THE GRAND TOUR OF OKLAHOMA
Chapter Twenty Three Rose led Jenny around and showed her where everything was. Jenny was speechless as they walked through the corridors. "I'm glad you didn't run screaming from us," Rose said after showing her the lavatory. "Well, even I can't deny that this is proof that your friend isn't normal," Jenny said, pointing to the ceiling. "But you do this all the time now, travel with him?" "I've been traveling with him for almost two years now and I can't imagine leaving this life. It has its dangerous moments but I've seen so many amazing things that it more than makes up for the horrors. But I'm glad we met you, glad there's a decent person out here on the streets." "I'm glad you guys are also decent. I don't have very many friends here because most of the people out there are junkies or drunks or want to screw any woman they can get their hands on. I'm glad the Doctor is a decent guy." "He'd never hurt you, honestly. He's very protective of the people he cares for and he'll defend you to the death against some of these gits. He'd let himself die before you died, trust me. And I'd do the same." Jenny hugged her and Rose smiled as she hugged her back. "Go ahead and have a shower, I can wait," Rose said. Jenny nodded. Rose pointed out the cupboard where she could find towels and she walked on towards the kitchen when Jenny entered the bathroom and shut the door. Two hours later, the Doctor woke Rose up and was directed by the TARDIS to Jenny's bedroom. He entered and smiled when he saw her sleeping peacefully in her brass daybed. He could smell strawberry shampoo and smiled tenderly when he noticed that the dirt and grime on her body was gone and her hair was full and lustrous. He put his hand on her shoulder and gently shook her. "Jenny?" he said. "Hmm?" Jenny said, opening her eyes halfway. "Do you still want to go out? You can sleep in here if you want." "No, I want to go," Jenny said, getting up. "Did you have a good rest?" the Doctor said. "Yes, very good. This is a nice room," Jenny said, sitting up on the side of the bed. The Doctor looked around and smiled when he saw a bookcase filled with books next to the door. "My ship is alive," the Doctor said. "Alive? Seriously?" "Yes and she hears us and can scan our minds. Not in a bad way but when I bring someone in here and ask for a bedroom, she does a scan of your mind and designs a room that you would enjoy. Which is why you have a bookcase with books right there," he said, pointing to it. "My ship tries to make you as comfortable as possible which is my aim as well. I see you have some new clothes and had a shower as well." "Yeah, thanks, I don't know if you understand this but having a shower again after so long was wonderful, one of life's little pleasures that people take for granted." The Doctor pulled up a high-backed wooden chair and sat down. "I'm older than I look. I'm 902 years old," he said to her. Jenny did a double take. "Damn, you age really well," she said. "Well, I don't age, I regenerate, I'll explain more later at the Melting Pot but several years ago I was involved in a large intergalactic war called the Time War. I fought on the front lines and went several days sometimes without bathing so I can understand the wonderful feeling of being clean again after going without for awhile. And my TARDIS gave you some fresh clothing?" "Yeah, they just appeared in the bathroom after my shower. And everything fits perfectly." "Like I said, mind scan so she can help you relax and fit in here. My ship has been with me for centuries and she's good to me and everyone who's come in here. So, are you ready to go back out?" "Yeah, let me get my shoes on. New shoes, I might add." "Keep them. You keep all of it; you need clothes that didn't belong to someone else for a change." He patted her knee and stood up with her. He put his arm around her shoulder while they walked out the door. The Doctor opened the TARDIS door a bit and looked out. Seeing no one around, he nodded to Jenny and Rose and the three of them stepped outside. The Doctor closed the door and they walked over to the bus bay to wait for the trolley. "Good job the trolley is still running," the Doctor said. "With all this heat, it's nice to have a free ride into Bricktown." While they waited, they saw a middle age man pass through the parking lot on a bicycle. The bicycle had bags piled up on the back, held in place on a bike rack with bungee cords. Another bag was strapped to the front between the handlebars, he had two plastic sacks on either side of the handlebars and was wearing a backpack on his back. "Jesus, how can he stay on the bike with all that?" Rose said to the Doctor. "Hi, Ernie," Jenny said to him. Ernie waved and slowed the bike. He pedaled up to the bus bay and stopped. "Hey, are you going to Skyline tonight?" he asked her. "No, I'm going with friends to eat and see a baseball game," Jenny said. "This is John and Rose, this is Ernie." The Doctor and Rose said hello and Ernie said hello to them before he turned he got off the bike and deployed the kickstand. "Got a few things for you," Ernie said, taking the sacks off the handlebars. "I have some food and I found some underwear and socks for you." "Thanks," Jenny said, taking the sacks from them. "I appreciate you doing this." "Well, you know I look out for you and give you extras when I have them. How about your friends though, do they need anything?" The Doctor and Rose politely declined and Ernie nodded. "Well, I'll be on my way to Skyline, see you later, Jenny." "Bye, Ernie!" Ernie got back on his bike and with a wave goodbye, pedaled away. "That was nice of him," Rose said. "Yeah, he's one of the decent ones. He kinda adopted me and he's been bringing me food and stuff for several months now," Jenny said. "She opened the sacks and the Doctor leaned over to see what was in them. Jenny pulled out some white cotton underpants and white socks and tied the sack back. Putting it to the side, she untied the other one and looked in. "He eats at the shelters and I don't but they usually put extra food out for people in the dining room and he grabs a bunch and shares with me," Jenny told them. "The only bad part about it is he usually gives me things he doesn't want but it's the thought that counts. Still…" She pulled out a juice box containing milk and made a face. "I hate this boxed milk and he keeps giving it to me. It's all watery and gross. I'll just leave it here and someone else can take it," she said, setting the box on the empty seat beside her. She pulled out another box of milk and put it beside the other one. Then she pulled out a box of orange juice. "The orange juice, I do like," she said to the Doctor. "But…" She pulled out a snack sized cup of applesauce and the Doctor sniggered when she added it to the discard pile. She pulled out another one and showed it to the Doctor. "Look, gives me plain and cinnamon," she said before adding it to the pile. "I'm not a fan of applesauce. He did give me some beef jerky though," she said, pulling out a bag. "I like beef jerky and also gave me some peanut butter crackers and cheese and crackers." She finished her inspection and put the sack with the underwear inside it. She tied the sack up and set it beside her. "Here, allow me, I'll put it in the TARDIS so you don't have to carry it around all night." The Doctor took the sack and sprinted across the parking lot to the TARDIS. "I'm glad Ernie looks out for you," Rose said while they watched him run to the TARDIS. Yeah, he was with me during the winter when we slept in the parking garage." "During the cold months, you slept in there? Does it have central heat?" Rose said. "No, just some windows but it was still freezing in there," Jenny said. "So, how did you survive then?" Rose said, alarmed. "I had ten heavy blankets and I put three of them down on the ground and snuggled under the other seven. I was warm and toasty like that. The only time I was cold was when I had to get out from under them to go pee. Ernie had two of those heavy winter sleeping bags. He put one inside the other and slept like that and he stayed warm too." "God, I've been through some bad situations but nothing like that." "Well, like I said, I won't go into one of the shelters and even if we'd gone and spent the night in one, they would have given us a mat and a little cotton blanket. I would have been colder in the shelter than I was under my seven blankets." "So…did you carry the blankets around then?" Rose asked while the Doctor trotted back towards them. "No, there's a bank that's past the parking garage and it has a wall near the drive through with shrubs in front of it. I'd put the blankets in two bags and stuff them in between the shrubs and the wall so no one could see them. I'd come back at night, get my bags and go to the garage." "What's this?" the Doctor said, sitting down. "Something about bags and shrubs." Rose told them what Jenny told her. The Doctor looked at Jenny in amazement when Jenny confirmed what Rose was telling him. "That settles it," the Doctor said when Rose and Jenny finished telling him about the parking garage. "I've made my decision." "What decision?" Jenny said. The Doctor was about to speak when the trolley pulled up. He held up his finger and they got on it. Inside, the Doctor noticed it was filled with people and he told Jenny he'd tell her when they got to the restaurant so they'd have some privacy.
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