Chapter 17 - Doubts
The Doctor stared blankly at Gray's sneaker as it mocked him. His sonic hanging in his loose grip as he replayed the events that just took place in his head. He was so stupefied that he physically flinched when the disinfectant hit him."Is she gonna be okay?" Rose asked weakly as she palmed the extra moisture off her face.
His eyes snapped to her face with a venomous glare.
"What on earth has gotten into you, Rose?" He hissed through clenched teeth.
She shrunk under his glare and fidgeted. "I didn't mean for her to get hurt," she muttered, tears forming in her brown eyes.
"Oh no, shoving someone out of a lift," he shook his head sarcastically," nope, won't hurt at all."
"I just wanted to spend time with you. Like it was before. Just you and me."
"So you shove her out of a lift and almost take her foot off?" He snapped at her, getting a mouth full of powder in the process.
"It's not my fault she tipped over like a baby giraffe," Rose cried, ducking away from the powder.
He shot her one last incredulous glare before he decided to ignore her and started scanning the control panel.
He scrunched his brow in confusion. The lift door was hacked. That must've been why they hadn't opened when they closed on Gray's ankle.
He clenched his jaw.
Someone in that hospital had intentionally done this. They had overridden the security controls to keep the doors closing.
But why would someone do that? They couldn't have possibly known that Rose was going to push Gray. So they weren't out to hurt Gray, at least.
Well, whomever did this, they were located in the lower levels of the hospital.
He wondered if this was related to why he was there in the first place.
The lift dinged and the Doctor gently scooped Gray's shoe up and shoved it onto his bigger on the inside pockets. Without even glancing back at Rose, he stepped off the lift, hearing her following him closely.
He stopped dead in his tracks a few feet away from the nurse's station, making Rose run into his back with a quiet 'oof'.
He made sure no one was near when he whirled on her, disappointment radiating off him in waves as he stared her down.
She audibly gulped and stared at him with wide eyes. A while back those big brown eyes would have affected him, but now he just felt irritation well up inside him at the sight.
Keeping his voice deadly calm, his face a passive mask, he said, "this conversation is far from over, Rose. We'll finish this when we get back in the TARDIS. You're lucky I don't send you home for this."
With that he put on a false face and trotted up to the closest nurse.
"Yes, hello," he said, grabbing her attention. "My friend, Gray, she had a bit of a, a mishap, on the lift at the entrance. I heard some nurses take her away. Could you possibly tell me where I might find her?" He asked as he flashed her a smile.
She observed him for a second before she pointed down the hall and said, "you may wait in the waiting room until they are done treating her."
His smile turned a bit stiff. "Not really one for waiting, me. Don't really like it. Especially in hospitals. No patience. No pun intended. In that case can you tell me where ward 26 is? An old friend sent for me. That's why we were here in the first place, me and Gray. Gray and myself. And Rose," he added the last part as he gestured behind him to a put out Rose.
She pointed down the same hall. "End of the hall, on the left, just past the waiting room."
The Doctor shot her a thankful smile and trotted along.
The Doctor gasped as he noticed who had called them. Well, who called Gray. He came by default.
He walked over and bent down by the side of the Face if Boe's tank, placing a gentle hand on the glass.
"She was right, he certainly is an old friend. Look Rose, do you remember, it's the Face of Boe. Wait, no, I'm cross with you," he said the last bit with a half-hearted glare at Rose.
Another nurse stepped forward from behind the tank, surprising the Doctorand Rose. She seemed to be the one looking after The Face of Boe.
"I'm afraid the Face of Boe's asleep," she said. "That's all he tends to do these days. Are you a friend, or?" She asked, trailing off.
"We just met him the once, on Platform One. What's wrong with him?"
"I'm so sorry," the nurse said, solemn. "I thought you knew. The Face of Boe is dying."
The Doctor sucked in a breath. "Oh no. Gray's going to be devastated. Of what's he dying?"
The nurse pursed her lips in sympathy. "Old age. The one thing we can't cure. He's thousands of years old. some people say millions, although that's impossible"
The Doctor smiled sadly. "Oh, I don't know. I like impossible."
He placed a hand on Boe's tank. "I'm here. I may look a little bit different, but it's me. It's the Doctor."
The Doctor and Rose came back with cups of water. Rose had her own while the Doctor carried two. He handed one to the nurse.
"That's very kind, there's no need," she said, a bit flustered.
"You're the one working," he shrugged with a smile.
"There's not much to do, just maintain his smoke. And I suppose I'm company. I can hear him singing, sometimes, in my mind. Such ancient songs." The nurse smiled as she looked at Boe's sleeping face. "And some truly strange songs. He said that his most dearest friend had taught him those many years ago." Her eyes grew sad as she regarded the Doctor. "He told me so much about them, he misses them so, I can tell."
"Am I the only visitor? " the Doctor asked with furrowed brows.
"The rest of Boe-kind became extinct long ago. He's the only one left. Legend says that the Face of Boe watched the universe grow old. There's all sorts of superstition around him. One story said that just before his death, the Face of Boe will impart his great secret, that he will speak those words only to those like himself."
"What's that mean?" Rose asked before the Doctor could.
"Oh, it's just a story," she denied.
"Tell me the rest," the Doctor coaxed gently.
"It's said that he'll only talk to a wanderer and his light. To those without a home. The travelers. Old and young."
"He's always been one for dramatics," came Gray's amused voice from behind them.
The Doctor nearly fell over his own feet with how fast he turned around.
"Gray," he exclaimed as he nearly jogged over to where she was standing. Her injured foot in a boot of some kind and crutches supporting her weight.
"You're alright," he breathed, saying it more to himself than her, trying to reassure himself that he still had her.
Gray pulled a face and shrugged. "A dislocated ankle is way different than any other dislocated joint, let me tell you. It's quite a pain."
She reminded herself that she couldn't let him see the damage. It didn't quite work out before with her broken nose but it really did hurt.
"I'm so sorry you got hurt," he whispered, regret audible in his tone.
"It's my own fault, I suppose," Gray said, not looking at him.
"What, what do you mean?" He asked with furrowed brows.
Gray walked past him toward Boe, not answering the Doctor's question.
She sighed deeply as she lowered herself to sit down next to the tank, shrugging off the helping hand that the nurse tried to lend.
Resting her head against the glass, Gray murmured, "hello, Boe. I'm here. And I cannot express how deeply I miss you."
The Doctor swallowed as he heard Gray's quiet words. It seemed she knew Boe better than anyone in the room. He wondered if it was the same case as him, Gray knowing him through the show, or did she somehow meet him while the Doctor had gone and gotten Rose to sleep. But he figured that it wasn't the right time to ask her.
He snapped out of his thoughts when Gray turned to him.
"Here's a hint. Their medicine is phenomenal but inhumane. Off you pop to save the day." Gray softly patted the tank. "I'll be with Boe. Catching up with my old friend."
The nurse looked highly uncomfortable and Gray noticed, locking eyes with her.
With an empty smile on her face and a neutral tone, she said, "I know what you've done, Novice Hame. If you wish to make it right, start by accompanying these two and aid them with their investigation. You might just spare one more life."
The Doctor gave Gray a warning look. "You can't tell me the future, Gray. I thought we went over this."
Gray shot him a glare. "Did it sound like I told you the future? No, I didn't. Novice Hame can give you the exact same information I did, she just wouldn't if she didn't already know we knew." Her glare faltered. "I'm not stupid Doctor. People's lives are at stake and I won't play around with that."
He pursed his lips and nodded once. He sighed, feeling bad for thinking she was incapable, yet again.
"You sure you're gonna be alright here all by yourself?"
She gestured to her injured foot. "The farther I am from you, the safer I am. Besides, I'm not alone, I'm with Boe. Take Novice Hame with you."
He furrowed his brows. "Is that another 'hint' ?" He asked, only half sarcastic.
"No," Gray said with a snarl, fed up with his attitude. "Go on and enjoy yourselves," she nearly spat. "I honestly don't know how you got me to change my mind and stay and travel with you."
"Are you gonna keep threatening him with leaving or are you going to put us out of our misery and actually bugger off this time?" Rose snapped from behind the Doctor. "I never wanted you along to begin with, anyway."
Gray sighed as she looked at Rose. "Next time, shove me out of the TARDIS while it's traveling through the vortex. It'll give you a more permanent solution," she said casually as she pointed at her boot.
The Doctor's hearts thumped hard against his chest at the thought of Gray being pushed out into the vortex. She'd die an excruciating death, being torn apart molecule by molecule.
His hearts gave another painful thud and he shakily stepped toward Gray.
"No, no. No. No one is going to shove anyone out of anything anymore. That stops now. We're all adults here, we can sort this out accordingly. Not like catty 17 year old girls."
"I AM Seventeen, you major dunce," Gray suddenly shouted at him, taking him by surprise.
His face heated in embarrassment. He knew Gray was younger than Rose, but he thought it would be by a year or two. She acted more mature than any other seventeen year old, that was for sure.
And suddenly he felt very guilty for coming on to her like he had. Technically, it wasn't his fault, the bond was strong. But he intended to take things with her much slower from then on.
He did feel guilty, however, for unknowingly stating that she was an immature catty child. But he didn't get to apologiz, as she went on.
"I have every right to act my age seeing as I keep getting hurt wherever we go. If this keeps up I'll die before I even reach my twenties. And and it's your and you're psychotic girlfriends' fault, you insensitive moron."
Gray was breathing heavily by the time she was done with her rant and she slumped back against Boe's tank and she instantly felt him enter her mind, letting a blanket of calm envelop her.
"Just go please," she said in a weary tone as she ran a hand over her face. "I don't have the energy to deal with your unique brand of special right now."
She turned her head and ignored the trio until they left the area.
A/N: YOU KNOW THE DRILL.
I DON'T OWN ANYTHING.
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MercifulAuthor.