DOCTOR DOMESTIC

Chapter Three

"Next on the list is vacuuming the floor," Rose said. "You must vacuum the carpet in the lounge correctly to win. Have at it."

The Doctor put the note back in his pocket. He stood in the middle of the lounge, looking around while Rose and Jackie stayed by the wall and watched him. He scratched his head while Rose and Jackie giggled.

"Okay, where is it so I don't waste time," the Doctor said to Jackie.

"Where is what?" Jackie said innocently.

"The vacuum cleaner, Jackie. I do know you clean a carpet with a hoover, where is it?"

"In the cupboard by Rose's bedroom. I'll give you that much so you don't tear apart the flat looking for it," Jackie said, pointing to the hallway where the bedrooms were located.

The Doctor walked into the hallway and opened the cupboard. He pulled out an upright vacuum cleaner and closed the door. He took it into the lounge and examined it while Rose and Jackie watched. He found the plug and cord and unraveled it from the back.

"So far, so good," Rose said softly to her mother while the Doctor plugged in the vacuum.

He walked back to the vacuum and examined it again while the two women watched him. He found a switch near the top of the vacuum and grinned triumphantly when the vacuum roared to life. Happily, he began moving the vacuum back and forth, cleaning the carpet.

"I'm impressed," Jackie said while the Doctor moved the vacuum around the floor.

Then the Doctor got to a tiny throw rug near the sofa. He tried to vacuum it and Jackie gasped when the end of it caught in the vacuum. The Doctor stood there, staring at the rug while the vacuum made a grinding sound.

"That shouldn't be," the Doctor said while Rose ran to the plug.

"Pull it out, idiot!" Jackie yelled at him while Rose unplugged the vacuum. "You're destroying the rug and my vacuum cleaner!"

"Hey!" the Doctor said when Rose pulled the plug and the vacuum died.

"If that happens, Doctor, you don't just stand there and stare at it and hope it fixes itself," Rose said, walking up to him. "You have to turn off the hoover and pull the rug out because it will damage the rug and wreck the vacuum cleaner.

Rose took the vacuum from him, turned it over and pulled the rug out. She examined it and nodded when she realized the vacuum was okay.

"So…did I do it correctly then?" the Doctor said when Rose gathered up the cord.

"No, you didn't because you don't know how to move rugs aside so they won't get caught in the bleedin' hoover!" Jackie said.

"But before that happened, I was doing things correctly, Jackie," the Doctor said angrily.

Rose stepped in between them before the two of them went at it.

"We'll give it to him, Mum. He's right. He was doing it correctly. There aren't any throw rugs in the TARDIS so he didn't know."

"Fine," Jackie said while the Doctor gave her a look of triumph. "Just get on with the next task then."

"Gladly," the Doctor said, pulling the note out of his pocket.

Back                         Home                              Doctor Who Main Page                          Next