Don't You Dare

Sacrifice

River's POV

It was becoming harder and harder to breath, but I couldn't let Mum and the Doctor know. And Dad, who just appeared. I honestly had no idea what the Doctor was going to do, but as long as it diverted the attention from me, I was fine with it. Even though I was indeed in critical condition (I could tell before the Doctor diagnosed me), I didn't want them to feel pity for me. I was a strong independent woman, as everyone knew, and I wasn't about to give up the title in my final moments.

Focusing on the situation around me, I heard Amy ask, "What's he doing here?" while gesturing to Rory. Her facial expression was giving off many different emotions, the most obvious being frustration and annoyance. The room fell silent as everyone glanced hurriedly at each other. The tension was rising, and it felt as if it were precisely 392 degrees Fahrenheit; someone needed to say something before I was forced to scream from the extreme pain I was holding back. Luckily, the Doctor began to pace, but stopped as he took a deep breath.

"As obvious, we need to calm down and think about our priorities. I'm going to advise you all to do the same as me and take a big, deep breath. The Doctor paused to demonstrate once more, then stared in my direction. "Well, except for you River. That's probably not such a good idea." He continued on as I snorted bluntly, trying my best not to allow a tiny scream of pain to be released with it. "Now, the thing is, Amy, your daughter has what is referred to non-medically as a collapsed lung. This means that there's a little part of her lung that has burst and let air into the space around her chest. This is a bad thing because the air is forcing pressure on her lungs, making it hard to breathe."

The Doctor took yet another deep breath after his medical announcement to Mum. I swear, that man could talk a mile a minute, as the humans said. Dad walked over to my bedside while asking my ridiculous husband, "So, how do we fix it?" "Good question!" the Doctor exclaimed. "We would need a chest tube, extra oxygen, anasthesia, and an uncommon chemical, as well as possibly six hours of time, which we don't have."

He hurried over to my side as well, an even more concerned look occupying his bony face. "River, how bad is the pain?" the Doctor wanted to know, crouching down beside me. "Do you think you can hold on long enough for me to get the supplies?" Although I felt completely opposite, I smiled at him radiantly and replied, "I could wait a year for you, sweetie." Unfortunately, Amy didn't quite comprehend the plan that was about to be put into motion.

Shooting him a confused glance, she asked, "Where are you going? You can't just leave her here. What if something happens to her and she starts to die? Doctor, please. There has to be another way." The Doctor walked over to her quickly and placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "Listen, Amy, but I'm sorry. There's isn't any other way when it comes to medical procedures like..." He stopped short with a dumbfounded expression. "Oh."

I peered up at the man I loved more than anything else. "Doctor, what are you thinking?" I asked him curiously. As an afterthought, I added, "What dumb idea have you planted in that great big head of yours now?" The Doctor leaned in to me, nearly breathing harder than myself. With an unreadable expression, he said, "River, you're going to have to trust me on this. I know you won't like what I'm about to do, but at least accept that it may be the only way to save you."

In a split second, I understood what the Doctor was saying; I shouted in disagreement. "No! You are not going to waste your regeneration energy on me. Not now, not ever. Don't you dare!" I gasped, experiencing sharp chest pain along with the occasional shortness of breath. The Doctor took note of this and wondered aloud in a low, caring voice. "Why won't you let me heal you?" Thankfully, I thought up a good enough excuse for him. Or at least I hoped it would be.

"Every time you do, you're one step closer to death, and I don't want to be the one thinking about how much longer you could have lived if only this hadn't happened." I explained raggedly, my hearts working much harder to keep up. Closing my eyes helped, I quickly learned. Using my other available sources, I heard the Doctor sigh. He seemed to be mulling over my words carefully.

"River, realize that if you die here, none of our future events to come will ever happen. What about all the other places we'll go? Don't you want to find out where we went? Besides, your death is a fixed point in time that can't be changed, so-" I interrupted the Doctor. "Are you saying you've known about my death all along?" I opened my eyes again and watched him like a hawk, thinking deeply as he looked down toward his feet for assistance.

"Is that why you don't want me to die?" I paused here to gather my emotions and beg for what might possibly be the stupidest thing in my life. "Doctor, please. I'd rather die here than wherever else it is I die. I'm surrounded by friends and family, and no one more important than you. Please, sweetie." I breathed, my most likely last words a plea for death. All at once, I could feel pain everywhere. It didn't take a Timelord to know that my hearts were going into cardiac arrest. I felt extreme fatigue, even more rapid heart rate, and my skin became cold and clammy as it turned blue, due to the lack of oxygen. "River, no!" I heard the Doctor yell as everything went black.