who_contest | All the Wrong Battles ("Opening" entry) (Reply)

Title: All the Wrong Battles

Rating: G

Word Count: 509

Characters: The 9^th Doctor, Rose Tyler

Spoilers: N/A

Warnings: Sick/fever symptoms

Episode Setting: Sometime in season 1

Summary: The Doctor fights a sickness, and himself.

Just open the door. He told himself.

Just get up and open the door.

He gripped his abdomen even tighter, the pressure relieved some pain.

If he had known yesterday that the alien planet was contagious he would never had left the TARDIS. Stand up. You’ve dealt with worse things than this.

But no matter what he told himself he remained in his fetal position. It was his pride mostly, his pride that willed he to stay put. To stay and just wait it out.

The day before, he had gone to a planet he liked to visit. It started off like any other adventure, before he realized all the citizens were gone. Originally he thought it might have been an evacuation, and now looking back he was certain of it.

Whatever had drove away the inhabitants of the planet must have been an infection. Because now the feverish Doctor clung to the railing in the TARDIS his knuckles turning white from the pressure.

Feebly he wiped a line of sweat off his brow, he was burning up. His eyes suddenly grew wide as he realized he was unable to hold in his dinner, he heaved to the side -at least it distracted him from the pain, for a minute that is.

His head was throbbing, but even with the splitting headache he was still able to think clearly, blessing of a Time Lord he thought.

Stand up.

He focused on his breathing in between talking to himself.

Walk over to the door.

Breath in.

Just go and ask for help.

Breath out.

Rose will know what to do.

Breath in.

She’s human-she’s been sick before.

Breath out.

Finally deciding he was being an idiot for suffering alone he gripped the railing even tighter, balancing on it to straighten himself.

Still weak and feverish he slowly made his way to the door, opening it up he felt a cool breeze which felt good on his burning skin.

He walked up the stairs to the Tyler residence, but hesitated at the door.

Just knock. You need help.

His brain told him what he needed to do, but the Doctor also didn’t want to knock. He wasn’t keen on showing Rose that he wasn’t infallible, that he wasn’t perfect.

She already knows.

He told himself, and finally...he listened. Because as much as he didn’t care to admit it, he wasn’t this invincible hero. His past regeneration could vouch for that.

But maybe it was okay to get sick, maybe it was okay that even as the Doctor he couldn’t always heal himself alone. Grimacing in pain at the movement he rapped on the door.

As soon as Rose opened the door, he realized this is where he was supposed to be the whole time.