Too Late

"We need you! Be here in time, Amy and Rory's cottage in Leadworth, Earth time 0714 August 23, 2015." X

The Doctor re-read Rivers note on the psychic paper again. He had tried seven times to program those parameters into the TARDIS, but his Old Girl would not take him to that time. "It's a fixed event," he mumbled to himself, "that's the only explanation." He tried once again, and yet again arrived to 1330, August 24, 2015. Always 1330 on August 24. With a heavy heart he finally stepped out of the TARDIS. Blinking against the bright sun, he walked towards the familiar cottage with a sense of foreboding. The normally cheerful cottage was too quiet, the fruit trees as still as statues. Not even a breeze whispered through the leaves. He walked through the gate and made his way up the stone path, the scent of sun warmed apples hung in the silent air of the yard. He saw River open the door to come out to meet him. He knew what was coming, and did not welcome it.

"Where were you?" River cried as she ran out to him. "Why didn't you get here in time?" She broke down, crying uncontrollably as he enclosed her in his arms and guided her back into the cottage.

"I tried River, really I did." He smoothed her wild curls with his hand, placing his hands on either side of her face and tilting it up to look into his eyes, making sure she understood. "It was a fixed event. There was nothing I could do to stop it."

Her eyes, red from crying, looked exhausted and her sobs continued as he held and rocked her gently. They stood like that as the sun crawled across the floor towards the evening. River cried herself out after a bit, the Doctor holding her until her breathing steadied and she had regained some measure of control.

"Tell me." He commanded.

"It was like any Sunday morning, Rory always lets Amy sleep in…." River faltered. The Doctor made encouraging noises and River continued. "Used to let Amy sleep in." She corrected herself, her eyes closed in pain. "He got in the car to drive into town to the bakery, they always make pumpkin scones on Sundays, Mummy's favorite." She said by way of explanation.

"What happened this time?" The Doctor prompted.

"Boy on a bicycle. He came out from between two parked cars. Rory swerved to avoid hitting him and the car went into a ditch. It was a stupid-stupid accident." Her voice hitched, "Nobody should have gotten hurt." Fresh tears streamed down River's face. "Rory's neck was broken. The doctors said he died instantly, didn't feel a thing." She broke down again. The Doctor picked his grieving wife up carried her to the sofa where he sat with her still cradled in his arms.

"I tried stopping it." She finally murmured. "I tried to go back. To stop him from getting into the car, stop him from leaving. But I couldn't. I tried and tried and tried…"

"Paradox," the Doctor replied. "Time won't let you un-do something that's fixed."

River looked at him angrily, "You did!" She punctuated it with a poke to his chest. "You stopped your own death! Why can't you bring back Rory?"

He looked at her, the sorrow in his eyes told her why. Not all time can be re-written. Her eyes closed and she turned her head away in denial as he held her more closely and rocked her. After she had calmed down again, The Doctor asked, "Where is Amy now?"

"At the hospital, she was hysterical and wouldn't leave Daddy's side. They finally had to sedate her." River wiped her eyes. "She's being kept for observation for a few days, the Doctors were afraid she would hurt herself. I've told the hospital I'm her sister, and they have my number, they'll call should there be any change. I knew you would come here, so here I am, waiting for you."

The Doctor kissed her gently, stood up, and placing River on her feet said, "Let's go and get your Mum."

The drive to the hospital was silent, each of them keeping their thoughts private for now. When they arrived and he saw Amy restrained in the bed, it almost broke the Doctor's heart. His mad, impossible little Amelia Pond, broken and fragile, tear stains trailed on her sleeping face. Even in her sleep she cried for her Rory. He caught the scent of her shampoo through the antiseptic odors of the hospital, fresh strawberries. Since he first met her as a child, he could not help but associate Amy with the smell of fresh strawberries. Her strawberry scented hair now in a mess of tangles about her pale face, pinched with the pain of her loss. He picked up her chart and glanced over it, muttering at the diagnosis and treatment. One didn't just drug a person into catatonia to help them deal with their grief. He knew he had to get Amy out of this hospital and away from these antiquated treatments. He turned as a portly, pug nosed, steel-haired nurse waddled in.

"Just who do you think you are messing around with a patient's chart?" The stout woman demanded. "Put it down and step away from the patient!"

He pulled out the psychic paper and brandished it at her. "I've been called in by the family to consult on this case, here are my credentials."

The nurse blinked and took a step back, "It says you're the private physician to the Queen? Well Doctor, this facility will grant you access to our resources, but as you can see we have the situation well in hand!"

"Well in hand? WELL IN HAND?" The Doctor growled, towering over the nurse, waving his arms wildly and gesturing towards the sleeping Amy. "Do you call this WELL IN HAND? You've got her restrained and drugged! How is she supposed to process what has happened? How do you expect her to deal with her grief if you keep her drugged and not allow her be awake long enough to do so?" He demanded. "This is barbaric! Next you're going to bring in leaches and try to bleed her as well, or administer shock therapy. This is unconscionable! You're hurting her, not helping her!" The Doctor threw the chart across the room. "I'm taking this patient to a private facility where I can administer her care. She will be transported in a private vehicle by her sister," He gestured to the bewildered River and turned back to the nurse with instructions. "Bring a chair while I release her from these intolerable restraints." He turned his attention back to Amy, effectively dismissing the nurse.

The nurse scurried out of the room to find discharge papers and a wheel chair, leaving River and the Doctor alone with the sleeping Amy. "That went well," River tearfully chuckled. "What are you planning?"

The Doctor winked at her, "Let's get Amy home first, then we will come up with something…" he trailed off, turning back to look at Amy. "There are plans to be made, yes? Let's get those done and we can go from there. Right now, Amy is alive. We need to make her remember that. We need to make her see that the pain isn't the only thing in her life now, she needs to feel alive."

The car ride home was uneventful, a semiconscious Amy being held by the Doctor while River drove. Once back at her home, he carried Amy into the house. River had suggested settling her in the guest room off the kitchen where they could both be nearby when she woke. They got her tucked into the bed, and leaving the door ajar exited into the kitchen. The Doctor put on a pot of water to heat for tea; they would need a lot of it for the nightly vigil ahead of them.