Ch 90
The Doctor stayed up a little later than River so he could go to the medbay to set up the samples and have some results for River by morning. He was about to go to bed when Felix started crying and the Doctor rerouted himself to the nursery.
Felix was squirming in his cot. The Doctor flicked the light on and moved to pick the boy up. He quickly discovered that Felix was hungry and brought him down to the kitchen where the bottles were.
Felix refused the bottle just as he'd done before.
"I promise you, this is Mummy's milk. She's put it in here for you, it won't taste bad." The Doctor knew Felix wouldn't understand, but he said it anyways.
After a good ten minutes in the kitchen trying this, the Doctor put the bottle down and sighed. "My love, there's no other food for you besides bottles until tomorrow."
"Is everything alright?" A sleepy River stumbled into the kitchen.
He looked up slightly startled, Felix still fussing in his arms. "I thought you were asleep."
"I was trying to but the cramps are keeping me up," She admitted, walking over.
"He's refusing the bottle," the Doctor explained quietly.
"This is why I want to be able to breastfeed him," she sighed, holding her arms out to take the baby.
"I know," he whispered, gently passing over the fussing infant. "Pain's still bad?" "
"Yeah," She rocked the baby, trying to getting him to take the bottle.
"Do you want some Tylenol or something?"
"I just want to calm him down," she replied, not really answering.
"The humming was helping just a little," he suggested.
River started to hum, though it was hard to hear over Felix's cries. The Doctor recognized the tune and joined in, standing close. The baby started to calm down as the two adults hummed—half comforted and half worn out from his fit, and finally allowed the bottle into his mouth.
"He gets so fussy." River murmured after Felix had finished the milk.
"It's the only way he knows how to communicate."
"I know. I hate not being able to do anything to help though."
"You're doing all you can."
"I know but it doesn't feel like enough."
They started up the stairs to put Felix back in his cot. Terra was waiting at the top of the steps, watching quietly as her parents carried her new brother up.
The Doctor offered a small smile to the Terra when he saw her. "[What are you doing up, my little star?]"
"[I had a bad dream.]" she frowned.
He glanced at River. "Why don't you tuck Felix in? I'll take care of Terra."
"Okay." She nodded, bringing Felix to the nursery.
River sat with him in the rocking chair for a while before putting him in the crib. Felix looked convincingly like he was going to stay asleep this time, much unlike when the Doctor had come in. Soft edges of dreams floated from the baby's mind to his mother's, an occurrence that usually only happened in deep sleep.
River smiled softly, though her thoughts were starting to haze over. This wasn't something that had happened before from the link, but the dizziness came too quickly for River to have time to question it. Perhaps it wasn't from the link at all.
The Doctor peered in after a moment. "Riv?" His voice sounded distant to her.
"Hmm?"
He came up next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist. "You look like you're going to fall asleep standing."
She leaned against him, "I... I feel a bit light-headed."
He frowned slightly. "You should lie down."
River meant to take a step forward to the gravity suddenly stopped working in the right direction and she stumbled into her husband instead.
"River...!" Her name came out with more worry this time as his grip tightened around her.
"I'm okay." She murmured, putting a hand to her head.
"No, you're about to faint." He hurried them to their bedroom and made her sit on the end of the bed. She was grateful to sit, looking pale and tired. "Follow my finger with your eyes," he said, the concern in his face not looking like it would fade anytime soon. "When did all this start?"
"I don't know." She murmured, following his finger, "Not that long ago."
The scan from earlier had shown mostly regular levels and vitals aside the infection, so he was sure it couldn't be a complication with her medication. "Can you describe it to me?"
"I just feel light headed, I'll be fine if I sleep." She tried to reason.
"River, until I know what's going on, sleeping could do the very opposite to you."
"Now, don't you go all doctor on me," she teased through her tone was hollow.
He felt like he was back on the spaceship. All her symptoms from the contraction-like pains to the fatigue and weakness like she'd had from the brain bleed were remarkably mirroring the recent past. He paused as this thought passed through his head and dragged with it an alarming theory. "I'd like you to come to the medbay."
She shrugged, not having the energy to argue. He half carried her into the TARDIS, most of her weight on him. She stumbled along aide him as best she could, sitting down on the table, wincing.
"Was that the abdominal pain?" He asked at the wince.
She nodded. "It's hasn't stopped."
He got to work setting up new scanners and checking the old ones he'd pre-set before tending to Felix. "Are they getting stronger?"
"Definitely. How did you know?"
"A hunch that I'm really hoping is wrong."
"What do you think is happening?"
"I think the bacteria was mutated from being in such close proximity to the black hole." The results came in on the scanners and the Doctor read them quickly. "Oh..."
"What is it?" River was trying not to worry, but the Doctor's anxiety wasn't the matter.
"I was wrong about how it evolved. Dysana erythromia. It was a man-made disease—a bioweapon, actually." He put the scanner down as he explained, "Specifically, it targets the physical memory of pain and puts it on repeat. You've got a mutated strain and I think it's repeating the physical memory of everything that happened to you on the ship once we got to the lower levels. Do you understand?"
"I think so?" She breathed, "Is there something we can do about it?"
"Possibly. No bioweapon was ever made without an antidote, but there's a chance your strain it too mutated for it to work. How did it get on a colony ship?"
She groaned in pain, gripping his hand tightly.
"I've got you," he whispered, snapping out of his thoughts.
"So," she took a shaky breath, "You're telling me that I'm going to go through all the pain of childbirth and a brain bleed without getting a baby at the end?"
"And without having a real brain bleed," he added, then realized that this wasn't very helpful. "Do you want an epidural?"
"Yes," she agreed quickly.
"Alright," his voice softened as realized she was just as nervous as he was. "Lie down."
She did as she was told as he gathered the materials for it. The process was more painful than she expected and she had to grip the side of the bed, but she supposed it would be worth it in a few minutes.
Then they waited. And waited.
The pains kept coming and River tried desperately not to complain, but after a while should couldn't help but ask, "How long does it take to work?"
"It shouldn't have taken more than ten minutes," he answered.
River glanced at the clock-it had been thirty. "Does this mean it won't work at all?"
"I think so…" he sighed.
"Why not?" She winced.
"It must be the way the bacteria works," he murmured something about it hijacking her nervous system but she couldn't be bothered to pay attention to it. "You're going to have to wait it out until I can get the antidote together."
She nodded, trying not to look too disappointed.
"I'm going to run out and find it." He kept his voice soft now and kissed her forehead.
"You're going to leave me?" She looked a bit panicked at this.
"The sooner we have a form of antidote, the sooner I can try to make this pain go away."
"I don't want you to go," she whimpered.
Her expression tugged at his hearts. "Why don't I call in a favor from Jack, then?"
She nodded, "Okay, I just don't want to do this alone."
He got his phone out to dial Jack. "What's up, Doc?" Jack answered after a couple of rings.
"I need a favor," he said seriously, explaining the situation. Jack, of course, agreed to help, saying he would get everything together as soon as possible. They finished the arrangement, the Doctor hanging up. "He'll get the antidote."
She didn't answer, trying to breathe through another 'contraction' and not think of the recent memories it brought back. The Doctor allowed her to crush his hand, using his free one to stroke her hair back.
"Why didn't you get the infection too?" River asked once the pain finally passed.
"I'm not sure. It's possible the Master did something while we were unconscious."
"Then Missy must have known." She scowled.
"We don't know anything for certain," he reminded.
"Can we move to another room?" She murmured, "I don't want to sit in the medbay."
He agreed, helping her get up. The two walked to their bedroom together, the TARDIS making sure it was close to them. The Doctor helped River get as comfortable as was possible and made sure there was an active baby monitor by the bed in case Felix woke up again.
"I need a distraction," River breathed, "Anything… please..."
"I could read again...?" he volunteered.
"Sure." She nodded, squeezing her eyes shut. He took the closest book from the shelf and moved to sit next to her. "Which book is that?" She asked, her body starting to tense again.
He glanced at the cover. "Rebels of the River," he said. It was a story from Sov K53 originally published in 6044. He took her hand, silently reminding her to breathe as he started the book.
As this was happening, Terra pushed open the door to their bedroom, tiptoeing inside. She watched her unobserving parents silently, frowning at her mother's apparent pain.
She watched their mouths move in a conversation, able to pick out a few words like "alright" and "okay."
"[What are you doing?]" Terra asked after a moment.
Both her parents looked at her with surprise, just now registering her presence. The Doctor glanced at River, "[Mummy's gotten sick, so we're waiting for Uncle Jack to bring some medicine.]"
Her frown deepened, examining the situation. She didn't know much about babies, but her sisters had told her a bit about what happens when a baby was born and the scene in front of her seemed oddly similar to what they had described, "[Is Mummy having another baby?]"
"[No.]" The Doctor assured, wondering if he should try to explain the nature of the illness.
"[But...her belly is still big and it looks like she's having a baby]"
"[Felix was only born a week ago. Everything doesn't go right back to how it was before after a baby comes out,]" he said carefully. "[It takes a while for the uterus to shrink down and for all the rest of the, um, stuff to pass out, so her belly may still look bigger for a while.]"
"[But why does she look hurt?]" Terra continued to question.
He, again, glanced between River and Terra. "[She's sick with something that makes her hurt.]"
"[My tummy hurts too.]" Terra signed, trying to wiggle up onto the bed.
He was glad for the change in conversation. "[In what way, lovie?]"
"[It feels bad and twirly.]" She crawled across the bed to cuddle with her parents.
He welcomed her into his arms. "[Do you feel like you might throw up?]"
She nodded, tugging on River's arm to get her to cuddle too, not understanding the amount of pain that River was in. "[Mummy, cuddle.]" The girl signed.
"I think I should grab a bucket in case she's sick," the Doctor murmured.
River nodded, trying to accommodate Terra. "That'd be a good idea."
He got up for a moment and brought back a bowl for Terra. "[If you feel like you might be sick, try to do it in this.]"
She ended up getting sick just a few minutes later, of course, completely missing the bowl and getting it all over the bed instead.
The Doctor, used to sick children, made Terra go wash up. While she was in the bath, he helped River to a nearby chair so he could change the sheets. River's pain was getting much worse, her face flushed.
"How're you holding up?" He asked, placing down fresh sheets on the bed.
"I'm o-okay." She grimaced, "I'm sorry I can't help."
"You're reliving active labor." He pointed out, not that she needed reminding. "You should rest as much as you can...I'm sorry the epidural didn't work."
"It's fine." She breathed, "I just want you here with me."
He nodded, crouching in front of her and taking her hands. "Was it okay what I told Terra?"
She nodded, gripping his hands tightly, "She didn't seem to pay it much mind."
"Well, I'm not sure she fully understood." He made a noise of sympathy when the next pain came. "Jack should be here soon."
"I hope so." She groaned, holding onto him tighter. He held her through the pain, whispering comforts to her.
By the time Jack arrived, River was sweating, her cries of pain had become much louder and her hair was matted against her forehead.
"I'm sorry it took so long," Jack hurriedly got the antidote out of his bag.
"Are you sure this is going to w-work?" River panted.
"No," answered the Doctor. Jack winced as River cried out, handing the drug over. The Doctor got it ready quickly. "If it doesn't, I should be able to fix it so it does, but it'll take time."
She squeezed her eyes shut, gripping on to whoever hand was available. At this point, it was both the Doctor and Jack who offered hands-they promptly got crushed.
"Here," the Doctor offered up the pill as Jack shook out his hand and examined it for damage.
River immediately took the pill, "I'm so hot..."
"Jack, would you mind grabbing a cold water?" The Doctor asked.
Jack nodded, quickly leaving to the room to fetch the water.
River looked wearily up at the Doctor, exhausted and just trying to breathe. He stroked a damp curl off her face. "If it works, that was the last one."
She nodded, leaning into his touch, too exhausted to speak. Jack returned shortly with the water, which he offered to River quickly. She gratefully accepted, "I'm sorry." She breathed.
By this point, they had been up for hours. "River, there's nothing to apologize for." The Doctor insisted.
She groaned as the muscles in her abdomen started to tense again. His face fell, knowing now that it hadn't worked. "Jack, would you see that Terra gets to bed?" The girl had fallen asleep after her bath on the clean sheets of their bed, undisturbed by the noise.
Jack nodded, going and scooping Terra up.
"We're going to figure this out, Riv." The Doctor said quietly. "I need to go back to the medbay and see what I can do to fix this." This was partly said in the question of whether she would come too.
"I don't know if I can walk all the way back there." She confessed.
"I can wheel you if you'd prefer to come."
"I'd like to stay with you."