Martha headed to her lab again while Jack moved to the side of the room to give them a little privacy. He was still within hearing range and reaction range in case he was wrong about Wilf, but the look in the old man's eyes had been genuine concern about the Doctor. Even though he had been warned of the Doctor's condition before he entered the autopsy room he still had been horrified to actually see him. Not only was the Doctor skeletal looking with dark rings under his eyes, he looked pale and sickly as well. The restraints kept the Doctor's arms at his sides, but he was covered with a thick blanket to keep him warm in the cold hub. His pillows were new and supported his neck. It showed Wilfred that he was being cared for, but still they knew he was coming and could have posed the Doctor for his arrival.
"Are you being held against your will," Wilfred asked him in concern, finally finding his voice. The Doctor thought about ignoring him like he was ignoring Jack and Martha. He owed Wilfred more then that though.
"Yes," the Doctor replied after a long moment. Wilfred glanced at Jack and he shrugged. He couldn't argue it because it was true. Granted they were just trying to save his life and if that meant keeping him there even when he wanted to leave, Jack was willing to continue doing it.
"Are they hurting you," Wilfred asked next. The Doctor sighed. If they were, Wilfred would stop at nothing to get the Doctor out and to safety.
"No," he informed the man, much to Jack's surprise. Regardless of whether or not he wanted the help, deep down he knew he needed it. One day he might thank them for saving his life even if at this moment he hated them. Wilfred pulled up the chair and sat down heavily in it.
"Then what happened?" Wilfred wondered. The Doctor remained silent this time, refusing to answer that question.
"He did this to himself," Jack spoke up at last. The Doctor glared at him with all the anger he could muster.
"Is that true?" Wilfred questioned and the Doctor nodded weakly. "Why?"
"I hurt them." The Doctor's voice was so low that Jack almost missed it.
"Who did you hurt son?" Wilfred reached out and took the Doctor's hand into his. The Doctor squeezed his hand gently as Jack watched. Jack silently celebrated the fact that the Doctor was talking. Bringing Wilfred here had been a good idea after all and he wasn't going to have to retcon the man in order to protect the Doctor. The Doctor needed to talk about what was upsetting him and since he was refusing to tell Wilfred who he hurt, Jack decided to give him a little push.
"He told me Donna was dead," Jack informed Wilfred.
"She is not," Wilfred exclaimed in disbelief. "She is very much alive and better for the time she spent with you. She may not remember the adventures she had, but deep down she knows and if she could see the way you are hurting yourself, she would be devastated." A few of the tears the Doctor had been holding, finally broke free and rolled down his cheeks but he quickly bit them back. He missed Donna more then he missed Rose. Donna had been one of the best friends he ever had and he just wanted to hear her call him spaceman again or tell him off for waking her early. He never thought he would miss that, but the final goodbye she had given him had shattered both his hearts. He closed his eyes trying not to think of his lost friend.
"It is all right to cry son" Wilfred squeezed his hand tighter, but he refused to let anymore tears loose. Wilfred began to speak again, telling him several stories about Donna. Donna was still working for the temp agencies, but she was standing up for herself more with her mother. She was even planning a trip outside of the country in the fall. The Doctor listened happy to hear that he hadn't completely destroyed her. He was so engrossed in Wilfred's story that he barely noticed that Martha had come back into the room. With her she had brought everyone a lunch of fish and chips. She gave a plate to Jack and Wilfred before setting his portion down on the table in front of him. She picked up one of the chips and offered it to him and he sucked his lips into his mouth as he stared at her.
"You know the deal Doctor, eat or I will feed you," Martha advised him. She sat the chip down again to give him time to think as she started on her own meal. Several times she tried to get him to eat but he continued to refuse. Finally she finished off her own meal. "Feeding tube it is," Martha said calmly. She stood up and went to the cupboard. She pulled out the large syringe used to push the liquid through the tube. She filled it with the liquid and headed back to the Doctor's bed. Wilf looked at the syringe in her hand.
"That's formula," he exclaimed.
"Sorta, I got it off the TARDIS so I know it is all right for him, it also has extra potassium in it that his body needs," Martha informed Wilfred. She picked up the end of the tube and started to prepare it for the syringe.
"Well he is still drinking even if he doesn't want to eat," Wilfred said softly, speaking to himself. He looked at her and spoke louder. "What about a nice milkshake?"
"If he will drink it, that is fine, but I want him to start on solid food again soon and not be reliant on a liquid diet," Martha said. She put down the feeding tube and the syringe. Martha left the room and made him a banana milkshake with real ice cream and added cream to it. Also to the mix she added peanut butter. She took it to the Doctor and set it down in front of him. He eyed it suspiciously.
"Take a drink son," Wilfred moved the straw so the Doctor could get it. For a minute Martha thought he was going to continue to refuse, but he finally opened his mouth and took a small drink.
"See it is good," Martha laughed in relief. She hoped she could convince him to eat a chip at least, but solid food still didn't appeal to him. He drank half of the milkshake which was enough for him to avoid the feeding tube again. Martha left it in place though, not trusting that he will continue to eat on his own. Wilfred stayed a little longer before standing and stretching.
"I need to get home, but I will be back to check on you," Wilfred advised the Doctor. He wasn't worried anymore that the Doctor was being mistreated, but on the other hand he was more worried about the Doctor taking care of himself. He took the Doctor's hand again for moment before leaving the autopsy room. Jack followed him to show him out. "You take care of him you hear."
"We will Wilfred, I promise," Jack reassured him. "You can come back anytime. You have done a lot of good for the Doctor today." He watched Wilfred leave. He had been weary about having Wilfred there, but he had caused the Doctor to take a step in the right direction. The Doctor still had a lot of healing to do though and one afternoon wasn't going to change that. He went back into the autopsy room to see that once again the Doctor was sipping a cuppa quietly. He had a lot to think about and hopefully Jack would be able to get him to talk again.
