Chapter Seven: The Doctor
The Doctor was drifting in a cocoon of warmth and softness. He knew there were things happening outside of it, things that were probably important and required his attention, but there was also pain out there and worry. None of it could reach him in his cocoon. He knew he couldn't stay here forever, but he wasn't ready to leave yet. Just a little longer, he thought, almost pleading with himself as he drifted closer to wakefulness. He struggled but it was to no avail. He could feel cool air sneaking in under the quilt's edge, clearing the fog in his mind. Pain was creeping back too, starting in his shoulder and ankle. He could sense that it was light out as well, despite having his eyes shut beneath the quilt. His innate sense of time kicked in, telling him it was morning. One… no, two, hours past dawn.
As he grew alert, memories started to return. He was in pain because he'd fallen. Rory had said something about a broken collar-bone and a sprained ankle. He'd been very worried. The Doctor had wanted to reassure him but it had been so hard just to stay awake. People had moved him, he remembered that, and he'd heard a man and a woman talking together close by. He'd thought it was Rory and Amy. They often sat together on the little bench in the console room, talking while he piloted the TARDIS…
"Doctor? Are you awake?" The quilt lifted from his face and the Doctor cringed as light and cool air rushed in. He opened his eyes and squinted up into Rory's haggard face, wincing at the dark shadows and lines of tension he saw there.
"Rory…"
"Just stay still," the young man commanded, putting a hand on the Doctor's good shoulder. "Do you remember what happened to you?"
"I fell off a cliff," the Doctor replied. He frowned as he realized he wasn't looking at the sky. "We're in a tent."
"Yes. The queen arranged it for us."
"The queen…" The Doctor let his voice trail off, remembering a portly man in doublet and hose wringing his hands. He wasn't supposed to tell. "Oh yes."
"I need to get your arm in a sling and wrap your ankle," Rory said brusquely. "Stay still." He got to his feet and moved away. The Doctor could hear him moving around the tent and he turned his head slowly to watch.
"Amy…"
"Amy's still not back." Rory didn't turn from rummaging in a small chest. His voice contained a mixture of anger and fear. "I don't know where she is." The last came out almost a whisper. A chill washed over the Doctor.
"Not back…" He let his voice trail off as he remembered Rory telling him that Amy had gone for the med kit. "But who were you talking to last night?"
"What?" Rory looked up from the chest, frowning over at the Doctor.
"I heard, at least, I thought I heard, you speaking with a woman," the Doctor said, wincing as Rory's frown deepened to a glare. "Maybe I was dreaming?"
"You heard the queen," Rory replied tersely, getting to his feet. "We… we ate supper together in this tent." He moved to the foot of the Doctor's cot and drew back the quilt, kneeling to work on his ankle. The Doctor propped himself up on his good arm to watch but all he could see was the top of Rory's head.
"And Amy didn't make it back?" He hissed in a breath as his boot was pulled off roughly.
"No, she didn't," Rory growled. His hands stilled for a moment. When he spoke again, the anger was gone from his voice and he sounded close to tears. "It started to storm part-way through dinner. It was so bad for a while that the queen and her lady-in-waiting couldn't return to their own tent." Rory began to wrap something around the Doctor's ankle, his voice trembling slightly as he spoke. "It rained all night. Sometimes it was a down-pour, other times just a drizzle. It's still misting this morning."
"You… you were awake all night?"
"Of course I was awake," Rory snapped. His hands left the Doctor's ankle as he got to his feet, pacing around the tent. "Amy was out there in the rain somewhere. You were hurt and unconscious. How was I supposed to sleep?"
"I'm sorry, Rory," the Doctor murmured. He could feel the last of his warmth fading now as guilt settled its chill around him.
"I need to go look for her."
The Doctor nodded, ignoring the way it made his head ache. "Go…"
"I can't!" Rory protested, pausing in his pacing to stare. "I can't just… leave you."
"I'll be fine…"
"Riiight. I can just see myself explaining to Amy." Rory shook his head, turning away to pace again. He seemed to be talking to himself.
"Rory…"
"Yeah, I left the Doctor behind and came to find you."
"Rory…"
"Don't worry – he said it was ok for me to abandon him.
"Rory…"
"She'd kill me."
"Rory!" The Doctor sharpened his tone and the young man stopped talking, turning to stare at him. "Go and look for her."
"Doctor…"
"Please." He fought hard to suppress a shudder. "Go find Amy."
"I'll… I'll talk to the queen," Rory said, nodding. "Maybe she can help." The Doctor opened his mouth to warn Rory about accepting help from royalty – it always came at a high cost - but the words died on his lips. This is for Amy.
"Ok," he said. Rory nodded once more before turning to leave the tent. The Doctor let himself sink back into the cot, trembling as the shivers came over him. He could hear voices outside the tent, and the sound of horses moving around. He tried to make out what was being said but his head was starting to hurt and it was hard to concentrate. He closed his eyes and raised his good hand to cover the lids, trying to shut out all the light. His fingers grazed the knot on his temple and he sucked in a breath as the pain in his head increased. For a moment he thought he might be sick. He stayed still on the cot, concentrating on his breathing as he waited for the nausea to pass.
"Doctor?" Rory's voice made him start, sending another jolt of pain through him. He'd been so focused on his breathing that he hadn't heard the young man return to the tent. He opened his eyes to find Rory standing over him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."
"It's alright," the Doctor murmured. "Were you able to speak with the queen?"
"Yes. She's getting a group of her guard together to help me search for Amy." Now that the decision had been made, Rory seemed calmer. "I'm going to finish wrapping your ankle and get your arm in a sling before I go." He moved to the foot of the cot and the Doctor closed his eyes, bracing himself for more pain. Rory's hands were steady and gentle as he worked, causing very little discomfort as he secured the bandage. When he finished, he tucked the blanket back around the Doctor's feet before retrieving the sling.
Moving his arm into the sling was not as easy as having his ankle wrapped had been. Rory was as gentle as possible but the Doctor still wound up gasping and shaking in pain before it was finished. He sank into the cot and Rory drew the quilt up around him, watching him anxiously.
"I can get you some water," he offered. "Would that help?"
"No, thank you," the Doctor replied as his stomach roiled. He didn't want to try to swallow anything right now. "Maybe later."
"The queen said she'd have someone sit with you while I'm gone. If you need anything…"
"I'll ask," the Doctor promised. He shifted on the cot, reaching for his breast-pocket, and Rory frowned.
"What…"
"TARDIS key," the Doctor replied. His hand closed around his sonic screwdriver and he pulled it from his pocket to get it out of the way. He frowned as he realized it was in two pieces. Not another one!
"You must have landed on it," Rory said, taking the halves from him. "Should I…"
"Just leave it in the TARDIS," the Doctor said, retrieving the key. "She'll make me a new one. Again."
"Ok." Rory tucked the screwdriver pieces into his jacket pocket and reached for the key. Instead of taking it, he closed his hand around the Doctor's for a moment. "I'll be back."
"I know," the Doctor answered. "Bring Amy with you, ok?"
"Ok." Rory smiled and took the key. "Stay in that cot," he ordered as he got to his feet. "You need to rest."
"I will," the Doctor promised. For once he wasn't the least bit curious about his surroundings; he just wanted his head to stop throbbing. He closed his eyes, moving his hand back in to place carefully. He heard Rory move away, and then there seemed to be more activity outside the tent with both men and horses. After a few minutes, he heard the riders move away. Quiet descended on the camp.
The Doctor stayed in his cot. His stomach slowly settled and the throbbing in his head lessened, but his worry for Amy and Rory kept him from giving in to his growing drowsiness. What was he going to do if Rory couldn't find Amy? He shifted on the cot, feeling some of the nausea returning. She didn't want to come here – it was your idea, he thought. She went out there in the dark to try and help you. If something happened to her…
"Hello?" The Doctor's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a woman's voice. He moved his hand away from his eyes and turned to see a woman crossing the tent toward him. She was dressed in a mustard-colored jacket and skirt over a high-necked ivory blouse. She had wide dark eyes, a small mouth, and red hair.
"Hello," the Doctor said. She smiled at him as she came closer.
"Are you comfortable? Do you need anything?" she asked. A faint whiff of some floral scent reached him. It seemed familiar, as did her voice.
"Just my friends back safe," he told her. She smiled and reached for a stool, pulling it over to sit by his cot.
"Master Williams is escorted by a company of the royal guard," she said. "They will see to it that he returns safely."
"And Amy?" The Doctor looked away, suppressing a smile as he realized where he'd heard her voice before. This was the woman Rory had been talking with the night before. The queen herself, visiting me, he thought.
"They'll see to her return as well, provided she can be found."
"You're being very generous with us, Your Majesty." He looked over as she laughed.
"Very good," she said, sounding delighted. "What gave me away?"
"Your voice. I heard you talking with Rory last night."
"He was kind enough to dine with me," the queen replied, still sounding amused. "I'm sorry you weren't well enough to join us."
"Oh, I wouldn't have wanted to intrude."
"You would have been most welcome, Doctor," she said, continuing to smile at him. "You and your friend… interest me."
"Lucky us," he murmured. There were more people moving in the camp now, and a horse whinnied nearby. He propped himself up on his good arm, listening intently. Something was happening.
"That did sound terribly arrogant, didn't it?" The queen said ruefully. "I…
"Ssh," hissed the Doctor, cutting her off. There were more footsteps now, moving swiftly toward the tent.
"What…" The queen fell silent as a muffled scream sounded outside the tent. "Don't move," she ordered, getting to her feet. She slipped a sheathed dagger out of the sleeve of her jacket and started toward the tent door. She was half-way there when the flap was flung back and a man stepped inside. He had the same dark eyes as the queen, though his hair was blonde instead of red. He took in the scene in the tent with a quick glance and smiled. That's not a nice smile at all, the Doctor thought, feeling both his hearts speed up.
"I thought I'd find you here, Sister," the man said.
"What's going on, Geoff?" asked the queen calmly. She'd moved her dagger; the Doctor spotted the blade glinting against the sleeve of her jacket.
"There's been a slight change in plan," Geoff answered. "We won't be waiting here for your men to return with Master Williams."
"Really? Where…" Geoff lunged and the queen gave a startled yelp, stepping back. She wasn't quick enough however, and the man wrested the dagger away from her.
"You'll be coming with me, Anne," he said, gripping her wrist tightly. "Father would like a word."
And now back to you. Let me know what you think!
