Vignette 4: Jamie McCrimmon, Polly Wright, Ben Jackson, and the Second Doctor, continuation of the first three.
Jamie still wasn't entirely sure about his final decision. It seemed that for every reason he could come up with for wanting to go back to Scotland, there was a reason to stay on the TARDIS, as well.
He sighed, deciding that he probably should, at least, discuss the topic with the Doctor; perhaps he could work something out with the TARDIS if Jamie decided that going home was the best idea.
When he reached the console room, however, the Doctor wasn't there. Ben was there, clearly looking for the Doctor, as well.
It was the first time Ben and Jamie had come face to face since the camera incident; the sailor and the piper spent about five minutes staring each other down before Ben decided that he would attempt to break the ice.
"Cor, it's like one of those American westerns, innit?"
He inwardly flinched at the blank look on Jamie's face; he'd done it again—referencing things that the Scot couldn't be expected to understand.
Polly now ran into the console room, staring apprehensively at the scene.
"What's going on here?" she asked.
"Nothing to worry about, Duchess—just the two of us attempting a remake of High Noon."
"Och, I have better things to do than deal with ye," Jamie scowled. "Where's the Doctor?"
"Search me, mate—I'm looking for him, too."
"Oh, so ye di'n 'make him change' again, eh?" the Scot asked, sarcastically.
"Oh, can't you let that go?" Ben asked. "I said I was sorry—what more do you want from me?"
"That's enough!" Polly said, desperately trying to keep the peace. "I just saw the Doctor in his study, going over that 500 year diary of his."
"Aye, where's the study?"
"It doesn't matter; he shooed me out and locked the door," she sighed. "I think he's had enough of our petty, human problems and wants us to work them out ourselves."
Jamie looked away. Perhaps that was reason enough to insist on going back to Scotland; the Doctor had better things to do than to spend so much time teaching him to read and write and explaining things…
The Scot's thoughts were interrupted as the TARDIS suddenly lurched, as though she had been struck by something. With a yelp, he was thrown off of his feet; Polly stumbled, but maintained her footing—until Ben accidentally crashed into her as he was pitched off of his feet.
"What was that!?" Jamie exclaimed, trying to sit up as the TARDIS continued to shake.
"I don't know—for once, I know as much as you do!" the sailor said.
"Was that necessary!?" Polly chided him.
Before Jamie could answer back, the TARDIS violently lurched again, and the doors were suddenly blown open.
A blinding light and intense heat filled the console room as the TARDIS was sent careening off into space. Polly and Ben, who were closer to the open doors, began to fall back, getting dangerously close.
Jamie, forced to close his eyes from the blinding light, instinctively grabbed their wrists and pulled them away; but the sudden movement caused him to slip towards the open doors. He clawed at the floor, desperately; his skin felt as though it was on fire.
The Scot had just about given up, accepting that he was going to fall through the doors and into empty space—into whatever fireball was torturing him—when a hand grabbed ahold of his wrist.
"Jamie!"
It was the Doctor—but there was something about him that was very different. And as the otherworldly man pulled Jamie away from the doors, the Scot realized what it was.
For the first time, he didn't sound his usual, carefree self; the concern in the Doctor's voice had been jarring.
His eyes still closed, Jamie clutched at the Doctor's shoulders, fearful of falling out of the TARDIS. And the Doctor wrapped an arm around Jamie as he led him back to the console. An instant later, Jamie heard the TARDIS's doors close, followed by the familiar vwoorp-vwoorp-vwoorp as they left the horrible spot they were in.
"Is everyone alright!?" the Doctor demanded.
"I… I think so!" Polly said, trying to catch her breath. "Ben!?"
"Y-Yeah…" the sailor stammered.
But Jamie's face and hands still felt like they were burning, and as he opened his eyes, he had another concern.
"I cannae see!" he cried, still clutching at the Doctor's shoulders.
The Doctor still held an arm around Jamie, and now gently placed his other hand on his shoulder.
"You're going to be alright," he promised. "It's just a bit worse for you because you were closer."
"Closer to what!?" Polly asked. "What was that!?"
"A solar flare," the Doctor said, taking care not to touch Jamie's burned skin. "We were floating through space; there must have been some sunspot activity on a nearby star, and the material from the flare reached us. The TARDIS must have drifted too near to the edge of that flare. Had we been struck head-on by that flare…" He trailed off for a moment, suppressing a shudder. "Well, let's just say we wouldn't be able to discuss it if that had happened. The Old Girl's shields certainly helped matters here." He glanced at the Scot, whose face and hands were now red from the stellar radiation exposure. Had it not been for the TARDIS deploying her shields at the last second, Jamie would have surely suffered far, far worse than the agonizing sunburn he was currently experiencing.
"Jamie saved our lives," Polly said. "We probably would have fallen too close to the doors—and fallen out."
"You can say that again; I'm glad you don't hold a grudge, mate!" Ben said. His tone suddenly became more serious as his eyesight was restored and he saw the extent of Jamie's condition. "Blimey, is he going to be alright?!"
Polly gasped as she, too, began to see the extent of Jamie's burns.
"He will be," the Doctor promised. "Jamie, come with me."
Gently, he continued to hold the Scot's shoulders, leading him out of the console room and through the maze corridors. Jamie still clutched the Doctor's shoulders, his vision not restored yet. But as they arrived at their destination, the Scot could feel something different in the air.
"Where are we?"
"It's the Zero Room," the Doctor said. "Its atmosphere induces healing in my people, but it should be able help you, as well, since your injuries are radiation-induced."
The mention of "his people" reminded Jamie of what Polly had told him earlier—about how she was certain that the Doctor was not human, but still trusted him.
And as Jamie's vision began to return, and he saw the genuine concern in the Doctor's eyes as he looked at him, he understood exactly what Polly had meant.
"Thank ye," he said.
The Doctor gave him a wan smile, looking after him as the Zero Room began to do its work. Jamie watched, surprised, as his hands began to revert back to normal; judging by how his face wasn't hurting as much, the same was probably happening to it, too.
And as he began to heal, he decided that he would stay on the TARDIS after all. Though he knew this meant leaving Scotland behind for good, there was no denying that he had found something very precious here.