Ch 47
The doctor gestured for the Doctor to follow him, "We were able to close off her wounds. We've given her medication that should prevent the spread of infection. She's awake now, you can see her if you'd like."
The Doctor nodded, the kids following. River was propped up in the hospital bed, looking a bit pale. She smiled when her kids came into the room. They were all looked very pleased and gently hugged her, waiting for the Doctor to bring her back, too.
The Doctor sat next to the bed. "I have a question for you, River."
"Yes?" She looked up at him.
"If the Time Traveler's Wife had a happier ending... if Henry and Clare ended up being able to figure it all out and live together, do you think it would be worth living?"
She thought for a moment, "Well...I suppose so. They were meant to be together."
He smiled weakly. "I've got something for you. It's from your husband." He murmured, placing the last pocket watch into her hand.
She looked down at the watch, examining it carefully, "Where did you get this?" She asked softly.
"It was in John's hotel room. I went back when he disappeared to see if he was there. It had a little bow on it, so I assumed it was a present for you."
"Open it, Mummy," Arthur said, a tad impatiently.
She glanced at her son, going to open it when Ramone entered the room. The Doctor tensed and the twins glared.
"Open it, Mummy!" Arthur said more hurriedly.
"Hush, darling. I know what a clock face looks like, I'll open it in a moment." She murmured, the only one smiling at the man approaching her.
Brushing past the Doctor, Ramone leaned down to give River a kiss. The Doctor glanced away and all of the children looked devastated. "I'm so glad you're okay." Ramone smiled.
"I'm stronger than I look." She purred, not yet noticing the children's faces.
"[Mummy, you hafta open the watch.]" Terra begged, not wanting Ramone to stay any longer. "[Please, you gotta do it now.]"
"[Terra, Mummy's talking. The watch isn't going anywhere, I'll open it in a minute.]" She answered.
"[It's okay, little star. Just need to be a little patient.]" The Doctor said calmly, though inside the kids had pretty much captured his emotions perfectly.
Ramone was pulling up a chair. "What happened, who were those people? Are you safe now?"
"Everything's alright now." River nodded, smiling softly and taking his hand. She looked around, seeing everyone's faces and sighed, "Fine, I'll open the watch if you all stop looking so glum." She reached for the pocket watch, opening it up. "See? Nothing new-
The children's faced switched impossibly fast from devastation to delight as the light came out of the watch, cutting off River's words. The display was bigger and brighter than it had with the children's- River had more memories to recover than they did.
Ramone nearly fell backward in his chair, scrambling to his feet. "What the hell?!"
River's whole body seemed to glow for a moment as the light engulfed her. The watch fell into the bed. Once the light was gone, she looked over the room, her eyes falling on the Doctor.
He smiled hopefully, hearts in his throat.
"Doctor..." She smiled, eyes filling with love.
"Hello, sweetie." He whispered, finding his vision blurring again. She moved her hands to cup his cheeks, pulling him in for a kiss. The Doctor helped close the distance, kissing her with every bit of heartache he had, knowing she could heal them all just like this.
Ramone gaped at them. "River! What are you doing?!"
She wrapped her arms around the Doctor's neck, deepening the kiss, only answering Ramone when they finally broke, "Ramone, I'd like you to meet my husband."
Ramone could hardly form words, confused, betrayed, and angry all at the same time. "You've been married this whole time?! Then what do you call us? What we did together, why didn't you say anything?"
"It's rather complicated, but I'll be happy to explain it all to you in a moment." She smiled softly before turning to the Doctor, murmuring quietly, "Perhaps we should spare him the heartache and wipe this all from his memory?"
"Yes dear, that might be best." He nodded, still caught up in the delirium of having River know who he was.
She smiled, "Do you want to ask Nardole to take care of it?"
He nodded again, not wanting to leave River's side for the next month. She smiled at him, reaching for his hand. The Doctor squeezed it tightly. "Missed you."
"I missed you too." She whispered.
Ramone was still frowning a hole into the Doctor's head. The Time Lords turned to him. "I suggest you go ask Nardole about this. He'll clear it up for you."
The man left, grumbling.
"He may not be terribly bright, but he's a wonderful kisser." River teased.
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "I'll take your word on that one."
"Jealous?" She teased.
"What if I was?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Then I'd say I think it's kinda sexy when you're jealous." She murmured.
"Mum!" Freya exclaimed from the other side of the bed, the embarrassment showing on her face.
She laughed, "I think I need another kiss from my sexy husband."
The children groaned and covered their faces, except Terra who hadn't heard the comment but soon followed her siblings lead when their parents' lips met once again.
River tugged the Doctor closer, fingers tangling in his hair. He wrapped his arms around her mindful of her wounds. She pressed her forehead against his once they had finished, smiling contently.
"I know you're happy to see each other, but can't you wait 'till we get home for all of that?" Amelia asked.
River huffed, "Fine. Speaking of going home, when will I be able to leave?"
"The doctors said they want to keep you at least a week, but I can speed that up if you want."
"That'd be nice." She nodded.
He looked at the kids. "Why don't you lot wait in the TARDIS, yeah? We'll meet you there."
They nodded, bouncing back to their home.
"Lift your shirt." The Doctor instructed.
She frowned slightly, lifting her shirt. Her newest wound was draped in white gauze, the scar from Rassilon the next most noticeable mark. "What are you going to do? By speed up, I thought you meant to lie to the doctors."
"I meant regeneration energy..." He clarified.
"No." She shook her head, "You know I don't approve of that."
He sighed. "You know I have much too much excess of it right now. When I was... removing the Council, I had to take it."
"No." She repeated, pulling her shirt back down. Changing the subject before he could protest further, she gave him a weak smile, "It'll be nice to go home."
He nodded extending a hand to help her from the bed. "A house full of people, now there's something I missed."
She stood with effort, leaning on him, "What are we going to do about the house in Bristol?"
"We could keep it." He suggested, wrapping his arm around her waist.
"What about our flat in London?"
"The kids aren't technically enrolled anywhere in London. Their teachers here are still expecting them tomorrow." He pondered as they exited the hospital room.
She nodded slowly, "The house is beautiful."
"And bigger." He added. "We could keep both if you want."
"Okay." She nodded, smiling.
They dodged around a few doctors who insisted River go back to bed and arrived at the TARDIS. The Councilman from before was still tied up and stripped of weapons in the corner. Nardole was playing tag with Arthur and Terra on the upper deck. Ramone was unconscious in one of the jump seats, and Bill was on the other, accepting sympathetic pats on the back from the twins.
River smiled at her family running around the TARDIS, "What are we going to do with him?" River nodded to the councilman.
"Well, unless you want to do the honors, the old girl will do it for us." The Doctor murmured.
"I'll want to do it." She whispered, "But I don't want the kids to see."
Freya came over to them. "Are you going to take away Bill's memories, too?"
"No, of course not." River shook her head, looking up at the Doctor, "Right?"
"Em..." He hesitated. "Bill, will come over here?"
"Why? What are you going to do?" Bill asked, standing, but not coming over.
He glanced at Freya, who looked rather against the mind wipe. "I just have some things to ask you."
"Then ask me. Why do I need to come over to you? I can hear from here."
It occurred to him that she'd probably heard the suggestion of a mind wipe very clearly. "Right. Well, are you uncomfortable," he made a gesture to the whole room, "by this?"
She shook her head, "Of course not! Well, I mean it's a bit weird, but it's...it's the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me!"
He squeezed River's hand. "You do understand that this, my family, it has to stay a complete secret."
She nodded vigorously, "Of course! I won't tell anyone."
"I mean it. Not so much as a tweet or diary entry about this, or there will be consequences."
"Of course. I won't say a word."
He exhaled slowly. "Good. Let's get you home then."
Both Bill and Freya looked relieved. They dropped Ramone off first, Bill helping them get him into bed before she herself was dropped off.
"One more thing, Bill." The Doctor said, standing in the door of the TARDIS.
"Yeah?" She looked turned back to look at him.
He smiled. "How do you feel about babysitting?"
She shrugged, "I don't mind at all."
"Good, because you'll be doing some of that in your future."
"There's only four of them, right? You're not hiding anymore in there?"
"No," he chuckled. "I'm not hiding anymore. And the twins won't need much watching, just Terra and Arthur from time to time. Think of it as payment for my tutoring."
"Got it." She nodded, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow at six?"
"Don't be late." He reminded, moving back inside the TARDIS.
River was alone with the Councilman in the console room now.
"Where're the kids?" He asked quietly.
"Nardole took them to make dinner." She didn't take her eyes off the Time Lord.
The Doctor came up behind his wife, resting his hand on the small of her back. "You're sure you don't want to let the TARDIS to take care of that?"
"I want to do it." Her jaw was tight, "He supported a man who killed our child. And since I can't kill Rassilon myself, members of the new Council are the next best thing."
The tied up man struggled against his bonds fearfully. She walked over to the console, retrieving her blaster. There was a fury in her eyes that hadn't been there in a long time. This was partially why the Doctor had been so hesitant to open the watches: because what happened on Gallifrey and since then he knew had torn into River with an unforgiving bite.
She got her blaster ready to fire, aiming. The Councilman shut his eyes tightly, bracing himself. The smell of flesh burning came immediately after the shot fired. Before the body could hit the ground, a golden light came bursting out of him.
River surged forwards, grabbing the dying man by the neck and squeezing with uncheck strength. The cracking sound made the Doctor wince, and the light from the body, he realized, was now being redirected into River's.
The light extinguished itself immediately when River's gripped tightened further, the smell from the shot lingering. River's body was rigid and she still was holding the man's throat like he might wake up at any moment.
"You can let go now, Riv." The Doctor whispered.
River dropped the body, the stone-cold expression on her face not leaving.
"That was the last of them." He murmured. "They're gone now."
"That doesn't make up for what they did." She hissed.
"I know." He said gently. "Nothing ever will."
"How long has it been?" She asked quietly.
He assumed she meant since they'd lost the baby. "A year and a half."
"It would've been a year old now."
"Yes." His tone was tinged with sorrow.
"We could have been celebrating its first birthday." Her voice cracked.
He nodded, thinking about William who would have been eleven. She turned away from him, going to the console, shoulder's heavy. Though her wounds were healed now, her chest ached with grief.
"Do you need anything?" The Doctor asked quietly, the body of the Councilman disappearing from sight.
"Do you want more kids?" She asked quietly.
He shook his head after a moment. "We talked about this on Hampstead Heath. Four is quite a full house..."
"Right." She nodded, looking down at the floor, "I should find the kids."
"Wait, River. Do... you want more kids?"
"Not if you don't want them." She gave him a false smile.
"Alright." He said unsurely. "Let's find the kids."
In the kitchen, Nardole was watching over Terra and Arthur who were helping to stir the mac and cheese on the stove. The twins were sitting and chatting at the table. River stood in the doorway, watching them silently with her husband.
Terra noticed them first. "[Hi, mummy! Hi, daddy!]"
River smiled weakly, "[It smells good in here.]"
Terra beamed. "[We're making macaroni!]"
"[I see.]" She nodded, "[I'm sure it'll taste wonderful.]" She turned to the Doctor, "I'm going to go to our room for a bit."
He nodded. "Do you want company?"
She hesitated, "Actually, I'd like a little space for the moment."
He wasn't surprised since her body language had been telling him that for the past ten minutes. "I'll come find you when dinner's ready, which I'm sure is soon."
She nodded, turning to go to their room. The TARDIS hummed warmly at River, expressing her joy at having her back. She ran her hand along the wall as she walked, happy to be back in the TARDIS as well.
Her mind was still caught up in what had happened in the console room, both the killing and the question. She had lied to the Doctor, she did want another baby. Maybe it was because she was still grieving, or because she had gotten used to the idea of another child in their life, but the want was there. He was right though, they had four wonderful children. Their home was full, so she lied.