EATER OF SOULS

Chapter Nine

“Doctor!”

Rose’s heart was in her throat, as she reached the Doctor’s side. Tears ran down her face, as she looked at his battered and bruised body. One eye was black and swollen almost completely shut. Bruises were scattered all over his face and his body, and to Rose’s horror, what looked like burn marks were on his back and front.

Rose wept uncontrollably, as she lowered her head to the Doctor’s chest. As she cried, she suddenly felt a hand resting on the top of her head.

“Don’t cry, Rose. I’ll be alright.”

Rose looked up and saw the Doctor was staring at her through his one good eye. Rose moved her hands to his face and gently cupped his cheeks.

“Oh, Doctor. What have they done to you?” she moaned, softly.

The Doctor managed a pained smile.

“They did quite a lot to me, it seems,” he said softly. “But don’t worry. I gave them hell. I taught them not to mess with me.”

Rose stared at the Doctor wondering how he managed to fight back through all his injuries. Her eyes widened when she saw the Doctor winking and giving her that pained grin again. She rolled her eyes. Of all the times to be joking around…

The Doctor watched Rose, as she gently laid her cheek next to his.

“Doctor,” She whispered.

“Shhh, I’m here. It’s going to be alright,” the Doctor soothed.

“What did they do to you?”

The Doctor nuzzled her cheek.

“It doesn’t matter now. All that matters is you’re safe,” he whispered.

He held her tightly, as tears fell down Rose’s cheeks.

“I can’t bear to think of you in pain,” she said softly.

The Doctor smiled. He moved his head slightly and kissed Rose’s cheek.

“It didn’t hurt that much,” he said softly. “Once I knew you were safe here, I was able to go into a trance like state and numb my body. I didn’t feel anything until after it was all over, and they were bringing me back here. And now, seeing you safe and unharmed takes away even more of the pain.”

He kissed the tearstains on her cheek.

“I’ve had worse, Rose, believe me,” he said. “Being whipped and burned is nothing compared to being strapped into a mind raper machine, or having bore worms go through your body. You humans can be ruthless and cruel to one another, but compared to some species, your torture methods are a cake walk.”

Rose shuddered. The thought of him being in any pain was enough to make her sick to her stomach. She looked into his brown eyes and wondered how one man could have survived so much hell.

“I didn’t know. You’ve never really told me much about your past. Oh, Doctor, to think that you’ve been tortured like this in the past…”

She trailed off. The Doctor smiled, as Rose wrapped her arms protectively around his body and laid her head beside his.

“My Rose,” he said softly. “Defender of the universe…and my gorgeous body.”

He grinned when Rose managed a small giggle. He laid his cheek against hers, and Rose let out a small sigh.

He looked over at Ahmose, who was watching them quietly.

“What about you?” he asked him. “Are you alright?”

Ahmose nodded.

“Apart from being in here,” he said.

Rose looked at the Doctor.

“They didn’t look for his daughter. They just arrested him and threw him in here,” she said.

The Doctor nodded.

“I know,” he said angrily. “I heard all about it from Amenemhet. Rest assured, Ahmose. We will get out of here and find what’s become of Femi.”

Ahmose nodded.

“She said that too,” he said, gesturing to Rose. “I’m grateful to you for trying to find Femi, but how are you going to escape? We’re locked in a cell, and you’re badly injured. How are you going to be able to move fast enough to avoid getting captured?”

“I’ll think of something,” the Doctor assured him. “I need to get my clothes back, as well as my sonic screwdriver. But, even if I don’t get my clothes back, I can’t afford to leave the screwdriver here in the hands of primitive humans. The risk is too great.”

“Do you think Amenemhet still has it?” Rose asked.

The Doctor snorted.

“Probably. He thought it was treasure and from what I’ve seen of him, he’d be the type to keep something like that for himself, instead of turning it over to the governor.”

Rose put her hand against the Doctor’s cheek and stroked it gently, as she thought. The Doctor studied her face.

“What are you thinking about?” he finally asked her.

“I’m thinking about taking Amenemhet up on his offer,” Rose said.

The Doctor frowned.

“What offer?”

“To be his concubine.”

The Doctor felt sick to his stomach.

“No! I won’t let you, Rose,” he said.

“Doctor, if he has the sonic screwdriver, he probably has it in his room. If I can get into his bed, I might be able to get it and get back here once he goes to sleep.”

“And what if he doesn’t go to sleep, Rose? What if he decides to stay up and…”

The Doctor’s face twisted into revulsion as he trailed off.

“No! I won’t let you,” he said, holding her closer to him. “I won’t let you risk being raped to save us.”

“What other choice do we have, Doctor? You’re hurt. There’s no way you can fight off the soldiers and get your sonic screwdriver back. I’m the only one who can do this.”

The Doctor stared at her, tormented, as he ran his hand down her cheek.

“Rose. You don’t understand. Knowing that you were in that bastard’s bed and possibly being used by him would make me suffer worse than any torture could,” he said. “I can’t risk you doing this. I just went in that torture chamber and suffered voluntarily, so they wouldn’t do anything to you.”

Rose felt tears coming to her eyes.

“I have to do it, Doctor,” she said. “I don’t have any choice.”

The Doctor shook his head.

“No, that’s not true. There are always other choices. Other things we can do without you giving your body up. Rose, you don’t have to do this. I’ll think of something. I always do. Trust me, Rose. Please,” he beseeched her.

Rose laid her head against the Doctor’s chest. She rubbed his arm while she thought. Rose swallowed hard knowing that what she was saying was killing the Doctor inside, but she knew she had to do it.

Gently, she kissed his forehead, as the Doctor pulled her protectively to his chest.

“My Doctor,” she said softly. “I’ll be careful, I promise. I won’t let him shag me. I just want to see if I can get the sonic screwdriver back.”

Rose gasped, as the Doctor grasped her arms and stared at her with an intense look.

“Listen to me and listen well, Rose Tyler,” he said in a strained voice. “You will go in there only because you are looking for the sonic screwdriver. If it isn’t in there, get out of there and get yourself to safety. I’m not worth someone raping or torturing you. Do you understand me?”

Rose nodded.

“If you get the screwdriver and can’t get back to us, just take it and go. Don’t worry about me. Do you understand that?”

“Doctor…”

“Do you understand me?” The Doctor repeated.

Rose bit her lip and nodded.

The Doctor let out a ragged sigh, as he shook his head.

“I hate myself for allowing you to do this,” he said. “If I weren’t this badly injured, I wouldn’t even entertain the idea. But, you’re right. The longer we sit here, the more danger we put ourselves in.”

He swallowed hard.

“I have no choice,” he said sadly.

Rose ached when she saw the despair in his one good eye. She lowered her face to the Doctor’s and gave him a kiss on the lips. A tear ran down her cheek when the Doctor gently returned the kiss. She pulled back and looked at him quietly for a few moments before willing herself to get up and move away from him towards the cell door. Trying not to think about the Doctor staring up at her with a mixture of sadness and love, she pressed her body up against the cell door and gestured to a nearby guard.

“Hey, you,” she said. “Tell Amenemhet I want to talk to him now. It’s urgent.”

Back                         Home                              Doctor Who Main Page                          Next