Time Lord Flu
Chapter Two
It had been a little over a hour since The Doctor had fallen asleep in front of the news, Jackie and Rose were talking quietly while cleaning up in the kitchen. The cold plate of food rested in the microwave ready to be heated up for when their guest woke.
Occasionally a stifled cough came from the couch, reminding the Tylers that he was still there, fast asleep on the couch.
"He can't be comfortable there, can he?" Jackie asked as they sat down on the armchairs either side of the couch, a cup of tea in their hands.
Rose shrugged, "I'm not sure mum, I caught him napping under the grills of the TARDIS once... didn't look comfortable but he said it was" She replied before sipping the hot drink and watched her travel companion sleep.
Jackie got up and rested a hand on Rose's shoulder, "He'll be fine sweetheart, maybe he just needed some sleep" She said softly freeing the empty cup from her daughter's hand before walking off to the kitchen to get started on the laundry Rose had retrieved from the TARDIS.
Rose sighed softly and settled down in the armchair, smiling a little as The Doctor moaned and turned over to lay on his stomach, his head tucked on his arm while his suit was getting crinkled and moved about in his attempt to get comfortable on the couch.
He coughed a little before moaning, sinking back into his deep sleep.
A knock on the door made Jackie jump as she folded the laundry up, putting it back into the duffel bag that Rose had used to transport them.
"Jackie, I saw the TARDIS and... oh" Mickey's voice came from the front door as he let himself in, his first sight was Rose asleep in the armchair with a sleeping Doctor on the couch.
Jackie wandered in with a soft sigh, "She must be deep asleep not to hear you" She replied looking at Mickey with a smile. "But now you're here we can get him to bed, where he can be comfortable"
Mickey groaned, "Remember at Christmas? It took two of us to move him!" He said looking at the sleeping Doctor. "Maybe we should wake him, see if he can walk there"
Rose groaned as she slowly woke up, "Hm Doctor?" She muttered and woke up seeing that the time lord was still fast asleep on the couch, looking through blurry vision. Rose's eyes met with Mickey's.
"Hey Mickey, how long have you been here?" Rose asked softly as she stretched and groaned rising out of the chair.
"Only just arrived, I saw his ship" Mickey replied nodding at the sleeping Doctor.
The Doctor groaned as he started to wake up, he couldn't remember when he felt this bad. His head was pounding him, not being helped by the hundreds of thoughts running through his mind as he tried to remember where and when he was.
He felt cramped up with his arms and legs aching, along with head pounding and coughed harshly as he tried to stretch out.
"Easy Doctor, we've got you" A soft voice spoke stroking his back in soft circles.
The Doctor opened his eyes seeing someone bending over him, he realised that he was on his stomach on a uncomfortable couch. His eyes snapped shut as he was caught in another cough, making his whole body shake and shudder.
"Mickey, help me sit him up" The voice spoke up again and he felt two pairs of hands help him to sit on the couch before sinking into the back of it.
His head was pounding, worse than when his regeneration went wrong or at least that is what it felt like to him. He felt himself fall to his left, leaning against someone who groaned taking his weight.
"Doctor, it's Rose... we're going to move you into the bedroom OK?" The soft voice identified herself, with cool hands resting on his hot face, he moaned softly with a small relief from his temperature before nodding a little.
"OK, just lean on us and walk to the bedroom, you know where that is... just let us help you get there" Rose added with a soft smile.
The normal two minute walk took what felt like twenty to Rose and Mickey, who had to put up with The Doctor's weight between them.
"You know, for a skinny guy he sure weighs a lot" Mickey mumbled as he rubbed his shoulders trying to get feeling back into them.
The Doctor, after having a glass of water and argued with Jackie about getting out of his suit, was now in the bed he had slept in during his regeneration. He was fast asleep, and tucked up under the covers, with the pyjamas he had borrowed last time.
Rose sighed softly as she gently stroked his sweaty brow with a cool damp cloth, "I know Mickey, but at least he tried to help" She said as she watched over The Doctor, wincing a little as he coughed harshly in his sleep.
"Still, being a time lord or whatever he is, you would have thought he would be immune to things like the flu" Mickey replied leaning against the doorway.
Rose shrugged and let the cloth rest on The Doctor's forehead before getting up, "I don't know Mickey, we could try asking the TARDIS but I won't be able to understand her... maybe when The Doctor is awake again, we could try asking him" She said looking down at the sleeping traveller.
Mickey sighed and left the room, off to find and check on Jackie.
"Please get better soon Doctor, I don't like seeing you like this" Rose said softly, tucking the blankets around the alien's sleeping form seeing him shiver though he was burning to the touch.
His breathing was shallow as he tossed and turned in his dreams, or nightmares brought by the fever. He muttered in what Rose could have guessed was his native tongue from Gallifrey, she wondered why it was that the TARDIS never translated it but must be how the ship was.
"It's OK Doctor, you're safe... you're amongst friends" Rose said softly, holding his hand gently that had came out of the covers and blankets.
"R-Rose" The Doctor muttered, his normal energy missing from his words while his voice cracked from the sore throat, caused by the coughing.
"It's me Doctor, just get some sleep... you'll be back up on your feet and running from different aliens before you know it" Rose replied, her heart clenching in her chest at seeing his normal energetic brown eyes, now dead of that energy and glassed by the fever watching her.
"Screwdriver, give readings to TARDIS... she'll be able to help" The Doctor said looking over to where his coat was, his suit had gone off to be cleaned by Jackie before sinking back into a deep sleep.
Rose bit her lip and tucked his arm back under the covers, making sure he was comfortable and refreshed the cloth before sitting down on the chair in the corner hoping that things would be better in the morning.