Chapter 6 - RED MEAT WHITE MEAT

"God, I'm almost glad you led them to that base."

The Doctor couldn't help but agree with her. The new base was a shiny new construct - the same layout as the old base but now there weren't walls leaning inwards or dead bodies under debris. It was much newer, much shinier, and much better equipped.

They were standing in the hospital wing, the rows of beds already filled with their patients. Rose was staring, wide-eyed at all of the technology laid out before her - all of the 52nd century medical devices wrapped up in vacuum packaging, new, ready and waiting to be used.

"What are these things?" she asked, daring to pick up a long white metal tube and studying it as though she were about to buy it.

"That's skin sealant," he informed her. "The 52nd century alternative to stitches."

"What about that?" she asked, pointing at the bone vac. "It looks like one of those Dyson handheld vacuums."

He grinned at that. "It's a vac," he informed her, "which pulls debris to the surface of the skin."

"Debris?"

"Bone shards, shrapnel, that sort of thing."

"Oh. What's that?" she pointed at another object.

"Tweezers," he replied, unable to resist a grin. "Don't you recognise them?"

"Oh… I thought they did somethin' high tech," she confessed, a bit embarrassed.

He grinned. "Come on, now everyone's settled I need you to fix my leg."

She stopped, stunned. "Wait, what?"

"I can't do it on myself," he pointed out.

"We can fix it?"

"We can with this technology."

A smile spread across her face. He hadn't seen that for what felt like forever.

The Doctor was lying on his side on a free bed. He'd had to take off his trousers, but she wasn't even acknowledging that. She was staring, fixated, straight at the leg she had splinted only last night and realising with an overwhelming sick feeling that she was the one that actually had to fix this.

He couldn't even see her, but he seemed to know what her expression was. "It's easy, trust me," he assured her.

"Okay…" she said slowly, staring at the instruments he'd laid out for her. The first one was a PortX, which was some sort of portable X-ray-esque device that looked like a Nintendo DS; a bone magnetiser, that was a gun-like device with a large bell-shaped attachment on the end; a liquid bandage, which was a sleek, silver gun-shaped device with a large chamber attached; the bonder was a long, thin, strong needle with purple liquid inside; and the last was the vac, which he had explained to her earlier.

He had described their function and how to use them carefully to her. That hadn't made her any less nervous.

"Take the PortX and hold it over my leg, and press the green button on the side," he began.

She did. To her completely surprise, the small screen hovered of its own power over the Doctor's leg, displaying clearly the misaligned bone through the skin.

"How's it doing that?" she wondered.

"Just 52nd century technology," he answered, grinning. "What does the break look like?"

She held up her fists a little way apart. "Like this."

"Okay, good," he said, "it's a simple fracture. Are there any shards or debris, or something that shouldn't be where it should?"

"I don't know," she confessed.

"Take a picture and show me," he told her. "Press the black button on the right side, then the green to make it stop hovering."

She did exactly as he said. The little PortX took a picture and she handed it to him.

"No debris," he concluded.

"What would I do if there was?"

"The bone vac. We might get to that later, though," he added, gesturing to his head. "Now pick up the bone magnetiser and the bonder. The magnetiser, when you place it to my skin and pull the trigger, will attract the bone in my leg," he explained patiently. "You just have to guide the bone back to where it should be. Like that game in The Crystal Maze."

"This is so weird," she told him honestly. "Where do I hold the magnetiser?"

"Just above my heel, right over the bone you want to move but give yourself room to see what you're doing on the PortX."

She nodded, and slightly apprehensively, held the magnetiser to where he'd said. She pulled the trigger. There was a faint hiss and a green light shone out by her thumb.

"It's locked on," the Doctor told her.

"Do I move it now?"

"Yes."

She began to pull the magnetiser down his leg, intending to straighten out the displaced bone before putting it back in place, watching the PortX display as she did so. It didn't seem to be moving.

"It's not moving," she told him.

"Bit more force," he advised her.

She jumped the magnetiser down a few inches. Immediately the Doctor cried out, his arms flailing; she drew back, alarmed.

"Not that forcefully!" he cried, wincing.

"Sorry!" she said quickly.

"It's okay," he breathed after a moment, his eyelids fluttering. "Try again, this time try not to guide the bone straight into my muscle."

"Okay," she muttered, and tried again. Once again the magnetiser hissed, gripping the bone. Ever so carefully she moved it, guiding the broken bone back to where it should be. Out of the corner of her eye she could see him squirming.

"I think it's in," she told him.

"Check the PortX," he advised.

She did, and nodded. "It looks like it should."

"Don't move or turn off the magnetiser at all until I tell you. Now use the bonder, put it in my leg making sure you touch where the bone's broken with the point of the needle."

This bit seemed even worse somehow. She switched hands so she had the needle in her right hand, placed it where she thought was best. She plucked up the courage along with a deep breath, and slowly began to push it in. The Doctor winced, but didn't stop her. The end of the needle was showing on the PortX so she used it, guiding the point to the break. She saw it make contact on the PortX as her needle hit something solid.

"Got it."

"Inject until the break is covered in purple."

She watched the PortX, fascinated as something purple pumped out of the end of the needle and seemed to cling itself around the break. Soon it was coated.

"Done."

"Take the bonder out of my leg, and then take the liquid bandage; hold it to my knee. When you pull the trigger some white liquid will come out. You need to run it down my leg to about midway down my foot. Try and get it even as best you can."

She swallowed nervously. "Okay…"

She did as he said. It wasn't hugely even, but it was fairly even. As soon as she reached the bottom and let go of the trigger, the white, gel-like substance suddenly seemed to grow, running thinly and hugging his leg, creeping around until it met itself on the other side. Then, she realised, it was the texture of a cast - just a very thin one.

"Good. Keep doing that, again and again until the cast is thick."

She did. Soon the cast was about two centimetres thick.

"Is that okay?" she asked, looking up at him.

He nodded. "Good, really good. Now you can take away the magnetiser. First let go of the trigger then pull away. In the other order I'll scream."

"Okay…"

She did it exactly how he'd said, until finally he was left there with his leg in a thick cast.

"Check the PortX," he ordered her, "and make sure it's still aligned."

She check and nodded. "It is… wow."

He grinned at her. "Rose Tyler, you just fixed a broken leg."

"I know," she said, matching his grin in return.

"Now my head," he said. She obliging moved her seat up to his head, bringing the PortX with her.

"So I check your head with the PortX, right?" she asked.

"Yep," he replied.

"I don't know what I'm looking at," she confessed after a pause, taking a picture and showing him.

"My skull's fractured, just a crack. Just use the bonder to help it glue together," he told her after he checked the picture.

She did as he said, and once again purple filled the screen. Then it was done.

"Got it."

"Thanks, Doctor Tyler," he told her, beaming. "If there was debris in there, you'd have to make an incision and use the vac to pull the shards up to your incision to get them out, avoiding anything vital."

She nodded. "I get it. Then use the skin sealant."

"Exactly."

"I'm gettin' good at this," she said, grinning.

He laughed and turned over, sitting up. "Thanks," he said sincerely.

"You're welcome. How long until…?"

He grimaced. "About three weeks until I can start running again."

"Three weeks," she repeated, a little deflated.

"I know," he agreed. "But it'll fly by."

"Okay," she concluded, nodding and straightening up. "We've got people to look after anyway."

"We do," he said, pulling his trousers back on methodically before pushing himself upright and rubbing at his neck absently.

Rose noticed for the first time that he had some bruises. It didn't take a huge leap of intelligence to know who'd caused that. "... Did Jack do that?"

He looked at her, and clearly realised she was staring at his neck. "Um, yes."

"He actually choked you?"

He gazed at her momentarily. "Rose, I won't let him do anything to you."

"It's not me I'm worried about," she confessed.

He gave her a weak smile. "I can take it. Not the first time I've been choked."

"Guess not…" she muttered, and slung his arm around her shoulders. "Let's get to work."

For the first time, they had dinner in the mess.

When they entered the place was nearer on the volume spectrum to silence, despite the fact about fifty people were in it. The Doctor and Rose exchanged a glance, before she helped him to a seat.

"Thanks," he breathed, propping his leg up on the opposing chair.

"I'll get you somethin'," she said.

"Chicken!" he shouted as she left. She rolled her eyes, grinning as she went to the food counter and picked up two trays, waiting behind a large, well-muscled man.

He turned back, acknowledging her. She nodded in return. Then he stared at her. She gave him a brief smile, looked away, and then looked back. He was still staring at her.

"Got a problem, mate?" she asked.

He gruffed a negative and moved on, getting his food and walking across the room. He gave her one last look before he sat down.

Shrugging it off, she turned back to the serving robots, and abruptly realised she had no idea what to say.

"Got any chicken?" she asked seriously.

"NO CHICKEN," the robot buzzed. "RED MEAT WHITE MEAT."

"Oh," she realised, looking at the array of food she could see in front of the robot. There was indeed red meat or white meat cut into cubes, neither with a hint of an animal being involved anywhere near them. "Right, we'll have a go at the white meat.," she decided.

"VEGETABLES NO VEGETABLES," the robot buzzed as it dished her the white meat.

"Better have 'em," she supposed, despite the fact they looked almost anaemic. "Sure."

"SAUCE NO SAUCE."

"What kinda sauce is it?"

"BLACK SAUCE."

"What's in black sauce?"

"LIQUID."

"Alright," Rose conceded, deciding she wasn't going to get very far with that. "Um, no sauce, thanks."

"BITS OR NO BITS."

"Bits? What are bits?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't if I were you," a voice suddenly came from next to her. Rose turned in surprise to find a brunette man in a red jacket, quite good looking, standing there smiling at her. "They say it's for texture but it's a bit like… ever accidentally eaten grit?"

Rose smirked at that. "Thanks," she told him, and turned back to the robot. "No bits, thanks."

"PUDDING NO PUDDING."

"What's the pudding?"

"SQUISHY PUDDING."

"I'd take it," the man advised again. "All waste gets recycled back into food, so trust me, enjoy the taste of it now cos it'll taste like shit later."

She laughed this time. "Yeah, please," she told the robot.

"ENJOY MEAL," it buzzed, and then turned to the man. "RED MEAT WHITE MEAT."

"What's your name?" Rose asked the man.

"John," he told her with a perfect smile. "What's yours?"

"Rose," she told him.

"Beautiful name," he said, persisting with his smile. "See you around, Rose."

"See ya," she said and went back to the Doctor, putting a tray in front of him.

"What did you go for?" he asked, taking the fork she proffered.

"Umm... White meat, vegetables, no sauce, no bits, but got pudding," she summed up, smiling at him.

"Good choice," he praised, and then glanced back at the man she'd been talking to. "Who's he?"

"Guy called John," she answered, daring to take her first bite of the white meat. It didn't taste great. "I've got no idea what I'm eatin'," she confessed.

"I don't think the chef does either," the Doctor joked, chewing thoughtfully on his food.

"I thought in the 52nd century they'd have genetically modified stuff," she said.

"Oh, they gave that up pretty quick," he told her. "Too many mouths to feed and not enough scientists."

"Figures," she supposed, and caught the eye of the man who had stared at her in the queue, sitting behind the Doctor. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he quickly looked away. The Doctor caught that and made to turn, but she subtly and quickly grabbed his arm. "Don't look," she muttered.

"What?"

"There's a guy who keeps starin' at me."

The Doctor frowned. "What does he look like?"

"Big and muscly."

"Oh," he murmured.

"Don't worry, beaten off bigger guys than him 'round the estate," she assured him.

He paused, considering that for a moment. "Right, eat up," he ordered and increased his eating speed, "lots to do before bed."

The Doctor deliberately hurried her along in her meal, whilst simultaneously trying not appear as if he was. He hadn't told her, but after her mistake in the tunnel last night his awareness of her safety had increased tenfold. However unlikely it seemed to be in this undoubtedly unsocial atmosphere, the man the Ex had attacked had a brother in the outfit. The Doctor had already checked up on this brother, and to his horror Rose had just described him.

He could be looking for revenge.

After the meal the Doctor took her straight to the medical office and locked the door. They revised some medical techniques - she was eager to help him in the infirmary even more. All the while his keen hearing was picking out any movements outside. But no one came near.

She went to sleep, and immediately the nightmares began again. All he could do was sit by her - soothing her - listening for anything at the door whilst trying desperately to figure a way to escape.

A/N: I think I'm getting all dark and serious. I've been doing this a lot recently. Must be getting old! :o