In Hiding

Chapter 13 - Q and A 'Questions and Avoidance'

A/N: *WARNING* This chapter covers some tough issues about the subject of mental health.

Ross POV

The ride to the nearest U.N.I.T headquarters, which turned out to be in Snowdonia, Wales, was full of uncomfortable silence. Ross sat in the back of the Landrover with the Doctor and two other U.N.I.T soldiers separating them. He didn't recognise either of them, assuming they were based at the Snowdon branch they were heading to. The couple of times Ross looked over to the Doctor he was unable to make eye-contact, he kept expecting the Doctor to protest or ask something about their capture, but he kept unusually silent.

Being found by U.N.I.T was the one thing that he had tried to avoid over the past six months but now he had failed and was back in the hands of the people he wanted to escape from. He didn't blame George for wanting to go back home and visit her Nan, it wasn't her fault they got distracted and ended up staying longer than intended. He had hoped that somehow U.N.I.T wouldn't be able to track them down so quickly and they could have gotten away with it. However, he knew from when he used to work there that the TARDIS had a special status and any sighting no matter how fleeting was immediately followed up. He wouldn't have been surprised to learn that the soldiers had arrived in a fleet of helicopters as well as the back-up cars to ensure they caught the Doctor. Finding him as well was just a bonus.

He thought about Donna and George sat in the other car, two more civilians caught up in U.N.I. T's mission to contain what cannot be contained; the Doctor. Last time he and George had been arrested by the Sontarans they hadn't exactly been treated well. The treatment they would receive from U.N.I.T would only be better in the sense that this time he wouldn't get a beating, his rib was still sore but slowly on the mend with the help of the Doctor's medicine.

Over the past 24 hours since travelling in the TARDIS, Ross had come to realise that maybe he felt more for his friend than he was anticipating when first meeting her in the woods. Having been initially drawn together by their joint need of survival, since returning to Earth he had concluded that the feeling drawing him to her was still there. He enjoyed having her around to make her laugh or to swap stories about their families. But it was more than that, she understood exactly what it was like to lose people and craved for something new. He hadn't planned to kiss her, but the moment drew him in and the affection he sensed in her eyes afterwards gave him hope that she sensed the connection was still there too.

From where he was sat on the bench seats in the back of the Landrover, he could see out of the window opposite him, between the Doctor and one of the soldier's heads. He had never visited the Snowdon branch of U.N.I.T before having been stationed in London, but he could see why the area attracted so many people to it. Their car was passing through a small Welsh village, twisting and turning down the narrow roads with dry stone walls on either side. A river ran along one side of the road then dipped underneath as they went over a bridge, only to emerge from the other side as a gushing weir. The whole village was surround by blocks of mountains stretching up towards the sky and trapping a layer of clouds at their summits. The view was beautiful, and Ross was saddened at the thought of the tranquillity in the mountains and rivers being disturbed by the guns and other weapons of U.N.I.T Base 5.

The drive took in total around 3 hours before the cars had reached the base of Snowdon, the tallest mountain in the region standing at 1085m above sea level. It's triple-peaked slopes an impressive sight as they drove underneath the mountain and disappeared into a man-made tunnel that would take them straight the base. The large metal barriers at the entrance being locked by further guards as soon as they cleared them through.

Once out of the cars Ross and the Doctor were herded through a security check-in gate then into an office. Ross caught a glimpse of the car that George and Donna had been in but guessed they had been taken somewhere else. Captain Magambo came to greet them again as they followed her to sit around a table set up for an interview. Ross wasn't sure why the Doctor had been allowed to sit in on his U.N.I.T enquiry but was glad for the company.

Captain Magambo cleared her throat and pressed the record button on a Dictaphone device. "Ross Jenkins, formally the soldier codenamed 'Greyhound 40'. Do you agree to take part in an interview regarding your unorthodox discharge, with the Doctor as your legal representation?"

Ross looked over to the Doctor in shock, his friend had not mentioned being Ross' legal representation before, he didn't even think he had one. Realising he was taking too long to answer a command Ross snapped his mind back to the present.

"Yes Ma'am", he agreed. Captain Magambo turned to address the Doctor.

"Doctor, do you agree to represent Ross Jenkins in this enquiry in accordance to the U.N.I.T investigation bureaux?", she asked, her eyes narrowing as if daring him to say no.

"Yes Captain", the Doctor said politely, leaning forward to rest his forearms on the table.

"Very well, then we will begin the enquiry at the time of 13:26. Mr Jenkins, are you aware that following your self-inflicted resignation from the Unified Intelligence Taskforce, you failed to go through the correct channels of operational procedure?", the Captain started, looking up from where she was flicking through the pages of Ross' U.N.I.T file.

"Yes Ma'am", Ross replied, he could already tell that this session would involve Captain Magambo asking questions to try and catch him out, but he was determined to not place the fault at his door.

"Then please could you recall the actions that lead you to this decision", Captain Magambo probed further, her pen poised above a separate pad of paper.

Ross was thinking about the best way to phrase what he was going to say without receiving further judgemental looks from his superior.

"Ma'am, I'd completed my five years compulsory service and no longer wanted to serve as a member of U.N.I.T, so I took the course of action to discharge myself from service", he responded with the most basic answer he could think of to gently remind her that he had fulfilled the minimum service required to grant himself leave without sounding accusing.

Captain Magambo flicked back through his file until she came across his service records page. It showed he had served two years in the British Army from the age of 16 before being scouted into U.N.I.T at the age of 18 where had completed his minimum five years.

"You are correct in assuming that you have earnt the right for resignation, but you are still subjected to the approval of your superiors. You were showing signs of becoming a promising soldier, what lead you to such an impromptu decision?", Captain Magambo inquired, Ross felt as though she could see right through him with the scrutinising gaze she was giving him, he shifted uncomfortably in his chair.

"While I was recovering from my injuries I spent a lot of time thinking about what happened during the Sontaran invasion. It put doubts in my mind that what I was doing was wrong and that there were other ways I could help people without killing others at the same time", he tried to be as honest as he could, yet when his superior continued to sit in silence it was obvious she was expecting more of an answer.

At a loss for how to explain himself further without revealing how low he had felt in the hospital, Ross looked to the Doctor for support, who was still leaning forward on the table trying to hide the fact he was reading Ross' confidential file upside down. Realising the conversation around him had stopped flowing the Doctor looked round to see Ross staring at him with a troubled expression. Sensing his friend and 'legal client' was silently asking for help the Doctor jumped straight in with the defensive questioning.

"Right yes, sorry Captain, but I think the question that needs asking is whether your staff were checking up on the mental health of your patients as well as their physical health. From what Ross has told me it sounds like he was suffering a form of depression after his injury but was not offered any support other than physical medical needs", the Doctor was now leaning against the back of his chair, arms crossed and an angry look in his eyes. Ross was glad the Doctor's rant wasn't directed at him, but the Captain seemed unaffected by his glare.

"Excuse me, Doctor but it sounds like you are accusing my staff of negligence when the evidence in the medical file suggests that any extra support was not asked for by the patient in this case. All U.N.I.T soldiers are expected to conduct a high level of professionalism at all times and are responsible for dealing with any mental health issues in an appropriate way. If we are not alerted to a problem then we cannot deal with it", Magambo snapped, her tone rising as a threat to the Doctor to back down.

"Oh, if only Martha was still in charge of your medical team", the Doctor muttered under his breath, seemingly unheard by Captain Magambo. Ross smiled at his fond memories of Dr Martha Jones, the Doctor's former companion and friend who had overseen the first part of his recovery before she was posted to America.

"This is not a laughing matter, Mr Jenkins", Captain Magambo retorted, clearly mistaking Ross' smile to think he wasn't taking this seriously.

Ross knew that pleading his case and questioning the decisions of a superior member of staff was dangerous, but he needed to get these people the understand that if he hadn't had left when he did then he might have tried something he would regret.

"Ma'am, I understand that after my injury I may not have behaved as was expected of me, but you have to understand that the events leading up to that caused me to feel a certain way that I had little control over. I did what I had to survive, surely you must recognise that?"

Ross was looking at the Captain with a look of resolve in his eyes, willing her to just sign him off without blowing it out of proportion. He missed the look the Doctor gave him, full of sorrow and pain as he understood what Ross had implied when he'd confessed to feeling a certain way and what he might have done had he been forced to stay. His gut twisted at the thought of another person losing their life because they'd been drawn into his alien battles.

Finally, when Ross thought he would burst if he had to wait any longer, the Captain spoke.

"The first part of this interview is now finished. Mr Jenkins, your case for dismissal is closed pending a decision by the board. As you stated, under Convention 16 you have served the mandatory number of years and on behalf of U.N.I.T I apologise for any unpleasant experiences caused", the Captain stated with finality. She drew a line under what she was writing in Ross' files then closed the booklet to prevent the Doctor from reading it.

Ross couldn't believe what he was hearing, he had not expected Magambo's sudden turnaround in attitude and wondered what could have brought it on. He glanced over to the Doctor with a surprised look, but he seemed to be having a silent stand-off with the Captain, Ross suspected the Doctor's dark stare might have something to do with her backing down.

Remembering his manners Ross gave a quick "Thank you Ma'am", before going to stand up.

"One moment soldier, our interview is not yet over", the Captain brought her attention back to him as Ross slowly sank back into the chair, "I have some questions for the both of you about the recent Sontaran attack. Please, remain seated".

A/N: Thanks for sticking through this chapter, it was hard to write because I wanted to cover important issues that some people have to face every day in a way that was sensitive but also got across what it's like to feel that way.

This chapter also involved a lot of research into the organisation of U.N.I.T (as well as a little into the actual Army) to make sure the story around Ross' dismissal was plausible.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with Doctor Who, only my OC George.