You're always worth it Doctor...

Part Six: Flashback

The Doctor dropped down the many stories and landed, feeling his skull crack and his spine break. His ribs were pressed into his lungs and his hearts bled inside of his body. He could only feel pain and a strange feeling of relief. No more worrying or fighting. No more monsters coming after him and his family, no more worrying about Sarah Jane, just peace.

He would wait for her in the afterlife and maybe then perhaps they could be together at last as the same species as he closed his eyes.

The next time he opened them he had wires down his throat, a machine beeped next to him and doctors and nurses were moving in slow motion over him. A female nurse saw him and pointed it out.

"Harry I think he's awake."

"Use the titanium needle and knock him out again, this isn't going to feel nice for him awake." Harry replied wearing a face mask and readying a scalpel when the world faded away.

The next time The a Doctor awoke he opened his eyes and felt as if he had regenerated. He couldn't remember what had happened. He was fighting on a radio tower and something happened and the world went black. Where was Sarah Jane?

Panic and fear of the worst rushed through him and he quickly sat up. His body was heavy and the world spun as he steadied himself to sitting upwards.

"Sa-...Sarah?! Where's my wife....where is she?" The Doctor cried out in a hoarse voice trying to see through the bright lights in the room. He could hear running down the hallway and went to pull himself off the bed but couldn't. He needed to protect his family and his Sarah Jane. There had been aliens attacking them and the base, they had nearly killed her.

"Why can't I get up? I need to...defeat...the Tromars..." The Doctor groaned in pain, trying to move his legs. Harry burst into the room along with a few nurses and The Brigadier.

"Doctor, you need to lay down, you're still recovering from the coma. It's not good to be sitting up right now." Harry said trying to tuck him back in.

"No....I need to see Sarah Jane. I want my wife here...why can't I see her?" The Doctor protested back, his words slurring in exhaustion.

"Sarah's safe Doctor, she's taking care of the kids. She's safe Doctor, don't worry." The nurse said stroking his hand. The Doctor felt dizzier and weak, falling back onto the bed. He felt calmer knowing she was safe according to this nurse and once more closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

"Mummy you ought to let him rest. Daddy needs to sleep, the anatomy book the TARDIS had said it could be a few weeks before he's healed from a injury like this. I don't even believe what the nurse said considering what had happened." Sky said on the left side of The Doctor's body.

"Sky! Stop it! Mum's gone nearly into depression without him awake. Just let her hold his hand and talk to him." Luke replied further away. The Doctor felt familiar fingers caressing his large worn hands and soft whispers of "I love you, please come back." working their way into his ears.

Sarah

He squeezed her hand gently opening his eyes and moaning as the bright light hit his blue eyes again. Sarah Jane jumped up holding her hands to her face as tears trickled down her cheeks.

"Mum?" Sky asked wondering what had made her jump.

"He's woken up again. He's woken up, it's a miracle!" Sarah Jane cried rushing to the bedside kissing him. The Doctor felt dizzy and confused, he felt better getting lots of kisses from Sarah Jane though.

"S-Sarah?" He said he throat feeling dry and sore.

"I'm here my love, I'm here now, it's okay you're safe." Sarah Jane said caressing his cheek. The Doctor gave a small smile and looked around the room. He wanted to be in the TARDIS, preferably somewhere he could cuddle her and heal knowing he would be safe.

"Where are we? I want to go to the TARDIS..." He rasped again raising his arm slightly towards the corner where he wanted his blue box to be at that second. Sarah Jane put down his hand gently.

"We can't go there sweetheart. You're still healing. A lot of your brain needs to heal before you can go back there." Sarah explained gently holding his hand. The Doctor whimpered, he wanted to go into the TARDIS, go in his bed, and snuggle with Sarah under a nest of blankets.

"But I want to go there, it's dangerous here. I have to protect the kids." He said softly. Sarah Jane sniffled softly and cried.

"You're safe now baby I promise. I won't let anything happen to you again. " she cried softly, "Get some sleep okay my love?" She asked tucking him in and stroking his curls the way that calmed him down. The Doctor felt sacred but the soothing touch of her was no match for him as he closed his eyes and back asleep again into darkness.

Two days passed when he woke up again, this time moaning in pain as his legs felt as if they were being stabbed repeatedly.

"Dad? Mom, dad's awake again I think he's in pain." Sky said nudging Sarah awake from her sleeping. The Doctor tried to move his legs but found himself unable to and the pain getting worse. He began to sweat and groan squeezing his eyes shut as pain took over his body again.

He heard Sarah scream but couldn't make out what she said as doctors and Harry rushed in with equipment and instruments. A mask was placed over his nose and mouth pumping oxygen into his body. Pain wash over him again making him groan and whimper through the mask wishing for whoever was there to put him out of his misery. He didn't even want to regenerate.

A numbing agent was applied to him legs the immediate pain stopping. A nurse set him so an I. V. and he began to feel sleepy and foggy once more. The door was closed to his room, Sarah Jane crying in The Brigadier's arms as they watched him and he went under consciousness again.

This time he woke up and felt dizzy but this time with no pain. He opened his eyes and found it to be mid morning and the sun shining in his room through a window where flowers sat in a pot for him. He looked to his other side and found Sarah Jane asleep with her laptop open and what must have been dinner from the night before out and cold. He was thirsty and lifted his arm but found them weak and hardly able to lift up without falling down limp.

He leaned forward but felt as his back shot pain from his spine to his legs and arms alike. He cried out in pain which was enough to wake up Sarah Jane.

"Babe? Honey..." She said gently helping him against the pillows again.

"You're awake, how are you feeling? Did you want something? Is that why you were reaching?" Sarah asked. The Doctor swallowed and coughed before trying to speak.

"Can y-you pass me the W-water?" He asked once more trying to point to the cup next to her.

"Of course, here they have a straw for you too..." She said helping him hold it. The Doctor felt embarrassed but the taste and glorious feeling of water running down his parched throat was too good for him to care. He let go and she put it back as he looked around again. The room was different than the last one he was in. It was homier and brighter, the bed he was in was bigger too and he immediately wanted Sarah to be with him in the bed.

"Sarah, come sit..." He rasped hardly above a whisper patting the bed gently with his hand.

"Darling, I don't want to squish you. You need space to heal and get well again." She said sitting down in the chair next to him instead. He patted again and must have given puppy eyes without his knowledge as she gave in and laid down next to him.

"Where are the children? Are they safe too?" He asked remembering Luke and Sky frightened from his battle.

"Yes they're fine. They're in school they figured you would have wanted them to go. It's been around a week....since you've...fallen." Sarah Jane said tearing up again, "I was so scared I'd lost you again Doctor I couldn't eat or sleep until you were moved out of the intensive care unit." She cried burrowing into his chest and hospital gown.

"My Sarah..." He said softly cuddling her as best as he could. She cried and nuzzled her face into him and they two embraced until The Doctor couldn't stay awake any longer and fell asleep curled around her.