"The Doctor," replied the Doctor with a smile, bouncing on his heels a bit as he looked past the administrator to the window beyond. There were bees buzzing around the exterior flower box. Maybe he would stop by and say hello after this was all done. Hopefully that would be soon.
"Sir, I asked for your legal first and last name not salutation. That's field 3b. We are on 3a." The woman tapped the pertinent spaces on the hefty document on the podium between them with her pen. She was tall enough to meet the Doctor's gaze easily and he wondered distractedly if she was Jadoon on her father's side, just based on her profile and manners.
He realized she was still staring at him expectantly. "Oh! Yes. Please put "John Smith" – John with an "h". And Smith also has an "h"," he added helpfully.
Her scowl deepened, but she dutifully wrote in the words.
"Middle name or initial?"
"None – I mean I don't have one. Not that it's 'None'."
She sighed but didn't look up as she drew a sharp line though the space for middle name.
"And now the salutation" she looked at him pointedly. "Doctor," she checked the box.
"Well, "The Doctor" but," he noticed her face, "Doctor is fine."
"Occupation?"
"Consultant."
"For….?"
"Government?" he offered.
"Local? National? Regional? Global…?" She stopped and waited expectantly.
"Hmm," he peered down at the list. "If it only goes to 'global', let's just put that." His thoughts drifted back out the window. Interesting cloud formations. Probably rain soon. Hopefully, he'll have a few moments with the bees before they have to go in. Still, something to look forward to.
"Are you single?"
The Doctor had lost all context for the questions. There was moment of sinking dread before he registered her extremely not flirtatious expression.
"Marital status?" She tapped the form so hard it left a small mark. "Are you married?"
His thoughts spiraled into the past leaving him wishing she had just been making an awkward pass. Standing in the garden in the sudden quiet outside of Amy's wedding… "Are you married, River?" - "Are you asking?" The stars above, the knowing, teasing look in her eyes.
"Sir?" He distantly heard the woman asking sternly. "Doctor?" she tried again with obvious exasperation.
He pulled himself back from memory and let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "Yes, right. Widowed, actually."
She pursed her lips in what would have looked sympathique on another, less stern, face and dutifully checked the box.
"I'm sorry for your loss," she said formulaically.
"It was a long time ago, " he replied quietly. Outside, the sky had darkened and the first drops of rain were falling. No conversations with bees today.
"Dependents?"
"Oh, like a companion? No, not at the moment. Though I would be curious to know how the other guy is making out. Hopefully he's found someone. It's always best, you know. Not being alone. Someone who can remind you of the magic of it all. Keep you grounded– Really, if you think about it, I'm the dependent now aren't I?" Thought hadn't occurred to him before. "Hmmm..." Not sure how he felt about that.
"Children." she enunciated the word, drawing it out unnaturally. "I mean do you have any children living with you or for whom you provide support?"
"I see. No. No children now." The rain was falling heavily. He felt heavy. So much weighing him down. He leaned against the desk, legs suddenly not quite up to the task. He rubbed his face and ran his fingers through his hair trying to bring himself back to the present. Maybe he could just put his head down for a moment.
"Place of birth?" he heard, as if from far away.
Not Gallifrey...
He just needed to collect his thoughts, put things back in order, push the past into the box he kept safely in the depths. But the box had been overflowing lately, the hinges creaking, the latch not quite clicking into place.
She looked up at his silence. "Where. Do. You. Come. From?"
His chest flushed hot. The room was so stuffy. Was there not enough air? Where was all the air going? The darkness seemed to be creeping in from the storm to dance around the edge of his vision. There must be an air leak. Was he no longer on Earth? His internal compass which was usually so good at telling him when and where he was spun wildly in all directions.
"What about parents' names?" She droned on, not waiting for an answer. She flipped to the next page with a heavy sigh. "Then we need to know all former places of residence, how long you resided there, any criminal or other legal entanglements, medical history including major injuries, living next of kin…"
The Doctor tried to turn away from the barrage, every word unlocking another memory, but his legs didn't respond; he couldn't catch his breath. The administrator's expression was moving quickly from irritated professional to concerned bystander.
"What the hell is going on here!?" Donna came through the door so forcefully it bounced against the wall and slammed shut again behind her. Red hair flying behind, she crossed the room in a handful of steps just short of a run and looked the Doctor up and down, quickly assessing his level of distress. He was sheet white, lips almost blue, eyes wide but not seeing the room.
"What did you do?" Donna flung the accusation at the administrator, who snatched up the pile of forms and held them in front of her like a shield.
"Just asking some questions!"
"What kind of questions?" Donna growled while putting a protective arm around the Doctor.
"Just the basic personal identifying data required by the form!"
"Personal questions? You're asking him personal questions?" Donna could feel the Doctor shivering, both hearts beating furiously against her but his breath was already slowing to a more regular rate.
"For the love of– give me that form." Donna grabbed the papers out of the outraged woman's hands and smoothed the crinkled edges against the desktop. "Form FG-239? Are you daft? He's clearly exempt under guideline 14, subsection 7-b-point-4! Do you not even read the procedure manual?"
The administrator took a few steps back looking around as if for support or supplemental procedures to materialize out of thin air. "I did! Of course!" she protested.
"Even the November 4th secondary revision?" asked Donna viscously.
"What? There was an update? No one informed me!" The woman clapped a hand over her mouth in shock and dismay.
"Oh, don't give me that. Everyone knows the revisions are released quarterly and filed in the policy logbook which you must know is available to all administrative support staff class L and above."
They stared at each other for a moment before Donna gestured with her head towards the Doctor, who at least seemed self-aware again but utterly exhausted.
The administrator looked momentarily confused before realizing what was expected of her. "I'm sorry?" she offered the Doctor. He only nodded.
"Let's get you out of here," Donna started to guide the Doctor towards the door. "Thank you," he said, almost too quiet to hear.
"Hush, you just rest. We'll be back home in a few and set you up with a nice cuppa. I don't know what got in your head, but from now on you leave all the paperwork to me, you hear?"
"Donna, you never told me office work could be so… brutal."
"You have no idea…" She took his hand and lead him out under the clearing skies.