13th Doctor x reader

Drowning memories

"Come on. Let's get you checked over" she called for you softly, breaking you out of your thoughts of drowning.

You looked up, pushing the hood off your head and nodding. She gestured you to follow her which you did. You just wanted to get out of these clothes. They were cold and soaked. You wanted to have a warm shower and get into bed.

You followed the doctor to the med bay and sat down in the seat. She came over to you, reaching into the pockets of her coat which you were wearing. You expected her to take out her sonic screwdriver but instead she brought out a stethoscope.

"You just carry one of those around with you?" You asked her.

"I am a doctor" she replied.

She started to take her coat off you, causing you to be hit with the cold again. You shivered a little, your clothes full of the iced water.

"Are you an actual doctor. Like, have you got a degree" you questioned.

"I've got many qualifications. Even in lego. And candy floss. And hope" she smiled at that last one.

You looked away from her. You really didn't know if you were going to have much hope back there. And drowning back there arose quite a few memories. Not nice ones either.

"I need you to breath in and out slowly for me okay" you heard the doctor say.

You looked back at her to see her having placed the stethoscope in her ears and moving the metal end under your shirt and in your back. It was cold. Everything seemed cold. All you wanted was for some warmth.

You sucked in a deep breath, holding it for a second before releasing it, only for that to come out as a cough. You heard the doctor hum from behind you as she pulled the stethoscope away and out it back into the coat pocket which she had draped across a chair.

"Your airway in both lungs sound fine. Which you're incredibly lucky about. You seem to have coughed up all th...(y/n) are you okay?" She suddenly asked, seeing your disturbed face.

You didn't respond. You just looked into the distance as you shivered from the cold, thinking about drowning. The doctor came over to you, crouching down in front of your eye line. This brought you count of your daze and you stared into her hazel swirls that watched you in concern.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

You opened your mouth then closed it again, unable to come up with the words. You swallowed, the taste of salt from the river water sill in your mouth. You looked away a little, sighing.

"I've nearly drowned before" you whispered.

The doctor changed her face to worry. She held your shaking and cold hands, causing you to wince a little. You looked back in her direction in front of you, unable to focus on her eyes directly.

"It was a long time ago...under a frozen river as well..." you closed your eyes, casting your mind back to that memory.

"What happened?" She asked.

You opened your eyes, smiling a little. You shrugged your shoulders, avoiding eye contact with the time lady.

"That stone angel thing kept moving. So I stopped to make sure I wasn't imagining it. Then I turned around to tell you but you'd already walked on ahead of me. And I looked back, that statue was closer. I heard the ice cracking underneath me and looked down, saw that the river was breaking. I looked back up and that angel was so close to touching my face, like it's hands were reaching out for me. I instantly stumbled back and that was when the ice broke." You quickly explained.

The doctor sighed, closing her eyes and her head hung down. You watched her expression. She looked as though she was defeated.

"Are you okay?" You asked her.

She instantly brought her head back up, nodding. You sighed, looking at her in worry. Something about those angels worried her, and more than usual.

"What was that thing?" You asked her.

"A..a weeping angel. They turn to stone as soon as a living organism looks at it. Best defence mechanism. You can't hurt a stone. Of course a stone can't hurt you either, until you turn your back..until you blink. They're fast, dangerous..." the doctor took a deep breath, as if to try and control her own emotions.

She looked back to you, seeing your distant facial expression.

"That's not what I was asking though. When was the last time you nearly drowned?" She asked.

You took a deep, shaky breath, closing your eyes.

"It was about...twelve years ago... Alice..she was about nine. We went outside in the winter and thought that playing in the frozen river would be fun. God we were so stupid. The ice broke beneath her and she fell through. I instantly without thought jumped in after her. She sank quite deep and I had to try and swim after her. I'm a decent swimmer, even was back then. And I managed to get her and pull her back up. Except...I underestimated how quickly the river could freeze over again. I was trapped underneath...the frozen river.." you took a sharp intake of breath.

You squeezed your eyes tighter, that memory coming back to you like a wave. And it scared you. The doctor squeezed your hands in an attempt to calm you down. The heat coming from her hands was nice and it did relax you a little.

"How did you get out?" You heard the doctor ask you softly.

"Mum was there thankfully." You replied, opening your eyes "I just decided never to go near frozen rivers ever again. And when I found out I was on one...I..." you swallowed, looking away "I couldn't find the breakage of the ice when I was underneath...a..and..I thought...."

"You're safe (y/n)" the doctor told you. "Look at me."

You did so, turning your head back to her. She sighed, giving you a sincere look.

"(Y/n) maybe you should go home for a while like everyone else" she told you.

"NO! I..I'm not going back!" You shouted, instantly slipping away from her grip and getting up.

"Only for a few days. You need a break" she said.

You shook your head frantically in refusal.

"No." You said to her, walking backwards.

"(Y/n)" she sighed.

"NO!!" You screamed, turning and running out of the room and away from the doctor.