Lost In Time: A Doctor Who Fanfiction

Chapter 94 - Journey to the Center of the TARDIS, Part 3

"What? Don't be ridiculous. You're not dying!" Lyssa's voice was shrill, and she wasn't sure who she was trying to convince - the Ranger, who she wasn't sure was even listening to her, or herself. "I - I still owe you for that bet!" she said desperately. "You got it right, against all odds. I was hiding in the kitchen, and that stupid piece of toast smacked me in the face. And if you die, I'll never pay you back!" she tried to threaten him

His grip tightened ever so slightly. "I can - I can feel it," he said softly, ignoring her attempt at lightheartedness and stilling her protests. "I'm dying."

Lyssa curled her shaking free hand into a fist, recalling what her first-aid instructor had taught her.

"If a patient tells you they're about to die, believe them. Nine times out of ten, they're about to try their hardest to do just that."

And looking at his pallor, his uneven breathing... she could believe it. "Stay with me, Ranger," she ordered him, panic making her voice come out harsh. "You're not allowed to die on me, not today. You're going to be fine, do you hear me? Just fine."

But what could she do? His bandages were soaked through with blood. She couldn't apply more pressure to the wound without pushing that stupid metal shaft further into his body. She didn't have the equipment or the training to do anything beyond what she'd already done. And on top of all that, he wasn't entirely human, if at all, and who knows how this might affect him differently - or worse - than a human.

In short, she could do nothing but watch helplessly, and they both knew it.

"Lyssa," he said weakly, drawing her out of her panicking thoughts. "I'm - I'm scared. I don't - it's too soon. I don't know if..." He paused to take a shuddering breath. "I don't want to die."

"I know," she shushed him gently, her heart breaking for the scared hitch she could hear in his voice. "It's okay. I'm not gonna leave you, we're gonna get you to the Doctor, and he'll either fix you up himself or get you to a hospital where they can do it. You might not even get a cool scar out of the bargain."

"There go my... childhood dreams," he mumbled, closing his eyes wearily.

She squeezed his hand tightly, feeling tears prick her eyes at the fear he was so obviously trying to hide. "Stay here for a moment, okay?" she asked. "I just want to take a look around, see if I can find something here that might be able to help us."

He snorted, prying his eyes open just long enough to roll them at her before letting them fall shut again. "Was gonna.... run a marathon... but since you asked... nicely..."

She managed a weak smile, reluctantly letting go of his hand and standing up. Casting a concerned glance back at him every few seconds, she started a more thorough search of the room, hoping to find something - anything - useful. Like some actual bandages, a first-aid kit, maybe a fully prepped surgical ward complete with surgeons. Something like that. 

As far as she could tell, there were no compartments in the wall aside from the already-checked cabinets. Stopping by the desk, she glanced over the loose papers. Several of the papers had the same blur as the pictures, that kept fading in and out of focus. A word on one of the papers caught her eye and she glanced down instinctually, freezing when she realized what she was reading. Feeling almost as if she were in a dream, she saw her hand reach out and pick up one of the pages as she examined it. The sentences, written in Eleven's bold strokes, kept blurring in and out, but she could make out most of what they said soon enough. 

'The Siren .... first seen on Trenzalore, a level...human ... planet. Unknown casualties.'

 'The Oracle's first known appearance was an attack against the being .... only as 'Me', supposedly ... their abilities and going so far as to ... their species, if ... can be believed... casualties.'