Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of its characters/locations. I do own Carina
Chapter 2: Where the Hell am I?
Ah what a surreal dream, it was so amazing and vivid, getting to actually talk and interact with the Doctor. Guess it goes to show how big a fan I am. Better get up, I'm probably already late for work.
"Aaaah!" I cry out, it feels as if I've been hit by a bus, especially down the right side. Peeling my eyes open, even they hurt to move, I examine myself. What am I doing in my work scrubs, unless? Looking at what I'm lying on, it appears to be a standard emergency room bed, thin and hard. Okay that confirms it. God I'm such a klutz, knocking myself out on the linen trolley. But where is everyone, it's so quiet?
Looking around the room, it's incredibly large considering it only contains one bed, has everything that you'd expect to see in an emergency room; BP machine, oxygen, ECG machine, other monitors, fluids etc, you get the drift. But what surprises me is the number of other devices along the wall, which I couldn't put a name to if I tried. One device looks like a metal octopus, the suction cups flashing on and off. Another one looks similar to that of an ultrasound machine, except the probe is concave rather than convex, appearing to stretch and contract. WHERE THE HELL AM I?
"Ah you're awake, took you long enough." The Doctor bursts through the door, grinning "Expected you to wake up as soon as we were back on Earth, like everyone else, and disappear before I found you, but instead you were still unconscious on the floor. Materialised the TARDIS around you." He walks toward me, but all I can do is stare "What? I couldn't just carry you out, too many people." Pulling a wheelie stool over, his grin has disappeared, concern replacing the slight glint in his eyes "Carina, what's wrong?"
"Everything" I burst out, near hysterical scampering up the bed, pulling my knees close.
"Carina calm down, I'm not going to hurt you, everything's going to be alright"
"Nothing's ever going to be alright again. I'm psychotic, interacting with my hallucinations" I shudder pulling myself into a tight ball. It was alright when I thought it was a dream, I could deal with that. But this room and all the things in it, I wouldn't be able to consciously think them up.
"Carina listen to me" he takes my face into his warm hands "You are not psychotic, however impossible this may seem, everything here is real, including me. Carina please look at me" his voice is lovely, even if he is a hallucination.
Taking a deep breath, I bring my watery hazel eyes up to focus on his chocolate-brown ones. Giving me half a smile, "That's a girl, why do you think you're psychotic?" he removes his hands.
"Because, you and everything here is supposed to be fictional"
"Okay then, how so?" he inquires, unconsciously tilting his head.
"You're a character out of my favourite TV show" I admit. Standing up he starts to pace
"Alright then, earlier you said you were from 2013" I nod in confirmation "and now it's 2007 and supposedly I'm a fictional character in a TV show. Parallel dimension, well not quite parallel being 6 years out. But that's not possible, I closed them, there's no way through. Rose is stuck, I can't get her back. How did you get here?" he's angry now glaring at me.
I can understand he only lost Rose a few months ago. And now here I am, in a parallel universe by accident, when the one he wants isn't able to come back. Well at least not yet anyway. But it's not my fault, it's not like I wanted to come here, leaving my family behind, likely to never see them again.
"Fine Doctor, whatever!" I scream at him, he has no right to be angry at me. "If what you say is true and I have moved, it's not like I wanted it to happen. To become all alone in the universe never to see my family again" the tears running unrestrained down my cheeks. "Just drop me back off at the hospital and leave"
Scrambling out of bed, I don't care how much it hurts, I need to get out of here. Pulling open the doors I enter the honeycomb corridors before he can stop me. Turning left I sprint down the corridor, continuing to take lefts and rights at random, hoping it leads me to the console room. What was it Martha said once 'Never meet your hero's' I guess she's right, they never turn out to be what you expected.
Even being in this magnificent creation, that I've wanted to see the inside of ever since I can remember, I take no notice of it now, everything blurring into one continuous corridor. Taking one last left I come out into the control room.
Running up the few stairs onto the metal grating, it really is huge with its coral support beams. Pausing at the console, "You really are beautiful" I say lightly tracing my finger over the buttons. Receiving a hum in response, I continue toward the doors. Grabbing the handles I try to pull them open, but they won't budge. Glancing back at the console, "Please let me out Beautiful?" I continue to yank on the handles, "Your Thief doesn't like or want me here, so please let me go" I plead with her my voice cracking, but nothing happens.
Sinking to the metal grating, all strength has abandoned me. What is the point of running, if there's no one going to be waiting at the other end for you? I give up, I'm all alone, no one knowing or caring who I am.
Letting the tears pour out, I should've never left Australia, no matter how bad it was. I thought it would be an adventure, get out and see the world, meet new people, make friends who don't know my background, and reject me for it. I thought I might have had that with Steph, but it's all gone now. Replaced with people who look the same, but who are completely different.
"Carina?" I hear the Doctor call, running into the control room, sending out slight vibrations through the grating. "Oh Carina" he must have spotted me "I'm sorry" he says ruefully. The light penetrating through my eyelids is blocked. "So sorry" I feel his hands on both my shoulders before pulling me against him.
"I'll n-n-ever see th-them again" I cry wrapping my arms tightly around him.
"Shhh, I understand, I'm not blaming you I was just upset. I miss her" he replies, holding me tightly. After about ten minutes my tear ducts have run dry. Pulling back his suit has a dark wet stain on it near the shoulder.
"Oh no I've ruined your suit" I say looking at him.
"Ah never mind that, it'll dry soon enough, besides I've got plenty more" he grins. Standing he pulls me with him "Come on let's get those injuries sorted out" he leads me back the way I came, but it's a lot shorter than before, she must have moved it closer.
"Doctor there's not a lot that can be done, they're bruises and aches."
"You're forgetting one thing Carina" he walks over to the octopus looking thing, pulling it off the wall. "Alien technology" he grins brightly, coming back to me.
"What exactly is that thing?" I ask warily.
"Oh this" he lifts the device up "It's a Pluthrow, it gets rid of aches. The suction cups scan the area, determining the severity of the injury, and then vibrates at different frequencies, ridding the area of pain"
"And it's safe to use on humans?"
"Of course, it was invented by humans in 5832. Everything in here is safe for you humans, well everything except for the Hilprotro, Yime, Microdojo, Gobtra and Ibbihut" he points to each object in turn, each looking more dangerous than the last, with lasers, sharp points and other unknown pieces. "As well as everything on that wall"
"You're really inspiring a lot of confidence Doctor" I say, curving my lips upwards. "Will it hurt?"
"I shouldn't think so, you should only feel the vibrations" he answers. "But it does have to have full contact with skin"
"So I have to undress?" I can feel the blood flooding my cheeks.
"Well yes"
"And there's no way that you'll let me stay as I am" I try to get out of it.
"You won't be able to do much running as you are, and there's always a lot of running with me" I can't believe my ears, am I hearing what I think I'm hearing?
"So what your saying is I can come with you?" excitement evident in my tone
"Yes. I can't leave you in the past, there's too greater risk that you could change the future dramatically, already knowing what is to come…" he says but I cut him off
"So you're only taking me with you as you're afraid I'll stuff something up. Great thanks Doctor" I mutter, looking at the floor so he doesn't see the disappointment, I knew it was too good to be true.
"Carina" he places his fingers under my chin, tilting my head up to look at him, he's very serious "If you had let me finish, I would have said, that's not the only reason. Do you think so little of me that I'd abandon you in a different reality where you're all alone?"
Shrugging I try to look away but he keeps me there "No" I finally say, trying to get him to stop staring at me. It feels as if he's looking into my soul.
Stepping back "How do you fancy going on a trip?" he invites.
"Seriously?" I try not to get my hopes up but I fail dreadfully.
"I wouldn't ask if I wasn't?" he grins.
Running at him "Thank you, thank you, thank you" I throw myself at him, hugging him tightly. Ow, in my excitement I forgot about the injuries. Wincing I pull away slowly.
"You're welcome, but first you're in more pain than you're letting on aren't you?" he looks at me seriously.
"It's not that bad" I lie
"I'll be the judge of that, let me see" he urges.
"Fine I'm doing it. No need to get you're knickers' in a knot. Turn around" I do a spinning motion with my hand. Turning away I start slowly peeling the clothes off. Damn those are some nasty bruises, no wonder I'm so sore. Depositing the clothes on the end of the bed, I'm left in only my bra, singlet top and undies. Grabbing the blanket off the bed I wrap it around me before sitting on the bed. "Okay you can turn back now" I inform him.
Putting on his brainy specs he examines my arm first, causing me to flinch at the slightest touch "I can see your shoulder is swollen with extensive bruising radiating out from it. Is there anywhere else?"
"Only my right hip and knee is aching, I think the rest is bruising" I reply.
"Can I see?" he goes to remove the blanket but pauses. Nodding, my cheeks are burning. This is the least clothing I've worn in front of someone other than my family. Letting the blanket fall, I hear his sudden gasp. "Carina what happened to you?" he asks shocked looking between my face and the horrible bruising. I wonder what the ribs look like on the left side.
"I walked into a linen trolley and fell heavily on my right side, then when the Judoon moved the hospital to the moon, I crashed into the sink" I finger my lower left ribs through the singlet.
"Why didn't you get treatment, surely they must be painful?"
"They are, but I thought it was all a dream so it didn't matter, I'd wake up and they'd be gone"
"Well this will fix you up much quicker anyway" he attaches the Pluthrow to my shoulder, hip and knee. Turning it on it makes a sort of humming buzz. Finished scanning I can feel the vibrations going in, some fast and shallow, others deep and slow. While it's working the Doctor retrieves the funny looking ultrasound machine.
"This is a Contermal, it speeds up bruise healing time to a matter of minutes"
"Who invented that then?" I ask curiously.
"The Tremipples from Ledom in galaxy 2.13.9. They are a very clever, beautiful people with pale violet skin, but very clumsy. Being mainly a modelling planet they need a way to heal the bruise quickly. They can't just cover it with makeup as their skin is highly sensitive, vaporizing any foreign substance that touches it."
"Then how exactly is it safe to use on me?"
"Tremipple's have a very similar genetic makeup to human, except for the violet skin that vaporizes anything it comes in contact with" he replies surely.
"You're not making me feel any better about you using that on me"
"Do you trust me Carina?" he sits the Contermal on the end of the bed, moving closer to peer into my eyes.
"I um think so, I've only just met you" I reply
"Well trust that I'm not going to do anything to harm you"
"I believe you"
Turning the Contermal on, he hovers it over my upper arm, slowly moving it over the bruised area. Before my eyes it changes from a dark blue, to purple, then green and finally yellow before disappearing completely. Touching the healed area, there's no pain. Continuing to do the other bruises, the ones on my ribs are left to last. Hesitantly I lift it just enough so he can access it, all the while with my cheeks flaming.
Having finished I'm completely pain-free "Thank you Doctor" I smile while he's putting the devices back where they belong. "Um is it possible to get cleaned up somewhere, and borrow some clothes" I ask, slipping back on the scrubs.
"Sure, this way" he leads me down corridor after corridor until we arrive at the wardrobe. It's bigger than ten houses combine, and that's only what I can see, filled with clothes. "Use whatever you want. The bathrooms through that door. Come back to the console room when you're done" he says walking out the door.
"Hey wait" I run out of the room to catch up with him "which way is that exactly?"
"Take a left, the third right, the next two lefts, followed by the 5th right and finally the 9th left and you're there." He says grinning.
"Okay, not sure I'll remember all that" I reply.
"I'll get the TARDIS to light up the correct corridors" as soon as the words are out the surrounding corridors have dimmed, leaving this one bright. Smiling widely he continues down the now glowing hallway.
Heading back into the wardrobe, I don't know where to start. I need something comfortable and easy to move in, what I usually wear then; jeans and a top. Now where do I look?
"Jeans, I need jeans" I talk out loud. There's a quick spinning to the right, the clothes whizzing pass stopping on an array of different types of jeans.
There are so many colours, but I think I'll stick to something boring. Pulling out a small, faded black pair, I hang them over my arm. Now I just need a top. Browsing I grab a plain white tank top, a large crème caramel scoop neck t-shirt and an extra-large golden-brown knitted cardigan that'll reach just above my knees. I know it's spring in England, but to me it's still the middle of winter.
Taking the clothes, I enter the bathroom. It's like a really expensive health facility; lotions filling the walls, a bubbling spa, massage tables, a bath and a few showers on the opposite wall. Heading to one of the shower areas, each one the size of an entire normal bathroom, I put the clothes down before skinning off. Damn it, I don't have any clean underwear, I have to put the old ones back on.
Having a quick shower, smelling faintly of pomegranates and palm milk, the wet tendrils of hair trailing down to my waist, I head back to get the underwear but it's gone, along with the rest of my old clothes, the contents of my pockets sitting on the seat. They are replaced with clean undies, bra, sock and a pair of knee-high soft leather boots, all in the right sizes.
Pulling everything on, I put my hair up in a braid starting at my left temple, down the side of my head before pinning it in a circle on the back. Looking in the mirror, my dark hazel eyes are wide with excitement, a few wisps of light-brown hair floating at my temples. Clean and warm, I retrieve my camera and phone before leaving the bathroom.
The corridors are still lit up, following them I barely get two steps before it starts shaking rapidly, the TARDIS wheezing. Going back to the bathroom in search of something to hold on to, the shaking stops as soon as I'm over the threshold, but the wheezing continues. Back in the corridor it's still shaking. Okay so the Doctor must be moving, and the shaking only occurs in the corridors and the control room.
Waiting until the wheezing stops, I venture out again. At the fourth turn it starts again, but there are no rooms to enter. Crouching down, it last about a minute. What's the Doctor doing, moving so often? Standing up again, I hope I make it to the console room before he decides to move again.
Sprinting down the last corridor, the shaking starts, worse this time, causing me to crash into the wall. So much for no more bruises.
Walking the rest of the way, I enter the console room calling, "Doctor you should really tell people before you're going to move, I just go three more bruises" but I'm meet with silence, there's no one there.
"He left without me"
A/N: Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed it. Leave a review if you can, I would really appreciate it.
Salexa