"Are you my Mummy?"
Rose Tyler looked up from her book, startled. Crouched in front of her was a woman with dark hair pulled into a messy bun, wearing some sort of paper mask shaped like a gas mask.
"Are you my Mummy?"
The woman leaned in closer, pressing against Rose's knees. Smiling softly, Rose tilted her head.
"Sorry, I'm not your Mummy. I've just got done visiting with my own Mum. Do you see someone here that you think might be your Mummy?"
The woman gripped Rose's hand and tugged. Rose glanced around the visiting area but the aides were busy assisting other families with their loved ones. She just finished visiting with her own Mum and was waiting for Dr. Mott to come round and introduce the new physician who'd been treating Jackie Tyler for the last month. A fresh wave of guilt washed through Rose at not having visited her Mum sooner but there was no helping it. Bills were due and she'd picked up so many double shifts at the shop she'd barely managed breakfast most days let alone any other meals. She was absolutely determined that her Mum would return to the flat as if nothing had changed. As it was, Rose was going to have to have the telly turned back on and get phone service restored. She'd been living with nothing more than her mobile for the last few months.
Another tug brought her back to reality.
The woman pulled her towards the door and out into the bright hallway. One reason Rose liked this hospital more than the others was the colors. Rather than the typical sterile, white hallways, Nightingale Mental Health Hospital's were painted a bright yellow with green trim and decorated with artwork, both local artists and the patient's own. A few were of Rose's own artwork, back when she had time to draw and paint, scattered along the ward at her mother's insistence.
Rose's new companion hadn't gotten far when they bumped into a tall, thin man dressed in brown pinstriped trousers, a light blue oxford and a brown swirly patterned tie. His brown hair defied gravity, spiked in all directions with the exception of his neatly trimmed side burns but his chocolate colored eyes were kind behind his dark rimmed glasses.
"Well, Miss Foster, who have you kidnapped now?" He drawled in a wonderful Scottish accent. Rose mentally chided herself. She did not need to find this man attractive!
The woman, Miss Foster, tilted her masked head at the man and repeated her query.
"Are you my Mummy?"
He laughed. "That would be a bit difficult, eh? But I tell you what, I bet if you take off your wonderful mask so we can see your face, it will be a bit easier for you to find what you're looking for."
Miss Foster seemed to think about it for a moment before releasing Rose's hand to untie her mask. The woman beneath was pleasant looking, but squinted dreadfully. She patted her pockets and pulled out a pair of glasses, slipping those on and handing the mask to the man.
"Lovely," he smiled. "Now, if you check your room, I bet you'll find what you were looking for."
Clapping, Miss Foster disappeared down another hallway, leaving Rose and the stranger together. The man ran his finger through his hair absently.
"I hope she wasn't too much trouble."
Rose found herself entranced by the path the man's fingers were taking through the thick dark strands. So much so, she almost forgot to answer.
"Oh, no. She wasn't any trouble. I was actually waiting for Dr. Mott to get back. He was supposed to be looking for someone for me to meet."
"Wilf? You wouldn't be Miss Tyler then would you?"
"Yes. And you are?"
He thrust his hand out and Rose took it, noticing immediately how warm it was and how comfortable her smaller hand fit in his.
"Dr. James McCrimmon. Most people just call me Doctor, though, except Wilf, he calls me Jaime." Dr. McCrimmon wrinkled his nose at the last.
Rose laughed. "Rose Tyler, Jackie's daughter. Nice to meet ya. Do you want to go back to the visitors lounge and wait for Dr. Mott or…"
"My office is here," he gestured behind him with his free hand, only then realizing that he still held Rose's with the other. Dropping it quickly, he turned and motioned for her to go ahead of him into the room.
It was unlike most of the other physician's of offices she'd been in, boasting degrees and accolades on the walls along with complicated charts and diagrams of the brain and neurons. Dr. McCrimmon had the diploma's, but they were stacked haphazardly against a file cabinet topped with a thriving fern. His walls featured photos of him smiling with his patients and his desk was cluttered with files and models of the brain.
Shifting a pile of files from one of the guest chairs to the floor, he motioned for Rose to sit while he dropped into his own chair with a sheepish smile.
"Sorry for the chaos. I promise it's just while I'm getting acquainted with everyone and I just have to settle in." He jumped a bit when a slinky spring out from the recently moved files and bounced across the floor.
Laughing, Rose found herself more at ease than she had in a long time.
"Somehow, I doubt that, Doctor. Not that it's a bad thing," She hurried to assure him when he frowned at her. "Isn't there a saying about a messy desk?"
"Ah, Einstein. 'If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?' I would never be accused of having an empty mind!"
"Will that woman, Miss Foster, find what she was looking for?"
"Worried about her, are you?" He leaned back in his chair and regarded her with those fathomless eyes. "She'll find it in her room. It's a doll she's looking for. You handled her very well, Miss Tyler. Not many people would have been so comfortable with a mental health patient, even if their own parent is one."
"Rose, please. I've been though this so often with Mum that this place seems like a sort of second home now. It's weird that Dr. Mott will be retiring. I've known him since I was 17, just after Mum's last big relapse. She seemed to be doing so well at home." She twisted her fingers together, trying not to pick at her cuticles. She was desperately trying to break the habit. Again.
"Wilf, Dr. Mott, is a wonderful psychiatrist, Rose and I'm sure he's not going to abandon you completely." The Doctor pulled out a thick file and opened it. Clipped to the upper left hand corner was a smiling picture of Jackie Tyler, her dyed blond hair in a neat tail. No roots showed in the picture in the file. In reality, Jackie Tyler had been in the hospital long enough for a good three inches of dark brown hair to have grown in. She was desperate for a trip to the salon. One more expense Rose was struggling to save up for.
She tried to focus back on what the Doctor was saying.
"I've been treating Jackie for the last month. Really, I've been spending most of my time getting to know her. She talks about you quite a bit. What she wants out of life for you. What she thinks you should be doing. Takes quite a bit to get her focused on herself."
"Tell me about it," Rose muttered.
He smiled. "Yes, Jackie likes to focus on others during her waking hours. It allows her to avoid her reality and escape into her fantasy world in sleep. We've been focusing on that."
For the next forty minutes, Rose and the Doctor discussed her Mum's new treatment and the anticipation of Jackie being able to come home for a short period of time for the holidays when Rose's stomach rumbled loudly, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since breakfast and that was only a slice of toast and tea.
Dr. Wilfred Mott chose that moment to pop his head through the doorway. He was older, Rose suspected somewhere in his late sixties, with white hair and whiskers, but his blue eyes sparkled with intelligence and humor. She couldn't imagine him sitting still in retirement. He was always regaling Rose with astronomy lessons and the latest conspiracy theory about aliens and the crown.
"Oh, ho, there you two are! I've been combing the halls for you. Leaving me at the tender mercies of your mother, I see Miss Tyler," Dr. Mott teased.
Rose laughed. "I hope Mum wasn't too hard on you. She's gonna miss you when you leave. Dr. McCrimmon here's been tellin' me about how Mum's been adjusting to 'im."
"Slapped him a good one the first time he sat in on one of my sessions with her, she did."
The Doctor rubbed at his cheek. "And I'm still recovering from that. Lesson learned."
Rose raised a brow. "What lesson was that?"
"Never discuss her cooking skills in a session. Ever."
Wilf gestured at the two of them. "Speaking of cooking, Miss Tyler I came in just in time to hear your stomach protesting rather loudly. And I know this bean pole doesn't consume anything except for coffee while he's here. Why don't the two of you pop out for a bite?"
Blushing, Rose glanced at the Doctor to see him tugging on his ear. His very red tipped ear.
"I don't want to interrupt anything…" Rose hedged.
"Nonsense. Gives me time to organize this one's case notes. And make certain the two of you eat something. Rose you are looking entirely too thin. I've told you before that you work too hard. Don't make me regret retiring. I just might have to take up looking after you as my new hobby. Now go, both of you."
The Doctor grabbed a matching pinstriped coat and gestured for Rose to precede him out into the hall. After stopping at reception to sign out, they headed out into the cool London air. Rose paused at the sidewalk, not sure where he wanted to go.
"So, Miss Tyler, what do you fancy having for dinner? Anything in particular?" The Doctor asked rocking back on his heels. Rose glanced down and noticed he was wearing battered cream colored Chucks with his suit rather than dress shoes. A bit geeky, but it seemed to fit him.
"Dunno. Haven't really had the time to go out an' eat much lately. But I could murder some chips."
"Chips it is! It just so happens there is a fantastic chippy about two blocks over from here. Shall we?" He held out his arm and Rose looped hers though it without a second thought. Both were quiet, content to enjoy the brisk breeze and rare sunshine. The chippy was sandwiched between a medical bookshop and a butcher's but the rich smell of grease and potatoes filled the air and caused Rose's stomach to rumble loudly a second time. This time the Doctor laughed.
"Have you been feeding that thing lately? It seems angry."
Blushing, Rose ducked under his arm and made her way to the counter. "Tea an' toast for breakfast. I had a quick fill in this mornin' for a mate that called in sick. They needed me to cover otherwise this would'a been my first full day off in almost a month. I need to go to the grocery."
"A month?" He frowned down at her, dark brows drawing together. "I think Wilf was right when he said you worked too hard. Do you always work so much?"
The cashier pushed a tray loaded with fish and chips along with drinks towards them and the Doctor patted his suit pockets. Then his pants pockets. His arm was in one almost to his elbow when Rose stopped him with a sigh.
"No money?"
The eyes he gave her wouldn't have looked out of place on a puppy who was trying to avoid a scolding.
She pulled out her wallet "Cheap date, you are. I'll pay this time but the next round is on you."
Grabbing the tray, he moved towards a booth. "So you're implying there's going to be a next time, Miss Tyler?"
"It's a figure of speech," she popped a chip in her mouth and moaned. "Though if all the places you know to eat at have food as good as these chips, there might have to be a next time."
"Sure, use me for my excellent taste in food. But in all seriousness Rose, why are you working so much?"
Sipping her water, Rose tried to organize her thoughts. She'd tried explaining why she was hardly around to her friends and they didn't understand, wanted her to bunk in with one of them and enjoy her twenties. Maybe Dr. McCrimmon would be able to validate why she was working so hard.
"I work at Hendrick's. I used to just work days, back when Mum was at home, on Powell Estate." The Doctor nodded. "When she went back in the hospital this last time it was hard to keep track of everything. She must have gotten some of those credit card applications in the mail and I didn't notice, ran up some bills. I got them all sorted but I was still almost a thousand pounds in debit. Then there were the regular bills and rent and groceries. I needed to keep everything the same so when Mum comes home this time, nothin's out of place."
Setting down his fork, the Doctor leaned forward and rest his elbows on the table. "Rose, I'm going to be honest with you, I've read through your Mother's chart several times, seen the different medications she's tried, the varying talk therapies she's been through. I've been working with Dr. Mott to transition her over to my care for the past few weeks. There are a number of pages in that file devoted to you, in how you care for your Mum, so I'm asking you if you think your Mum can handle being at home?"
Rose pushed back from the table.
"Of course she wants to go home! Why wouldn't she?"
"That's not what I asked, Rose, and I think you know it. I think you deliberately phrased your answer that way. You come across as a very intelligent young woman. I want to know what you think."
"That's where you're wrong. I'm not smart. Never even sat my A-levels. Stuck workin' in a shop the rest of my life."
He reached out and covered her hand with his. "There's more to life than book smarts. So talk to me, Rose Tyler."
"I think…I think she'd be okay. For a bit. Then she'd see some psychic on the telly and be back to square one. I even hid Dad's ashes last time cause she was carrying 'round in her purse with her. But I don't know what I'd do without her, either."
"Don't you want to move out one day? Get married? Have a family of your own? Do you think Jackie would be functional on her own."
Rose stabbed at a particularly large chip. "Never gave the future much thought. Had a bit of a rebellious stage when I was younger that lasted about a year and that pretty much broke me of taking any risks. Alls I know is the Estate. Mum always talked about me getting' airs an' graces from bein' around the types of people at the shop, how I should be proud of where I'm from and not want anythin' more. Figured I'd be takin' care of her for the rest of my life."
"Rose, just from what I've read about you, I think you have more potential than you know. And I think I'd like to get to know you better. Not as your mother's physician either."
Eyes widening, Rose chewed her chips for a moment and studied James McCrimmon. He was unlike anyone she would meet on the Estate that was for sure. Lankey, but fit, well dressed, he had intelligence in spades but didn't make Rose feel inferior. He was gorgeous, there was no doubt about that, with those chocolate brown eyes, and that wild hair, and a dusting a freckles across his cheeks. But Rose had made it a rule to avoid men after her last disasterous relationship. Even though that had been years ago.
"Are you sure that would be okay? I mean, Mum's your patient and all."
He tugged his ear. "I think it should be alright. I'd have to be careful with what I discuss with you, even though you are her medical Power of Attorney. I can talk to Wilf about it if you're worried."
"You're that serious that you'd talk to Dr. Mott? But you just met me?"
He reached out and covered her hand. "There is something special about you Rose Tyler. A spark that I haven't felt since I moved here from Scotland. And I'd like to find out more about it."
Rose found herself nodding. "Alright then. Chips are on you next time."