XxxxXxxxXxxxXxxXxXXx

Chapter 25 - Rose Delivery

Jackie was in the kitchen when she heard Tony screaming and Genie laughing. Zeus was barking playfully. She went to the family sitting room to find the Doctor holding Tony upside down. He wasn't wearing shoes or socks. Rose had just texted to make sure it was alright if he popped by. Apparently, he had used his watch and popped directly inside the house.

He was playing with the children as he held Tony saying, "I'm going to drop him on his head! He makes terrible calls at my football games! He is a rotten brother! And he says I'm weird! And he's ginger!"

Tony was laughing hysterically. Genie was jumping up and down and clapping.

Jackie smiled at the scene. He sat Tony on the sofa and picked up Genie. "And then there is this one!" he flipped her upside down. "It's time to drop her on her head, too! This little girl who loves her Daddy! Who fusses at him for eating too much sugar! Makes him tell her stories while he braids her hair! Rotten children we have here. Rotten!"

Jackie was laughing now as Tony was cheering him on. Zeus was barking.

The Doctor sat Genie down. Genie clapped. "Okay, our turn!"

"Your turn!? To drop me on my head?" he asked surprised. "Alright. Hmm..." he looked around and sat on the sofa upside down. He hung his head off the cushions and he lay his legs across the back of the sofa.

"Alright! Ready. Do your worst!" he told the children.

Tony and Genie jumped on either side of him and stared shaking him. He laughed.

Genie said, "Time to drop him on his head!"

Tony said, "He's a rotten brother! He takes our Rose to fun places!"

Genie said, "He makes banana pancakes!"

Tony said, "He buys me bags of candy!"

Genies said, "He is a Doctor!"

Tony said, "He's a good footballer!"

They both yelled at him playfully. Zeus came up and licked his face. He was laughing at them.

Jackie spoke up, "I've got one!"

They all stopped and looked at her.

"He jumps out and scares your Gran!" she told them with her arms crossed.

They looked at him and shook him some more. "Yeah, he scares Mum! Ahhhh..."

He laughed as he flipped himself off of the sofa and hopped back on his feet.

Jackie fussed at him. "You are going to break your neck." She put her finger in her mouth.

He looked at her seriously. "Why are you doing that? What's the wrong with your finger?"

He pulled it out of her mouth. "It's nothing. I burnt it on the stove just a bit ago."

The Doctor took to her into the kitchen, "Children, Gran needs me for a minute." he called as he walked in the kitchen with her.

He got into the kitchen and put on his glasses and looked at it again. "It's a minor burn."

"Yeah, I told you it's nothing." Jackie agreed.

He took off his glasses and put them back in his pocket. "Yeah, but it still hurts. I can fix that."

He opened the refrigerator and looked around. He took out a jam jar and a jar of mustard. He handed them both to Jackie and washed his hands.

Jackie looked puzzled. "What are you doing?"

He dried off his hands and took the jar of mustard from her. He opened the jar and dabbed a bit of mustard on top of her burn using one of his fingers.

Jackie watched him. "I thought Aloe Vera was good for burns?"

He put the lid back on the mustard, sat it on the cabinet and wiped the mustard off of his own finger.

"Aloe Vera is good for burns, but mustard is better for minor burns like this. Leave it on there for a little bit."

Jackie looked at her burnt finger. "I have to admit. It does feel better. What is the jam for?"

The Doctor took the jam from her and opened it. He ate the jam off of his fingers.

Jackie sighed at him. "You are ridiculous. Use a spoon! What's the matter with you?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "What? What's the problem?"

"Why do you use your fingers? That's just weird! Use a spoon!"

"If I use a spoon, it tastes different. Like, metal. Blah! It only tastes good like this."

"Nasty! Don't let Tony see you do that!" she fussed at him.

"I'll be good!" he told her. "So, did you talk to Pete?"

She smiled at him. "Yes. He called last night and asked me to go out of town."

The Doctor smiled at her. "Ah! Out of town? For business?"

She smacked him playfully. "Oh shut it! I know you are in on this with him!"

He smiled, "Yeah, I can't even pretend that. Pete's an idiot. He just needed a bit of help. Where are you going?"

"Greece. He said you had recommended it."

"Hmmm... Nice! I've never taken Rose there. I should. Tell me what you think when you get back."

"I'll bring Tony over tomorrow morning. We are leaving noon tomorrow." Jackie said.

He looked surprised. "Wow! Pete doesn't waste anytime does he? Good for him!"

Jackie laughed at him.

He smiled at her. "I have a better idea. Bring yourself, Tony and Zeus over tonight. Stay with us before you leave. Pete will be there for dinner. Genie needs to be around family today. She needs to know she's not alone."

Jackie looked surprised. The Doctor continued to eat the jam as told Rose through their telepathic connection. 'So, I've asked your mum to come over tonight and stay with us since her and Pete are leaving for Greece in the morning.'

Rose's voice in his head said, 'I'm checking you for a fever when you get home. They are working on putting the roses in her room. Keep her there.'

"Ugh!" he exclaimed.

Jackie looked at him. "You know, if you want some bread for that jam-"

"No, I'm good just like this! Don't worry about me. I read Rose's paper this morning." he told Jackie.

"Phhh... She gets all of those smarts from Pete. I haven't even tried to read that mess. Could you understand it?"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Of course, I could!"

She looked at him. "See there, you want to be all high and mighty!"

He smiled and shook his head as he continued to eat the jam. "No, it's just where I'm from, everyone had a basic understanding of things like that. But, Rose has a very good understanding of it. Brilliant even!"

Jackie shook her head. "Probably because she traveled with you for so long. Got some sort of alien smarts in her head now."

He shook his head. "Nah. She was always brilliant. She was just able to center her attention completely on that one subject to get what she wanted. Her determination is what did that. Not anything I did. I can assure you of that. She's still your Rose."

She smiled at him as she watched him eat the jam. "You are so strange. But, thank you."

"For what?"

"Helping Pete. Helping Rose." Jackie told him.

"Ah, what's family for?" he said as he continued to eat the jam.

The Doctor spoke to Rose again in his head. 'How's it going?'

Rose spoke back. 'They are working on it. Keep her talking.'

'Ugh, woman. I'm running out of stuff to chat about!' he complained.

"Did you and Rose have a good time last night? Did she ever figure it out?" Jackie asked him.

He laughed, "No. I had to tell her. She couldn't believe she hadn't guessed it. It was great!"

"Where did you go?"

The Doctor told her about their night. Complete about him singing and the drunk bodyguards. Jackie laughed at him.

"What a night! That's one to remember for sure!" she told him.

Rose spoke in his head. 'They are getting closer to done. Ask her about Genie. She can probably talk about her for a while!'

'Brilliant! Thanks!' he told her.

"How was Genie?" he asked.

"She was sad last night about things. But, I had them both sleep with me in the big bed. I would think she would be a lot sadder. What do you think that's about?"

He sat down the empty jam jar on the cabinet and washed his hands. "I don't know. She's trying to be strong, maybe too strong. Today is going to be hard for her."

Jackie looked up at him. "She's lucky to have you to help her. You and Rose. She'll be alright. She also said she had a little headache this morning."

"Headache? Bad one?" he asked.

Jackie nodded. "No. Just a small one she said. Just before you popped in."

He rubbed his beard. "Hmm... well, let me see this burn." The mustard had almost dried. He had her run her finger under the water and rinse it off.

As Jackie was washing her finger off, he asked Rose the status of the roses being moved.

'Just sent Sam with the last two vases. They said it was really crowded in there because their room is so much smaller than ours.'

He told her seriously. 'I don't want to think about that bedroom. Don't put that image in my head, woman! I do have an idea, though. Your handwriting looks just like Pete's, right?'

'Yeah. What do you have in mind?' Rose asked him.

He thought for a minute as he rubbed his chin, 'Write on a bit of paper, 'Sorry' and 'I'm an idiot.' Yeah, that should work. I'll pop right back in a second and grab it.'

'Okay, doing it now.' Rose told him.

He smiled at his clever plan as he continued to rub his chin.

"That does work! Thank you!" Jackie told him. "What are you smiling about?"

"Nothing! Just happy you are feeling better. Why are you always so suspicious of me?" the Doctor asked her.

"Oh, you know why! I don't even have to give you the reasons." Jackie fussed at him.

He rolled his eyes at her. "Phhh... you worry too much, Jackie. Everything is alright. I'll see you tonight. Bring some jam!" he told her as he walked out of the kitchen.

As he got into the small family sitting room, he popped his watch and landed right in front of Rose. She handed him the paper he asked for. He smiled and kissed her quickly and disappeared. Rose stood there by herself. "Mad life with the Doctor. I love it!" she laughed.

He reappeared in Jackie's bedroom. The room was so full of roses, he could barely walk. Rose hadn't been kidding. "Oh, this is going to be good!" he said to himself as he made his way over to the bed and lay the paper against the pillows. He turned and took a few pictures of the room and texted them to Rose and Pete. Then disappeared.

XxxxxxXxxxXxxXxxXxxX