Author Note: Hey guys, another cliff hanger ending, I'm sorry...and this chapter isn't the nicest of ones to read...but I saw something a bit like this on TV once, and had to add it in for that extra dramatic effect. If you don't want to read the nasty bit, just skip down to the bottom of the page...it doesn't matter really...
So I hope you enjoy!
"Right, thats the last bit," the Doctor sighed as he dropped the last little splinter into the tray. He wiped a sleeve across his brow, which was beaded with sweat. Jack looked relieved as he stroked Rose's forehead.
The Doctor took the sonic screwdriver, set it to a different setting and placed it at one end of the incission. There was a soft whirring sound as he drew it across the cut. As if by magic, the wound closed with a slight hiss and a little whisp of smoke. There was the smell of burning flesh, but it didn't last for more than a few seconds.
"What did you do?" Jack asked in amazement as he leant forwards to study the wound. It had been neatly sealed together, leaving a slightly burned looking scar.
"I cauterized it," the Doctor replied as he switched the screwdriver off and replaced it in his pocket. "And now for the science bit. Jack can you help me?" he asked, walking over to the desk again. Jack got to his feet and unsteadily staggered over to him. He'd been sitting down for so long his joints had stiffened and were now aching in protest at the sudden movement.
"Right, take this and wrap it as tight as you can round Rose's left wrist," he said, handing him a long, flat bit of material with velcro on one end. Jack obeyed and wrapped it as tightly as he could round Rose's wrist.
"Right, what now Doctor?" he asked after he'd re-joined him with a very large, square piece of machinery that had tubes and pipes sticking out all over the place.
"Attach that to the little clip there... now I've gotta remember how this goes...hang on a minute." And the Doctor began studying the machinery intently, before grinning, and bursting out into a rather silly song.
"The left wrist's connected to the..thingy.
The thingy's connected to the...doodah.
The doodah's connected to the... doohickey,
and thats what its all about!"
"Excuse me?" Jack couldn't help but grin at the Doctor's stupidity. No wonder Rose was always calling him a nutter.
"Shhhhh!" he said, waving a hand at the Captain. Then he attached a few more wires and flicked a switch. The machine whirred into life. He smiled and wrapped a similar velcro bit of material round Rose's other wrist, so that she became, in effect, part of the machine's circuit. The Doctor flicked another switch and the almost black blood began pumping from Rose's left wrist, up the clear tube into the machine, which vibrated and churned. A few minutes later, the blood began pumping down a tube on the other side back into Rose's right wrist, crimson red again.
Again, Jack was horrified, but couldn't look away because it was too fascinating.
However, he flinched when Rose began to move, ever so slightly at first. Just the odd twitch.
But soon she was thrashing about, in obvious pain. The Doctor hated to see her like this, but knew that it was all part of the process. He couldn't do anything to help her until it was all over.
"Come on," he said to Jack. "You look as if you could do with a drink."
oOo
Jack had managed to find a pack of cards which he used to distract himself, but the Doctor couldn't stop pacing. Rose was in pain...terrible pain, and he couldn't do a thing to help her. In the end he slipped silently away from the Captain and ran full pelt back to the medical bay.
Rose was still again now, but there was no denying the look of pain on her pretty face. It was screwed up as though she were just wishing the pain would stop. The Doctor looked at the monitor and saw with relief that she only had to endure another five minutes, then he could stop the pain and let her rest.
He picked up her trainers and looked at the little micro-chip that had been inserted into the tongue. Wondering if he could maybe attach the chip to the machinery to speed up Rose's recovery, he took the trainer over to the work bench and began cutting at the material with a scalpel. But no matter how many times he cut into the lining, the shoe just kept repairing itself.
The Doctor tried at least ten times to cut the same bit of material before giving up. He sat, deep in thought for a moment, then pulled out his sonic screwdriver and set it to stun. Then he aimed it right at the chip. It seemed to be working, so as he held the screwdriver between his teeth, he began cutting at the material again. This time it did work, and soon he had almost cut the chip free.
With a final rip of the material, the chip came free and the Doctor held it up to examine it properly.
Suddenly an alarm sounded and he was by Rose's side in seconds.
"Oh no...no,no,no, don't do this to me! Don't you dare do this to me! Come on Rose! Fight!" he cried as he pulled over a rather old looking machine and began fixing and attaching wires everywhere. Jack was at the door by now, having heard the deafening alarm from the kitchen.
"What's going on?" the Captain cried, and the Doctor looked at him in alarm.
"Rose has stopped breathing!"