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Previously: "God, you look tired. When was the last time you slept?"
"Not sure…couple months maybe?" He coughed, covering his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Is that blood? Doctorwhat's wrong?"
Suddenly his knees buckled and he collapsed forward onto the wet sand.
A/N: There may be some inaccuracies in this chapter in regard to medication. I don't know a lot about medical problems so if you could bare with me and suspend your disbelief, that would be great!
Just a quick warning, there are a few rather graphic moments in this chapter, including a medicinal overdose.
Chapter Two
"Doctor, what is it, what happened?" Rose knelt beside him, horrified, both arms around his body, unsure of what to do.
"What's wrong with him?" Jackie jogged over to them.
The Doctor was on his knees, forearms pressed into the sand. "I'm ok." He gasped and struggled to his feet.
Rose firmly held his arms with both hands. "You look like your gonna collapse
again!"
He shook his head, smiling. "I'm fine. Just a bit tired."
Jackie took his arm. "Thanks to the other Doctor… or you—Blimey this is confusing—we're stranded on this beach! Pete won't be here for a while. "
Rose put his arm over her shoulder and peered into his face as they began walking up the beach. "You're all pasty. You don't look well."
"Nonsense. I'll be fine."
He buckled and retched dryly. Gasping, he trembled as he wiped pink, blood-tainted saliva from his mouth. "It's my body…part human, part Timelord."
Rose clutched his arm for fear he would fall again, listening intently and doing her best to wipe his sweating brow.
He spoke exceptionally fast. "Donna and I are unique. She is not used to having all that information in her head at every given moment, experiencing all the horrors and joys of the universe. It will effect her differently. Me? Just the opposite." He groaned and doubled over.
"But—what does that mean?" Rose said anxiously.
"My Timelord genetic makeup is at war with my human body."
"That…that sounds serious." Jackie whispered unnecessarily, glancing at her daughter.
Rose placed her palms on either side of his face, meeting his eyes directly. "You're cold." His mouth was parted with the effort of breathing and his eyes were dull and unfocused. He leaned forward slowly and, with a groan, fell onto Rose, his weight causing her to sink down to the sand.
"I'm fine. I'll get through this. I'm fine…" He trailed off breathlessly.
Pushing the hair from his brow—cold and sweaty—she leaned forward. "Doctor… what can I do?" Hot tears streamed and were lost in his dark hair.
When there was no response, she gently removed herself from underneath him, laying him on his back. A pang of panic ripped through her as she remembered him in pain, lying in the street, cut down by a Dalek.
His eyes were not in pain this time, they were closed. She pressed an ear to his chest. This heart, only hours old, was silent.
Rose froze, head still pressed to his chest. Her body seemed to grow numb, starting with her heart and flaring out, making it impossible for her to move. If her mind were to break from the numbness, she would surely collapse into madness.
Suddenly, his heart beat furiously, far faster than a human's was capable of. His body grew hot and began to tremble, but his eyes remained closed.
Jackie closed her cell phone. "Right, help is on the way."
Rose only vaguely heard her mother, still frozen in place, listening to his heart as it rampaged in his body.
Rose clutched the strong coffee and leaned up against the closed door that led to the Doctor's room. When Pete had arrived hours later to pick them up, the Doctor's heart was still irregular. She had stayed by his bedside all night, listening to his heart. It had slowed to a stop several times in the night and each time it did, Rose had reached for the phone to dial the emergency number. Before she had placed the call, his heart would race to catch up with itself.
She was hesitant to call an ambulance. The Doctor had said this was a side effect from the meta-crisis. Would a hospital even know how to treat him if she could not tell them the whole story?
Suddenly she heard a rustle from inside the room, followed by a scream of pain. She dropped the half full coffee mug in the carpeted hall and fumbled with the door handle.
The door swung open and bounced back off the wall. The Doctor was on his side, clutching at his chest, his face contorted in pain.
Jackie stood at the door in pink slippers.
"Mum?" Her tear stained face looked back up at her from her kneeling position at his side.
"Come 'ere a second, Rose."
She obeyed and Jackie opened her hand to reveal two capsules. "Remember when I broke my leg? I didn't finish the prescription.
"Vicodin." Rose stared at the pills. "Do you think its safe?"
"Rose, look at him, he needs this." Jackie put the container on the bedside table.
"Doctor?" Rose shook his shoulder gently but her only response was another gasp of pain.
"He's delirious. We'll give him two, hold him down."
"Doctor, we're going to give you something for the pain. It's a normal human pain reliever, you'll feel better." The Doctor showed no sign that he had heard her.
Rose rolled him gently onto his back and with Jackie's help, hauled him into a sitting position. She held his head back and Jackie dropped the pills into his mouth. He swallowed both capsules obediently and they lowered him gently back onto the bed.
The window was cracked open and the midday sun shone into the room when he awoke. He frowned in confusion and lifted himself up, swinging his long legs over the bed. He grimaced and put a hand to his chest. The stabbing pain vaguely reminded him of what had happened. They were at Bad Wolf Bay, his hearts had been bothering him, he had been nauseous, and the next thing he knew, he was in this room. He was with Rose, this means he must be at Pete's estate.
His vision swam and he felt lightheaded, but he noticed clothing laid out for him on a nearby chair along with a towel. He could use a shower. He tried to stand up but the pain in his chest caused him to sit back onto the bed.
His eyes found a prescription container on the bedside table. He automatically closed his eyes and attempted to scan his body for any evidence of medication, wondering if they had already dosed him. He nodded slowly to himself, he could find no traces of the drug in his system. He read the label curiously. "…for relief of severe pain.". His chest gave another stab of pain causing him to double over, with his head between his knees. With shaking hands he opened the container with difficulty. He was not human; he would need far more than the human dosage to even remotely effect a Timelord. He spilled a handful of the drug into his palm and poured them into his mouth. He grimaced at the bitter taste.
Cautiously, he stood, yelping as his feet touched the cold floor. Taking a deep breath, he gathered the towel and clothing in his arms, deciding to take an adventure to find the shower. He felt out of breath suddenly. Walking from the bed to this chair seemed to have tired him enormously.
He walked to the door and wondered why the room was pitching and heaving. He took a side step and leaned against the wall, deciding to wait while the room rocked. He wondered if the house did this regularly. When the rocking did not cease, he took a hesitant step closer to the door. He lost his balance on one foot and fell into the table. Cursing, he charged determinedly for the door and opened it with difficulty. Would this earthquake never end?
He stepped out into the carpeted hall and cursed again as his foot sank into a wet spot. He walked down the hall, swaying from one wall to the other. His chest felt tight. He took a deep breath with difficulty. The shower? There it was.
Locating the bathroom, he pushed the door closed and locked it. If the rocking of this house was not planning to stop anytime soon, he would not be denied his shower. Turning the water on, he undressed with difficulty, wondering hazily where his TARDIS was. He stepped into the tub. They really need to get the water checked, it is not supposed to be red. He chuckled slightly, how odd—red water, maybe his hair would look ginger after this shower. The room pitched again, and his foot slipped on the wet porcelain.
Rose woke with a start and found herself fully clothed on a bed. The sound of a door slamming resonated from the hall and she could hear the Doctor's voice muttering unintelligibly. She sprinted to the door and thrust it opened.
A trail of bloody footprints led from the room where he was supposed to be sleeping, to the bathroom. Running to the bathroom door, she found it locked. She could hear water running. She turned the door knob furiously and pounded on the door. "Doctor?" She shouted, slamming her weight against the door, and achieving no result. "Doctor!" Her voice rang through the hall. There was no answer from the bathroom.
A/N: Reviews would be wonderful, it motivates me to keep up the story!
Thanks again for reading!