Thank you so, so, so much for your many reviews. And the theories you have about this story, which I won't confirm or deny btw :D I love reading your theories, they make me laugh :D And here's a new chapter because I'm evil and want to confuse you more!
Chapter 9
Clara never noticed the nurses storming her room and trying to talk to her. She was screaming, her eyes shut tightly so she didn't have to see Danny anymore. Only when hands grabbed her shoulders tightly she opened her eyes and saw a woman in a nurse outfit trying to talk to her.
"Speak to me, Clara," the woman told her.
Clara scanned the room and could see no trace of Danny, only three female nurses that had probably followed her screams.
"Are you okay?" the nurse asked her.
"Where is Freddie?" Clara asked. He would have come to her help had he been able to. She was so sure he would have come. What had happened to him? Did Missy catch him?
"Freddie?" the woman raised an eyebrow, "Who's Freddie?"
"Freddie. The nurse. He was always here."
"There is no nurse called Freddie," Clara watched in horror as the woman stared back at her in confusion and worry.
"Of course there is. He was always with me. He lead me to dinner and the meetings with the Doctor. I just spoke to him an hour ago," Clara explained frantically. Why didn't she know him? Could it be because she was new here? Clara had never seen her face before.
"No, Clara, that was me. I lead you to dinner and your meetings the past few weeks. I accompanied you to your room an hour ago," the nurse said and her look grew even more confused, "Don't you remember? It's me. Abigail."
Clara stared at the woman and suddenly felt as if she should indeed know her. Yes, of course. Abigail. Her nurse. She had been with her all along. But Freddie. . .
No, it wasn't true, Clara decided. She remembered having the exact same thoughts the first time she saw him, too. Clara hadn't seen him before either, but something told her she had and she wouldn't fall for that again. She had never seen Abigail before in her life.
"I want to speak to the Doctor," Clara demanded.
"But he's gone home already," Abigail explained to her carefully.
"I want to speak to him. Now."
OOO
When the Doctor received the call from the hospital, Missy had begged him not to go. It was late and it could wait until tomorrow but the Doctor wouldn't hear about it. He dressed in a hurry and drove straight back to work where he arrived half an hour later. The Doctor found Clara sitting on her bed with a nurse by her side.
"You can leave us now," he told Abigail.
She gave him that look that wanted to know whether he was sure and the Doctor just nodded before he closed the door behind her.
"Clara, are you alright?" he inquired and sat down on the bed next to her.
Before he could react, the young woman had broken out in tears and flung her arms around him.
"Uhm, Clara," he attempted to say, but decided to just let her embrace him and quietly sob against his chest. The Doctor had no idea what to do with his hands, so he started to awkwardly pat her head. Anything to distract him from noticing his heart suddenly beat very fast.
He couldn't tell exactly how long it lasted but eventually her sobs subsided.
"Clara, are you okay?" he asked again quietly.
Slowly she sat up, her eyes red from crying.
"You seemed fine this afternoon. What happened?"
"Can I go outside?" Clara asked to his surprise, "I need air."
"Normally that isn't allowed at this hour," the Doctor said, "But this room is a little stifling. Ah, let's go for a walk."
The Doctor led her through the corridors and past the security guard, assuring him that it was alright and he wouldn't need a guard to accompany them outside.
It had started to snow again while the Doctor had been inside and he watched Clara wrap her coat tightly around herself.
"Are you cold?" he asked.
"No, I'm fine. The air is nice," she replied.
"Will you tell me what happened?"
Clara took a deep breath before she began speaking. "I had a nightmare. About Danny. He came to my room and said he blamed me for his death. I got scared. I'm sorry I made you come all the way back here."
"It's alright, Clara. Anything for my favourite patient," he said and turned around to smile at her. The light coming from the building was just bright enough so he could see her smile back at him.
"Am I?" she asked.
"Are you what?"
"Am I your favourite patient?"
"Just don't tell anyone. The others might get jealous," the Doctor winked at her, "But you do know the dream was just your subconscious blaming yourself, right?"
Clara nodded.
"You're not responsible for Danny's death. It was an accident. You didn't push him in front of that car and you weren't the driver. And don't even think that the phone call might have something to do with it, okay?"
"I know," she replied, "I just got scared. The dream seemed very realistic."
They walked in silence along the paths for a while and the Doctor had to resist the urge to wrap his arm around the woman walking next to him. His instincts told him that she must be cold, or maybe he was telling himself so he could touch her.
"Doctor," Clara suddenly said, "Does the name Freddie ring a bell?"
The Doctor smiled. "The nurses told me everything when I got here."
"Oh," she uttered, "So you know about the nurse that apparently isn't really a nurse here."
"Yes."
"And now you really think I'm crazy."
The Doctor stopped in his tracks and Clara followed his example reluctantly. He searched his mind for the right words, for a right way to say this to his patient without ruining the progress they had made. If that could even be called progress.
"I don't know, Clara. I don't know what to make of you," he said earnestly, sounding more desperate than he had intended to, "Part of me thinks that yes, you are crazy but another part of me refuses to believe that for even a second and thinks there is a perfectly good explanation for what's happened to you."
When Clara said nothing in reply, he continued, "Maybe you should be treated by a different doctor. Maybe I can't help you."
"No, I want you," Clara burst out.
"Pardon?"
"I mean, I want to be treated by you. I don't want a different doctor," she corrected herself quickly.
The Doctor started ruffling his hair, turning around in the spot. He didn't know what to do. Why him? Why this woman? Before he could stop himself, the Doctor turned back to Clara and reached for her faced with both his hands, pressing a quick kiss on her lips.
