The Doctor knocked at Rose's closed bedroom door. "Come on, Rose, breakfast is ready!"
"Hang on a mo'!" Rose's voice came from inside. "I'm just...Ugh! I can't find a pair of jeans that zip up!"
"What about the ones you wore yesterday, those fit fine, didn't they?"
"Well, apparently not today. And even if they did, they're covered in peach juice from where Jack threw one at my bum!"
The Doctor pulled at his ear in frustration. Things were progressing fast. He had thought the curve of her stomach was bigger this morning, but he hadn't been sure. This proved it. Well, it didn't matter, what with where he had planned for the day.
"Jus' throw on some sweatpants! Your brekkie's getting cold!" He heard the opening and closing of drawers, and the frustrated grunts of his pink-and-yellow girl, just before the door opened.
"Well...this is officially the only outfit that fits AND looks decent." She twirled quickly, showing off all angles. She had a stretchy pair of denim leggings, and a deep red cap sleeve casual dress that ended just above her knees, but also showed quite a lot of her chest without showing much cleavage…"Oy, eyes up here, Doctor."
He pulled his ear again. "I don't see what's wrong with that…"
"Well, nothing really, jus' a bit tight in the waist, but it'll do…come on, I'm starving!" She took his hand, pulling him to the kitchen. She sat down in front of a large bowl of oatmeal topped with peaches and cream. She quickly took a bite and hummed in approval, closing her eyes. "Oh, yes. This is so perfect."
The Doctor slid a glass of orange juice in front of her. "Gotta get some vitamin C in you."
She smiled. "Look at you, all caring," she said, taking a sip.
"Of course I care. You definitely don't need to be getting sick now, so you need to get as much vitamin C as you can. I'm going to pick up prenatal vitamins for you today, too."
Rose raised an eyebrow, swallowing her mouthful of oats. "Mum always got on me about taking vitamins. I could never remember."
"Well, you have me to remind you."
"Of course, which I'm sure you'll do relentlessly."
"Anything to keep you healthy." He took a bite of the banana he had peeled.
"Mmm...I guess he likes your cooking too…" Rose muttered, a hand moving to her stomach.
Her wording didn't escape the Doctor. "He?"
Rose's eyes widened slightly at her slip in words. "Oh...well...that's just what I picture in my mind. Not that I wouldn't like a girl, I just…" Her voice drifted. How could she admit that she pictured a baby boy with the chocolate eyes and messy hair of its father?
"We could use the scanner and do a gender scan…"
"No, no, it's...I'd rather know when…" She didn't know how to end that sentence either. It could be she would never know. You can't know a gender if you're dead.
"It's up to you, Rose. Whenever you're ready." The Doctor tossed his banana peel in the trash.
Just then, Jack walked in. "Hey, you two."
"Good mornin', Jack," Rose said with a smile.
"How's the little bugger doing today?" he asked, nodding at the hand on her stomach.
"Fine, thanks."
Jack leaned against the counter. "So, what are we doing today, Doc?"
The Doctor glared at Jack for a moment, but dismissed the annoying nickname. "Well, I figured that maybe Rose would like to do some shopping." Rose eyed him warily. "Don't worry, nothing too alien. Just maybe a hundred years in your future. The maternity clothes grow with you, so it'll help with how fast you're going. If you feel up to it, that is."
She shrugged. "Fine with me. This is the only outfit that fits me anymore, so I can't really put it off."
"Jack, would you mind going with Rose? I was hoping to pick up some prenatals for her while we're there."
"Sure." Jack winked at her. "We will have a great time, won't we, Rose?"
Rose giggled. "The best!"
After breakfast, Rose and Jack waited while the Doctor landed the TARDIS in 3115 London. He told Jack where the clothing store was, just around the corner, and lightly touched his fingers to Rose's before leaving them to their devices.
Jack held out an arm. "Ready to go?"
"Of course!" Rose took his arm, feeling a giddy high settling in. London hadn't changed much, and being here with her best friend made her happy. When they entered the store, however, the giddiness was replaced by a feeling of being overwhelmed. "Oh, Jack, really?"
Jack looked around. The whole store was maternity clothes, and the store was huge. "Well, you'll have plenty to choose from," he said.
"I'll never be able to find what I need!"
"That's why you've got me. You go try on some jeans, I'll grab some tops for you to try on too. Grab that cart there." Rose took the handle of a small silver shopping cart, looking over at the jeans section and groaning. As Jack flipped quickly through the racks of shirts, Rose grabbed four pairs of jeans with her size on them, not caring what kind she grabbed. She then waved at Jack and pointed to the nearest dressing room, to which he gave a thumbs up and started flipping through shirts again. She took the jeans and stepped into the white cubicle, locking the door behind her. She looked at herself in the full mirror as she undressed. Yes, there was a definite curve to her stomach now. There was no denying she was pregnant.
Just as she pulled up the first pair of jeans, several hangers of shirts flopped over the top of the door. "Try these on," Jack said.
"Thanks, Jack," she said, taking the first shirt, a silky coral top, and pulling it over her head. Again, she looked in the mirror. The Doctor had been right, these clothes looked normal, but she could feel the slight movement as they conformed to her body's new shape, the jeans settling perfectly on her hips but curving over her stomach. The shirt's flowy material almost hid the bump from notice.
As she started to put on another pair of clothes, she let her mind wander. The Doctor was finally no longer pulling away from her. So why didn't she feel better than she did? The answer came to her mind within seconds - maybe it was because she wasn't sure that it was genuine. He was still scared that they would fail and she would die. He was trying to make what might be her last days good ones. Which meant doing anything he could to keep from upsetting her, and nothing upset her more than him pushing her away. So was he doing this simply because he felt he had to?
She tried to keep the tears at bay. She didn't want to worry Jack, nor the Doctor. She had to fight through this. She told herself it didn't matter - she loved him and nothing he did or could do would ever change that. Rose rubbed at her eyes as she put her own clothes back on, walking out and piling the clothes she had tried on into her cart. She wandered around, looking for Jack. After picking up a new pair of flip-flops, she found him eyeing necklaces...with a cart full of clothes.
"Jack!" She exclaimed. "What have you done?"
"I couldn't help it!" He gestured to the cart. "You'll look great in all of it, I promise."
"Jack…" she picked up something black, lacy, and completely see through with her thumb and forefinger. "What. Do you think. You are doing."
He grinned sheepishly. "Can't blame a guy for trying."
"Oh yes I can! What's the idea, eh?"
"Well, maybe this would help, is all. And you can't do anything, I already paid for it all because I knew what you'd say."
"JACK!" she groaned. "Fine, fine."
He followed her as she took out her own credit stick to pay for her meager pile of clothes, and they both took their bags and walked back into the sunlight. She convinced Jack to make it up to her by buying some fish and chips to share. They sat outside at a tiny table, munching on their food.
"So, can I ask how you and the Doctor are getting along?"
"I don't know. I'm starting to second guess...I just don't know. He's not pushing me away anymore."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"Yeah, but...I'm worried it's not...genuine."
"My opinion? I think it is. I think he's just trying as hard as he can for you."
"Yeah?" Rose bit at the end of a chip.
"Yeah. You need to stop second guessing him. He loves you, Rose. Let him figure that out so that he can show you just how much he loves you. Let him fix himself so he can fix you."
"Not much hope of fixing me, is there?"
"Hey, stop it. I won't listen to that, Rose. You may think you're on death row, but I think between the three of us, we can beat the odds."
Rose looked down, twirling a chip in her fingers. "Jack...can you promise me something?"
"Anything."
"If...well, if I die...will you stay with him? For me? Keep him...well, keep him from doin' anything stupid. Make him keep saving the universe, okay? Do that for me?"
Jack sighed dejectedly. "Rose...I promise to do my best. But in all honesty, I don't think I will be able to do anything. I think that if you die, the whole universe is going to follow. I don't think he's going to be able to take it, no matter what I do. He doesn't want any universe without you, Rose. So if you die...I think he will tear the universe apart with his grief, and there's not a power anywhere that can stop him. Certainly not me."
Rose bit her lip, trying to keep the pain in her chest from reaching her eyes. She didn't want to admit that he was right. He reached over, taking her hand. "I do promise I will try, Rose. I'll do everything I can. Don't think that it won't tear me apart to lose you, too, but I know it's nothing at all compared to him. He's already burning. If you die, we all burn, too."
She nodded slightly, not looking at him. She felt her breathing become shallow with the effort to not break down right there. Jack sensed that she was ready to go, and he picked up the bags, standing. She stood, and they began walking in the direction of the TARDIS.
They were almost back when Rose slowed, her breathing still shallow. Her chest felt tight, and she couldn't catch her breath. Her back was beginning to ache. Jack stopped beside her as the people moved to walk around them on either side. "Rose, you okay?"
"I...don't know…" She slowly moved towards the nearest brick wall and leaned her back against it. "I just...my chest feels tight…"
"Let's just stop and rest, Rose. You got upset, we shouldn't have started walking all this way until you felt better." Jack looked around. "There's the Doctor there, he sees us." Jack waved the Doctor over.
Suddenly, Rose felt a wave of pain and pressure shudder through her body, as though a giant was hugging her around the middle. "Ah!" she cried out, clutching her stomach as she kneeled over.
"Rose!" Jack dropped the bags on the ground and grabbed her shoulders. "Rose, what's wrong?" He looked up and saw the Doctor breaking into a sprint towards them.
"I don't….know...Jack...I can't…" She panted, but she was suddenly gripped with another wave of blinding pain. She felt herself falling sideways, and just before she hit the concrete, she felt arms wrap around her. The musky smell of tea and books enveloped her just before she slipped into unconsciousness.