oOo
"Tegan?" The Doctor poked his head around the door. The young brunette was sitting on a chair, gazing into nothingness, just as Nyssa had described. He came fully into the room, allowing the door to close quietly behind him.
They were in one of the TARDIS' many libraries, a small one with only a few dozen shelves of books and a pair of ornate, vaguely Persian carpets covering the floor. Tegan was sitting near the fireplace. Over it hung an oil painting that gave an illusion of being a window onto a sunny landscape featuring a glimpse of distant woods on the far shore of a pristine lake. A lovely piece, by whom he couldn't remember. It was definitely something he'd picked up on Earth, and definitely something he'd chosen to dwell on instead of facing the problem he'd come to face. He returned his attention to the young woman in front of him.
She was wearing her air hostess uniform, and he had the impression it was acting as a security blanket. Her knees were huddled up to her chest, feet tucked beneath her and arms wrapped around her legs. Her head leaned against the back of the chair as if she'd been sleeping, but according to Nyssa sleep was the last thing Tegan was doing these days. She looked it, too, with great dark circles under her eyes and her hair just this side of untidy underneath the neatly pinned uniform cap. She wore it too short nowadays for that to be a real issue, but he could see it, now that he was looking for it. She was paler than usual, and there was a certain redness to her eyes that spoke of more than lost sleep. Crying, perhaps, but she hadn't allowed anyone to see her cry since her aunt's death, back when they hadn't known her half so well as they did now. Back when he'd literally been a different person...
"Tegan?" He knelt before her, balancing himself by holding lightly to the wings of the chair. Slowly she lowered her gaze from the middle distance to meet his own, blinking with surprise.
"Doctor? I didn't hear you come in," she muttered, shifting uncomfortably but making no move to vacate the chair. "Is something wrong?"
He shook his head, tried a reassuring smile. "No, nothing wrong. I just wanted to see how you were doing. Nyssa said you haven't been sleeping much since, well, you know," he finished awkwardly.
She attempted a smile, but it slipped back into sadness as if fleeing the warmth of the room. "Since the Mara, no, I haven't," she admitted. He felt an eyebrow arch, but couldn't help it; he hadn't expected her to answer him so honestly. Usually she was much more belligerent when it came to protecting what she perceived as her weaknesses.
That honesty prompted the Doctor to lay a comforting hand on her knee. "I know this isn't the best solution, but if you want something to help you sleep, just for a few days, so you can clear your mind a bit..."
She shook her head "no" before he even finished the offer, and his voice trailed off into silence as another sad smile crept over her lips. "Thank you, Doctor, but you're right. It's not the best solution."
He shifted uneasily, but left his hand where it was. "Then what can I do to help? Do you want me to take you somewhere, the Eye of Orion? Or home?" He caught his breath on that question, blurting it out without thinking, silently berating himself for his insensitivity. She was feeling fragile, and now she was bound to think the worst, that he wanted her to leave, when that was the last thing he wanted.
Tegan, however, was apparently feeling understanding today. The smile reappeared, this time lingering a bit longer, and one hand crept down to cover his. It was icy in spite of her proximity to the fire. "The Eye of Orion sounds lovely, but home can wait a bit longer. I just need some time, Doctor. Time for the nightmares to go away, time for the memories to fade a bit." Her voice sank to a half-whisper. "Time to remember that I do still exist."
Her fingers tightened on his, then pulled away, reluctantly, he thought, and he rose to his feet with equal reluctance. "If you're sure," he began, and she nodded firmly.
"Yes, I'm sure. But I promise, if it gets worse, I'll ask you for something to help me sleep. But only for a few days."
He nodded and headed for the door, glancing over his shoulder as he reached for the handle. She'd turned back to face the fire, her gaze going blank, but she was absently stroking her knee where he'd touched her, and there was a faint smile lingering on her face. Encouraged, he left the room, closing the door behind him.