The Doctor was subdue the next couple of days as he recovered from the operation and from the medicine that kept him from regenerating. He stayed in the TARDIS medi-bay with Elisabeth while Jack slept in the house and Martha in the guest room. Martha was surprised when the Doctor left the oxygen line and the IV's in place until she removed them. She had expected a difficult Doctor but instead he seemed content to be taken care of.
Therefore it was a relief when Jack entered the medi-bay on the fourth day to find the Doctor sitting up in his bed with Elisabeth laying on his lap. The Doctor was holding her hands and talking to her. Jack caught the tail end of an explanation about a black hole the Doctor had "accidentally" created.
"Hello!" Jack said happily as brought breakfast in for the Time Lord and a bottle for Elisabeth.
"Ah, Papa is here," The Doctor cooed.
"Papa makes me sound old," Jack groaned and the Doctor looked up at him with a playful gleam in his eyes.
"You are old, but if you prefer we can call you mummy."
"Papa is fine." Jack replied quickly. "So how are today?"
"Good."
"Feel like leaving the TARDIS today?" Jack asked.
"Maybe." He responded to Jack before looking down. "Papa's silly isn't he Lissy, but he brought you a nice bottle. I hope he has been putting the potassium drops in it."
"Yes I have," Jack informed the Doctor. "If she has the Time Lord energy will she be able to regenerate."
"I don't know," The Doctor directed his answer at Elisabeth rather then Jack again. "Children under one can't regenerate and then it is rare for a child to regenerate. Only extreme cases will cause it. I can measure Lissy's energy when she is about a year to know but regardless a Gallifreyan has a long life span."
The Doctor accepted his breakfast of toast with marmalade and fresh fruit. He almost reluctantly handed Elisabeth over for Jack to give her a bottle as he ate. They made small talk while he ate and he settled back down to rest as Jack left to do the dishes. The Doctor wasn't surprised when Martha came in. He watched as she walked over to his medicine cabinet and dug through it before coming back over to him.
"If I was to offer you this, would you agree you needed it." Martha said sitting down in Jack's vacated seat. The Doctor looked at the small pill in her hand and then looked at Martha.
"I don't need it." He said softly.
"But would you agree to take it?" She asked.
"Yes," He turned his eyes downwards and Martha could tell he was ashamed. Martha handed the Doctor the pill and he took it with the rest of his tea.
"Agreeing that you need help is not a weakness Doctor. You have been through more in your life than anyone can imagine. I know now you are married and you have your beautiful daughter but that doesn't erase all the pain you have been through." Martha told him. "I want you to take one pill twice a day for the next month and then we will reassess
after that."
"I may stop earlier." He informed her.
"Then I will know you're feeling better." Martha kissed him on the head before heading to the console room where Jack was waiting.
"That was quick. Did he agree to the pills?" Jack asked anxiously.
"He doesn't agree he needs them but he has agreed to take them which is a start. He needs to take one pill twice a day and I have given him a month's supply. If he needs more he can take up to four a day without ill affect." Martha commented. "He can leave the Medi-bay whenever he is ready. I am going to go home now and see my husband."
Jack hugged Martha and kissed her on the head before returning to the Doctor.
"Martha's heading home." He informed him.
"Okay." The Doctor didn't look up.
"It will be okay. Here soon you will be feeling a lot better and then we can go on a trip somewhere. Just the three of us."
"Martha told you she put me on pills?" The Doctor asked.
"We discussed it last night," Jack admitted. "But sweetheart being on anti-depressants is nothing to be ashamed of. I have needed them in the past the only thing is you don't have to go through it alone. I will be here if you want to talk and if you don't. I love you and Lissy and nothing is going to change that."
"Even if I regenerate?" The Doctor asked thinking back to his recurring dreams with the ood.
"I loved you with big ears in leather and I love you now." Jack kissed the Doctor on the forehead. "Now can I hold Lissy for awhile are you going to hog her all day again like you hogged her the last nine months."
"I would have let you carry her. Do you know how sore my back and feet got." The Doctor smiled.
"Yes because I was the one who had to rub them." He laughed as he saw the Doctor's face turn to a pout and he lifted his foot wiggling his toes at Jack.
"All right but you owe me." Jack sat down and began massaging the Doctor's feet.
The next morning Jack awoke to the smell of breakfast cooking. Coming down the stairs he was happy to see the Doctor out of the TARDIS and cooking. A pot of coffee was brewed and a bottle was warming in a bottle warmer on the counter. He passed by the cot sitting in the living room with Lissy sound asleep in it.
"Morning," Jack said as he came up behind the Doctor and wrapped his arms around him kissing the back of his neck.
"Morning." The Doctor turned and kissed Jack on the cheek before continuing cooking. "Martha will be here soon to check my staples and then we will have breakfast."
"After breakfast I may go check in at the hub and make sure things aren't falling apart." Jack nicked a piece of bacon and the Doctor slapped his hand with the spatula. A whimper from the next room made the Doctor smile and he retrieved the bottle before handing the spatula to Jack and disappearing into the next room.
"Lissy, Daddy has breakfast," he sang and Jack turned happily to finish breakfast as their family life truly began. They were both domesticated.
