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Chapter 21 - Bright Lights in the Rain

The Doctor appeared at the scene of a horrific car accident. Four cars, completely destroyed, sat all over the two lane road. Agents from Torchwood and other men from the Prime Guard had popped in and were helping the injured. Everything was wet from the rain that presently poured.

Lance ran up to him holding Lewis' bracelet in his hand. "I found this, but I don't know where they are."

He handed it to the Doctor. "Why would he have taken it off?"

Lance shook his head. "I have no idea. Varro and Gobbo are checking the embankments."

Poltious spoke in his head. 'I've sent the location to Jack and Jake. Ambulances are on the way.'

Sirens could be heard in the distance.

The Doctor spoke in all of their heads. 'I need everyone not presently with a Primary here. There are casualties and multiple injuries everywhere.'

"John!" he heard a panicked voice shout.

Lance asked, "Varro?"

They both ran to Varro. He was laying on his stomach next to a car that was overturned down an embankment. He had one of his arms inside of the broken window. One of the wheels was still spinning. "Lewis. We're here."

The Doctor and Lance ran and halfway slid down the muddy, steep hill. He pointed to the other side of the car. "Arla's with him. Check on her."

He lay down in the mud with Varro who held Lewis' hand. His head had a huge gash in it. He looked confused. "John. I can't turn my head. Is she alright?"

The Doctor put his hand over Lewis' gash in his head, looked over and saw Arla's lifeless body. Lance checked for a pulse and shook his head. He sat back and covered his mouth in shock.

The Doctor looked back at Lewis and scanned him with his screwdriver. "Lewis, mate. You are injured badly. I need to put you to sleep so I can take you to the ship. The car's metal has compressed you in places-"

Lewis closed his eyes. "Whatever you think. But, take her first. I know she has to be hurt. The lights. And the curve. I think we flipped about five times."

The Doctor put his other hand on his friend's forehead. "It's alright. It's all over. We'll have a full briefing when you are well."

Lewis smiled. "You know me well."

Varro asked. "Tell me how I can help, John."

"Get the remote transport ready. You'll go up with us."

Lewis closed his eyes and groaned. "Take her first."

The Doctor cleared his throat and kept his hand on Lewis' head. "Lance is going to take her. We've got you."

"Good. Lance is here."

The Doctor nodded his head. "I'll wake you up when you are better."

He kept both of his hands on Lewis' head and watched as he relaxed and fell into a very deep sleep. The Doctor heard Lance, who had knelt behind them. "Poor bastard. I can't believe this is happening to him. How bad is he?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I'm not completely certain yet. The compression of the metal might be holding him together." He stopped, rolled on his back without taking his hand off of Lewis' gash, so he could see the look on Lance's frightened face. The rain poured on his face. "I'm not going to lie to you, Lance. This is bad. But, I'm going to do everything I can."

Lance nodded his head. "I know."

The Doctor rolled back over to face Lewis. "Ready, Varro? You'll have to take all three of us. I can't let go of this."

Lance shook his head. "Should we say anything-"

"Keep it quiet with the Guard. He should know first. Either you or I should be the one to tell him. I'm blocking his message center now. Lance, take her to the ship's infirmary. Gobbo is on his way to help you. Aemilus has already sent Jack ahead and he'll know what to do once you have arrived."

The Doctor nodded to Varro and the three of them disappeared. The car collapsed where Lewis had been trapped.

Lance jumped back just as Gobbo arrived.

"Lewis alright?"

Lance wiped the rain, or maybe it was tears, from his eyes. "Give me a hand over here."

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Rose walked down the halls of the ship. The stars outside of the window streaked in short lines. They were traveling at a high rate of speed. The ship was oddly quiet, even though it was late at night. She carried some clothing in her arms and stepped through the doors of the medical bay. Jack sat back in a chair with his arm across his face. He had his feet propped up on the desk in front of him.

Rose sat down the clothing on the desk, put her hand on his boot and moved his foot. "Hey, Jack."

A smile spread across his face. "He's really going to be happy to see you. It's been a hell of a day."

"What happened? No one is talking-"

"He has us all on lockdown. I can't discuss it. But, you can ask him." Jack uncovered his face. She noticed he looked exhausted. He ran his hands through his hair and groaned. "I'm going to get a drink, and then I'll be back. He's in the….third room on the left. See that he gets some rest. He's going to need it."

She picked up the clothes and walked down the hall. She counted the doors and then opened the third one slowly. The bed was empty and the lights were dimmed. She stepped inside and walked to the end of the bed. She found him, sitting in the floor with his head in his hands. He was covered in mud from the waist down, still in his nice suit. He had taken off his jacket and vest, and had rolled up his oxford shirt which appeared to be nearly covered in blood. He didn't seem to notice she had walked in. He was shielding his emotions so much that she couldn't tell he was even in front of her.

She put the clothes on the bed, and sat down on her knees in front of him. It startled him when she rubbed both of his legs. He jumped, looked at her and smiled painfully. She watched him put his hands on top of hers as they both sat in the floor together.

"I can leave if you need to be-"

He shook his head. "No. Genie was upset. What was the matter?" he asked her quietly.

"I told her she had to go to bed. She insisted on another story because she is waiting on you. I told her you would be probably be late and would see her tomorrow. She was so tired. Her and Tony have played hard today."

He rubbed both of her hands. "How's Tony?"

"He's on the ship. Dad is letting him stay, along with…." She smiled, "Mum."

He looked surprised, "Jackie Tyler is on the ship?"

Rose smiled proudly, "She is. She's staying in our old room. She said the flat being on the ship was too strange for her."

He smiled and nodded his head. "Well, that's progress."

"That's domestic. I also found out what was going on with her."

"Is she alright?"

Rose nodded her head and stood up. "She's fine. Let me help you get cleaned up. You are a mess."

He shook his head. "I need a few more minutes. Stay here with me."

She got back down on her knees and sat in front of him. "Baby. You are so shielded. Are you alright?"

He held both of her hands. "No. I need something to get this off my mind. Just for a few minutes. Tell me something, Rose."

"Tell you what?"

He seemed to be fighting back the urge to cry. "Ummm…. who was your best friend growing up?"

She looked confused. "Mickey. Probably. Him or Keisha. I knew her a long time. We used to get together and play dolls. I remember once, she had these….umm….hamsters. They were really fat. Mickey took them out of the cage, and put one on the stove in the dollhouse. Then, she had her doll walk into the kitchen and shout, 'Ah! There is a mouse in my kitchen!' It was something we laughed about for years."

He smiled painfully at her. "Mickey. Playing with dolls."

"Mickey was trying to scare two little girls."

He nodded his head. "That sounds more like him."

She smiled. "I used to go over there all of the time. She had a great dollhouse. It was so big. That's really all I remember ever playing there."

He looked at her and smiled, "What sort of thing would you eat when you went there?"

"Fish sticks, of course. What else do you feed children?"

He smiled and nodded his head. "I suppose you're right." His bracelet beeped. He looked at it and sighed.

"Friday. Continue with 'Do Not Disturb' mode until further notice."

Friday spoke, "Yes, Doctor."

He looked back at Rose. She pulled mud out of his hair. "You are a mess. Come let me help you get cleaned up."

She stood up and helped him off of the floor. They walked into the small bathroom that was part of the recovery room. She sat down the clothes she had brought and turned on the shower. After she undressed herself, she turned to help him. He seemed to be in a daze as he looked at the floor.

She held his hand and walked into the shower with him. They stood under the warm water. Rose ran her hands through his hair. "You have mud-"

"Oh, it's everywhere. I'm fairly certain my suit is rubbish. The jacket is probably still on the side of the road there. I don't remember if I was wearing it when we came back to the ship or not."

Rose put shampoo in her hands and worked it through his hair. He closed his eyes and seemed to relax a bit. "Thank you, Rose." He held her hips as she washed all of the mud out of his hair and off of his face.

She continued to bathe him. "No one knows where we are going. We seem to be in a hurry."

He shook his head. "There's really no need to be."

He felt her heart drop and she looked up at him. "Please explain that to me."

He sighed, "Arla is dead. Lewis…" He bit his lip and looked down at the floor. "There were two children. One, I couldn't do anything. But, the other one…I put in a time stasis. I don't have the tools I need for him and there is a doctor on Plentitude who has had a lot of luck with babies in these situations."

Rose bit her lip and held both of his hands. "Lewis?"

He reached around and turned off the shower. He helped her out and handed her a towel, then took one himself. He turned around pulled on his pants and jeans. He picked up his muddy trousers and took his sonic screwdriver, shot the inside of his jeans pockets, then threw the trousers into the rubbish. He looked back at her. She had put back on her jeans and t-shirt.

He sighed, "Lewis is….from a family of Quauhtin. Proper Quauhtin. They are extremely unique. They can phase in and out of reality, you know about that. But, they can also regrow organs if they need to. Well….as long as the original organ wasn't damaged too badly."

She handed him his t-shirt she had brought, "What if they damage the organs too much?"

He pulled on his t-shirt and ran both of his hands through his wet hair. "Siblings can donate a part of their own. Lance has already given him part of a liver. He's in the room next to us in recovery. Luce and Licis are meeting us on Plentitude. One will need to give him enough to regrow a lung, and other, a heart. I have him hooked up to machines that are doing all of that for him now. But…Lewis is extremely lucky to have three brothers. Quads are extremely rare in their culture. They are the first ones I've ever heard of."

She nodded her head. "I understand. How long until we get there?"

"Poltious is flying the ship. He says he can have us there in six hours. Luce will be there in eight. Licis will already be there waiting for us."

"So, they know-"

"They are the only ones I've told. Jack, Varro and Gobbo know. I'm his One and so the responsibility falls to me to tell him everything. This is not something I ever expected when I agreed to do this."

"You are his best friend. If it was me-"

"Oh, please don't ask me that."

She nodded. "Sorry. Quite right."

He was clearly upset and trying not to show it. He put his hands on his hips and looked at the floor. "I remember the first time I met a Quauhtin. I was just a kid. I thought, 'Wow. That's so unique. They will live forever. What a clever way to extend life. And you don't change your appearance. It's always you, from you. Nothing is different.' Even if you regenerate, it's like dying."

Rose shook her head. "I don't understand that."

"You knew me when I was the other man."

She smiled, "All attitude, ears and leather."

He shook his head, "I wasn't that bad."

"You are still that bad. Less leather. Ears aren't that huge, but the attitude. I still see it."

He rolled his eyes.

She pointed at him, "See. Right there you are. Absolutely, the same man."

He smiled, "You always make me feel better. Cheeky woman."

She giggled at him, "What did you think the first time you saw humans?"

He looked at her, "Honestly? I thought they were all so fragile. I remember saying that they would never last. Extremely simple body. Simple biology. So easy to get injured. But, how about that? I've been to the end of the universe and guess who survives out of every species ever known?"

Rose smiled, "Us."

He shook his head. "The universe is completely mad, Rose."

He walked out of the bathroom, barefoot. She watched as he looked at himself in the mirror in the room. He rubbed his eyes and nodded. "Alright."

He had lowered his shields enough that she could feel his exhaustion. His worry. His sadness. She took his hand. "Come with me."

He shook his head. "I really shouldn't leave-"

"Friday. Can you reroute all displays to the Doctor's wristband?"

"Certainly, Rose." Friday said.

The Doctor sighed. "Handling me, Rose?"

"Someone needs to. You need to get out of this room." She took his hand and walked with him out of the room, down the hallway and back into the main room of the med bay. Jack had just walked back in. He held a beer in his hand.

Rose spoke to him. "I'm taking him to rest. If he's needed-"

"I'll be right here watching monitors. I think it's a good idea. Go get some rest, Doc'." Jack agreed and sat back down in the chair.

The Doctor sighed and walked with Rose out of the door.

When they arrived into their room, Rose spoke. "Friday, please turn up the lights."

The lights increased. The flat they had shared from London was now their room on the ship. The Doctor had copied it into the bigger on the inside room as he had planned. The floor to ceiling windows had been replaced with a tall, white wall.

Rose walked to the kitchen as he sat down at the bar and rubbed his face. She started to make them both a cup of tea.

He asked, "Where are the children sleeping?"

"They are with Mum. They made a blanket fort there in the sitting room and are sleeping in it. Well, Mum isn't. She said her back couldn't take that madness and took Sam to the bedroom with her."

"You said she's alright?"

Rose continued to make tea for them. "She found a lump. In one of her breasts. She went to the doctor, or excuse me, 'a doctor' to see and it's nothing. Her and Dad have been living in fear it was something terrible for a few days."

"Why wouldn't she ask me to look at that?"

Rose looked at him seriously, "Let's talk about that for a moment. You have a problem with one of your eggs. I'm not available. Do you go to mum and whip it out for her to take a look?"

He sat up in shock. "Hell no!"

She giggled and handed him his tea, "Then, her going to a doctor instead of 'The Doctor' shouldn't surprise you."

He turned to look at the large, white wall as he sipped his tea.

"That looks odd to me without having the windows there. Rose, I'm going to fix that. I just need time-"

"I'm not cross about that."

He looked back at her curiously. "Are you cross? I'm sorry, I'm just not able to tell."

She smiled welcomingly at him. "Of course I'm not."

He smiled at her and continued to drink his tea.

She turned around and got something from the fridge. "Alright. I know you have to be hungry-"

"I'm not hungry." He shook his head.

She sat a bowl of something in the microwave. "Okay. Not hungry. What exactly have you ate today?"

He drank the rest of his tea. Thought for a few minutes and pointed at it. "I suppose that's it."

The microwave dinged. She took out the bowl and put it in front of him. The aroma filled his lungs and woke up his stomach. He closed his eyes. "Oh wow. That smells wonderful."

She smiled and refilled his glass. "Beef stew. Without rosemary because I know that makes you sneeze."

He blew the spoon of stew and tasted it. She made herself another a cup of tea as he ate the stew in silence. When she looked up at him, he had finished the bowl. "Want some more?"

He sat, day dreaming with his hand on his fist. "I can get some-"

"No. I'm already over here." She refilled his bowl. She handed it back to him and sat down next to him as he started to eat it again.

As if he just realized it, he sat up straight. "This isn't right."

Rose blew her tea. "What's wrong?"

"There are carrots in this. Is the food replicator broken? I'll fix that later. Logan isn't here-"

She giggled. "I didn't get that from the food replicator. I made that."

He looked at her in surprise and smiled. "You made this?"

She smiled proudly. "Yes. I did. Legate wanted beef stew and had brought everything to the island to make it. When Varro came to get us, we just brought it up with us. He was so patient with me and walked me through how to do everything. Genie and Tony even cut the vegetables for it. "

He smiled. "Amazing. So, your first cooking experience."

She smiled. "I'm quite proud how well it turned out. Legate is a great teacher. Even Mum was impressed with him."

"It's lovely. Exactly what I needed."

She sipped her tea and looked proudly at him. He finished the bowl, reached over and sat it in the sink. He sipped his tea and looked at the display on his arm. He swiped to see three screens. He sighed and turned it off.

Rose turned towards him. "You need to sleep. Did you sleep at all last night?"

He sipped his tea. "No. And I really should have. My adrenaline has been so high all day that it's kept me from feeling tired. But man…."

"You are exhausted."

He looked back and her and nodded. "I really am."

She giggled at him, took his hand and led him into the bedroom. She pointed to the bed, "Stay there. I'll get your jim jams."

"Nah, I'll just sleep in my pants and shirt. That way I can run out of here if I'm needed." He told her as he slipped off his jeans and sat down on the side of the bed.

She nodded and disappeared into the closet. When she returned, she was wearing a cotton t-shirt and a pair of shorts. She laid her dressing gown at the end of the bed and climbed under the duvet with him. He was lying back on the pillows running his hand through his hair with his eyes closed. She rubbed his chest.

He took her hand in his and kissed it. "Rose?"

She smiled, "Yes."

He turned on his side to face her. "How did I live this long without you? You take such good care of me."

She caressed his face. "That's who I am. 'Rose Smith, the one who takes care of the Doctor'. You can worry about taking care of everyone else."

He nodded his head and sighed. "That's a big job. That's for sure."

She rubbed his chest again and felt him relax a bit. He wrapped his arms around her.

She whispered, "Tell me. Do you think he'll be alright?"

He closed his eyes tightly. "I don't know. His levels are all over the place. They have to even out in order for us to be successful at this. But it will take hours for that to even happen, if it does."

"If it doesn't?"

"He won't get better. He won't even wake up with as much as I had to do."

She could feel his heart aching. "Can you tell me about his baby?"

He closed his eyes and nodded. "He's probably close to what a human child would be at, five months. I wasn't sure how far along she was when I examined her. Quauthin don't carry their young as long as human mums do. He was taking her to buy some bigger clothes that fit. The other one wasn't that big."

"More like her, then."

"Yes. Lance brought Arla up to the ship. She was gone by the time we got there. Jack scanned her and found that the child's heart was still beating. He shouted for me to come in and we delivered him. That's when I decided to take him to Plentitude."

Rose's eyes filled with tears. "I can't imagine waking up and hearing this. What are the son's chances?"

He rubbed his face. "I really can't Rose. I just."

She could feel the pain of his heart ache almost overtake his emotions. She lay on top of him and they held one another tightly.

She whispered to him. "I love you. This is hard, but I'm with you through this. You don't have to go through it alone."

He kissed her head.

They continued to hold one another as she felt him drift into off to sleep. She wondered why he hadn't had her come to try to heal Lewis or this small child. She had healed him, and Tony. But, after thinking about it some more, realized that she had only been able to do that without meaning to. She was certain she couldn't just walk into a situation as stressful as what this must have been, and do that. She didn't understand Lewis' biology anyway.

She closed her eyes and heard him exhale slowly as he relaxed.

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