TenxRose One-Shots

Wounds

It was funny, in a strange sort of way, how the Doctor could protect Rose across the stars, but not at the Powell Estate.  He should've never let her go to the shops alone, even though she had insisted it was safe.  He should've never let her out of his sight.  And he should always be with her.  Why wasn't he?

Because now here he was, in a hospital waiting room, voice hoarse from screaming at anyone working there to let him see Rose.  Jackie and Mickey sat with him, no words passing between them.  The Doctor sat forward with his elbows on his knees, his head in his hands.  Jackie ran an oddly soothing motherly hand over his back.  As far as the Doctor knew, Mickey hadn't said a word in three hours. 

He'd be the same way, had they not come so close to committing him as a mental patient as he screamed at anyone in earshot, looking frantic and probably near rabid.  Anyone who had been around during his rampage were still keeping a wary but sympathetic eye on him now, understanding that whatever was happening was something painful.  And oh, it was.

The Doctor was destroyed from the inside out, not knowing what those stupid Earth doctors were doing to her.  Had he been there he could've taken her right to the TARDIS after killing someone very, very, intentionally for the first time since the Time War.

"Did someone call the police?" the Doctor asked, his voice raspy and hoarse. 

"Yeah," Mickey replied simply.

That was all the Doctor needed.  To know that someone was after that person was enough for him.  It had been complete chaos when the ambulance had come.

"Jackie!" The Doctor had shouted, "The ambulance is leaving, we have to go!"

Jackie already had tears streaming down her face as she and the Doctor called a taxi and the Doctor called Mickey, explaining frantically what had happened.

And once they had all gotten to the hospital, an unconscious Rose had been wheeled right away for them, causing the Doctor to completely lose it.

"No, let me near her!  She needs me!" he shouted, two male nurses grabbing his arm and holding him back.  "I'll kill all of you!"  he writhed in their grasp, feeling very much like his ninth self in that moment, feeling the rage of everything in existence behind his eyes.

"Sir, I have to ask you to have a seat and calm-"

"No!  I need to see Rose Tyler, I have to," he whipped around and shot a dagger-sharp glare at everyone around the room, shock written over every one of their faces.  "Rose!  I'm coming, Rose, I promise!  Rose!"

His voice reached a screech as she disappeared from his view.  The world blurred to red as he screamed for her, throwing one of the nurses and trying to follow.  Several nurses had tackled him to the ground, and someone yelled for a mild sedative to calm him down enough to get him to sit still. 

They'd shoved something into his arm and he could only hope it wasn't something he was allergic to as they shoved him into a chair and he whimpered Rose's name over and over.  Jackie rubbed his shoulder and tried to hush him as Mickey looked on in shock.

"I need her, Jackie, I need her," He whispered, his head falling back against the chair. 

"I know you do, sweetheart," Jackie said soothingly, her own voice sounding rather sad.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't protect her," he sobbed.  "I promised you I would and I couldn't take care of her."

"But you give her the world, Doctor, and that's even better."