Two Worlds One Family

A/N: After a Christmas hiatus, I'm finally back with the next chapter of my fanfic. Thanks to everyone who is reading, faving and following this, I appreciate it!

Chapter 12

When they were clear of the poisonous atmosphere, the air in the TARDIS felt more breathable as the time machine righted itself. The relief was short lived when she took stock of her surroundings.

"River, can you look after Alex for a moment? I need to see how the Doctor is doing." She said breathlessly, guiding him into her daughter's arms and turning swiftly to reach the ship's infirmary.

What greeted her was something out of the medical dramas she'd seen on the telly. Rory stood leaning over The Doctor, pushing a syringe full of medication into an I.V. line. The Time Lord lay bare-chested with a white sheet covering him to the stomach. An oxygen mask had been placed over his mouth and nose to assist in his breathing, but Amy could see that he was still faintly moaning in pain. His skin was still pale and almost ashen by his standard and still clammy to the touch as she placed an reassuring hand on his own. The Time Lord's face was pinched in pain.

Rory was looking slightly frazzled when Amy took her eyes from the Doctor at last. Despite the professional demeanor on his face, she could tell that he had worked hard to save the Time Lord. His hair was sticking in places with dried sweat, rubber gloves sticky with blood. Peeling them off and throwing them in the bio-disposal, Rory took the Doctor's pulse.

"How is the Doctor, Rory?" Amy inquired cautiously, afraid of the outcome.

"He's holding his own right now," The nurse replied calmly, placing the stethoscope on the injured man's chest. "There's not much I can do without the proper equipment and full power from the TARDIS." He stopped, looking up at her tear filled eyes, "He doesn't seem to be regenerating, so there's some good news. However, I don't know if he's gone into a healing coma or not, I don't think he should. With that poison in his body from the sulfuric dioxide, it might hurt his internal organs .He also has a second degree burn throughout his left foot from the soil that caved in on him." " Rory sighed and put a hand through his hair, "The sooner we reach the hospital, the better."

The red-head stepped next to her husband and hugged him, "You did a good job, Rory the nurse."

River stepped into the room, next, gently holding his untethered hand, "We should be at Sisters of the Infinite Schism in few hours."

Amy returned her gaze to the unconscious Doctor, "You hear that, Doctor? You need to hold on for just a bit longer, okay?"

When they arrived at the high tech space hospital, landing smoothly in the minimalist lobby (that had been cleared of people before they arrival), the feline nurses were waiting with a gurney, which they smoothly transferred him on and draped another light sheet to his shoulders. While this was taking place, the Doctor's head rolled on the flat pillow as he began to regain consciousness. His hazel eyes opened slightly, letting him see who was around him.

"Novice Hame" he rasped with a slight smile, "It's been a long time."

The nurse stepped closer to him, keeping a business-like air, "It has, Doctor. When I was told that it was you, I was expecting the tall man with spiky hair wearing a brown suit."

"Sorry to disappoint you," The Time Lord replied dryly and winced as another pain grasped him.

"We're going to take good care of you, Doctor." Hame reassured him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "For now you need to relax and let us do our work, alright?" She looked over to Rory, "I assume that you are the nurse that the lady on the phone I spoke to said had treated him. Mister-?"

Rory nodded, " Willams, Rory Williams, and I am."

"You did a good job, Mr. Willams, his wounds have been sterilized and dressed and he's been kept from going into shock. "

The nurse stepped forward in order follow, but Novice Hame put her hand out to stop him.

"We'll take it from here." She declared

"I'm a nurse," Rory countered, "And have traveled with him, I know what medications he can tolerate."The cat-creatures looked at one another before nodding, "Very well, follow us, please." Turning to the two women she said gently, "You'll have to wait here."

The waiting room in the Sisters of the Infinite Schism was just as boring and tense as ones on earth. There were uncomfortable chairs, outdated reading materials, and intercom calls that caused them to jump. Alex had fallen asleep, and Amy had taken to stroking his hair, while River held her hands in her lap and stared off into space. As the twin suns began to sink behind the horizon of the alien planet, Rory finally stepped into the the waiting room looking haggard and tired as he pushed back his bangs and gave a little lop-sided smile. His wife stood, and hugged him, already knowing the outcome.

"The Doctor's alright Amy. It took a while for him to go under, he was afraid of the anesthesia. It was like he was scared that something would happen to him while he was unconscious." He explained after they couple had broken from their embrace. "But he came through alright. Nurse Hame and the others examined him and didn't find any internal injuries and repaired the muscles that were torn by the gun blast. They stitched up the injury and dressed the burns. We gave him a transfusions and some pain killers from the TARDIS. The Doctor's in Recovery right now, we'll be able to see him in a while."

"Glad to hear that," River whispered gently, a look of relief crossing her face.

"Listen, why don't we go get some coffee from the cafeteria. I'm sure we all could use something to eat."

When they had settled down to their coffee and salads, the three adults were silent. After a long pause, Amy spoke first.

"So, what's our next step then? With the Doctor incapacitated, what can we do about those aliens that are after Alex? They surely could catch us or at least find out where we are with the TARDIS out of commission."

Rory tightened his hands around the space-aged Styrofoam cup, "I told Hame that the Sky Djinn were coming here and she agreed that she'd put the hospital in quarantine. When it goes into quarantine a powerful shield is placed around the hospital." He looked at his wife, "Amy-I've been thinking, that we should be the ones to confront them. Alex is our child now, we should be the ones who have to fight for him."

"But Mother, Dad what's the point of protecting him if you might die in the process?" River asked rather alarmed.

"Because," Amy responded with a half smile, "We won't use weapons, we'll use our influence and our words like the Doctor does."

"What if they use weapons though?" Their daughter asked sharply, "They seem really inclined to do so."

"Yeah, but did you see their faces when they shot the Doctor? The three of them were shocked by what had happened. That's a good indication that they're not a violent species unless absolutely necessary." Rory pointed out.

A tiny beeping noise caught their attention. Rory pulled out a two pound sized coin looking communicator from his pocket and looked at it before tapping the device. A hologram of Novice Hame appeared from it. "Mr. Williams, The Doctor has been placed in a room, level 6, number 143, you may visit now."

"Thank you." Rory acknowledged, after which the hologram disappeared. He looked at his wife and daughter trying to put on a brave face. "Shall we go?"

Entering the small but comfortable hospital room after each were fitted with sanitation shields, Amy felt obliged to inhale deeply to calm her nerves before setting eyes on the Doctor.

The Time Lord lay semi-inclined, a double tonal beep issuing from a machine close by the bed. The pastel blue and green bed covers contrasted with the Doctor's nearly white complexion, though it was some relief to her that some of the color began to reappear in his cheeks. There were the obligatory machines that were attached through wires that disappeared underneath a dim white hospital gown. An I.V. was delivering medications to his veins, while a nasal cannula looped into his nose to counteract the poisoned air that he had breathed into his system. The Time Lord's left foot lay wrapped in gauze and rested in a sling slightly above the bed. The creases in his face had eased, though he still looked like he was in pain.

Next to him in the visitor chair was a nurse making notes on a digital screen. It flickered out like a television being switched off, and the nurse rose, patting him gently on the shoulder. "Sleep well, Doctor." She only need to take a few steps before reaching the married couple. "Good evening, you must be the nurse Novice Hame mentioned. My name is Novice Jama, I was placed on the care of your friend while Novice Hame attends to her other patients. You don't need to worry, his blood pressure and hearts' rates have returned to normal."

"Thank you," Amy managed to sputter. The nurse acknowledged her with a nod, then took her leave. She and Rory eased into chairs next to the bed. "Doctor," She pushed aside some of her fiery locks self consciously then continued, "I'm sorry. You got hurt defending Alex and us. We should have been the ones to-" Tears made it difficult to speak for a moment. "You always know how to make your enemies angry with you with so much wit, Doctor." She stroked the side of his face affectionately. "But now we have to speak for our son. I know they won't bargain for him, but we've got to try." She kissed his forehead and stood, "We've got to go now, Doctor. We're only allowed 5 minutes for ICU patients, and River wants to see you." She tried to smile, "Wake up soon, okay Doctor?"

The two walked past their daughter, and nodded, Amy kissing her cheek with reassurance and love. The Time Lady sat took her spot where parents had been sitting.

Amy and Rory looked back, and the 2000 year old Roman soldier put an arm around his wife. "Let's get Alex and get some sleep. River will tell us when-" They had just glanced over to their adopted son who was sleeping on the modern chairs when they boy's muscles began to jerk and he gasped for breath.

"Oh God," Rory yelped, then turning, shouted, "We need some help! HELP!"

River had rushed out into the corridor, her face contorted with shock at the site of the child convulsing with a fit. The call brought several nurses to their side, who picked up the boy and raced down the hallway, Amy and Rory not far behind them.

Hours later, while River was still sitting next to the Doctor, she looked up to see Rory, in the doorway. He slinked over to the empty chair next to her, letting his head fall to his chin and shoulders slump.

"It's bad news, isn't it?" River stated, already knowing the answer between the long pause in their conversation. "How long?"

Rory clasped his hands and set them in his lap, staring off into space. "Hours," he said thickly, "till morning at the most. It will be a miracle if he survives longer than that." He sighed, "It shouldn't affect me, I'm a nurse. But..." He trailed off.

"But you really grew attached to him." River finished with a nod. She placed a hand over his. "Then go be with Alex, be his dad for a while, comfort him. Mum's going to need all the support she can from you."

Rory stood and began to exit the hospital room when he turned back to her, "I think this going to be as difficult for the Doctor as it will be for us. "

When he was gone, River's eyes settled on the Doctor. "Yes," she whispered, "it will be."

At that moment she heard an thunderous crack that seemed to shake the floor. She quickly got up an went to the window. There was not a cloud in the evening sky; there was however, a huge alien fighter craft that was beginning to descend.

She inhaled sharply, knowing already who these people were and whipped out her cellar phone, dialing the phone number from memory. "Captain Harkness, it's time I called in that favor."

TBC