A/N: Ahh! So sorry for leaving this for so long. I really don't know what happened. Well, apart from the fact that I may just be the most lazy person on this earth. Anyway, thank you to returning readers for sticking by; hello new readers; and one million of the Doctor's man-child grins for everyone who reviewed, alerted, and favorited!
-oOo-
Rory hurriedly carried Amy back to the TARDIS, the Doctor skittering ahead, babbling anxiously about a temporal stabiliser to Amy's semiconscious form; desperately trying to keep her awake.
She was clearly having trouble doing this: her eyes rolled into her head every minute or so, fluttering back open at the calling of her name. Rory was trying his hardest to carry her smoothly and gently; but every slight shift of his body elicited desperate moans from Amy.
It killed him to hear her making sounds like that.
He didn't think he'd ever hear a sound so desperate and vulnerable from anyone- especially not Amy- and he was a nurse, for god's sake.
The walk out of the castle was tense, Amy coming round in time to see the pools of blood she had left in the shadowy room; panicking- crying and thrashing in Rory's arms desperately.
They had to stop to calm her, and finally she was still- but sobbing distraughtly in Rory's embrace, muttering under her breath. She calmed marginally when they left the castle, shaky breaths slowing, and the convulsions stopping.
Both men were glad of this, but it was still as much of a concern as the earlier hysterics- Amy could easily slip into a coma or worse in her condition, and so the sudden calm that she was showing was cause for alarm.
It was with great haste that they had finally and hurriedly boarded the TARDIS; the doors opening with a snap of the Doctors fingers. He hurriedly led the way to the med bay, stopping only to push a few levers and buttons- sending them into orbit, and out of harm's way.
With that done, they hastily climbed the control room stairs (Rory more carefully than the Doctor) and walked through the corridors beyond, eventually reaching their destination.
The white walls of the med bay stretched out in front of them, with four hospital style beds at regular intervals along the right wall, and a huge cupboard filled with supplies and equipment (very little of it compatible with either human or Timelord) along the left.
There was a work top at the far end of the room, housing a sink, and another door leading to a bathroom next to it. Rory looked around quickly, surprised and glad that the Doctor was so prepared, before tenderly setting Amy down on the bed furthest from the entrance, next to the sink. Her eyes flickered behind her eyelids, her face crumpled and lined into a soft grimace in her sleep.
They quickly set about preparing various painkillers- one person could only take so much- and Rory set up an IV. It took a long time, stitching the cuts and gashes- but, after everything was done, there was no avoiding it any longer.
Rory had seen the damage; he knew enough to guess what had happened.
"Doctor-" he started, turning his head. The Doctor had been at his side through all of this. Now they needed to sort it out, to know why it had happened.
Dread dropped in Rory's stomach, a dead weight.
Amy had been raped.
And he didn't stop it.
Trembling, he looked back at Amy, deathly pale in the glow of the LED lights.
The shock hit him hard this time, legs giving way as he realised the devastating truth, and the full extent of the repercussions to come.
Strong arms caught him around the shoulders and guided him back to a bench, where he broke down in sobs, leaning helplessly into the Doctor.
"I could have stopped this. I could have stopped this!"
He turned to the Doctor then, his pain and remorse quickly turning to anger- at this man who threw them headlong into danger, and damn the consequences. But now Amy had been hurt- maybe beyond repair.
"You." he whispered dangerously, hot anger flashing through him, his emotions a sharp red haze. He raised a trembling finger, pointing accusingly.
"You sent her in there! YOU said she would be fine. YOU said she would be safe! Well, look, look what's happened now, Doctor. Amy was…" he swallowed. The word just wouldn't come out. He swallowed, angrier now. " BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU DID THIS! YOU!"
His words were out in a storm of anger and grief- and even as he was shouting them, he knew the words weren't for any fault of the Doctor's.
He was blaming the evil, disgusting man who did this; that school and its crazy fish vampires; himself.
But not the Doctor.
And as he came back to himself, thundering over the Doctor, hand raised as if to hit him, he realised all this.
And he felt sickened.
But the worst thing- the most terrible thing- was how the Doctor was stood; cowering slightly away from him- but not angry. Not alarmed at the outrageous, hideous blame being pressed upon him, not furious at Rory for doing so.
Not even defending himself from the impending threat of Rory's fist. Just... Remorseful. Accepting. Understanding. And that ripped Rory's heart apart all over again- the fact that the Doctor actually believed all the harsh, cruel words he had spat.
That he actually thought he deserved them.
He really did break down then- crumpling like a dead man into a heap on the floor, sobbing helplessly.
"Sorry," he croaked. "I'm so, so, sorry."
He lay there for several more seconds, body wracked with incontrovertible remorse. His medical mind was reasoning that it was probably shock making him do these things, but another, more cynical part of him scolded himself for being so completely helpless.
With one last shaky breath, he found his feet, and quickly ran out of the room. Amy would be unconscious for a while longer.
The Doctor would look after her.
He found the door handle and kept on running; down the length of the long, long corridor- down the next, and the next. Finally, when his lungs burned and his legs felt shaky, he kicked open the nearest door and sunk down the wall inside.
The door closed with a resounding bang.
Rory didn't even inspect the room- he just laid his head on his knees and cried.