When you all told me how much you wanted to see the Doctor confront one of the psychiatrists, this idea popped into my head - and I couldn't resist.
CHAPTER TWO
When I told the Doctor about what I'd done to Dr. Carmichael he found it hilarious - but at the same time he took it deadly seriously. Then he went really quiet before suddenly jumping up with a loud "Aha!" and he told me he had a million pound idea. The million pound idea turned out dragging me back to Dr. Carmichael's practice to confront him about whether the Doctor was real or not.
The Doctor races into the waiting room as if the dogs of hell were chasing him and smacks right into the receptionist's desk with a heavy smack.
"Hello there!" He says gleefully "I want to see Dr. Carmichael please. It's a super big emergency."
I stand behind him, struggling to hide my smile behind my hand, and try to take on an expression that is halfway serious.
"You want to see him?" The receptionist asks, her eyes wide "But sir, Dr. Carmichael is a child psychologist."
"Yes!" The Doctor nods seriously "It is my inner child that is in turmoil."
And as if to prove that fact, he pushes past me and plonks right down on the carpet, before pushing a few Matchbox cars up and down noisily. The child who is sat beside him, a boy of about 8-years-old with smooth coffee colour skin, stares at the Doctor with awe and delight.
"This one is the best car!" The Doctor says conversationally, thrusting a green plastic toy car into the boy's hand.
"Yeah - I bet it could go r-r-really fast!" The boy grins. The Doctor smiles winningly back. I turn away from the scene, and face the receptionist.
"Yeah, he's really going to need to see Dr. Carmichael." I say, filling my voice with false emotion "I really don't know what to do anymore. Last week, he threw a tantrum in the middle of Sainsbury's when I wouldn't let him have crisps."
That seems to do the trick. The receptionist waves me through hurriedly, and tells me to take a seat. Whilst I fill out a form claiming the Doctor to have the mental behaviour of a five-year-old, the man himself sits cross-legged in the play area, happily building a complicated looking structure out of Lego bricks.
"L-look Dad!" The little boy says excitedly "Look at w-what he's b-building!"
"Come and sit down next to me, Leon." His father says quickly. The boy, Leon, frowns but listens to his father and sits down beside him, turning a sad look in the Doctor's direction. I understand why Leon's Dad is so freaked out by the Doctor - I'm not sure I'd want to let my child go anywhere near him as he is right now.
The Lego skyscraper abandoned ("I ran out of bricks!") he's sitting on the carpet, his knees curled up underneath him, scribbling frantically on a piece of paper with a blue crayon. Tongue between his teeth, his nose mere centimetres from the paper, he is the picture of absolutely concentration.
"Done!" He shouts with a flourish. He jumps up onto his feet and rushes over to me, knocking into chairs in the process. He waves the paper in front of me.
"Look Amy I drew the TARDIS!" He says excitedly, before sitting down next to me, swinging his legs. He whispers into my ear hurriedly: "How am I doing?"
"A bit much." I say quietly "You should try to calm down, you know, just a bit at least."
The Doctor nods morosely and stares back out at the other people in the waiting room. They are all staring at him with a mixture of utmost terror and fascination. The little girl sat opposite us is smiling, though weakly; her smile widens when the Doctor winks at her playfully.
"Doctor Michael Brown?" The receptionist calls uncertainly.
The Doctor sits scraping his feet against the lino until he realises that I'm standing up, my hand held out to him expectantly.
"I'm Michael Brown?" He asks confusedly.
"Yes!" I cry pulling him to his feet.
As I push him towards Dr. Carmichael's office, I hear the little girl whisper loudly to her mother: "That poor man, not even knowing what his name is."
Dr. Carmichael's office doesn't look that different to the last time I saw it. The solar system poster is gone, to my dismay, and has been replaced with a picture of HMS Victory, which I doubt can be that inspiring to that many kids. The children in the photo frames on his desk are older, they are now adults carrying toddlers and babies, or great lanky teenagers with hair falling into their eyes. Dr. Carmichael has gone gray, and his tie is crumpled; no smiley faces today - instead it has little silver stars decorating it. A lump comes to my throat again, thinking of Dad, but I turn away quickly and face the Doctor.
He is sat on the rigid plastic seat looking thoroughly bored; he's even pouting.
"Now, Michael -" Dr. Carmichael starts uncertainly "The receptionist explained to me your special circumstances."
"Yes, I am very special." The Doctor announces proudly. I smirk at that.
"But enough about me!" He shouts loudly almost making Dr. Carmichael jump out of his seat in surprise "Amy needs to talk to you!"
"Amy?" Dr. Carmichael asks turning towards me. I raise my hand in a half-hearted wave.
"Remember me, Dr. Carmichael?" I ask him slowly "Amelia Pond."
"Amelia Pond… I'm not sure-" Dr. Carmichael murmurs
"I bit you." I say quickly. Dr. Carmichael's face lights up with recognition and he stares at me aghast.
"You said that the Doctor didn't exist." I said raising my eyebrows. I gesture towards the Doctor who is sat watching us with interest. "That's him."
"That's him?!" Dr. Carmichael repeats in amazement
"Yes it is!" The Doctor cries "And I don't take very kindly to what you've been telling Amy…"
Dr. Carmichael is frozen rigid to his seat staring up at the Doctor who has now leapt to his feet and is towering above him.
"How dare you tell Amy I wasn't real!" The Doctor says with indignation "I'd never go around telling people you don't exist. I've never even met you before."
I can't help it then, I burst out laughing. Then the Doctor bursts out laughing too. He grabs my hand and with a big ridiculous grin shouts "Bye!" to the stunned Dr. Carmichael before pulling me out the door.
We run out of that doctor's surgery so fast I'm sure that my chest will explode from the exertion or that my face will split from the wideness of my smile.
"Well!" The Doctor says when we are back in the TARDIS "That was fun."