Dreaming of a Blue Box ✧ Doctor Who ¹ ✓

49 - The Empty Child (Part IV)

Continuing from 'The Empty Child - Part III'

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LOOKING THROUGH A PAIR OF TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCED BINOCULARS HE TOOK FROM HIS JACKET, the Doctor scanned the area of soldiers as he stood on the stairs with Rose and Nancy. "The bomb's under that tarpaulin," Nancy explained and he saw through his lenses her pointing towards it. "They put the fence up overnight." She then pointed to another spot- a large and looming building. "See that building? The hospital."

"What about it?" The Doctor heard Rose ask her.

"That's where the doctor is. You should talk to him."

"For now," The Doctor spoke, repocketing his binoculars. "I'm more interested in getting in there." He said, nodding to the tarpaulin.

"Talk to the doctor first," Nancy advised.

Rose crossed her arms. "Why?"

"Because then maybe you won't want to get inside."

The time lord looked up as Nancy started to walk away, ascending the stairs. "Where're you going?"

"There was a lot of food in that house." She explained without looking back. "I've got mouths to feed. Should be safe enough now."

"Can I ask you a question?" Rose asked. When she reluctantly stopped and faced them again, he continued. "Who did you lose?"

She was taken aback. "What?"

"The way you look after all of those kids," The Doctor helped explain, seeing where Rose was going with this. "It's because you lost somebody, isn't it? You're doing all this to make up for it."

She gave a small nod. "My little brother. Jamie. One night I went out looking for food. The same night that thing fell." She nodded to the tarpaulin with a hate-filled gaze. "I told him not to follow me, I told him it was dangerous, but he just . ." This was clearly a hard topic for her. "He just didn't like being on his own."

Rose frowned and the Doctor saw her eyes soften. "What happened?"

She glared at her. "In the middle of an air raid?" Nancy exclaimed. "What do you think happened?"

"Amazing." The Doctor murmured.

Nancy turned to him. "What is?"

"1941." He began giving details. "Right now, not very far from here, the German war machine is rolling up the map of Europe. Country after country, falling like dominoes. Nothing can stop it. Nothing. Until one, tiny, damp little island says no. No. Not here. A mouse in front of a lion." He shook his head, "You're amazing, the lot of you. Don't know what you do to Hitler, but you frighten the hell out of me. Off you go then do what you've got to do. Save the world."

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After sonicing the padlock they walked through the gate and up to the hospital doors. The Doctor led Rose through the halls. "This place isn't contaminated, right?" She asked, looking down the corridors.

"Nancy said you'll become like him if you touch." The Doctor reminded her. "So just don't touch anything."

They found themselves in one of the large wards and both stood in shock. Every single hospital bed had a patient- lying very still on their backs with gas masks on their faces. "They're all like the boy." Rose's eyes turned into slits as she looked closer but stayed at the Doctor's side. "Are those scars?"

"You'll find them everywhere." A voice sounded. An older man entered the ward, clothed in a doctor's coat and using a wooden walking stick to get around. "In every bed and in every ward. Hundreds of them."