Ch 65
In the morning, Terra poked River cheek to wake her up. River opened her eyes, smiling sleepily, "[Good morning, my love.]"
"[Where are your clothes?]" Terra asked innocently.
River frowned slightly, starting to remember the events of the night before, "[...It was very hot last night so we slept without our clothes.]" She quickly lied, nudging her husband. The Doctor made a confused hum.
Terra shrugged, thinking this was a reasonable answer. "[Well, you should get dressed so you can help me wake Toby up.]"
River tried not to look put off by this statement. "[Okay, sweetie. I'll be right there.]"
Terra nodded, going back to her room where Toby was.
The Doctor sat up. "What is it?"
"It's Toby." River murmured, her tone much darker than before.
River quickly got out of bed, getting dressed and going to Terra's room. The Doctor did the same, following and still unsure of what was going on.
Terra was sitting on the rug, staring intensely at the dog with a frown. She turned when she saw the shadows of her parents. "[Something's not right.]"
One look at the dog and the adults knew what had happened. "[Come here, Terra.]" River crouched down and held her arms out.
She bewilderedly moved into her mother's arms. "[Something's wrong with him. Is he sick?]"
"[Terra, lovie, you know that Toby was a very old dog?]" The Doctor began gently.
Terra nodded slowly, too inexperienced to see where this was going.
"[Well, when anyone gets old enough, their body stops working as well as it used to...]" He was trying to ease into this as best he could.
"[Toby's body doesn't work anymore?]" She asked, eyes welling up with tears.
He hesitated. "[Yes, my little star. His body stopped working while he was sleeping.]"
"[But...But...how are we going to play if his body doesn't work?]" She was crying now, in denial of what this meant.
"[We can't, I'm afraid. Toby's...]" His hands formed into fists with the middle and index fingers extended. His palms faced inwards as he tilted the tips of his fingers downwards to the floor. It wasn't a sign that Terra was unfamiliar with, but it was rare that she saw it in use.
"No!" She cried, turning and hugging her mother tightly, sobbing.
The Doctor swallowed as Arthur came in, worried by the shout. "What's going on?"
River was too busy trying to comfort Terra to answer. The Doctor closed his eyes for a moment, preparing himself to break Arthur's hearts as well. "Toby's... he passed away last night."
The sadness was immediately evident on his face, and he started to cry as well, "What? No..."
The Doctor pulled the boy into his arms to offer comfort. Arthur held onto his father, crying much like his sister.
"Let's bring them out of here," River whispered.
The Doctor nodded. "Arthur, let's go downstairs."
The children were put at the kitchen table. Terra refused to leave River's arms, clinging to her tightly. River resolved this by sitting a chair with Terra sitting on her lap.
The Doctor quietly started making hot chocolate for everyone, not really knowing what else he could do.
"Toby was very old. Even simple things were getting very hard for him to do. He's not suffering anymore." River murmured, trying to comfort Arthur.
"But it's not fair." He warbled, wiping his nose with his sleeve. "Can't you do something?"
"I'm afraid not, sweetie." She handed him a napkin so he could properly wipe his nose.
He took it, energy draining fast. "This is the worst day ever."
"I know." She murmured, holding her free arm out to hug him. He moved closer to her, leaning on her and squeezing his eyes shut. She kissed his forehead. Terra shifted so she could watch the Doctor, already tuckered out from crying. Her sniffles raked through her whole body and her eyes were red and puffy.
The Doctor put the hot cocoa down on the table, sitting with his family. Terra held her arms out, wanting the Doctor to hold her now. He moved her to his own lap, humming to comfort her.
"Felix isn't gonna get to meet him," Arthur whispered.
"You're right." River murmured, "But we can show him lots of pictures and tell him all about how wonderful Toby was."
"It's not the same." He whimpered.
"I know." She sighed, "But it's the best we can do."
Freya and Amelia came into the kitchen after a while, confused as to why their siblings looked so glum. The Doctor quietly informed them of the news, offering them hot chocolates as well.
The twins were saddened by the news as well but weren't caught as off guard as the younger ones. They had seen the dog getting older and understood that he couldn't be around forever. They drank the hot cocoa, the younger kids not having the appetite to touch their drinks.
"Do you think we should call Jack and see if he's willing to come help cheer them up?" River asked.
"It's worth a shot," the Doctor agreed.
"I'll go call him." She breathed, getting out of her seat and moving to the other room to call.
Jack picked up being his normal cheery yet seductive self. River explained the situation, asking if he would come over to help cheer up the kids. He agreed, saying he'd be right there. Knowing he had his own means of getting to their house, she went back to the kids.
"Jack's coming over?" Amelia asked.
River nodded, "He'll be here in a few minutes."
The Doctor relayed the information to Terra. "[You don't have to do anything you don't want to.]" He assured. She was starting to cry again, pressing her face against his shirt. He rubbed her back.
The family sat quietly in shock until Jack arrived. Jack brought gifts and treats in an obvious effort to cheer the children up. The twins and Arthur were quick to let Jack distract them. Terra refused to leave the arms of her parents.
The little girl cried off and on all morning, switching between her parents' arms every so often. The Doctor at one point went to remove Toby's body from Terra's room when she was in distracted River's arms.
Jack offered to treat everyone to lunch when the Doctor came back downstairs. The family agreed, the children asking if they could go to their favorite restaurant.
Terra insisted on being carried by her mother when they went to the car, keeping a fist full of River's shirt in hand so no one could pry her away. The Doctor kept trying to get Terra to agree to be held by him or Jack, worried about River lifting anything more than ten pounds.
"[I want to stay with Mummy.]" She cried, trying to push Jack away from her when the man tried to lift her. He shrugged, trying to assure the Doctor that River would be fine the distance to the cars.
The Doctor sighed. "[Girls, why don't you go in Jack's car.]" One car wasn't going to fit the seven and a half of them.
"I want to go in Uncle Jack's car too." Arthur requested, mostly because Jack let him sit in the front seat.
"That's fine, but listen to him, alright? River, I think Terra's going to want you to sit in the back seat with her." He murmured as the three of them headed to their own car. They never used it much, but had there for the occasional need to look human and not arrive somewhere in a phone box.
"I wouldn't be surprised."
Terra started whimpering as they approached the car, not hearing the conversation and thinking she'd have to separate from her mother.
"[It's alright, my star. Mummy will sit in back with you.]" He assured. Terra calmed down with this information.
Felix had been quiet today, for the most part, only moving noticeably when he felt the weight of Terra leaning on him. Terra was too tired to comment on this, holding onto River's shirt.
They drove in relative silence to the restaurant, the others already inside when they got there. The three joined the others at a large table. River and the Doctor sat on either side of Terra, joining the conversation.
As lunch went on, Terra perked up a bit more. Jack offered to have the kids over and River and the Doctor agreed to this, looking to make sure the kids wanted to. The children agreed.
River was growing more and more uncomfortable as lunch went on. Felix had decided to settle right in a position that was irritating her inflamed ligament. The Doctor picked up this information through a few exchanged glances with his wife and tried to move lunch along.
By the time lunch was over, she was in a fair amount of pain, "Can you help me up?" She asked her husband. He nodded, doing so with caution. They didn't want to make a scene or worry the kids. She bit her tongue as Felix kicked, obviously trying not to draw attention to herself.
"Jack, will you bring the kids to the cars? We'll meet you there." He had a feeling they were going to be slower than everyone else.
The kids, thankfully including Terra, followed back to the cars, leaving the two alone. He adjusted his arm around her waist. "Will you be alright to the car?"
"I think so, but I don't know about the drive home." She breathed, leaning against him for support. Both of them knew there was nothing they could do until they got home.
They made slow progress forwards. It took them awhile to get to the car, but they finally made it.
The adults discussed briefly that Jack was to get everyone home by nine and no later. The kids happily clambered into Jacks car, Terra looking back at her parents.
"[Do you want to go with Uncle Jack?]" River asked, not sure if Terra had changed her mind
"[...Yeah, but not for as long as everyone else wants to.]"
"[Okay. Well, you call us when you want to come home and we'll come get you.]" She gave her a small smile. Terra looked pleased by this, joining the others.
River got in their own car with her husband, quite surprised that her daughter wanted to go out.
"How're you holding up?" The Doctor asked as they drove.
"Better. He's moving away from the spot." River was still tense, but less so than before.
"That's good." He murmured. "I figure Terra will only last an hour or so. I can get her later."
She nodded, "Okay, that would be good."
"In the meantime, let's see if we can set up the device."
Felix gave a kick downwards with a teal-blue thought.
"Gentle with mummy." River winced.
Play! Felix demanded.
"Play?" River smiled, "That's your first word!"
"He's using words?" The Doctor glanced at her.
"He just said 'play.'" She smiled.
"I suppose that's why he's moving so much now."
"That would make sense." She put her hand against the spot where he was kicking. Felix excitedly pushed back against River's hand. "Gentle, sweetie." River repeated.
The Doctor chuckled as they pulled up to the house. "He's going to be a menace when he learns to walk."
She laughed, "Weren't they all?"
He made a noise of agreement, getting out and going to her side of the car to help her up. She leaned in to give him a kiss once she was standing.
He looked pleasantly confused, arm around her as they kissed. "What was that for?"
"Because you're my husband." She smiled.
"I like that reason." He tapped her nose. "Now let's see what we can do about that ligament of yours, hm?"
She nodded, "One more kiss first?"
"Of course." He smiled.
She leaned in once again. Felix squirmed, feeling a bit squished between his parents as they shared another kiss. Once they parted, the walked to the house, holding hands.
The Doctor paused when they walked in the door, frowning slightly.
"What is it?" River murmured.
"It's just..." He sighed." Toby usually comes running up to us when we walk in."
Her face fell, "You're right..."
He scrubbed a hand down his face. Both of them had seen the dog's decline as clear as day, but that didn't mean they weren't just as upset as the children were. "I don't know why I was expecting him to come."
She pulled him into a comforting hug, "We're still getting used to him being gone. He was a part of our family for nearly ten years."
He pressed his face into her curls, taking comfort in her gesture. "It'll be okay." She murmured, rubbing his back.
"I believe you," he said sadly, pulling away. He took her hand, bringing it up to kiss her knuckles.
"Good." She smiled softly, finding her own eyes a bit watery.
"Let's go upstairs." He whispered. She nodded, squeezing his hand.
They headed to their bedroom where the Doctor had left the device. River sat down on the bed, putting her swollen feet up.
"Lift your shirt up." He murmured. She lifted her shirt, exposing her bare skin.
He brought the device and a scanner over. "Activation should be pretty simple. I've just got to place it at the right insertion points and the rest is automatic."
"What is it going to do, exactly?" She asked.
"It's going to latch on to the nerves around the round ligament and act as an external bypass… a surrogate nerve. It was invented originally for prosthetics. The principals are the same here."
"So it's not going to affect Felix at all?"
"That's right." He confirmed.
"Okay, do whatever you need to do then."
He took the scanner, tapping a few things to bring up guidelines for himself for precise placement. "This will pinch." He carefully lined up each of the round ends of the device, pressing the needles into her skin with care as well as speed as to not draw out any discomfort.
She hissed at the pinch, then relaxed. Once all the round bits were inserted, the wire components automatically tightened to a snug fit.
"How does that feel?"
"Better." She nodded, smiling, "Thank you."
"Good. Let me know if anything needs adjusting."
She was quiet for a moment. "Do you want to lay down with me for a bit before the kids get back?"
He nodded, settling down next to her on the bed. She curled against him, "Do you remember what I told you I saw you after Terra was born?"
He though for a moment before remembering. "Yes."
"I think it's going to happen soon."
"Is it?" He sounded thoughtful. "Do you remember anything more about it?"
"Not really, I'm sorry, it's difficult with the different timelines."
"I'll keep an eye out for any signs." He kissed her temple.
She smiled weakly, "I could use a couple more kisses."
He smiled, beginning to pepper her face with kisses. She laughed, beaming now. Felix kicked happily, feeding off River's joy.
The Doctor continued to kiss River, mostly on the lips now. She hummed against his lips, pulling him closer to her. He moved to her neck, humming and sending vibrations over her skin. She shivered, her body melting against the bed.
Felix kicked again, wondering what was making River happy.
"I think the baby wants some kisses too." River murmured.
He smiled more softly and moved down to kiss her belly, avoiding the device. "We see you, Felix."
"He's quite excited." She smiled.
He traced his son's kicks, "You're going to love it out here." He whispered.
"We'll take you on all sorts of adventures. We'll start with small ones, like the park and the beach, but soon you'll see galaxies and every planet you can think of." River chimed in.
"You have such excited siblings who can't wait to meet you. They'll be the best family you can ask for."
"You have so many people that already love you so much."
"Your Aunts and Uncles will spoil you rotten."
"Well, hopefully not rotten." River breathed. Felix settled finally tucked under River's ribs and settled.
River and the Doctor talked for a bit longer, River deciding to take a nap.
As predicted, Jack called after an hour to say that Terra wanted to come home. The Doctor didn't want to wake River, so he took the vortex manipulator to pick up their daughter.
Terra was less upset than she had been earlier, though she still clung to the Doctor as soon as he arrived.
"[Did you have fun with Uncle Jack?]" He asked her.
Terra nodded, "[I want to go home now though.]"
"[We're taking the vortex manipulator if that's alright.]"
She nodded again. He scooped her up. The pair disappeared from the Hub, materializing in the living room of their own house.
"[Where's Mumma?]" Terra asked.
"[She's napping upstairs.]" He explained.
"[Can I go nap too?]"
"[Of course my star.]" He brought her upstairs. "[Do you want to nap in your room or with Mummy?]"
"[With Mummy.]"
He brought her to his room, putting her down on the bed by River. She crawled over to River, trying to snuggle into her arms.
"[Careful not to wake her, dear.]" The Doctor reminded.
"[But I wanna snuggle.]"
He smiled softly. "[You can snuggle with me.]"
She gave up on River, wiggling into his arms. He hummed to help her relax, arms cocooning her. She fell asleep rather quickly, warm and comforted.
He watched over both of them as they slept, smiling as how alike they looked. River was the first to wake, murmuring.
The Doctor listened for a moment. River sounded frightened. "Riv?" He called.
Her breathing was getting erratic, panicking in her sleep. He reached his hand over, trying not to disturb Terra as he did. He touched her shoulder. "River."
Her eyes flew open, hearts racing.
"It's okay, River. You were dreaming." He said quickly. "You're okay." She closed her eyes, trying to calm down. "Are you alright?" He asked.
"Physically? I'm fine." She breathed. Her words said much more than what was spoken.
"Can I do anything?"
She glanced at their daughter still sleeping in his arms, "I don't want you to disturb her."
"She'll be alright." He assured.
She moved closer to him, "Just having you here helps."
He smiled. "It's mutual."
Terra and Felix simultaneously shifted between the weight of their parents. He pressed a kiss to Terra's head. Terra snuggled closer to him in her sleep.