Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.
Quick Note: I originally intended to make this two separate chapters, but the first bit was so short I decided to just give you one long chapter.

A/N: I feel like there should be a category called "Comfort Porn" and this story should be part of it. I know that "Hurt/Comfort" is accurate enough, but it's not.

SO SO SO SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT I AM A TERRIBLE HUMAN BEING.
But yeah, here you go. Got another few ideas for stories, and I want to write them, but I refuse to write anything else before I finish this =U

Foolish Sentiment
Chapters 4 and 5

Songs of Healing | Waves of Memory

The next few days were spent snuggling and doing quiet activities. They watched movies, played board games, cards, read books, and caught up on River's paperwork. He'd picked her up right after Finals so there were mountains of work to sort through, projects to assess, and final grades to calculate. River took it slowly, with lots of naps and rounds of Rummy between. The Doctor was attentive, but he could only stay still for so long now that he could think about something other than ensuring her survival. He tried to help with the grading process, but got overly frustrated with imprecise details and frequently graded too harshly. It only took two and a half essays fifty pages long to give up entirely.

When River was busy, he went out and tinkered with the TARDIS, or made a quick visit to some marketplace or tourist attraction. It didn't feel the same, knowing that his wife was back inside doing tedious work and recovering from a planet-killing illness while he was slipping down a water slide. Soon enough though, four days passed and she had completely recovered. They spent the next couple days visiting friends and saving people.

He dropped her off at her lovely home in the suburb with every paper and test accounted for, and with another entry for her diary. After their good bye kiss, he bowed his head to her ear.

"I can't promise much, but I swear to you, whatever face I'm wearing, I will always take care of you. You don't have to hide your wounds from me."

"You can't say that," River said, voice cheerful and teasing, although he knew better by now.

"Spoilers."

Years later she found herself in a similarly vulnerable state.

"Hurry up! They're getting away!"

Her grip on his was painful as she dragged him through the dense jungle.

Ao-Kuang of the constellation Dule, a planet that witnessed three apocalypses before it was discovered by alien life forms to conquer and rehabilitate it. It was the birthplace of the Mandula fruit, and an archeological treasure trove. River hadn't been looking for the Doctor when they ran into each other.

Once they got back to the part of the forest that he knew, the Doctor pulled ahead and started leading River towards the TARDIS. Unfortunately, a minute later, one of the divergent groups saw them.

"Over here!"

They twisted through the foliage, eyes searching for the blue box that meant safety. It turned out the Doctor had taken a mostly hidden animal track to get to the city. However, the jungle people were only shaken for a moment. They knew this area better than anyone, even River who had spent the better part of a month here.

She brought him along with her to explore the inner sanctum of the jungle ruins from two civilizations ago. River had been there for about a week, trying to decipher what had been the source of their downfall when the native population discovered them 'defiling' their 'holy grounds'. The chase started shortly after that.

They arrived at the TARDIS, key in the Doctor's hand and fumbling with the lock.
"Hurry," River urged in a whisper. They seemed to have lost their assailants, but who knew for how long? River felt a prick at her neck like a bee sting and slapped the area. She pulled away a ball of bug-like object but there was no stinger. Figuring it had broken off, River decided to pull it out later.

"Got it," The Doctor answered in a similar fashion. He opened the door quickly, air pressure fluttering his brown coat and River quickly entered behind him. Before she could close the door, another bee stung her in the back. She cursed the poor insect repellant she'd applied before entering and joined him at the console. He'd gotten around, starting the flight sequence and she slyly assisted without him noticing. He wouldn't start noticing for a few more trips from now.

A wave of dizziness from the adrenaline rush wearing off flushed over her. She sighed it away and steadied the relative space navigation lever. The Doctor bounced around, clearly not stopping anytime soon. This pretty face was always bounding with energy, probably why he was so ridiculously thin.

"So!" he started, pressing the rotational destabilization button, for no reason, "Where should I drop you off?"

River smiled sadly, "You're not sick of me already, are you Doctor?" Another wave. She blinked for a second longer than normal and put her hand against the console. "What is this?" The sudden wibbly-ness of the ship didn't help matters.

It had really been more of a ploy to find out where and what time period she lived in, but he supposed he could suffer her longer if she wished. He owed her that at the least. The guilt that plagued him when he was around her was mingled with a little bit of excitement, almost hoping that she'd want to stick around for another trip, "Well, you're a Professor. I'm sure you're very busy...unless you'd like to go somewhere else?"

He'd been navigating the TARDIS through a particularly tricky stretch of time bubbles to get to a clear spot in deep space. Pressing the automatic break, the Doctor let the TARDIS come to a slow orbit around one of Valtor Nine's moons. It was then he looked up at River, who hadn't responded yet. Her skin seemed flushed a shade or two lighter than normal, slightly ashen. Her eyes were closed and she was leaning against the TARDIS console.

"River?" he inquired, keeping his distance but focusing entirely on her now, trying to decipher what was wrong, "Are you alright?"

A fog was filling up her mind, making it difficult to think. She'd only intended to take a second to steady herself, but she found herself leaning against the console, half dozed off.

"I..." This came on so sudden, so intensely. River didn't want to worry him, but she was legitimately unsure if she could even hold up a facade, regardless of whether it was a good idea. She forced her eyes to focus on him, and found that it was too late, he was already closing in on her, "I don't know." How did this happen?

The Doctor's eyes lighted on her neck, where she was stung, and where she inadvertently jammed it in further.. He brushed curls away from it carefully and pulled out the sonic, scanning the area, then the rest of her body. Before the readings processed, her knees gave way and she dropped. Stopping the scan, he grabbed a hold of her and pulled an arm over his shoulders.

"I'm sorry," she said, humiliated that he was seeing her like this, and infuriated that her body would betray her. The Doctor didn't respond and focused on getting her to the Medbay. The TARDIS moved it closer to the console room as always when someone was injured. He sat her on the inspection table and plugged the sonic into the monitor so it could use the readings while he got her set up.

River's brain finally processed what was happening and what could have caused it, "The stings."

"What?"

"I got stung on the way in here. Bees?"

The Doctor went back to the visible welt on her neck and saw that there was indeed something wedged inside. He went over to the tools and got some medical tweezers, then with acute precision, pulled the stinger out while gently holding her head still. River whimpered but did her best to hold still. When he pulled it out and put it under the magnifying glass, he saw something terrible. It was definitely part of an artificial dart, not a bee's stinger. Even worse, that dart very likely held poison. His heart beat skipped, returning to the monitor and seeing the read out. Her heart rate had slowed down, temperature risen, and brain function reduced. He pulled back, and saw that River's eyes had slipped closed.

"River, stay with me, please," he pleaded, quickly analyzing the residue in the dart and grabbing the anti-venom that had been dispensed.

She let out a low hum in response, not completely unconscious then. Wow, she was tough.

"Good, good," he chirped, rushing around and getting her prepped for injection, "River, are you still awake?"

The noise she made couldn't qualify as a hum, but it was intentional, just on the brink of fainting. The Doctor gave her the antidote and bandaged the injection site.

"River," he called, taking hold of her hand and pulling a seat up to her side. There was no response, "River."

The Doctor sighed, it appeared as she had finally given in. He scanned her once more with the sonic, brain function still slowly dropping, pulse very quiet, and fever rather high, trying to burn away the toxin.

"Come on," he urged quietly while treating her neck, "Not here. Not yet. Not one line, remember? Well, I suppose you don't. Hasn't happened for you yet." For a moment he was grateful she wasn't awake to hear that spoiler. He'd have to get better at keeping that to himself.

After twenty agonizingly long minutes spent holding her hand, pacing, scanning her over again with the TARDIS and the sonic, the anti-venom appeared to be kicking in. Her heart rate elevated, temperature dropped a peg and brain function improved, according to the monitor. Minimal organ damage, drinking heavily would be worse than what happened to her body.

Five minutes later, she awoke.

Groaning, brow furrowed in pain, River opened her eyes and drank in her surroundings. The Doctor stood by her side.

"The Medbay?" Then she remembered, "The stings?" Taken down by a couple insects. That was humbling.

"That was no bee sting, it was a poison dart," He elaborated, trying not to let his worry show too much. Sometimes he forgot how fragile humans were, even though she handled that remarkably well.

Her hand went up to her neck, feeling the welt that sat there. Even now the swelling lowered. River then reached over to her side where the other dart lay.

She plucked it out, inspected it, then offered it to the Doctor, "You missed one, Sweetie." His eyes widened in surprise as he took it from her hand. Eyes shifted from her face to the dart.

"Two? You took two doses of this?" She was even stronger than he thought. It would explain the speed at which she reacted to it.

River just smiled sweetly, "Of course, did you really think one was enough for me?" Her smile may have been sweet, but her eyes were anything but.

The Doctor blushed lightly, having gotten the joke, "Don't tease me, that was..." he shook his head, not wanting to divulge that he had terrified her, however momentarily, "Well, I imagine you're worn out. You should get some rest." He made to walk off and let her sleep.

She wasn't sure what it was, the fever, or the care he had shown her, or her silent resolve to hide less from him, but River grabbed his hand, "Don't..." Shame burned her insides and caused her cheeks to flush. Had she crossed a line? Who was she to ask him to stay?

"Don't…?" The Doctor queried.

River broke her grip on his hand, "Please, um...Don't leave just yet." She looked away, silently admonishing herself. He was going to walk out that door. She made this awkward, he's going to leave her here.

The Doctor stood rigid for a moment, but then he did the unthinkable and sat back down on the stool; taking her hand once more.

"Alright," he said, a gentle kindness fueled by blossoming affection shining from his face, "I'll stay."

A serene smile alighted her face as she brought his hand to her cheek, rubbing his arm lovingly.

She was so pleased by his answer, he couldn't bring himself to take his hand away. His thumb moved as though from memory, stroking her cheek. The action sent shivers down his arm, tickling the place in his hearts that lay dormant for so long. Maybe, possibly, distantly in the future, he could learn to love and care for this woman.

A/N: SO SO SO SORRY ABOUT THE WAIT I AM A TERRIBLE HUMAN BEING.
But yeah, here you go. Got another few ideas for stories, and I want to write them, but I refused to write anything else before I finish this.

Sorry it's not longer than this, I really thought it would be. :/ Guess I gotta work on that.

Thank you for waiting so patiently. If you don't mind, please Review and I hope you enjoyed this.