[A/N: I'd just like to announce that I've bought both Chameleon Circuit albums and have been listening to them on repeat. A bit of trock has definitely given me the kick in the butt I needed to add another chapter to this fic.]
His body was trying its best to heal itself. Inside The Doctor, a vicious battle was raging, between his own cells, and the infectious disease. Right now, he was losing. Running on the one pumping heart, right now was causing too much pain and discomfort. No longer could he bare it. The Time Lord collapsed onto the ship floor.
Amy cried out and made a race for the doors, with Rory following her behind. The two of them dared not register the deadly enemies that surrounded them and the TARDIS, nor to their cries of "Exterminate!" as their guns shot at them, yet merely bounced off the protective shield, destroying a few Daleks in the process. None of this registered. It was a whole different background reality to them, as they instead headed straight for The Doctor, who was so much in need right now.
Swinging a limp arm over his shoulder, Rory struggled to haul the Time Lord up to a near standing position, almost toppling over himself. Amy rushed to support The Doctor's other side. While The Doctor's eyes had fluttered open briefly, he seemed not very aware, as the Ponds helped him back into his TARDIS, laying him on the floor, just inside.
Rory's hands were shaking as he checked The Doctor over.
"That's not right", the nurse spoke, after feeling at The Doctor's pulse. Fishing into The Doctor's jacket he found the stethoscope, placing it in his ears and moving it underneath The Doctor's shirt, listening. After staring blankly at his wife with wide eyes and mouth hung open for a few seconds he pulled himself together and began compressions on the right side of The Doctor's chest. "Only one of his hearts is working."
Amy didn't know what to think of this. Humans managed perfectly well with one heart, yet The Doctor couldn't even stand. A groan emitted from The Doctor and his eyes were open again.
Taking both companions by surprise, The Doctor pushes himself up, and makes for the TARDIS controls, practically falling on them.
"Master", he mustered, reaching for a lever, which is just out of reach. His eyes are wet and unblinking, practically pleading the lever to move closer. "I can land us in his cell –save him."
The companions exchange a glance and step forward in unison, wrapping comforting arms around the Doctor, gently forcing him to lie back down. The Doctor doesn't put up a fight and appears dizzy.
"Look at you. You're in no condition to go anywhere right now", Amy tells him.
"TAR.. –DIS", he choked out.
"Yes Doctor. We're in the TARDIS," Amy confirmed, stroking his cheek.
"How do we help you? Only one of your hearts is working", added Rory.
"I know that already. No use getting it started. The heart itself is dying. The Chen7, it's spreading. I just- AAARGH", The Doctor let out a howl of pain and his breathing became rapid and uncontrolled. Then he closed his mouth and appeared to be drifting again. Rory slapped the Time Lord's cheek lightly.
"Doctor! Stay with us. What do you need?"
"TARDIS", repeated The Doctor, through gritted teeth and tightly clenched eyes, before softening a little. "The TARDIS Medical Bay will have something. Need something for- for the pain. Oh it hurts!" Lurching forward, he grabbed Rory's shirt collar and pulled him in, so that the two men were almost nose to nose. "Rory, Rory." The Doctor was fighting for consciousness, trying desperately to get his point across to the nurse, before he succumbed. "Possibly might need defibrillation. Need to get it going. I've got to- got to keep- keep-", The Doctor's grip on Rory's shirt collar loosened and he went limp again, head lolling to the side. "-going", he whispered and then there was no doubt he was conscious any longer.
"Stay with him Amy", Rory ordered and was on his feet and up one of the TARDIS staircases and frantically searching the corridors for the Medical Bay.
Left in the console room, was the red head Scottish companion and her raggedy Doctor from her childhood, the man that always left her waiting. Now, she waited for him to come back to her, his old, bow-tie wearing, bouncy self. That was all she wanted. Seeing The Doctor like this was unbearable for Amy. She wrapped a hand around his, squeezing tightly, but getting no response.
"Please be okay Doctor", she told him.
It didn't take Rory long to find the Medical Bay. Yet, that was only the first hurdle. The TARDIS Med Bay was an absolute mess. There were a few trolleys and large pieces of machinery. In the centre of the bright room was an examining table, but it was covered in equipment, which hung over the sides and carried across the floor and the benches, which lined the walls. There was a row of cabinets and draws on the opposite side of the room, some hung open and were clearly empty. Obviously The Doctor only ever came in here when he was in a rush and never bothered to tidy up again after himself.
Wading through the amount of alien complexities that coated the floor, Rory made for a draw, jiggled it open and was rewarded with an array of medicine bottles. However, many of the labels were printed in unrecognizable swirls, which could have been some kind of language, yet was not translating for Rory how it usually would. He threw the medicine back into the draw in frustration and held his face in his palm, thinking.
A quick scan of the room revealed there was a defibrillator sitting on a bench, albeit a bit dusty. It even looked like it was from earth and seemed easy enough to use. He placed the device under his arm and opened another cupboard. The Doctor still needed a pain reducer. This cupboard contained various corked test tubes and bags of solution. A sigh of relief escaped from Rory, when he spotted on one of the bags the name of a very familiar drug. 'MORPHINE'. He grabbed it along with a needle, syringe and tubing, piling it on top of the defibrillator, which he now held in both hands. Carefully, he made his way back out of the room, taking large steps, being wary not to trip or drop anything.
Panic consumed him as soon as he heard his wife yell his name.
"I'm coming!" He replied, quickening his pace.
Entering the console room once again, Rory wasn't sure what to expect, but the scene appeared just the same as he left it; The Doctor lying on the floor, with Amy crouching down next to him. But there was an unusual noise. A sort of buzzing, coming from just behind the TARDIS doors.
"They're getting through Rory. The Daleks are going to break in." Amy was definitely panicking.
Placing the equipment down on the floor, Rory leaned over and kissed his wife.
"Nothing can get through those doors. The Doctor has told us so himself. We'll be fine".
Amy didn't seem so sure.
Rory had given The Doctor another quick once over and began charging up the defibrillator.
"Clear", he announced and placed each paddle on either side of The Doctor's right heart. Amy jumped in turn as she watched The Doctor's body jolt and hit the floor again.
"No change", Rory said after rechecking The Doctor's pulse.
"He said his heart was dying. What if it won't start at all?" Amy questioned her husband.
"We have to try", was his answer. "He said himself that the shocks could help. We're navigating the uncharted here it seems." He had charged up the paddles once again. "Clear". A second time The Doctor jolted. Once again, Rory checked the Time Lord's pulse. This time he looked at Amy and smiled. Immediately Amy's face lit up and she laughed a little.
"Thank goodness", she exclaimed, but she looked back down at her Raggedy Doctor. He definitely did not look like the same man from her childhood. His skin was deathly pale for a start.
"He's certainly not out of the woods yet", began Rory. Finding a vein in The Doctor's forearm, he inserted a needle and had attached a morphine drip, holding it up. Amy watched as the clear liquid flowed from the bag and into The Doctor's arm. Rory gave the bag an extra squeeze for good measure and almost immediately a light blush had returned to The Doctor's cheeks. Together they waited, trying their best to ignore the buzzing in the background. Amy took over holding the bag, so that her husband's arm wouldn't grow tired, before eventually securing it to the edge of the console. Rory continued to check The Doctor' heartbeat and his checks simply made him feel incredibly indifferent. While both were working right now, the right was not performing all too well. In fact it was at a very slow beat, but it was working.