DOCTOR WHO: The Odd Life of Nova Sue--PART 2: Discovering

Chapter 5: Note to Self

Despite her anger, Sydney forces herself to visit Hazel in the hospital, and things don't go well for the friends. On the way, Sydney runs into someone else with a disturbingly familiar face.

A/N: the image is a Visitors Pass I created for the sake of the story :)

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"Wake up... Come on, Nova, you can do it. Wake up. WAKE UP!"

"Dad!" I gasp upon hearing the Doctor's voice as I immediately sit up from my bed. I look around the dimly lit bedroom only to discover that I am completely alone, my bow tie-wearing father nowhere to be seen. I sigh sadly, thinking I've simply dreamt hearing his voice, or that I've imagined hearing it.

Rubbing my bleary eyes, I lay back in bed, thinking back on what I'd just seen in my dream. As I heard my father's voice whispering for me to "wake up," I remember seeing his dark silhouette looming over me with his hands on my temples exactly like he always did when he connected with people telepathically. I also remember the room looking a bit like a creepy basement rather than a comfortable bedroom, with a bright light directly above me. There was even a wire that seemed to be connected to one side of my forehead that was connected to a strange device, like something you'd typically find in a hospital, but it was too dark and blurry to make out any major details. Other than those few things, that's all I can remember.

I immediately begin trying to make sense of my strange dream. From the fact that my father seemed to be getting me to wake up, only for me to seemingly slip back under whatever affects the mechanical device that I was wired to had on me, this seemed like further proof that I am truly stuck in a Matrix-like simulation. Perhaps the Doctor—my Doctor—was trying to save me from whatever trapped me in the sim to begin with, but he was clearly failing at it, seemingly unable to wake me himself. On that note, perhaps I have to wake myself up first in order to fully escape the sim, and I have to pass some sort of test in order to do so. The only problem with this is that—assuming passing a test is what I truly have to do to wake up from this twisted nightmare—I need the Doctor's and River's help to pass it, but they seem to refuse to help me and are, instead, too busy believing me to be a secret mole for the Silence. Despite this, I remember River promising to come back for me once they resolved their marriage, but I haven't seen nor heard from her in several days. It makes me feel slightly worried for my former bio-parents' safety, thinking that something life-threatening must've happened to them, but, as I've done countless times in the last four days, I mentally tell myself that there is actually nothing wrong and that their marriage-sorting is simply taking a little longer than expected. This sort of thing often happens with most couples in a strained relationship; perfectly normal, right?

Later that day, I decide (against my better judgement) to visit Hazel at the hospital. Several days prior, on the same day we were attacked by the Sontaran, I found out that Hazel ended up having to go through emergency surgery to have her arm amputated, since no normal human ailments could heal her arm since she was attacked by something extraterrestrial. The instant I found this out, I felt immensely guilty that I no longer had my Regeneration ability, as I could've used it to heal her arm without having it be amputated. This thought makes me wonder if things would've ended up the same way in my other life, had I been born human instead of Time Lord.

Because of the surgery, Hazel wasn't allowed visitors (except for her parents) until she recovered from the surgery, and I waited anxiously until my mother told me she was finally allowed visitors outside the family today. I spent all morning calling and texting Hazel, but she hasn't replied to any of my messages, and I can't decide if she isn't responding because of her condition or that she's refusing to respond out of spite and anger, so I ultimately decide to go over to the hospital and see her in person so she'll have no choice but to talk to me. Thinking back on our fight, the outcome was absolutely ridiculous, and I wanted it resolved so things can go back to normal between us. Needless to say, it is pointless to stay mad at her forever.