Jack fought down his rising panic and went into medic mode. He knelt down next to the fallen Time Lord and placed his fingers against the side of his neck...no pulse.
Next check...he placed his ear to the Doctor's chest...no...wait, he heard a miraculous sound...the faint beats of two marvellous hearts.
Fighting down the elation he felt he continued his examination. There were numerous bruise and cuts; some nearly healed and some still weeping.
It was when he came to the Doctor's mid-rift that Jack had to stop and swallow hard.
A blood soaked covering that smelt as disgusting as it looked was taped to his middle. As carefully he could he peeled it back and was nearly sick.
Something and he could guess as to what it was had been crudely removed and large painful staples were spread across the Doctor's belly like he was a piece of paper. It was weeping blood and pus and was red raw and very angry.
Jack sucked in a breath...if he hadn't succeeded in killing himself then the infection that was surely invading his system just might.
He heard the sound of running footsteps and yelled. "In here!"
Martha was the first to enter the TARDIS and she wasted no time in setting to work. She couldn't afford to think about what had happened; her main concern was the now stricken Time Lord.
She eventually sat back and looked at Jack and the rest of his team a sad look on her face.
"I want to help him Jack but I daren't move him, it will split those staples and he can't afford to lose anymore blood. I wish the TARDIS was working properly, I really need her med-bay."
As if in answer to her words a loud groan emanated from somewhere deep within the TARDIS and lights began to flicker.
Jack looked up at the domed ceiling. "Come on girl...you can do it!"
The console room was suddenly bathed in green and gold and a door appeared to their right.
The TARDIS shuddered and as they carefully carried the Doctor into the med-bay, the lights dimmed in the console room...she'd given all she could.
Ianto and Gwen sat in the dark of the console room, eyes fixed on the chink of light that was coming from under the doors of the med-bay.
"I don't want him to live," Ianto suddenly said.
Gwen looked at him, her look of horror hidden by the dark. "Why would you say that? Do you hate him that much?"
"Would you blame me if I did? Look at what's happened, the whole world suffered under him and that other monster and who's to say he's going to be different now. He's still a monster, whatever way you put it."
Gwen said nothing at first then spoke. "Martha and I watched him and the Master do some awful things, things that would make you sick. But do I hate him...no, does Martha hate him...no. She's in there trying to fight for his life because she can separate the act from the man. He's ill Ianto and he needs help not condemnation."
Ianto let out a long breath. "I suppose you're right, I can't blame the man for the madness. But what do we do if he can't be cured...what will Jack do?"
Gwen sighed and put an arm around Ianto. "I don't know."
Jack could only watch in silence and hand Martha the things she needed and listen to her running commentary.
"It looks like he just cut it away without even bothering to see what it was attached to...damn butcher. He's severed several major nerves and muscles...I'm surprised he could even walk, let alone crawl. Hand me the sealer," she said as she looked at a screen just above the operating table.
She was working blind, relying on the TARDIS to tell her where and what.
Jack turned to the table that had appeared with all manner of instruments and gadgets, which he knew was the TARDIS's doing and he silently thanked her for causing herself pain to help and vowed to tell the Doctor exactly what his beloved TARDIS did for him.
He looked at the instruments and he felt a mental nudge to pick up a slender object not un-similar to the sonic screwdriver.
He handed it to Martha and once again could only watch as she worked and wrinkled his nose when the faint whiff of burning flesh filled the air.
The minutes turned into hours and he only relaxed when Martha closed the wound with a dermal regenerator that almost but not quite did its work; there was too much skin missing Martha had said, it would have heal the slow and more painful way.
"Now, how the hell do we get him and us back to Torchwood?" Jack asked.
A loud groan filled the air and the TARDIS shudder and they and the others heard the grating of ancient engines struggling to work and the familiar sound of dematerialisation filled the air.
Jack patted the side of the TARDIS as the others moved the Doctor down into their own med-bay come morgue.
"Thank you girl, I'll come back and you can sit on the rift and make yourself better."
The TARDIS shuddered under his hand.
"Don't worry, we'll...I'll take good care of him, even if I have to keep him here forever."
The TARDIS groaned in reply and once again became quiet.
Jack sighed and jogged down the steps to the med-bay/morgue. He met Ianto and Gwen coming up.
"You two, go home and that's an order."
"Is it safe?" Gwen asked.
"I don't think he's in any condition to do anything...go home."
They both nodded and left.
Jack carried on down and entered the med-bay.
Martha was adjusting the dosage of Serum 5 and the only sound in the room was the beeping of the monitors and the respirator breathing for the Doctor.
She turned when Jack walked in and gave him a tentative smile.
"How's he doing?"
"I won't lie to you Jack. He may not have killed himself with whatever was in that syringe, but the infection from the butchers work could. I'm afraid it's up to him now."
"You mean does he want to?"
Martha nodded and stroked the Doctor's cheek. "He's a fighter, but with everything he's been through I don't know if he has the will or strength to fight anymore."
Jack moved over to the Doctor and took one of his hands, so delicate and fragile into both of his.
"Then I'll fight for him, you just make sure he lives."
Martha nodded. "I'll try my best, but no guarantees."
Jack had retired to his small room and had been so tired that he fell onto the bed and as asleep in seconds.
He was awoken by the sound of an alarm. He looked over at his alarm clock, it said three-thirty am...he'd been asleep for no more than three hours; so why had his alarm gone off, he hadn't set it?
Then he realised it wasn't his alarm, it was the alarm in the med-bay. He was up in a shot and was up the ladder and down to the med-bay in seconds.
He skidded to halt when he found Martha and unbelievably Gwen and Ianto fighting for the Doctor's life.
The alarms of the life support were going mad and the respirator was out and Ianto was using a bag to breath for him as Martha charged the defibrillator.
Jack rushed over to Ianto who gratefully relinquished the bag and began rubbing the cramp from his hands.
"Clear!" she yelled and placed the paddle against the Doctor's chest and his body spasmend but the monitor still flashed and sounded its warning.
"Come on Doctor!" Martha yelled and once more placed the paddles against his chest.
The response was the same and Martha ramped up the voltage and once again placed them.
She let out a cry as there was a crackle of electricity and a wreath of smoke came from the defibrillator.
"No!" she cried and began manually pumping his heart.
Jack stopped squeezing the bag and grabbed hold of Martha's hands.
"Enough."
The monitor still kept up its warning noises and the feeling that death had entered the room fell as the Doctor let out his last breath and his hearts stopped and the Last of the Time Lords was dead.
The Doctor found himself not in a meadow of red grass, as the hereafter should be, but in a meadow of full of wild flowers.
He looked round, hoping to see the Master and their child, but there was no-one.
A breeze ruffled his hair and the smell of blossom caught his nostrils...why did the smell seem so familiar.
Then he saw someone walking towards him, the wild grass almost up to the person's waist.
As the person got closer, he could see it was girl...he let out a gasp of surprise, he recognised her... it was Lia, the Seer from the Imani home world.
She stopped short of him and bowed her head. "Sky Lord."
The Doctor frowned. "This isn't the hereafter?"
Lia smiled. "No, Sky Lord, this is mine."
"So why am I here?"
"Oh Sky Lord, you is here cause' your hearts is broken an your soul is sick of living. I don' blames you for runnin' aways. But Sky Lord, you can't runs away from what you done, you haves to face your guilt an' live with it."
The Doctor felt his knees buckle and he fell to the ground, Lia's words striking home.
"No, I don't want to, why should I!" he cried.
"Cause' it isn't right Sky Lord, you knows it and once again is not your time. Time is ending and the drums are calling for war."
The Doctor looked up at Lia's words. "What do you mean..."
Intense pain in his chest cut off his words and the meadow began to fade.
"I will see's you again Sky Lord," Lia said as she faded.
Jack began removing the tubes and wires from the Doctor, tears blurring his vision...he couldn't believe he was gone, couldn't believe he'd given up fighting...couldn't imagine the universe without its brightest light.
He paused and moved a stray lock of hair from the Doctor's forehead and said softly.
"At least you're at peace now. I hope you find what you were looking for."
He placed a hand on the Doctor's chest and jumped as if shocked...it couldn't be?
"Martha!"
It had seemed an eternity since Jack had felt that solitary heartbeat and a miracle had happened.
Yes the Doctor was still unconscious and he was still not out of a very dark woods but he was alive.
He virtually jumped down the steps, hoping that today was the day that he would wake up.
He stopped outside the little ante-room that was serving as Martha's office and popped his head in.
Martha was busy with medical notes and looked up when the door opened. "Before you ask, he's awake."
At Jack's grin she held up a hand. "Five minutes Jack, he needs to rest."
"Yes doctor," Jack replied.
He nervously entered the med-bay, unsure of what Doctor would greet him.
The steady beeping of the monitor told him that he was at least alive.
The Doctor opened his eyes when Jack approached and turned his head away.
Jack felt his heart sink, but still sat down on the chair next to the bed.
"I don't blame you if you hate me."
"I don't hate you Jack. I don't hate anyone. I don't feel anything at all."
Jack sighed. "We can help you."
"I don't want your help, go away Jack."
The Doctor kept his head turned to the wall as if he was staring at something else.
Jack stood up and moved off, his head and his heart spinning at the Doctor's words. He stopped just short of the door.
No, he wasn't having that. He moved back to the bed and stood at the foot of it.
"I'm going to...we're going to help you, whether you like it or not. You can't run away from what happened and you will have to face it and I and the others will be there when you do."
With that he walked away knowing that only half the battle had been won and that the hardest battle was about to begin...the battle for the Doctor's soul.
TBC in "Cold Hearts, Slow Burning Soul"
Authors note: Lia is a character from another on of ny stories entitled "Blood Of The Imani". If you want to read it to find out how important she is to the Doctor then feel free.