Fallen Walls
Part 2/3
Uploaded: January 13, 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: Hi again! Here's part two. I noticed a couple little errors in my last chapter, so I apologize for that. Silly mistakes are all my own. Enjoy! – Max
The steaming water pounded down onto Rose's head, stinging her skin and making her eyes water. Of course, she could never seem to get the water any hotter than it was now, not like she might have been able to in her mum's apartment. No, the TARDIS would never allow for that no matter how much Rose might wish she would. The old girl seemed bent on keeping Rose safe and scalding hot water was definitely on her list of unsafe-things.
None the less, when she stepped out of the shower Rose's skin was tingly and red, all of the dirt and grime washed away. She felt marginally better, the hot water helping to relax her muscles. Looking at herself now though, she could see all of the scrapes and bruises she had acquired recently. Well, she thought, best not to let the Doctor see those. If she knew him anywhere close to as well as she thought she did, she knew he would cart her straight to the infirmary and do all sorts of tests and scans, proving his title of doctor the way he did sometimes. The infirmary was the last place she wanted to be right now, with its bright lights and hard beds. She wanted her own fantastically warm, snugly mattress and pillows.
She dressed quickly in sleep shorts and a large t-shirt, attempted to towel dry her hair for a minute before she gave up, and practically fell into her bed, not even bothering to turn down the blankets. Yes, this would do just fine. Who needs blankets when onboard a ship that is always at just the right temperature?
The next time that Rose became aware, it was with a moan coming from her lips, cold sweat dripping down her spine and that awful jerking movement she always made upon waking up suddenly. Images flashed behind her eyelids, memories of shattering pottery, splintering wood and suffocating screams. Her eyes flew wide open as her body was overcome by pain radiating through her muscles. Her teeth clenched at the sudden strength of the ache she had been feeling for days. Clearly all of the activity lately had not been gentle on her body. She should have known something like this would happen with the amount of running for her life she'd been doing and next to no sleep added right on top.
Blowing as slow and steady of a breath as she could manage out through her lips, she stilled and attempted to relax into the bed, hoping for some relief. When she heard footsteps coming down the hallway though, she was more than grateful. Pain spread through her neck and shoulder blades as she turned her head toward the door when it was pushed open slowly, a soft light pouring through from the corridor.
"Rose? You alright?" he said quietly as he came in. "the TARDIS led me here."
Closing her eyes against the light that had brightened in her room, Rose merely nodded her head. "yeah, jus' a bit sore. Well, when I say a bit…" she trailed off, attempting to chuckle a little but stopping when it sent waves of pain radiating through her back. She had never experienced anything like this before.
"Hey, hey. It's alright. Tell me what's wrong." He was using his doctor voice again. The one that managed to be professional, concerned and calming all in one. Rose supposed he'd had quite a few years to perfect it though.
"Hurts," she managed through gritted teeth. Damn. She didn't mean to sound so pathetic.
"Alright, you've got to tell me where though Rose," he gently explained as he began peeling the covers off of her, searching for the source of her distress. She was lying on her side, facing towards him where he kneeled beside her bed. Her eyes were still firmly shut and her posture more rigid then it should be.
She groaned again and said simply, "everywhere," causing the Doctor's eyebrows to pull together in concern. Blankets pulled off, he ghosted his fingers along her arm, looking for reactions. When he laid his hand on her shoulder, trying to roll her over onto her stomach, her breath left her lungs with an audible whoosh and something akin to the word "no" left her mouth, although it was more of a squawk than anything else. He stopped his actions immediately, turning his attention to her back. Possible spinal injuries started listing themselves in his head and he became even more concerned.
"Rose, is it your back? Is that where the pain is?" When she nodded her head slightly it was his turn to blow a breath out of his mouth. "Alright, I want you to stay still and try to relax alright? I'm going to do a few scans," but when she didn't respond he tried again. "You still with me?"
With a noise that he could only describe as irritated, she managed a short "yes." Pulling the sonic from his pocket, the Doctor adjusted it to the correct setting and began running the blue light up and down her body, pausing every once in a while to look at the readings. For Rose's part, she just laid there, not comfortable but also not in any strong pain for the moment. She didn't dare move a muscle though.
The Doctor whistled suddenly through his teeth. "Seized and strained muscles everywhere."
"I could've told you that." Frustration bubbled up in her again, thinking of the weakness of her body. She should be stronger than ever with all that she does. She certainly shouldn't be having the muscle cramps of the century, that's for sure.
"Well, it's better than I had first assumed," he said, ignoring her comment. "Certainly nothing that can't be fixed. I'll need to move you though Rose. I'd really love to get you to the infirmary where all the equipment is but I don't think that's an option at the moment, eh?" He had moved back, sitting on his haunches beside the bed so he could see her face. She shook her head at his comment, not at all liking the idea of moving at all let alone walking all the way to the infirmary.
"We need to get you onto your stomach. That will be the most comfortable position for you and give me the best access while I'm treating you. I want you to listen to what I tell you alright? We don't want you moving the wrong way and causing more problems." He brushed some hair out of her face and looked at her with concerned eyes. Rose nodded though, knowing there was really no other choice.
Images of her friend Shireen's father skirted into her mind, memories from when she was younger. He had worked in a big factory his whole life and had developed a bad back over the years, progressively getting worse as he got older. She had been at the house one time when he was in the midst of one of his bad spells, had seen his wife helping him up from the couch or down the stairs. She cringed as she remembered the beads of sweat across his forehead, showing exactly how much pain he was in.
She shook the memories off though, focussing on the task at hand. The Doctor was standing now, hands poised above her. "You need to straighten your legs out first. That way, the alignment of your spine will be better," he explained gently, hands wrapping around her calf. "Ready?"
Rose nodded and the Doctor began straightening her legs out. Still on her side, she gripped her pillow tightly as he moved them as gently as possible. She finally let out a breath when he stopped and he came back up beside her.
"That's it. Take a breather. There's no rush." He ran his hand up and down her arm softly and comfortingly.
Rolling Rose over onto her stomach proved to be a much bigger feat though. He had removed the pillows from beneath her head much to Rose's disapproval. They had managed to get her arms above her head as well. When the Doctor put a hand on her waist and began rolling her though, Rose's muscles immediately tensed, a moan ripping through her against her will. Her eyes stung with tears and she held her breath. He didn't stop until she was flat on her stomach though and even then the pain didn't let up.
"I thought you said this position would be more comfortable!" she yelled at him, hands clutching the headboard as she gasped for breath. A sob ripped its way through her throat.
"Shh, shh. I know. I know, Rose. Breathe." He was sitting beside her on the bed now, his hand softly petting her hair. From what the sonic had told him and what he had felt when moving her, the muscles in her back and shoulders were seized and knotted beyond belief. He couldn't believe that he had allowed something like this to happen. How had he not noticed?
After a few moments Rose was a little more relaxed, taking deep breaths and letting her body sink into the mattress. She was realizing that so long as she was relaxed and still the pain was quite manageable. She just hopped there would be no more moving in the immediate future.
"Bit better?" the Doctor questioned from beside her. When she nodded, eyes hooded due to a sudden sleepiness that had come over her, the Doctor gave her a smile. "Good. I'm going to go and get a few things from the infirmary and then before you know it we'll have you back in tip top shape. Sound good?"
"Yeah. Thanks Doctor… you know, for helping me out," she said nervously. She knew of course that the Doctor would always be willing to help when she needed it. She simply didn't like admitting to herself that she needed it in the first place.
"Never any need to thank me for that. I'm more than glad to help. I would never want you in any pain or to be uncomfortable. Now, you stay put and I'll be back in just a tick with all sorts of things that will make you feel better," and he stood to leave but stopped when she snorted and scoffed lightly.
"Don't think I could go anywhere if I tried."
