A Life of Surprises and New Friends
Part Four
by
Sabrina Lonewalker
The two weeks after their visit to Dr Barrowman went by quickly for Rose and Darick. In between checking up on their growing TARDIS, there were the usual alien encounters to attend to. Some were interesting and in some cases, they made new friends but then, there were those that never seemed to go right. Those were the ones that always worried Darick because of Rose's habit of jumping in feet first. Darick tried to get her to wait and go over what they knew so far.
They were supposed to meet with a delegation from the planet Mteobiuos Four. They had met previously and all seemed well but, as the time for the formal negotiations neared Rose noticed Darick being very quiet which, for him, was very unusual. Rose looked at him in their office at Torchwood. "Darick, what is it?" He looked across at his wife, "I'm not sure but something about this just doesn't feel right." Rose's eyes narrowed, the Doctor had used that phrase a few times and he had always been right. "What feels wrong?" She asked.
Darick got to his feet and began pacing. "That's just it, Rose," He said, running his hand through his already unruly hair, "I know something isn't right about this and yet, I can't say specifically what it is. It's like knowing the storm is out there but I can't tell exactly where it is." He stopped by the window then looked back at his wife, "Have you settled where these meetings will be held?" She shook her head, "No, we haven't, why? You have an idea?"
Darick nodded, "Yeah, here, at Torchwood. That way, we can control security. We can scan for any hidden weapons and make sure both sides start out on an equal footing." Rose nodded, it did make sense then, she smiled, "You've already talked to my Dad about this haven't you?" Darick jumped almost guiltily and smiled that crooked smile she loved, "Well, yeah, especially since you're the head of our delegation. He wants you safe, as do I." He walked over and crouched by her chair, "I couldn't live with myself if I let anything happen to you, my Rose." Rose smiled and let her fingers linger on his cheek. "Ok, I'll bring it up at the next preliminary meeting but right now," She looked at her watch, "I'm due at Dr Barrowman's for that follow up on my physical. Meet you at home or back here?"
Darick smiled, "I'll be in the lab checking up on Hope." Rose nodded, "Why am I not surprised?" She leaned over to kiss his nose then, she headed out. Darick sighed and headed to the lab. As m uch as he loved seeing the TARDIS, their TARDIS grow, it wasn't the same watching her alone. He shuddered at the thought of ever being seperated from his Rose. He shook that thought out of his head and began checking all of the settings for the growing TARDIS.
Rose walked into the reception area and Agnes smiled, "Right on time, aren't we?" Rose returned the grin, "Try to be, Agnes." The woman nodded and Rose went on into Dr Barrowman's office. She saw a tall, red haired woman in a white lab coat there. Rose was startled then, the woman turned. She broke into a wide grin, "You must be Rose McInnes, "I'm Donna Noble, Dr Barrowman's wife." She held out her hand. Fortunately, Darick had told her about Donna so, she wasn't totally shocked. Rose took the preoffered hand, "Hi, I've heard about you." Donna smiled, "Yeah, my husband told me. Did you really meet my twin in the other universe?"
Rose smiled and told her about the 'Other Donna". Then, Dr Barrowman walked in, kissed his wife and saw her on her way then, he came back in and sat down. "She likes to surprise me sometimes," He said, holding a medium sized square food container. "She brought me lunch." Rose smiled, "I have to remind Darick to eat sometimes, he gets so involved in the work here." David smiled as he placed the container in his office fridge then, he sat down and pulled out Rose's chart. "I've been going over everything we have on you from the first time you were and since you've been back."
Rose looked at him and nodded, "And?" She asked. He sighed, "The previous physician here wrote down what you told him. Especially what you told him about your early life. Rose, how badly did Jimmy Stone hurt you?" Rose's eyes widened, she hadn't thought about him in a long time but the memories were still there. "It was bad, Dr, really bad, I was in Hospital for a few weeks." David nodded, "Have you told Darick about this?" He asked quietly. Rose shook her head, "I've been afraid to. I mean, he can't get to Jimmy now but, it would really upset him." She was suddenly filled with a sense of dread.
David looked at her, "With all of the tests we've done, Rose, I'm afraid you're not going to be able to have any children, at least, not naturally. Now, we can try In Vitro but, we still don't know if you and Darick are compatible that way. You said that the two of you had talked about that possibility. Do you still want to try? We can, as I said, create an embryo from your ova and Darick's sperm but, I'm afraid you'd need a surrogate to carry the embryo."
Rose was quiet. "Would a family member be best as a surrogate?" She asked quietly. "David smiled, "Yes, and I can tell you're thinking of your mother, Jackie." Rose smiled, "Yeah, it hasn't been that long since she had Tony, he's almost two now but, would it be safe for her?" David leaned back in his chair and nodded, "As long as she took care of herself and was monitored, yes, it would be safe for her. Talk to Darick, tell him what we know and then talk to your mom. Here," He handed her a card, "When you decide, call me."
Rose took the card and slipped it in her pocket and got up, shaking Dr Barrowman's hand. "Thanks, Dr, I'll talk to Darick tonight the to Mom." She left, quiet and thoughtful as she headed back to the TARDIS lab where she knew Darick would be. Sure enough, he was softly talking to their growing girl when she walked in. Hope surprised her by humming audibly when she walked in. It made Rose smile in spite of herself. Darick looked up and frowned, "Rose, what's wrong?" He came to her, taking her hands in his. She smiled, "We need to talk with Mum and Dad, ok?" He nodded, called Pete and Jackie, told them they were coming and he and Rose left the lab.
TBC