A/N A BIG thank you to everyone who has, and continues to review so far! It's your encouragement that keeps me writing. And to those who've reviewed anonymously that I'm not able to reply directly to, just know your reviews are VERY much appreciated too. :)

On a side note, I realized I've just passed the one year mark since taking the plunge and finally writing my first story. Who knew what I was getting myself into? :D

Chapter 9

A week had passed since the progress the Doctor had made in helping to create life-extending treatments for the people of Janyeer. Now, he stood on the verge of the final breakthrough.

Sometimes for the Doctor, the universe was kind and saving people came relatively easy. Sometimes it was just a matter of dispersing nanogenes and "everybody lived." Other times all it took was cooking up a 'cocktail,' dousing it on the sick and having them pass it on while he proclaimed, "I'm the Doctor and I cured them!" But sometimes it came with more of a fight, more of a struggle, sleepless nights and ceaseless work. Yet the Doctor often managed to live up to his name none the less. Rose knew this and had stood witness to it many times. She had said early on that if anyone had a chance of saving these people it was him, and her faith in the Doctor had not been misplaced.

A way to reverse the mutation was no longer a distant hope but now almost a reality. He had yet to tell Dr. Kedra and Professor T'neer just how far he'd actually come and how close a cure now was because he didn't want to raise their hopes until he was 100% certain of success. After double checking his results at the lab and running a few more tests, he then planned to reveal the news.

If everything went to plan with his findings, then today would be the day – tomorrow at the latest; but he was so, so close, and the Doctor was overanxious to get this day started.

Rose, however, didn't quite seem to share in his eagerness for an early start.

Rose wouldn't necessarily call herself a 'morning person,' but she wasn't the type to want to stay in bed all day, either (unless, of course, there was something more than sleep taking place. That changed the matter entirely). Staying in bed and sleeping was all she wanted to do today, though. The Doctor had fallen asleep with her the night before after making passionate love – repeatedly – but had gotten up after a few hours of sated slumber to resume working, having fulfilled his needed amount of rest.

If only Rose could feel like she'd gotten the same. She barely even stirred when the Doctor gently woke her with a kiss and said something about fixing her breakfast.

He returned sometime later with buttered toast and jam, some sliced Janyeerian fruit and the tea Rose loved so much. Setting the plate and steaming mug on the table beside the bed, he sat next to Rose and leaned down to place another soft kiss to her lips, then one to each sleepy eyelid.

"Breakfast is served, Dame Rose," he said with a bright smile.

Rose mumbled something indistinct and snuggled further into the warm covers.

"Now, now," he admonished, "you're supposed to be getting out of bed, not burrowing further in. With just the crown of your blonde head showing you look like a Slagrat in hibernation." This time Rose's comment was not indistinct. The Doctor raised a brow at her grouchy expletive. "And after I went to the trouble of making you breakfast in bed! I'll have you know that's not something I do for just anyone." He pointed an accusing finger. "That was just rude, Rose Tyler. That was rude and I am shocked. Shocked and offended, and..."

"Shut up," she groused into her pillow. "You're the one who called me a...Slugrat."

"A Slagrat," he helpfully corrected.

Rose cracked an eye open and peered at him with a hard look, but her sour mood instantly dissolved when she looked at him. His chocolate eyes were dancing and a silly grin was stretched out across his face. There was no denying it. He was utterly adorable – even if he was being a pest and had no right to be so chipper this early in the morning, which was exactly what she told him.

"It's not exactly early," he informed her. "We're due at the hospital in fifteen minutes...and actually, I'd been hoping to get there earlier today."

Rose groaned and closed her eyes again. "I don't know why I'm so tired," she murmured weakly.

The Doctor's smirk and the voice that accompanied it was nothing less than supremely smug. "Three words: No Refractory Period."

She opened her eyes again, taking in his prideful expression. "You think you're so impressive," she mocked, yet her breathy voice sounded just the opposite.

"I am so impressive, and I think you agree," he husked, as he trailed a long finger across the line of her jaw.

Rose sighed dreamily, unable to continue the pretense. "Mmm...no arguments from me."

The Doctor leaned forward, nuzzling at the side of her neck before bringing his lips to within millimeters of hers. "You're quite impressive yourself," he replied in a low, sexy tone as his lips slowly moved toward hers, but then he paused, and quickly retreated before she could claim his lips. "But not when you're lying in bed like a lump all day. C'mon! Up and at 'em!"

Rose groaned once again as she reluctantly pulled herself up to sit, trying to ignore the unpleasant spinning sensation in her head that accompanied the movement. She didn't mention this to him. Rose knew if the Doctor thought she was feeling anything more than simply tired he'd be hesitant for them to leave. That was the last thing she wanted – today of all days – considering how close he was to being able to reveal his success. Plus she really didn't think it was anything worth mentioning anyway.

The Doctor handed her the plate of food and she eyed it dubiously. Rose didn't want to turn it down after the Doctor had made it for her. He wasn't exaggerating when he said fixing her breakfast wasn't something he did for just anyone. Simple as the act was, for him this pushed his boundaries of domestic. She really didn't feel like eating anything at the moment, though.

The Doctor spread an excessively proportioned glob of jam across a piece of toast and snatched a bite for himself before handing her the rest. "Eat up," he encouraged as he chewed.

Rose looked up at him and back down at the proffered plate of food. Her stomach did an unpleasant rolling. "I think I'll just...have the tea for now. I'm really not that hungry this morning," she finally had to admit.

The Doctor cocked his head to the side, eyeing her skeptically. How could she possibly not want jam? "You sure?" he asked, passing her the tea.

Rose nodded as she took a sip. "Yeah, I'll eat something more later. But you should get going. I've held you up long enough already and I know how anxious you are to get started today."

"I can wait," he offered, yet he was practically bouncing on the bed with nervous energy.

Rose smiled and lifted her hand to his cheek. "No, you go ahead. I'll meet you later." Her eyes shone with pride as she stroked his cheek. "You, my brilliant Doctor, have a planet to save."

He took her hand from his cheek and turned to kiss her palm. "I'll meet you for lunch, okay?"

She nodded and smiled as he hopped up from the bed and made his way out of the room. Rose slumped back on the pillows and heaved a sigh. Now if she could just get herself out of bed.

-:-:-:-

Rose had learned through experience these past couple of weeks that working in the children's ward could be draining at times, but today it seemed especially so. She just couldn't seem to shake the feeling of sluggishness that had been hanging over her all day like a cloud. It wasn't just today, either. The past couple of days she'd been feeling more and more tired for what she could only assume was no reason at all. Admittedly, the stress of working with terminally ill children was heavy, but the past week had brought such hope. With the new treatments, baby Kessa was already improving, as were so many others. So if it wasn't stress, why was she feeling so completely drained?

A few hours into her shift Rose realized it was getting close to lunchtime and the Doctor would be meeting her soon. Knowing how he was when he began working, though, she would no doubt have to be the one to go find him. He could get so single-mindedly focused in on a task that he'd go the whole day without remembering to eat if she didn't see to it that he took a break to do so. Although, Rose pondered, eating really didn't seem like an appealing idea to her at the moment either. She had promised the Doctor that morning she would eat something later on, but she just never felt like it. She wasn't really feeling nauseous, per se; her appetite just wasn't there. She decided to wait a little longer before going to meet the Doctor. Maybe her appetite would pick up by then.

Rose was locking away a tray of medication in the pharmaceutical cabinet when it suddenly felt as if the entire planet tilted sharply on its axis. A glance at the medication sitting perfectly still on the shelf told her that maybe it was just her and not the planet. She felt the room beginning to tilt once again as she grabbed the door of the cabinet in an attempt to steady herself.

Nurse Leedra was coming up behind her and saw Rose beginning to wobble, her face noticeably pale. "Rose, are you okay?" she asked quickly.

Rose vaguely registered the sound of a voice, but it seemed strangely distant. The floor suddenly came up to meet her as her vision went black.

The next thing Rose was aware of was opening her eyes groggily and squinting at the bright light which shone from the ceiling overhead. As her vision swam into focus, she turned her head to the side and saw Nurse Leedra hovering nearby and Dr. Kedra flitting quickly around the room, setting up some type of medical equipment. Rose realized she was lying on a bed in an exam room and she quickly remembered passing out. The unpleasant memory hit her just as she began to sit up, and another wave of dizziness passed over her. Rose groaned, pressing the palms of her hands into her eyes. What was wrong with her? Sudden feelings of fear, disorientation and physical distress battered her all at once.

-:-:-:-

The Doctor sat in the lab with Professor T'neer, intently scrawling notes and simultaneously entering information into a data-pad, when his focus was interrupted as he was suddenly hit with a mental wave of distress. The acute flash of disturbance upon his own mind jolted him. It was Rose. He knew that immediately. Since their bonding and the mental link they shared, the Doctor now had that sense of awareness of her presence just at the very edge of his consciousness. Most of the time it was subtle. It was anything but subtle now. That connection suddenly blazed to life, making him keenly aware that something was causing her distress.

With a single focus and without a word, the Doctor abruptly stood and headed for the door.

"Doctor, what is it?" Professor T'neer called after him in confusion.

"It's Rose. Something's wrong, I can feel it." the Doctor replied without looking back as he dashed from the room.

Professor T'neer quickly followed after the Doctor, his mind beginning to race.

It had not yet been two weeks since the treatments given to Rose had been completed, but it was certainly possible she could be pregnant this soon. But to already be having symptoms? If something was now wrong with Rose, as the Doctor had sensed, and that something was what he thought it was, already causing her difficulties, then the Doctor was about to find out about all this in quite probably the worst way possible.

He had a dreaded feeling a storm was about to be unleashed.