Time Lords could definitely get fevers. Or at least, this one sure could.
Much to a certain Rose Tyler's dismay.
Yes, oh, yes he could, and the blonde wondered if maybe the aliens were even more susceptible to them than humans. The Doctor certainly helped her hypothesis, anyway. It was ridiculous; every single time she managed to coax him into letting her put the thermometer under his tounge, the number was higher then it had been the previous occasion. His fever was going nowhere but up, even despite the numerous wet washcloths and plentiful cups of water she'd practically forced into him. However, the Time Lord wasn't in much of a position to object, either; Rose would at least say that in his defense.
"Doctor, you should drink more water, your temperature is rising." She stated, thrusting yet another cup of the tasteless, clear liquid in his direction. Others sat piled about, scattered across the room. They were all empty; drained to the very last drop.
"Dear Lord, Rose!" The Doctor looked at her, baffled. "I'm not thirsty anymore! How much water do you expect me to drink?! This has to be at least my tenth mug, am I right? How many more have you already planned?" A bout of coughing interrupted him, stopping the man from complaining any further. That was a good thing, too; she knew from experience that he could jabber on and on about literally any topic, explaining and deducing- but lacking an actual point. She knew he was just making fun of her, though, so she just rolled her bright eyes, playing along.
"Calm down, cowboy." Her eyes darkened mischeviously. "I expect you to stop complainin' and keep swallowin' this stuff. If you don't behave, I'll drug it." There was a dramatic wave of hands right after this was stated. The Doctor just shook his head and smiled weakly.
"You wouldn't."
"Would I?"
"No, you wouldn't."
"...Alright, you got me, but my point still stands!" After a few more minutes of discussing the pros and cons of drinking yet another glass of water, the Time Lord gave in and reluctantly gulped it down- making sure to loudly announce his disapproval whenever he got the chance.
Another hour or so went by of restlessness, and Rose shook her head yet again as she pulled the little device out of her patient's mouth. She frowned. It'd raised again, even if only just a bit.
"'S too high. You need to sleep a bit more."
He looked at her dumbly, starting to feel the affects of the high temperatures swimming around inside of him. "H-How high?" He asked her, shivering a bit and retreating further into the pink, furry mass of blankets he was under.
"Too high, Doctor." She pressed the button to turn the device off, looking down at him and shaking her head. "You're gettin' stupid already, just go to sleep to save yourself from embarrassment." Poking fun at the Time Lord was getting less and less entertaining. Worry knawed persistantly at the blonde, but she did her best to ignore it. Which was getting harder every passing hour.
"Nooo, I am not...!" The brown haired man closed his eyes, laying back. He rubbed them sleepily with his knuckle, yawning. "I-I suppose I could use a bit..." Another yawn. "...of shuteye... b...but..." Out like a light, Rose thought. ...Again.
She pinched the bridge of her nose. Goddamn fevers.
Eventually, the blonde decided to share a bed with her time traveling partner for the night. She wasn't sure whether the sickness could pass from species to species- where had it even come from?- but she figured it was worth risking either way. And it would've worked quite well, too, hadn't he been so sick. The Tyler home did not get very much sleep that night.
The Doctor tossed and turned violently, not staying still for more then ten minutes at a time. He clung tp anything that he could get his hands on, and that included the girl he was sharing the bed with. His talking and whining was excessive, and at some point it became so loud that Rose had to wake him up.
"Get to the TARDIS...mmm..."
"...The TARDIS...!"
"Get in...now... c'mon, hurry, hurry..."
She sat up, running a hand through her hair lazily and shaking his shoulder as he called out the name of his ship yet again.
"Doctor, wake up...!" He jerked awake with a start, intaking a quick breath. The air around him was warm and stuffy. He hummed something of a question, wondering why she'd woken him up, but she just shook her head.
"You gotta shut up while you're sleepin', Doctor." The explanation was blunt, and didn't get a reply. "How are you feelin'?"
He groaned, looking frail and weak. The blankets almost seemed to be crushing him. 'Oncoming Storm'. Right. The blonde pulled a few of them off the bed, tossing them onto the floor. She stretched. The Time Lord shook violently, overtaken by a coughing fit.
"Do you need somethin'?"
"...mm..." Came a muffled reply, obscured by a pillow.
"Is that a yes or a no?"
"The TARDIS..." He mumbled, and Rose raised an eyebrow. He needed the TARDIS? Maybe he was in delirium? The blonde reached over and felt his forehead with the back of her hand; he'd gotten warmer, again. Hopefully delirium wasn't the case.
"I can't get you the TARDIS, you're bein' ridiculous."
"Nononono Rose... Th-there's something I need i-in the TARDI- achoo!"
Thank God.
"And what's that, exactly?"
"'S a small bottle of pills..." He yawned, covering his face with his hands and coughing again. "I'm tired, Rose... just get the pills from the TARDIS n'...shhhh..." As much as she didn't want to get up and go outside, let alone walk a couple of blocks in the pitch darkness, she was willing to try and get the bottle. It sounded promising, didn't it? Hopefully the Time Lord knew what he was talking about.
"I-I can go run and get it. What does it look like, Doctor...?" She eventually decided, and he waved his hand lazily, not bothering to turn to her.
"It's the only bottle in the whole medicine cabinet... In the bathroom... You'll find it easily, I'm sure..."
She smiled, climbing off the bed and putting on her jacket yet again- it smelled like him, and she took a deep, satisfied breath. The Doctor's coat was on a hanger in her closet and she grabbed the TARDIS key from its pocket next, then opened her nightstand's drawer to get a flashlight as well. It was nice and bright; her mum must've replaced the batteries earlier that day. She thanked Jackie silently and stood up.
"All right, I'll be back in a few minutes. Stay safe, Doctor." Her reply was silence, and suddenly without thinking she walked over to him and pressed her lips to his hot forehead, closing her eyes for a moment. "Please, just stay safe."
And that was that. Rose was out the door. She thought maybe she heard her companion chuckle softly, but of course it was only her imagination and he was fast asleep. Right?
A/N: alright uwu wow you people so nice. I'll get started on the NEXT chapter right away, okay? ;D It'll be nice and long and eventful!
