He settled Nick on the grating of the TARDIS floor and then leaped to the controls, pushing buttons and slamming the heel of his show into a lever
He settled Nick on the grating of the TARDIS floor and then leaped to the controls, pushing buttons and slamming the heel of his show into a lever. With the tell-tale whining-grinding sound, they were in motion, spinning backward in time to New New York where he knew Nick would receive the best medical treatment possible. He had to ignore that it would be from The Sisters of Plenitude and in a few years he would arrive with Rose to uncover their secrets and throw their whole system into disarray. He hammered a nearby panel and then felt certain the TARDIS was doing in the right direction and would stop at the right time.
He sat down and shuffled his body over to bring Nick's head and shoulders onto his lap. He stroked her hair with one hand, her shoulder with the other. Whatever dismay the torture had left on her, it was gone now. Her expression was one of complete sleep. The blank peacefulness that comes with a deep slumber.
"Never again," he said, his voice hard. Cepter-bond torture was bad, outlawed on every world he knew of that had encountered it. Had he known the Paresh had them, he would have come up with something different, formulated a new plan, any plan. Anything to keep Nick safe. No one deserved what she'd endured.
The TARDIS jarred to a halt and the Doctor picked her up once more, headed out and turned right around the corner of a white sheen building, automatic doors opening to a familiar scene.
"Need some help!" he barked at the strolling nurses. Suddenly they burst into a flurry of white uniforms. A stretcher rolled toward him and he placed Nick on it.
"Severe trauma due to cepter-bond torture," he said before they could ask. One of the Sisters stared at him in shock and horror. He ignored her.
"Where will you take her?" he asked.
"Level 5, Ward 52." The Sister rushed off after the stretcher, leaving the Doctor to stand alone in the lobby, gazing after her. There was nothing more he could do for her now. He'd be in the way, but waiting idle would drive him mad. He needed to talk to someone, and he knew who he wanted to see.
--
"Hello Boe."
With a low rumble as though he were just waking up, the Face of Boe opened his eyes to look at the person who spoke.
"Ah, Doctor. You are alone today, I see. Or is it you are here for another reason?" Boe spoke each word with effort, his age more than showing through. Still, the Doctor would tell Boe put energy into his question.
"Nikki," the Doctor said.
The corners of Boe's mouth crinkled. Was he smiling? The Doctor thought of saying when he'd picked Nick up, but then realized it would betray to Boe everything about the future. But the way Boe only said, "Mmm" and blinked slowly showed the Doctor the truth. Boe already knew; he'd already worked out that Nick was after Martha, after Donna, after all of them.
"Nick for short. This one," was all the Doctor could say. His voice faded as he thought about her. This one. How many had there been? It wasn't true – she wasn't just "this one." Besides that, she had been with him the longest. She didn't show any signs of leaving either. Until now. He wouldn't be surprised if she decided to go home after this ordeal.
"What has happened?" Boe asked.
The Doctor sat, practically collapsing into a chair, and related the entire tale. Strange, it felt as though it had happened long ago, and yet it had only been minutes.
"Is she as strong as you believe?"
The Doctor stared at Boe, unblinking. "Yes." Then he hung his head. "Why is it that everywhere I go, death and destruction follow me?"
He said it soft enough that the question seemed more for him than for Boe.
"Why is it," said Boe, "that everywhere you go, people live, whereas without you, they would certainly die?"
This gave the Doctor pause and he looked up into the gigantic face. Then he sighed and shook his head, letting it drop again.
"Maybe I should just stop. Turn human. Die from old age. With her."
"Doctor," Boe said, no surprise in his voice. The Doctor looked at him again.
"I've never been with one person for so long. It's been longer than three years – what if her next trip is her last? What if I can't save her next time?"
"For you to dwell on the 'what ifs' in life…"
"I lose everyone," the Doctor grated. "They leave, they get killed, they get sucked into another dimension, and I'm always behind it! I'm always in the thick of it! I should put a bloody disclaimer on the TARDIS!" He swept his hand over an invisible sign; "Traveling with the Doctor can lead to torture and death!"
He slumped into his chair. Boe didn't say anything. The Doctor knew why. Boe knew the Doctor didn't really believe everything he said. He wasn't responsible for everything that he bumped into. Things just happened. He was angrier at himself than anything for dragging Nick along into a situation that no one should ever have to be in.
"Tell me about her," Boe said, coaxing the Doctor into a different discussion, leading his thoughts away from despair.
The Doctor already knew that Boe knew Nick. She'd met Jack Harkness already, but he wasn't going to say anything. Instead he just did what Boe asked.