THE ADVENTURES OF RAZZMATAZZ, THE TIME CAT

Chapter Three

Rose sobbed as she hurried into her bedroom. They'd just gotten back to the TARDIS after surviving a battle and escaping a burning building. Unfortunately, a young alien girl that Rose had befriending during captivity didn't make it out of the building in time and perished in the flames. Rose had tried to go back to save her, suffering a burn on her right arm in the process. The Doctor pulled his hysterical companion from the building before she died too and now Rose was inconsolable. Her arm was hurting and she knew she should get it looked at in the med bay but she didn't care right now as she climbed into bed and pulled the covers up as she turned towards the wall and cried softly. She didn't know how much time had passed but the Doctor came in the room with Razzy. He put Razzy down in the space beside Rose and ran his fingers across her tear stained cheek before she heard him doing something behind her.

"Doctor, I really wanna be alone right now," Rose said, slightly turning her head.

"Perhaps but that arm is injured and I won't let it get infected. Just relax with Razzy and I'll sort it out."

Rose watched while Razzy walked around her bed. She walked over to the wall and stood up on her hind legs and put her paws on the wall while she looked at something on the ceiling. Rose sniffed and smiled and squeezed her little black tail. She chuckled when Razzy jerked her body around to see what was going on and Rose wiggled her fingers. Razzy stood in front of them, watching the wiggling fingers quietly for a moment before he began to bat at them with her paw. Rose tickled Razzy's side while she mewed and tried to fend off her hand. While she played with the kitten, Rose began to feel a bit better and she guessed that's why the Doctor brought her in with him. She pushed on Razzy's nose while she mewed and then brought her arm back to her side, letting Razzy come over to her. Razzy walked up to her chest and then turned and walked up to Rose's face. She began to nuzzle it while Rose smiled and stroked her body. While she was doing that, the Doctor tended to her arm, pulling up her shirt sleeve and examining the burned and blistered flesh.

"These is a second degree burn, Rose, you're very lucky," the Doctor said to her.

"Am I?" Rose said absently while she stroked Razzy's back.

"Rose, it was Flora's decision to go into the building and it was her decision to stay, even when the flames got too intense. She died helping us because she wanted to," the Doctor said gently while he cleaned the wound. "You couldn't save her, not without killing yourself in the process and I'm sure that's the last thing Flora wanted. I understand your grief, believe me, but you can't blame yourself."

"I know," Rose said after swallowing hard. "It's just that she was so young and I got to know her when we were in the dungeon and I hate that those bastards caused her to lose her life."

"I know, I hate it too," the Doctor said softly while he applied some healing ointment to the burns.

"How can you stand it?" Rose said, turning her head to look at him. "All those people you lost over the years, how do you cope?"

"I mourn and move on," the Doctor said. "There's not much more I can do other than that. If I shut down each time someone I cared about died, I would be a shivering mound of flesh. It hurts but I'm sure Flora would want you to go on and fight the bad guys of the universe."

Razzy mewed and the Doctor grinned.

"And Raztaz agrees," he said. "Of course, kitty love is good therapy as well. That's why I brought Raztastic in here for you."

"Raztastic?" Rose said.

She laughed when the Doctor shrugged. He finished with the ointment and placed gauze bandages over it.

"Rest for a bit with Raz Monster and just relax and bask in her playful kitteness," he said to her. "She'll keep your spirits up."

"Stay with me when you're finished with that," Rose said quickly. "Lay here with me?"

"If you want me to," the Doctor said as he taped the gauze to her arm with surgical tape.

"I want you to," Rose said while she wiggled her fingers at Razzy.

The Doctor finished with Rose's arm. The TARDIS took all his supplies away while the Doctor went to wash his hands. Rose sensed the TARDIS was extending the bed behind her so the Doctor could get in behind her without her having to move. The healing suave was already working, soothing and cooling her aching arm. She felt the covers lift behind her and sighed when the Doctor got in behind her, taking care not to touch her arm.

"Feeling better?" he asked her.

"Yeah, my arm feels better," Rose said.

"And what about your mental state? Are you feeling better?" the Doctor said, getting up on his elbow to look at her.

Rose moved Razzy to the wall, scoot over enough that she could lay on her back to look at him. The Doctor helped adjust her covers and stroked her cheek when she was finished.

"I feel better but it still hurts that I lost a great friend," Rose said while the Doctor gazed at her and stroked her cheek.

"Yes, you did, we both did," he said. "But we must honor her memory by fighting others who would threaten the universe."

He smiled when Razzy climbed up on Rose's stomach and mewed as she walked towards him.

"Well, you found me, didn't you, Misses?" the Doctor said, stroking her back while she mewed and walked towards him.

"You just love this cat to bits," Rose teased as she stroked Razzy's tail with her thumb and first finger.

"She's brilliant. Cute, sweet and Raztastic, that's my Razzy."

Razzy walked up to Rose's chin and sniffed it while purring.

"Now see, you're not crying any longer. My Razzy has that power," the Doctor said as he and Rose stroked her back and sides.

"Mrrrrow," Razzy said to Rose.

They watched while Razzy turned around in front of her chin and Rose grimaced when she kneaded her flesh with her paws before curling up under her chin.

"And you were jealous of her before and now you've become best mates," the Doctor said while Razzy closed her eyes and purred contentedly. And now she's having a kip on your chest. My Razzy knows you need love and comfort and here she is. Animals like kittens give out unconditional and pure love, that's why I love them."

Rose nodded. The Doctor smoothed back her hair and kissed her forehead.

"Now why don't you follow Razzy's example and take a little catnap of your own?" he said.

"Stay with me?"

"I will, just relax and close your eyes and I will stay here with you."

He kissed her forehead again. Rose lay her hand on top of Razzy for a moment before she closed her eyes, relaxed and drifted off to sleep.

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