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“The thing is, Doc, I worry…”
The Doctor looked up, folding her arms over her chest and cocking her head to the side.
“About getting sick again,” Graham said, resting on the console. “You know, about the cancer coming back.”
He winced at the word, as if it was too hard to think about let alone say. She stayed quiet, waiting.
“And I didn’t know who to say it to, so I thought I’d say it to you.” He looked down, nervously wringing his hands. The Doctor could feel the anxiety pouring off him in waves.
“You know, seeing as you’re a doctor!” He finished, smiling weakly. She didn’t reply, just watched him thoughtfully as he sat back on the cool metal of the console.
“You know, ‘cause once you have it, it’s with you the whole time. Not quite a shadow, but uh,” he hesitated. “Hey, don’t get me wrong, I mean, my check-ups, they’re all fine but it… it made me think, you know, and um, I thought I should talk about it.”
He didn’t give her a chance to speak, saying, “‘Cause those nightmares, I mean,” he cleared his throat. “Well, they made me realise that the fear is still there, you know.”
Behind them, the TARDIS whirred and beeped. The Doctor collected her thoughts, and gave Graham a small smile. She leant up against the console beside him, and looked down at her boots.
“I know what you mean,” she said, voice cracking. “Carrying something like that with you, and it’s always in the back of your mind…” She looked him in the eyes, and she knew Graham could see the age in them. She thought, suddenly, of Wilfred Mott and a tear escaped onto her cheek.
“That fear never really goes away, Graham. I’ve lived a long time, and I won’t pretend to know what it’s like to go through what you’re going through but… there is one thing I do know.”
“Yeah, Doc?” Graham half-whispered, daring to be hopeful.
She inhaled. “Humans. You do so much, feel so much emotion. It’s exhausting, especially for me. But I crave it more than anything,” she admitted, turning around and resting her elbows on the console.
“Someone once told me ‘don’t travel alone’. You ever wonder how I pick my companions?”
Graham shook his head, frowning slightly. She smiled sadly at him, and brushed a tear away.
“I find them, in amongst the danger, wherever I go. And while I’m there saving the universe again, and again, and again… you humans are there with me, saving me. You’re stronger and more important to me than anything there is.”
Her vision blurred and she wondered how the hell she could be crying when she was supposed to be making him feel better.
She glanced up at him, his own eyes, red and puffy, and it’s almost as if she can see all of her companions in them, smiling back up at her.
“Graham, you’re stronger than you realise. Even if it does come back,” She held up her hands. “You can fight it, and you best believe I’ll do everything in my power to get you the best help in the universe.”
There was a cat that owed her a favour, of course.
“Thank you Doc-”
She pulled him into a hug, surprising herself. “I’ll always be with you, Graham. You, me, Yaz, and Ryan, in the TARDIS on an adventure. A team.”
He pulled back and chuckled. “No Doc, not just a team. A family.”
She bit back a laugh and hugged him again. “Hey Graham?”
“Yeah, Doc?”
“Is this a good hug? I’m still a bit socially awkward-“
“Yeah Doc,” he said. “This is good.”