Recovery
10/Rose
Hurt/Comfort
Summary: When Rose falls ill on an alien planet it's up to the Doctor to help her recover.
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or its characters. Last night I watched David Tennant in Recovery (if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It's on youtube. It's a great story, and DT does a fantastic job. All of them do.) So this story shares its name with that, because I'm lousy with titles, and the idea behind it follows along those lines as well, though of course with a DW twist.
Previously:
She was aware that there were people rushing toward her, asking her questions, but she couldn't focus on them. The pain built up until it was simply more than she could bear. She cried out, and cried tears. She felt hands on her, lifting her. People surrounded her and carried her through the marketplace.
"Doctor!" she sobbed. Her vision was tunneling.
"Yes, yes, you need a doctor, we will take you!" someone in the crowd around her was speaking, but the pain was too much for her to figure out who. As the blackness closed in completely around her she wished for her Doctor.
Chapter 2
The Doctor had been successful looking for his new zeus plugs. He had found them just before dark, hours after he had left Rose's side. He figured he had a spare half hour of light after he'd get back to the TARDIS. Rose should be there, or will be meeting him soon. He smiled at that. They were good mates, she and him, and he enjoyed her company. For a stupid little ape she wasn't half bad.
He put his key into the TARDIS and let himself in. "Rose?" He called out for her, but wasn't too surprised when he didn't hear anything. Just to be on the safe side, since the ship was quite large, he wandered down to her room. Often after an excursion Rose liked to take a bath or shower. She said she didn't like to bring the alien planets they visited to bed with her. But her room and ensuite were empty. So the Doctor went to the kitchen. She wasn't there either. Nor was any fruit from the marketplace. With a shrug the Doctor went back to the console room to await his friend. He had new zeus plugs to play with, after all. He'd find something to do to wait the half hour or so until Rose got back. He wasn't unused to traveling alone, though he preferred company most of the time.
Forty five minutes later the Doctor was getting worried. He'd stuck his head out of the door and had seen how dark it was. It wasn't like Rose to not return. Not unless something was wrong. But this was a peaceful planet. They had been out there together for several hours this morning without an indication that they were in any way threatened. So the Doctor had felt confident that Rose would be safe without him. So where was she?
An hour after he returned the Doctor donned his brown overcoat again and went back out. The vendors were starting to pack up. He nodded at several as he walked by. Everything was peaceful, just as he would have thought it would be. Several times he called out Rose's name, but he got no answer. For the first time he wished he had a mobile phone of his own. Then he could simply call Rose and see where she was. Maybe the next time they went to Earth he'd pick one up.
"Sir?" The Doctor turned. It was one of the vendors where he and Rose had stopped earlier. They had stayed for several minutes, trying out the fruit and chatting.
"Sir, you were here with your friend earlier, yes?"
"Yes, I was! Have you seen her? She hasn't returned yet and I was starting to get concerned. She has a tendency to wander off, and she's rather jeopardy friendly."
"She's been taken to hospital, Sir. I'm sorry. She collapsed in the street, here in front of my stall. Several of the others took her up to hospital so she could be seen by a healer. I can take you there now to see her, if you'd like."
The Doctor practically ran to the woman's side, and without speaking they quickly made their way to the local hospital. The Doctor's skin had been nearly crawling with worry the entire way there, wanting to sprint faster than his guide, but as the Doctor didn't know the way, and the vendor was older and out of shape, he could only go as fast as she. The entire while he peppered her with questions about Rose.
"What happened? What did you see?"
"I'm sorry, Sir, I don't know what it was. She was in the street, heading in the direction that you just came from. She just grabbed her stomach and fell over. She seemed to be in a lot of pain."
"Was she pale, sweating, anything like that? Was she bleeding at all?"
"I didn't see any blood, Sir, and you and she always look pale to us, with your light skin. I'm sorry, I didn't notice if she was any paler than what you would consider normal."
"Did she say anything?"
"Just that she wanted a doctor. She didn't say anything more. Just 'doctor.'"
Guilt washed over the Doctor. He had brought Rose here, she had gotten sick, and the one thing she wanted was him. And he was out buying spare parts and chatting with the locals. How could he have left her? A twenty year old human on a strange planet without a guide; without him.
After ten minutes brisk walk the vendor stopped outside of the gates of the local hospital.
"Here, Sir. She was brought here. Our healers do not know her species, but she should be easy to find with her pale skin and hair. Good luck, Sir. I hope she is all right!" And with that the woman shuffled back toward her stall at a much more benign pace, clearly having spent all of her energy getting them there quickly. The Doctor was grateful, but he had no time to spare. Rose was in danger and in a hospital full of people who didn't know what to do with her.
to be continued...