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Another chapter closer to the end of this book. And then I can start posting the next book, a sequel! WOOHOO!

Chapter 23

"Where's Rose?" Laurel asked as she entered the examination room. Harry was standing at the controls of the Velinian medical scanner, accessing its database.

"I sent her to the cafeteria and then called Mr. Simmonds to distract her for a while," the physician explained. "I thought it would be best if she stayed out of the loop until we figure out exactly what is going on with Alex." He raised his eyes to hers. "How is he?"

She shook her head. "From what I just saw, he's developed a kind of Displaced Personality Disorder only he's fully cognizant of his condition, more so than any case I've ever heard of. He actually had a verbal conversation with what he claimed are the mental manifestations of his alien father and human mother and that his brain hasn't yet fully adapted to this universe and his body. He also said that the only way that he can finish the adaptation is if he completely cuts off the supply of antipsychotics."

"Go cold turkey? I'm not comfortable with that idea."

"Neither am I but… he seemed so absolutely certain. He even begged for us to let him do this. And he indicated that he was going to do it with or without our consent."

Harry returned his focus to the console. "It seems to me that he really isn't sure what he wants, given how he protested the reduction before deciding to go to this drastic extreme."

"Which is why I told him that I would consult with you. I think we should go through his scans, see if we can find evidence to support or contradict his assertions."

"I guess you and I are on the same wavelength as I'm looking at his scans now. But I don't see anything to explain what happened today. It's like he suddenly and inexplicably lost his mind. There is absolutely no evidence of mental instability in the scans."

"I'm tending towards believing him," the psychiatrist stated. "While he hadn't been completely in his right mind when he reacted so negatively to our announcement that we were going to reduce his meds, he did make a good point. The only things we know about his biology we learned from him teaching us and from the scans we made. Even with the advances technology Torchwood has, we still know so very little about the human mind, much less the mind of a half-human, half-alien hybrid."

Harry sighed, crossing his arms. "True, but I would still feel more comfortable if we had evidence one way or the other."

"Then let's see if we can find it. If not, we'll talk to Rose and Alex. In the long run, it's not our decision but theirs."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Several hours later, the two asked Rose into Laurel's office so that they could discuss the situation.

"We've come across a problem," Harry started once they were all seated. "Laurel and I have gone over every scan we've done on Alex but we are at a loss."

"You mean you don't know what's wrong with him?" she questioned with concern, her eyes shifting from Harry to Laurel.

"Not exactly," the psychiatrist corrected. "We know exactly what's wrong with him. We are at a loss as how to handle the situation. Alex is exhibiting signs of Displace Personality Disorder. We know that he's the product of a genetic fusion of both Donna Noble's and the Doctor's DNA and that, as a result, he inherited their memories. He apparently has also inherited their personalities and those personalities are via for control of his body."

"So… you're saying he's crazy?" Rose asked, clearly stunned.

"He has a mental disorder," Laurel clarified. "One we have different views on how to deal with. Alex – or rather the Doctor – claims that his addiction to antipsychotics is affecting his ability to finish his brain's adaptation to this universe and to his hybrid body."

"But I thought he was done adapting."

"When we had first examined the scans, we didn't see anything amiss," Harry put in. "Upon closer examination, we're seeing some discrepancies we didn't notice the first time around. Areas in his temporal lobe have shown varying activities that match with his general mood at the time he was being given the scans. We believe that these variations are indicative of one of his three personalities taking hold."

"So… what does that mean? He never finished adapting to his new body and new environment and, as a result, he developed DPD?"

"Actually, I think he was born with DPD," Laurel stated gently, "a mild form which has since grown substantially. His brain tried its best to cope with the disorder by making Alex bipolar which in turn, because he took an antipsychotic to deal with the bipolar disorder, led to his addiction. His addiction in turn allowed his other personalities to grow stronger and to take over more often. I think that's what happened when Harry and I told him that we were going to reduce his intake by four pills a day. One of his other personalities took over and, like you said, overreacted. Unfortunately, those actions forced us to put him in a cell for his own protection.

"I listened into his conversation after I sent you away," she continued uninterrupted. "Not only does he believe that his antipsychotic is actually preventing him from finishing adapting to his body and this universe, he also believes that if he isn't freed of the drug quickly he will have his current mental state permanently. He came up with a solution to this problem which, I have to admit, scares me. He proposes that we completely cut off all antipsychotics from him, forcing the drug out of his system as quickly as possible so that he can then focus on healing his mind."

"Will it? Will suddenly cutting him off help him to heal himself?" Rose queried.

"We don't know. The mind is a complex thing. Alex being the only Time Lord I've ever encountered – and him being only half Time Lord – I honestly can't tell you what kind of an effect it will have on his mind. But, given that he is also half Human, I have to assume that he will suffer from severe withdrawal symptoms. I confronted him on the matter but he's insistent on going cold turkey. He even stated that, no matter what we decide concerning his well-being, he fully intends to go through with it."

"And he seems quite serious about it," Harry added. "We sent a nurse in to remove the straight jacket and to give him his medicine a couple of hours after he and Laurel talked. Alex fought against her the moment she insisted that he take the medicine. The nurse was forced to give it to him in injection form and with two interns holding him still."

"Then what do we do?" the blonde questioned.

"We don't believe that his being cut off abruptly would be best for him," Laurel stated. "Even after going over all previous scans, there isn't any proof to his assertions. On the other hand, he is the absolute expert in his own biology. We want him to continue on the regimen he's on now; he wants to accelerate it by going cold turkey. However, with his current mental state, I don't believe he has the ability to make any kind of rational decision on the matter. Neither Harry nor I have the authority to impose our wishes upon him. That leaves the matter up to you. You hold Alex's medical power of attorney. So… do we continue with the regimen as we have lain out or do we allow Alex to go off the drug completely?"

Rose ran everything through her mind carefully before taking a slow breath. "I want to see the video recording of his conversation."

"It's disturbing to see him in the state he's in," Harry warned. "Are you sure?"

"I'd rather see him in person but Alex is empathic and mildly telepathic. While I don't think that he would deliberately try to influence my decision by forcing his views and emotions into my mind, I don't want to take the risk. I can't make a decision that will affect Alex on this level without understanding his reasoning and hearing it in his own words. Seeing the video is the best option under the circumstances. Once I've seen it and have really thought about the issue, then I'll give you my decision."

Appreciating her own rationale on the matter, they walked with her to the confinement ward and to the AVS just outside of Alex's cell. Accessing the video records, Rose located and viewed the conversation Alex had first with himself and then with Laurel, paying close attention not only to his words but also his behavior. Then, after several seconds of thoughtful silence, she asked to be let into the cell.

"I thought you didn't want to see him in person, that you didn't want to risk his influencing your decision," Laurel pointed out.

"I changed my mind," she retorted firmly. "Let me in."

Plainly hesitant, she unlocked the door and allowed Rose access. Both she and Harry followed her in, maintaining enough distance to allow Alex and Rose privacy while being available to act.

No longer restrained and now curled into a corner of the padded room, Alex seemed far more subdued than Rose ever recalled seeing him. He gave the impression of a small frightened child in need of comfort.

Lowering herself so that she was on her knees, she reached out and touched his shoulder, gaining his attention. The sheer desperation in his eyes as he looked at her broke her heart but Rose nonetheless remained steady.

"Hey," she greeted gently.

"Hey," he responded, sounding as small as he looked.

"What's happening?"

"I'm regenerating."

She raised her eyebrows at his words, clearly surprised. While she knew that the hybrid was incapable of proper Time Lord regeneration by his own admission, she supposed what he was going through was a kind of like regenerating, with the metacrisis changing from the Time Lord into Alexander Smith. "Well, that's not a bad thing, is it?"

"I don't know yet. It really depends on what you decide to do, doesn't it?"

"What makes you think that?"

He lowered his eyelids, giving her a disparaging look. "Rose, I may be insane but I'm not stupid. Harry and Laurel believe – and rightly so, actually – that I'm no longer technically cognizant enough to make my own decisions concerning my health which in turn means that it's up to you. You've naturally seen the video of my discussions and you're here to see my condition for yourself before making your decision."

Rose couldn't help but give a small laugh. "Laurel was right. You don't sound insane."

"But I am. I've been insane my entire life. From the moment that I was born, I've had three separate voices in my head. The Doctor's voice, Donna's voice, and my voice which, if you really think about it is a mixture of both the Doctor's and Donna's voice while still being uniquely mine. Multiple Personality Disorder in the proper sense of the term. Not Displace Personality Disorder, as Laurel has diagnosed me. DPD indicates one personality overriding another which isn't the case with me. My mental illness is more like all three of my personalities talking at the same time and me trying my best to figure out whose voice should come out the strongest under each circumstance, sometimes deciding not to get involved at all and burying myself to avoid the conflict. None of which is easy, considering that both the Doctor and Donna have very strong personalities and our disagreements with each other have at times caused me to behave improperly, especially when one personality slips out of the fog I've put in my brain thanks to the antipsychotic I'm addicted to." He wiped away a couple of tears that escaped during his explanation, plainly upset by his current mental state. "Blimey, I'm one messed up person, aren't I."

"Yeah, I'd say so," she replied quietly, her worry for him showing in her eyes.

"So… what are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet. I want to talk to the Doctor first."

He hesitated, not wanting to give up the control he currently had over his body. "Okay," he finally relented. He suddenly had a distant look on his features which was quickly replaced with one of confidence and intelligence. He smiled gently at her. "Rose Tyler," he stated, affection in his words.

She returned the smile, struck by how his tone brought back memories of traveling in the TARDIS with the Time Lord. It wasn't the first time Alex had said her name in such a manner but, for some reason, it seemed far more "Doctor-ish" than it had before, as if the Time Lord had come back for one more visit.

"Doctor, I need to ask you a question."

"All right."

She looked deep into those brown eyes she so loved and saw the Gallifreyan time traveler there. "Are you sure?"

He didn't need clarification on her question. "Yes."

"Even though it could kill you?"

"I wouldn't have even suggested such a drastic regimen if I wasn't sure. Alex needs this or you will lose him forever."

She gave him a small smile. "Good enough for me," she replied softly. Standing up again, she turned to Harry and Laurel. "We go with his wishes."

"Rose…" Laurel started to protest.

"You said it was my decision."

"And you said you didn't want to make that decision biased by his feelings on the matter."

"I'm not. I'm basing it on what I've heard from all parties. You say he has DPD. Alex says it's Multiple Personality Disorder. Either way, how do you treat a patient with a personality disorder? With antipsychotics and psychiatric therapy, yeah? But antipsychotics are addictive to Alex. So what then? Is psychiatric therapy really going to be enough? What if you're wrong and the Doctor's right? Can you really risk his sanity just to make withdrawal easier on him? Because that's what this really comes down to. Does it really matter in the long run how he's freed from his addiction as long as his mind is healed? Yes, it's dangerous. We all know that. But I've known the Doctor since I was nineteen years old and I believe in him. Besides… like he just said to me… he may be insane but he's not stupid. We should at least acknowledge that, even in his state, he knows far more about his condition than any of us ever will. And I've made my decision. We do as he tells us."

"Very well," the psychiatrist stated, though it was obvious that neither she nor Harry were comfortable with the decision. "Since we're doing this, we're going to do it as safely as possible."

"I agree," the Doctor put in, standing. "You'll have to sedate me and keep me monitored at all times. I may become very vocal even sedated but as long as my vitals are within certain parameters it'll be fine. I'll show you everything you need to keep an eye on." He pointed to Harry. "And I'll tell you exactly how much sedative you can give me and how often without negatively affecting my health. Agreed?" Not seeing any immediate protests, he started for the door. "Let's get to it then. The sooner we take care of this the better."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Tony had been pleading repeatedly to see the Doctor and, unaware of the events that had happened that day, Jackie agreed that it might be good for the half-Gallifreyan's morale. Gaining a promise from the boy that he would be on his best behavior, she walked into the medical ward carrying her toddler son who, in turn, was carrying a blue teddy bear.

"Doctor!" the boy cried out the moment he saw Alex, who was walking towards a standard room with Rose, Harry, and Laurel. Tony wiggled out of his mother's hold, ignoring her admonitions and Rose's gentle warnings to leave the Doctor alone. Hurrying up to the hybrid, he gave his legs a tight hug.

The Doctor grinned broadly at the boy's actions. "Master Tony Tyler! Good to see you." Bending down, he loosened the boy's hold in order to crouch down and give him a hug.

"He's been begging to see you all week," Jackie told him as she came closer. "Dr. Sullivan said you were doing well today when I called earlier so…"

"Actually, Mum…" Rose started.

"I think it's brilliant!" the Doctor interrupted. He ignored Rose's look of slight concern, choosing to focus on the boy. "So, what have you been up to? I see you've got a new bear." He nodded to the stuffed animal. "And he's blue. Love blue. Great color. My favorite, in fact."

"Me too," Tony replied emphatically. "His name's TARDIS."

While the Doctor still missed the time ship, the pain of losing her had faded into fond memories. "It's a great name for a bear."

"Uh-huh," the boy agreed. "Mummy says you're sick but that it isn't come cage us."

"Contagious," Rose corrected gently. "It means that what he has won't make you sick."

"You don't look sick," the four year old insisted.

"Well, my sickness is different than a cold," Alex told him.

"Mummy said it's like an upset tummy."

"Upset tummy?"

The blonde woman shrugged. "It was the best explanation I could come up with. That you took something bad for you and made yourself sick."

"Well, that's definitely true."

"When I have an upset tummy, Mummy just gives me some medicine and sends me to bed. I don't have to go to a hospital," Tony said, clearly not quite understanding the situation.

"You've got a point there," the Doctor conceded. He glanced at Jackie, who just shrugged again. She'd obviously tried her best to explain things to Tony but failed to find the right words. The half-Time Lord thought for a moment before deciding on a comparison the boy might understand. "But there's more to it that just an upset stomach. It's like… and I'm just using candy here as an example… when you eat too much candy and it upsets your stomach and you don't want to eat anymore but you can't stop eating it because it tastes so good. Only in my case, it isn't candy that's making me sick; it's an antipsychotic."

"What's that?"

"It's a medicine and some people don't react well to medicine. In my case, antipsychotics make me feel too good. So good, in fact, that I can't help taking more even though I know it isn't good for me."

"But medicine's good for you."

"True, but only if you don't take too much. I've been taking too much medicine and it's made me sick. I'm in the hospital so that Dr. Sullivan and Dr. Gentillini can help me stop taking the medicine especially since I don't need it anymore."

"Why can't you just stop taking it?"

"It's not quite that simple." Seeing the frown on the boy's face, he sighed in slight frustration as he realized Tony wouldn't understand the situation and that he couldn't explain it without frightening the boy. "I'm just too sick to go home for a while," he finished.

Tony thought about Alex's words for a moment before holding out the blue stuffed animal. "You can keep TARDIS with you if you want. Hugging him makes me feel better."

Alex smiled gently at the boy's offer, his eyes moistening with affection. "That's very sweet of you, Tony. But I can't take TARDIS from you."

"Why not? It's okay. I don't mind."

"I know you don't and that's very generous of you. But TARDIS belongs with you." Seeing the disappointment on the boy's face, he struggled to find something to say that would cheer him up. "TARDIS would miss you too much because…" His eyes brightened slightly with revelation. "…because you're linked symbiotically. All Time Lords are linked symbiotically to their TARDISes."

At hearing the Doctor's explanation, Tony smiled and turned to his sister. "TARDIS and me are leaked simple biology!"

Alex smirked at the boy's words, clearly trying not to burst out in laughter while Rose once again corrected her little brother. "It's 'TARDIS and I are linked symbio…'" She stopped as she realized what she was saying and that Tony wouldn't understand the correction. "Never mind," she sighed.

"Now you've done it," Jackie commented with a slight maternal glare. "It's going to take a national disaster to separate him from that toy. Probably will insist on bringing it to dinner." Glancing at each person in the small crowd, her face dropped as she realized she and Tony had walked into a serious situation. "What's wrong?"

"At his insistence and with Rose's permission, we're changing Alex's treatment," Harry explained. "It only came up this afternoon."

Jackie again looked at the expressions on their faces. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going cold turkey," Alex told her bluntly.

Tony frowned in confusion at the startled reaction on his mum's face. "I like cold turkey," he stated, wondering why everyone was so worried about chilled poultry.

"Not this kind of cold turkey you wouldn't, sweetheart," the hybrid answered the boy. If the child had been as observant as his older sister, he would have noticed that the Doctor's tone sounded a little feminine. "It means I'm going to get even more sick before I get better and it isn't fun."

"He's only been at it for six days," Jackie protested. "Cold turkey's a bit extreme, don't you think?"

"Well, that's what I said but the Doctor was insistent," Alex replied, his tone still feminine. Seeing that his words only frightened Tony and made Jackie all that more concerned, he sighed. "Sorry," he murmured as he stood.

"Mum, why don't you take Tony down to the cafeteria and wait there for me," Rose quickly suggested, not wanting Jackie to start asking questions concerning Alex's seemingly bizarre statement. "I promise I'll explain everything when I get there." She turned to Alex and took his hand. "Let's go."

The matriarch was about to protest when she decided it would be better if she didn't. Instead, she watched with concern as the four other adults walked into the standard hospital room, leaving her and Tony alone in the hallway. "Come on, Tony," she finally instructed, taking her son's hand. "Let's go get some frozen yogurt."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The Doctor very carefully ensured that all the instrumentation that they needed to monitor his condition was in place and properly functioning, though his own ability to function was diminished thanks to the onset of withdrawal symptoms. He also made sure, as he had promised, that Harry knew exactly how much sedative to give him and how frequently, assuring them that being unconscious throughout the ordeal would calm the more intense withdrawal symptoms and thus help him focus on his mind.

Once he was certain that everything was in place, he turned to Rose and pulled her into a tight hug and then kissed her. "Just in case," he whispered. "I… I may not make it through this."

"You will," she replied confidently. "I love you."

"And I love you." Giving her one more kiss, he pulled away and then positioned himself on the bed. "Do whatever you have to do to keep me safe," he instructed as Harry prepared to sedate him. "Just remember one rule: do not, under any circumstances, give me any antipsychotics. Or aspirin," he added jokingly, knowing that both doctors were fully aware to his deadly allergy to that particular painkiller.

"You're in good hands, Alex," Harry assured him, administering the sedative.

It didn't take long for the hybrid to start feeling the effects of the drug. He quickly found his eyelids to be too heavy, obliging him to close them. He could feel Laurel and Harry putting the necessary accessories on him, attaching him to the machinery that would check his vitals. He then felt Rose taking his hand and kissing it.

"I'll be here when you wake up," she whispered in his ear. They were the last things he heard and felt before slipping into unconsciousness.