Warning: This chapter starts to get a bit more graphic, so just be prepared. There'll be more, erm, descriptive writing in the next few chapters so consider this an official warning.
Chapter Seven.
Rose cried out in pain as the Doctor stared in wonder. So she'd just walked straight into the Citadel?! Incredible. But then again, he hadn't believed she could do a lot of things. Who would have thought a simple human girl could handle the things they saw together? Rose gasped again and bit back a scream and the Doctor was dragged from his thoughts.
"Doctor," she whimpered. "It hurts."
"I know," he said, getting flustered. "Maybe you should start pushing now?"
"But how do I know if I'm dilated enough?" Rose wailed and the Doctor squeaked. He was the Doctor, not a bloody midwife! He sighed. It was now or never.
"Rose, keep still. I'm going in."
The look of mortification on her face was priceless as the Doctor pulled her trousers and underwear off, throwing them aside with a flourish. He bit his lip; it was time to put the title of Doctor to the test and dredge up every last ounce of medical knowledge that he'd ever had. He looked down and immediately knew that something was wrong. There was already an amount of blood and he couldn't even see the baby's head yet. He was sure that there shouldn't be blood until she'd started pushing, but it had been a very, very long time since he'd seen a live birth.
"Okay Rose," he said, trying to sound sure of himself. "Give a push for me."
Rose wailed in pain as she pushed and the Doctor watched, seeing that she really wasn't ready. She was clearly not dilated enough, and it was putting a great strain on her body. If she kept pushing now then it could turn out disastrous. All the same, if she didn't get the baby out then it could be just as bad… The Doctor sighed.
"D-Doctor…" Rose's eyes were clouding and unfocussed and the Doctor realised the pain must be getting to her very badly.
"I'm here," he said, taking Rose's hand. "Stay with me Rose, don't pass out on me. Come on Rose, keep talking to me."
He knew he had to keep her talking, concentrating, for if she became unconscious and kept losing blood she could easily slip into a coma.
"C'mon," the Doctor encouraged gently. "Tell me what happened once you got inside the Citadel."
----
Rose gazed around her in awe. It was massive inside the Citadel, even bigger than the enormous outside suggested. She took a step forward and glanced around nervously, fingering the TARDIS key that hung around her neck. Just as the Doctor had said, nobody appeared to notice her. They weren't paying attention, all busy doing something. Rose took a moment to stare at the people, the Time Lords. They were rather magnificent, dressed in long sweeping robes with large shoulder-pad type things stretching out from their collars. They also wore large, somewhat ludicrous headdresses that Rose would have laughed at, had they not been so imposing.
She glanced around, hoping to see some signs directing her on where to go. She spotted several, but they were all written in Gallifreyan, which the TARDIS did not seem to translate. Rose closed her eyes and concentrated very hard on the TARDIS's telepathic link, clutching the key close to her chest. And then it was like a light, directing her towards a long, dark corridor. None of the Time Lords seemed to be heading down here, all busy with other things and Rose smiled confidently as she hurried down it. At last she reached a tall door and tucked the key back under her shirt. She tugged at the handle, not surprised to find it locked.
Rose sighed, wishing she had a sonic screwdriver. But then again, the door was probably deadlock sealed. What was she to do now? She was sure this was the right door. The idea hit her without warning and it was like a light bulb hung over her head as she grinned widely. The Doctor had mentioned to her once that all Time Lords had telepathic ability and Rose suddenly knew how to get inside that room. The Time Lords would never suspect a human could get inside the Citadel unnoticed, let alone have any telepathic links, like a TARDIS, so this was the perfect answer.
"Please," Rose begged in her mind, using all her energy and willpower to focus on the TARDIS's energy, "open the door for me. Let me inside that room."
And just like that, she heard the lock click. Rose frowned. Could it really be that simple? She gingerly pushed the door open and sighed. Of course it couldn't be that easy. Two burly Time Lords leaned lazily against the walls, each holding a powerful looking gun. Thanks to the TARDIS key they hadn't yet noticed Rose and she slipped inside the room, easing the door shut behind her. Now what?
And then she saw it. In the middle of the room, a great big hole with a strange smoke coming from it. She had to get down there; she had a strange feeling that this black hole the Doctor mentioned would be under the ground. Would the TARDIS key be powerful enough to allow her to walk straight past the two guards and climb down the hole? She decided not to risk it and glanced around the room. Luck, or fate, was on her side as she spotted a large metal pipe lying on the ground. She picked it up and groaned; it was heavy. Creeping, quietly, she snuck over to the guards. Wham! Straight over the back of the head. The first guard dropped like a slinky. The second guard jumped up and looked around wildly. Wham! Down he went also.
Rose dropped the pipe, shaking slightly and hoping they'd be alright. She removed that thought from her mind and faced the hole. It wasn't too deep, so she gathered her courage and jumped.
----
"Ohh my God," Rose practically screamed as another contraction gripped her. They were coming closer now, less time between them, and she was getting tired. The Doctor was steadily remembering bits and pieces of information on human births and was slowly gaining confidence. She just needed more time so she could dilate.
"Come on Rose," the Doctor muttered, gripping her sweaty hand tightly. "Tell me what you found when you got down the hole."
"It was there," she whispered, gritting her teeth against the pain. "The black hole. It looked different to the one we saw, with the Ood and stuff. This one was smaller, and was darker. More smoky. But there was somethin' else. Dragging me towards it. Just sorta captured me. It was this great big pool, next to the Eye. I couldn't resist, I needed to look at it."
"And what did you see?" the Doctor asked sharply.
"The future," Rose whispered. "I saw my reflection, and I was pregnant. Showed me ending up here; showed me seeing you again. And… it showed me dying. Giving birth."
The Doctor thought this over for a moment, his brain working a million miles per hour. Suddenly he leapt to his feet with a yell, startling Rose.
"But that's it!" he cried, running his hands through his hair and causing it to stick up at odd angles. "It's a Diversion Pool! The Time Lords put it in there, next to the Eye to cause a distraction. It has this psychic link, pulling you towards it. It's supposed to distract anyone undesirable; makes them see possible future outcomes. They get so distraught that they forget what they came for."
"Why'd they put that in there?" Rose asked, digging her nails into her palms from the pain.
"The Eye of Harmony is coveted," the Doctor explained. "It provides incredible power, and can give extra lives. My old nemesis, the Master, tried to steal a new set of regenerations from it."
"But, the Doctor said he's friends with the Master," Rose said and earned a glare. "Sorry, I meant the parallel Doctor."
"Like you said. Parallel. That Master might be friendly, but this world's is bad, Rose. Bad to the very core."
"Anyways," Rose said. "Before another contraction comes on, wanna tell me what it meant? What I saw?"
"It just shows possible futures. Possible outcomes. Did you study psychology at school, Rose?"
She shook her head.
"Well there's a little thing called 'self-fulfilling prophecies'. You end up convincing yourself that something's gonna happen, and then it does. You end up making it happen by believing it so strongly."
"I don't get it," Rose said blankly.
"You're not going to die in childbirth!" the Doctor announced happily. "I mean, you might, you could, but if I'm very good, which I am, I'll prevent it."
Suddenly Rose cried out and clutched her stomach in agony. The Doctor dropped to her side, clutching her hands.
"Hold on Rose," he murmured. "I'm going to get this baby out, and you're going to be just fine. You have to trust me."
Rose laughed weakly. "Doctor, I trust you with my life."
A/N: Yeah ok, this isn't my favourite chapter. Trust me, the next one is better. Anyway, thanks for the reviews so far and keep them coming!