A/N: - Thanks for your groovy reviews, people – keep 'em coming?! This is a rather dark, but it's all done in the name of fun!
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2 ROXX… - Tres tres amusante et marrante! Cabot Circus is also amazing… But I still need to phone a friend to go and watch Star Trek… *sobs* LOL!
Disclaimer: Doctor Who doesn't belong to me and neither does Torchwood… There I said it – happy now?!
HAPPY READING!
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Three weeks later
Believe it or not, I could actually walk around Torchwood without being gossiped about or stared at, and was actually treated like an ordinary person, again. I didn't have to mooch about with guards following my every step and I could truly say 'Hello' to somebody, without getting checked to see if I was all right.
Ever since Torchwood's 'Welcome back' party, everyone assumed that that was a tell-tale sign that I was cured and everything was back to normal again. Mum and (not) dad encouraged this greatly, and news stories flooded out explaining of my miraculous recovery. But I didn't protest, even though not everything was OK and I certainly wasn't cured. I let them do what they pleased – I'd had enough attention and pity to last a life time and all the 'fame' made me feel like one of those 'Mary-Sue' type characters.
Mum was there, when Doctor Yana had explained my deteriorating condition and my 'instability', but I think she'd chosen to ignore this and decisively go for the option that I was cured. This was the complete opposite of what the doctor had said – he refused to discharge me, in the first hand. He'd only let me go, because I compromised to wear his stupid health watch thingy-majiggy and 'promised' to rush to the hospital or call him, if anything rash happened. Nothing did, of course.
Well, that was my view of things, anyway. I'd been so used to the migraines, dizziness, aches, colds, lethargy whatnot and the yellow blinkity-blink of the watch, that, to me, it was considered normal. It was nothing new, except for the mere fact, it had jumped from once a week to every day, but nobody would ever find out - yes, maybe I did resort to the don't-tell-anyone fiasco but it was the only option for peaceful living! What would you have chosen?
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All ten of us – John, Aryl, Jake, Tosh, Oasis, Georgia, Matt, Fayosi, Rheann and me - sat around the giant round white-clothed table, each taking it in turn to swivel the Lazy Susan and choose our random dish. Dad had booked us at this posh Chinese restaurant to celebrate our triumphant defeat against the Sontarans, while he stayed at home to baby-sit Tony, 'cos mum was out with some of her newly founded mates.
They had crash-landed onto the planet, but soon threatened the world with a nuclear warhead, if we didn't surrender ourselves to them. Like we'd do that! So with Torchwood's top field agents, ancient paintball guns disguised as lasers, some alien technology, and a whole load of teamwork – we managed to track them down, use John as a distraction (I think that little hint of Donna, made his gob all the more threatening), and blast them back into space to where they belonged.
"What did exactly 'appen in the forest then, Jake? One second you were with us and the next, we heard you screaming half a mile away!" Aryl asked suddenly, gesturing his broken bandaged right arm.
"I was so not screamin'," Jake protested defensively.
She raised her eyebrows. "How dya break your arm? You still 'aven't told us anything yet!"
"Well, it all began, when…"
Stabbing the roast potatoes on my plate with a fork, I slouched down into a comfortable position, yawned and let the headache, which pressurised to attack, wash over me. Any headache was better than one of Jake's lengthy, boring conversations.
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I yawned for, what was thought, the twentieth time that evening at Jake's long-winded story and stole a glance at John, who was wearing his usual blue-pinstripes and grinned back at me – mockingly pretending to pass out. I grinned back at him weakly, and then swiftly twisted my head back round to face Jake. Shielding my eyes from the pulsating painful light of the chandeliers, I groaned inwardly and willed Jake to hurry up, so I could go home and indulge myself in the darkness
"So, there I was, hiding in the forest from them Sultanas," Jake explained,
"Sontarans," John corrected promptly.
Jake flushed a bright scarlet, but continued. "Yeah anyway, so there I was hiding with the Sontarans and that's when I overheard their plan to dominate the Earth and turn us into their slaves. So, I tried to sneak off back to you guys when--"
My fist involuntarily banged and shook the table, as I erupted into an abrupt coughing fit and struggled to beat down the emergent scratching against the back of my throat. 20:30pm was the cue 'allergic reactions' to start up. Everyday. Ever single flipping day. Today wasn't any better, worse in fact; it had started twelve hours earlier, this time. Just I'd just got out the house and had been bugging me all day – building up.
In fact, it had worsened in the last three days – when the blood starting making its appearance again through cough and sneezes. I hid the stomach cramps and headaches at work; by popping out to the loo, every so often and the excuse worked. For a while and when it grew suspicious – I blamed it on my monthly 'visits' from the painters. Yep, as embarrassing as it goes, I s'pose. Although, on that subject – I hadn't actually been having my periods regularly since… since two years ago.Unless you counted once every six months or so, to be regular.
Goodness knows how much I hated this.
They all stopped to stare at me, as the coughing grew harsher and my face grew redder. Matt thumped me on the back, until I stopped, reflexive tears streaming down my face from the impact of the cough.
"Rose, you all right?" John asked quietly, stretching over and resting a caring hand on my shoulder. Oh, he had to say it, didn't he?
Another cough.
"You look a bit pale." Oasis agreed.
"Yeah," I choked out loudly, accepting the Georgia's tissue, and wiping up the escapee trails of mascara and dried tears. Blinking, I adjusted myself back to the burning rays of light and whacked the vertigo out of my head. Morecoughs. "A bit too much of the--" Another cough and the phlegm rose in my throat."--wine I think!"
They all laughed a little, muttering in agreement and tearing their gazes away from me – flowing back into relaxation and breaking into jovial conversations. I pressed the already dirty tissue to my mouth, as I coughed again and was joined by a horrible yet sweet metallic taste. Phlegm? I licked my lips testily and found the same taste lurking on the tip of my tongue.
Averted from their stares, I peeled the tissue away from my mouth and hitched a breath – blood. I cautiously dabbed at the sticky red substance to check if it wasn't a trick of the light, but it was blood all right – hot, sticky and thick. The itchiness revved up once more and I cupped my mouth with my fingers, only to leave them blemished with thick redness. I hurriedly wiped them on my dress and was extremely gratified that I'd chosen to wear dark midnight blue, tonight.
I swung my hair over my shoulders to hang like a thick yellow curtain to shield my head from nosey neighbours and bowed my head, as I rolled up my dress sleeve to check the watch thing. It was red – a fiery dark crimson, the same colour as blood. Heart rate – 156 bpm. (Mind you, my heart wasn't going half-fast right now…) Blood pressure – 217! Blimming hell. It had never reached that high before. Could it even go that high? I clicked on the 'Overall Bodily Analysis' button and it showed up 100% - No bodily disorder. All systems functional. AKA: nothing was wrong with me. Yeah right.
Whipping the bloodstained tissue and watch way out of sight, I broke into a steady grin and chattered away to the people one either sides of me. My head throbbed every time I moved my head and the light seemed to burn me.
However, whenever I looked to my abrupt left, John's eyes always seemed to flicker suspiciously at me - and the clenched tissue in my hand. However, as the minutes ticked by, the antipathy slowly but surely disappeared, as they always did. But for how long?
"You sure you're all right?" Georgia muttered to me privately, "You seriously don't' look too well."
"Course I am!" I said, with as much optimism and surprise as I could muster. "Why d'you say that?"
"I've known you ever since you set foot in Torchwood, Rose, don't think I don't you that well," she lowered her voice even more, "Is it the illness, the one everyone keeps saying, you have? The reason why you were away for so long. Is that what's wrong?"
I lied through the skin of my teeth, "Nah, it can't be. It's been cured, remember?"
"I know but… these past couple of days, it's like you're --"
To my great relief Anna interrupted our conversation and led Georgia into another one. Choosing to be solitary, I leaned back into my seat and pensively gazed at the v
Suddenly, I jolted forward and cupped my mouth. My stomach knotted up all of a sudden and I was struck by a horrible queasy feeling, as if I'd just been punched full in the belly. I retched and the distantly familiar sweet metallic feel rose up my throat. I heaved sorely. Hell, did it hurt. Throat burning, I reluctantly forced the vomit back down, but it was inevitable and I retched. The room span, the lights burned and my heart pulsated forbiddingly in my ears. It sounded like a time bomb, counting down the seconds until it exploded…
As casual as possible, I slipped out of my seat and muttered a chancy excuse - legging it as soon as I was out of view.
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Heaving, I shut my eyes and spilled out the contents into the clear washbasin – hands braced on the marble top and head leaned forward. The raw friction lacerated the weak layering of my throat and it was as if sulphuric acid had burned me throat and upwards, as the vomit poured out of me, causing spontaneous tears to run like a river down the apples of my cheeks. I licked my lips slowly and felt the familiar tang of metal and sickening sweetness invade my mouth. I knew that taste - it was like…
My eyes snapped open to the throbbing artificial light and I gasped, stumbling back a couple of inches I grimaced at the suspiciously thick crimson fluid that stained the interior of the should-be sparkling white sink and the truth sunk in. I was vomiting out blood. Lots of it too…
Nevertheless, as I reached for the taps, the nausea hit me, once more and the sticky hot blood poured out of my mouth – splattering the neighbouring classy marble-topped surface with speckles of the muggy redness. The blood clung to the basin like magnets against metal and refused to go down the drain.
Retching, I yanked a couple of taps open and gasped in relief as the transparent fresh cool water gushed out of the taps in a flourish, devouring the thick red substance into a mixture of blood and water. But the sounds hurt, so I flicked the tap off and slumped against a neighbouring wall, sliding to the floor with a bump – the noise of my collision reverberating clumsily in my ears
It wasn't over yet – oh no. I shut my eyes and the bile rose in my throat, but the blood didn't come out of my mouth – not this time. The first droplets of crimson splashed onto the lime-green marble floor, the quantities increasing rapidly as more and more dripped from my nose. My head was burning like hell itself – it was all too much. Where would the blood come out next? My flipping ears?
I cringed at the thought and sobbing, crawled weakly into the nearest toilet cubicle to grab a roll of paper to stop the blood flow. I pinched the bridge of my nose and held my head up, but it was about five minutes later when I gave up because the blood didn't seem to care. It flowed and flowed, until I swore that nothing could stop it.
The tissues wouldn't stop it and pinching it wouldn't stop it – it went on forever. I felt like all the blood in my body was streaming out of my nose, rushing through my head and increasing my pulse.
Even the watch agreed. I laughed ironically, reading its results. Blood pressure: ERROR. Heart Rate: ERROR. Overall Bodily Analysis: NOTHING.
That's when I went mental.
I stopped thinking - I wasn't thinking – more to the point, I couldn't think, because I was so het-up and my brain was trying to cope with so many different things at once: the dizziness, the headaches, the bleeding.
I stopped using the tissues. I stopped and let the blood cascade onto my hands, wiping the red stuff on every available surface I could find. Because I didn't know what to do with myself and not long after, the walls were marked with, what could only be described as, litres and litres of spilt blood.
The pounding started up, but I realised it was footsteps coming closer. Hands drenched in blood, I collapsed onto my knees and covered my ears from the inevitable pounding of footsteps. The dizziness span my vision round and round; the light charred my mind and the blood – it just kept on flowing. I lay on my side and rocked myself back and forth, hunched up in a tight bloodied ball – scared to death, because nothing would stop. The vertigo; the headaches; the pain and… the blood. I was going to die.
The footsteps boomed to a cease and there was an ear-splitting scream, as the door banged open and shut loudly. I must've looked crazy, a wreck or maybe even, a creature from the horror films – laid on the floor surrounded and covered in blood.
Then the darkness engulfed me.
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Doctor,
I don't know why I'm doing this, pretending to write a letter to a bleeding Time Lord in another Universe, who couldn't care less about Rose, but Pete said I should do it to 'express' my feelings – yeah right, it's probably to prevent me lashing out at him. He acts so calm and untroubled, yet you should've seen the state of him in the hospital today. He cares so much for Rose. Bless.
I just saw Rose today – in the hospital. They keep saying she'll never wake up from this coma – 'a disaster that was bound to happen' they said. It's been a month now, since they found her unconscious in that bathroom. The same night I went out partying with my friends, when I came back the house was empty. I slept on it, thinking they'd all slept round Tony's Uncle's house or something, but then Pete, Tony and your clone - mind you, he's doing better than you ever will do – came back and… and…and that's when they told me the news. I was in hysteria and goodness knows how much of a wreck I was, but Pete helped me. They told me the basics of what happened, but they were hiding something from me, I could tell by the motherly instinct I have and half of them broke down crying when I asked anything else.
She's stuck in an endless sleep – fed and watered through tubes. She' so pale and thin, like a… untouched porcelain doll, I s'pose. Alright I'm lying, but no matter how I look a t it, my Rose, my beautiful baby girl looks like a… corpse. A corpse. We try not to let Tony see her nowadays - that's how bad it is
Yes, you heard me. That's how bad she is, Doctor and hear me out now; it's all YOUR fault. If you hadn't dumped us, dumped Rose, in flaming Norway to look after your clone, then she wouldn't be like this. She went through absolute hell trying to get to you and this is what she gets in return. She loved you and you rejected her – I told her that you were a bad influence. All you men are the same – whether you're human or alien or an animal I don't care, cos nobody, nobody, can get away with treating my daughter like this..
I swear to you, I am going to rip the Universe and all that whatnot open with my bare hands, if I have to, if it means I can find you and give you one hell of a slapping. 'Cos… Cos, if she dies, Doctor – then… I'll never forgive you. You'd better save her. Or you'll have ME to deal with, you will.
I'm sorry for lashing out at you like that, but you don't know how it feels, as a mum, to see Rose in such a terrible condition and it breaks my heart to see her like this. I know you probably meant well when you left her with the other you and probably didn't know about her 'illness' – even I didn't know until after you left and she collapsed on the beach.
Well, I better cook Tony his tea and meet Doctor Yana then.
Love,
Jackie.
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A/N:- THANKS FOR READING! In case you didn't notice, that ^^^ section's written from Jackie's POV because Rose… Oh you know what's wrong with her!!
Yummy, the leprechauns are offering cake and choccie milk – I can't resist. I must go with them! See you later…
OH AND ALL MISTAKES ARE MINE AND MINE OWNLY!
Reviews are GREATLY loved and appreciated!