Up, Up, and Away

Chapter 19

Graham

"Doctor?" I whispered, not wanting to disturb her too much. When River stepped into the Vashta, the shadows had started to recede, and we stood there watching as the darkness lifted from over the city. The people in the kitchen cheered and rushed out from the kitchen to continue their party, but the Doc didn't seem to notice.

The Doctor slowly sat down facing the window and now tucked her knees to her chest, resting her chin on top. Despite the beautiful city below, she had her eyes closed.

I exchanged a concerned glance with Ryan and then turned to Yaz, who was standing behind the Doc staring at her back. Yasmin was still wearing her coat and we watched as she shrugged it off and placed it gently over the Doctor's shoulders.

The Doc didn't even flinch. We knew she needed some space, so I motioned for us to head off for a bit. We ended up just across the room, on a long red sofa. Ryan tried to accept a drink from a girl passing by, and with a scolding look, I snatched it away from him.

"Lay off a little, Grandad. I just lost the love of my life," he complained, slouching back into the couch, disappointed.

I rolled my eyes and downed the small swallow of what seemed to be gin.

"You only knew her for a day, son," I reasoned. I knew Ryan wasn't going to listen to me, but I still tried. As expected, I only received a glare in response.

"Yeah. But she could've been, you know?" He said, scratching the back of his head. I nodded and placed a hand on his knee, which he didn't shake off. Yaz, who was sitting of the other side of him, rested her head on Ryan's shoulder.

"I'm definitely vlogging about this later," he mumbled. The saddest part was, I couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Yaz laughed softly so I assumed he wasn't serious, but I never really knew with Ryan. I wish I understood him better, but those kids have their own sense of humor I'll never quite get.

"How about you, Yaz? How're you feeling?" I asked, turning my attention on the girl with big sad eyes. She looked surprised and reluctant, but hesitantly began to talk.

"Well... I just want the Doctor to be okay. I miss her," Yaz sighed. I noticed how her eyes never left the Doctor. Those two were possibly the worst communicators I'd ever met, but I reminded myself not to meddle; I learned that lesson the hard way when I tried to set Ryan up with the daughter of my barber- let's just say it didn't end well. Lovely girl, though.

"She's not a different person, Yaz, you have to remember that. Now, I've only known her as long as you, but I can tell that she's been through a lot. And if you love her-" Yaz's eyes shot out of her head, "you have to learn to love those parts too."

I watched her mind turn, considering what I told her. Ryan nodded in agreement and Yaz lifted her head off of his shoulder. She looked determined, suddenly.

"Thanks Graham."

Without another word, she got up and snaked her way over to the Doc.

Yaz

I didn't say anything- I knew that wasn't what she needed right now. I wasn't there to be selfish, I was there for her. I would do anything she needed, and right now, it was silent companionship.

I sat down criss-cross next to her, and although she didn't acknowledge it, she knew I was there. I stared out the window in front of us quietly and my heart began racing. I couldn't imagine what she could be feeling. I hadn't been considering how River's presence might have been affecting the Doctor; I was only concerned with how it was hurting me.

Now I knew exactly what she was feeling. I glanced over to her and saw that her eyes had drifted open. She was staring straight ahead, which gave me an opportunity to study her. The tuft of gold hair across her forehead, the gentle downward curve of her lips, and the dark circles around her eyes. She was a disaster.

I didn't notice how long I'd been staring at her, but when she looked back, it snapped me out of the haze. Our eyes locked and I could almost feel my heart leap from my chest.

"I'm here," I stated. I wasn't sure what else to say, and I was confident that that's what the Doctor needed to hear, anyway. I thought I caught a glimpse of something shiny and wet gathering in her eye, but if it was a tear, she'd never let me see it.

The Doctor, without a word, leaned over so our shoulders put weight against each other. I leaned in slightly and our heads rested together in between us.

And that was that. We sat there for hours. My heart slowed and I grew comfortable around her.

With the city stretched out in front of us, I felt that we would last forever.