AN: Oh, gosh, life. I don't even know how else to say it. Anyone else feeling me? Anyways, not dead, problems fixed and solved on this story, and I am BACK... a day late, but hey, it's okay, right? A week is relative... Here you go, apologies in advance for any horrible or OOC writing, I own nothing, etc., etc...

When the Doctor finally opened his eyes, he panicked- seeing the white ceiling, he thought he was in a hospital.

When the TARDIS sent a soothing hum through his mind, however, he relaxed and tried to sit up.

Soft hands pushed him back down.

The Doctor blinked, trying to bring the world into focus.

"River?" he asked blearily.

"Hello Sweetie," she smiled softly down at him.

He looked back down at his bandaged chest.

The Doctor took in a sharp breath. "Did you- you didn't see- you- you-" he trailed off.

River sighed. "When are you going to learn you can't hide from me?" she asked, brushing back his hair gently.

There was a short pause, then River asked, "Could you sit up a little for me, I need to bandage your torso."

"Really River, that's not necessary," the Doctor protested weakly, but River gave such a convincing pout that he gave in.

He tried to prop himself up on his elbows, but he soon fell back from the effort.

Waves of dizziness assailed his brain.

"River- help," he pleaded.

Hearing the Doctor sound so weak, and practically begging for help, made River fall in love with him even more.

"It's okay," she reassured, "Can you have the TARDIS raise the bed up a little- maybe that would help."

The TARDIS gladly responded by raising the Doctor slowly into a sitting position.

He winced a little, but quickly covered it up with a mask of perfect calm.

River pushed the Doctor a little away from the back of the chair and began to wrap.

As she bandaged his torso, she noticed how much more his bones jutted out than when she had last seen him at the Pandorica. He almost seemed malnourished. If that in itself wasn't worrying enough, she saw numerous other bruises discoloring his body, and scars that were marring his skin.

When River was done, the Doctor sat back in relief.

"Thank you," he murmured to River, closing his eyes.

A comfortable silence ensued.

"River?" the Doctor finally asked.

"Yes, Sweetie?" River questioned.

"How did you know to come here?" When River did not immediately answer, the Doctor went on. "You said you were there to save my life. How did you know?"

River just smiled.

"You are how I knew," she said simply.

When the Doctor furrowed his brow in confusion, she sighed, and, planting a kiss on his forehead, answered, "Spoilers."

After a moment, River said, "I need to call your companions in here. They will want to know you are alive and well."

When the Doctor paled for a moment, looking down at his naked torso and back at River in alarm, she rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, I'll help you get dressed."

The Doctor sighed in relief.

Before leaving to fetch clothes, River whispered in the Doctor's ear, "You shouldn't be so afraid you know."

As soon as River walked out of the room, she was met with worried glances from Amy and Rory. She smiled reassuringly at them.

"Just getting him some clothes. He can see you after that though."

Seeing Rory's slightly worried and confused face at the prospect of her seeing the Doctor naked, she laughed.

"Spoilers," she answered and started walking away.

When Rory looked at Amy, she just shrugged nonchalantly.

"We'll find out soon enough. Oh, and River, if you're decent you'll get him some normal clothes," Amy called.

A laugh was the only response.

"Nah," River said. "The bowtie's silly and a tiny bit sexy," she paused moment before adding, "And how am I supposed to kiss him if I can't grab onto his suspenders?"

Rory's ears reddened slightly, but Amy just rolled her eyes.

Not much time had passed before River returned to the med bay to find the Doctor in a restless sleep.

River felt his forehead.

He was burning up, no doubt in the throws of a fevered dream.

She sighed and wet another cloth to put over his forehead.

She dabbed the sweat gently off his face.

River had never felt this protective of her Doctor.

It was an odd feeling.

She never got too attached to people if she could help it; she knew inevitably, with the life she lived, they could be gone.

But this- this was different.

The bond she had with the Doctor was a life and death relationship- she would give her life for him, and he knew it.

So seeing the Doctor this way- so utterly broken- crumbled all the walls of security she had set in place.

Sighing wistfully, she kissed him lightly on his forehead.

The Doctor visibly relaxed, his eyes fluttering gently open.

River smiled slightly down at him.

"Hello Sweetie," she crooned softly, "Can you sit up for me so I can help you get dressed?"

The Doctor reddened slightly, turning his head away in embarrassment.

"You're not my mum, River. I can dress myself," he muttered.

She crossed her arms.

"You know, I could let you try to do it yourself and watch you scream in pain," she said mischievously.

"Okay, okay," the Doctor said, throwing up his hands and immediately regretting the decision as he scrunched up his nose at the pain. "I give in."

So he let River gently slide his arms through the sleeves of his shirt.

She gingerly buttoned the Doctor's shirt, her face lined with worry every time he grunted in pain.

By the time River had finished dressing the Doctor, he was soaked with sweat and weary with exhaustion.

River looked down at him, and gently mopped his brow with a cool cloth.

"Shhh," she soothed. "I'll get Rory."

"No," the Doctor groaned. "He- doesn't need to see me like this," he finished, panting from exertion.

"Sweetie," River said, "He's a nurse- there's only so much I can do without his help."

The Doctor was in no state to argue, so the Ponds were ushered in.

As they came in, the Doctor tried to get to a sitting position, but he ended up weakly flopping down onto the bed.

Rory was soon at the Doctor's side, examining him in concern.

Rory looked up a River quizzically.

"When did he get worse?" he whispered.

"When I came back in after getting clothes," River answered, concerned. "Why?"

Rory simply sighed, shaking his head, and beckoning for River to follow him, left Amy at the Doctor's side.

"What's wrong with him?" River asked once they were alone.

Rory sighed tiredly. "I suppose just the aftereffects of the poison. It shouldn't be this bad though," he paused for a moment, looking at River. "Are you sure there isn't anything you aren't telling me?"

River bit her lip.

"He did have quite a bad cut on his chest," she responded.

There she thought I can reveal part of the truth without giving it all away.

Rory groaned. "And I assume it's infected as well. Why didn't you tell me?"

River shrugged. "I didn't think it was important," after a pause, she relented, "Also, I don't think he would have you look at it anyway."

Rory mumbled, half to himself, "Well it will be one heck of a long week unless he lets me look at it."

He turned back to River, "Do you think you could convince him to let me look at it?" he almost pleaded.

River nodded, pursing her lips.

Amy reluctantly stepped away from the Doctor as the others came back, shooting a pleading pout at Rory.

"Doctor?" River asked.

Oh no the Doctor thought she only calls me Doctor when she really, REALLY needs something.

"Yes," he said, cringing at how weak and helpless he sounded.

"Can you let Rory do a full examination?" she asked. "Please?" she added for emphasis.

The betrayal and hurt that came into the Doctor's eyes nearly broke River's resolve.

"No," the Doctor said bluntly, adamantly.

"Sweetie…" River whined.

Rory sighed. He saw how hopeless the situation was getting, so he said to Amy and River, "You two, out. I'll handle this.

They complied eventually, albeit with some complaining and protests.

Once the door closed, Rory addressed the Doctor.

"Hey," he said, placing a hand on the Doctor's shoulder, "How are you doing?"

"I hate this," the Doctor said, "I hate knowing you have to take care of me. I hate knowing that I am a burden to everyone simply because I am too incompetent to take care of myself. And most of all, I hate the pity. I hate that you stay and take care of me because I don't deserve any of it."

Soft sobs wracked the Doctor's thin frame as he curled over on himself; whether from pain or embarrassment or both, Rory wasn't sure.

He looks so young Rory thought and yet so old. He looks tired and worn, like he has been stretched too thin. He can't take it.

"Hey," Rory soothed, crouching down on the Doctor's level, gently rubbing circles over his back. He felt like he was soothing a child after a nightmare. "If you curl in on yourself it will make it hurt more. Let me take a look, okay?"

The Doctor slowly straightened, wiping his tears hurriedly with the back of his hand, still burying his face in the pillow.

Rory gently eased his clothes off him, one by one.

When he finally got down to the gauze, he winced in sympathy.

It was discolored a yellowish green, interspersed with a few dark splotches where blood had leaked through.

"What did they do to you?" Rory asked through clenched teeth.

"Nothin'," the Doctor mumbled through the pillow.

Rory sighed, shaking his head, and began to gently peel the gauze off.

He was interrupted, however, by slight whimpers of pain from the Doctor.

"Relax a little," Rory requested, "It will make the pain more bearable," there was a pause before he added, "I can also get you something for the pain if you'll tell me what."

The Doctor shook his head, determined, as always, to be stronger than he really was.

"I'm good, carry on," he said, rolling over onto his back to make it easier for him to relax and Rory to peel off the rest of the gauze.

Rory eyed him doubtfully but carried on anyway.

When Rory finally peeled it all off, the Doctor clenched his jaw at Rory's exclamation of horror.

"Okay, I thought I had seen it all," Rory said, throwing up his hands. "But I guess I need more of an explanation, because THIS, this- MONSTROSITY is NOT what I had an expectation of finding."

The Doctor cringed inwardly at the anger in Rory's words. He had never heard him so enraged.

"And so help me," Rory continued, "If you won't tell me I will drag River in hear and MAKE her tell me.

"Okay," the Doctor half mumbled, collecting his thoughts. "Okay," he said a little louder, "They may have carved my name in Gallifreyan on my skin."

"Just maybe," Rory scoffed, "You know, you may be able to sound so flippant, but oh- what I would do- just to get them back for what they did."

The Doctor winced. There was a small pause where Rory fumed in silence before the Doctor asked, "Are you mad at me then?"

Rory looked down at the innocence in his face, the expectation of retribution. He thought he deserved punishment.

"No," Rory said softly, "I'm just mad at them because they did this to you."

The Doctor visibly relaxed.

"Okay," Rory said briskly, his anger over and his nurse instincts taking over. "I'll need some ointment, fresh gauze, and some pain medicines you can take. Is this what river used?" Rory asked, picking up a bottle of ointment that was lying on the table next to the Doctor.

He nodded.

Soon the Doctor was re-bandaged- and, at Rory's insistence, in comfortable pajamas.

Rory called the others in, and took them into a corner.

"Okay, we'll need to take watches. Amy, why don't you take the first watch- he's probably least mad at you- you've done nothing to him so far today."

Amy nodded, and the rest of them quietly filed out, leaving them behind in soft darkness.

Amy noticed there was a bed for her there, made by the TARDIS- and the ceiling was a perfect projection of the galaxies above them.

"Hey, Raggedy Man," she said softly, sitting down beside him. "How you feeling?"

The Doctor led out a shaky sigh. "Unbelievably tired," he answered.

Amy just nodded. "Get some shut eye then- I think I will too. It's been a long day.

The Doctor smiled up at her.

"Good night, Pond."

She smiled back.

"Good night Raggedy Man."

Soon Amy drifted off into sweet dreams.

AN: A little more fluffy stuff in there, I hope you enjoyed it! I kind of have part of Chapter 10 written, and next week is finals, so, you know the deal- life impedes updates, etc... So don't expect next week's update necessarily to happen. Sorry! Until next time...