Recovery
10/Rose
Hurt/Comfort
Summary: When Rose falls ill on an alien planet it's up to the Doctor to help her recover.
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or its characters. Last night I watched David Tennant in Recovery (if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It's on youtube. It's a great story, and DT does a fantastic job. All of them do. There is sex and language, if that offends you.) So this story shares its name with that, because I'm lousy with titles, and the idea behind it follows along those lines as well, though of course with a DW twist.
Previously:
With that encouragement Rose started speaking. "I remember my mum, and my dad. I remember the end of the world. I remember going through a market in a city with people with green skin. You were there! You were looking for new zeus plugs. Whatever those are. I remember a red bicycle when I was twelve for Christmas. I remember looking up at a ceiling in a white room. You were in that room, too. Blimey, you get around, yeah?"
The Doctor nodded and smiled slightly. "Good, Rose. Those are all memories, and from both recent and distant times. That means that it's all there in your head somewhere. We just need to figure out ways for you to access it. I can help you, if you'll let me. I promise. I can help you set this right."
Chapter 1
A month earlier
Rose stepped out of the TARDIS and breathed in the warm dry air of the local marketplace. The Doctor had said that Ledonia was a peaceful planet, best known for their wide variety of fruits and vegetables that grow wild. Rose was looking forward to trying out some of the local wares, and the Doctor was looking to buy some replacement parts. He had been complaining that he had left his zeus plugs in 18th century France for so long that Rose had finally begged him to find a place to get a new set.
For a happy hour the Doctor and Rose had wandered the marketplace, sampling the fruits and trying to find a vendor who sold zeus plugs. Rose was amazed at the kindness of the people, and they were astonishing to look at. Most people in their journeys looked pretty human, but there were times when she was reminded quite vividly that not everyone around her shared similar DNA. It was easy to forget with the Doctor – other than hearing his double hearts during a hug – but here the native people were green. A rather vibrant color of green, actually. Otherwise they were shaped as she was, though with seven fingers on each hand. She and the Doctor were pale, but other visitors to the planet added to the variety of skin tones throughout the marketplace. It was fascinating.
After an hour Rose still hadn't had enough of the fruits and local produce in the marketplace, but the Doctor was impatient to find his new plugs. The people here weren't technologically advanced in any way, maybe about equal with mid 20th century at home, but they traded with many species and it was usually possible to find what you needed, if you knew what you were looking for and could describe it well. But that meant hours of talking to sellers, going from booth to booth, and digging through old alien trash. It didn't interest Rose in the least, and the Doctor was done eating fruits and looking at fabrics and clothes. So they agreed to split up and meet back at the TARDIS just before dark. The city was easy to navigate and they had not parked far, so Rose was sure she would be able to find her way back. She always thought of Captain Jack's comment, "Park somewhere you'll remember." How right he was! Though no Big Ben here to tether the TARDIS to.
Rose continued through the marketplace, picking up a new shirt for her mum, and a skirt for herself. Plus more of the wonderful fruit. She couldn't get over how many different flavors and textures there were. Fruit on Earth was abundant and different, but the flavors here made a banana and an apple seem as if they were one and the same. Not for the first time Rose wished she had transdimensional pockets so that she could fill them with a week's worth of fruit, as well as a notepad and pen so she could write down their names and not forget.
About an hour before dark Rose was finally feeling full. Actually, not just full. She paused for a moment, then thought about what was going on. A lot of fruit usually means a trip to the loo is necessary. Well, when in Rome! Rose didn't know what they had for loos here, but she thought it was probably something close to what she was used to at home. And the TARDIS would help translate for her, so hopefully there wouldn't be any embarrassing questions. After the third stall where she asked she was directed to a quiet side street where there were public facilities. Rose made note of which direction she was heading in, then went in.
A few minutes later, feeling considerably lighter, Rose came out. She wasn't feeling particularly better, though. Deciding that her day was pretty much over she set back out toward the TARDIS, feeling that right now her bed was the best place to be. She was just thinking about what the Doctor would say, caught between amusement at how much she had eaten and concern that she wasn't feeling perfect, when she doubled over and fell to the ground. She gasped at the suddenness and severity of the pain. It was worse than anything she'd ever felt before.
She was aware that there were people rushing toward her, asking her questions, but she couldn't focus on them. The pain built up until it was simply more than she could bear. She cried out, and cried tears. She felt hands on her, lifting her. People surrounded her and carried her through the marketplace.
"Doctor!" she sobbed. Her vision was tunneling.
"Yes, yes, you need a doctor, we will take you!" someone in the crowd around her was speaking, but the pain was too much for her to figure out who. As the blackness closed in completely around her she wished for her Doctor.
to be continued...