Thank you so much for the reviews! And I'd say I'm sorry for the cliffhanger but I'm not cause I will probably make it up to you with this one XD

Chapter 17

"Doctor!" Clara cried out as she sank down with him, unable to hold him up as the blood stain on his trouser leg grew. He was shaking in her arms, his face a grimace of pain. She had no idea what to do.

"He'll live," Kate told her, her voice void of any emotion, "The bullet only grazed his leg."

"Why did you shoot him?!" Clara yelled angrily before her gaze wandered back to the Doctor. He was in so much pain and she was powerless to do anything about it.

"Give me the key and I'll call an ambulance," Kate said and when Clara looked at her it was as if she had never seen the woman before. "Give it to me or I'll take it."

Clara reached for the key and ripped it off her neck.

"Clara," the Doctor grunted weakly, "Don't."

"Shut up!" she told him right before she threw the key at Kate's feet. The woman bent down to pick it up before she stuck the gun back into her holster.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to do this," she apologized, "Bind something around his leg. The ambulance will be here shortly."

As soon as Kate's steps had vanished the Doctor started to groan in pain as if he hadn't wanted to show weakness in front of her. Now it seemed he couldn't hold back any longer. Bind something around his leg. Something. Anything.

Clara took off her scarf and leaned forward, fastening it around the leaking wound. What if the ambulance wasn't fast enough? He was losing so much blood.

"You shouldn't have," he groaned when the fabric was tightened around his wound, "Given it to her."

"Shut up," Clara repeated breathlessly and took his leg even though he protested, lifting it above his chest. Stop the blood flow. That was what she needed to do.

"No," he panted, "We have to get it back."

"Not now. We have to get you to a hospital," she told him calmly. She just prayed that they could get away before Kate realized what Clara had done.

The Doctor cleared his throat and tried to sit up. "Not a hospital. They'll catch us," he groaned again, "Do you have the car here?"

"Yes," Clara said but tried to push him back down, "But you need medical attention."

"Take me to the car. I know where to go."

Seeing as all her protests wouldn't do any good Clara eventually helped him into a standing position. He couldn't walk, not on his own so she let him lean on her shoulder with almost his full weight as they slowly made their way out of the room.

The walk back to the car seemed endless and Clara noticed that soon the blood began dripping from her scarf to the floor.

"I'll be fine," the Doctor panted weakly as if sensing her worry somehow, "I have a friend. A nurse. He'll patch me up."

Clara helped him down the steps. They were almost at the car. They just had to make it. In the distance she could hear sirens of an ambulance car just as she lowered him into the passenger seat. Clara thought she saw relief on his face once he was sitting down again.

"Don't you dare die on me," she told him strictly, "You will not die!"

Finally the Doctor cracked a smile. "Don't you worry. I'll be fine. It looks like a lot of blood but it's not."

She wasn't sure whether she should believe him. His face was the colour of ash by now. As the sirens drew closer Clara shut the passenger door and hurried over to the driver's seat. While Clara was still buckling up the Doctor leaned forward and started typing an address into the sat nav. She noticed how his hands were shaking.

Finally he leaned back into the seat with a sigh. "Drive there. Amy and Rory," he paused, catching his breath, "They're friends."

"Can we trust them?" Clara asked. She had a hard time trusting anyone after Donna and Kate. When the Doctor finally nodded Clara pushed the gas pedal to the ground.

The drive took over an hour and Clara knew that on the passenger seat the Doctor slipped in and out of consciousness, either from blood loss or from pain – she couldn't tell. She tried to keep him talking but it was no use. A few times, whenever they passed a sign pointing towards a hospital, Clara reconsidered her options. She was so scared that she might lose him, it almost drove her mad. Then they left the city and there were no more hospital signs in sight. The Doctor just had to make it.

"Turn right and in 300 metres your destination will be on the right," the sat nav said and Clara breathed in relief as she came to a halt in front of a seemingly ordinary house in a small village. Everything was dark except for the light in a single room.

"Doctor, we're here," she said quietly but he didn't respond.

Not knowing what else to do Clara jumped out of the car and ran up to the door, ringing the bell and banging against the wood as loudly as she possibly could.

"I'm coming! Stop the noise!" a Scottish sounding woman yelled from the other side of the door and a few seconds later Clara stared into the face of a young woman with long, red hair.

"Who are you?" she asked in confusion, staring down at Clara.

"The Doctor has been shot! He's in the car!" Clara blurted out.

"Rory! Come quickly!" the woman yelled into the house shortly before a young man appeared by the door as well.

After Clara had briefly explained what had happened Rory ran off in the direction of the car and with combined strength they somehow managed to drag the Doctor inside. He mumbled something while she and Rory carried him into the house but Clara couldn't understand.

"Hello to you, too," Rory laughed, "Don't worry, you've had worse injuries."

Their light-heartedness somehow managed to calm Clara's nerves as they dropped him on a bed in one of the downstairs rooms. However when Rory unfastened the scarf and ripped his trousers open Clara gasped.

"It looks bad but it isn't," the Scottish woman said behind her, her voice calm and gentle as she placed her hand on Clara's shoulder, "Come into the kitchen. I'll make us a cup of tea."

Clara looked back at the Doctor. Maybe she should stay with him instead?

"The Doctor is in good hands. My husband is a nurse. He'll be fine," she reassured her and finally Clara decided to follow the redhead.

Clara sat down at the kitchen table and was glad to have something to hold on to once a cup of tea was pushed in her direction. The woman sat down in front of her, smiling so kindly that it warmed Clara's heart. Kindness was a rare thing these days, she thought.

"I'm Amy," she said with a soft smile, "And Rory's my husband. We've known the Doctor for a long time. Don't worry, you will be safe here."

"I'm Clara," she replied quietly.

"I know. Well, I guessed."

Clara's faced turned into a frown. "You're a part of the organisation, too?"

Amy shook her head. "No. What I know about you is what the Doctor told me. He used to speak a lot about you when he was still driving you to school. But he said you have the biggest eyes he has ever seen on such a tiny person. It had to be you."

They both laughed at that and it felt good, so good to be somewhere safe and just have that tiny of moment of joy despite everything.

"You can stay here for as long as you like but I insist that you stay at least for Christmas. I haven't seen the Doctor in over a year, he owes us some quality time," Amy smiled.

"How do you know the Doctor?" Clara asked curiously.

Amy laughed once more. "He crashed his car in my aunt's garden when I was a kid."

"He did what?"

"He was on a mission, on the run, and while he tried to hide his car from his pursuer he drove into our garden. Crashed into our shed with the headlights off. His pursuer drove off. Probably hadn't even seen him in our yard. He stayed with me all night because I was home alone for the first time and scared out of my senses about monsters under my bed and stuff like that," Amy giggled, "He has been a friend ever since."

Clara smiled. "That sounds like him."

They sat in the kitchen for a while, talking, drinking their tea. Clara explained why they were on the run and Amy nodded understandingly, again promising that the Doctor would be fine once Rory had patched him up and slowly but surely Clara began to feel the adrenaline wane from her body, leaving her dead tired. Eventually Rory stepped back into the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel.

"How is he?" Clara asked instantly.

"All bandaged up," Rory explained, "I gave him something for the pain. He'll sleep through the night. He'll be as good as new soon."

"Oh, thank God," Clara sighed happily.

"I'll prepare you the other guest room," Amy rose from her chair, making Clara turn back around.

"No need. I just wanna be with the Doctor now."

Amy looked surprised but she didn't argue as Clara made her way back into the guest bedroom the Doctor was occupying. He looked peaceful now with his eyes closed after the pain medication had started to work.

Clara dropped her jacket on a nearby chair and crawled under the blankets next to him, wrapping her arm tightly around the Doctor. She had missed him so much. She had missed being close to him. Carefully she rested her head on his chest and to her surprise the Doctor started to stir, closing his arm around her shoulder and pulling her even closer.

"I'm so glad you're okay," she whispered.

He chuckled lightly. "Me too," he replied.

Clara looked up at him and saw him smiling in the moonlight. She couldn't help herself. She lifted herself up an brought their lips together in a soft kiss. Clara had expected the Doctor to pull away or scold her. What she hadn't expected was that he parted his lips and leaned in further to their kiss.