THE DOCTOR'S TRIPLE TROUBLE
Chapter Sixteen Mara was terrified as she knelt beside the unmoving body of the Doctor. His eyes were fixed on the sky and didn't respond when Mara waved a hand in front of them. Swallowing hard, she lowered her head to his face and breathed a sigh of relief when she heard his breathing. Confused, she looked at him and snapped her fingers but he still didn't deviate from the fixed gaze stare. She looked him over and then noticed a thin piece of metal sticking out of the side of his neck. She pulled it out and examined it. "Blow gun dart," she said. "You're still breathing but you can't move, must have had some paralyzing agent on it. Damn." She threw it away in disgust and leaned back over the Doctor's face. "Doctor, can you move any part of your body at all?" she asked him. There was no response and she cursed as she sat back up. She sat there for a moment trying to think what she could do. Then she had a thought. She remembered him telling Donna he'd call her on the mobile if he needed her help. He searched his pockets for anything resembling a communicator and found the mobile in his right jacket pocket. She examined it from all sides before opening it up. She started pushing buttons, trying to find a way to contact Donna. Then by chance, she reached the menu listing all people who had their phone numbers programmed into the mobile. She scrolled down, found what she thought was Donna's name and selected it. She saw a phone number and hit the call button. To her relief, the phone started dialing the number. She heard someone answer it. "Doctor?" Donna said. "This is Mara," she said. There was a short silence. "Where's the Doctor?" Donna said angrily. "What'd you do with him?" "I haven't done anything, alright? But we were attacked by some sort of robot and the Doctor was hit with a paralyzing dart. He's alive but he can't move. Is there something you can do?" "Sorry, I'm not a doctor. I have no idea what to do," Donna said. "Well, can you find something in the TARDIS that might help him? I don't think I can carry him all the way back to the TARDIS and I don't want to leave him lying here in case something else attacks us." "Wait a tic, just don't hang up. I'm gonna try asking the TARDIS what to do." Mara lowered the phone to her lap and bent over the Doctor. "Doctor, hang on, your friend is trying to find a way to help you," she said to him. The Doctor didn't respond and she sighed when he continued looking blankly up at the sky. "I don't know if you can hear me but I realize now they were wrong about you," she said to him. "I just hope you realize that I'm on your side now. You're nothing like your double, that's for sure." She stared at him for several seconds before speaking again. "You know, I was hoping that I could continue to impersonate Rose and let the real Rose stay with the other you so you'd end up loving me. But Rose doesn't deserve to be with that asshole and I will do anything to help you get her back. I just hope you hear this and forgive me for deceiving you and Donna. I'd love to be friends with you, if you don't mind that." "Mara?" Mara looked down at the mobile when she heard Donna's voice and picked it up again. "Yes?" she said. "Hang on, we're coming to you," Donna said. "It'll take awhile, we traveled far since we left and…" She trailed off when she heard a wheeze and the hand holding the phone slowly lowered to her lap when she saw the TARDIS materialize nearby. She sat beside the Doctor in shock as the front door opened and Donna stuck her head outside. "You came to us?" Mara said. "Yeah, TARDIS locked in on Alien Boy and came here," Donna said, stepping outside with a small black bottle in her hand. "This bottle also appeared when I asked if she had an antidote for a paralyzing dart so I'm assuming that's what it is." She shut the front door, walked up to the Doctor's side and looked down at him. "Get in a spot of trouble, ya stupid git?" Donna said to the Doctor. "Honestly, no one can leave you alone for two minutes without having to come to your aid. Good job I was still in your TARDIS to come save your hide otherwise you'd be out here forever." She noticed the shocked expression on Mara's face and winked. "Don't worry, I talk to him like this all the time," she said, kneeling beside him. "Now, let's see what this stuff is." She unscrewed the lid and looked in. She smelled it and jerked her head back as she made a face. "Ugh, glad it's not me drinking this," she said. "Least I hope you're s'posed to drink it." "You don't know how to use it?" Mara said. "Nope, we'll just pour it down his gullet and hope for the best. Lift his head a bit for me." Mara lifted his head slightly and Donna put her fingers in his mouth, parting his lips. Mara helped her hold it open with her free hand and Donna poured a small amount of the liquid into his mouth. They closed his mouth and Mara lowered his head back to the ground. "Do you think we gave him enough?" Mara said. "Dunno, we'll wait a few minutes and if nothing happens, I'll give him a bit more," Donna said. They stared at his face. Mara glanced at Donna and swallowed hard, summoning up the courage to speak. "Um…listen, the Doctor told me what my people did during the Time War which is different than what I was taught in school," she said. "I was wrong about him and I know he's telling the truth because he tried to protect me when the robot started attacking. He's not like the other Doctor and I'm sorry I had a hand in kidnapping Rose and impersonating her. I want to make amends and help and I don't want either of you being mad at me. I'm sorry. I really am." Donna smiled at that and took her hand. "Look, if there's one thing I learned being with the Doctor, it's that he's all about giving people second chances, otherwise I wouldn't be here now. I told him before I didn't want to travel with him but after he left, I changed my mind and when I found him again, he let me come with him and Rose, even though he could have said no so he could be alone with his girlfriend. If you were lied to growing up, love, then I can understand your misguided hatred of him. If the Doctor can forgive, I can as well and you just proved by doing all this that you're on our side. I accept your apology." Mara smiled and she patted her hand. Donna noticed that the mobile was still on so she took it from her, turned it off and put it back in the Doctor's jacket pocket. Then she pointed at his face when she noticed his face twitching. Both of them leaned in and watched as the Doctor slowly blinked his eyes and began to move them around. "Bout time you woke up," Donna said when the Doctor's eyes shifted to her. The Doctor began to blink rapidly. "What's he doing?" Mara said. "Probably trying to communicate and I have no bloody clue what he's trying to say because I don't speak eye blink." The Doctor eyed her and Donna shrugged. "I don't know what you're saying, Space Boy, you're gonna have to wait till you can speak properly," she said. The Doctor looked at Mara and winked at her. Then his face muscles began to unfreeze and he slowly moved them until he could get his mouth to open. "Muh," he said, trying to speak to them. "Muh, muh…" "Looks like he's coming back to life from the head on down," Donna said, staring at his immobile body. "Muh…Maaa…raaa," he finally got out. "Yes?" Mara said. The Doctor worked his mouth trying to get it to work better. "Th…ank y...ou," he said slowly to Mara. "You're welcome," Mara said while Donna smiled. "Y...ou…a…re…fr…iend," the Doctor said. "See, told ya," Donna said to Mara when she saw the overjoyed look on Mara's face. A minute later, the Doctor began to move his neck. "Bugger," he said, finally able to speak at a normal rate, "this is taking forever." "Should we give you more?" Donna asked. "No, I just think it'll take a few minutes to get unstuck again," the Doctor said. "I did hear what you said, Mara, and I'm glad you've switched sides. Donna's right. I do believe in second chances and you've proven yourself by helping me here. Thank you, my friend." He smiled when Mara's eyes misted over and gave her another wink. He then looked at Donna. "And I do not get into trouble the moment I go out the door," he said to her while Mara giggled. "The hell you don't, I don't know how many times I've had to save you from things." "You haven't been with me that long, what exactly have you been saving me from then?" the Doctor said while Donna gave him an innocent look. "Quit fibbing, Noble, it doesn't become you." "Yeah, well, rigor mortis doesn't become you either," Donna said. The Doctor looked at Mara. "You get used to her after awhile, trust me," he said while Donna swatted his arm. "She's a bit gruff but she's got a heart of gold." After ten minutes, the Doctor was able to move his body enough to where he could stand up with support. Donna and Mara helped him to his feet and stood on either side of him. The Doctor snapped his fingers and the door opened. Using them for support, the Doctor walked back inside his TARDIS and headed towards the jump seat.
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