Title: Not Impossible
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters
Summary: AU of Asylum of the Daleks: What if Oswin had not been fully converted?
A/N: I was one of the clueless ones who thought Oswin was just a great character they were throwing away at the end of that episode so I was desperate to create an AU. Now that she's Clara and I love and adore that storyline, I added a very little hint to Clara, but mostly this is a pretty self contained. Also, you'll have to suspend some disbelief that Oswin could have lived through this.
Rory and Amy had twin exclamations of confusion as the Doctor ran up to the teleport pad with an unconscious Oswin in his arms, but The Doctor had no time - he pressed the button to teleport with his own hand, albeit awkwardly. And - now in the Tardis, he had time only to transfer his precious cargo into Rory's arms and urge him to the infirmary before piloting the Tardis off the Dalek ship and out into the universe.
Only when they were away, safely away did he take a moment at the console to breathe out, breathe in. Then he had to get back into the game. He ran to the infirmary to see exactly how bad his decision had been. Rory was still half holding Oswin - having propped her on the stark white bed, trying to keep pressure on the worst of her wounds. Rory's face was white with shocked, but he was working on auto-pilot to assess her condition, "Doctor, these punctures - they are deep - how can we-"
The Doctor ran to the infirmary controls, "You two! Get those clothes off of her, Rory, the chamber should be ready for her by the time you've got - gently!" This as Oswin slumped forward as Rory tried to get her coat off of her.
"I need scissors." Rory said curtly.
"Amy!" The Doctor gestured to a drawer near her that had just unlatched itself.
Shaking, Amy grabbed the scissors and nearly threw them to Rory.
The next couple minutes were a blur to Amy as she helped extract Oswin from her layers of clothing while The Doctor was completely absorbed at the controls of the infirmary. Amy's nose scrunched up and her fingers fumbled as Rory ordered her to peel off the burned and bloody cloth from Oswin's back where the Dalek machines had burrowed through. Rory's hands were quicker, more efficient, but, as usual, his heart wasn't far from his sleeve, "We're losing her. Doctor, we're losing her!"
The Doctor rushed to them, lifted Oswin, still in her base layer, in his arms again, "It will have to do." He deposited her as gently as his strength would allow in the warm, thick liquid filled compartment that the Tardis had just supplied. Slowly her body sank in the goo and immediately a wall of lights displayed readings. The Doctor and Rory stood in identical positions, hands on hips, faces turned up - watching and translating the intricacies of Oswin's condition.
After a few moments of staring at the wall, Amy gave up trying to decipher or asking for clarification. Instead, Amy stared at the girl's face. She was young, not far off Amy's age surely, "Will she be all right?" Amy asked for the third time - the edge of frustration creeping into her tone despite her best efforts.
Even then, it was a few minutes before The Doctor joined Amy, his hands in his pockets now and his face sad, "We'll just have to wait and see."
"She seems stable enough for now," Rory turned to face them, "What happened to her?" Something in his tone had The Doctor raising an eyebrow, "She sounded fine - she was fine when you went for her."
"Well I didn't do this to her if that's what you're implying." He gestured to the door, "Why don't we let her rest. I'll get you two back home and -"
"Okay..." Amy hesitated.
"We're not leaving." Rory sounded tired... and resolute.
"We're not?" Amy looked at Rory.
He glanced at her apologetically, then crossed his arms over his chest, "No, we're not."
"No?" The Doctor asked with a dangerous smile.
"Oswin saved our lives - am I right? She definitely saved mine. A couple of times. I'm staying with her."
Amy reached out for Rory's hand but she flinched when she saw it was still covered in Oswin's blood, "Rory-"
The Doctor curled his lip and leaned back, "Why do I get the impression you don't trust me to look after her?"
Rory's face confirmed it but he shook his head to belay the obvious, "It's not that - It's just -"
"It was my decision to bring her here Rory, and it may have been the worst thing in the world for her - but I wouldn't have done it if I intended to dump her in a restorative goo and let her rot."
"Look... I'm sorry. I'm sorry Amy. I'm sorry Doctor, but - while you two were running around together AGAIN, Oswin was leading me by the hand. She-" Rory's voice broke; and he looked around self-consciously, "It wasn't - Look... what it was - was... really really kind." He shook his head and wiped the air clean, "I'm a nurse. This is what I do. I want to be here and I owe her one."
The Doctor nodded without actually agreeing, "Fine, fine. Get settled then, she's in for a long road ahead."
