OS prompt 89.1 - Quote
There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered. - Nelson Mandela
"Harry," the Doctor chided, "this is the wrong time."
"I know," Harry said quietly. When they landed the Doctor had sworn it was the right time, despite Harry disbelieving and insisting on being sure. But telling him 'I told you so' wasn't important at the moment. He didn't even look back at the Doctor, just stared through the window into the room he remembered so well.
"We really should be getting on, you know, Harry."
He nodded. "There's someone I need to see. I'll just be ten minutes." He didn't give the Doctor time to argue before he slipped inside the room and closed the door after him.
It was quiet inside, except for the sound of the machines keeping his mother alive. As he walked around her bed he studied at her. She appeared to be sleeping. He'd believed she was, when he was a child and made sure to be quiet whenever he was in here. Now he knew different.
His hands shook as he picked up her notes from the end of the bed. At the time he hadn't really understood why she'd died and now he was here he wondered if he really wanted to know. He'd once thought that with a little knowledge he'd be able to save her - not that he'd known then that time travel was possible. But now he wasn't sure if he wanted to know if there was something someone could have done.
As he hesitated, the door opened and Harry looked up, expecting to see the Doctor complaining again. But it wasn't him, it was a nurse.
"You shouldn't be in here," she said, as she checked on the machines. She didn't seem terribly focused on what she was doing and Harry wondered if the Doctor had sent her
"I'm family," he said. Although he couldn't say who he really was when he was older than the woman in the bed. "I'm her uncle."
She gave him a long look. Under the scrutiny Harry stood firm, telling himself he had every right to be here. Well, Harry Sullivan had every right to be here, even though Harry Sullivan was, at this time, just a child.
"I can see the resemblance," she conceded. "But you really shouldn't be looking through her medical notes."
"I'm a doctor." Harry smiled to reassure her, and put the clipboard back where he had found it.
She appeared to accept that and continued with her checks, although with a little more care this time. "How is she?" he asked softly." When she hesitated he guessed why and added, "I'd rather have the truth."
"She's not good," the nurse said, giving him a sympathetic look.
He already knew that.
"They're talking about switching her off."
Harry looked sharply at her. "Who is?" he asked, with more force than he intended.
"Her husband."
He could only stare at her.
"It's been really hard on him, not knowing when she's going to go. He said something about doing it for the sake of their son. He's just a child."
Harry swallowed hard and had to sit down.
"I'm sorry," she said.
He waved her off. "I did ask for the truth." He didn't blame her for giving it to him. "Can you give me a minute?"
She nodded. "If you need anything I'll be just down the hall."
It took a minute, after she left, for him to be able to get up. He picked up his mother's notes again and looked at the date - today was the day she died. Yesterday - which was more years ago than he wanted to count at the moment - he'd asked his father about switching her off and wished he didn't have to visit her any more. He hadn't known at the time whether her death the next day was coincidence and hadn't wanted to ask. Now he wished he didn't know.
But it was his own fault and now he was here, he might as well do what he came into this room to do in the first place. He didn't have long before the Doctor came back either, so he flicked through her notes, sitting back down to read them. It had been the right thing to do, he discovered. There was nothing that medicine could have done for her, back in the fifties. But all Harry had to do was to bring a little medical knowledge from the present (future) and she'd live again. Maybe she wouldn't be the same again, but at least she'd be alive. And Harry would finally get the normality he'd wanted, growing up.
The Doctor would complain, of course, but it was simply a matter of doing it without him knowing. Although that wasn't the only problem he could foresee...
He put her notes back and sat on the edge of the bed, taking his mother's hand in his. He hadn't much liked the one-sided conversations he'd had with her in this room when he was a child. Now, though, he welcomed the chance to talk to her again.
"I could save you," he began and then had to pause to swallow. "Maybe I read too many comics when I was a child, but I always imagined the day when you would wake up. And now..." He shifted his grip on his mother's hand, which was smaller than he remembered. "Now I'm going to let Father kill you." He shook his head. "You see, there are people I'd never have met if you'd been alive." He hesitated and then smiled at himself for being so silly as to not want to mention Will in front of her. "I have a stepbrother and I don't know what his life would have been like if his mother hadn't married Father, but I don't want to find out, in case it's worse. I can't sacrifice his life for yours." His voice cracked and he had to stop. "I know you'd understand," he whispered and bent to press a kiss to her cheek.
There was a knock at the door and Harry jumped, surprised. The Doctor was there, not looking happy. Harry supposed his ten minutes were up.
He stood up, intending to say goodbye, since he hadn't had the chance last time. But his voice caught in his chest and he could only cough. He put her hand back down on the bed and faced the window while he took a few deep breaths. When he was sure he could control himself again, he turned to face the Doctor's wrath.
But for once, the Doctor was silent as they made their way back to the TARDIS. Harry was more grateful than he could say.
"Harry," the Doctor chided, "this is the wrong time."
"I know," Harry said quietly. When they landed the Doctor had sworn it was the right time, despite Harry disbelieving and insisting on being sure. But telling him 'I told you so' wasn't important at the moment. He didn't even look back at the Doctor, just stared through the window into the room he remembered so well.
"We really should be getting on, you know, Harry."
He nodded. "There's someone I need to see. I'll just be ten minutes." He didn't give the Doctor time to argue before he slipped inside the room and closed the door after him.
It was quiet inside, except for the sound of the machines keeping his mother alive. As he walked around her bed he studied at her. She appeared to be sleeping. He'd believed she was, when he was a child and made sure to be quiet whenever he was in here. Now he knew different.
His hands shook as he picked up her notes from the end of the bed. At the time he hadn't really understood why she'd died and now he was here he wondered if he really wanted to know. He'd once thought that with a little knowledge he'd be able to save her - not that he'd known then that time travel was possible. But now he wasn't sure if he wanted to know if there was something someone could have done.
As he hesitated, the door opened and Harry looked up, expecting to see the Doctor complaining again. But it wasn't him, it was a nurse.
"You shouldn't be in here," she said, as she checked on the machines. She didn't seem terribly focused on what she was doing and Harry wondered if the Doctor had sent her
"I'm family," he said. Although he couldn't say who he really was when he was older than the woman in the bed. "I'm her uncle."
She gave him a long look. Under the scrutiny Harry stood firm, telling himself he had every right to be here. Well, Harry Sullivan had every right to be here, even though Harry Sullivan was, at this time, just a child.
"I can see the resemblance," she conceded. "But you really shouldn't be looking through her medical notes."
"I'm a doctor." Harry smiled to reassure her, and put the clipboard back where he had found it.
She appeared to accept that and continued with her checks, although with a little more care this time. "How is she?" he asked softly." When she hesitated he guessed why and added, "I'd rather have the truth."
"She's not good," the nurse said, giving him a sympathetic look.
He already knew that.
"They're talking about switching her off."
Harry looked sharply at her. "Who is?" he asked, with more force than he intended.
"Her husband."
He could only stare at her.
"It's been really hard on him, not knowing when she's going to go. He said something about doing it for the sake of their son. He's just a child."
Harry swallowed hard and had to sit down.
"I'm sorry," she said.
He waved her off. "I did ask for the truth." He didn't blame her for giving it to him. "Can you give me a minute?"
She nodded. "If you need anything I'll be just down the hall."
It took a minute, after she left, for him to be able to get up. He picked up his mother's notes again and looked at the date - today was the day she died. Yesterday - which was more years ago than he wanted to count at the moment - he'd asked his father about switching her off and wished he didn't have to visit her any more. He hadn't known at the time whether her death the next day was coincidence and hadn't wanted to ask. Now he wished he didn't know.
But it was his own fault and now he was here, he might as well do what he came into this room to do in the first place. He didn't have long before the Doctor came back either, so he flicked through her notes, sitting back down to read them. It had been the right thing to do, he discovered. There was nothing that medicine could have done for her, back in the fifties. But all Harry had to do was to bring a little medical knowledge from the present (future) and she'd live again. Maybe she wouldn't be the same again, but at least she'd be alive. And Harry would finally get the normality he'd wanted, growing up.
The Doctor would complain, of course, but it was simply a matter of doing it without him knowing. Although that wasn't the only problem he could foresee...
He put her notes back and sat on the edge of the bed, taking his mother's hand in his. He hadn't much liked the one-sided conversations he'd had with her in this room when he was a child. Now, though, he welcomed the chance to talk to her again.
"I could save you," he began and then had to pause to swallow. "Maybe I read too many comics when I was a child, but I always imagined the day when you would wake up. And now..." He shifted his grip on his mother's hand, which was smaller than he remembered. "Now I'm going to let Father kill you." He shook his head. "You see, there are people I'd never have met if you'd been alive." He hesitated and then smiled at himself for being so silly as to not want to mention Will in front of her. "I have a stepbrother and I don't know what his life would have been like if his mother hadn't married Father, but I don't want to find out, in case it's worse. I can't sacrifice his life for yours." His voice cracked and he had to stop. "I know you'd understand," he whispered and bent to press a kiss to her cheek.
There was a knock at the door and Harry jumped, surprised. The Doctor was there, not looking happy. Harry supposed his ten minutes were up.
He stood up, intending to say goodbye, since he hadn't had the chance last time. But his voice caught in his chest and he could only cough. He put her hand back down on the bed and faced the window while he took a few deep breaths. When he was sure he could control himself again, he turned to face the Doctor's wrath.
But for once, the Doctor was silent as they made their way back to the TARDIS. Harry was more grateful than he could say.