Next chapter...something to get your teeth into I hope! As always enjoy...and review!
**
Rose was floating, falling would be the wrong word for it, there was no up or down, so floating it was. She felt weightless, there was no pain, the hot tightness in her chest, the throbbing ache in her head and neck, all were gone. The most peculiar sensation of peacefulness washed over her, in sharp contrast to the rage she had felt.
Things began to shift again, noise and pain returning to her, she tried desperately to huddle into the blissful nothingness, pulling it around her like a thick duvet on a cold morning. But slowly awareness returned to her, and for an eternity of a moment she was trapped, she could see the Doctor, she was looking up at him, but he wasn't looking at her. He was glancing over his shoulder. She was powerless as her eyes slipped closed again, only to open to her father's form standing over the Doctor.
She was scared, terrified. She couldn't move, like being trapped in a doll, panic welled as she made a futile effort to do anything. The Doctor looked down at her, the look on his face made her want to cry, but she couldn't speak, couldn't weep. She fought against the unseen ties that held her limbs, until in one rush sensation returned, the wave of tingling pain bowed her back, and her whole body spasmed.
**
The doctor heard the front door slam back against its hinges, and Pete half staggered through to the living room. He was breathing heavily and sweating as he knelt by Rose, now cradled in the Doctors arms. He looked over her, checking her pulse, her breathing quickly, before brushing her hair back from the side of her face.
"What happened to my Rose?" his eyes were full of worry and fear when he looked up. The Doctor felt his chest tighten again, but pulled himself together. These people were relying on him to be the calm voice of reason, he could still do that, he remembered doing it so many times before. "She collapsed, no warning, no prior symptoms. We have to get her some help Pete." He tried to maintain serious furrowing of his brow, his level gaze, if only for Pete's sake. Inside he was bubbling over with panic, he wanted to wail and scream and pray.
"It's already on its way. The team are coming, they called for medical backup." The doctor looked up so quickly he felt a sharp twinge in his neck, why would Pete call torchwood for help?
Reading his face Pete exhaled angrily, "They are the best med team available, better than the sodding NHS, and they care about her. We have more medical and care staff than you can shake a stick at, with far superior training. I want my daughter to be looked after Doctor, so deal with it."
The Doctor had been looking up at a now standing Pete during his short speech, feeling put in his place once again he looked down to find blue eyes looking back up at him. "Rose?" she didn't move, or blink, or show any recognition for long moments. Just stared blankly, until a shudder ran through her, and her whole body jerked. The Doctor tightened his grip on her as her body twitched. Suddenly she was gasping in his arms, clinging to him as much as he clung to her, he felt hi heart jump into his throat when she made tiny strangled noises. He loosed his hold when the spasms stopped, enough to look into her face, a furrowed brow and a look of confusion graced her sickly face, like thoughts were hard to grasp. More out of habit and instinct than anything else the Doctor touched his fingertips to her temple. He was surprised to find that though it was vastly diminished, he cold still sense a tenuous psychic link. He used this link to reach out to her, in an effort to gain any kind of sensible response, what he found was white noise, thoughts and memories were mixing with emotions, fluttering about like glitter in a snow globe. Bubbling thoughts surfaced, tethered by strong emotions, harder to splinter and cast into the hurricane raging inside her mind. On hit him full force unexpectedly, and overwhelming sorrow claimed him. Loss and fear, coupled with sadness so acute it made his bones ache were the forbears to flash of grey, bleak beach. He realised this was when he had left her the first time, her memories of that time. Gently he tried to sooth the hurt, reassure her that he was there. And the memory receded back into the maelstrom.
He dragged himself backwards, out of her mind, surfacing with a gasp and a jerk. "It's her mind...her brain. Something's wrong". Glancing up the Doctor noticed a handful of people watching him form a short distance. With a nod from Pete two of the people, both carrying what looked like equipment cases, stepped forwards. They crouched either side of the Doctor, one at Rose's head the other at her feet, and lifted her gently form his arms. Her eyes had fluttered shut again. "Ah Rosie what ya done this time?" said the male medic to no one in particular as he began to check her over, flashing lights in her eyes, while the other female technician silently wrapped an armband around her upper arm.
The Doctor just sat there and watched them run their preliminary checks on her, feeling powerless. The echoes of her memory had created a responding cascade of sadness within him.
He had her back, and he had been a fool. Now he could lose her all over again.
The squeal of car tyres and the dull thud of closing doors drew his attention again, as Jackie barrelled into the room, kneeling by Rose, stroking her hair back in the same way Pete had. Eventually prying her out of her mother's arms they lifted her onto a trolley and strapped her down. Speaking to her as if they knew her.
**
Pete wrapped his arms around his wife's waist from behind, needing to offer her comfort and feel her close to him. She settled back against him for just a moment before patting the back of his clasped hands and turning to hug him properly. Pulling away she walked over to where the Doctor still sat on the floor, looking as lost as he had ever seen him. She put her hands on his shoulder and shook him gently.
"Come on we have to go with her. She'll want you there. She needs you there." Jackie's voice seemed to cut through the Doctors shock and snap him awake. Clambering to his feet, on shaky legs he half smiled, though it succeeded in looking more like a wince. Pete watched as Jackie and the Doctor walked towards the door together, for once comforting each other.
**
The medical unit at the Torchwood base certainly looked the part, crammed full of medical equipment and screens. Rose had been whisked off for some sort of scan before she even made it to this ward area. The doctor hadn't been paying much attention on the way into the base. He only noticed that rather than heading for the city they drove away, pulling into some sort of old factory grounds. Having driven though some garage doors and down the sloping ramp they were greeted by with coat clad Doctors and nurses, who had bustled Rose's prone for away in a flurry of activity and readings. Now he was waiting, he pulled on the pair of thick rimmed glasses he found in his pocket and inspected the equipment in the large vaulted room. Electronic lights and screens lent a slight blue glow to the room, and despite being large and air, it was warm and clean smelling.
"It's a readout screen, for the full body monitor." He tuned to find one of the white coats, inhabited by a small woman in her early thirties, brown hair cut into a soft bob. "I'll show you how it works later Doctor"
"How is she Eve?" this came from behind him, where Pete had been pacing. The woman straightened her posture and raised her chin. "She is stable sir, in fact she seems to be coming round. She's already told Jake to stop fussing." Pete smiled slightly at that.
"What happened?" the Doctor found his voice was weaker than he'd intended, more pleading than demanding.
"We'll know more when the tests are back but we think Commander....Rose...suffered a Transient Ischemic attack, triggered by a spike in blood pressure which created a small bleed in her brain. They're called drop attacks. They don't tend to leave lasting damage, but they can sometimes be precursors to bigger problems." She paused and took a breath, allowing the news to soak in, and turned to Pete. "Sir, with due respect, considering the way she's been working, the pressure of the last few weeks, this may be simply down to stress, it's not unheard of." Pete nodded and thanked the woman before she went to prepare the bay rose's bed would inhabit.
The double doors at the end of the long room swung open with a light swoosh, to admit Rose's bed and three people. One of whom was a familiar face. "Jake." The Doctor spoke, half smiling at the young man. Jake walked over, hand extended in greeting and clasped the Doctors hand warmly. "Saving the world again then?" the Geordie twang still evident in his voice. "Nah, group effort I think" the smile was real this time and the Doctor followed Jake back to the bed.
Jake hung back as they got close, giving a soft smile to Rose before shaking Pete's hand and hugging Jackie, the doctor perched on the edge of the bed, picking up the hand without tubes running into it, and bringing the ends of her fingers to his lips. "Hey" a soft, cracked voice spoke form the bed, and the Doctor thought he may never have heard something so relieving. "Hey, there you are. How do you feel?" he kept hold of her hand, dropping their laced fingers to his lap.
"M' ok, tired." She snuggled her head further into the pillow "Eve says I can go home tomorrow, have to stay here tonight, m' sorry i shouted at you." A single tear slid out of the corner of her eye, the Doctor felt the well of love in his fill up and spill over a the sight "You don't have anything to apologise for, I deserved it. Just don't do that again, please, this old man can't take it." He squeezed her hand reassuringly before trying to get up and make room for her mother and father, he could feel their presence at his back, their worry was almost tangible. Roses hand tightened on his as he stood, but rather than letting it go he stood to the side of the bed, her hand still in his. He knew what she meant, life felt more stable with her hand in his, like they balanced the see-saw out between them. Jackie and Pete talked with her for a while, chastising her for treating herself so poorly. They stayed until her eyelid began to droop and exhaustion claimed her. When he felt her go limp in his grasp he tucked her arm under the blankets and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Turning to Jackie and Pete he found them both watching him intently, "You'll look after my little girl wont you?" Jackie said, stepping forward, "Promise me you'll just try to be happy, to make her happy?" he looked down at this woman who had so loathed him once for taking away her daughter, and felt a wave of unbidden emotion wash over him "Of course". She took his shoulders and pulled him down to meet her half way, where she kissed him on the cheek, before turning to the nurse stood nearby. "The Doctor will be staying here tonight, see that you arrange a bed be set up in here" she glanced back at him, and the doctor took the opportunity to shoot her a thankful glance.
Walking back to the bad the Doctor sat on the edged before picking up her arm and settling himself on his side, with her hand in his pressed to his lips. "I love you." He whispered it, brushing and errant strand of silky hair away. When the nurse returned with the second bed, made up and ready to sleep in she found both her patient and her visitor had taken up residence in her patients bed, taking note of the wan his arms protectively curled around the young commanders form, she smiled to herself and draped a spare blanket over the tall man.
**
48 hours later the Doctor was helping an adamant Rose through the door of her home, she had point blank refused at home nursing in her mother's care, instead telling her that she had the Doctor to take care of her. As soon as the front door closed and the house was silent she turned to him, wrapping her arms around his skinny body, burying her nose in his chest.
Rose felt safe with her face buried in the smell of him, her hands snaking under his jacket to splay against the small of his back. "Rose, you could have...you nearly...what would I have done?" He cupped her head gently in his hands and kissed the crown of her blonde hair. She looked up at him, through watery eyes, and he kissed her. Gently brushing his lips against hers, as though he were trying to communicate all of his love through the intimate touch. The sensation of it tightened something deep in her chest, and he whisked her up into his arms. Releasing a small startled eep, she wrapped her arms around his neck, "Bed, to sleep," he elaborated unnecessarily, eyeing her warily "I'll be here when you wake up, but right now you look tuckered out." He kissed her forehead and carried her in the direction of her room. she was so tired, thar for now she would let the possesive control thing slip. another thign to be filed away and worled on. Her relief that he was there when she woke outwieghed the obstacles she could see in her way. now it was a case of making him see them too. A rocky road to walk, but worth it, if he could just let the past go. Maybe he could...then again, the dark cynical part of her brain told her..maybe not.
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Aww pure mush, don't worry i haven't forgotten my own plot, all will become clear. Couldn't tell you it all now or no one would read my next chapter (and that would make me very sad)! Steamy one on its way, I feel it's time for some sex and action.....
Please review, it makes writing these that bit more rewarding!
Lolo x
