The Hybrid - Doctor Who Fanfiction

37

The Doctor paced the length of the corridor outside the examination room, his hands locked behind his back as he scowled at the floor and turned around to repeat the motion over again.

Gods, they'd been in that ridiculous, exclusive room for ages, and he, the father of the child, had been thrown out. Apparently, Hame thought speaking to Clara alone would yield the best results from the examination, and so, not wanting to taint the data or risk anything going wrong, the Doctor stubbornly conceded to wait outside. But his hearts had been drumming painfully in his chest ever since the door had been closed and to him. He'd truly never known the fierce attachment he'd developed for their daughter apart from her mother until now when his natural instinct to protect and defend his own flared brightly inside him.

Bill hadn't arrived in this universe just yet, but now it was impossible for the Doctor to imagine it without her. Already so bright and full of wonder--and sass to boot. She was certainly going to be like her mother in more ways than one.

At the thought of Clara, the Doctor had to sit down. His hands shook so badly, he had to thrust them into the pockets of his trousers.

He never really allowed himself to sit with his guilt for long because of the dangerously reckless things that tended to follow after he's been left alone with his thoughts for too long. And perhaps it was because he was so hopelessly exhausted that his mind began to drift to every moment he and Clara had ever shared together. Every smile, and--recently--every kiss came blossoming to the forefront of his mind accompanied with such a fierce blow of guilt and regret that the Doctor actually gasped aloud.

How many times had he lied to her, told her one thing and then did another? How many times had he manipulated her, left her behind thinking she'd been betrayed, that he'd never return for her? How many promises had he had made to her before ultimately breaking them, fraying her trust a little more each time? How many times had he told her he'd always keep her safe only to throw them both headfirst into the lions den? A thousand? More?

But the Doctor supposed one of the more magical things about his beloved companion was that no matter how far gone he appeared to be, no matter how incapable of redemption he himself thought he was, Clara never saw him as a god or a monster. She's always known he was just a man, that every man made mistakes.

But leaving Clara on Earth after Danny passed had to be one of his worst mistakes. It'd been his own injured pride and ego at Clara choosing another over him that made the Doctor tell a coward's lie and run. He should've known something was wrong, that Clara had been lying when she said P.E. had come back to her. He should've stayed with her anyway, told her how much she meant to him, regardless of her relationship status with another man. Because the truth was and still is this: it would've been inconsequential if Danny had returned and wanted Clara back because what was want compare to need?The Doctor needed Clara; he needed her like he needed air to breathe.

And now their journey had led them here, and it destroyed the Time Lord to think he'd wasted all those years pining over Clara when he could've truly been with her the way he so desired from the start. He sighed, running a hand over his face as the regret of their lost time enveloped and ate at him.

I should never have left.

-

Clara couldn't help but stare curiously at the whiskers that adorned Madame Hame's face, taking keen interest every time they twitched even the slightest. She knew was probably being insanely rude. She even knew Madame Hame was more than likely aware of her heavy gaze and was graciously entertaining it as she had everything else about Clara since they'd met a few hours ago. They hadn't spoken once about the nature of Clara's pregnancy, or the nature of her relationship to the Doctor aside from being his traveling companion. And at this point, Clara wasn't sure whether to appreciate Madame Hame's discretion, or be highly suspicious of it.

They'd been quiet as Hame began a series of tests with peculiar looking instruments, but now, as the older woman came to Clara with a rather large needle in hand, Clara flinched.

"Oh, no need to fear, dear girl," Madame Hame smiled warmly before showing Clara a little tub of ointment. "The pain will be entirely eradicated when I place this serum on the site where the needle with go."

"Lovely," Clara swallowed, still a little nervous. It was a huge needle point. "What's it for, again?"

Madame Hame didn't wait for Clara's nerves to ebb as she started expertly cleaning and prepping the site. "Well, it seems the Doctor is concerned that the levels of stress the fetus under is causing it to dump dangerous amounts of regeneration energy into your blood stream."

Carefully applying a thin layer of blue cream to the space inside Clara's elbow, Hame said, "And I'd like to begin there. We'll decide how to proceed with treatment, or if there's any existing treatment available for you at all after we determine exactly how much regeneration energy is in your system and how detrimental it is or isn't."

Clara relaxes when she doesn't even feel the needle enter her skin. Hame is done after a few moments, and quickly bandages Clara before taking the syringe to a waiting colleague who then disappears into the next room.

"Now," Madame Hame smiles softly as she walks to Clara's bedside, patting the girl's trembling hand in her paw. "Now, we wait."

"Never been very good at that," Clara laughed sardonically, but there's worry bubbling in her chest. "If there's too much regeneration energy in my blood, what happens then? Are you going to induce?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Hame's kind eyes were are tinged with sadness. "The Doctor... he's cautioned me against it. But, as your physician, I am inclined to take your lead because it is your body, my dear."

"I want Bill to live," Clara stressed, her hand tightening around Madame Hame's paw in an effort to convey how serious she was. "Alright? I-I don't know exactly what that means, but I'm on borrowed time at this point, anyway. But, Bill lives, understand? She's your priority, not me."

Hame searched Clara's eyes for any indication that the woman was bluffing and only said what she said for fear of appearing selfish. But when the Catkind woman only found the loving heart of a mother for her child, Hame slowly nodded.

"Understood, Miss Clara," she breathed in a whisper. "Understood."

-

This chapter was going to be very long if I hadn't split it into two. Don't kill me for the slight cliffhanger.

Side note: This story has about five or six chapters left until it's all over!!! Can you believe it? How do you guys feel about a sequel?

If I can get five comments before the weekend is out however, I'll post the next chapter on Monday!!