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."
He carded his hands through his hair, ruffling it even more, and probably making him look even more insane. He was pretty sure that everyone in that hospital wanted him to leave. He wanted to leave, with a healthy Rose's hand in his.
A doctor came to the waiting room holding a clipboard in his hand. "Rose Tyler's party. She keeps asking for a Doctor but doesn't seem to want any of the ones we're providing."
The Doctor stood slowly. "That's me, I think."
The medical doctor peered down his knows. "You're a Doctor?"
"Yes." The Doctor replied through gritted teeth. "I need to go to her, I think?" he cocked an eyebrow and the other doctor nodded.
"Can we come back?" Jackie asked, her voice tearful and hopeful.
"No," the medical doctor replied as the Doctor said "Yes."
"They come with us," The Doctor said firmly.
Unable to resist the raging psychopath, Jackie and Mickey were allowed back with the Doctor and led into the room where Rose was being kept. They were left blessedly alone with her, and to the Doctor's disgust, Mickey pushed past him to speak with Rose. He chattered at her for a moment and Rose kept nodding and smiling until he was satisfied and kissed her forehead before flopping into a chair.
Jackie pushed past him as well and he grumbled to himself as Jackie talked softly to her daughter, asking her if she was okay. She stroked her hair back and the two talked until Rose spotted the Doctor.
"Doctor," she croaked out, holding out her arms. Jackie backed away, only slightly miffed that her daughter had chosen some alien over her mother. The Doctor hastily stepped over to her and wrapped his arms very gently around her waist.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek to his shoulder. "I heard you yelling," she said, her voice just as hoarse as his, but from screaming in pain.
"Sorry," he whispered against her hair. "I didn't mean to scare you."
"I was relieved to know that I was still alive," she replied, pulling back and running a hand through his hair. She smiled softly. "You're a right mess, you are."
He found his voice choked with tears. "I'm sorry."
Her smile fell at his words. "Don't be sorry," she furrowed her brows. "It's okay, it really is."
His eyes drifted down to her blanket covered thigh. "Yeah, but, Rose," he whispered, "You were stabbed."
"Yeah, I was there," she said cheerfully. At how sad his face looked, she leaned in to hug him again.
"I'm supposed to protect you."
"You're so stupid, just sit down and stay here, alright?" Rose replied, her voice tired. He pushed her hair back with his hand and kissed her temple.
Jackie's eyes were wide as she gestured to a chair for him to move by her bed. As he pulled the chair over he noticed the scowl on Mickey's face, probably because she hadn't asked him to stay by her bed. As an afterthought, the Doctor wondered why she hadn't asked her mother.
He sat down in the chair and Rose reached out her right hand for his. "Your left leg?" he asked. She nodded.
"They want me to stay overnight since I lost a lot of blood. They did a transfusion. That was new," she smiled at him. "But I'm really tired."
"Sleep, then," he said firmly. "I'll be here."
"We'll all be here," Mickey piped up.
"No," Rose leaned her head back on the pillows. "No, you need your sleep. Go back to the Estate and come home when you're rested. You're no use to me dead on your feet." She forced a smile.
And since it seemed that the room was filled with people who could never say no to Rose Tyler, Jackie and Mickey exchanged a look and said goodbye to her, Jackie with a bit more fawning than was probably necessary, and turned out the lights on her way out. Mickey shut the door with a final venomous glance at the Doctor.
The only light left in the room was a little lamp next to Rose's bed, which only provided enough light for them to see each other's faces.
"Go to sleep, Rose," he said quietly, upset that his anger and sorrow for his own stupidity showed through his voice.
She frowned in response. "Please don't feel guilty," she said quietly. "It could've happened to anyone, you know that. Muggers do exist, you know."
"He stabbed you, Rose."
"Because I fought back," she pointed out. "That's all. And I didn't lose my money, if it helps."
He brought her hand up and pressed it to his forehead. "Rose."
"I'm okay, really," she tried to reassure him. "Just a little shaken, that's all."
He gave her a hopeless look and shifted to rest her fingers against his lips. Her breath hitched at the contact and she found herself unable to break his gaze for even a moment.
"You said you heard me yelling," he said quietly, and she nodded. "Yeah, well, all of that. I told you mother I needed you. And that's true, for more reasons than one, and I guess now makes me realize that more than ever." He stopped and met her gaze for a moment to give himself strength to admit what he was about to. "I need you because... Well, because I-you have to know that-"
"I love you too, Doctor," she whispered, and his eyes lifted back to hers in shock.
"How can you possibly?" He asked, his voice filled with awe.
She lifted a shoulder weakly. "Because I decided to stop fighting it when I realized you were worth it."
He stood slowly at that, and for a horrible moment Rose thought he was going to walk away from her and leave, bust instead he cupped her cheek and stared down into her eyes.
"I almost lost you," he whispered, leaning slightly closer.
"But you didn't."
"I could lose you at any time," his breath ghosted her face.
"Doesn't mean we can't live for now," she replied, her hand finding his free one.
"I love you more than I should."
"That's just enough."
She closed the distance between them by leaning up and pressed their lips together. The Doctor sighed against her mouth and squeezed her hand before pulling away, kissing her forehead, and sitting back down. "Get some sleep, Rose. I'll be here tomorrow."
"You'd better be," she murmured, her hand still clutched in his. Her eyes closed and the Doctor thought for a moment that she might actually fall asleep. It was quiet for awhile, and she opened her eyes again.
"Yes?" The Doctor asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Instead of responding, Rose shifted to the side, her injured leg farthest from him, and patted the space next to her. "You probably need to sleep, don't you?"
The Doctor checked around her for any IVs or anything at all that he could disrupt by climbing up there with her. He saw none, and toed off his trainers to come up next to her on top of the sheet.
She couldn't resist turning her head at the last moment and giving him a goodnight kiss, since that was allowed now. He grinned and adjusted the bed to lay almost flat and got comfortable on his side. "Goodnight, Rose," he whispered as she cuddled into his chest, still on her back, and tugged his arm around her waist.
"Goodnight, Doctor."
Jackie and Mickey entered the room to see them curled up together in the morning, the Doctor's arm still over her, protecting her from the world outside.