John paced the linoleum floor. Back and forth. Back and forth.

"Doctor Smith," a pretty nurse by the name of Tegan said, "it will still be awhile before we know the status of your sister. You should sit to calm yourself."

The look he gave her was frightening.

After the nurse walked away, he pulled on his hair and exhaled deeply, trying to calm his anger.

She's right. Wearing a hole in the linoleum doesn't do any good. It just wears out my shoes.

After taking a moment, he walked to the coffee shop and purchased a hot drink. He needed something.

Sipping on the beverage, the handsome doctor looked around. It was a typical hospital. There were nurses and doctors about, along with patients. He saw an elderly woman who always said "hello" to him at the grocery store and he waved at her. She waved back.

I hope she's okay, he thought.

"John!"

He turned to the voice and saw his beautiful girlfriend approaching. She was covered in makeup and wearing a revealing shirt and boy shorts with rips in them. Cowgirl boots were on her feet and chandelier earrings hung down, nearly brushing her shoulders. Her hair cascaded in waves down her back.

She embraced him and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I'm so sorry I couldn't make it earlier," she said as she pulled back to look into his green eyes. "They said I couldn't leave until I finished the shoot."

He nodded. "That's fine, Rose," he said quietly, not letting her leave his embrace. "You're here now."

And I need you.

She laid her head against his chest and they stood together like that, unmoving, for what seemed like hours. They listened to the hospital noises and regulated their breathing towards one another. As always, Rose Tyler and John Smith fit.

The blonde listened to his heartbeat as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She pulled back slightly, her heavily-made up eyes looking more beautiful than ever. He saw love in them and his heart soared.

If I wasn't in a hospital right now and worried about Clara, I'd already have her in my bed.

After what seemed like eternity, Rory Williams approached wearing blue scrubs.

"Clara is going to be fine," he said. John let out a long breath. "She has a few fractured ribs and some bruising on her face. Her trachea was also damaged when he choked her but she'll make a full recovery."

Rose turned and hugged her friend. "That is great news, Rory." Rory hugged her back, sorrow in his eyes.

John nodded. "When can I see her?"

Pulling out of the blonde's embrace, Rory turned to the desk to sign a form. "You can go now if you want." He looked at Rose. "Only one guest at a time though."

She nodded. "She's your sister; you get first crack." She squeezed John's hand.

He smiled and leaned down for a chaste kiss. "I won't be gone long."

"Take your time."

After he walked away, she turned to the male nurse. "Did she say what happened?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Bits and pieces. Adam really did a number on her."

Rose looked towards the direction her lover just walked. "John will be furious with him."

"As he should be."

The overhead speaker paged a doctor, causing the two friends to pause their conversation temporarily. "Did she say anything to you?"

The blonde nodded. "I didn't know it was this bad. But she had told me Adam had a temper and had shoved her once when she was late for their date. It wasn't much; only five minutes. But he's a stickler for punctuality."

Rory nodded.

"She didn't want to mention it to John because she said she could handle it. She didn't think it was this bad. Plus, with everything going on at the lab and Dr. Song, John had enough on his plate to add worrying about his little sister on top of it."

Rose saw Rory's redheaded fiancée approach. The two girls hugged before she turned to him.

"Hey," she said as she placed a quick kiss on his mouth. "How is Clara?"

Rory repeated what he had told Rose. That gave the blonde time to gather her thoughts. She turned and walked to the window and stared out into the autumn day. She watched as some leaves fell in the gentle breeze.

John will kill him. Literally. He is so overprotective of his sister. I could see anger already forming in his green eyes as he left to go see her.

She turned and looked at her friends who were deep in a private conversation. She smiled.

I wonder if John and I will ever be that way. We're close; always have been. But I wonder if we'll ever get engaged. She turned back to the window and sighed.

I wonder if he loves me as much as his sister.

"Rose," Amy said quietly. The model turned to her. Amy looked her over. "Nice hospital attire," she said with a laugh.

Rose gave her friend the bird. Amy's laughter grew. "I came right from a shoot, idiot."

Amy nodded while continued laughing. Rose joined in. Amy always had a way of making her laugh; one reason why she was her third best friend.

The redhead's engagement ring sparkled under the halogen lights as she moved a strand of hair behind her ear. "How is John doing?"

Rose glanced in the direction that Clara's room was. "Surprisingly well. He was fairly calm when I arrived."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "That's a first."

Rose turned from the window and gestured she was going for coffee. The tall redhead smiled and walked with her, waving to Rory who went back to his rounds.

"I saw anger in his eyes though." Rose looked at the menu at the café before deciding on an iced mocha with skim milk. She relayed that to the barista and Amy ordered hers, a plain black coffee. She wasn't much on fancy drinks.

The redhead nodded. "Yeah, John will be pissed for some time." She pulled her wallet out and paid for the drinks, waving off Rose's objection.

Drinks in hand, they walked back to the waiting area.

"We both have seen it when he gets angry. While it takes a while to build, the storm that accompanies it is brutal."

The two friends sat down and sipped their drinks. Amy looked around and saw John approaching.

"Hey," she said to him with a smile. He nodded and turned to his girlfriend.

"How is Clara?"

The doctor shrugged. "I hated seeing my sister that way." He ran a hand through his hair. "She's asking for you, though." He glanced at Rose's coffee. "May I have a sip?" She handed him her drink and after placing a kiss on his cheek, walked away in the direction he had just come from.

"Thank you for coming, Amy," John said quietly. He took Rose's spot in the chair.

"Clara is my friend, of course I would."

The two sat silently for a bit, sipping their drinks.

Suddenly John bolted out of his chair and walked briskly towards the counter. Amy watched him and when she heard shouting, followed quickly.

"You have no business here!"

"I wanted to see Clara," Adam said. John grabbed his shirt and pressed him against the wall.

"Listen to me," he said, his voice deathly low. "You messed with the wrong Smith. My sister is not someone you can treat as a punching bag." Amy had approached and put a hand on John's shoulder to try and pull him off of Adam. A few nurses were forming a circle, ready to separate if things escalated.

"We will press charges and you will go to prison. Clara Smith is a person, not an object. I don't know how long this has been going on, yet, but I will find out. You are to leave right now before I do something that will get us both arrested."

He shoved Adam's head against the wall and turned away. Amy glared at Adam and followed after the handsome doctor.

"John," she started.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. "Don't," he hissed. "Don't."

Nodding, the redhead returned to her seat. She kept her eyes on him though.

The Oncoming Storm is building.

John decided he needed some air, so he walked outside. Amy shifted her eyes to Adam. He didn't leave as instructed. Instead, he just kept smirking in her direction.

"I'd follow his advice if I were you," she said to him. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Trust me, you do not want to see him pissed."

Adam's smirk grew. Amy narrowed her eyes. They spent the next few minutes staring each other down, neither one blinking until finally Adam sighed and left.

Amy shook her head and watched her fiancé wheel a cart into an operating room. She smiled at how handsome and sexy he was.

John and Rose reappeared at the same time. Embracing each other, they all agreed to call it a night. John kissed his girlfriend's temple while holding her close. Amy blew a kiss to Rory who smiled back.

Walking out of the hospital, no one noticed the black car in the far parking lot. Shutters as though from a camera clicked as they each approached separate vehicles. John and Rose stopped at her car and he snogged her deeply. The shuttering never ceased. After the three friends drove off, the camera lowered and River Song turned to her phone.

Photos acquired, she texted.

Glancing up, she saw John's vehicle leave the parking lot last, heading north to his home. She knew he would be distracted the next few days and that would be the perfect time to dig up some more information. Information that she hoped would be critical in making him hers.