Lost In Time: A Doctor Who Fanfiction

Chapter 41 - This is Where the Healing Begins

The two suns were high in the sky when Lyssa woke, blinking dazedly in the bright light. She shifted, trying to work out a knot in her back, and startled when the weight on her legs didn't move with her. She glanced down and found him still asleep, head resting on her lap and body curled up underneath the blanket she'd managed to throw over him the night before, though he'd shifted to be closer to her at some point, one arm clutching a leg as if to keep her from disappearing in the night. 

He looked better, at least a little. The sleep was clearly doing him good, some of the lines carved into his face smoothing out and the bags under his eyes fading slightly. He looked peaceful, and she hoped that meant he hadn't been dealing with nightmares. Her own sleep had been undisturbed, a fact that surprised her, although perhaps she'd just been too exhausted to dream. 

She yawned, pushing a few loose curls out of her face and looking around. She was used to the way she had seen it with the Tenth Doctor, so it felt a little odd not to have the brook trickling nearby, or trees with green leaves scattered throughout, but she found she had to disagree with his assessment that the beauty had all come from Earth - it was gorgeous. She was a little surprised to find that the sky was blue, given that it had definitely been red the night before, but perhaps it changed colors depending on the location of the suns? 

She closed her eyes, feeling the gentle breeze rustle her hair as it blew past, and for a moment, could almost forget why they'd come to their place of solitude. But then he shifted, a faint grimace flickering across his features before smoothing out again, and it all came rushing back. 

She sighed, tracing a hand down his face, and was surprised to find him leaning into it. Though, it made sense when she thought about it - he'd been on his own for so long, and fighting a war for centuries before that, he was bound to be touch starved. 

Not even Time Lords were above a need for community. 

And he was alone. She felt tears prickling her eyes, but made sure to keep her hand steady and gentle against him. Tirdis had sent her to help him, but... how? As much as she wanted to for his sake, she couldn't possibly understand what he was going through. Earth, though technically not hers, still existed, along with the billions of people living on it. 

And Gallifrey, while it may have been saved, was also still lost to him. He wouldn't see it for centuries, and even then it would be only for a few short hours before it was hidden away once more. The Master... technically was out there, trapped at the end of the universe. But even if she could get to him, she wouldn't. She couldn't. 

She glanced down at her free hand, uncurling it to study her palm. When her father had died, one of the only things that had made it bearable had been her friends and family beside her, giving her something to hold onto. They didn't tell her everything was all right - because it hadn't been, and there had been times she'd thought it never would be all right again - but just having someone there had been comforting. 

She couldn't make up for his family, for his home, but... maybe she could do something. Even if it was just a hand to hold, she would help in whatever way she could. Which... was likely to not be much, she admitted to herself with a heavy sigh. She didn't have the knowledge or the training to help someone struggling with overwhelming guilt and grief. 

She didn't have the knowledge or training yet, she revised, making a mental note to stop by the library and try to find something that could offer advice on how to help him.

A soft grunt drew her out of her thoughts, and she turned to see his head tossing back and forth, forehead crinkling. She frowned, shifting her hand to his shoulder to gently wake him, before pausing uncertainly. For all she knew, it wasn't a nightmare, just a dream, and she didn't want to wake him from what was likely his first time sleeping in days if not longer.