A/N: Coo, this is a bloody long chapter. Longest yet. Just want it out the way, really...

And wow, who saw The Friday Night Project last night? :D Fanfiiiiiiiic! I was just sitting there wincing...

Oh, and someone accused that of being MY house! Neveeeeeeer...must be one of yours.

Chapter 46 – The Lurve Doctor

The Doctor woke up, and instantly his head began to hurt. Also his jaw, chest, left arm…

Okay, to name every single part of his body that hurt, felt numb or just generally didn't feel normal would take him three centuries over, so he settled just for a long low-pitched groan through his immobilised jaw. Daringly, he flickered open his eyes and found himself staring at a bright white ceiling.

He wanted to bend forward a little to see why his left leg seemed to be hanging in the air, but movement was impossible with the combination of both pain and a neck brace. He could move neither of his arms for the pain and even breathing was agonising. He groaned again, wondering if he would actually be able to blink without dying of pain.

"Doctor?!" a voice suddenly exclaimed from his right, but even though he couldn't turn his head he recognised the voice of Jackie Tyler instantly. Seconds later her face popped into view, frowning down at him from above. "Wait, I know how this works. That gorgeous Jack bloke said it'd be easier for us all if I made a list of all the questions you're gonna wanna ask and tell you everythin' when ya woke up, since ya can't talk coz your jaw's been wired together or somethin'. So I reckon I got 'em all." She held up a notepad into his view, waving it around before flipping it open and reading off of the aforementioned list:

"Alright, 'where am I': you're in the TARDIS Infirmary. 'Where's Rose': she's catchin' up on some sleep…you've 'ad 'her worried sick, y'know, she wouldn't leave you for anythin'. Can't think why." The Doctor scowled at her. "Okay, 'who am I'…" she carried on, completely missing his death glare, "…well that one was kinda worryin' 'cause if you don't remember then we've got problems…" She paused for a moment, staring down at him thoughtfully. "Well, do you?"

He stared at her, disbelief filling him. She actually expected him to answer in a sensical way? He just grunted, waving the almost only functional part of his body – right hand – around. He hoped she could understand what he meant as he shaped his hand into the grip of a pen, pretending to scribbled words on the cover. She stared blankly for a few moments.

"Eh?"

He groaned in agitation, readjusting his imaginary grip and trying once again to make her understand. She seemed even more confused than before.

"You want a scratchcard?" she concluded, perplexed.

The Doctor sighed, deciding waking up was too much of an effort to bother with at the moment. He gave Jackie a quick farewell wave before closing his eyes and dropping back to sleep.

When he next woke up he could hear lots of voices.

He opened his eyes once again, blurry shapes swimming into faces of people he recognised. One turned, Rose, and gave him a broad smile.

"Hey! How you doin'?" she asked, but the realised her mistake as he saw both Jack and Mickey also turn. "Oh, sorry," she said with a laugh, hand over mouth. "My bad." She leant forward and pecked a kiss to his forehead; afraid if she did so in any other place she'd hurt him. As she drew back he began to motion for a pen and paper again, hoping the woman he'd married was a tad more intelligent than her mother. Rose watched him for a moment, frowning. "Pen and paper?" she ventured. Relief flooded through him and he gave a thumb up.

Seconds later a pen was in his grip with a notepad beneath his hand. He began to write.

HI

She smiled. "Hi," she replied, taking a seat by the bed.

ALL OK? He abbreviated the sentence, optimistic she'd understand.

She nodded, as did Jack and Mickey. "We're all fine."

TIME ASLEEP?

"A few days or so since the operation."

SORRY

She seemed puzzled. "What for?"

WORRY

He flinched as she raised her hand with agitation, as though she were going to hit him. "God you stupid alien, you've just come out of a three day coma and you're apologisin' for makin' me worried?"

YES

"God, you're even more irritatin' when you can't talk than when you can!" She rolled her eyes.

"Mummy!" he suddenly heard Rory's voice loud and clear from outside the door. It burst open in an almighty crash, the Doctor flinching as it ate away at his pounding headache. "Mummy can I-"

"Shush honey," Rose said quickly as the boy stopped dead in his tracks, looking guilty. "Be quiet for daddy, he's tired."

"How can he be tired?" Rory moaned loudly as Jackie entered behind him. "He's beened sleeping for ages!" He shoved his hands into his pockets, just about stopping himself from jogging over to the bed as his mother shot him a warning look. He reached the bed and grinned up at his father.

"Mummy says you can't talk so I'll make up the noise for you!" Rory beamed, stretching on tiptoes to get his nose over the side. He reached up to the Doctor's hand and clung onto it. "Uncle Jack showed me this book thingy today on Earth old stuff and it said 'bout these people called E-gypsy-tians and they all dressed weird and did this mummy thing to their kings and stuff and you look like one!"

"Why don't you tell him what else you learnt whilst he was sleepin', sweetheart?" Jackie prompted. Rory nodded enthusiastically.

"Algebra! It's like where you say letters 'stead of numbers and stuff, it's easy!"

"He got through the entire 300 page question book in ten minutes," Jack chipped in from the side.

"Then I learned 'bout turds!"

"Surds…" Rose corrected gently with a grin, lowering to kneel next to Rory as he sniffed and shrugged.

"Whatever."

"You've been devouring the library, haven't you?" Sarah-Jane was next to arrive, accompanied by Jill. There was a mass crowd of people now. Rory nodded back to his aunt.

"Daddy I can't read the ones in Gallifreyan, can you teach me?"

The Doctor squeezed Rory's hand to signify affirmation, and he beamed.

"Okay, let's leave your daddy in peace now," Jackie said and moved forward, picking up the child into both arms. "He's tired and needs to rest."

"Mmmkay, night-night daddy," Rory mumbled into Jackie's shoulder, giving his father a wave. Rose pulled herself to full height, leaning forward and kissing her husband in farewell as the others filtered out the door behind her.

"Get better soon. Love you," she whispered, before turning and slipping out the door.

Only Jill remained now, standing in the doorway and scratching her head, as if deep in thought. The Doctor watched her for a moment, before scribbling something down onto the notepad and holding it in the air. He hummed to get her attention and she turned, catching what he'd written.

TALK?

She considered this for a moment before frowning. "But how can we talk? You can't really…"

He scribbled something down again before holding it up once more in the air.

YOU TALK, I LISTEN

With a small sigh she took the available seat next to him, head in the clouds.

"It's Jack," she breathed, as if relieved to get it out at last, "I…well, I'm not really sure but…" She paused, summoning up the courage to say the words. "I think I like him." She stopped, not really sure where to go with it.

WHY?

"Well…it's strange. I've always been kind of independent; looking out for myself. I constantly wanted to be just like my father when I was young. Just because I was a girl I wouldn't let boys be better than me. I didn't need special permits or protection just because of my gender. But Jack…he…he just makes me feel…safe. Comforted. Which is strange because no one's ever made me feel that way before. I've never needed it, but it feels good…"

TELL HIM?

She half-smiled. "That's easy for you to say. He doesn't like me. He'd only laugh at me – which normally I wouldn't care about, but with Jack I feel sort of fragile. He's intelligent, experienced, muscular, handsome and just…everything I've ever needed. Maybe I should just forget it."

DON'T

"Don't?" she repeated. "Don't forget it? But if it's hopeless I should just leave it…"

He underlined his last word. DON'T

"Okay." She openly laughed, her smile lighting up her usually stone-straight face. How could Jack possibly not like a woman like this? "I won't. Just…please don't say anything to Jack?"

PROMISE

She got up out of the chair and pecked a grateful kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."

It was only really a matter of time the Doctor thought until Jack came along and opened his heart to him. He was by no means wrong. The next morning he awoke to see Jack sitting next to him, looking a little agitated.

TALK?

Jack stared at him. "But how can you talk if…"

The Doctor rolled his eyes and scribbled down the exact phrase he'd given Jill.

YOU TALK, I LISTEN

Jack pulled back, leaning against his chair.

"It's Jill," he began, and the Doctor managed to nod. "I really love her but I don't know what to do."

PROBLEM?

"The problem is she doesn't like me," Jack answered, "everytime I come within five metres of her she shoots me a death glare. I just don't know what to do."

TELL HER

Jack stared at him, dumbfounded. "Were you even just listenin' to what I said? She doesn't like me!"

MIGHT DO

"Easy for you to say," Jack said with a smile. "If I can't get you I'll go for the next best thing. Single!" He winked at the Doctor before turning and disappearing out the door. The Doctor sighed heavily, suddenly bored. He didn't like being stuck in one place. It really was incredibly tedious, not to mention the fact he couldn't move an inch. He was never going to get tortured again if it resulted in this. He closed his eyes to let his imagination try and entertain him. But instead, all he could think was:

"Nine hundred and thirty thousand nine hundred and sixty eight bottles of beer on the wall, Nine hundred and thirty thousand nine hundred and sixty eight bottles of beer…"

"Two hundred and nine thousand and twenty two bottles of beer on the wall, two hundred and nine thousand and twenty two bottles of beer…"

Time passed slowly and by the end of ten days he was convinced he'd truly gone mad. Rose easily visited him the most, giving him updates on what was happening on the ship that he couldn't see. Next was Rory, who despite having been ordered he wasn't allowed to go in without an adult in case the Doctor was sleeping sneaked in anyway, for which the Doctor was grateful of the company. Jack and Jill kept rambling on about their secret love for each other to him and he was getting slightly fed up with them both. Sarah also visited every so often with the older Rory, and the only time he saw his baby girls was the occasional times when Jackie dared to strive into the Infirmary, usually dragged by her daughter.

He hadn't seen his Ninth self and his Rose since he'd woken up, determining that he was probably uncomfortable with the whole thing. He couldn't really blame him.

"Daddy!" a voice suddenly interrupted his thought trail and he turned his head towards little Rory, glad the neck brace had been removed in the past few days. "Hi!" the boy exclaimed, running and climbing tactfully onto the bed, sitting crossed leg on the duvet. "Mummy says you're gonna be able to talk again today!" He raised his eyebrows at the boy, somehow the prospect of moving his jaw a distant dream. Rory beamed back at him, moving to prod the foam cast around his right leg. "And this," he carried on, before leaning forward to tap his left leg that was in traction. "And this…"

"Alright Rory, leave him alone kiddo," Jack's voice came next, strolling towards them both. "Don't get his hopes up, Owen needs to check he's healin' well first."

"But he's better!"

"Maybe."

Rory stared at him. "But maybe means no!"

Jack laughed, taking the boy into both arms and lifting him off of the bed, setting him down on the floor whilst Owen crossed from the doorway to the bed. "Not necessarily, y'know."

"But when granny says maybe she means no!"

"Well that's just granny, isn't it?" Jack answered with his smile, giving the boy a hug. Rory watched with beady eyes from over Jack's shoulder at what Owen was doing to his father, as if ready to annihilate.

"Your concussion's healing well," Owen commented as he shone a light into the Doctor eyes, moving around and feeling along his broken arm, "fracture's coming right along. Jaw's nicely reset. I reckon it's time to take it off."

The Doctor jerked awake.

His eyes shot open and he blinked a few times, focusing his vision on the face above him. It was Rose. She was beaming down at him.

"Say hi then!"

He blinked a few more times, dazed. He pushed himself up with his better arm to sit up, before tracing his fingers over his drop-jaw for a moment. He clacked his teeth together a few times, his tongue sticking out and waving as if testing the air.

"Eeerrrgghh," he said, still trying to get used to the idea of it.

She laughed and leant forward, taking his face into both hands and getting her tongue straight down his throat.

"I'd forgotten how good you taste," she breathed as she pulled away, hand venturing across his chest and slipping inside his shirt.

"Durr?" he managed to say, hiccupping slightly as her hand strived downwards.

"Oi you two," came Jack's loud voice from across the room, "either let me in or save it for later."

The Doctor flushed red and Rose just grinned cheekily, tongue between teeth. Jack appeared behind her, giving a wave to the Doctor. "How's the patient?"

"Hasn't even said hi yet," Rose protested.

"…Y…yie…h…hi," he managed to get out, finding it hard to get around the words after all the time he'd been unable to speak. "Hi. H…how are eh-y…you?"

She almost slapped him. "Oh come on, is that all you can say?"

He grinned at her, leaning forward and taking her cheek into hand, kissing her gently on the lips. "Miss m-me?" he asked as he drew away.

She nodded and laughed, but suddenly stopped as he threw the covers off of him and swung his still healing legs over the side, which were now devoid of their special casts and were just simply bandaged.

"I want to walk," he stated simply, bracing himself. It had been a fair amount of time since he'd felt the ground beneath his feet.

"But you can't yet…" Rose began, but she could hardly argue against him. She moved forward, ready to support him. He shot her an 'I'll-be-okay' look, though Rose wasn't buying any of it. With a grunt and a push he was standing – if but a little precariously – on two feet. Minimal pain shot up his legs as he clung tightly onto the bed, trying to pluck up the courage to put one foot infront of the other and move.

"Blimey it's like being a toddler again," the Doctor breathed as he pushed himself solely onto two feet, wobbling for a moment before managing to stay still. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the task before him with determination to accomplish it. He raised his right foot, and promptly fell over sideways.

"Whoa!" Jack yelled, running forward to support him with Rose on the Doctor's other side holding him up. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

The Doctor laughed hysterically. "'Course not!"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you doin' it?"

"I need to see a few people," the Doctor replied simply. "Where is everyone?"

"At this time they'd be in the leisure room watchin' The X Factor or somethin'," Rose said after a glance as the clock on the wall.

"Then allons-y," the Doctor said with a grin, making to step forward.

It took them no less than twenty minutes to get to the leisure room. The Doctor was even managing to get the hang of walking again as they passed through the doorway. Everyone looked up on their entry, smiling at the sight. Jack and Rose obediently let go of him and he limped towards the settee Jackie was currently occupying, dropping down with a sense of underlying relief to sit next to her. She leant forward and hugged him firmly, kissing his forehead like he was her son coming back from his first day at school. Jill quickly slipped a stool infront of him and lifted his legs to rest on it. He shot her a smile of gratitude.

"Daddy!" came a sudden shriek, and the Doctor suddenly found Rory had made his way onto his lap beaming from ear to ear. "Daddy you're all better!" Rory sat down onto his lap, snuggling into his father's embrace.

"Yep, almost as good as new," the Doctor replied with a grin as he looked back up at the crowd, attention diverted from The X Factor to him. "Thanks, all of you for helping me through this. But I need to say a few things to some people first."

He turned to Jill sat on the floor by his feet, one hand raising and pointing at Jack lingering behind the sofa. She paled. "You love him, and he loves you. Neither of you try and deny it because all I've been getting these past few weeks from you two is 'oh they don't like me' and 'but they'll break my heart' over and over again. Grow up! Come on. Give each other a kiss." They both looked guiltily around the room – anything to avoid each other's gaze. "Do it! Do it!!"

Finally they caught each other's gaze, nervously moving towards each other like teenagers in their first kiss. Finally after a few more moments of silence their lips met, and together they shared their first kiss.

The Doctor grinned, meeting Rose's astounded gaze.

"Just call me the Lurve Doctor…!"