The Doctor didn't look up as he heard the door to the garden open a few minutes later. The pill was still pressed to his lip but he hadn't put it in his mouth yet as he continued to contemplate his decision. The pills would take his pain away but it would leave his daughter without her daddy and she would never understand why he made the decision to leave her. While he would find peace the ones who he loved and cared about would have trouble understanding why he left them. They would be the ones to carry on this time with pain in their hearts from the loss while. The thought made it impossible for him to take the pill. He lowered his hand as Jack took a seat next to him facing the trees.
"I have always loved this garden," Jack stated as he held out his hand to the Doctor. The Doctor didn't question what he was asking for as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the rest of the pills that he had hidden there that morning. He put them into Jack's hand without interrupting the Captain and Jack adjusted so that he could put them in his own pocket the entire time talking about the garden they were currently in. "I remember the first time I stumbled upon this place. The three of us had spent the day tracking a rogue alien through the streets of London. At some point you injured yourself but you refused to let Rose know that you were hurt even as you grimaced in pain behind her back. I was worried when you disappeared after we returned to the TARDIS and tried to find you but instead, I found this garden. I remember being mesmerized as I watched the light shining down upon the silver-leafed trees making them seem to glow with fire. I had never seen anything like it before and when I realized where I was, I knew that I would never see anything like it again except in this room. I pulled myself and tried not to think of the garden again as I continued my search for you. I never found you that night and I never found this garden again until now, though I used to visit it still in my dreams."
"I was here that night. Beyond the trees is a room that I used to go to in order to heal. This place is the last small piece of the planet I love and hate. The TARDIS knows not to let my companions here usually because I only come here when I need to be alone. You seem to be an exception to that rule," the Doctor answered.
"Or she knows you need someone more than you think," Jack responded. The Doctor shrugged as he continued to stare up at the sky. "You may think that I don't care, Doctor but I saw the look in your eyes today as you headed up to the office and I don't know how to fix it. I meant what I said that I haven't forgiven you yet and it is going to take me longer to forget what happened but I don't want to lose you. I hoped we could go back to being friends only except we can't stop hurting each other even when we don't mean to. If you were anybody else I would be insulted that you planned to kill yourself after we made love but I think I am the only one that understands just how lonely you really are and that you don't want to go back to sleeping alone after last night."
"I love you," the Doctor whispered.
"And I love you too, that is why we need to work on our friendship. We need to try to learn to be friends again without the sex then move back into a relationship," Jack sighed. "I can't believe I am saying this but while we work on our relationship I am not going to seek sex anywhere else." It would be hard as he was a very sexual person but he was willing to put having sex on hold until he was either back in the Doctor's arms or until he was positive that the strained relationship they had was truly over.
"Me either," the Doctor smiled. Jack rolled his eyes at him knowing that the Doctor wasn't a very sexual man. In fact, he once believed the Doctor was Asexual and he probably was in his last body but this body loved to be held and touched. Jack didn't plan on stopping the gentle touches regardless of what happened as he knew that would be depriving the Doctor of something that he needed more than the intimacy of sex.
"Now, all joking aside. I need to know how many of those pills that you took," Jack asked him seriously as he finally turned to look at him.
"I couldn't take it," the Doctor answered.
"But you wanted to," Jack stated and the Doctor nodded. "I am glad you didn't take it or I would be dragging you to the medi-bay right now and filling your stomach with charcoal or having Martha help me pump it. As it is, I would feel better if we left this room so that you can wash your hands and take an antidote pill just in case any residual powder got in your system."
"Fine," the Doctor agreed. Jack stood before him and he accepted Jack's help to stand. Jack didn't release his hand as he led him to the medi-bay. The Doctor washed his hands, lips and around his mouth well making the skin light red with the scrubbing before swallowing a small pill that would help his body combat any of the powder that got into his system from the Aspirin. He pretended not to notice as Jack took the pills out of his own pocket disposing of them in a medical waste bin on the far side of the medi-bay. There was still a chance he could have an allergic reaction to the medicine but it would be less likely to kill him. Just to be safe, he took a second allergy pill followed by a preloaded syringe with a stronger antidote out of the cupboard giving them to Jack to hang on to.
"I need help identifying an artifact that came through the rift last night. Then we may have to go to help find out what came through an hour ago because we are having trouble getting a read on it," Jack told the Doctor not wanting the Time Lord out of his sight. He was afraid that the Doctor would try to kill himself again or collapse from the aspirin he almost took and he wouldn't be there to save him. Even if he hated the Doctor he couldn't lose him. That thought made the decision easier as he turned taking the Doctor into his arms hugging him close for a minute. He kissed him softly on the side of the head rather than the lips like he really wanted to but they were just friends after all. Holding the Doctor's hand he pulled on it gently.
"Run," Jack teased. Laughing, the Doctor joined him as they ran down the corridor heading back to the hub.