Is this a bit late?
Sorry, if it is, cause I think it is by my standards. I've had a little trouble getting the computer for long enough to actually type this out.
But believe me, I won't make a habit of it.
Promise! Doctor's honour!
Anyway, just to clarify something.
Martha is working for Torchwood, and she has moved to Cardiff. So, hopefully that should clear everything up if there is any mud in the water.
Uh...basically thats it so far...I think...you know...anything you want to ask I'm usually around, if not...I'll be around soon.
Thanks again for reviewing, and yeah...
CHAPTER 3:- Black and Blue
No nightmare came to him this time.
Just darkness as he awoke to the sound of the door closing.
The Doctor was glad that no bitterly terrifying dreams had disturbed him; that he had woken peacefully.
As he cracked open his eyes, he heard a familiar American accented voice.
"Rise and shine, Doctor. I know you're awake. And it's about time for you to get to work." Jack Harkness said lightly.
Even though he had lost his memory, the Doctor still felt an element of childish resentment to work. The word carried a certain weight that he didn't want.
He wondered if he always used to get this feeling.
He opened his eyes and stared at Jack, who gave him a dazzling grin.
"Now that I have your attention. Martha and I have decided to try and speed up your memory. See if we can help it along a bit." Jack said.
His tone was cheerful, almost playful, but the doctor could seen a deep feeling of desperation in him.
Jack wanted him to remember. He missed the old Doctor.
The Doctor said nothing of it though. All he knew was that he had to stop wallowing in his sadness and self pity and focus on getting better.
"Alright" he agreed.
Jack shifted and cleared his throat as he sat himself down on a chair.
"Okay. First off, I want you to ask me questions. Maybe something that you've half remembered and want some help with?" Jack explained.
Soon as he had spoken the words 'ask me questions', one and only one question sprang to mind.
A burning question that he needed an answer to.
"Am I human?" He asked, and instantly he felt like an idiot.
It had been a stupid question.
Of course, Jack would give him a bewildered look before answering with some sharp quip at the end.
There was no such thing as…
"No"
…Aliens.
The Doctor blinked, turning his head ever so slightly to get a good look at Jack.
Had he heard him right?
Did he just say no?
"…Sorry?" he murmured disbelievingly.
There was nothing that would suggest a lie in Jack's ice blue eyes as he answered again.
"No. You are not human"
A sort of cold shock descended over the Doctor. He'd probably been totally aware of his alien heritage before the accident, but being told he wasn't human was still a shock to the system.
"…Then what am I?" he muttered hoarsely.
If Jack said Martian, he knew he'd been lying.
"You're a Time Lord." Jack said.
There was a pause; obviously for the Doctor, giving him a chance to remember.
But he was still getting over the fact he was an alien.
His mind did not recognize the phrase 'Time Lord'.
So Jack continued.
"You're a Time Lord…non-human, binary vascular system; which is two hearts, a respiratory bypass system, which means you can go for a while without oxygen. Significantly more intelligent that a human…much longer life span…and you can regenerate; cheat death twelve times before you honestly die. At the moment, you are somewhere in your early nine hundreds, you never were really good at keeping track of your age and you are currently in your tenth incarnation." Jack said, helping to dumb down some of the more complicated things.
But despite this, nothing seemed even remotely familiar.
It was impossible; everything jack had just said. Two hearts? Go without oxygen? Regenerate?!
The Doctor felt wrong.
Jack had to be playing with him, some sort of joke. There was no such thing as aliens.
With an almost pleading look, he stared at the American.
"I can't be…I must be human. Like you and Martha. I'm not a…a-a Time Lord, or whatever. I am a human" he said softly, almost hysterically.
In his chest his heart was beating crazily, pumping out a loud, quick rhythm. For a moment, he thought he felt a second beat, in the right side of his chest.
Seeing his panic, Jack leaned forward in his chair.
"It's alright, Doctor. Calm down. Panicking won't help you. So just relax" Jack soothed.
Some part of his mind took this information on board.
There was no sense in panicking about what he was.
Taking a few deep breathes, he fisted his left hand into the sheets and shut his eyes momentarily.
"Alright…alright" he whispered, slowly opening his eyes again, yet his fist remained entangled in the sheets.
For a moment, Jack remained silent, obviously waiting for him to give him another question.
"…So…if I am not human. And I am a Time Lord. What planet did I come from?" he murmured.
It seemed like a flicker of sadness passed over Jack's face for barely a second before it disappeared.
"Gallifrey" he said.
As soon as this word had been spoken, the Doctor winced.
A deep sense of sadness filled him, but he didn't know why.
"Remember anything? Ringing any bells?" the American asked, almost hopefully.
All the Doctor did was shake his head, not feeling any sort of revelations at all.
With a deep groan and a heavy sigh, Jack pinched the bridge of his nose.
"This is going to be more difficult than I thought" he said.
The Doctor agreed.
Three days passed; three days of the same monotonous routine repeated for the Doctor.
He'd wake up to Owen entering the room, and lay still as he could, answering questions as the doctor in charge of him performed his examination.
Usually he'd be allowed to rest for an hour, then Jack would come in, talk for a while, but then the memory exercises were exacted. Most of the time, it was excruciatingly frustrating as he could not remember anything Jack spoke of.
He remembered nothing.
Then, he'd get a visit from Martha, who would come in as Jack left and be there to console him about his inability to recall anything.
They'd speak, laugh and cry together.
The Doctor defiantly considered Martha's visits the best part of his day.
As she left, she'd drop a kiss on his head, give him a few encouraging words and then leave.
Usually he'd sleep after that event, until Owen's nightly examination and then a sedative to get him to sleep uninterrupted throughout the night.
Then, it would start all over again.
On his fifth morning, he awoke to the familiar click of the door closing.
As usual, he still felt a little foggy from the from the sedative, pretty cloudy.
A small grunt alerted Owen to his conscious state without opening his eyes.
"Stay still" Owen said as he drew back the blankets from the bed.
He vaguely felt Owen prodding his torso, yet he was too busy trying to struggle up from his drug induced stupor.
"Does this hurt?" Owen demanded, poking a tender area rather firmly.
A sharp bolt of pain caused his to tense.
"Yes" he hissed as it faded.
Owen hummed slightly before moving on.
The process was the exact same as the three days previous.
Poking, prodding, humming, demanding answers with half mumbled replies.
"Right" Owen murmured, half to himself.
That was the only warning he got before he heard retreating footsteps and the door clicking open and shut again.
The Doctor was still too tired to care.
Owen usually told him the schedule for that day and that he'd be back at the end of it.
This time however he had simply left.
If he'd been a little more focused, he would have recognized it.
Yet he wasn't an as usual he slipped away from awareness to sleep the rest of the sedative off.
It didn't last long though.
He was woken by a soft voice calling him, gently coaxing his to "Wake up for her".
The voice of Martha Jones spoke softly and calmly as she stroked his forehead lovingly.
Slowly, he mustered the strength to force his eyes open.
"Good…there we are…" Martha cooed as his vision came into focus.
Martha, Jack and Owen stood around his bed in an obvious break from routine.
Blearily he blinked, confused as to the reason for their presence.
"W-What's goin' on?" he murmured sleepily.
His question earned him a joyful smile from Martha, who tousled his hair in her ministrations.
"We've got some good news for you" she said softly.
Good news?
Not that he was being pessimistic, but he wondered what the good news could possibly be?
The routine hadn't changed to his knowledge, so today was like every other day.
Thankfully, the remnants of sleep fell from him and his awareness rose accordingly.
"What sort of good news?" he replied of both curiosity and wariness.
The smile on Martha's face had spread to Jack's.
"Owen has deemed you well enough to leave here" he said.
"You're coming home with me." Martha added.
The idea of being able to see Martha a lot more often pleased the Doctor greatly and he too grinned.
"That's brilliant." He said, feeling as though he had won some sort of battle.
"Of course it is! But everything will still be the same. I am a doctor like Owen. So I'll be looking after you instead of him, but Jack will be with us and your memory exercises will not change." Martha clarified seriously.
This news did come as a slight low, but the grin on the Doctor's face did not change or waver, he simply nodded.
"One more thing" Owen said suddenly, piping up for the first time.
From the tone of his voice, it wasn't too pleasant.
The Doctor looked up at him, taking in the grim line of his mouth and he knew that it wasn't good.
"Regardless of you going home, you are still badly wounded. Your broken leg has healed significantly, but you cannot walk. Martha will basically nurse you from now on. Feed you, water you, bathe you, dress you, redress your wounds; she'll have to do everything for you. Martha is ready for that burden. Do you want to go home, or stay here" Owen said bluntly.
It gave the Doctor the impression of a to the point, no dance around the may-pole man.
Guilt at the mere thought of leaning so heavily on Martha already was burning up in him.
With a furtive glance at her, he sighed.
"…I don't want to do that to her…" he began.
"But I want to take care of you Doctor. I know you don't remember, but you've done so much for me. If I do this, I can repay you" Martha interrupted.
Jack's eyebrows rose as he folded his arms, but the Doctor ignored it. He stared intently at Martha, hoping to find some trace of lies in her eyes.
Yet all he found was truth and honesty.
Slowly, he nodded.
"Alright. I'll go with Martha." He murmured.
There was no reprimand from Owen, not even a comment.
He simply walked over to the corner of the room and retrieved the wheel chair that had been sitting there.
Jack stepped up.
"Right. I'm gonna lift you up and put you in the chair, Doc. Hang on to me; if it gets too much" Jack warned.
Swallowing nervously, the Doctor nodded again.
As he shifted, Jack slid his arms around his shoulders and under his knees.
Taking a deep breath, the Doctor was lifted from the bed that he'd been in for well over a month.
No amount of preparation though, could have prepared him for the pain that hit him.
He gasped, squinting his eyes shut and biting his lip. Unconsciously he grabbed onto Jack's navy greatcoat with his left hand.
His breath was soon coming in rapid gasps and he felt his heartbeat(s) thudding in his chest.
"J…J-Jack" he stammered, barely over a whisper.
The pain was so bad; he was burning up, every part of his body, aching and stinging.
He couldn't do it, he couldn't. If it went on any longer, he was going to die; he was so sure of it.
Awareness was beginning to flee him just as he heard Jack's reply.
"Easy…easy"
Somewhere beyond his current state of mind, he felt Jack's arms leave him and the pressure of gravity on his limbs eased, the pain quickly fading, leaving him gasping, trembling and barely clinging to consciousness.
For a moment he considered sinking into the comforting darkness, but faintly he heard Martha's voice.
"…Hang on Doctor. Come back…open your eyes for me" she coaxed, running her fingers through his hair.
He felt Jack's iron grip on his shoulder, but the American said nothing.
Holding onto the physical sensation of both Martha's hands and Jack's, he managed to push his eyes open.
He caught sight of Jack standing by him, eyes wide with concern, and Martha was crouched before him.
"Doctor?" she murmured.
It took him a moment to muster the strength to answer, his throat working silently before he managed a small whimper.
"I'm so sorry, Doctor. I tried to go as quick as I could…but…I didn't want to hurt you" Jack apologized fervently, squeezing his shoulder slightly.
The Doctor could barely focus; he felt so tired.
So weak.
Completely drained of all strength.
Slowly, his breathing eased and his heartbeat(s) levelled out, but he felt no better.
"Owen…give him something. I don't wanna see him like this" Martha said.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Owen pick up a small needle and flick it experimentally.
"No" he muttered hoarsely, throwing his right hand out.
Owen paused.
"No" he said with more strength.
Everyone waited for an explanation from him.
"M'okay…m'okay. It's aright, let me go. I wanna be awake." He said looking at Martha and Jack.
They glanced at each other, before Martha nodded to Owen who put the needle down.
"Okay Doctor. Let's go" Jack said, walking around to push the chair as he let his shoulder go.
Taking a deep breath, the Doctor looked up at Owen.
"Thank you so much for looking after me" he said sincerely.
Owen nodded.
"It's alright. Just don't push yourself too hard in recovery or anything. Take your time" he sniffed with a shrug.
With a grin, the Doctor nodded and at that point, Jack began pushing.
Martha opened the glass door to allow them exit before falling into step beside him.
Together they passed through a maze of passageways, some sloping down, some inclined, some brightly lit, others dimmer than night.
It confused the Doctor, but both Jack and Martha were completely calm about it, holding an air of knowledge about them.
For the first time, he seriously wondered where he was.
He felt a sensation of being deep underground, judging from the lack of windows and natural light.
"Where are we going?" he asked, tilting his head back to look at both of them at the same time.
The healing gash on his neck seared , but he did not show any physical signs of pain.
"To a waiting car. My truck actually, we'll put you in there and drive the ten minutes to Martha's pad." Jack said smoothly.
"Yes, and once we get there, first thing on the agenda for you, Mister, is a bath and some clothes. I am not having you in my house stinking and in nothing but your pants." Martha said jokingly, but at the same time utterly serious.
Turning his eyes back to the front, the Doctor struggled not to think of Martha's small hands gently soothing away his aches and pains.
It caused him to wonder if there had ever been a relationship between her and himself before. Something more than friends?
From her treatment of him, she was fond of him, but there always seemed to be a faint spark of regret in her eyes when she looked directly into his eyes.
Had he been the cause of that?
Or was it something deeper?
"Ah. Here we go. Truck" Jack sighed, pushing the wheelchair up over a small bump, which brought the Doctor back to reality.
Before him sat a large black truck, like a Ute but with a large box attached to the back.
The whole thing was sleek and generally good looking.
Though he had a feeling he'd never seen it before.
Slowly, as they approached, Jack leaned down.
"I'm gonna have to lift you out of that chair." Jack informed.
The prospect of going through that agony again made the Doctor shiver.
"Okay" he murmured softly.
He caught a glimpse of Martha's beautiful young face, smiling gently at him.
That bath to soothe his aches and pain was beginning to sound good.
The wheelchair came to a halt by the back seat door.
Martha swiftly opened it as Jack leaned down to gather the Time Lord.
As Jack's strong arms found suitable places, the Doctor gulped down a few deep breaths of air; steeling himself against the coming onslaught.
By his ear, the American swiftly counted to three before lifting.
This time it was quick; he held his breath, his eyes hut tightly as he fought against the pain that rose up from his wounds.
Jack sat him in the car seat speedily, settling him back against the padding and allowing him to relax.
"Okay?" Jack queried.
"Yeah" the Doctor breathed, nodding slightly.
Upon opening his eyes again, he found Jack eyeing him suspiciously.
"Are you sure you're well enough to leave?" he said.
Now that he thought of it, he probably could stand a few more days in…where ever he'd been.
Not that it mattered now.
All he did was force a grin.
"Yeah…I'm a hundred percent sure. All I want to do, is have that bath and then catch a nap." He said, forcing his voice to sound stronger than he felt.
It fooled Jack, who simply pulled the seatbelt across his chest and clicked it into place before ducking out for a second. He returned with a soft, woollen blanket which he lay over him, explaining that this was to keep him warm and then he left, closing the door behind him.
By the time Martha got in, the engine was on.
"Ready?" Jack asked them both as he sat at the wheel.
"Yep" the Doctor replied as chirpily as he could muster.
"Course" Martha responded and with that, the truck rumbled forward.
Peering out the front windshield, the Doctor watched as they ascended a steep ramp which levelled out at the top, where they were forced to wait for a large roller door to open.
It slowly inched upward, revealing the world outside.
Even through the tinted windows, it was bright.
The expanse of endless grey sky above them, the people wandering to and fro in a most random fashion; all of it had the Doctor looking about like a curious child.
He caught a glimpse of a towering wall, made of black marble with water coursing serenely down its surface as the truck began to make its way around the area toward the road.
But what really captured his eye was something sitting in front of the feature.
A tall, blue box.
Easily two metres, bordering on three; just sitting there.
Completely out of place.
But no one looked at it. Not even Martha or Jack who had started a quiet conversation.
That blue box felt so familiar; a strong urge to go up to it pulled at his heart(s) and something seemed to be playing upon the edge of his mind, just out of reach.
He kept his eyes on the box for as long as he could, which was until they turned a corner and it disappeared from sight behind a building.
"What was that?" he said, interrupting their conversation abruptly.
"What was what?" Jack asked.
"Roald Dahl Plass?" Martha said.
"No, no, no. That wooden box thing. Blue. Sitting right in front of the water wall thing. Did you see it?" the Doctor demanded, not meaning to be rude, but he was tired and in no mood to explain things.
For a moment, neither spoke, but they glanced at each other.
"No idea what you're talking about" Jack eventually said.
The Doctor opened his mouth to protest, but Martha turned in her seat.
"Just sit back and relax. It doesn't matter" she said.
Always, her words sounded right and sensible and this time was no exception.
But as he pulled the blanket up to his chin and as he burrowed into it for more warmth, he swore he caught a glimpse of both Jack and Martha smirking at each other.
Hehe, TARDIS time...I love that blue box with a passion...almost as much as I love DT and JB...but not quite.
Any how...I'm going to get the next one up soon. Maybe not for the next three days or so, but it'll be sooner than this one. As for changing the name...well...I got bored of the other one, I like this one better. I seem to have a fixation on the word Eternity and it's variations...I'll admit to it!!
By the way!
I am now watching the new Series of Doctor Who, Season 4...its not my fault that Australia is behind everyone else!
But we just saw Fires of Pompeii, and I was SO happy...can't wait for the Sontarn Stratagem. Hooray for the LOVELY MARTHA'S TIMELY RETURN!!
See you soon!!
I hope
