Insurgent Chapter 21: Five Hours, a doctor who fanfic

Chapter 21: Five Hours

TThe Doctor woke up with a piercing headache.

He moaned, furrowing his brow and shifting on whatever he was lying on, which turned out to be concrete when he opened his eyes.

He found himself lying in some alley, but it was one he vaguely recognised. Drab buildings towered over him with the remnants of 'Vote Saxon' posters on the walls, and the smell of an unemptied rubbish tip near him was slightly overpowering. He coughed, daring to sit up as he winced badly, holding his head. It was a very particular headache. A kind of time-travel-without-a-capsule headache.

He felt sick beyond belief, and the over encumbered bin only amplified that. There wasn't enough room in the bin to try and aim the ensuing vomiting in that direction, so he tried to do it near it. He was vaguely successful.

Once he'd vomited all he could manage, he straightened up, wiping his forehead with a clean sleeve; he was sweating quite badly and feeling quite faint. This could only be Rose's pregnancy. That was odd. He didn't usually start feeling the symptoms until a few weeks had gone.

He got the crick out of his neck, and rested a hand on his chest. Immediately his palm felt like it had been stung. He cried out and looked, and found in the centre of his palm was some kind of blue, vertical line, like an exposed vein on entirely the wrong place. He experimentally touched it, and winced badly. It hurt. A lot.

Confused, he raised his palm up to try and get some light on it. Suddenly that bullet-train-in-the-head feeling smashed into him, and he screamed, collapsing to his knees ...

He was seeing through his own eyes, finding himself inside Torchwood Tate. Rose was in front of him, holding a gun. 'Whatever you are, taking his form, you're not foolin' me! Get out right now or I'll shoot you dead, I swear to God!' Rose screamed at him.

Her hands were shaking, her finger on the trigger, ready to pull. The Doctor, to his horror, decided she was actually capable of shooting him.

'No,' the Doctor said quickly. 'I understand, you're confused, you thought I was dead. For all you know I'm something else, but no matter what you think I am, please, please stop pointing a gun at me.'

'Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't you!?'

'Just let me talk.'

'I ain't givin' you the chance to do any of that mind control stuff!' she screamed, and pulled the trigger.

The Doctor panted as the vision disappeared as quickly as it had come. His head throbbed particularly badly for a moment, before the headache finally receded. He dared to open his eyes. He was back in the alleyway, lying on the ground.

Astonished, he looked at his palm again and realised that whatever this mark was, it was something to do with the lergri. Panicking, he checked himself. They didn't feel like they were inside him. Some sort of connection?

Why would it be giving him such a negative vision? Trying to scare him, probably. He had to get back to the TARDIS and scan himself, to see if this was serious.

He struggled upright. No one had seemed to have noticed him. Then again, the humans were most likely still in hiding and news of the defeat of the assassins probably hadn't reached them yet. He checked his time sense to confirm his thought – it was a little askew, but it seemed to indicate he'd been away for five hours. Just enough time to get back to Torchwood before the humans started noticing him.

He wondered if Rose and the others had even got back from the headquarters, yet. Everyone probably thought he was stuck in the rift; Brax would have explained it. That made him feel a bit bad. But if they weren't back yet, he could be sitting in the chair waiting for them. That'd look impressive.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he started heading back to Torchwood.

The Doctor walked through London, taking the more covered routes. He didn't fancy trying to engage with any humans. He felt too sick to sweet talk his way out of being lynched.

It took him twenty minutes to get back to Torchwood Tate. He entered the base, but all was silent. The TARDIS was parked inside, the door slightly ajar. He could hear voices. Then, the door opened a little, and out stepped Rose.

It was like a breath of fresh air, seeing her there. But it shocked him slightly to see that her belly was huge. If he didn't know any better, and he didn't, he'd estimate she was at about five months. How exactly had her pregnancy advanced so quickly?

Before he could think about that, she looked up, and saw him. She stilled, shocked.

He waved. 'Hello.'

She just stared at him. The Doctor felt somewhat unnerved by that.

'Rose?' he tried. 'You okay?'

She continued to stare at him.

'Rose?' the Doctor asked again, frowning.

'No,' she said, swallowing. 'No, no, no.'

'No what?'

'No! Stop it!' she shouted. She looked terrified. 'I can't! Stop doing this!'

'Doing what?'

'You're not real!'

The Doctor began to feel even sicker than he already was. 'No, wait. Rose ...'

'Stop it!' she yelled. 'I can't take this!'

'Rose!' the Doctor said, hands in the air. 'It's me, I promise it's me! I'm real, see?' He poked his own body with his finger. 'Solid! Real!'

'Hallucinations can be solid!' she yelled. 'Even if you're not that you're still somethin' that's tryin' to look like him and I'm not fallin' for it!'

She picked up a gun from the nearby desk and pointed it straight at him. He seriously started to panic.

'Rose, c'mon. Please. Calm down,' he said quickly.

'Whatever you are, taking his form, you're not foolin' me! Get out right now or I'll shoot you dead, I swear to God!' Rose screamed at him. Just like in the vision, her hands were shaking, her finger on the trigger, ready to pull. The Doctor, to his horror, realised that the vision was about to play out exactly as he'd seen it.

'Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't you!?'

'Just let me say …'

'I ain't givin' you the chance to do any of that mind control stuff!' she screamed. Just like in the vision, her finger moved slightly. The Doctor took the initiative and dived to the side. Half a second later she pulled the trigger. Just like the vision, there was a huge bang as the bullet exploded out at an awkward angle right where he'd been standing, and Rose stumbled backwards, the gun's recoil causing it to fly out of her hand. The bullet ricocheted and planted itself somewhere away from them as she yelped in pain, holding her arm.

The Doctor had cried out too, because although he'd moved, he hadn't moved quickly enough. The bullet had just caught his arm, ripping his clothes, and now he was bleeding. Rose had just tried to kill him.

'Rose!' the Doctor yelled, utterly mortified as he held his bleeding arm. 'Stop!'

Rose went for the gun again. The Doctor dived and grabbed a hold of it before she could. He rolled to the side and jumped up again, gun in hand. Instantly, she looked terrified. He quickly put on the safety and threw it across the room.

'No gun, see? Not interested,' he told her, trying to be calming.

'Yeah, things like you don't need guns!' she yelled, tears in her eyes.

'Rose, please,' he begged. 'I don't know what's going on, but I … Oh.' He stopped, realising with a pang of horror. 'It's been five months. It's been five months since I threw myself into the rift.'

Rose was crying. He moved forward to hug her, but she shirked away. 'I'm not fallin' for it!'

'Rose, oh, Rose,' he muttered, horrified. 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I did this to you, but I wasn't expecting to come back, especially not so late. Please. Look into my eyes; check the bond. It's me. Please, just touch me. You'll feel it. It's me. You'll feel your arm tingling.'

She hesitated.

'I'm not going to hurt you. I'd never hurt you,' he said softly, fixing her with a gaze.

She stared at him, teary-eyed. She then swallowed and reached up, hesitantly, and pressed a hand to his chest where his left heart was going at double-speed. He felt that odd little spark of electric that only came when they touched.

She must've felt it too, as she gasped, pulling back as though he'd burnt her. 'Oh my god.'

He smiled. 'Let me try again. Hello.'

She was still staring at him. 'It's really you,' she croaked.

'Yeah,' the Doctor said. 'It's really me.'

'Oh my god,' she said again. 'Oh god, oh god, I'm so sorry …'

'Rose, it's okay.'

'I shot at you!'

'Rose, seeing dead people is going to make anyone a bit jumpy,' he told her. 'I'm fine. I understand. I should've given you some warning. I didn't know it had been so long.'

She reached up to his arm. It had quickly clotted. 'Oh my god,' she said again. 'I hurt you …'

'I'm fine, it's just a graze,' he insisted.

'I nearly killed you!'

'Rose, you didn't, you're a terrible shot,' he said jokingly.

'But …'

'I don't want to hear any more about it,' the Doctor told her firmly, and kissed her. 'For the third time, hello.'

She was still crying, but now she was smiling. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close. 'Hello.'

'Rose?' a voice called, and Jack and Brax appeared out of the TARDIS, clearly having heard the shot. 'What –'

They stopped dead, staring at the Doctor. Jack immediately pulled out his gun.

'Can everyone stop pointing guns at me?' the Doctor complained.

'What the fuck are you!?' Jack snapped. 'Rose, get behind me right now!'

'No, it's okay!' she said quickly, not letting go of the Doctor. 'It's him!'

Jack blinked. 'Um, what?'

She smothered herself in the Doctor again. 'The bond, the bond is there.'

'Thete?' Brax asked. He looked a lot better, the Doctor noted. His scar tissue was only slightly visible, and his hair had grown back. His ear almost looked genuine. 'That's you?'

'Yep,' the Doctor replied, not letting go of Rose.

'Jesus Christ,' Jack muttered, lowering his gun.

Brax hadn't even blinked. But as per usual with him, he launched into the practicalities. 'Come on, we'd best get you hidden before …'

'DADDY!' came a delighted shriek from the TARDIS. Leah dived between Jack's legs and ran straight to her dad. 'My wish came true!'

The Doctor stooped to hug her, kissing her. 'What wish?'

'On my birthday cake I wished something would make mummy happy and here you are!' she said, kissing his cheek and holding onto him as tightly as possible. 'I missed you!'

'I missed you too,' the Doctor said, laughing, and then realised, drawing back. 'Oh, your birthday. I missed your birthday.'

'That's okay!' Leah said happily. 'I don't mind!'

'Nah, I'm making it up to you,' the Doctor told her firmly, brushing back her hair from her eyes. 'I'll do something amazing, promise.'

She beamed at him. A few more of her teeth had fallen out. She looked older than when he'd seen her last, too. He'd missed five months of her life, he realised. Five months was more like an eternity for a four … Not, wait … five-year-old.

'You're really hot and sticky, Daddy,' Leah said.

The Doctor nodded at Rose and her pregnancy. 'Side effect of that, I'll be fine once I get some medication.'

'Okay!' Leah said. 'Will you come play with me?'

'In a bit, I promise.'

'Okay!' she said, and skipped back into the TARDIS.

'This can't be real,' Jack croaked.

'Thete, you've got blood on you,' Brax said, concerned.

'I'm fine, it's fine,' the Doctor said quickly as he felt Rose's grip on him tighten. 'I just need the pregnancy stuff and some tea.'

Rose was only convinced to leave the Doctor's side when he said he was hungry, and she waddled out of the door hastily to get him something. He'd otherwise been hidden from everyone. Anyone attempting to get into the infirmary was redirected, lest they have a heart attack at the sight of him.

Brax administered the pregnancy medication, and after a few minutes the Doctor began to feel much better. As Brax went to set up the scanner, Jack stayed, staring at him. He'd barely said a word.

'How has it been?' the Doctor asked.

'How has it been,' Jack repeated without a hint of a questioning tone. 'That's it? That's all you've got?'

The Doctor stared at him. 'Jack …'

Jack stood up. The Doctor seriously thought Jack was about to punch him in the face.

'Everyone was devastated,' he snapped. 'You have no idea what you did to Rose. I was on suicide watch for three weeks.'

'... Suicide?'

'Yeah, suicide,' he snapped. 'Martha had to get her a psychiatrist. She couldn't take anything cos of her pregnancy, she had nothing to help her. She tore herself apart cos of you.'

'It's only been a few hours for me,' the Doctor said. 'If I'd known it had been so long I definitely wouldn't have just turned up.'

'Yeah, sure.'

'I'm sorry, I really am. I never meant for this to happen.'

'Nah, you just die for five months then turn up like nothing ever happened.'

The Doctor sat up, staring at him. He understood. The man who couldn't die, struggling to cope with someone else apparently resurrecting. 'I know this is shocking, I really do.'

Jack suddenly looked like he was about to cry. 'I mourned you. I cried for you. Then you just fucking turn up again.' He really was crying now.

'You've processed my death and said goodbye,' the Doctor said. 'You don't know how to cope with this. I understand. I've been through it. I know how angry you are. Please, hit me if it'll make you feel better.'

Jack stepped forward. The Doctor stiffened slightly. He hadn't thought he'd actually take him up on it. He braced himself, but Jack didn't lift his arm.

'God, I hate you,' he said bitterly. 'I fucking hate what you did to us.'

'I know, and I'm sorry,' the Doctor insisted.

'If you ever do that again, I'll kill you.'

'I know.'

'I'm gonna hit you, now,' Jack warned.

'Ah, okay. Where?'

'Where d'you want it?'

'I don't mind.'

'I kinda want the face,' Jack admitted.

'How about my jaw?' the Doctor proposed, pointing at his jaw.

'You okay with that?'

'Yep, that's fine. Want me to fall over?'

'Kind of, yeah, actually.'

'I'll yell, too,' the Doctor added.

'That'd be good. Thanks.'

'You're welcome. Ready?'

'Yeah.'

'Give me a count,' the Doctor said.

'Sure. On three. One, two, three!'

Jack launched his fist, slamming it into the Doctor's jaw with quite some force. The Doctor obediently yelled and collapsed to the floor, holding his face.

'Thanks,' Jack said, offering the Doctor a hand up.

'You're welcome,' the Doctor moaned out.

'You okay?'

'Fine,' he said, straightening up.

'Sorry.'

'That's okay,' the Doctor assured him, massaging his jaw. Then he laughed.

'What?' Jack asked, bewildered.

'I just had a flashback to when we were on that ship with Spleen and you refused to hit me.'

Jack smirked. 'Strange how times change.'

The Doctor held out a hand to him. 'We are still friends, right?'

'Of course we are,' Jack told him, and took his hand. He then pulled the Doctor forwards into a hug, briefly snogging him. The Doctor protested, squirming, before Jack pulled back, and kissed his forehead.

The Doctor wiped at his mouth as Brax returned.

Brax frowned. 'What are you two doing?'

'Nothing,' Jack replied, smiling and slapping the Doctor heartily on the back. The Doctor winced. 'I'd better check Leah. See you later.'

He left, leaving Brax and the Doctor together.

'So how did you get back?' Brax asked him, checking the bullet graze.

'I don't know,' the Doctor confessed. 'I can't remember.'

'You don't remember being in the rift?'

'Not really. I remember jumping into the rift, then I was falling. After that I woke up in an alleyway.'

'I think you were probably suspended in time completely,' Brax said, now checking the wounds on his face and chest. 'These haven't healed, meaning your body hasn't aged. I wonder how you got out?'

The Doctor shrugged. 'I think they must've realised that having me frozen in the rift meant they couldn't get through, so they realised they had to let me go and kicked me out.' He held up his palm where the blue line was. Brax took his hand, examining it. 'When I woke up I had this. Then I think it made me have a vision.'

'What kind of vision?'

'A future vision,' the Doctor replied. 'I saw Rose shoot me when I came into Torchwood, and she did.'

Brax mused on that. 'It certainly sounds like the lergri. Using the power of potential future visions. Whatever's happened should turn up in the scan.'

The Doctor nodded. 'Make it quick, because I don't particularly fancy having another one.'

A/N: Hurrah!