I do not own the song used in this chapter it is owned by Parachute, the song is Forever and Always.
That night Ace is on the cot in the room while Ryan opted for the overstuffed chair. Ryan gets woken up by a touch to his shoulder.
"Doctor?"
"I moved the TARDIS closer. I am worried about both Graham and Ace. Through all the years I traveled with her; I never saw her this distraught. If you want to sleep in a bed, your room is still open."
"Thank you, but no thanks. I have a feeling if Ace was to wake up and not notice the TARDIS at first she would freak out if I wasn't here."
"Ok, it is up to you."
"I may come in to talk to you if everyone else comes by."
"I have a feeling they might." With that the Doctor goes back inside the TARDIS and Ryan looks at his Grandad.
"Why didn't you tell me that Ace was so loyal and that she liked you. I would have encouraged you to ask her out. She hasn't wanted to leave her side. It took my coaxing her to the cot for her to get some sleep. Now I am going to try and get some more sleep Grandad.
Meanwhile across town. "How is Ace doing, Tegan?"
"Not well, you have seen her around Graham."
"She lights up when she sees him walk in the door."
"That she does, and the few times the four of us have gone out.''
"She is like herself not needing to put up the Dorothy McShane front, but is able to be Ace. The few partners of hers that we have met, we saw little of Ace when they were around."
"Exactly. I think we need to talk to the Doctor tomorrow and get some more information on how she was when she was his assistant."
"We do, I am also going to wake up early to make some of her favorite food that doesn't need to be reheated, so she can stay there and still eat."
Tegan leans over to kiss her wife, "that is a great idea. Good night my love.." Tegan and Nyssa fall asleep.
The next morning Tegan and Nyssa arrive at the hospital to see Ryan and the Doctor quietly talking right outside of the room.
"Hey you two, how are they?"
"No change for Graham, but Ace has been sleeping restlessly." Ryan says.
At that moment they hear mumbling and go into the room. 'No please don't go, I feel like I love you, please don't go. I have already lost so much. Sure, I have my friends, but it's not the same.'
Tegan, who can't handle listening to her friend have a nightmare goes and gently wakes her up, "Ace it's morning, you can wake up now."
Ace pops up from the cot, "what time is it?"
"Half past 10." Ace looks over to the reason she didn't sleep well, "Ace."
"What?"
"Nyssa and I brought some things for you."
"Oh thank you."
Nyssa enters the room and gives Ace a big hug. "Call me anytime you know that."
"Of course I do."
"Good, now how about you freshen up and the three of us go get some coffee."
"I don't want to leave the hospital."
"Ace," Nyssa sighs, "I care about you and you need to get out or at least poke your head outside every once in a while.''
"I know."
"So come on Ace."
"I will when he goes in for some testing."
"He knows you are someone who is very active, moves around a lot, come on."
"I," at that moment Jo Grant comes bustling in.
"Deary," she moves right past Nyssa and engulfs Ace in one of the tightest hugs she has ever experienced. "I know how difficult it is to see someone that you deeply care about laying on one of those beds."
"You do?"
"I do, last year I lost my Cliff, we were married almost 50 years."
"Cliff died," Jo hadn't noticed the Doctor yet.
"He did Doctor." The Doctor gives her a hug. "You two were great together."
"I know, I remember when you told me that you tried to track me down."
"It was hard."
"I still do some things, but I mostly have moved to work with UNIT."
"Do you like it?"
"I do, everyone is great," Jo looks towards the bed where Ace took back her place and grabs Graham's hand. She starts to ignore all the conversations going on around her. At one point everyone but Ace walks into the TARDIS.
"What are we going to do, I am more than worried about Ace.''
"As soon as he goes in for some tests, I am going to force her to the coffee shop across the street." Tegan says looking at her wife who nods in agreement. They look at the scanner that the Doctor has set to show what is going on in the room to see Ace standing at the doorway as Graham is carted away for some testing. Tegan and Nyssa walk out, both take an arm of Ace's and take her to the coffee shop.
"What are you two doing?"
"Getting you out of the hospital for some coffee."
"There is coffee there."
"Ace," Nyssa stops and gets in front of her, "you need to take care of yourself right now both physically and mentally."
"I know that?"
Tegan grabs an outside table and they sit down, "do you? Ace we had to nearly force you to eat yesterday. This is not like you."
"What isn't?"
"Not leaving the side of someone, trying to hold things back."
"No one I have ever felt like this for has been badly injured by Nitro, or in the hospital except for Manisha, and she was because of white supremacists in the early 80s."
"Ace, we care about the both of you, but you need to make sure that you take care of yourself."
"I am."
"You are not."
"Tegan, the man I am falling for is lying unconscious in the hospital."
"Oh Ace, we know you liked him, not that much."
"Have you told him," Nyssa asks.
"No, but he still misses Grace, I don't want to push him. I love hearing his stories about her."
"This is what we mean, you have a big heart, you need to take care of it."
"I don't know what to do, I have lost people before, some even on the TARDIS."
"Well, let's go inside to talk about it before we catch a chill." As they walk in Ace hears a song that she hasn't heard for years, 'Forever and Always' by Parachute.
"'Something's happened" that she should come right now
Her mind goes to December, she thinks of when he asked her
He bent down on his knee first and he said
I want you forever, forever and always
Through the good and the bad and the ugly
We'll grow old together, forever and always'
"I can't hear this song right now." Tegan and Nyssa, not knowing the song, watch as Ace walks out and across the street and stays to hear the song and order coffees for everyone there.
'She pulls up to the entrance, she walks right to the front desk
They lead her down a million halls, a maze that's never ending
They talk about what happened but she can barely hear them
She tries to keep a straight face as she walks into the room
She sits by his bedside, hold his hand too tight'
"My lord, why would they play this song right next to a hospital." A heartbroken Nyssa asks her wife who has always lived on earth, as some earth customs still shock her.
'They talk about the kids they're gonna have and the good life
The house on the hillside where they would stay
Stay there forever, forever and always
Through the good and the bad and the ugly
We'll grow old together and always remember
Whether rich or for poor or for better
We'll still love each other, forever and always
Then she gets an idea and calls in the nurses'
"I don't know Nys, someone heartless most likely."
'Brings up the chaplain and he says a couple verses
She borrows some rings from the couple next door
Everybody's laughing as the tears fall on the floor
She looks into his eyes and she says
I want you forever, forever and always
Through the good and the bad and the ugly
We'll grow old together and always remember
Whether happy or sad or whatever
We'll still love each other, forever and always'
Ace rushes into the room as everyone is in there including Graham, she looks at the monitor to see exactly how it is supposed to go.
'Forever and always
Forever and always
She finishes the vows, but the beeps are getting too slow
His voice is almost too low as he says
I love you forever, forever and always'
She goes to the other side of the bed and grabs Graham's hand.
'Please, just remember even if I'm not there
I'll always love you, forever and always'
Tegan and Nyssa walk in with coffees for everyone, Nyssa goes right behind Ace and slips something in her pocket. Ace looks at her. "You don't need to be strong here, I brought some tissues for you, I can't believe anyone would play a song like that so close to the hospital."
"Thank you."
The Doctor looks at them, "what happened."
"In the coffee shop they were playing a horrible song about someone losing their loved one in a car crash, the woman was just able to marry her fiancé moments before he passed away. I can't understand why they would play a song like that." Nyssa tells everyone.
Before Nyssa has finished explaining the Doctor has stormed out and when everyone but Ace looks out the window to see that the Doctor is halfway across the street.