Chapter Six
Voices echoed weirdly in his head. He couldn't make out the words. His mind felt thick and foggy, like someone had opened his skull and poured in a pot of glue. Gradually, other feeling returned. He was laying on a soft bed. There was a pillow under his head and blankets over him. "Doctor?" A warm hand covered his and he almost flinched at the contact. "Do you know where you are?"
He shoved the desire to sink back into the darkness to the back of his mind and forced his eyes open. "Torchwood, I hope." His voice came out croaky, hoarse. Pain bit deep into his head and neck. It made the room swirl in pretty colours until he forced it away. He cleared his throat. "Made it, I see. Good show."
He jumped as the door opened. The dark haired woman patted his hand again. "Relax. It's just Jack and Owen."
The room was small, but bright. Pale green blinds shaded the window. They matched the colour of the blankets on the bed. The walls were cream, and broken up by a few pictures dotted about. The Doctor squinted at one and fought the urge to shake his head as he realized that it was a close up of someone's hand.
Jack nodded a greeting. "Doctor." The jacket he wore rustled as he leaned against the wall. "Hope Gwen has been taking good care of you."
"Jack." The doctor struggled to sit up. "Hi, Gwen."
She gave him a bemused look and pressed the bed controls into his hand. He frowned at it for a second and then pressed the button to raise the bed. "Very strange, this." He muttered and peered at the controls.
Owen dropped into a chair in the back corner of the room. "How do you feel, Doctor?"
The Doctor shrugged one thin shoulder. "Better than I have any right to expect."
Jack pushed away from the wall, where he had been leaning and crossed to the bed. Gwen gave him a worried smile and moved so he could take her seat.
She pointed towards the door. "I'm going to check on..." Something in Jack's eyes stopped her saying any more.
"Good." Jack nodded and gave her a ghost of a smile. "You know what to do."
With another worried look, Gwen pushed the door open and slipped out. The small room fell into hushed silence. Jack broke it after a long moment. "What the hell happened, Doctor?" He dropped onto the chair and met the Doctor's haunted eyes.
The Doctor tiredly shook his head. "Doesn't matter." His eyes slid shut and he forced them open again. "She knows, Jack. She knows everything. My name... my date of birth. She knows."
"Oh, my god." Jack gasped. Anger crept into his voice. "You told her? You know the consequences if..."
"Don't be stupid." The Doctor snapped. "Of course I didn't!" Anger heated his cheeks. The colour stood out harshly against his otherwise pale skin. "The drug acts like a truth serum. I didn't have a choice." He coughed and winced. "She's on Bellezza. You have to..."
The door swung open. The Doctor's eyes widened in horror. "How did she get here?" He hissed.
"She's been here all of the time. She came to work with us while you..." Jack let his words trail off.
The Doctor's eyes were fixed on the woman. She stared at him with a mixture of confusion and worry. "Doctor..." she breathed, and took a step towards the bed.
Voice low, the Doctor snapped. "She's the one who poisoned me."