PARENTHOOD
Chapter One Hundred Thirty Five The Doctor and Hope left the zoo and headed back to the pavement. Ever since she was three, the Doctor took it upon himself to educate his daughter whenever they had private time together, making their outings both fun and educational. So whenever he could, he taught his daughter many things, naming objects and explaining as best he could to a four year old what some things were and did. He enjoyed instructing her and he could tell she enjoyed learning. It was one of the reasons he and Rain made sure to have some alone time with each of their children. They had spent a couple of hours together in the zoo, looking at the animals and learning about them. Now as they made their way home, the Doctor decided to stop off at the ice cream shop for a little treat. He felt like having some chocolate ice cream but also because he wanted to prolong his alone time with his daughter. On the way to the shop, he continued pointing and telling his enraptured daughter what things were around them. Unlike some parents, the Doctor didn't get annoyed with his children asking why about the world around him. He wanted them to learn as they grew so that by the time they entered the academy, they'd be prepared. Hope hung on to her father's hand as they walked along. The Doctor stopped her and pointed down at the ground. "Know what this is?" he said, pointing to a flower. Hope stared at it for a moment and then looked up at the Doctor. "Dandelion," she said. "Right!" the Doctor said, pleased, as they walked on. "Dandelions are originally from Earth but we brought them here and planted them when we came to this planet." "They're pretty," Hope said. "Yes, they are. Some people think they're weeds but there's nothing prettier than a field of dandelions, I think," the Doctor said. "Why do you like Earth so much, Daddy?" Hope asked him. The Doctor thought for a moment. "I think it's because a lot of people in the universe think they don't amount to much. That they're too backward and primitive but I see so much potential in them and I like rooting for the underdog," he said to her. "And...that's where your mum and grandparents and most of your aunts and uncles came from. So when we first started this planet, most of the brought things here that were originally a part of Earth." Hope nodded. "I like Earth then," she said as the Doctor squeezed her hand. As they neared the ice cream shop, they saw Rose coming out of the shop beside it with a small white paper sack in her hand. The Doctor frowned when he saw where she was. Rose noticed them, stopped and smiled. "Chemists? Why were you in the chemists?" the Doctor asked. Rose sighed and rubbed Hope's back when she came up to her side. "Alan, naturally. We went down to the southwest for awhile and while we were there, we went to this outdoor market and someone told Alan about the ghost chili which is about 5000 times hotter than a regular chili and my fool husband had to try one...and another one...and another one. He was fine until he got back here and then it finally hit him and we didn't have anything to soothe his stomach on Daisy so I went round to the chemists and got him some stomach medicine. What about you?" "I took the little out for some alone time and we went to the zoo and we were going into the ice cream shop when we saw you," the Doctor said. Rose glanced at the ice cream shop. "Actually, that sounds good. I might as well get a pint of chocolate chip ice cream for Alan. Might help calm his stomach along with the medicine and...I need a couple of scoops of chocolate. I'll come with you," she said. Hope took her hand and they went inside. The Doctor got banana flavored ice cream while Hope got two scoops of chocolate on a sugar cone. Once everyone got their ice cream, they walked back out and headed towards Alan and Rose's house while they licked their ice cream. On the way there, they ran into Donna and Lee who were visiting the city for the day and chatted with them while they ate their ice cream. Donna shook her head. "I shouldn't have run into ya, now I want ice cream," she said while they laughed. "And give that knucklehead husband of yours a slap for being idiotic enough to eat those chilies. Cor, why the man hasn't regenerated yet is beyond me anyway, Lee and I have to get home." "Yeah, let us know if Alan is alright," Lee said. "Trust me, he will be. He's eaten a lot worse than this before," Rose said. They said goodbye to Donna and Lee and walked back to Alan and Rose's house. Meanwhile, Alan was lying on the couch rubbing his aching stomach while he kept his eyes close. His stomach was killing him and he regretted ever laying eyes on the ghost chilies. "Never again. I will never eat those things again," he said aloud. He felt a wetness on his cheek and opened his eyes to see Alice nuzzling and sniffing him. He stared at the Alsatian, wondering if he should shoo her away and then realized he was too sick to care. In the corner, Speck was sniffing at something and Alan tried to call her over but his dog ignored him. He looked over when the door opened and his eyes widened when Hope came inside with a little white sack in her hand. "I must be dreaming, Rose shrunk and got darker skin and black hair," he said as Hope came up to him. Hope put the sack on his tummy and wagged her finger at him. "You were very naughty and you need to be sorry for what you did," she said. "And now Rose is chastising me in her midget body. I'm having a very weird ghost chili induced dream," Alan said, staring at Hope with wide eyes. "You need to take this and get well so we can play," Hope said to him. "Yes, Midget Rose, I'll do what you say," Alan said with wide eyes. "I'm not Rose," Hope said giggling. "You're not? Are you the Tummy Fairy then?" Alan said. "No," Hope said with a giggle. "Are you my Hopey Hope then?" Alan said. "I'm Hope and I came to give you some medicine for your belly and Aunt Rose has ice cream." Hope gave him a kiss on the cheek and waved as she walked back out the door. "Bye, Uncle Alan." "Bye, Tummy Fairy, come back again when I eat more damaging foods!" Alan yelled at her. Hope stopped at the door and giggled when Rose and the Doctor came back inside. "Rose! I've been having fevered dreams. I dreamed a short Tummy Fairy gave me medicine for my stomach," Alan said to Rose. Rose chuckled, walked over, bent over and kissed his forehead. "Yeah, well, I'm the one who brought the medicine so the Tummy Fairy could deliver it so you can thank me as well as her," she said. Alan glanced at the Doctor who was giving him a stern look and Alan coughed nervously. "Heh, went a bit overboard with the ghost chilies," he said sheepishly. "I see that. I would recommend restraint the next time you eat something that's 5000 times hotter than a normal chili," the Doctor said. "Next time, the Tummy Fairy might not be around to rescue you." Alan patted Hope on the head. "My Tummy Fairy will always be here for me," he said to her. Hope gave him a kiss on the cheek and hugged him while Alan let out a contented sigh. The Doctor shook his head and gave his head a playful shove while Hope sat down next to the sofa and watched TV with Alan as he reached into his sack and took out some of his medicine.
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