PARENTHOOD
Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Four "Throughout the night, family members came to see the Doctor and Jack to make sure they were okay. Rain finally made her husband lay down on the sofa so he could heal better. She got his pillow and a blue eiderdown from their bedroom and once Martha made sure the IV pole was out of the way and the drip was still going, the Doctor settled down while Jack got a cushioned footstool, sat in the chair, folded his arms over his chest and both men drifted off to sleep. Everyone else went outside to the pool so they could talk and Rain urged Hope to do the same. "Let him alone, baby. He and Jack need to rest," she said to her daughter while she took her hand. The Doctor slept for about a half hour. When he woke, a small radio was on the coffee table beside him, softly playing soft rock for him. He noticed that Jack was still asleep and snoring lightly. He looked over at the patio door and noticed several people standing by it while they chatted. While he watched Rose laughing with Martha and Donna, Hope came up to the patio door and stared in at him. He winked and waved when she waved to him. Hope glanced at Rose, Martha and Donna, looked back at him and then walked away. A moment later, she returned holding her Scooby Doo blanket bunched up in her arms. She opened the patio door and slipped in while the Doctor watched her lovingly. "Mummy said to leave you alone but I wanna give you my blanket so you'll be warm," she said as she spread her blanket out on top of the eiderdown. While she was doing that, Jack opened his right eye slightly and then opened both eyes while she watched her. "Where's my blanket?" Jack teased when Hope finished spreading the blanket out on top of the eiderdown. Hope glanced at him and then raced to the stairs. "Wait, I was kidding," Jack said as she went upstairs. "Too late, she has to mother us both, you know," the Doctor said to him. Hope came back downstairs holding another blanket in her arms. She walked over to Jack and spread it out over him. Jack groaned when he noticed it was a pink Dora the Explorer blanket. "You didn't have anything a bit more manly?" Jack said while the Doctor chuckled. "Pink isn't my color and that monkey following Dora creeps me out." Hope finished spreading the blanket over him and Jack watched while she checked the mug filled with water that was on the table beside him. He then walked over to the mug of water that was left for the Doctor on the coffee table. She noticed it was nearly empty so she took it and hurried to the kitchen while the Doctor sighed and put his free arm behind his head. "I could get used to this pampering," he said to Jack. "I'll say. She's a wonderful nurse and she has a great bedside manner," Jack said. Rain peeked inside the patio door and looked around. "Is Hope in here?" she asked the Doctor. "Yup. No worries, she's attending to our needs now," the Doctor said, waving his hand dismissively. Hope came out of the kitchen, very carefully holding the mug of water in her hands so it wouldn't spill. "See? She's giving me a water refill," the Doctor said. "Daddy was awake so I wanted to give him my blanket and give him water," Hope said, setting the mug down on the coffee table. "You said not to come in here but I want Daddy to feel better." "That's okay, baby. He told me he and Jack were awake when you came in here," Rain said, rubbing her back. "I'm glad you're taking care of them. You're being a good helper." "Are you okay, Daddy?" Hope asked the Doctor. "I feel tons better now that you've seen to my needs, thanks," the Doctor said happily. "What about you? Are you feeling better?" Rain asked Jack. "Apart from the sore throat, yes." Rain stared at him for a moment and then put up a privacy block between her, him and the Doctor. I keep wondering, she thought. Do you suffer much when you die? Um...depends. The beheading wasn't that bad, only a second of pain, if that, Jack thought back while the Doctor listened and rubbed Hope's back. I've had worse. Do you see anything when you die? Rain thought to him. Um...if I do, I don't remember it. I can't really die so if there is an afterlife, I can't get to it. I think I'm more like in limbo until I come back to life, Jack thought. Grace saw something, the Doctor thought. She and Chang Lee were killed by the Master and when they were revived, Grace told me she went somewhere and there was nothing to worry about. I'm sure she'll tell you about it if you ask. "Course," the Doctor said loudly, "that's if you can get Tarty Moo to stop running her gob and taking up her time for more than two seconds." They laughed when Rose visibly stiffened outside. "Can you excuse me?" Rose said to Donna and Martha. "I need to kill someone." Rose spun around and stomped into the house while Martha and Donna laughed. She walked up to the Doctor, folded her arms over her chest and eyed him while he gave her a look of innocence. "Howdy, TM, come to pay your respects?" the Doctor asked sweetly. "No, I've come to smother ya with this pillow," Rose said, fingering the pillow under his head. "I want to watch you regenerate over and over." "Not if my little nurse can help it," the Doctor said, rubbing Hope's back. "She'll save me from suffocation, won't ya?" "No." Rose bent over laughing at the shocked look on the Doctor's face. "Hmmm, maybe I have to retrain her then," the Doctor mused while Hope giggled and laid her head on his chest. "You're supposed to support me, no matter what." "No!" Hope said with a giggle. "You tell em, love," Rose said, before bending over to kiss her head. After awhile, the majority of the people left, leaving behind Rain, Rose, Martha, Alan, Hope, the Doctor and Jack. Martha checked both the Doctor and Jack's temperatures. "You're still running a bit of a fever," Martha said to the Doctor. "I think I'll take the drip out but you should get some more rest and Jack, you do the same." Hope watched while Martha took the needle out of the Doctor's arm. He got up and Rose and Rain moved the chairs and coffee table back so they could unfold the hideabed in the sofa. "Can I lay with Daddy and keep him company, Mummy?" Hope asked when the Doctor laid back down. Rain looked at her husband and he nodded. Rain cautioned her daughter to be quiet and let him rest and the Doctor pulled back the sheet so she could climb in beside him. Jack climbed in beside Hope and Rose and Rain pulled the sheet back up and spread the eiderdown over them while Hope snuggled with her father. Rain giggled as she grabbed Hope's two blankets and threw them over the Doctor, Jack and Hope's heads. "Oi!" the Doctor said while Hope laughed. Rain and Rose spread the blankets on top of the eiderdown, kissed the Doctor and Jack's cheek and dimmed the lights while they went back outside to talk.
She's not bothering us. She's pampering us both."
"And yes, the medicine is working and I don't feel sick anymore."
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