Chapter 10
Martha sat across from the phone, waiting expectantly. They'd left nearly an hour ago and Jack at least would have remembered to check in. Donna watched her, sipping her tea quietly and wondering what she was thinking. Donna had seen the imperceptible look of disappoint in her eyes when the Doctor had introduced Rose; she'd also noticed that Martha's ring finger was bare, a sharp contrast to when she'd last met her.
"What happened?" Donna asked quietly, gesturing to her hand. Martha looked down and laughed bitterly.
"They'd just offered me the job out here and he wanted me to choose. He wasn't going to come out here, he loved his job and wanted to stay." Martha looked out the window, trying to forget. "In the end I chose this, because I need it. I need to know that I am helping the world in the best way I can." Donna nodded.
"I'm sorry." she said faintly. Martha looked back at her, forcing a smile.
"Who needs a man anyway? They run around thinking they own the place, insisting their way is best." She sighed, leaning back in her chair. In a way, she was grateful Rose was back, it made the Doctor less of a distraction for her. It still hurt though, finally meeting the woman that was the cause of his months of ignorance. She looked up at Donna.
"He is happy, isn't he? Now that she's back?" Donna grinned.
"I don't think I've ever seen him so...at peace." she replied. Martha nodded, looking back at the phone.
"Maybe after all this is done I'll go take a long vacation." she muttered. The phone rang and she picked it up hurriedly. "Jack? Did you get there?" she looked up at Donna. "Ok, yeah we will. I'll have Steve take you to the lab. Yeah...bye." She hung up and stood.
"They're already on their way back, Jack said they want to run tests on some contaminated air they found onsite, back to work." she rolled her eyes and gestured for Donna to follow her out the door.
Donna set down her mug and slipped her hands in her pockets. The stamina her friends had would never cease to amaze her, but sometimes she wished they would stop acting and be honest with each other. Every one of them hid behind some mask, that shielded them from the others. Even the Doctor and Rose were hiding from each other and she wondered vaguely how long that would last. For a group that spent their time, risking lives and fighting for all they had, they were ruled by fear. They let it control and define them. She watched Martha's stoic professionalism and sighed. Somehow she knew it wouldn't be long before she too hid behind the same mask.