Two Worlds, One Family
By Ms. Moonstar
a/n: Thanks for all the subscribers to this story, I am glad your interested in reading it! I have made this my NanoWrImO project, so I have several chapters already written and will try to post at least twice a week.
Chapter 6
Morning brought the time travelers all together at the breakfast table on board the TARDIS, who had provided an extra chair at the table for their new companion. The Doctor stood over the stove of the time machine's galley kitchen (in an apron no less), happily humming a tune. On the table next to Amy were a set of flash cards with the letters of the alphabet in large bold print.
"What's that, mother?" River asked, nodding her head to the cards next to her.
"We're going to try to teach him language. Rory said that it's the first step in teaching him communication. He points to things that he wants, but we are hoping that he'll be able to learn sign language."
"That's a good idea, Amy." The Doctor acknowledged, sliding an omelet to her plate, and doing so with each one.
Alex looked at fork with the some fascination, picking it up and tilting his head to the right to examine the four prongs, while the adults looked on with some amusement. The child pressed his finger onto one of the prongs and promptly dropped the fork which hit the table with a clang and cradled his hand.
"Didn't have forks back then?" Amy asked, trying not to laugh.
"Not till the 19th century." The Doctor responded, digging into his breakfast, not saying anything else as his mouth was full of food.
Amy gently tapped the child on the arm and with her other hand, cut her omelet with the fork in the other. Alex soon tried to mimic her with his own utensil, holding it crudely so that his arm was bent far out beyond his plate. The boy whimpered, a little frustrated at his failure. The red head gently took his hand to pick it up with the fork again, and brought it to his mouth. Alex's eyes grew with delight at the new food, and he smiled brightly at her. After a few failed attempts, the child seemed to get the hang of using the cutlery and devoured the meal with a speed that did not surprise the adults.
"I wonder," The Doctor said suddenly, "how long he was with his parents before they died. I mean, a kid would have to learn to use silverware, even someone from the low class of Puritan society."
"Well," Rory replied, "he's at the age when he should have some motor skills like grasping things, he's probably used something like a spoon, but since you said that the fork is new to someone from 1692, then he'll probably have to learn to use it properly." Rory shrugged, "unless his parents died before that."
Alex's eyelid drooped tiredly, his body slumping in the chair, his head falling into his chest.
"I think it's time for his nap." Amy said gently, gathering the four year old in her arms with a slight grunt, but the Doctor couldn't help but notice the loving smile she gave the boy before she turned and left the kitchen.
Later in the afternoon, after taking a break from his constant tinkering on the console, the Doctor found himself lead by the TARDIS' gentle mental pushes into the library. When he opened the grandiose doors, he found Amy, Rory, and Alex sitting on the 12th century Persian rug, flash cards spread out on it, and both parents and child were sitting cross legged deep in what the Doctor could only call study.
"How goes the learning?" The Doctor greeted his companions cheerfully.
They looked up at him with a grin. "See for yourself, Doctor." Amy answered happily. The Doctor strode to where they little family was and sat next to them. Amy pointed to herself and the boy carefully spelled out A-M-Y with his fingers. Rory pointed to himself and the boy also spelled out his name.
The Time Lord's green eyes grew with surprise, "I'm not astonished, his race are almost as advanced as my own people—were. He would pick up on language rather quickly." The Doctor pointed to himself and spelled his name out slowly for the boy to see, which the child then reciprocated in due course. The Doctor nodded and earned a clapping of the boy's hands in excitement at getting the name correct.
"It's just mind boggling though, Doctor." Rory said almost hesitantly, looking over to him. "He's learned the alphabet and how to spell in just a few short hours. It seems...un-natural to me, and I'm a nurse."
A sudden shriek brought the men back to reality. They looked down to see Alex writhing on the floor breathing shallowly, pupils huge and mouth agape. Amy hand covered her hands to her face as tears began to form in her eyes.
Without another moment's hesitation, the Doctor scooped the boy up and raced down the convoluted corridors to the Med Bay, his companions not far behind. By the time he'd placed the child on the examination bed, it was apparent that he'd lost consciousness, the short breaths almost non existent. The Doctor placed an oxygen mask on Alex's face, quickly placed an EKG on his chest, and EEG sensors on the boy's temple. The boy's skin was ashen, but soon pinked again with the re-introduction of oxygen to his body. The Time Lord's eyes scanned the equipment's read out every few seconds as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and took a reading.
Rory and Amy stood next to the bed, holding one another, and keeping watch in hopes that the boy would suddenly snap out of this horrible condition, their stomachs knotting when they noted the look of sadness that overcame the Doctor.
"Amy, Rory, I know this is going to be hard to take, but I think Alex may be dying."
Amy began to weep as her husband took her head to his shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, "Oh no, Rory." Amy whimpered.
"I think-" The Doctor continued slowly, "That these visions are slowly taking his life. Every time he has one, it weakens his heart. His body can heal it slowly, but there may not be enough time for him to do it in between them." He took the boy's hand and tried to half smile, "There is some good news though-"
"What's that?" Amy asked in between sniffles.
"I also believe that these visions are...well, I think they are curable. If we can find out what is causing them and remove it, then he'll be okay."
"Then find out, Doctor." Amy demanded, "Find out and save him. You have to save him."
The Time Lord nodded seriously and said quietly, "He'll be alright now, the danger's passed. You two should stay with him. He'll be frightened with all that stuff hooked up to him."
The Time Lord passed through the Med Bay Doors and down the steps, glancing back once to see Amy and Rory to hold the hand of the child, running their hand through his hair to comfort him as he slept. He heard Amy say tearfully just before he was out of ear shot, "When you get better, we'll take you to Earth and get you some coloring books and crayons."
The Doctor raced to the console and placed all the information he had gathered about Alex's collapse into the computer, typing frantically in hopes of an answer sweat pouring from his brow.
River came up behind him, confused by this sudden change in her husband's demeanor.
"Doctor, what's wrong?" She asked, trying not to sound concerned but obviously seeing as something serious had happened, knew that it had caused him to place all his attention onto focusing.
"Alex collapsed, he had a vision." The Doctor returned, breathlessly, he moved around the console, and she pursued him anxiously. "He's dying, River." The Doctor finally said, his hazel eyes filled with hurt. The visions are slowly killing him." The Doctor explained, looking over at the screen again, "And if we don't find an answer soon as to why it is..." he trailed off, but already River knew how that sentence was going to end. "I think the visions are part of something greater that we haven't figured out yet, and that if he is rid of them, he'll be okay. They're linked somehow, it's probably why he was left in 1692."
The Doctor sat heavily in the pilot seat and held his hand to his face with some resignation.
"But that doesn't make any sense, Doctor. Why give a boy visions of the future only to have it slowly kill him?"
"I DON'T KNOW!" The Doctor roared with his hands clenched. Then suddenly regretted his tone as he sighed heavily, slowly unclenching his hands, and letting them drop loosely to his sides. "I'm sorry, River. I just-" he looked back to the corridor where the Med-Bay was, "I think they're really getting attached to that child, and I don't want to cause them more pain if they lose him. They've had so much disappointment in their lives, I don't think they could stand any more."
"Well then soldier," River replied softly, taking a hanker chief from his pocket and wiping away the beads of sweat that had gathered at his forehead, "We best find the answer then, because come hell or high water, I won't let that child die, either."
"It's almost impossible, River." The Doctor sighed.
The female Time Lord smiled, "I love it when you say that it's almost impossible."
She pulled him off the chair and guided him to the console. Together, they both searched through the TARDIS files non-stop, hoping that what they could find would save the life of an otherwise innocent child.
TBC