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The Doctor was certainly an interesting individual, always caring far too little or far too much. However, when it came to his own welfare it seemed to be the former.
In the hurry to get Charley out safely he couldn't quite remember how he had found himself with multiple stab wounds, but their presence was very quickly making themselves known. Adrenaline blocks out pain, but only for so long, despite the Doctor’s hopes.
"Well, Charley! Where to next?" he exclaimed, hands clapping together as they walked up to the TARDIS control panel.
Charlotte shrugged, not yet noticing how the Doctor seemed to sway on his feet. "I haven't the faintest idea. Preferably somewhere with less angry knife-handed aliens," she mused.
Whilst holding the conversation, the Doctor carefully ran through his injuries and whether or not he could care to tend to them. He didn't want to worry Charley. It seemed he had managed to sustain wounds to his left side and right thigh. Great! He could deal with it later.
The Doctor’s TARDIS had a very distinct feel and smell, with cinnamon, pine, and ginger notes heavy in the air. The lighting was warm, akin to the natural rays of the sun. But as of now, the energy was not quite right. It felt as if every word held in the air far longer than it should have; eerie.
Spinning on his heels, face beaming, the Doctor clapped his hands once more. "Cateykatsui!" he exclaimed. "It's a brilliant little civilization on Exittev, a big old library full of cats!"
Charley's face lit up. "Oh Doctor, that's brilliant!" she grinned, sitting down and kicking her feet. “Let’s go then!”
Unfortunately, the excitement ringing in the air did not last long. Charley's face quickly dropped as the Doctor began to look worryingly pale- and then he collapsed in a heap.
Scrambling to her feet, Charley rushed over. "Doctor!? My stars, are you alright? Are you injured? Ill??"
The Doctor was suddenly not very pleased with his willingness to ignore the problem, clutching his side as a deep crimson substance began to weep through his coat. "Charley, I need you to get the first aid kit- in the library next to Alice in Neverland, uh, uh… fourth shelf?" He stumbled over his words, a shaky hand coming up to press on his side.
Charlotte looked horrified. “Doctor! Oh my god- oh my god.” Her posh accent shone through as she scrambled off to the library. The overbearing shelves hung over her head like a taunt, like the ancient and new books were teasing her as she climbed the ladder as though she were in the rat race.
In her haste she almost dropped the first aid kit (and her entire self) down the ladder, but thankfully didn't. Within about two minutes of last seeing the Doctor, she was back at his side. The way the timelord's gaze was unfocused made her sick to the stomach. “If you die on me I’ll… be really mad! ” she snapped, terror behind her anger.
The Doctor let out an almost inhuman groan as he pulled himself up, tears springing to his eyes. “Charley, Charley… it's alright, I'll tell you what to do, it's okay? See?”
“No, no no! It's not alright Doctor, you are bleeding out on the TARDIS floor! What should I do?!” Panic was quickly bubbling in Charley’s throat as she hastily unzipped the disused first aid kit.
Screwing his face up, the Doctor began to run through instructions. “Thigh wound, cut off the fabric and use your- shoes?
Shoelaces!
” he exclaimed, shakily grabbing his sonic screwdriver from his coat. “Loop your shoelaces around my sonic, then twist it until the bleeding stops.” The Doctor was quickly becoming more and more incoherent by the minute, now with both of his hands pressed firmly to his side.
Charlotte quickly complied, working in such silence and focus that her ears rang, only the Doctor’s occasional groan and the natural creaking of the TARDIS daring to make any noise. The blonde looked visibly relieved as the bleeding came to a halt, though her own hands were slick with blood. “Done- I'm done, what next?”
The Doctor at this point was clearly fading from the blood loss, face gaunt and pale. “Side, pressure… stop… bleed.” He began to trail off as he spoke. His eyelids were so heavy, and his head slumped to the side as he simply did not have the strength to lift it.
Charley swore under her breath, yanking off her thick coat and pressing it down on the injury, prying the Doctor’s hands out of the way. It was disturbing how strong the metallic smell in the air was. “Doctor you can't fall asleep, not now, not ever!” she wailed, eyes wide and full of tears. “You can't leave me, you can't! I love you!” She was near hysterical as tears ran down her face. Charlotte Elspeth Pollard’s world was crashing down around her like books off of the ancient library shelves.
the Doctor shakily grabbed Charley's wrist. “Hey, hey. It's alright, you're doing brilliantly.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “I'll be alright.” A silent tear trailed down his cheek, but a warm smile was on his face regardless.
Charley would bite the inside of her cheek until she tasted the metal that she could smell all around her. She reached into the first aid kit and pulled out thick bandaging, though it was slippery and now painted red in her hands.
Working in silence, she cautiously removed the coat, and then layered on the bandage, tight and firm.
The Doctor no longer had the energy to wince or protest, body shut down in full survival mode. After being bandaged, his hand slipped down to Charley’s, holding it as tightly as someone with severe blood loss could.
The environment in the TARDIS would slowly return to normal as the sweet cinnamon-pine scent weaved through the air and dismissed any tension between them. Both of their hands were coated in blood, but it was alright, because they were safe now, they didn't have to lose each other. Not yet, anyway.