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Chapter Two

James was heartbroken.

He couldn't comprehend the conversation that he'd just shared with his father-in-law. His heart shattered in to pieces when he learnt that his wife couldn't remember him or their child. Luckily, Mia was too little to understand what was going on, but James knew that the eight-month-old could sense the turmoil and devastation from his father.

As if on que, James heard a little whimper coming from across the hall. He sighed heavily and swung his legs over the side of the bed, and made his way to the dimly lit nursery. Little Mia lay on her front, her legs flailing and when she saw her father, she lifted up her head in anticipation and let out a cry.

"Ssh, ssh, ssh, Daddy's here, Princess." James reassured the infant, carefully picking her up and cradling her in his arms, gently swaying back and forth. "Did you have a bad dream, eh?" He stooped over the crib and retrieved her favourite stuffed, purple giraffe, fondly named Greta. "Let's go and sit over here, shall we?"

James walked over to the rocking chair by the window, and wasn't surprised to see it raining as he sat down with Mia.

"Why is it, when you receive bad news, it's always raining, hmm? I've never understood that." He started to rock in the chair. "Your Granddad called me earlier, and he said that Mummy's finally woken up! Isn't that brilliant? There's just one problem … she doesn't remember us. She must've had quite the bump on the head when she fell. I just hope it doesn't take long for her memory to come back."

Mia whimpered again, clutching Greta to her and burying her head in her father's chest, seeking comfort.

"I know, sweetheart, it doesn't sound good, does it? Maybe we should find a way to help Mummy regain her memory. What do you think?"

Mia seemingly cooed in agreement, her big blue eyes staring at him.

"What if … what if we make a scrapbook for Mummy? They say that photographs can jog people's memories when they've been in a coma. We could put lots of photographs in there of you and me, and her Mum and Dad, and Uncle Tony. What do you think? Should we do that?"

Mia squealed with excitement, waving her little arms around.

"Brilliant! We'll get started on it tomorrow, alright?" James suddenly yawned. "But for now, we should go back to bed and get some sleep. Do you want to sleep with Daddy tonight?" He chuckled when Mia yawned, resting her head on his chest once again. "Come on Princess, let's go to bed."

Throughout her 'first' evening in her private hospital room, Rose struggled to get any sleep at all. As the hours trickled by, she started to gain more of a movement in her limbs, and by the third hour, she could move both of her arms and hands freely with fingers included.

It was definitely a strange sensation, not having much control over your body. And it was frustrating. If she needed the bathroom, she would have to call a nurse to assist her with a bedpan, which that in itself was a mortifying experience. After being given a bed wash, Rose was given a light breakfast of toast and orange juice. During the later morning, several doctors and nurses would come in to do routine checks on Rose, measuring her blood pressure and heart rate, and occasionally giving her a shot of pain relief, which she later learned was a muscle relaxant.

Around eleven o'clock, there was a knock at her door. "Come in." Rose called, trying to pull herself up into a sitting position, huffing when she couldn't.

"Mornin', love." Jackie's high voice trilled, bustling into the room with a large overnight back and a smaller rucksack. To Rose's surprise, a young boy of about five years old trailed in after her, with the traditional Tyler blonde hair and his mother's blue eyes. He glanced at Rose briefly, and quickly ducked behind Jackie's legs. "Don't be shy, sweetheart, it's Rose! She's your big sister, say hi."

The little boy, Tony, partially peered from around his mother's legs and waved. "Hi." He whispered shyly.

Jackie tutted, shaking her head fondly. "I don't know wha' I'm going to do with you two, honestly. You've been nagging to see Rose for days, an' when you do you go completely silent. Why don't you sit in tha' chair there an' I'll get one of your stories out to read?" Turning to Rose, Jackie added. "Your brother's recently been taught how to read, so he's very eager to practice, aren't you?" Jackie placed one of the overnight bags on her bed. "I've brought some of your clothes from home, so you'll hopefully be more comfortable. I've also included some toiletries in their too tha' you normally use. Oh, an' your dad thought it'd be a good idea to put a photo album in there for you, it might help you remember some things … Has anythin' come back?"

Rose shook her head, followed by a shrug. "No, I've not had anythin' come back. I'm sorry."

"It's hardly your fault, love. I mean, it's not like you asked to be hit, did you? Stop blaming yourself, now. Your memory will come back in its own due time, so I wouldn't worry about it."

The two women spent that morning talking to one another and swapping stories. Well, it was mainly Jackie talking with Rose listening and taking it all in. Apparently in this 'world' or wherever it was Rose currently resided, she learnt that the Tyler's lifestyle was the polar opposite to Rose's current life. Jackie no longer lived on the Powell Estate, and instead shared an entire mansion with Pete, who according to her was a very successful business man and entrepreneur, therefore making him a lot of money for his family to have a very comfortable life. They even had servants, and a regular live-in nanny for the youngest member of the family. According to Jackie, Rose had recently started an internship to work alongside Pete, potentially working to take over his business' when he retired. On the side, Rose was even studying for her A-Levels, particularly focusing on English literature, fine art and history. This was a genuine surprise for Rose, as she'd never really been into history at school. It was one of her least favourite subjects, along with maths.

The supposed wedding ring on her left finger felt like a dead weight on her hand, and she couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer.

"… and I'm married? How long have I been married for?"

Jackie had agreed with Pete that it was probably best to keep quiet about James and Mia for the time being, but she saw no harm in answering the questions since Rose herself had asked.

"You an' James have been married for jus' over two an' a half years." Jackie began to explain, sitting beside her on the bed. "The two of you met at the open evening at the university when you were signing up for your A-Levels. From then on, the pair of you were inseparable, an' were always going on dates or having study nights together. You were both so in love, sometimes it was sickening to see, but definitely a good thing to see you so happy and finally content."

Rose nodded, soaking in the information she was being given. "Do you have a picture of him? I have no idea of wha' he looks like."

Jackie seemed hesitant at first, before digging out her mobile. She scrolled for a few moments, and paused, glancing up at her daughter. "Are you sure you want to see?"

Rose nodded a second time, determined. She reached out her hand, and Jackie almost reluctantly handed it over, anticipating her daughter's reaction. Quite frankly, Rose was flabbergasted with what she was seeing. It was a photograph of her, her 'husband' James, and a little girl of about six or seven months sat between them. All three of them were smiling, beaming in fact at the picture being taken. The little girl on their laps was a perfect blend of her and James, with Rose's blonde hair and Jackie's blue eyes.

But that wasn't what struck Rose the most. The thing that struck Rose the most was James. There was going to be a problem.

James looked exactly like the Doctor. And she was married to him, and they'd had a child together.

What in the world was going on?!