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:
The infection that had stormed through Rose's body had settled in her brain. It had done so much damage that Rose was in a coma and it was possible she'd never come out of it. Even if she did, Rose herself, the wonderful stupid little ape who had had so many adventures by his side may be permanently damaged beyond repair.
Chapter 5
As the Doctor watched the medications drip slowly into his beloved companion with one eye he kept the other eye glued to her face, hoping to see some sort of reaction, some sign that she was coming out of the coma. He could use his psychic abilities later to help her sort out her memories and get everything back in line, but her brain was such a jumble at the moment that there was nothing he could do but wait and keep her body healthy. He knew it could be hours, even days or weeks before she woke.
He set the computer to alert him if there was any change, then he quickly stole out to the console room. He got them into the vortex and just set the TARDIS to stay there. It was safe and he was one jump away from anywhere he might need to get to.
Next he took a quick trip to the kitchen. Rose might be fed at the moment through a tube in her arm, but he still needed to eat. He packed up some tinned goods and some bananas and put them in his pockets to take back to the infirmary. A quick stop off at the loo to take care of business and wash his face and he was back at Rose's side.
He wasn't surprised at all to see that nothing had changed. He slipped his long fingers to her temples again and was met with the same disarray as before.
With a sigh he did the only thing he could do. He checked her over to make sure everything else was going as it should. Her breathing was still fine, her heart was still fine. He hung another bag of antibiotics, and checked her bone marrow for red and white blood cell production. They were going well, but he added another bag of whole blood to be transfused anyway. He checked Rose's nutrition level, then changed out her catheter bag.
And that's how it went for the next day. The Doctor would check on Rose's psyche, then take care of what her body needed. After 24 hours she no longer needed the whole blood, though he kept the antibiotics in her IV. Her body had flushed out all of the extra fluid, but without Rose conscious he couldn't remove the catheter.
After the second day the Doctor was very concerned, but there was nothing he could do. He paced the white infirmary for hours at a time, breaking only to take care of Rose. It was impossible for him to tell if her brain was healing at all. It was such a mess that when he checked he couldn't tell if it was the same mess or a new mess.
By the third day the Doctor had taken to starting some basic physical therapy with Rose. Her muscles hadn't begun to atrophy at all, and he wanted to keep it that way. So he worked Rose's arms and legs twice a day to keep them moving. He turned her body so she wouldn't get sores. He massaged her arms and legs and back. Partly to keep the muscles moving, and partly just to have physical contact with her. He knew that people often healed better and faster if they were allowed contact. He also felt that it was keeping him from losing part of himself if he could feel her warmth under his cool skin.
After five days even the Doctor couldn't keep up the round the clock care without a break. He was sorely in need of a sleep cycle. Without knowing what else to do he took off his tie and shoes, rolled up his sleeves, and carried Rose over to one of the larger beds in the infirmary. He crawled in next to her and wrapped his arms around her. For the first time in over a week the Time Lord slept.
to be continued...