down and I got down first and he was following and the aliens were chasing us…"

Martha interrupted. "Yes, I'm familiar with that lot…but what happened to The Doctor?"

Donna took another breath, "The rope broke and he fell. He broke his ankle. I saw it swell up and turn purple. He touched it for a moment and I watched it as it healed before my eyes. He looked up at me and said, "Well then. Let's go." That's when I told him I was going to buy him some real shoes…running shoes with ankle supports. Not those flimsy trainers…" Donna heard her voice trail away.

Martha opened her medical bag and took out a syringe, filled it from a vial and tapped it with her finger

"No."

Both women looked down. The Doctor's lustrous eyes blinked slowly. With great effort he spoke, "It won't work," he rasped. "My body will neutralize it. Injecting me will only cause me to seize up. Don't."

Martha touched his cheek. "I have to do something. I can't bear to see you in such pain. I can make you sleep, then you won't have to suffer while we discover what is wrong."

"I know what is wrong."

"What?" Both Donna and Martha asked.

"Something is wrong with my regeneration." He winced and paused to breathe deeply. "It is not supposed to hurt…not this much. And there was nothing wrong with my hearts…or my liver."

"What can I do?"

"Nothing."

"Something! I can do something. Tell me!" Martha allowed the desperation to burst in her voice.

"Then get me to Hospital…"

"Hospital?" Donna shook with fury. "He told me no Hospital when I told him that's what I was going to do! Wasted time! He could be in operating theatre by now! Daft, looney, stupid, foolish man!"

"No…not London. Help me get to the controls."

Martha gestured to Donna with her eyes.

Donna bit her lip. Of course. Her face flushed with shame as she helped Martha lift The Doctor to the console. His hands shook as he pulled the levers and toggles. With the last adjustment to the Tardis his face went white and his eyes rolled up. Martha and Donna let him slip slowly to the deck. Donna took his head on her lap as Martha straightened his body.

Martha looked at her. "At least he is unconscious."

Donna nodded. The Doctor's eyelid was struck by a tear. It did not even twitch.

Martha tried to smile. "We'll be there in no time at all."