The Doctor was pacing on the glass floor of the time machine, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
Amy wasn't sick. Lucy wasn't sick. How were they different? Why wasn't he as sick as River?
Rory was asking himself some of those questions. Why was he ill? He was barely around River and even if he was around her, how could it spread that quickly? He decided those were questions he could deal with after he'd gotten some rest, so he slowly started to fall asleep. Then Amy walked in. "Do you need anything?"
Rory wasn't sure what possessed him to do what he did next, but he yelled "No, just leave me alone!"
Amy stormed out of the room, and Rory began to mentally write his will.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Lucy watched as Doctor mumbled to himself, every once in a while saying something like "No! No, that can't work." Or "How could that be?"
The Doctor had entertained Lucy quite a bit these last couple of days she'd been on the TARDIS, although he'd been a little edgy with a cold, he was exactly what she imagined him to be. An amazing, mad man with a box and a screwdriver with unlimited functions.
"You know," she said "You could just go outside and ask around."
"Is that what you did, Lucy?"
"Yeah."
"Then it won't work."
"Hey! I'm not stupid!"
"Where was your father employed?"
"I'm smart! Maybe not as smart as you but –"
"Lucy, where did your parents work?"
"Farra Mind Inc."
"Your parents worked at . . .the telepathic company?"
"Yeah, they mostly work to try to telepathically connect everyone in a office building together, hoping to get rid of email someday."
"Oh."
"What's that mean? I've only known you for three days so is 'oh' good or bad for you?"
"Your parents are working for Dennis Farra. That's definitely not good."
OOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Pond." The Doctor turned to Amy "You seem . . . uptight."
"I'm just tired of all this."
"I could always take you home."
"You know I'd never ask you to do that. I love it here."
"Why are you upset?"
"I'm just . . . "
"Just what?" the Doctor sat next to her and smiled "Amy, come on, you can tell me."
"I'm worried about Rory."
"He's fine."
"I know, I just want to be with him."
"Well you know how Rory is when he's sick, he wants to be left alone."
"Must be some nurse thing."
"Well," the Doctor stood up and walked towards the TARDIS door "Let's go."
"What about River?" Lucy asked.
"Well . . ." the Doctor looked at her with a begging expression.
"Hell no!"
He groaned "Lucy, please! It won't be any more than an hour."
"You're lying!" she said as she stared at the Doctor's eyes.
"Okay fine, I don't know how long it'll take but I need you to stay here with River."
"What am I supposed to do?"
"Just keep her company."
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"are you sure?"
"No, but I need you to stay here . . ." he and Amy exchanged looks "Bye!" then they ran out the door.
"Oh come on!" Lucy yelled. She walked into River's room. The lighting was dull and the atmosphere was as depressing as visiting someone on their death bed. "Why is it so dark in here?"
"She turned the lights down for me."
"Who?"
"The TARDIS."
"Why does everyone keep calling it a she?"
"The TARDIS has a soul, you know."
"Wow, that's messed up."
"Show a little respect."
"Yeah, whatever. So I was told to stay here and keep you company."
"By the Doctor, I'm guessing."
"You guessed right."
River sniffed "He's a good man."
"Kinda annoying sometimes."
"Well that's how he deals with pain."
"I wouldn't call having a head cold pain."
"He over nine hundred years old, a person has a lot of regrets to deal with after nine hundred years."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
"Okay Amy, we're going into that building."
"Farra Mind Inc." Amy read aloud.
"That's right. Let's go in."
They walked in, Amy exchanged heated words with the security guard, then they walked out . . . or more like pushed out by a large man that called himself a security guard.
"What was that?
"I suppose they didn't want us in there."
"Why not? We didn't do anything!"
"Hold on, Amy, I have to make a call." He pulled a phone from his jacket pocket and started pressing buttons.
"Wait, you have a cell phone?"
"Even aliens have mobiles!" he pulled the phone up to his ear.
"Okay then."
The Doctor shushed Amy and said "Lucy! Hello! I just want to remind you to make dinner for the three of you."
"You're kidding."
"No, I'm not."
"Where do I make it?"
"The kitchen, of course!"
"This thing has a kitchen?"
"I – I think so."
"Great." She said sarcastically as she hung up the phone "you think so."
Lucy turned around "Um," she started to talk to the TARDIS, which, for her, was like an atheist praying to God. "The Doctor wants me to cook, so it'd help if you would direct me to the kitchen." She looked around, waiting for some sign that this time machine could actually hear her. Then the lights in a hallway started flickering. "So down here?" what was she doing asking it questions? It wasn't like the machine was going to say 'yeah, right over there.', but Lucy walked down the hallway until the lights stopped blinking and she came to a white door. The door was kind of heavy, but she managed to get it open. And behold! It was a chefs heaven.
