A/N: Thank you for all of your kind reviews. I have the best reviewers in the World :)
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I feel much happier now, and part of that is thanks to you guys. The other thanks goes to my wonderful friends and family.
(I would have posted this chapter earlier, but something happened to my fanfiction account. I wasn't allowed to upload any chapters, but thankfully it's fixed now!)
Once Rory had delivered the news about Sharon, he drew Amy into a hug. "I'm so sorry." He mumbled, embracing her tightly.
Amy stood there numbly, unable to return his hug. She didn't know how to react; her mind was overwhelmed by so many different emotions.
Rory drew back and looked at her worriedly. "Amy?" He whispered.
Amy just stared at him.
The Doctor decided to intervene then, and he placed his hand on Rory's shoulder. "Could you give us a minute?" He asked him quietly.
Rory glanced at Amy again before agreeing and leaving the room.
The Doctor turned to Amy, who was staring blankly at the bedroom door. "Amy?" He said gently, placing his hands on her cheeks and forcing her to meet his gaze. "Are you okay?"
Amy blinked, shaking herself out of her stupor. "How can you even ask me that?" She asked him despairingly, running her hand through her hair.
The Doctor kissed her forehead soothingly. "We should go and get dressed." He murmured, taking her hand. "Then we'll head to the hospital."
Amy nodded, her throat too constricted to speak, and the Doctor led her to the wardrobe. They dressed hurriedly, and the Doctor decided to forgo his bowtie and tweed jacket for once.
They met Rory in the console room afterwards, and Amy sank down onto one of the chairs, watching the Doctor fly the TARDIS to the hospital. Rory knelt beside her, and leant his head against her knees. The Doctor looked at them briefly, before returning his attention to the TARDIS controls.
"Are you okay?" Rory asked her, and then Amy snapped.
"Stop asking me that question!" She cried angrily, moving her legs away from Rory and curling up in the foetal position.
The Doctor glanced at them again, and wished he could go over to Amy and hold her. But his first priority was getting Amy to her Aunt, and to do that he had to stay focused on flying the TARDIS.
~I~
Ten minutes later, the Doctor had landed the TARDIS inside of a hospital store cupboard, which was conveniently placed beside Sharon's hospital room.
As soon as they'd landed, Amy rushed to the TARDIS doors and threw them open. The Doctor raced after her, Rory right on his heels.
However, the Doctor slowed down when he saw Amy open her Aunt's hospital room door, unsure whether she wanted to be alone or not.
But when Amy looked back at him, he saw how vulnerable she was, and he quickly joined her, slipping his hand into hers.
Hands tightly clasped, they entered the room together, Rory trailing in after them.
The Doctor had seen many things, but even he was stunned at the extent of Sharon's injuries.
She was lying unconscious on the hospital bed, various tubes sticking out of her skin. Her face was battered and swollen, and she was almost impossible to recognise.
At her Aunt's injuries, Amy let out a strangled cry, and the Doctor had to hold onto her to stop her from sinking to the floor.
"When did this happen?" He asked Rory as he led Amy over to the chair beside the bed.
"Three days after we left." Rory replied quietly, gazing sadly at Sharon. "It was a hit-and-run accident…there was nothing that Sharon could do to avoid from being knocked over."
As the Doctor lowered Amy onto the chair, she fisted her hands in his shirt. "Go back in time." She demanded frantically. "Save her for me. Please!"
The Doctor returned her gaze sadly. He knew that she'd ask him to save her Aunt at some point. "Amy, I can't." He whispered, resting one of his hands against her cheek.
"You can!" She insisted, looking up at him hopefully, and that expression broke the Doctor's hearts. "You can do anything! All you have to do is stop her from leaving the house."
The Doctor shook his head sadly. "Amy…"
"Please!" She begged, tightening her grip on his shirt.
"Amy, I'm sorry." He said quietly, placing his hands over hers, attempting to prise her hands away from his shirt. "I can't."
"Don't say that!" She cried, gazing up at him desperately. "Please Doctor, save her!"
"Amy." Now the Doctor's tone was final. "No."
Amy's face crumpled at his firm tone, and guilt flooded the Doctor's emotions at her forlorn expression. He reached out for her, wanting to comfort her, but she flinched when he touched her.
"Doctor. Don't." She whispered, avoiding his gaze. "I can't even look at you right now."
Bowing his head, the Doctor began to walk towards the door, unable to stand the tension in the room.
"I wish I could run away from my problems like you can." Amy said bitterly, and Rory winced when the Doctor slammed the hospital door shut, the loud bang echoing around the room.
The noise made Amy jump, and she stared at the door anxiously, regretting her remark to the Doctor.
Rory took a cautious step towards her, but she turned her gaze on him, her eyes blazing with anger. "And you can join him!" She thundered. "Get out!"
She watched Rory leave, before turning her attention to her Aunt. She took her hand carefully, staring at the tube sticking out of her wrist.
The realisation that her Aunt was dying suddenly hit her, and she began to cry.
And then she couldn't stop.
~I~
Rory was worried that the Doctor had taken off in his TARDIS, so when he saw him sitting on the floor outside of the room, leaning against the wall, he was relieved.
"What are you doing down there?" He asked him in bewilderment.
The Doctor raised his head and gave him a bleak smile. "Running away." He muttered, before dropping his head in his hands.
Rory sat down beside him. "Amy didn't mean that. She's upset, that's all." He told him reassuringly. "People say stupid things when they're grieving."
"I know that, but she's right." The Doctor replied; his voice slightly muffled. "I always run away."
"I'm sure you don't." Rory said comfortingly, and the Doctor's head snapped up to stare at him incredulously.
"Rory, I just left Amy alone because I didn't know how to act around her. I think that's an example of running away from my problems!" He snapped.
Rory looked hurt by his remark, and the Doctor groaned and rubbed his face. "Sorry Rory, I didn't mean to shout. Bad day."
"It's okay, I understand." Rory sighed, leaning his head against the wall. "And Amy will understand why you left the room as well."
At the Doctor's doubt, Rory hastily added, "Everything will be okay. It's just like you said; Amy's a fighter. She'll be fine."
The Doctor allowed himself to be reassured, and he smiled at him. "Thanks Rory. You know, despite how awkward it should be between us, I'm glad you're here."
Rory chuckled. "You're welcome. But I'm not here out of choice; Amy kicked me out. I didn't really mind, I'd rather be out here than in there."
The Doctor's smile faded. "I wish I could save Sharon for Amy, but I can't."
"Why can't you go back in time and stop the accident from happening?" Rory asked him curiously. "You have a ship that can go anywhere, after all."
"I can't change events in Time. Everything happens for a reason." The Doctor paused and gave a hollow laugh. "If I could, the World would be a very different place."
Rory didn't reply, and at his silence, the Doctor grew worried. "Are you okay Rory?"
He blinked at him. "Me? I'm fine. It's Amy who's losing her Aunt, not me."
But the Doctor could see that he wasn't being entirely truthful. "But I know you cared a lot for her too." He said, and at his words, Rory broke down.
The Doctor was bewildered at the sight of Rory crying, and he didn't know what to do. So he settled for patting his arm awkwardly.
Rory saw the Doctor's uncomfortable expression then, and quickly wiped his tears away. "God, I feel like a loser right now. What sort of man cries?" He said, attempting to make a joke out of his misery.
"I cry." The Doctor said honestly. "Sometimes it's good to cry."
Rory nodded, before glancing down at the Doctor's hand. "You can stop patting my arm now." He told him, and the Doctor looked relieved.
"You know, I'm not the one that needs looking after." Rory remarked, gazing at the door to Sharon's hospital room. "You should go and comfort Amy."
The Doctor looked away. "She doesn't want me near her." He stated flatly.
"Doctor, since when have you ever listened to Amy?" Rory asked him, baffled. "Get in there right now!"
The Doctor gazed at him uncertainly, but after Rory's encouraging nudge, he rose to his feet and walked over to the door.
Taking a deep breath, he knocked softly, waiting for Amy to let him.
"Come in!" He heard her call, and he could tell that she'd been crying.
He opened the door slowly, but remained in the doorway. Amy glanced up, and the Doctor's hearts shattered at her tear-stained face. He hated seeing anyone he loved saddened by something as grave as this.
"Hey." He mumbled, hovering apprehensively in the doorway.
Amy's lips curved up into a soft smile. "Hey." She echoed.
"I'm sorry." They mumbled at the same time, and then they both laughed nervously, despite the situation they were in.
Amy rose from her chair, but before she could run to the Doctor, he was already beside her chair. She threw her arms around his neck, clinging to him, and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her just as tightly.
"It's okay, I'm here." He whispered, kissing the top of her head.
"What am I going to do Doctor? Apart from you, Sharon's the only family I have left." She sobbed, her tears falling onto the Doctor's shirt.
"What about your parents?"
Amy froze, and pulled back to gaze at him in confusion. "My…parents?"
The Doctor had been afraid of this. "Amy…where are your parents?"
Amy's eyes widened, and fresh tears welled up. "I don't…"
Suddenly a loud blaring sound erupted from the machine next to Sharon's bed, and they spun around. "Doctor, what's happening?" Amy asked him hysterically, her fingers digging painfully into the Doctor's skin.
"Amy, we need to leave." He whispered, beginning to pull her to the door.
"We can't leave!" She cried, struggling in his grasp. "Doctor, we have to help her!"
"Her heart's failing, we can't help her." He told her, just as Rory burst into the room.
"Doctor, you need to go! Take Amy out of here!" He commanded as he rushed over to the machine.
"I'm not leaving her!" Amy shrieked, thrashing about in the Doctor's arms. "We need to help her! Get off me!"
The Doctor managed to drag her out of the room, just as a couple of doctors hurried past them.
"Charge One-Eighty!" They heard Rory cry as the doctors joined him, and Amy's eyes widened in realisation.
"She…she…she's…" She stuttered, before trailing off, unable to continue. The Doctor used her shock to his advantage, and managed to pull her into the hospital storeroom.
As he opened the TARDIS doors, Amy began to fight again. "Get off me!" She screamed, trying to dig her heels into the floor. "I need to get to my Aunt!"
"Sorry." The Doctor whispered, shoving her inside of his ship. Amy tried to dash outside, but he used one arm to keep her back and the other to lock the doors with his screwdriver.
"No! No!" She wailed, banging on the locked doors. "Doctor, no!"
The Doctor left her at the doors, and walked up the stairs. He rested his hands on the console, and closed his eyes, listening to the sound of Amy's cries.
"Let me out! Please let me out! I need to get to Sharon! Doctor, please!"
Unable to take her pain any longer, he reached out and flicked down the green lever, taking them away from the hospital storeroom.
Amy whirled around at the sound of the TARDIS engines and stared at him. "What are you doing?" She demanded tearfully.
The Doctor met her gaze. "I'm sorry." He whispered again, pulling down another lever.
"Doctor, no! No!" Amy ran up to him and attempted to shove him away from the console, but the Doctor resisted.
She began to hit him, and the Doctor wrapped his arms tightly around her, more to comfort her than to restrain her.
Amy stopped and latched onto the collar of his shirt. "Doctor we can't just leave her!" She sobbed, gazing up at him distraughtly.
"Amy…I'm sorry." He murmured, rubbing her back soothingly.
She shook her head, refusing to accept the truth. "Doctor please…we have to help her!" She pleaded. "Please, we can still save her!"
"Amy, there's nothing we can do." He told her softly, moving his hands to cup her face.
Amy stared into his eyes, looking for a sign that he was lying to her, but she only saw sympathy reflected back at her.
She slumped in his arms then, and the Doctor gently scooped her into his arms and carried her over to one of the console chairs. He sank down, and Amy clung to him, crying on his shoulder.
He began to rock her back and forth, smoothing her hair back with his hand as she sobbed.
Reading this back…this chapter is quite depressing. God, I'm sorry for the way this story is going. It will get lighter/funnier/fluffier soon, I promise.
I'll try and update by Wednesday :)
Love you guys…have a good weekend!
Hayley x