Disclaimer: Sadly, I have no claim on Doctor Who and make no profit from it.
Some plot points and bits of dialogue respectfully borrowed from the episode "Partners in Crime" by Russell T Davies. With apologies to Donna Noble, who I'm sure will find the Doctor someday, just not today.
Rose fidgeted impatiently. Thirty-six hours back in her home world, and her Doctor felt further from her than ever. They had spent all day poking around Adipose Industries, hoping for some sign of him, but to no avail. And now they were visiting their third customer from the list the sales manager had given them, but Rose didn't see how this was bringing them closer to their goal. All the customers told the same story: thrilled with the results of the pills, no side effects, felt like a new person, blah blah blah. Oh, Stacy Campbell seemed nice enough, and Rose didn't begrudge her her new lease on life, but all this nattering on about finding a better man was chafing her taut nerves. I already found the best man in the world, but I lost him, and sitting here frittering away time won't help me find him again.
And now Stacy wasn't even in the room; she had popped into the loo to finish preparing for her break-up date. Adam and Nine seemed unperturbed by the lack of progress; Adam was puttering around the living room, inspecting books and photos, while the Doctor played with some sort of triangular device that he had cobbled together to track the signal he had picked up in the TARDIS. Rose alone was left tapping her feet restively. She blew out a frustrated breath and stuffed her hands into her pockets. Her fingers found the pendant that the sales manager had given her as some sort of souvenir of their visit, and she pulled it out of her pocket and began playing with it idly, swinging it around on its chain and twisting it between her fingers.
A moment later, the Doctor's head snapped up, tilted to the side as if homing in on a sound that was beyond Rose's hearing. He looked over at her. "Maybe you should go check on Stacy."
"Why?" she asked irritably. "And why are we still here?"
"It sounds like she's in a bit of…distress," he replied delicately.
"Well, you're a doctor."
"But you're a woman. Just see if she's okay."
With an exasperated sigh, she heaved herself off the couch and headed up the stairs. But halfway there, the sounds of Stacy's moans reached her ears and she quickened her pace, calling the woman's name. By the time she was at the door, she knew something was seriously wrong. "Doctor, come quick!"
But he was already bounding up the stairs, the device in his hands flashing wildly. He didn't even pause to try the door, just kicked it in. And there was Stacy, still on her feet but looking frantic, and a small white blobby creature poised on the windowsill. The blob waved and cooed and then jumped out the window. For a moment, everyone froze. And then suddenly the Doctor's device began going crazy with lights and beeps, and Stacy was writhing and screaming, her skin crawling and bulging with unnatural lumps and swellings.
"Adam, follow that thing!" the Doctor commanded. "Rose, with me." He pulled out the sonic screwdriver, made a quick adjustment, and ran it up and down Stacy's body. "Here, take this, do like I did. It will weaken the signal, buy us some time." He shoved the sonic screwdriver at Rose, and she began imitating his rhythmic scan.
"Help me, oh, please, help!" Stacy wailed.
The Doctor began throwing open cabinets and drawers, muttering, "Think! Think!" He snatched up a hair dryer with a triumphant "Aha!" He plugged the sink and turned on the tap full force. "Screwdriver!" he snapped, and Rose tossed it back to him. Stacy's distress, which had seemed to lessen with the application of the screwdriver, immediately increased. He buzzed the screwdriver at the hair dryer, then plugged the dryer in, turned it on, and thrust it at Rose. He plunged one hand into the water-filled basin and grabbed Stacy's hand with his other. She sensed his intention and screamed louder, trying to pull away. He fixed her with an intense blue gaze that seemed to freeze her in place. "Listen to me, Stacy! You have to trust me or you will die. I won't lie to you - this will hurt. But if you let me, I can save you." She stopped struggling, and he looked grimly up at Rose. "Rose, drop the dryer in the sink, count to five, then pull the plug."
The horror was written across Rose's face, but she had made the decision long ago to trust whatever daft scheme the Doctor – any Doctor – came up with, so she took a deep breath and followed his instructions. There was a crackle of electricity, the smell of burnt flesh, and both the Doctor and Stacy gave gutteral cries and collapsed to the floor. But he was on his hands and knees a second later, pulling a stethoscope from his pocket and checking her heart. Satisfied with the result, he dropped back down, rolling onto his back and breathing hard. Rose knelt beside him and rested her hands on his hearts, feeling the thrums, a bit faster than normal but reassuringly steady. "You okay?" she asked, voice soft with concern.
"Yeah."
"She okay?"
"She'll live."
"What happened?"
"I don't know exactly. The signal was somehow pulling tissue out of her. That creature that Adam is chasing, that came from her. The electrical shock reset her body's electrical impulses, interrupted the signal. Kind of like hitting a circuit breaker."
"I thought hair dryers had a safety feature to short out when they hit water."
"They do. I disabled it with the screwdriver."
"Then why didn't the shock kill her?"
"You know what electrical transformers do, like on a utility pole? Convert the high voltage down to something your appliances can handle? Well, I made myself into a transformer. Cut down the voltage, only passed enough on to her to give her a nasty shock but not a fatal one. Still, her heartbeat is a bit erratic. She'll need help, you'd best call an ambulance."
Rose pulled out her mobile, finishing the call just as Stacy's eyes fluttered open.
"Wha' happened?" the other woman slurred, struggling to sit up.
Rose gently pushed her back down and then took her undamaged hand. "Hush, lie still. Your hair dryer fell in the sink, gave you a bit of a jolt. There's an ambulance on the way. You'll be all right."
"I…I…" Stacy's eyes rolled around and then settled on the Doctor, who had pulled himself into a sitting position. "Wait, it was you gave me the shock. And there was this thing, this creature, came out of me tummy just like in that movie…" Her voice was starting to rise in hysteria.
The Doctor nodded knowingly. "Ah, the hallucinations."
That stopped her cold. "What hallucinations?"
"That's why Health and Safety is investigating. We've had several reports of hallucinatory side effects from the Adipose pills. That's probably what made you drop the hair dryer. Good thing we were right downstairs and found you so fast. Don't fret, you'll be all right once the drug works its way out of your system. I wouldn't take any more if I were you." Stacy watched him, wide-eyed, trying to reconcile his words with her memories. He pulled himself to his feet as Adam's voice wafted through the window, calling for him. "Unfortunately, Stacy, my friend and I are urgently needed elsewhere. But the ambulance will be here soon, they'll sort you out. Just lie there and stay calm." He grabbed Rose's hand and pulled her down the stairs and out the door.
"Are you sure we should be leaving her alone?" Rose protested.
"I hear the sirens – the ambulance will be here any minute. She's not in immediate danger. Best thing we can do for her now is to put a stop to this whole thing at the source. What news, Adam?"
"I lost it," he said, chagrined. "It moves pretty fast for a little blob, but I'd nearly caught it. But then a couple blokes pulled up in a black van, scooped it up, and took off. What happened with Stacy?"
"The fat creatures nearly pulled her apart," the Doctor said grimly, "But we managed to stop it for now. Still, it could happen again, to her or to others, unless we do something. A million customers in London already, and soon to spread to the nation and then the world. Sorry, Rose, but this is about more than finding your Doctor now."