Ok ok ok, I know, you all are angry with me for not update this. But, please, I want you to forgive me for the delay and also to warn you that I don't have a beta-reader so you can find grammatical errors in these chapters. (Yes, I said chapters because my intention is to finish it! I promise!)
"I know you'd do anything to protect me, you've done it countless times. And I also know you think this is going to hurt me. Well, you know what? Yes. It's going to hurt, this is going to tear me apart, and it will leave me scars that will never heal. But... I must do it. I've been running away from this moment, but now... I... have to do it now. "
The Tardis was silence, but all the monitors were still disconnected. "You once told me you don't take me where I want to go, but where I need to go." His hand placed on the central glass tube. "No matter how much you protest, no matter how angry you get, you know I have to go there... please, be my friend." For a moment he thought the ship was just going to ignore him, but then the lever turned itself, and the rotor of the Tardis began to move.
"Thank you." He whispered and started to fly her towards their next destination.
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CHAPTER 34: A GOOD MAN.
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The Tardis landed although she tried to clarify she was furious at what she considered a stupid decision. The blue box had even taken him to a base full of Daleks before landing there. He knew the time machine was trying to delay his arrival at his destination, but the stubbornness of the Time Lord increased. On another occasion, he would have postponed this trip for other thousand years, but no more. The Doctor had told himself it was necessary. What the hell, he even screamed that the universe would explode if that meeting doesn't happen. It was a lie, but there he was.
His head, still deep in thought, looked around as he closed the door of the Tardis. His old friend had landed in the most inaccessible place on a building. When the old box got angry she used to land miles away from his destination.
He rolled his eyes annoyed. "You Know… I understand why Clara calls you 'Old Harpy'" He regretted saying that. "Oh… My Clara." His voice was only a whisper "I hope the cupcake brain is taking care of you."
His gaze looked around, and he realized that he was in a narrow closet of what appeared to be a hospital. "Great. I hate hospitals." His voice told himself as his legs moved through the corridors of the edifice.
Nurses and doctors walked everywhere, carrying reports or running to emergencies, all of them passed by, busy with their daily chores. Nobody cares about him. Good. That building was full of puddings brains and he wasn't in the mood to talk to them.
"Why does everything have to be so complicated?" He clenched his jaw and kept his gaze focused on the door. "The Tardis is right. I'm not prepared." His words were full of regret. The man was so immersed in his thoughts he didn't notice the human who approached him.
"Would you like to sit, sir? You look tired." Said a voice in front of him. He was still staring at the door, but it surprised his eyebrows to see no one.
The voice didn't give up and continued talking to him, "Sir, are you okay?"
He blinked and looked down at the floor to meet a child. The Time Lord was terrible at calculating human ages, so he assumed that this tiny being, judging from his size, must be a little boy or perhaps a dwarf. He wasn't sure, so he opted for the first one because of his acute and insufferable voice.
"Why aren't you going to do human things? Shouldn't you be at school?" He said trying to get rid of him. "And didn't your parents told you not to talk to strangers?" It was a very difficult time for him and what he needed least was a whippersnapper to distract him. His strategy worked. The boy turned around and sat down again, in one chair in that lonely waiting room.
The Doctor gathered all the courage he had and his legs reacted. He was mere inches away from the door; his hands were about to touch the handlebar when he heard what he could never, under any circumstances, bear.
The alien turned to where the child sat. His gaze saw the boy rubbing his eye. Even though there was no one else in the room, the little human was struggling to hide his tears. The Doctor rolled his eyes and thought this distraction was a thing of the Tardis. She would have calculated all variables to take longer to get through the damn door.
"Hey, I didn't want to offend you," The boy didn't answer him but covered his face, embarrassed. The Doctor sighed seeing that conversation was going to be long, so he sat on the next chair and investigated the situation of the child. "Are you alone? Where are your parents?" The older man said puzzled. He had learned that smaller humans were always near larger ones to protect them, but at that moment, the child was alone. An anomaly, anomalies were his favorite pastime.
The boy looked up, his eyes seemed upset. "I'm angry and I don't want to talk to my mother again. I'm not going to that ridiculous school."
It surprised the Doctor, he didn't expect that answer at all, let alone meet a furious child. "Have you run away?" He asked with interest.
The child made a mocking face. "No. My mother thinks I'm buying a soda. I can only escape if I had a car."
The Doctor couldn't help it. A stupid grin appeared on his face. "Do you find it funny?" Said the boy as he finished wiping his tears. "No. Is... you remind me of someone. Another child who didn't want to go to school either and, well, He stole a Tard ... a vehicle."
Those words seemed to interest the boy. "And what happened? Did he go to another school?"
The Doctor looked straight ahead. "It's a long story, and ... that child grew up," His voice sounded sad, he knew maybe he was getting into a jam. "Look, that boy when to his stupid school, but in the end, He just… discovered he didn't want to be like the other people that were in there so… He made a decision, a terrifying one." The Time Lord sighed tiredly, but the boy was waiting for him to go on.
"I know that you're afraid. It's ok. But you must know that you're unique. What you decide to do, here and now, nobody else can do it. That's the exciting thing. You are the only writer of your story. Don't let anyone write it for you."
"Does that mean I can choose not to go to that school?" The child smiled for the first time. "Can I be whatever I want?"
"Sure, why not? But… one condition" The Doctor pointed a finger at the little human; his face was pretty serious. "You must be a good man. Do you hear me?"
Those words excited the little human. Nobody had ever spoken to him like that as if he were an adult person. "Are you a good man?" The child asked.
"No" The Doctor answered him flatly. "But I try to be one."
The boy's tears had dried up. "And what are you? I mean... What do you do?"
"I'm just a... " The Time Lord realized that there was admiration in the boy's eyes. "Doctor."
The child looked at him with enthusiasm as if that revelation was the most important thing they had ever told him. But, his smile soon faded.
"You look sad." He said, looking into The Doctor's eyes. "What's wrong?"
The older man sighed heavily. "Well, I come to visit a friend, it's complicated." He looked at the boy again and for a moment he saw that the human was younger than he thought at first, maybe instead of twenty-three, he was only fifteen years old. "How Old Are You?" He asked with curiosity.
"Eight." The boy smiled proudly.
"Eight? Seriously?" The older man said in disbelief. He looked away shaking his head; Calculate human age was not his strong point.
"Well, I travel a lot and I have not seen my friend in a very long time, but ... He, eh, let's say, He's also going on a trip and," He felt a lump forming in his throat. "I won't be able to visit him anymore and ... I want to say goodbye. Correctly this time." The last words were barely audible. "I hate farewells you know. They make me sad."
The child nodded as his eyes looked away. "Yes. I understand you."
"Do you?" Asked the Time Lord a bit surprised. He had tried to sweeten the explanation as much as possible, but he didn't expect the little human to understand it at all. After all, he was a tiny pudding brain.
"My friend Jerry moved a couple of years ago. His father found a work in the north of the country and although the elders told us, we would see each other again, we knew it was a lie. So, we made an exchange."
"A what?"
"Yes. I'm keeping his dinosaur."
The Doctor turned in his chair, the little human had gotten his full attention, and that wasn't something that happened often. "How? They became extinct a long ago in your timeline."
"It's a toy," The child laughed. "It was his favorite toy. I gave him my fire truck instead. So every time we see our toys, we remember our friendship."
The Doctor nodded. "You're a smart guy, you know? I consider that if you're so reluctant to go to that school you must have a good reason. Fight for it. And do me a favor... Look for your mother."
The boy looked at him smiling. "Thanks, sir doctor." He jumped down from his chair and ran. The Time Lord quickly lost sight of him, but he was glad he had helped that little human.
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"Mom, mom, I'm here," The child said as he spotted a young blonde woman who had obvious signs of worry on her face.
"For God's sake, John, where have you been? I've been looking for you all over the place!"
"Mom, I will not go to the military academy." Said the child, very sure of his words.
The woman looked tired. "Johnny, we already talked about this. And it's the best for you."
"But mom, now I'm sure," His eyes shone as he spoke. "I know exactly what I want to be."
The woman crossed her arms. "What now? Dinosaur seeker? Rocket builder? Astronaut?" His mother moved her head. "I already sent your enrolment to study at the military academy. You'll be a soldier like your grandfather and your great-great-grandfather before him."
"No, I won't." John smiled at her. "I will be a Doctor."
Kate couldn't believe what she had just heard. The worst of all is that she couldn't think a reply to that.
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The Doctor sighed. It was the moment he had avoided for centuries, but not anymore. He hated farewells, really hated them. Despite everything, part of him wanted to be there, but another part of him seemed sad.
The Time Lord knew the experience would break one of his two hearts, but he needed to do it. "Doctor, don't think about this anymore. He's your friend, what are you afraid of?" He told himself as his hand opened the door.
It looked like the typical hospital room. The characteristic smell of antiseptics impregnated the air, and the hum of the devices echoed the room, recording the vital signs of the patient.
He noticed a shape under the sheets of a bed, which was in the center of the room. The Doctor moved forward and stared at the patient. He couldn't see his face because a huge newspaper covered it.
"You're late, Doctor." Said the patient.
His eyebrows almost fell when he heard that voice. How the hell did he recognize him? He didn't even look at him! And even if he had... The Doctor wore a different face from the last one he had seen him with.
"Doctor, you had to have brought my meds half an hour ago." The voice seemed annoying behind the huge newspaper.
The alien made a face of understanding. He remembered that it was a hospital, and that man was a patient. It makes sense, doctors would attend him. So maybe, he confused him with one. The Time Lord cleared his throat and felt stupid because the words didn't quite come out. After all, He didn't know well what to say.
Due to the uncomfortable silence, the patient lowered the newspaper to give him a scrutinizing look. He was a man of advanced age, his wrinkles showed his age although his face was still as tough as when he first met him. Now his hair was white, but The Doctor smiled when he saw that his friend still conserve his characteristic mustache.
"Oh... It's you." The patient said, raising the newspaper again. "You're late too. 20 years late to be exact."
"What?" The Doctor's jaw dropped. "How do you…? You recognize me then?"
"Came on, who else would it be?" The patient turned a page of the newspaper as if nothing was happening. "I notice you have changed your face again, but who else would wear those clothes..." The patient seemed to doubt "Of a magician? Besides..." He said, lowering the newspaper again and smirking. "I heard The Tardis landing about an hour ago. What the hell have you been doing?"
The Time Lord opened his mouth and closed it again. His eyebrows showed his disbelief. He had planned multitudes of possibilities for that encounter, but none was that one. Finally, he couldn't help but laugh. It was weird to listen him laugh, but the patient joined in with another laugh.
"Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart... I think you're still just as presumptuous as ever." Said The Doctor. Despite the mockery of his tone, his gaze was tender.
"And I see I can't leave you alone for a moment. You look... horrible."
TO BE CONTINUED.
I promise it won't take me a year to update this story. Besides, the monkey is watching me… and it's also reading reviews. :D