Fallen Walls
Part 1/3
Uploaded: January 11, 2015
Rated: T
Spoilers: None
Summary: Set sometime in series two, The Doctor and Rose Tyler have had yet another exhausting adventure on a planet that turns out to need more help then they are able to give. Coping with all that she has seen proves a little more difficult for Rose this time than it has in the past. Perhaps the Doctor will be able to make her feel better.
Disclaimer: None of the following characters or circumstances belong to me, but rather to the lovely people over at BBC who are responsible for the creation of this amazing show and its wonders. I own nothing.
A/N: Hello! This was a little something I came up with recently and was happy enough with it upon finishing it that I thought I'd try something a little different and upload it here. If even one person enjoys a sentence or two out of this I'll be pleased since I wrote it purely for my own enjoyment. It's fluff and not much more. I just can't get enough of these two and always get a kick out of seeing the Doctor truly being a doctor. Review if you like, I don't mind. -Max
Whether it was running for her life on a planet that was entirely purple, from a beast three times her size and covered in metallic feathers, down the grated ramp and through those blue wooden doors, toward a brand new city with spires that towered into the sky, or into the Doctor's arms after a bit of a close call that they both new was really a catastrophically close call, Rose Tyler new better than almost anyone the ins and outs of moving quickly.
The past few weeks had especially proven this. With the practically non-stop travel from planet to planet aiding and supporting where it was needed, thwarting villains where they had to, Rose had hardly slept. She wasn't entirely sure why the Doctor was so enthusiastic about everything lately, only that she was quickly becoming exhausted by it. She knew her human body needed eight hours of sleep a night and she also knew she had been getting no where near that lately. The Doctor surly hadn't meant to work her so hard. She knew how easily he seemed to forget that she wasn't in fact like him and that she was a little less resistant to fatigue than he was. Oh sure, he was quick to rub her human faults in her face when he wanted to but he could still be dreadfully unaware sometimes. She didn't exactly blame him for it, what with all the incredible things that must be rolling around in that brain of his at any given moment, she just knew that she had to speak up and remind him every once in a while. And she planned to do just that.
Turning her body towards the young child that was currently standing before her, Rose dunked the flannel cloth in her hand into the basin of water sitting on the bench beside her and crouched down, putting the two of them at eye-level. The child was dark haired, with eyes the colour of coal and skin the pale grey that every person on this planet seemed to have. He had ridges along his forehead and cheekbones, a feature that the natives all shared although, Rose noticed, the females seemed to have more prominent ones. These locals were beautiful and Rose couldn't help but be enamoured by them. The graceful way that even the little ones walked and spoke captured her eyes as soon as she had stepped out of the TARDIS a few days prior. Now though, she couldn't help but think about how helpless they all seemed when the earthquake had struck.
It wasn't anything she or the Doctor could have prevented, quite the opposite in fact. It was simply an act of nature, the planet's way of readjusting, rejuvenating. The Doctor had explained to her that seismic activity was very minimal on this planet, due to the materials that the crust was made of, and that the last time anything like this would have happened could have been centuries ago. The natives had no way of predicting it, had no reference point for what was happening and only new that the ground was shaking beneath their feet, buildings were crumbling to the ground and people were dying. Of course, the Doctor had been able to stabilize the planet fairly quickly, only about ten minutes of real action, but not quickly enough to stop its destruction completely. He had gone off to speak with one of the chiefs of the area, trying to help them set up some kind of system to begin the process of cleaning up. For all the talk the Doctor did about never staying behind for clean up, Rose figured this once he would allow it. How could they not, after all that had happened?
The stone floor was cold beneath her knees where she sat in front of the child, gently rinsing a rather large gash on the little boy's arm. She was no doctor, she knew that, but if all she could do was wash and keep wounds clean than she would. People were still frantic, medics attempting to do all that they could but not being able to keep up. The large church that they had made into a make-shift medical centre was one of the few buildings in the area that had come through the earthquake unscathed. The thick stone walls and heavy supports all around the building created just enough protection that it hadn't crumbled to the ground the way many of the houses and markets had. When the Doctor had gone off to help in the way he did best, Rose new her efforts would be most appreciated here, where help was slim and the people were frantic.
The doctors and nurses had immediately accepted her help, setting her off to fetch clean water from the wells, to clean wounds, to pass out blankets, and to make sure everyone got a piece of hardy bread when dinner time came and went. The scene around her was nothing short of depressing, all of the footage of wars, natural disasters and devastation she had always seen on the telly on her own planet coming to mind. She was never taught how to cope with things like this, she knew. Sure, on their travels Rose had seen plenty of death and destruction, too much no doubt, but it was rare that she was in this position. It was rare that she saw the aftermath. It was rare that she saw the complete and utter suffering. She had, however, learned fairly early on with the Doctor how to conceal her emotions, at least for a time. Oh yes, Rose Tyler had become an expert at throwing up emotional walls, blocking her feelings until a safe time when she could let them take over. It may not be entirely healthy, but she knew it was necessary. It would do no one any good for her to lose her head now.
So, as always, Rose trekked on. She moved from victim to victim, treating them to the best of her abilities and handing them off to someone else if that wasn't good enough. She comforted them as best as she could too. She found herself thoroughly taken with the children. She played with the ones who were in good enough shape to do so, she rocked babies and held bottles and she tried her very best to make them smile. If nothing else, Rose was certain she was good at making people smile.
When night fell and the church grew dark and quiet, when everyone had been treated as well as they could be with the limited supplies and doctors, Rose stood, passing the baby girl she had been holding to another set of arms, and left through the large wooden doors at the front. She walked slowly along the stone roads, her arms wrapped around herself in the cool night air and her head bowed in what was resignation or exhaustion she couldn't tell, but figured was likely a bit of both. The roadways now had large cracks running through them and were scattered with rubble and dust. She tried not to think about whom the houses may have belonged to, who might have built them or what may now be lying underneath the piles of stone. She tried and failed.
Only when she finally saw the Doctor up the road in front of her, standing with a group of other adults, all looking rather distraught, did Rose think about how awful she must look. Her pale pink t-shirt was stained with something that she couldn't identify in the dark but that she knew was likely a mixture of mud, dirt and blood, her jeans were torn at the knees and ripped at the bottoms, covered in dust and grime just like the rest of her. She had managed to pull her hair into some kind of bun on top of her head at some point but there were now chunks of dyed-blonde hair hanging around her face, tangled and looking the epitome of what her mother had always called a "rat's nest" when she didn't brush it. The Doctor wasn't looking much better; his wild hair tousled even more than usual and his long brown coat covered in soot. He turned when he heard her approaching though, and gave her a grim little smile and a wave.
She picked up her pace and he turned away from the group to walk toward her, gathering her up into his arms and embracing her as soon as she was near enough. Her face pressed against his chest and she inhaled, needing to smell that scent that she now associated with home, no matter how masked it was by the strong, spicy smell of destruction. His hand came to rest against the back of her head and he squeezed her tighter. She knew then, that something must be wrong.
"Alright?" he said, pulling away so he could see her face. She shrugged her shoulders, suppressing a wince at her protesting muscles. She hadn't felt this sore in a very long time.
"Suppose. As alright as I can be anyway, what with the state this place is in," her voice is scratchy when she speaks, likely from all the dust she's been inhaling.
The Doctor nodded his head, knowing precisely what she meant. He's seen all this before after all, too many times to count. He wishes for a moment that she didn't have to see these things, that he could simply take her from one leisure planet to another, could keep her safe and happy and healthy day in and day out. He changes his mind though when he remembers all the help she's given these people today, the difference she makes whenever in a tough situation. The people needed her today, he needed her and her compassion went a long way in providing comfort. The pride that welled up in him for his companion, his friend, his best mate was strong and immediate. He couldn't keep her away from real life.
"How's this all going then? Come up with some kind of plan? They really need some kind of warning systems Doctor. I know you said this only happens every few centuries but even if it prevents one death it's worth it yeah? And they need to be educated on what these are and why they happen so that they can-" but he interrupted her by speaking her name softly.
"We've done all that we can do," he told her gently, his hands planted on her shoulders. "I've given them all the tools they need to rebuild and start fresh. We can't interfere with their timelines too much. As it is, just seeing people who don't look like them has had a great effect on them. I can't give them the scientific details of what's happened. That's something they've got to figure out on their own. They have to learn and grow and evolve just as every species does."
Rose looked at him with an expression that he could only describe as stricken. "But we can't jus' leave 'em like this…" she argued weakly, her head turning in the direction of the church. The church full of injured and homeless people.
"We've done all that we can do," he repeated. It took all her strength to simply nod and slump against him, his arms supporting her. They turned around and said a quick goodbye to the others, accepting their thanks and trudging off in the general direction of the TARDIS.
When they finally walked through the doors it was nearing on three o'clock in the morning by Earth standards and Rose was dead on her feet. Her entire body ached, head to toe and she could think of nothing better to do than fall into her bed wrapped in her wonderfully soft duvet that the Doctor had picked up for her at a large market they had gone to once. The fact that she was absolutely filthy though, her hair greasy and matted and her skin caked with dirt, prompted her to make her first priority a shower. No matter how tired she was, she was not about to get into bed in this state.
The Doctor pulled some levers and turned some dials, throwing them quite smoothly into the Vortex for once. " 'm gunna go take a shower," is all he could make out from the mumbled words that passed her lips as she turned and headed toward the corridor. He took a few quick steps though and caught her wrist.
"Wait, are you alright Rose? You weren't injured at all were you? I know we were on the outskirts of town but you still got knocked around a bit." The concern on his face made her frown, wondering herself how she had come through in as good of shape as she had. Aside from the couple of scrapes and bruises she'd acquired and a bit of a sore ankle from where she had rolled it, she seemed okay.
"Yeah, 'm fine. Just knackered." The yawn that accompanied the statement proved just that.
"I would expect so. You've had less than ten hours sleep in the last three days. Alright then, go get cleaned up and get in bed. I'll even bring you a cuppa if you'd like," he told her with a smile.
Rose groaned as she started toward the corridor again, her hand falling out of his. "That'd be lovely."
By the time he had made the tea and brought it to her room though, Rose was fast asleep on her bed; wet hair fanned out on the pillow around her and lying on top of her covers as if putting them down had been too much effort. And so, the Doctor managed to wriggle the blankets out from beneath her, settling them on top of her and sweeping her hair away from her face. The tea could wait until the morning.