Fic: The Awakening (2/?)
Title: The Awakening, Chapter 2
Fandom: Doctor Who
Author: strange_charmed aka kilodalton
Characters: Rose Tyler, Pete Tyler, The Doctor (10th), OCs
Rating: All ages
Wordcount: 1362
BetaBabe: zazie11
Summary: Rose Tyler awakens in the hospital from a coma, and a certain pinstriped Doctor tells her he has never seen her before ...
Chapter 1 - Chapter 2
Rose stared at Doctor John Smith for a long moment, still grasping his hands with her own. He looked back down at her with a mixture of concern and pity. If it weren’t for the knot in her stomach and her pounding heartbeat, she would have sworn that this had to be a dream.
"That’s not funny," she said, her voice a barely audible whisper.
"I’m not trying to be funny," he replied softly, quickly.
They stared at each other in stony silence for several more moments, until Rose couldn’t bear meeting his pained expression any longer. She closed her eyes then looked down at their joined hands as frustrated tears began to brim behind her eyelids. She still held his hands in both of her own, and stared at them numbly as he extracted himself from her clasp. Her empty hands dropped down onto the unfamiliar blue blanket, and she felt the little fabric pills under her fingers as she stroked them unconsciously with her thumb. This can’t be happening, she thought, it can’t!
The doctor slid his hands into his pinstriped trouser pockets - a stance she knew so well. The familiarity of the posture on this … this … stranger made Rose feel like her heart was being wrenched in half. She struggled to control a sob that was threatening to rise up from her chest - there was no way she could bring herself to look up to meet his sympathetic gaze again. The knot in her stomach grew bigger, and bigger, and churned away, seeming to slowly eat her from the inside until she felt she was going to burst. Suddenly, her eyes snapped up to meet his own, and the doctor swallowed hard under her sharp stare.
"Where is he? What have you done with him? He wouldn’t do this to me. I know him! He wouldn’t. He would never do this to me!" she whispered, half desperate and half defiant.
Something flickered in the doctor’s eyes, and his jaw clenched almost imperceptibly as his expression changed, almost softening. He took an involuntary step towards her, and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Rose …" he said gently, and she blinked back tears as she stiffened under his touch, and shook her head, willing this imposter away and her Doctor back. He felt so familiar - his voice was so familiar - that she could no longer hold back tears. He sat down on the bed beside her and took her hand into his own, looking at her regretfully. His mouth opened as if he were about to say something else, when the door to her hospital room swung open one more time, and in walked a young woman Rose had never seen before.
The first thing Rose noticed were her eyes, violet and hauntingly lovely. Rose couldn’t help but stare at her, transfixed for a moment. Her hair was almost black, and curled softly around her shoulders. In contrast, her skin was almost translucently pale and stood out against her dark hair and violet eyes to give her an almost unspeakably beautiful glow. Judging by her crisp white attire, she appeared to be some sort of a nurse, Rose thought.
"There you are!" the girl with the violet eyes said to the doctor, with an uneasy smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "Thought I’d find you here. I hoped you’d wait for me, though."
Rose looked her up and down. "Who are you?" she asked.
The girl with the violet eyes turned towards Rose, a small but more genuine smile on her face. "Why, hello!" she said. "Glad to see you’re awake. I’m -"
"Faith," the doctor interrupted, gently. His eyes, full of sympathy, were still trained on Rose.
"I’m his … assistant," the girl with the violet eyes finished.
"His assistant?" Rose interjected weakly, as her stomach gave an involuntary twist.
"Rose has been having visions," the doctor said, turning his body around towards the girl. "Of traveling with me. And walking in a garden on a planet called Naija 6 just a few minutes ago. She’s convinced that it happened, and that it’s real."
The girl with the violet eyes raised her eyebrows and looked from Rose to the doctor, then back to Rose. She stepped towards Rose with a gently concerned look on her face.
"Dreams in coma patients are common, Miss Tyler," she said, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Even though a patient is in a coma, they can still hear the world around them. It’s not uncommon for patients to bring a bit of that into their dreams, so that the real world becomes part of the dream, too. It can feel very real. But I can assure you, the doctor and I have been working here at the hospital as long as you’ve been here, at least. It can be a bit disorienting, I know - but they were just dreams. This is real."
Rose turned her head back towards the doctor. For the first time in several minutes, she felt she had composure enough to look him directly in the eye. She took a shaky breath.
"Is that true?" Rose asked the doctor in barely more than a whisper, her voice faltering only slightly.
The doctor held her gaze, sadly, almost ruefully. "Yes," he said quietly.
Rose’s eyes flicked down to the name badge on his white coat: Dr. John Smith, Neurologist, Royal Hope Hospital, London. Her gaze moved to his pinstriped suit, slightly wrinkled and so familiar. He was wearing a light blue shirt - and a brown tie with dark blue boxes inside a geometric pattern.
She had bought that tie for the Doctor. She knew she had bought him that tie. She had picked it out herself and given it to him as a late Christmas present after his regeneration. The little boxes on it were TARDIS blue, and she had known he would love it the moment she first saw it in a shop. He wore it all the time. She’d watch him knot it this morning - the knot was messy, she’d interrupted him when he was tying it this morning, and he hadn’t bothered to fix it. The TARDIS pantry had been out of his favorite biscuits, and she had interrupted him to ask if he wanted cereal for breakfast instead. Apple Jacks, he’d replied. She’d teased him about being 900 years old and still not able to tie his tie properly. She’d given the knot a little yank to center it better, and beamed up at him. He had look down at her, and smiled that brilliant, big grin of his, and …
"I don’t believe you," she said softly.
"Rose -" the doctor said quietly yet firmly.
"I don’t believe you," she said, her voice stronger with conviction.
"It’s OK, it will take time -" said the girl with the violet eyes.
"Both of you! I just can’t even -" Rose said, louder, tears beginning to leak into her eyes again. She hadn’t even noticed the door opening again, and Pete standing in the doorway.
"Please, Rose -" the doctor said, gently.
"I think you’d better go now," Pete said, walking up to the bed, his voice firm. "She needs rest, not to - not to get upset like this."
"Mr. Tyler -" the doctor started, but Pete held up his hands to interrupt.
"Now, please. Both of you," Pete said, nodding at them.
The girl with the violet eyes moved reluctantly away from Rose’s bedside and towards the door. The doctor followed, slowly, finally removing his hand from over Rose’s. She shivered slightly at the lack of contact, and closed her eyes - she had no idea who he was anymore or why this was happening, but she knew she couldn’t bear watching him walk away from her. The door clicked shut before she opened her eyes again to see Pete, standing by the bed. Tears sprang freely to her eyes once again.
"Dad …?" she whispered.
Pete moved quickly to her side, sitting next to her on the bed and gathering her into a protective embrace, slowly rocking her as she hugged him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder.
Chapter 3
Fandom: Doctor Who
Author: strange_charmed aka kilodalton
Characters: Rose Tyler, Pete Tyler, The Doctor (10th), OCs
Rating: All ages
Wordcount: 1362
BetaBabe: zazie11
Summary: Rose Tyler awakens in the hospital from a coma, and a certain pinstriped Doctor tells her he has never seen her before ...
Chapter 1 - Chapter 2
Rose stared at Doctor John Smith for a long moment, still grasping his hands with her own. He looked back down at her with a mixture of concern and pity. If it weren’t for the knot in her stomach and her pounding heartbeat, she would have sworn that this had to be a dream.
"That’s not funny," she said, her voice a barely audible whisper.
"I’m not trying to be funny," he replied softly, quickly.
They stared at each other in stony silence for several more moments, until Rose couldn’t bear meeting his pained expression any longer. She closed her eyes then looked down at their joined hands as frustrated tears began to brim behind her eyelids. She still held his hands in both of her own, and stared at them numbly as he extracted himself from her clasp. Her empty hands dropped down onto the unfamiliar blue blanket, and she felt the little fabric pills under her fingers as she stroked them unconsciously with her thumb. This can’t be happening, she thought, it can’t!
The doctor slid his hands into his pinstriped trouser pockets - a stance she knew so well. The familiarity of the posture on this … this … stranger made Rose feel like her heart was being wrenched in half. She struggled to control a sob that was threatening to rise up from her chest - there was no way she could bring herself to look up to meet his sympathetic gaze again. The knot in her stomach grew bigger, and bigger, and churned away, seeming to slowly eat her from the inside until she felt she was going to burst. Suddenly, her eyes snapped up to meet his own, and the doctor swallowed hard under her sharp stare.
"Where is he? What have you done with him? He wouldn’t do this to me. I know him! He wouldn’t. He would never do this to me!" she whispered, half desperate and half defiant.
Something flickered in the doctor’s eyes, and his jaw clenched almost imperceptibly as his expression changed, almost softening. He took an involuntary step towards her, and placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Rose …" he said gently, and she blinked back tears as she stiffened under his touch, and shook her head, willing this imposter away and her Doctor back. He felt so familiar - his voice was so familiar - that she could no longer hold back tears. He sat down on the bed beside her and took her hand into his own, looking at her regretfully. His mouth opened as if he were about to say something else, when the door to her hospital room swung open one more time, and in walked a young woman Rose had never seen before.
The first thing Rose noticed were her eyes, violet and hauntingly lovely. Rose couldn’t help but stare at her, transfixed for a moment. Her hair was almost black, and curled softly around her shoulders. In contrast, her skin was almost translucently pale and stood out against her dark hair and violet eyes to give her an almost unspeakably beautiful glow. Judging by her crisp white attire, she appeared to be some sort of a nurse, Rose thought.
"There you are!" the girl with the violet eyes said to the doctor, with an uneasy smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "Thought I’d find you here. I hoped you’d wait for me, though."
Rose looked her up and down. "Who are you?" she asked.
The girl with the violet eyes turned towards Rose, a small but more genuine smile on her face. "Why, hello!" she said. "Glad to see you’re awake. I’m -"
"Faith," the doctor interrupted, gently. His eyes, full of sympathy, were still trained on Rose.
"I’m his … assistant," the girl with the violet eyes finished.
"His assistant?" Rose interjected weakly, as her stomach gave an involuntary twist.
"Rose has been having visions," the doctor said, turning his body around towards the girl. "Of traveling with me. And walking in a garden on a planet called Naija 6 just a few minutes ago. She’s convinced that it happened, and that it’s real."
The girl with the violet eyes raised her eyebrows and looked from Rose to the doctor, then back to Rose. She stepped towards Rose with a gently concerned look on her face.
"Dreams in coma patients are common, Miss Tyler," she said, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Even though a patient is in a coma, they can still hear the world around them. It’s not uncommon for patients to bring a bit of that into their dreams, so that the real world becomes part of the dream, too. It can feel very real. But I can assure you, the doctor and I have been working here at the hospital as long as you’ve been here, at least. It can be a bit disorienting, I know - but they were just dreams. This is real."
Rose turned her head back towards the doctor. For the first time in several minutes, she felt she had composure enough to look him directly in the eye. She took a shaky breath.
"Is that true?" Rose asked the doctor in barely more than a whisper, her voice faltering only slightly.
The doctor held her gaze, sadly, almost ruefully. "Yes," he said quietly.
Rose’s eyes flicked down to the name badge on his white coat: Dr. John Smith, Neurologist, Royal Hope Hospital, London. Her gaze moved to his pinstriped suit, slightly wrinkled and so familiar. He was wearing a light blue shirt - and a brown tie with dark blue boxes inside a geometric pattern.
She had bought that tie for the Doctor. She knew she had bought him that tie. She had picked it out herself and given it to him as a late Christmas present after his regeneration. The little boxes on it were TARDIS blue, and she had known he would love it the moment she first saw it in a shop. He wore it all the time. She’d watch him knot it this morning - the knot was messy, she’d interrupted him when he was tying it this morning, and he hadn’t bothered to fix it. The TARDIS pantry had been out of his favorite biscuits, and she had interrupted him to ask if he wanted cereal for breakfast instead. Apple Jacks, he’d replied. She’d teased him about being 900 years old and still not able to tie his tie properly. She’d given the knot a little yank to center it better, and beamed up at him. He had look down at her, and smiled that brilliant, big grin of his, and …
"I don’t believe you," she said softly.
"Rose -" the doctor said quietly yet firmly.
"I don’t believe you," she said, her voice stronger with conviction.
"It’s OK, it will take time -" said the girl with the violet eyes.
"Both of you! I just can’t even -" Rose said, louder, tears beginning to leak into her eyes again. She hadn’t even noticed the door opening again, and Pete standing in the doorway.
"Please, Rose -" the doctor said, gently.
"I think you’d better go now," Pete said, walking up to the bed, his voice firm. "She needs rest, not to - not to get upset like this."
"Mr. Tyler -" the doctor started, but Pete held up his hands to interrupt.
"Now, please. Both of you," Pete said, nodding at them.
The girl with the violet eyes moved reluctantly away from Rose’s bedside and towards the door. The doctor followed, slowly, finally removing his hand from over Rose’s. She shivered slightly at the lack of contact, and closed her eyes - she had no idea who he was anymore or why this was happening, but she knew she couldn’t bear watching him walk away from her. The door clicked shut before she opened her eyes again to see Pete, standing by the bed. Tears sprang freely to her eyes once again.
"Dad …?" she whispered.
Pete moved quickly to her side, sitting next to her on the bed and gathering her into a protective embrace, slowly rocking her as she hugged him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder.
Chapter 3