Rose woke up from her nap, suddenly very alert. Something was different, though she couldn't put her finger on it.
Suddenly, a voice close to her broke the silence. "Rose?"
Her world exploded as she flung herself into the Doctor's arms, sobbing helplessly. It sounded like he was crying, too, even as he shushed her and stroked her hair.
"I'm here," he said. "It's all right. I've got you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." The bed dipped as he sat beside, so he could hold her better.
"I knew you'd come," she gasped out. "I told them, but no one would believe me …"
"It's all right, Rose," he murmured, kissing her hair.
"It's not all right!" she shouted. "I'm not all right! And no one would listen! No one would believe you were coming back! And you weren't there; you didn't come. You didn't stop them, and they …" Her voice broke as she grabbed his shirt with both fists and sobbed into it.
"Shh, I'm so sorry. I tried to find you. I've been trying for a whole year, pushing the TARDIS as far as she would go. I never stopped looking you, Rose, not for one second. I had no idea the ship you were on crashed on Earth. I came while you were out with Jack. Your mum decked me, but I think I deserved it."
Rose sniffled and tried to breathe, while deciding whether or not she agreed with her mother for once.
"I won't ask you to forgive me, but … will you come to the TARDIS with me? I want to see if there's anything I can do to help you."
Rose nodded vigorously; she had missed the TARDIS terribly. The Doctor gathered her slimmer frame into his arms and carried her to the ship. She nearly cried with joy as she could hear and feel the TARDIS welcoming her back.
She could smell antiseptic as the Doctor brought her into the medical lab. He laid her down on the exam table and quickly spread a self-heating blanket over her. Normally she hated this room, but she was so happy to be back on the TARDIS that she didn't mind.
She grabbed the Doctor's hand as he moved away. Truthfully, she didn't much care whether she could forgive him or not. She just didn't want him to leave.
He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I'm just going to set the machine to scan you, Rose. I'm not going anywhere."
"We're here, too, sweetheart," Jackie said, touching her other arm.
"You won't feel a thing," the Doctor told her, releasing her hand.
"Need any help, Doctor?" Jack asked.
"Nope! Everything's under control. The scan should take a few minutes. Try to lie still, Rose."
She wanted to hold his hand again, but she obediently remained still, drinking in the comfort of the TARDIS.
A few minutes later, the machine finished with a beep.
"Well?" Jackie demanded.
Rose winced at her tone.
"Analyzing the results now." Though the Doctor's voice was neutral, Rose could feel the tension in the air. She wanted to tell her mum that the Doctor would make everything all right, and then they would be off among the stars again. But she knew her mother wouldn't understand. "Almost done. I think I should speak to Rose alone."
Rose could feel Jackie's retort even before it started. Jack managed to quiet her and convinced her to let the Doctor deliver the news alone.
The Doctor gently took Rose's hand as the door closed. "Rose … I'm sorry. I can repair some of the damage, but not all of it. You're still going to be blind. I'm so sorry. This is my fault."
Rose was more puzzled than sad. "But … how will I run?"
The Doctor made a soft choking sound. "Rose, you can't come with me. I'm sorry. It's too dangerous, and I couldn't bear it if you got hurt again."
Rose pushed herself up onto her elbows. "I can still run."
"Rose, you can't. Even when you're physically able to run again, you can't see."
She thought for a minute. "Then take me somewhere they can give me new eyes."
"I can't. The hospitals that can do that have strict policies on treating patients from another time period. I wish I could. But … there is something I can do."
"What?"
"I … I could erase your memory. You could forget me entirely and get on with your new life here."
Tears sprang to Rose's eyes. She groped for his arm. "No! I can't forget!"
She could hear him crying softly. "It might … be easier. I remember what Sarah-Jane said, about how hard it was to return to life on Earth after seeing the stars."
Rose sat up and pushed him away violently. "NO! I'm not going to forget you, and I'm not staying here! I'm coming with you! There's nothing for me here!"
"Don't say that. You can still have a brilliant life here –"
Rose shoved herself off the exam table, but she misjudged the height and crashed to the floor.
"Rose!"
She felt his arms around her as she cried. She didn't care if she was pathetic; everything was going so very wrong. "You can't just leave me, please. Don't leave me. I need you. I waited, Doctor. No matter what anyone said, I never stopped believing you'd come. You can't leave …" Rose felt her heart breaking all over again.
He kissed the top of her head, rocking her gently. "You're right. I can't. This is my fault, and I should be the one to take care of you."
"What do you mean?"
He kissed her forehead. "I'll find someplace we can live. I'll look after you. Everything will be all right. Shh, just rest for now. I'll make it right, Rose. I promise."
She was starting to feel tired from the exertion but forced herself awake. "Hang on … you don't mean staying on the TARDIS, do you?"
"No. I mean I'll stop running."
Rose stilled in his arms. "You can't do that. "
"It won't be easy, but I will."
Rose started to cry again. "You can't. I won't let you. People need you, and you need to run."
"This isn't your choice. It's mine, Rose."
She shook her head, sobbing against his chest. "No. I won't let you. I'd never be happy, knowing that I was what kept you from running."
"Rose Tyler … I love you. I want to be with you, even if that means standing still."
She was surprised as his lips pressed down on hers. She allowed herself this moment – this one moment – of pure joy.
When she could breathe again, she spoke. "I love you, too, Doctor. And … that's why I can't let you stop." She felt her heart leap into her throat, but she had to say it before she changed her mind. "I would feel guilty for the rest of my life. Neither of us would be happy."
"But I can't leave you!"
"Help me get better. Stay for a little while. I want to get better so I can do something. Maybe I can work with Jack at Torchwood. I want to be useful. Please? Please don't condemn me to a worthless life."
The Doctor was quiet for a while. "Are you sure it would be worthless if we were together?"
"No. But I don't think it would be happy either. You're a Time Lord, Doctor. I could never ask you to give up what you are."
"There are things we could do. We could find a place to settle down and get jobs. We could still help people, just on a smaller scale."
Rose just smiled gently. "It's not the same, and you know it. I would hold you back. It'll be all right. You can come visit. Bring me souvenirs."
He pulled her close, crying into her hair. "I won't leave you. Not now."
"No," she said softly, calming even as she felt him shaking. "In a while. You'll need to run again, and I won't be able to. And … it's all right."
A sob wrenched from his throat as he held her tighter. "I don't want to be alone."
"You don't have to be. You can find someone to travel with, someone brilliant."
"What if something happens?"
"Believe me, after anyone meets you, they understand the risks. And maybe you can take me out once in a while to somewhere safe?"
"I'll take you wherever you want."
"Promise you'll visit?"
"Can't promise I'll leave yet," he said with a small laugh.
Rose giggled, reaching up to wipe away the tears on his cheeks. "We can still have a life, Doctor. I just can't run with you, and you can't stay still. But we can meet in the middle if we try, yeah?"
"Yeah. Come on. Let's get you back into bed. I need to run some more tests. Then I think I can repair the damage to your motor function and memory. Walking should be easier after that." He lifted her up, laying her carefully on the bed and tucking the blankets around her. She yawned widely. "You're knackered, aren't you?"
She nodded, reaching out for his hand.
He took hers and kissed it softly. "Then sleep for a bit. Want me to fill in your mother and Jack?"
She nodded again, having run out of words. She hung onto his hand.
"You want me to stay until you're asleep?"
She smiled. "Yeah."
He kissed her forehead. "Then I will."
To be continued ...
This may have taken quite a different turn than some people expected. But this scene is what turned it from, "Random thing I'm writing because I'm bored and will never post" to "Hey, this is actually interesting! I think I should post this!"