Rose woke feeling slightly groggy, with heavy lids and limbs. She required a few moments to recall the events of the previous night, but when she did her cheeks flushed hotly.
She sat up quickly, her gaze darting around the room. The Doctor was gone, but she could still see a soft indentation in the pillow beside hers. She made a rapid inventory of herself, noting that she wore only a robe. Her memories were somewhat fragmented, but she pieced together sufficient snippets to remember that he'd pulled her from the shower, undressed and dried her, and wrapped her in this soft garment. He'd also accomplished what she could not: He'd finally gotten her warm. And he'd been solicitous, not deprecating or critical. She thought at one point he might have even offered her an apology, though she wasn't quite sure for what.
She got out of bed and spent a few minutes combing the tangles from her hair, applying a dash of make up, and dressing. Her stomach rumbled with increasing insistence, and when she entered the corridor her nose drew her to the kitchen, where something smelled delicious. It was enough to quell her lingering embarrassment and impel her toward the Doctor.
She found him seated at the table with a mug of tea in his hands. As soon as she walked in he hopped to his feet.
"Morning!" he greeted amiably. "There's tea, and toast with marmalade, and bangers. D'you want anything else? I can whip up some eggs, maybe even do my own version of Toad in the Hollow—"
She shook her head and moved toward the table. "This'll be fine. Thanks."
"Hungry?" he asked.
Rose nodded. "Yeah, I really am."
He smiled warmly and lifted a hand to her cheek. "You're feeling better now."
"Much."
For a moment their gazes met, and mutual apology, acceptance, and affection passed between them. Accompanying words were unnecessary.
"So, sit and eat," he urged, pulling out her chair and depositing a napkin in her lap.
She tucked into the bangers with considerable enthusiasm and gulped down two mugs of tea in short order. He watched her as she ate, his expression finally relaxing fully. When she paused to slather some more marmalade onto her toast, he spoke again.
"Any idea where you'd like to go today? Because if you aren't sure, I'd like to suggest this lovely tropical beach I know—"
"Actually," she interjected mildly, "I was sorta hopin' we could go to Poosh an' see those crimson trees."
"Really?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Sounds gorgeous."
"Oh, it is. But we'll have to be there in the late autumn to get the full effect."
"'S fine."
For just a second he hesitated, but then he stood with a grin. "Poosh it is. It'll be waiting as soon as you're ready."
Rose took one final sip of tea then got to her feet. "Let's go!"
He was right, as usual: The expanse of trees stretching beneath them on the plain was utterly breath-taking. Deep, vibrant hues of crimson and amethyst created a fiery effect unlike anything she'd ever seen before.
Rose wrapped her arms about herself as she took in the sight. "Oh," she exhaled.
The Doctor looked down at her with concern. "Are you cold?"
She shook her head. "No, not really. 'S just so beautiful."
"That it is."
They stood in silence for some time before Rose gathered her courage to speak again. "D' you think," she began reticently.
"Hmm?" His eyes were focused on the swath of red.
"Is that…gonna happen to me again?"
He paused for just a heart beat, still looking at the plain below. "I don't think so."
"Is there some way to prevent it? Somethin' I can do?"
His hand slid into hers. "No, Rose, but there's something I can do."
She looked up at him as her grip around his fingers tightened. "Are you…gonna take me home?"
"What?" He appeared genuinely surprised. "No, of course not—unless that's what you want."
"It's not. It couldn't be further from that."
He smiled thinly. "I meant that I'll try to be better about talking to you, about helping you process things that as a human you aren't really equipped to see."
"That's not—"
"No, Rose, let me finish. Please." He responded to her tacit acknowledgement with a brief nod. "No human should have to witness some of the things that you have. You aren't trained for it; you have no way to desensitize yourself, distance yourself from the sheer horror of it. Your mind can't help reacting to it."
"That's what happened, then?"
"Yes. It was a sort of psychogenic shock—do you know what that is?"
"'S like what happens if you suddenly get really bad news, like the sudden death of a friend or family member?"
"It is, only this was much worse, because you had no context for it."
"I do now," she said softly.
He sighed. "You do."
His hand left hers so that he could wrap his arm about her shoulders and draw her to him.
Her gaze returned to the dazzling display. "I wouldn't trade any of it, not one moment."
His other arm came around her. "Neither would I, not if it meant losing even a minute with you."
As the sun began to set and the colors gradually faded into the twilight, Rose and the Doctor returned to the ship, both with warm hearts and contented souls.
The End