After the Dancing is Done (Part 2)

[amythest_n_ice]

 

 

******************************

http://amythest-n-ice.livejournal.com/30074.html
Link to Part 1
http://amythest-n-ice.livejournal.com/30929.html
Link to Part 3

******************************

Jack turned over with a sigh, his eyes flickering open and drifting around the darkened medical bay as the sensation of being watched penetrated into his sleep. He saw the dark figure standing over him and opened his mouth.

 

“Shh, I meant it, I don’t want you talking until the burns heal. I didn’t mean to wake you, I just came in to check your readings. Nod or shake your head, unless you want to use telepathy. Does your throat feel OK?”

 

Jack took a moment to think about it properly, swallowing experimentally. He shook his head with a wince, feeling the rawness reassert itself now that the medication the Doctor had given him earlier had worn off.

 

“All right, drink this.” The Doctor helped him to sit up and handed him another glass of the white liquid. Jack drank it down, handing the empty glass back to the Doctor.

 

“You not going to talk to me?” The Doctor asked, tapping his own forehead lightly.

 

Jack cocked his head to one side, looking at the older man from under his eyelashes, then released his barriers once more, his mind reaching out for the Doctors mind.

 

*What do you want to talk about?*

 

*Why that particular poison? Its nasty, Captain.*

 

*It’s effective. And the idea was that I would be dead, the burns wouldn’t have been an issue.*

 

*I would have thought the bomb would be fairly effective in itself.*

 

*No. I did vacuum training, that isn’t a nice thing. And fire frightens me for some reason.*

 

*Vacuum training? That isn’t standard in the time agency is it?*

 

Jack frowned, thinking about it, he remembered the vacuum training quite clearly, but nothing around it, his mind had just slotted it in with the time agency.

 

*I don’t think it was with them, but I can’t quite place it.*

 

*In the missing time?*

*I….don’t know, earlier, I think. It’s so hard.*

 

*Alright, don’t push it now, you’re tired, your body is still fighting to repair the damage the poison did. Go back to sleep.*

 

Jack withdrew his contact with the Doctor’s mind, lying back down and pulling the blanket around him.

 

“You could leave the contact active, in case you need to call me for anything.” The Doctor offered. Jack shook his head, closing his eyes.

 

He wasn’t very comfortable with telepathic contact, having grown up around people who were mind blind. He had encountered very few other telepaths in his life, and couldn’t say for sure why he had trusted the Doctor as much as he had with this secret. He felt long fingers card through his hair, and looked up again.

 

“I’ll check in on you in the morning, if Rose gets here before me, remember that you’re not allowed to talk, and for Rassilon’s sake, don’t let her persuade you to eat anything until after I’ve checked you over.”

 

He nodded and closed his eyes again, what the Doctor had said bouncing around in his skull aimlessly, looking for something to attach to. ‘For Rassilon’s sake’, it sounded so familiar, as if he had heard it before, but like the memory of vacuum training, it hit a void of echoing darkness and stalled. Sleep claimed him once more and the words slipped away into obscurity once more, he wouldn’t remember them when he woke.

 

***

 

Jack woke with a start as someone shook his shoulder, looking behind him, he saw Rose with a bright, cheerful grin on her face, and a breakfast tray resting on the stand beside her.

 

“I brought you some breakfast,” she said gesturing to the tray with a bowl of cereal, stack of toast, and a glass of juice.

 

He shook his head, wondering how to get across to her that he had been told not to eat anything until the Doctor said so. She was mind blind, he could feel that without lowering his shields at all, so there was no point in attempting to talk to her telepathically, even if he felt inclined to. In the end he shook his head again, pointing to his throat and pulling a face.

 

“Oh, still sore huh. Um, I could make you something else.” She offered.

 

“The burns go all the way down to his stomach Rose, he shouldn’t really eat anything until I’m sure they’re healing well. I’ll sort him out with a protein shake as soon as I’ve finished checking him over.”

 

“Oh, right. I’ll get out of your way then.” She said with a pout, picking up the tray and vanishing out of the room.

 

*Did we hurt her feelings?* Jack asked, slipping into telepathy with the Doctor without hesitation.

 

*She’ll get over it. Lie flat on your back so that I can run this scan.*

 

Jack complied, half watching the pale green light as it flickered up and down his body, going red every so often as it hit the places that had been burned by the poison.

 

*Hmm, you’re healing surprisingly well, considering what you took. Couple of days, and you should be able to start eating light food again. In the meantime though, we have these.* He wandered over to the other side of the room and came back a few minutes later with two glasses filled with white liquid.

 

*Protein shake.* He handed the first glass over.

 

Jack sipped it, and gagged, pulling a face at the chalky taste and texture.

 

*I know it’s vile, but you have to keep your strength up. Drink it all.*

 

Reluctantly, Jack downed the entire shake, handing the empty glass back to the Doctor.

 

*The anesthetic drink,* the Doctor said, handing the second one over.

 

Jack swallowed that one happily, glad to ease the discomfort and wash away the taste of the other drink at the same time.

 

*Thanks.*

 

The Doctor got rid of the glasses, and came back, looking down at him.

 

*Rest today, and I’ll think about letting you up tomorrow, OK?*

 

*OK. I don’t suppose you have a book of some sort I can read? Something like that anyway. I don’t like being bored.*

 

*Chess? I haven’t played for a while, but I have a board around.* The Doctor offered, firmly shunting away grief at the thought of his last chess partner. Fitz had been surprisingly good at the game, an enthusiastic opponent, and he hadn’t played since his death in the time war.

 

*Not if it’s going to upset you.* Jack shrugged, picking up the swirl of suppressed grief.

 

*It won’t, I just miss the man I used to play against. He died.*

 

*I’m sorry.*

 

*Don’t be, he was doing what he wanted to do. I’ll go and find the board.*

 

Jack let the contact fade as the Doctor left the room, allowing him privacy to deal with the memories thinking of his dead friend had stirred up. He knew how hard it was to be reminded of lost friends.

 

tbc