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Chapter 4: Can I Stay with You?
"She'll be alright, Doctor." Aera assured him. She put her hand on his shoulder. "She should wake up any moment now." She left them alone, having a few other patients to check up on.
The Doctor stood next to the bed Clara was in, worry etched onto his features. He hated hospitals, or any kind of medical facility. The beds always made the occupants look so small and fragile. And this was his Clara. No matter how strong or brave she was, she was also small and fragile and oh, he should have protected her.
He knew she would be fine. Apart from the bump on her head and a few scratches and minor bruises, she was alright. She might feel a bit nauseous from the after effects of that damned vortex manipulator, but that would go by quickly. He sighed. Though he hated using vortex manipulators, that one saved her life and for that he was extremely grateful.
What worried him was how they were going to get back to earth. The TARDIS was taken from its spot during the first attack and hidden somewhere where he couldn't get to it. If it were just him here he would have accepted his fate of possibly never seeing his beloved blue box again. Probably. Eventually. But Clara was with him now and he couldn't expect her to stay here for the remainder of her days. She had a family, friends, a job. She had a life waiting for her on earth that she should get back to. As much as he wanted her by his side, he didn't want her to stay. She doesn't belong in a war.
What would she say to him when she woke up? How is she going to react if he tells her they can't get back to earth? Maybe she would tell him that it's just a minor setback. That he will come up with some plan and save the day like with their other adventures. The problem was, he didn't have a plan this time. He had run out of plans years ago.
She stirred, groaning softly. She inhaled deeply as her eyes fluttered open. He had forgot how much he liked those big brown eyes. Now that she was awake he suddenly wanted to run away. He didn't know how to tell her.
"Doctor?" Her voice was small and confused. She blinked rapidly, her eyes narrow.
Pushing his fears aside, he stepped closer. He gently took her hand in his.
"I'm here," he said quietly. "How are you feeling?"
Groggily, she smiled up at him. "A bit dizzy and sore, but I'm fine." As the fog in her mind cleared, the smile quickly turned into a frown of confusion. He nervously shifted his weight, suddenly extremely self-conscious under her gaze.
"Doctor, you have a beard." She almost asked it, sounding more surprised than she thought.
He looked away, smiling shyly and bringing his other hand up to rub the short hair on his jaw. "Don't always have time to shave." He looked back at her. "What do you think?"
She narrowed her eyes, squinting as she looked him up and down. His dark grey trousers were loose fitting as were his tattered dark blue jumper. His black coat was faded, and covered in scuff marks. Then there was the salt and pepper beard. His hair was shorter also, and instead of those rebellious curls it was just messy. But his expression, despite the small smile he looked incredibly sad. And his eyes, those pale blue eyes had somehow lost their glimmer and betrayed just how tired he was.
"Changed your entire look." She returned his smile. "I think I liked your velvet coat more."
He shrugged. "Circumstances change."
"Hang on," a thought struck her. "You have a beard." She frowned, "I time travelled, yeah? How long has it been, a few weeks?" She watched him swallow nervously. "Doctor?"
"Just over seven years." He said quietly, looking down at her hand in his.
Clara's eyes widened. "Did you stay here all this time?" He nodded. "Couldn't you have time travelled to just before I arrived?" She sat up.
He avoided her gaze altogether now. "How about we get you out of here, hm?" He let go of her hand and walked to the door.
Clara stared at him as he left. There was something he wasn't telling her and now he's running away. She will get it out of him eventually.
After a while Aera came and gave her clean clothes and directed her to a shower. Clara thanked her and went to the tiny bathroom. She looked in the mirror and immediately wished she hadn't. Her clothes were dirty with a few tears here and there. She panicked when she saw the dried blood on her sleeves and shirt. Calming a bit when she realised it wasn't her blood, she panicked once more when she remembered it was the Doctor's blood.
"He's fine, you just spoke to him. He's alright," she told herself as she stripped off her clothes and got into the shower. She made quick work of scrubbing herself clean, then simply stood under the soothing warm water. Turning off the water, she stepped out and dried herself. She pulled on the dark brown trousers and white shirt Aera had given her. They were a bit big for her, but she couldn't complain. She laced up her boots and put the navy sweater on before heading out. The Doctor met her outside and took her to her room.
She had to admit she was tired. It had been a long day for her. First the market being attacked, then time travelling, which was not very pleasant, only to be jumped by those drunkards. How did she even escape them? She eyed the Doctor as he silently walked slightly in front of her.
"Doctor?" He looked at her, not slowing down. "Who brought me here?"
"What do you mean?"
She walked a bit faster to keep up with him. "After I time travelled, three men tried to attack me and the next moment I woke up here. Who brought me here?"
"Oh, that. I did," he said plainly. He didn't really want to talk about this.
"What happened to the men? Did they get scared of those eyebrows of yours?" She teased.
He shot her a look. "I, uh, knocked them out." He saw her raise her eyebrow in disbelief.
"Clara," he stepped in front of her, his voice urgent. "Those men were going to…" No, he didn't want to think about what they would have done to her. "I couldn't let them hurt you again."
She froze as his hand came up, his fingers barely brushing over the bump on her forehead. She saw a flicker of something in his eyes but before she could place it, he had turned and walked away. Missing his gentle touch, she hurried after him.
They walked in silence the rest of the way, coming to a standstill in front of a door.
"Here we are, your bedroom." He opened the door and stood aside for her to enter.
Clara stepped inside. The room wasn't big and the walls were the same as the hallways, exposed bricks. A single ceiling light bathed the room in its harsh fluorescent light. A double bed stood by the opposite wall and a wooden dresser across it, next to the door. Basics.
"It's not much, but at least you'll be safe here." He was still standing in the doorway, not crossing the threshold. "My room is at the end of the hall… if you need anything."
"What happened after I time travelled?" She looked at him questionably.
He took a moment before answering. "The soldiers took me," he said quietly.
"How did you get away?" She's going to be full of questions for a while until she was brought up to date with everything.
"I got rescued." He chuckled. "I will tell you everything, Clara." He said before she could ask another question. "Just not now. Now, you have to rest."
She watched him close the door, just to open it a crack, poking his head through.
"Almost forgot. It gets rather cold, so you might want to sleep with that sweater on." He smiled at her warmly, "Goodnight, Clara."
"Goodnight, Doctor." She returned his smile and he closed the door.
She woke with a start, strangled in the scratchy blanket. It was the third time the same nightmare woke her. She couldn't remember it all, but every time she closed her eyes her mind got bombarded with images of the Doctor bleeding out in front of her. Although she knew he was fine, her mind couldn't let it go.
She let out a sigh of defeat, knowing what she needed. Him. She needed to be in his presence. It should help her get over what happened and maybe then she could get some sleep. Only, he's not really the comforting type. Throwing back the blanket she felt the cold creep over her.
The hall was eerily quiet, the hum of the fluorescent lights the only other noise beside her footsteps. Holding her arms against her chest, she hurried to the end of the hall.
She hesitated before knocking, her hand just above the door. Then she remembered that he didn't sleep as much and knocked. A moment passed and she wondered if maybe he was asleep after all.
"Clara?" Came his surprised voice from behind her.
She spun around, suddenly unsure of coming here. Her eyes widened when she saw the sword and staff in his hands. He followed her gaze.
"Forgot them in the medical ward," he looked back at her. "What's wrong?" His voice was soft as he regarded her with tired eyes.
"Couldn't sleep." She avoided his gaze as he stepped closer. "Can I, stay with you?" She asked shyly, looking down at her feet.
Not knowing what to say, he stared at her. He would have offered for her to stay in his room earlier, but he didn't think she would accept. He thought it would be too… weird for her. Seven years ago it would have been a bit weird for him as well, but things change. He had missed her something terribly. Now that she's back, he wanted to be with her the whole time.
She waited for his answer. She was beginning to think he was trying to figure out how to say no, when he brushed past her and opened his door. He went inside, leaving the door open, still leaving it up to her. So she stepped inside.
His room was identical to hers, except for the light which was dimmer. She closed the door behind her, eyes following him as he laid down his sword and staff against the wall next to his bed. After that he faced her, looking a bit lost. Biting down on his lower lip he motioned towards the bed.
Slowly she moved to the far side of the bed and crawled in underneath the blanket. The matrass was hard and the blanket scratchy, same as hers. The difference was, she could smell his scent on the blanket and pillow.
"You look tired as well." She watched him closely. The shadows under his eyes were more visible now. "I'm not the only one who needs rest." She gave him a small smile.
He glanced at her, unsure how to act now. Swallowing, he dragged his feet toward the bed and sat down stiffly. He bent over and untied his boots, placing them neatly next to the bed. He reached out to the light switch and turned off the light, then slipped in underneath the blanket.
Resting on his back, he listened to the sound of Clara's breathing next to him. He turned on his side, facing away from her.
"Doctor?" She whispered.
"Hm?" He waited for her, hearing her take a deep breath.
"Thank you," she exhaled.
He frowned, turning over to look at her even though it was too dark to see her face.
"For what?"
"For being there when I need you," she mumbled as sleep took her.
So with university having started this week again I'm afraid future updates are going to take much longer :(
Sorry about that. But as I've said before, I will finish this. Until then: leave a review, they make my day :D