To Call Our Own (27-30 of 36)
May. 30th, 2008 08:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amberfocus
Chapter Twenty-seven: Two to Go
Rose had two weeks left in her pregnancy when they left Kranamar. They left with the knowledge that the damaged women were not all sterile. Ten percent of them would be able to bear more children. Although not the best news, it was still so much more than anyone had hoped for. Of the babies who had suffered the consequences of Harrington Conrad’s actions, sixteen had died out of just over 10,000. It wasn’t a bad outcome, though she did grieve for those they had lost.
Still, the life she had now, this wonderful life with the Doctor and Jack and Donna, with the baby coming soon, made her the happiest she had ever been. If it meant she could never touch something in her old life again, then so be it.
The TARDIS materialized in the parking lot of Dr. Visily’s office and the man disembarked with a strict warning to Rose and the Doctor not to go off and get themselves into any more trouble until after the baby was born.
What they did do was go shopping. They picked up a crib first with the Doctor insisting on a Noah’s Ark theme. “Why do you want that? You don’t even believe in that stuff.”
“Well, no, not the religious element. But there was a big flood. There’s geological evidence of that and hundreds of cultures with a flood mythology on Earth. No, I just like the animals all paired up two by two. Every one of them with the perfect partner, the perfect mate. Like you and me, Rose. And they’re cuddly.”
“Also like you and me,” she grinned up at him. “But I’d have thought you’d have gone with the solar system mobile and outer space theme.”
“Well, the ceiling in the nursery will show the stars at night, once he’s big enough to be out of our room. I think that’s probably enough. Come on, Rose, please? Please? I want the Noah’s Ark.” He was bouncing on his heels and giving her sad puppy dog eyes.
Rose laughed. “It’s fine with me, love.” The Doctor grinned happily. After they had gotten the crib and the bedding back to the TARDIS, the Doctor set to work setting it up in their bedroom. The whir of the sonic screwdriver, added to the gentle background hum of the TARDIS, put Rose right to sleep.
She awoke to a fully assembled crib and the Doctor had managed to get the sheet on the mattress, but was having a difficult time with the bumper, which seemed to Rose to be as straight-forward as they come. She took over for him with a sleepy smile and within a minute it was wrapped around the inside of the crib and properly fastened.
Next on their agenda was to buy clothing and diapers. The diapers were easy enough but once Rose got into the baby section of the department store she was having a hard time saying no to anything. “Rose, he won’t even be in one size long enough to wear most of that. He’ll grow so fast. Those little gowns are the more practical thing until he’s ready to start crawling.”
“But they’re so cute!” she complained. “And there’s a Noah’s Ark one,” she smiled enticingly up at him.
“Oh, that is cute,” he said. “Okay, then, that one. And maybe that one,” he pointed to another one. “Ooo, and that one.” In the end they had far more than they thought they would ever use, but they were both happy with what they had gotten.
As they sat in an outdoor café to eat dinner, Rose felt a twinge in her back. She must have winced because the Doctor asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Just a muscle spasm,” said Rose. “I think I’ve been on my feet too much today.”
“I think we have everything we need, so we’ll head back to the TARDIS after we’re done eating.”
Rose took in a deep breath and let it out as the twinge subsided. “Good,” she said. The meal was excellent and left her feeling somewhat less tired and the stroll, or rather waddle, back to the TARDIS was a relatively short but pleasant one.
“I feel like a penguin,” she muttered, a bit grumpy. “And I can’t see my feet anymore.”
“You’re still the most beautiful woman in the world, even if you do walk a little funny,” he was quick to reassure her, leaning over and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.
When they reached the door of the TARDIS, Rose leaned heavily against it for a minute. “Muscle spasm again?” he asked. She nodded, not speaking.
“I think I pinched a nerve again,” she said eventually.
“I’ll work on it when we get inside.” He waited until she was ready to move again and then ushered her to the bedroom. It took a while to get the knot worked out, but when he finally did she felt much better.
“Can we go down to the garden?” Rose asked. “I’d like to float in the pond and take some of the weight off my body.”
“Of course we can,” he told her. “I’ll just grab our swim gear.”
“Mine’s too small at the moment.”
“I guess we can go without. Donna and Jack are gone, there’s no reason not to do a little skinny dipping.”
“And a lot of reasons to do it,” she said smiling at him.
“Not that I’m complaining, but are you sure you feel up to extra curricular activities?” he asked.
“I think so. Remember, in a couple of weeks we’re going to have to go six weeks without. Better take it while you can,” she grinned up at him.
“Oh, I will, Rose Tyler.”
They walked hand in hand down the corridor to the garden. The TARDIS had the ceiling set to the night sky, but there was enough light to see clearly with the image of the moon shining down brightly on them. They made love in the water, slowly and carefully and very, very thoroughly.
Floating on her back for awhile afterwards helped to relieve some of the pressure on her spine. The Doctor stood next to her, partially supporting her weight in the water so that she didn’t have to think much about floating, she could just relax and enjoy him being close.
Afterwards he carried her back to bed. “I’ll be in to join you after a little while. I’m going to reprogram the gravity in the TARDIS so it won’t hurt your back quite so much. Just a little. Enough to ease the pressure but not so much that you’ll float or anything.”
“Thank you,” she said, kissing him on the tip of his nose, then on his lips. He pulled the covers up over her and went on his way. She snuggled down in the warm blankets and fell asleep with a happy smile on her face.
Chapter Twenty-eight: The Different Ways of Love
Rose felt odd as she climbed out of bed; as if her entire center of gravity had shifted. She shuffled over to the mirror and looked at herself. “You’re still pregnant, if that’s what you’re wondering,” the Doctor commented from his side of the bed, amused.
“The baby dropped,” she said.
“What?”
“Into position. He’s dropped into birth position. Shouldn’t be much longer now. At least it seems to have taken pressure off that nerve.”
“Does that mean I can restore normal gravity?” the Doctor asked.
“Don’t you dare! I like .9 very much. You can turn it back on after the baby is born. And hopefully that’ll be in one week. Though Dr. Visily said last visit he could come any time between now and three weeks from now if he decides to hang out a bit longer,” Rose told him.
“I remember,” he said dryly. “You weren’t too thrilled with the idea of longer.”
“I’m so done with this whole pregnancy thing. It better not be more than one week. I just want it over with and him here. I want to hold him. I want to see his little face. I want to see your face when you hold him,” she said.
“Well, if you want him to come a little early, Dr. Visily did say vigorous walking or sex can help trigger contractions at this point in your pregnancy.”
“I’m not even sure that’s possible at this point.”
“What? Walking?” He grinned at her and raised his eyebrows hopefully.
“No, and you know it. And anyway, I’m starving. And I need a shower.”
“I can help you with that,” he volunteered.
“Great, I really didn’t want to cook this morning,” she said with a straight face.
The Doctor pulled himself out of bed and went over to hug his wife. “And the shower?”
“Oh, I suppose you could help with that, too, if you’re a good boy,” she said her voice throaty.
“I’m always a good boy. A very, very good boy.” His voice was husky as he leaned in and kissed her.
When they broke apart she said, “How you can still be attracted to me when I’m like this--.”
“Doesn’t matter, Rose,” he interrupted. “You are beautiful. Messy hair, no makeup, swollen belly, only half awake, you are at your most beautiful. I love you.”
She smiled at him. “You’re going to make me cry,” she said. “And I love you, too. Now, food?” She asked plaintively.
“All right." He put an arm around her shoulders and she slipped hers about his waist and they wandered to the kitchen. “What are you in the mood for?”
“Eggs and toast. Milk. Maybe a banana if you didn’t eat them all.”
“I didn’t,” he said opening a cupboard and tossing her a banana. He bustled about making her eggs the way she liked them, poached medium and on buttered toast.
“I’m glad you do domestic,” she said. “The other you, I don’t think he’d have done so well at this.”
“You know, Rose, me before, I would have done for you. Maybe not quite like this but if I’d gotten you pregnant then--.”
“Never would have happened.” She was sure of that.
“Rose, I’ve never told you this, but right before the game station, right after we left Tir but before we went to Kyoto, I was going to tell you how I felt. I’d almost lost you to that bullet and you and I slept in the same bed while you recovered. I held you every night, even though I didn’t need the sleep. I wanted to be with you. In fact, you won’t remember, but I did tell you I loved you. You were asleep, or half asleep but I thought you were asleep and I told you I loved you. And you said ‘Love you, too, Doctor.’ It nearly scared the life out of me. But you weren’t really awake.”
“I thought that was a dream! I remember that!” Rose exclaimed.
“The pain meds had you pretty far gone. But my point is, he, I would have, was going to ask…well, then everything went crazy and then you looked into the heart of the TARDIS and then I regenerated and got so ill, and it just never happened and our relationship changed. But I would have done, Rose. For you, I would have done anything. I fell in love with you the moment you swung on those chains to save me from the Nestene Consciousness and the Autons. You saved my life in so many different ways, Rose.”
Tears fell down her face and she wiped them away. “You gave me a life,” she said. “And a love. I’m glad you told me, about before, I mean. I knew I loved you but I was never sure exactly how you felt. Sometimes I’d think maybe, but you were so good at hiding your emotions then. Not like now at all.”
“That me didn’t lose you. This me did. I won’t be hiding my emotions from you or the children. I learned that the hard way.” A little bit of his remembered pain flashed across his face and then it was gone as he gave her a loving glance.
He set a plate of food down in front of her and sat across the table from her. Breakfast was short and to the point but it got the job done. It was followed by a quick check on the newly reconstructed Zero Room that the TARDIS had put back together in case there were complications following the baby's birth. All was well and the Doctor declared it in perfect condition. That was followed by a long shower together.
Afterwards he carefully blow-dried her hair, his hands in her hair feeling rather good. Then they climbed back into bed. That didn’t quite lead to lovemaking because as soon as Rose hit the bed she found herself quite drowsy again and fell asleep while the Doctor was running his hands slowly over her skin. He just smiled and stroked her hair and held her in his arms and was content with that. He had a lot he could be doing, repairs around the TARDIS, but he wanted to take this moment to be with her, their last few precious moments of being the Doctor and Rose, before they became the Doctor, Rose and Van Darian Tyler.
He swallowed hard as he looked down at his wife’s sleeping face. It had been so long since he’d been part of a family. Rose was his family, had been almost from the time he met her, really. But now, they’d be adding to it, becoming mother, father, and child. This time he’d do it the right way. He’d make sure his children knew how much they were cherished, adored, loved. The same way he made sure Rose knew when he told her every day. There would be hugs and kisses and a deep abiding joy in his family, in the gift he had been granted in this second chance.
He wouldn’t have to flee from his people because he didn’t fit in to their cookie cutter ideas of what a Time Lord must be. He could be free to show just how much he cared, just how much he felt, show his affection through touch and laughter and smiles. In ways he hadn’t even been able to do after leaving Gallifrey with his granddaughter Susan. He couldn’t remember once ever telling Susan that he loved her. He never wanted to make that mistake with his family again.
He wondered about Susan, wondered if she were still alive. She had never responded to the recall to Gallifrey before the Time War, though without a time ship, he didn't know how she could have done. She ought to still be alive and on her first life even, having never regenerated before when she’d gone off to marry David Campbell, but he’d been afraid to check the list of the dead for her name after the war with the Daleks and Cybermen. He should check that, now he had Rose to help him face whatever the outcome might be. Every once in a while he fancied he still heard an echo of her in his mind, but he knew well enough it could all be illusion.
Rose wanted to take the baby through to see her family after he was born. Perhaps when they were done there and returned, he would finally have the courage to see if Susan was alive and to see her again, have her meet the newest members of the family.
Rose shifted in his arms and sat up suddenly, wide awake.
“What is it, Rose?”
“Can’t you feel it? My water just broke!”
Chapter Twenty-nine: Welcome to the World
The Doctor hopped out of bed and ran from the room, yelling over his shoulder that he was programming the TARDIS to take them to Dr. Visily. Rose laughed at the retreating form of her husband and eased herself out of the bed. She really hoped the TARDIS could clean the bed. That wasn’t a task she wanted to worry about.
She waddled her way to the bathroom and grabbed a couple of towels to soak up the moisture from the bed. That, at least might help. Then she pulled a loose fitting dress over her head, grabbed another towel, and wandered out to the control room.
Rose made it to the back of the jump seat before she grabbed the back of it. Her fingers tightened as a cramp waved through her low back and abdomen. “Contraction?” asked the Doctor gently, loving concern on his face. She breathed deeply and nodded. He pulled out a stop watch and clicked the little button.
When it had passed, she laid the towel down on the jump seat and sat on it. The Doctor came and sat down beside her, giving her a reassuring hug and kissing her gently on the forehead. “We’ll be there in about an hour,” he said.
“Okay.”
“Did it hurt?” he asked solicitously.
Rose thought for a minute. “Not too bad. I imagine it’ll get worse in the active labor stage. Mum said she had a pretty hard time of it, but we’re built differently, and I’m not exactly human, so I hope mine will go easier.”
“If the pain gets too bad I can put in a partial block telepathically,” he said. “Just let me know if you need it.”
She nodded and looked up at the screen showing an image of the Time Vortex they were travelling through. It was almost hypnotic and she lost track of time. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when another mild contraction hit her.
“Seven minutes,” the Doctor murmured, resetting the stop watch.
“So a ways to go yet,” she said, her body relaxing as the contraction eased.
“I never got to see my first child born,” the Doctor said suddenly. His voice was soft, his eyes distant as they focused on a memory.
“What was it?” Rose asked softly.
“A boy. He was Susan’s father.” She nodded encouragingly. “We didn’t get on, we were so very much alike, but he was my son. When he was killed…” The Doctor fell silent. Rose put her hand on his knee in encouragement. “After he died, I took Susan, stole the TARDIS and fled Gallifrey. She was my very first companion.”
“You stole the TARDIS?” Rose asked.
“From the junkyard. She was considered obsolete. But she was a sentient creature. You don’t just do that to a living being. Her voice called out for rescue. And she took us away willingly. We’ve been together ever since, no matter how many people come and go from my life.” He sighed, feeling a bit melancholy in the memory.
“What happened to Susan?”
“She married a human and stayed on Earth. I don’t know what happened to her. I would visit her in the beginning, but even then I couldn’t pick reliable times to visit. One day when I went to their home, they were gone. They’d moved away. I never found her again. I’ve been afraid to check and see if her name was on the list of the dead after Canary Wharf. All I know is that she didn’t go home for the Time War.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I’d already lost you to the battle. I couldn’t bear knowing I’d lost someone else. Now, with you here again, I think I might just have the courage to find out.”
“We will. I’ll be with you when you check.” She hissed as a more powerful contraction hit her.
“Five minutes this time,” the Doctor said.
Rose nodded, breathing through the pain. She’d watched a couple of the hologram cubes Dr. Visily had given her to learn labor breathing, but she didn’t think it was particularly that helpful at the moment other than to give her something to focus on.
“It’s passed,” she said leaning into him.
The conversation fell away from serious things as Rose’s contractions came and went, settling into a pattern of four minutes between them. When the TARDIS materialized in the parking lot of Dr. Visily’s office, they walked slowly inside.
Because of the type of births Dr. Visily attended, deliveries were done in his office. They couldn’t risk any alien anomalies showing up on the standard human infant tests. The nurse took their information and then ushered them back into a labor room.
It was beautiful. A small fountain in the corner tumbled water over rocks; the soothing sound of quiet harps impinged on their senses, and the soft scent of mulberries filled the room. The walls were a pale lavender and the labor bed had matching sheets and a big fluffy pillow of the same color.
The Doctor helped Rose into a gown and onto the bed. By the time she was there her contractions had increased to three minutes apart. “It feels different,” she said.
“Painful?”
“No. I mean yes, but I meant like the baby’s moved lower.”
“Let me do an exam,” she said. After a brief check she said, “You’re eight centimeters dilated. You have two to go and the baby has moved lower. I’d say another hour and you’ll be ready to deliver. I’m going to go and get Dr. Visily now, but if you need anything, the button is there.” She touched it softly.
The nurse left the room and Rose gave out a moan as the next contraction hit hard. She looked at the Doctor, her eyes wide. “Do you want me to block it now?” She nodded, not able to speak.
He put his hands to her temples and initiated the partial block. When the next wave hit, though she still felt some pain, it was much milder. “Thank you,” she said. “I really didn’t want to have to use drugs, but I would have done if they were all like that!”
“I can do more if you need it.”
“I can handle this much. Besides, Dr. Visily told me before that I needed to at least be able to feel when the contractions were happening.”
“Indeed I did,” said Dr. Visily from the doorway. He came inside and did a brief examination.
“You’re almost there, Rose. Won’t be too long now and then you can start pushing. Have you felt the need to bear down?” He asked.
“No,” she said.
“I’m going to send the labor nurse in now and she will stay with you from now until when you’re ready to deliver, then I’ll come back.”
“Okay,” she said. When he had left she rolled onto her side. “Doctor, can you rub my lower back?” The Doctor moved closer and immediately his fingers began to work their magic. A moment later a contraction hit and he felt the muscles tighten under his fingers as he worked to soothe her.
When the labor nurse returned she did another exam, pronounced Rose at 9 centimeters and began to explain exactly what would happen during the delivery. Whenever Rose had a contraction she stopped her explanation and waited until it had passed and Rose nodded at her to continue.
A little while later Rose announced, “I feel like I need to push.”
The nurse did another exam and then said, “You’re at ten centimeters. And the baby is in position.” She pushed a button on the wall and said, “Dr. Visily, Rose Tyler is ready to deliver.”
The Doctor held her hand and Dr. Visily appeared shortly and began coaching her through the labor process. She’d push through the start of a contraction for a count of ten, ease, and then push again for a count of ten, and then when it ended stop pushing until the next one.
“I can see the head,” said Dr. Visily. “He’s blond!” Rose gave a tired smile and gave another push on his encouragement. “The head is free, now on the next contraction I’m going to turn him to deliver the shoulders. It might feel a bit funny.”
Rose nodded and waited until it was time to push again, and then once the shoulders were delivered it was only a couple more giant pushes and the baby was free of her body. She heard him cry out, both aloud and psychically.
“Oh, ho,” the Doctor said, “He wants to go back where it was dark and warm!”
Rose laughed and then wished she hadn’t as it was painful through her abused muscles. “I felt that too.” Dr. Visily placed the baby on her stomach and tied off the umbilical cord, offering the scissors to the Doctor to cut it with.
The Doctor looked almost frightened as he did so, thinking how odd it felt, like cutting through rope made from twisted rubber. Then the baby was lifted away to be cleaned off and Dr. Visily coached Rose through the delivery of the placenta, a much easier process. By the time it was done, the baby had been weighed and measured and swaddled and was in Rose’s arms.
“He’s so beautiful,” she said, staring in awe at his little face. “I kind of thought his head would be squashed from the birth like my brother Johnny’s was for awhile, but it’s perfect.”
“Superior Time Lord physiology,” said the Doctor his eyes never leaving his son’s face. As the nurse bustled around, first cleaning up Rose and then cleaning up the absorbent padding from the lower half of the bed and the after effects of the delivery the Doctor eased himself onto the bed beside Rose, his arm going around her and pulling her close. “I’m so proud of you,” he said his lips kissing the side of her head and his free hand going out to rest on his new son.
“Do you want to hold him?” she asked.
“Are you ready to give him up?” he countered.
“Just for a minute,” she told him and eased the baby into his arms. The nurse placed a lavender comforter over the couple and then returned with a camera. She took a photograph of the new family and murmured it would be ready for them before they left.
When they were left on their own the Doctor eventually shifted the baby back to Rose’s waiting arms, but as he pulled his arms away, his pinky fell into the baby’s hand. His son grabbed a hold of it reflexively and a tremendous feeling of love overwhelmed the Doctor. It was funny that his son’s hand was wrapped around his little finger, because the Doctor felt as if it were he that was now wrapped around his son’s little finger.
“Welcome to the world Vandarian Tyler. Welcome to the world.”
Chapter Thirty: Future Plans
Rose woke with a little start of fear, realizing she had fallen asleep on the couch while nursing the baby. She looked down trying not to panic, fearing she might have dropped Vandarian or worse, rolled over on him. Instead, a warm blanket had been laid across her body and she began to relax. She easily found the baby across the room. The Doctor was laying stretched out in the recliner, Dare firmly held to his chest.
“He likes the sound of my hearts beating,” the Doctor said without looking at her, his eyes still focused on the ceiling.
“Very soothing, they are,” Rose said. “They always put me right to sleep.”
“Like mother, like son,” he said the corners of his mouth rising.
She rose from the sofa. “Do you want me to take him?” she asked. She felt surprisingly refreshed. How long had she slept?
“No, not really,” he said. “We’re doing just fine.”
Rose made a little moue of disappointment. The Doctor chuckled. How could he be aware of her reactions when he still hadn’t moved an inch to look at her? “You had him all morning, Rose,” the Doctor said. “I want my turn, too.”
She sighed. “My arms just ache when he’s not in them, you know?”
“I do know,” he said. “I feel that, too.”
She huffed a bit as she came over next to him. “It’s hard to share him right now.”
“Even with me?”
“I feel so selfish.”
“You’re a new mother. I think it’s pretty normal.” Carefully he scooted over in the chair. “Come here.” She slid into the chair next to him and he leaned towards her a bit, readjusting so that the sleeping baby was laying half on him and half on her and so he had an arm around his wife. They each placed one hand on the baby. “Better?” he asked.
“Do you have any idea how much I love you, Doctor?” she asked him.
“More every day?” he asked, a playful note in his tone.
“More every day,” she agreed. She looked down at Vandarian. “We made this,” she said her voice half awed.
“I know. Pretty fantastic, us.” He turned his head towards her and she looked at him. He pressed his lips to hers. “I love you, mother of my child.”
She grinned. “I like the sound of that.”
“How many more of these do you want to have?” the Doctor asked.
“Besides Cassi?” Rose said. “I don’t know. A few. We’ve got a species to repopulate.”
“So when do you want to start?” the Doctor said with a grin. “Soon?”
Rose groaned. “It’s been three days. Ask me that when I’m not still dealing with the aftereffects of this one.”
The Doctor slid his hand off the baby and stroked her arm. “We only have to wait 39 more days before we could start trying again,” he told her, his voice low and sensual.
“You’ve counted?”
He grinned and gave a low laugh. “Time Lord, me. I keep track of such things automatically.”
“We can start practicing again in 39 days,” Rose said dryly. “But trying for another baby? Not yet. Dr. Visily said a normal human female needs 18 months between pregnancies for her body to recover and properly be able to nourish a new baby’s growth.”
“You’re not a normal human female,” the Doctor pointed out.
“He also said that maybe after a year, if he gives the okay, we could try if we wanted to. But I’d like some time between children, Doctor. I want the time to enjoy Dare before we have to worry about Cassi. She has Mum’s personality and I’ll need to be at full strength to raise that.”
The Doctor gave a bark of laughter and Rose shushed him. “Shh, you’ll wake him. And it’s not like we have to have them all in the normal 30 year time span of a human’s reproductive cycle. As far as Dr. Visily can tell, I’ll be able to have children for at least a couple hundred years, if we wanted to.”
“Wow, dozens of children then,” he said, a speculative look coming into his eyes.
“No, I don’t think so, mister,” she said. “I’m not a brood mare. And remember, our children will have children, and our grandchildren will have children. We don’t have to do it all ourselves.”
“But wouldn’t it be fun to try?”
“Tell you what, Doctor. After the first, oh, let’s just say six for argument’s sake, and that’s not guaranteeing six, mind you, if you can figure out a way to carry them, then I’ll agree to more.”
“Six? Six children? Really? You want to have six children?” He sounded excited.
She shrugged. “Maybe. Right now, looking at him, I think maybe.”
“But you didn’t just pull that number out of the air at random, did you, Rose?” he wanted to know.
“Not at random, no. Couldn’t tell you where it came from though.”
Vandarian started to fuss and the Doctor took him back so Rose could rise. “He’s hungry,” the Doctor said handing him up to her. She went and settled back on the couch and started to nurse him.
The Doctor brought his chair down into its upright position. There was a knock on the library door. Rose draped a little light-weight blanket over her shoulder and the baby and said, “Come in.”
It was Jack and Donna who entered the room a little hesitantly. “Didn’t want to infringe on your privacy,” Jack said, “But if you’re going to go through the gateway to visit Rose’s mum, today’s the best day to go.”
“Where’s Andromeda?” Rose asked.
“She’s got some loose ends to tie up in the future. She’ll be back when she’s done. Meanwhile, I’ll be working at Torchwood.”
“You’re not coming with us?” Rose asked, a little disappointed.
“Too much going on back at work for me to leave right now,” Jack said. “Time machine or no.”
“What about you, Donna?” the Doctor asked.
“I’m good with babies. I’d like to come if I won’t be in the way,” she said. “What with your new little family and all.”
“Donna, you’re part of our family,” Rose said. “You and Jack are Dare’s in loco parentis. You could never be in the way.”
“Is…is Martha going to come and see the baby?” The Doctor’s voice was hesitant as he looked back and forth between Jack and Donna.
Donna shook her head. “No. She said it would just be too weird. But she sends all of her love.”
“Did she ever say how she got back to Torchwood from Kranamar?” the Doctor asked.
“No. And she’d had a mind wipe done, didn’t even remember going there. Owen said some blond kid with crazy hair dropped her off, muttering something about preventing a paradox and telling Owen to keep his bloody hands to himself in the future or he’d have a few things to deal with he might not like to,” said Jack.
“So then it was Dare. I thought he might have had something to do with it. Cassi never was clear about it, just said she was taken care of.”
“At least she called us after the mind wipe, or we might have spent a really long time looking for her.” Jack shook his head.
“I wish she’d come,” Rose said.
“She’ll come around, I’m sure. Just the idea of seeing her future husband as a newborn gives her a bit of the heebie jeebies,” said Donna. “And…well, she still might have some unresolved feelings…”
The baby let go of Rose and she pulled him out from under the blanket. Jack reached out and picked him up carefully, giving him a little kiss on the forehead before handing him back to Rose. “Good-bye, little guy,” he said. “You two take care of him and each other, and don’t let Jackie give you too much grief.”
“Oh, if she does we’ll just set Donna on her. First person I ever met besides me who can out argue Mum,” Rose said.
“Oi! I like your mum,” she protested.
“Doesn’t mean you can’t out argue her,” said Rose.
The baby began to fuss and Rose quickly put him back under the blanket, switching sides. Jack leant down and dropped a kiss on Rose’s forehead. “Don’t be strangers,” Jack said.
“We won’t. Can’t keep Dare away from Uncle Jack, too long, can we?” She brushed a kiss across his cheek.
Jack hugged the Doctor and walked away. Donna wandered away to unpack her bag, which she’d brought along with her just in case.
“Ready to go see Jackie?” the Doctor asked.
“I really should have called her and let her know about Dare. Here we are able to phone through the gateway and I never did.”
“I think we were a tad bit busy.”
“Mum won’t see it that way.”
“Hopefully she’ll be so glad to see you and the baby it won’t matter.”
“Hopefully,” said Rose, biting her lip.
“You can always blame it on me.”
“Thanks, love, but… I’ll just explain what happened.”
“You don’t have to, you know. We are in a time machine. We can go back a few months and you can call her and let her know.”
Rose considered for a moment. “Nah, despite knowing she’ll be a little mad at me, I really want to see her face when I step out of the TARDIS with Dare in my arms.”
“You know, I do too. I think it’s worth risking a Jackie Tyler slap for that!”
Ch. 31-36: http://amberfocus.livejournal.com/78982.html
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