Part Four

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'Typical him!' Donna thought. It is too much to ask when I've received my marching orders, she warned. Just five minutes.

The Doctor immediately snuggled into her, his face pressed into her neck to hide his grin. I'll take whatever I can.

Don't I know it!

There was an answering chuckle. I'd give you anything I could; even the stars.

At one time you would've. Not now.

His head lifted so that he could gaze into her eyes. "It's true what I said earlier. I still love you despite what you may think."

"Yeah, yeah; if you say so." She snorted her scorn.

"How do you want me to prove it?"

It was on the tip of her tongue to say: give me back you. But she knew such words would be futile if he didn't act willingly.

Seeing the sad expression in her eyes, he tipped forward to wipe it away with a tender kiss to her cheek, just like he had always done when she wouldn't voice her wants. I'd make love to you right here and now if you wanted.

Not this again! That's merely desperation talking, she countered.

He nuzzled closer. No, it's how sexy I think you are. God, you smell divine!

And you are all talk! Stop this right now.

As she pushed herself away from him, accidentally winding him by doing so, the telephone rang; and he had only started to draw breath again when Ben called out to say the call was for him.

Just before this, Ben had raced down the hallway to answer the phone as it rang angrily for someone to pay attention to it. He enjoyed sliding along on his socks across the polished floor before sweeping up the handset, and gazed at the display. The caller ID was unknown to him, so Ben merrily answered with, "Hello, Battersea Dogs Home, how may I help you?"

A distraught female voice accosted him on the other end of the line. One that was vaguely familiar.

"Calm down, love, I can't make out what you are saying? Did you say you want a doctor; only this isn't the surgery, that number is… Oh, THE Doctor. I see. Well, we've got one of them. He's somewhere shagging, I mean, talking to Mum. Hang on." He clasped a finger over the microphone and called out, "Dad! It's for you! She sounds a bit upset!"

"Bring it in here, please," he heard from a nearby room.

Walking into the lounge he then saw his parents incriminatingly entwined on the settee. "How much can I be bribed for not disclosing this little scene?" Ben gleefully asked his disgruntled father.

"I'll be showing off your baby album if you're not careful. Just give me the phone," the Doctor ordered, and took the telephone in his son's hand once he had sat himself up on the sofa cushions. "Hello Rose. Are you ready to be picked up yet?" There was some frantic talking on the other end. "You're at the hospital?! Why are you there? What happened? You'll have to speak slower. All I got was something about disgusting mud and the rest was a whiny mumble." A good minute later, he responded with a, "Oh, I see. That is terrible. Give me a ring when they've finished seeing to you and I'll come and get you both. Now there's no need to cry; Jenny is with you. Bye!"

"Well?!" Donna asked as they both got up and they all headed for the hallway. "Has she hurt herself? And what about Jenny?"

"Has Rose had a heart attack, broken neck, or mental breakdown?" Ben queried with far too much enthusiasm for the Doctor's liking.

"Jenny is apparently fine; it's Rose that is injured. She fell off her horse, hit a fence panel, landed in a pile of manure, and has broken her leg," the Doctor explained, carefully placing the phone back in its cradle.

"No!" Donna managed to gasp sympathetically as Ben tried to stifle his amused reaction. "How awful. I wonder how that happened. Bang goes all that gadding about you were planning to do. Such a shame. " To both males' consternation, she looked at her watch and then exclaimed, "Look at the time! You'd better get a move on. They'll be waiting for you to turn up in A&E."

The Doctor found his jacket being thrust into his hand but saw to his dismay that she made no effort to collect her own coat. "Aren't you coming up the hospital with me? Surely you want to check that Jenny is okay for yourself."

"No, I trust you," she brightly answered. "I erm... I'll stay here and look after things. There's a tray of sausage rolls still to be cooked." She hastily looked at her son. "Ben can go with you to keep you company."

"Mum!" he protested. I don't want to sit with HER, he frantically pushed into her mind. "Do I have to?"

"What's up?" The Doctor eyed her suspiciously. "Why are you deliberately avoiding coming?"

"No reason," she faintly answered, almost jigging nervously on the spot.

"Too right," Ben grumbled in disbelief as he gained a flash of something else entirely. "You're just making sure you're here when Uncle Peter phones."

"Peter?!" The Doctor gritted his teeth. "Is there something you should be telling me?"

"Nope, nothing at all," she insisted, practically shoving them out the door. "Nothing to tell. Go and get Jenny... and the other one. They'll be starving by now. I'll have tea all laid out nicely by the time you get back. Go on!"

"Alright," the Doctor reluctantly acknowledged, but silently vowed that he'd get to the bottom of this mystery.

~o~

Jenny was sitting all alone in a hospital corridor when they eventually found her. "Thank god you've finally arrived," she greeted them with relief, giving both men a heartfelt hug. "It's been murder sitting waiting for the x-ray to be done and then the plaster to be sorted out."

"Given you grief, has she?" Ben asked knowingly.

"Not half!" Jenny responded without thinking, and then went contrite. "It must be very difficult for her," she politely amended.

"How did it actually happen?" the Doctor. "The falling off the horse part, I mean."

"It wasn't deliberate, Dad. Honest, it wasn't," Jenny maintained. "She suddenly fell off Tyson and crashed into the fence."

Knowing he'd only find out if he had Jenny on her own and away from her brother, the Doctor shoved a hand into his trouser pocket and brought out a pile of coins. "Ben, here's some change. Go and get us all a cold drink from the vending machine."

"Okay, Dad." And no revealing anything, he added purely for his sister.

After some silent seconds, Jenny guiltily blurted out, "I really didn't mean this to happen, Dad." It had gone even better than her plan, but no way in hell would she admit that one.

"I'll believe you." The Doctor then thought to sneakily commiserate, "It must be tricky when you might have to miss out on the plans you've got with Uncle Peter later."

"Not particularly," Jenny innocently confessed as she continued to look down at her hands. "Mum is going out with him tomorrow." 'Oh bugger!' she suddenly thought, lifting her head up in shock. "Purely as friends," she hastily added when she saw the stern set of his mouth, "and not as... Oh look, here comes Ben with our drinks. Good because I'm gasping for one. It's been a long day so far."

Before her father could insist that she explain herself, he heard "Doctor!" yelled out by a female voice.

There came a squeal from very close behind him, and then suddenly he was pulled down by a wheelchair-bound woman and encased within a sobbing hug as Rose clung on tight around his neck. "I was beginning to think I'd never see you again."

"Aw, isn't that nice. Is this your family? Would dad like to come through and hear about the medication you'll need, Rose?" kindly offered the accompanying nurse who held onto the wheelchair. "As well as the leg she's had a bit of a bump on the head," she aimed towards the Doctor as she started to lead the way to another room.

"He's MY dad and Rose's fiancé," Jenny explained; gaining a shocked reaction from the nurse.

Result! Ben cheered in Jenny's mind. Seeing that they were now alone in the corridor, he risked whispering, "What did you really do?"

After double checking Rose and her father weren't coming back just yet, Jenny confided in low tones, "First, I made sure Rose was given Tyson to ride because he tends to be the easiest to manipulate. Using the guise of feeding him carrots, I spoke into the horse's mind first of all, to see if he would carry out a simple request; so Rose kept having Tyson halt, or turn his head and nip in her direction. Twice he almost got the tips of her boots. It's amazing what promising a basket of apples will do. And when that worked, I asked him to go in the opposite direction to what she wanted, hoping she'd fall in the manure. I didn't expect him to throw her into the fence as well; or fart right in her face."

Added bonus though, Ben cheekily praised her as the sound of Rose's voice filtered back in to the corridor.

That gained a fervent nod. Totally worth all the apples he is going to get, Jenny agreed and then turned to ask her father as he reappeared, "All done?"

With a sigh of exasperation, he gestured for them to get moving. "Let's go home, get you cleaned up and have something to eat." This is going to be a long six weeks, he added to both Jenny and Ben; causing them to share many delighted smirks behind Rose's back.

~o~

Their meal was over and Donna was loading up the dishwasher when the Doctor sauntered out to her, having left Rose propped up on cushions. There had been numerous whispered complaints about coping with stairs, how tired she felt, how much she ached, and that she didn't think she could manage to overcome her broken leg whilst staying in his flat. Already the whole situation was grating on his nerves, and he was tempted to follow his daughter's example.

Jenny had eagerly escaped any further commitment, mumbling something about guinea pigs needing to be seen to; even though he was convinced they had died the year before. She had done this because she had spent a fair amount of time sorting out some clean clothes for Rose to change into once when they had got home; a task that had gained reserved thanks. Rose had made a fuss as she had washed herself as best she could, with a little help from Donna; much to both their shared reluctance, but it had to be done, and Donna had the motherly skills to wash a squirming infant.

Being young and inexperienced had worked in Ben's favour this time. As it was, he had made sure he was sitting nowhere near Rose in the lounge, and the last thing he wanted was to be chosen to wait hand and foot on her. She hadn't earned the right to expect that of him, and he highly doubted she ever would, despite her impending marriage to his father; or because of that he hadn't decided yet. So far all she had done was scowl at him or send him flirty smiles. Both he could do without; so he buried himself in watching some film on the television and ignored her as much as he could.

Seeing Donna intently carrying out her task, the Doctor ambled closer and considered how best to word his request "Donna...?" he began to ask; but she quickly held up a hand to interrupt him.

"Don't even ask," she warned.

"Ask what?" he innocently queried.

"Before you try and guilt me into it, no, I won't have Rose stay here and look after her for you," Donna accurately predicted his request. "She should go back and stay with her mother."

"But Donna," he whined, and tried the full kicked puppy expression.

"No!" she said more firmly.