Pain In the Neck
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Previously in Chapter Three:
"Massage?" Rose croaked, clearly surprised.
"Well, yes. What did you think I was going to do?"
"I dunno. S'pose I thought you'd just give me a couple of shots and that'd be it." Her words were spoken slower than usual, and the Doctor knew the injection was working.
"Well Rose Tyler, you know I never like to do things half way. Unless you're feeling uncomfortable about it. If that's the case I'm sure I can figure out another -"
"No! I mean, do what you need to do. You're the Doctor, after all," she grinned.
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Chapter Four:
Plain Pain Relief
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The Doctor returned Rose's grin, pleased she wasn't begrudging him his chance to help. It was more often than not that she thought too little of her injuries, skirting around the need for any medical attention. Perhaps he should medicate her first from now on ...
Helping Rose to lie back on the bed, he coaxed her into rolling onto her side, supporting her so that she hardly used the muscles which pained her. He helped her maneuver until she lay on her stomach, her head facing him. She looked comfortable enough for him to enter her bathroom for just a moment or two.
When the Time Lord returned, he carried the stainless steel bowl, now half filled with steaming water. Setting it on the floor, he placed a few of the flannels within it, letting them soak up the moist heat. He then leaned over Rose.
"Rose?"
She grinned. "That tickles."
"I take it you're still feeling comfortable enough?" he asked, his breath continuing to wash over her earlobe.
"Mmm hmm," she responded, her eyes half closed.
"Good. Very good. I need to remove your shirt now, all right?"
Suddenly Rose's eyes opened wide.
"I just need to expose your back to have access to the stressed muscles beneath it. Lift your arms above your head."
She closed her eyes tightly, remaining perfectly still.
"Rose, I know you can hear me. This is for your own good. Now, we can either do it this way, or you can return to the heated moisture therapy of your shower. Of course," he leaned in closer, his breath again on her ear, "I'll have to join you - make sure you don't fall or injure yourself further. I have no inhibitions when it comes to your well-being. So it's your choice, really."
Rose raised her arms slowly over the pillow her head rested upon.
"Good girl," the Doctor spoke, already lifting the hem of her sweatshirt. He talked to her while he worked, removing the top while protecting her modesty and making sure to cause her as little pain as possible during the process.
Once finished, he placed her garment at the foot of the bed. He traced his fingers gently over the deep bruises revealed, shaking his head silently. He then looked up at her face, realizing how still she was.
"Rose? You all right?"
She remained quiet for a full twelve seconds before she took a deep breath, sighing through her exhale. "Yeah."
"Good." The Time Lord bent over and grabbed a dripping flannel, wringing it out then folding it in two. "I'm going to start relaxing the muscles a bit more with moist heat. Between that and the relaxant I administered, I should be able to work the knots out fairly easily. Once that's done, I'll begin applying the regenerative gel and you should feel better than you have in quite a while, your pain gone like a bad dream. Ready?"
"Yep," she said.
He laid the wash cloth across the back of her neck. Rose instantly went rigid, the shock of its warmth surprising her even with his warning. But soon she relaxed, feeling the benefits of the cloth as heat seeped into her muscles. Within ten minutes, he had flannels strategically placed across her back, refilling the bowl with hot water and dipping the cloths in it once more as he repeated his actions.
When the third round of moist heat had begun cooling, her facial features had visibly relaxed. The Doctor removed the flannels from her skin then grabbed a towel to dry her. When that task was done, he retrieved another towel, covering Rose to prevent her from getting chilled.
"Feeling better?" he asked softly, leaning down into her line of vision.
She wriggled a bit, then brought her arms back down to her sides with visibly more ease than when she had lifted them, bending them to rest comfortably on either side of her torso. "Yeah, it feels lots better. Thanks for takin' care of me like that."
"Oh, I'm not done yet. Still have to let the regenerative gel have a go." He sat down beside her on the bed then, reaching for a shiny cylinder from the tray. Unscrewing the lid, he dipped two fingers inside, curling then removing them. They were covered in a milky blue gel that seemed to glow upon his fingertips. He smiled. "This is like the cherry on top," he stated, popping the "p".
The Doctor set the cylinder down beside his hip then removed the towel from her back.
"'S cold," she mumbled, bringing her arms even closer to her torso than they were before, which was saying a lot.
"You'll warm up soon enough," he promised, then placed his gel-coated fingers on her skin.
"Oi! That's even colder!"
"And you are not the perfect patient," he said as he began rubbing the miracle goo into her skin. It didn't take long for Rose to warm up again.
"Wow. That stuff ... feels really good," she mumbled into her pillow.
The Doctor smiled to himself, taking care of the bruises before working his way up to her neck, massaging each muscle along the way.
When he finished, he called to her. At receiving no answer, his grin widened. She was sound asleep. Running his fingers along her skin softly from hips to neck and assured all of the gel had soaked in, the Doctor pulled up the duvet from the foot of the bed, covering her just up to her shoulders. He brushed the hair from her face, noting her peaceful expression. She'd obviously become exhausted from the pain she endured, so he gathered his equipment quietly and left her to rest.
OoO
Four hours later, Rose entered the console room, smiling broadly at the Doctor as he stood, watching her approach.
"You look better," he returned her grin.
She leaned forward then back, testing her back muscles with favorable results. "Feel better, too. In fact, I think I feel better than I have in a while."
"So you've not been feeling good lately?" he asked with mild concern.
"Oh no, I mean, I've been feelin' all right, just didn't realize how tight my muscles were till you started loosenin' 'em."
"Tension causes the muscles to draw up. I just helped you relax yours a little, that's all."
"Well, I don't want mine to ever get that tensed up again. That really hurt."
"They were very knotted," the Doctor agreed. "We really shouldn't let it get close to being that bad again."
Rose smiled widely then closed the distance between them, hugging him. "That mean every time we go out you'll need to give me a massage when we get back?" she asked with a giggle.
"Oh, I don't know," the Doctor said, his tone a bit teasing. "That sounds a bit domestic to me. But -"
"Yeah," Rose interrupted, releasing her hold on him as she stepped back. Her face reflected discomfort. "I didn't mean - what I was tryin' to say was -"
The Doctor smiled broadly. "It's all right, Rose. I was just going to say that sometimes I get a little bit tense, too."
She looked at him and he watched closely, knowing the exact moment she understood his meaning. Her smile was ear to ear. "Really?"
"Oh yes," he replied. "wouldn't mind a massage myself now and then."
Rose grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the corridor. "So what are we waitin' for?"
OoO
The End.
OoO