Wow! Thank you for all of the wonderful reviews! Still rated M, folks. And it's time for some adventure!
And yes! If you are re-reading this….It's a bit different! For the better!
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Chapter 6 - Reassurance
Rose's alarm on her phone went off. She rolled over to turn it off and got out of bed. The Doctor still lay in the same position he was in when she fell asleep on him just a few hours before. He looked so peaceful and disheveled. He had about three days of stubble growth, a black eye, and his hair was sticking up all over his head. Rose had never seen him so untidy.
Positively, a vision.
She decided to let him sleep while she went to shower. She wondered if he was still using his pain-blocking technique.
After her shower, she put on her cotton bathrobe and went back into the bedroom. She picked up her phone to discover that Jake had sent her a message.
"I know you have to return to the hospital for your check-up this morning at 10:00. I'll be around at 9:30."
It was only 7:12. They still had a while before Jake showed up. She sat down her phone, and went to sit the side of the bed closer to the Doctor. She was thinking about kissing him to wake him up when he spoke without opening his eyes. "You know, staring at people can be considered rude, Rose Tyler."
She was startled. "Sorry, I didn't know you were awake."
"A beautiful woman sitting next to me? First thing in the morning? I'll wake up for that." he smiled as he opened his eyes.
"Feeling better, I take it?" she asked him. "Cause you look like hell."
He remembered the punch from last night. "How bad is it?"
"Looks like you've been in a fight. It goes all around the bottom of your eye, then creeps up the side of it." she told him as traced his bruised-up face with her finger.
Her being this close to him was exhilarating. Her smell was exaggerated since she had just gotten out of the shower. Her hair was still wet but pulled up behind her head.
He pulled her hand away from his face and kissed the back of it. "Oh well, I've had worse," he told her with a smile.
She giggled at him. She cupped his face with her hands and leaned down to kiss him. "I am really very sorry."
"It's really okay. I should have known better. I'm alright, Rose."
She swung a leg over his body as climbed on top of him. She leaned down to kiss him. Her tongue darted into his mouth, which he permitted and kissed back. He slowly raised both of his hands to her robe and opened it, revealing her nude, beautiful body. The sight was overwhelming to his senses.
She leaned back down and met his lips again. She then moved down his body, kissing his neck and chest. She continued to kiss him as she worked her way down to his waist. She pulled the duvet cover down as she went.
"Rose. What are you doing?" he asked her quietly.
When she got to his waist, she could see his swollen length under his pajama bottoms. She slid them down off his hips and took him into her mouth. Sucking his swollen member, she rolled her tongue around the tip.
He couldn't help it. His legs pulled up as he squirmed under her. It was pleasure he had never imagined. He moaned her name and said things in some strange language. She was sure he had forgotten about his sore wrist.
She kept at it until he took his good hand and pulled below her chin, urging her back up to him. She kissed his chest and neck until she got to his mouth.
He quickly grabbed himself and thrust inside of her. She laid her hand on his chest and sitting on him, rose up and down getting the friction that she needed.
"Oh the gods, Rose." He moaned.
She breathed heavily. He rubbed her breasts as she moaned. She knew he had to be close, and then she felt him finish inside her. She laid her body on top of his and kissed his lips gently.
"Oh my god, I can get used to that!" she told him as she smiled. "Even if you are scruffy looking."
"Scruffy?" he said in a high-pitched voice. "Me?!"
She giggled into his chest. "Yeah, how about a shower to get you all cleaned up?"
He smiled his biggest grin and said, "I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest."
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Rose was still in the bedroom, getting ready.
The Doctor, shaven and back in his brown pin-striped suit, was in the kitchen alone finishing his coffee. Suddenly, he heard the front door open as someone knocked on it.
"Hello!" Jake called out.
He was early, the Doctor realized. It was only 9:15. "Hey Jakey-boy. I'm in here!"
Jake rounded the corner. When he spotted the Doctor, his shock turned into laughter.
"What the 'ell happened to you mate? Run into some bikers?" he asked with a smile.
The Doctor figured he would get this reaction from Jake.
"Nah. Got caught in the crossfire between Rose and a nightmare." he shrugged as he drank his coffee.
Jake noticed his hand all bandaged up. "Damn. Messed up your 'and as well? Doc. When a lady says no, she means it." he smiled.
Seeing the road this was taking, the Doctor shook his head and commanded, "Oh, shut up."
Jake helped himself to some hot water and made some tea.
"So, I wanted to ask. Your date. How'd it go? Before the kidnapping and such, of course."
"It was good!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Had a wonderful time!"
"Don't suppose you'd tell me more than just that, would you?" Jake inquired.
The Doctor met his gaze and replied very simply, "No." Then returned to drinking his coffee.
Jake chuckled at him. Rose suddenly appeared in the doorway. She was wearing a pair of khaki slacks, with a black blouse and heels.
"What is this?" she inquired.
"Nothing at all," Jake told her. "You look to be feeling better!"
"Feeling fine!" Rose declared as she looked over at the Doctor with her trademark tongue in teeth smile.
The Doctor beamed back at her.
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They climbed into the car to head over to the hospital. Turns out, Rose already had figured that Pete had put Jake in charge of everything she had been working on. She gave Jake instructions nearly all the way there.
She also already knew Shakes, who was driving. After he thought about it, it wasn't a huge surprise to him. After all, Pete said he was a friend of Mickey's. Although, he was sure there was no way she could know about his first name. He'd have to tell her that sometime later when she needed a laugh.
The trip back to Torchwood Tower took 26 minutes and 12 seconds, by the Doctor's count. Two bodyguards were there to meet them as they all walked into the building together.
Jake turned to tell them both, "I'm off upstairs. Pete wanted me to ask you to come by his office when you are all done."
Jake slapped the Doctor on the back as he departed.
"Alright, see you Jake." Rose told him.
Then made their way to the hospital section with their bodyguards close-by.
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They were sitting in the examination room waiting for the doctor, with a little "d".
"Did you know that Shakes' first name is William?" the Doctor asked her, barely containing a laugh.
"No, it's not. Is it?" she asked him as she began to smile.
He laughed and shook his head. "That's what he told me. I swear. William Shakes! What a laugh!"
They were both laughing at this revelation when Doctor Fletcher came in the room, holding his tablet. When the door was opened, the Doctor noticed the two bodyguards that had walked with them through Torchwood were still standing outside the door.
Doctor Fletcher looked up and said, "Rose Tyler. And Doctor Smith. How are we doing today?"
Rose smiled and said, "Just fine! Thanks."
Doctor Fletcher looked over to the Doctor and said, "You might like to wait outside during our examination?"
Rose got immediately serious. "No! He's staying here with me."
Doctor Fletcher looked from Rose to the Doctor. "Alright." he agreed as he shrugged his shoulders. "You'll need to remove your shirt, but you can keep on your bra."
Rose undone her shirt as Doctor Fletcher turned to sit his tablet down on the counter.
He turned to look at her chest. He nodded approvingly. "Looks good. I see you have already taken the stitches out," he remarked.
Rose pointed to the Doctor sitting in the corner, "Yeah, John removed them. They were driving me batty."
Doctor Fletcher then looked Rose's arm where she had been shot.
"Looks good." he said with a mumble.
He then took out his stethoscope and listened to her heart and lungs. He nodded his head. "All good. Looks great. A complete recovery. Amazing, Miss Tyler."
She buttoned back up her shirt.
"That she is." the Doctor agreed smiling.
His Rose was going to be alright. He already knew this, of course. But having someone else say it made it more real. He just beamed in the corner.
"Any pain, or problems?" he asked Rose.
Rose looked over at the Doctor, uncomfortably.
"The nightmares are back. And they are worse. Last night, he tried to wake me up from one and I punched him."
"That's nothing unusual." Doctor Fletcher said. "Most people that have been through traumatic experiences will suffer from nightmares, insomnia, and the like."
He turned to the Doctor. "Doctor Smith. Are you familiar with PTSD?"
"I'm getting more familiar with it every day." the Doctor told him.
Doctor Fletcher nodded his head in agreement and turned to Rose. "Let me put you on some medication, to help ease the anxiety."
He grabbed his tablet and typed in some information. When he was finished, he looked up at Rose. "Is there anything else?"
She said, "Yes. I'm pretty sure that John needs to see you. I think he's broken his hand."
"Oh, then. Hop down from the table, ma'am and come on over Doctor Smith."
The Doctor walked over to him. As he sat down on the examination table, Doctor Fletcher got a good look at his eye.
"Woo! She did get you good didn't she?" he exclaimed. He used an instrument to look into his damaged eye. "No serious harm done."
The Doctor shifted nervously. "Yeah, can you use a dermal regenerator on it to fade the bruising?" he asked.
Doctor Fletcher nodded his head. "Certainly. It won't take but just a minute. Now let me see this hand you seemed to have injured." He unwrapped it, remarking what an expert wrapping job had been done to it. Rose saw it from where she stood. It looked worse than it had yesterday. He pressed down in a few places that made the Doctor wince.
"Can you make a fist?" he asked.
The Doctor shook his head. "No. I'm sure."
"Let's get an x-ray and see what's going on. There are a lot of little bones in the hand and wrist. I'll send someone in to take you down for an x-ray."
He grabbed his tablet and walked back out of the door.
"That looks terrible," Rose told him as she looked at his damaged hand.
"It's not that bad."
A nurse came in ran the dermal regenerator around his eye. Within 3 minutes, it was pink and no longer bruised. A little bit later, another nurse came in to take them both to another room for his x-ray.
After they returned to the examination room, Doctor Fletcher came back. He had the Doctor's x-rays in his hands. He put them into a lightbox hanging on the wall.
"See here Doctor Smith." he turned and pointed to the x-rays. "Here is the problem. Just a small fracture, here. Here. And here. And over in here. And, if you look here," he pointed at the knuckles and back of the hand, "some very light fractures. Mostly cracks. And a lot of bruising."
Rose turned to the Doctor. "Nothing bad?" she exclaimed. "Typical bloke."
"It's not!" the Doctor insisted.
Doctor Fletcher continued. "It's not terrible. I don't see any reason to think you will need surgery or anything of the sort. I'll fit you with a splint. Wear it for say, 4-6 weeks. Then we will re-evaluate. Do you want me to give you something for the pain?" he asked.
Then he lifted his good hand to his hair. "I'm not sure what I can have. In the past, I wasn't able to take aspirin. I'm not sure if there is anything I could take."
Doctor Fletcher asked, "Like an allergy?"
The Doctor replied. "Yeah, exactly like an allergy. A severe allergy."
"There are other pain medications that do not contain aspirin. I'll prescribe you one of them. It's a very painful injury. Try to remain comfortable, so you can heal faster. I'll send the nurse around with your medications." With that, Doctor Fletcher walked out the door.
Rose came over and looked at him. "Allergic to aspirin?" she inquired, looking astonished.
The Doctor used his good hand to pull her in closer to him. He rested his head on her forehead. "Yes, aspirin put me in a coma once. It's toxic to Time Lords. I don't know how this body will react to it."
Rose kissed him lightly. "You are full of surprises, you are."
They pulled away from one another as a nurse came in, and helped him put on a black splint on his hand that covered from the bottom of his fingers to the middle of his forearm. She explained that he could take it off to shower, but to wear it otherwise. She also gave him a sling which he put into his bigger on the inside pockets.
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After that Doctor's visit, it was off to the dentist for Rose. She was very apprehensive, but the Doctor held her hand as they walked into the examination room. She looked up at him, standing beside her, and said, "Don't worry. I'm here."
He raised his sore hand to the side of her head.
The dental assistant came in and tried to get the Doctor to leave, but Rose insisted he was there to stay. He reassured the assistant that he wouldn't get in their way, but would continue to hold Rose's hand during her procedure.
The dentist came in and sat in his chair. Rose couldn't see the Doctor anymore, but she knew he still had her hand.
She felt him on the edge of her consciousness. She dropped her shields and let him in.
To anyone else that saw them, he was just sitting in a chair next to her, holding her hand. He lay his splinted hand across Rose's waist. He looked down at the ground, seeming to be bored with the work the dentist was doing.
'Rose. Keep your eyes closed and try not to think about where you are. ' he said in her mind.
She obeyed and found herself standing in a field. There were no signs that she was still in the dentist's office at all. It was surreal, like a dream.
It was night, but the light that shown from the moons above her in the orange sky illuminated her surroundings so much that she could see that the grass she stood on was red.
'Where are we?' she asked him telepathically.
Out of nowhere, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind her. She could feel him breathing into her ear. It was as if he was there.
'This is Gallifrey. My home. The center of the known galaxy. Well, as close as you can get without ending up in a black hole. 250 million light-years away from Earth.' He pointed up. 'If you look there in the sky, you can see the two moons. There are also two suns. When the second sun rises, look over there at the forest. The silver leaves will make the forest appear to be on fire.'
Rose was amazed and impressed. She didn't know he could completely remove her from such a scary situation, to put her in such a peaceful, beautiful place.
He leaned in to kiss her gently on the cheek. 'What do you think?' he asked her in a whisper.
'This is beautiful! Is that snow on top of those mountains over there?' she pointed to the left.
He turned to look and smiled. 'Yes. Snowcaps those mountains all the time.'
The wind blew and Rose asked him if it was about to rain.
'Not hardly. The Sahara probably gets more rain than Gallifrey ever did. I spent my childhood in the Drylands, just outside of the Capitol. I'll take you there sometime. Well, my memories of it at least.'
They stood there holding one another, waiting for the sun to rise. As the second sun rose, the light reflected off of the leaves. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She gasped, which made the Doctor just hold her closer.
'Thank you for showing me this. I know it couldn't have been easy for you.' she told him.
'I am happy you liked it. Are you ready to wake up now? You are done.'
The Doctor took his hand out of Roses' and removed his hand from her waist.
She woke up immediately. The dentist was done.
"Alright, Miss Tyler. I believe we are all done. We've fit you with a temporary crown, and you can come back in a couple of days for your permanent crown." The dentist told her.
"That's all?" Rose asked, hardly believing what she was hearing.
The dentist said, "Yes. You must be tired, ma'am. I believe you slept through the entire procedure."
The Doctor stood up and stretched his back. "These chairs are terrible for your back," he told the dentist.
The dentist laughed at him and said, "Tell me about it. I sit all day in one."
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Pete came around from behind the desk to greet them as they entered his office.
"Rose! " he said with his arms outstretched. "You look lovely today. Positively glowing!"
They kissed one another on the cheek.
Pete then turned to the Doctor. "And how are you today?" he asked as he shook hands with the Doctor.
"Just wonderful." the Doctor admitted with a smile. "Good to see you again, Pete."
Pete stepped over to the door and asked his secretary to hold all of his calls. He reentered the room, and closed the door. Pete lead them over to the side of his office that had a couch and two chairs, away from the desk. The Doctor and Rose sat on the couch together as Pete took a chair.
"So, good reports from the Doctors?" Pete inquired.
"Yes. Complete recovery," she told her boss/sort of Dad.
"There is something I would like to discuss with the pair of you." the Doctor brought up seriously. "Rose's tooth was damaged, and she now has to have a crown put in within the next few days. Are you either one familiar with Maassarani's GPS?"
Both of them looked confused, but interested. Pete shook his head. "No, what is that?"
The Doctor continued. "Maassarani, at least in the other dimension, filed a patent in 2009 for a microchip that is fitted into the dental filling material of a tooth. That chip can be tracked using a Global Positioning System to find that person's exact location."
"Interesting!" Pete said shaking his head. "That would be very useful!"
"So, it would be in my tooth?" Rose asked.
"Yep." the Doctor said, popping the 'p'. "You'd never feel it, and no one would ever know except, me, Pete and the dentist. That way, we would always know where you are if we need to come get you."
He was trying to keep the fear out of his voice. He knew it was only a matter of time before they tried to get her again.
Pete said, "I'll look into it. That would be useful for all of our agents, but especially Rose in this environment. We still know no more than we did a few days ago." Pete tossed his hands in the air with frustration.
The Doctor turned to Rose. "Sorry, I should have asked. Would that be alright? What do you think?"
She blew air out of her mouth in disbelief. "Why wouldn't I? Makes sense."
The Doctor jumped off of the couch and ran over to Pete's desk to get some paper and a pen. He was already writing on it before he returned to the couch, resting the pad of paper on his splint.
"If Maassarani doesn't exist in this dimension, these are the parts I would need to make one." He told Pete as he handed them the pad.
"Consider it done!" Pete said cheerfully.
The Doctor knew that Pete was enough of a tinkerer that such a gadget like that would be interesting to him.
The Doctor sat back down on the couch, and Rose took his hand in hers. Her touch made him tingle all over.
"I'm curious. Have you two had a chance to talk about our discussion as yet? I know I asked you to have an answer by tonight, but I figured while I had you here that I would ask."
Rose spoke up, "We did talk about it. And we're both extremely grateful. I agree that a flat would be a safer option. As far as the extended holiday, we were curious where you had in mind?"
Pete rose from his seat and walked over behind his desk. "You both would be doing me a huge favor. I got this in the mail today. Seems I've been invited to a state dinner at the White House in America. You two can go in my place." he handed them the invitation as he sat back down in the chair.
The Doctor looked the invitation over. "Who's even the President of the United States?"
"President Howard Shepherd," Pete told him.
"Right..." the Doctor said looking back down at the invitation, lost in thought.
"All the way to America for a dinner?" Rose asked.
"No. While you are over there, maybe take in New York and a few more places." Pete told them.
Rose turned to the Doctor and asked him, "Ever been to New York?"
He looked at her and countered, "Well, yeah. But not in this dimension."
"Okay! " Rose exclaimed. "But, no beaches!"
The Doctor agreed. "Yeah, no beaches!"
Pete laughed at them both. "Strange request. I'll get my secretary right on it. Both of you take your phones as well, in case I need you for consultation while you are there."
"Both of our phones?" Rose asked. "But, the Doctor doesn't have a phone."
The Doctor looked at her and hummed, "Yeah, I do. Pete gave me one yesterday. Sorry. Would you like the number?" he grinned at her.
"Oh, shut up." she whispered at him through a grin.
"That's settled then." Pete told them as he slapped the arms of his chair and stood up. "Be ready to go in the next few days."
Pete put his arm around Rose as they walked towards the door. "Jake has already got all of your projects in hand. Everything here will be fine."
"I have no doubt." the Doctor affirmed as he shook Pete's hand again.
Pete smiled at the pair. "Listen, something has come up. I'd got to run to Manchester this afternoon to...errr... pick up something. I won't be in until late. Can we reschedule dinner for tomorrow evening? I have a surprise that Jack's will probably kill me for, so I would appreciate your support. Say 5:00? I'll send a car round."
Rose smiled, "See you then." They walked out the door.
They walked down the hall rejoining their bodyguards.
Rose took the Doctor's good hand, leaned into him, and asked him quietly. "Do you think you could give me a closet that is bigger on the inside in our new flat? I'm thinking something as big as a room."
The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks.
That's how he could do it! Why in the world had he not thought about putting the growing TARDIS in a bigger on the inside box and just taking it with them? Gosh, this human body was rubbish. It had made him thick!
"Oh, Rose. You are brilliant you are!" he said as he smiled bigger than he had all day.
Rose was taken aback. "Just need a closet. Nothing fancy. Just a place to hang my clothes."
He stood there, smiling at her like a loon. He was working it all out in his head. He even had everything make it back at the house. Rose had such a keen interest in physics now, he might even just show her how to do it. He sure could use the extra hand. His was throbbing again.
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They walked out of the front door of Torchwood Tower to their car that sat there waiting. Before the doorman could get the car doors opened, shots were fired. Shakes and his men dove on top of Rose and the Doctor, knocking them to the ground. Screams were heard as the Doctor felt blood dripping on his neck.
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