Whirlwind

Six: I've Got a Feeling

"How are you doing this week, Wanda?" 

I glanced up from my hands to stare at Rose, giving the woman a smile. "I'm fine, doing good." 

There was silence for a moment as Rose just stared at me, trying to decide what to say. "Have you made a decision on what you want to study? You've been in Uni for nearly two years now."

I chuckled and looked at the window. It has been two years since the Ghost Snake put me in a coma, two years since I saw the Doctor again, and two years since I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Aliens were real. In those two years, I had gone to Uni, began working on getting a degree. The only problem was I didn't know what I wanted to do. 

This whole wanderer thing was endearing when I was six and couldn't decide between a Princess or a Superhero, now it's getting costly. "Not yet." I sighed, rubbing my hand over my face. 

"Why?" Rose asked me, staring right at me. 

For a moment, I thought about my answer. Really thought about it as I looked around her office, finding a picture of her and a man in a suit on the beach. "I suppose it's like how people with only a few months left to live stop finding the important things in life important. Like work, why waste the rest of your short life working when there are things you haven't done? I suppose I can't decide on a career path because I can't see myself in five years doing that, whether it means I'm dead or otherwise occupied." 

"Are you planning on dying soon?" Rose asked slowly, concern obvious in her eyes. 

Immediately, I shook my head, knowing where she was going with the question. "No, of course not. At least I hope not. It's not so much that I plan on killing myself but more so I can't imagine me as a woman, doing adult things with my life like working. It doesn't matter how passionate I am about the subject." 

Humming, Rose wrote something down then glanced back up at me. "Okay, let's try this. Dream job, what would it be? Doesn't matter how unrealistic it is, if you could choose, what would you do?" 

"I would be like a time-traveling Iron Man. But less egotistical. I would want to help people but also see history take shape right in front of my eyes. Coronation of Queen Elizabeth, not the one on the throne but the Virgin Queen, writing of the American Constitution, 1969 man on the moon. A superhero in time I suppose." I decided. 

When I looked up at Rose, she had a broad grin on her face as she stared right at me. "Dr. Smith, you asked for any job." 

"No, I know. Trust me, I get it." She told me with a bright smile, shaking her head. "So, you want to be like your Doctor?" 

"I suppose, but he isn't my Doctor, he's my sister's Raggedy Doctor." I corrected her, leaning back in the chair. 

There was only a soft hum as Rose nodded, "Are you still drawing or writing your dreams?" She asked me curiously. I nodded my head vigorously. "Did you bring any with you?" 

I handed her my sketchbook and leaned back as she flipped through the pages. "Can you tell me who these men are?" she asked, holding up a picture of eleven men.

"They're the Doctor," I told her, as though it was obvious. 

She nodded but then pointed to the Twelveth man, who stood all alone, away from the group. He wasn't my Doctor, but he was a Doctor. "And who is he?" 

"He's the Doctor too, but he's the forgotten one," I told her slowly as I stared at the battered old man who looked torn and exhausted. 

Rose faltered for a moment as she stared at the man, "But there's only been eleven faces, right?"