A/N: There is no power at my house. My grandma just walked into the closed door. This is a chapter written in the dark with the remaining power of my laptop.

Chapter 8

The Doctor lifted River up, though he was unsure if he would be able to carry all the way to the Tardis; He would be damned if she had to walk, though. He kissed the top of her head, but she recoiled slightly from his touch.

"It'll be alright, River. We're going to go back to the Tardis, and then I will finish taking care of you. I promise you that this is going to be okay," he whispered.

She let out a whimper of pain, and he could tell that she was making an attempt to relax into him, but finding it hard. He began walking, making it out of the hospital without incident. The exhaustion of carrying River finally struck him when he reached the river they had crossed earlier. She had been completely still they entire time they had walked, and if he didn't know better he would have assumed that she had simply been asleep. He glanced down at her face- her eyes were pressed shut, but her face was contorted into a look of pain.

Seeing her face renewed his energy and he fought through his exhaustion towards the Tardis. Once he crossed the river, he knew he was almost there. He did not let his exhaustion show because he could not let River down. He had done enough of that already.

Finally he could see the Tardis coming into his view. "We're almost home, River. Almost there. Just hang on."

He pushed open the doors of the Tardis, rushing into the first door he saw, hoping the Tardis would make it accommodate their needs. The Doctor found a sterile, yet comfortable, room. He laid River down on the bed, preparing himself for what he was going to have to do.

"Alright, love. I'm going to have to take my jacket off of you now, and then I'm going to make sure you're not hurt anywhere that I did not see before." River didn't react, but simply nodded her head, though fear was present in her eyes.

He gently removed his jacket from her, leaving her completely exposed. He sighed as her arms flew to cover herself. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know this is hard, love, but remember who I am. I would never hurt you. I'm just going to make sure that you are okay, and then help you get dressed."

Slowly, River lowered her arms away from her body, but pressed her eyes shut again. The Doctor knew he had to make this quick.

"River, I know you don't want to, but it will be easier if you talk, okay? Does it feel like anything is broken?" he asked, inspecting her arms. There were stray bruises from the struggle, but none of them looked too serious.

She shook her head, answering "no" in a whisper. The Doctor continued to look at her, having her sit forward while he looked at her back. As soon as he was finished he grabbed a soft, cotton shirt for her to wear.

He looked over her lower body quickly, knowing that she needed to be cleaned up further, but dreading it. He could feel his own disgust at the person that did this to her bubble. He was not ready to face the truth, and he knew very well that she wasn't either. The Tardis had set up a basin with soapy water next to the bed. He wet the washcloth, gently placing it on her knee. He began wiping down her legs. He began to slowly work his way up, noticing the splotches of blood that he had ignored earlier. River clenched her legs shut, letting out a strangled sounding cry.

"It's okay, River. Just one second more and this will all be over. Just let me finish washing you, and then everything will be over." He took one of her hands in his, and slowly she relaxed her leg muscles. The drops of blood coming from between her legs were still fresh as he wiped them away.

As he finished cleaning her off, he began to cry himself. He was horrified that anyone could do this to someone as strong and beautiful as River. He placed the washcloth back in the basin, watching the blood combine with the water, lost in thought. The papers he had seen back in the hospital had solved the remaining mystery of this situation. Tomorrow, he would clearly be able to put this all right, but for now he refused to leave River's side. 'Damn everything' he thought. River needed him more than anyone or anything else in the world right now.

He grabbed the pair of pants that had been next to the shirt, helping her to put them on. He sat on the edge of the bed, not sure if she was quite ready to accept his touches again. He found her hands, grasping them both within his own.

"I'm sorry, River. This should never have happened to you. You don't deserve any of this. I would give up anything to change this if I was able to, but I need you to talk to me, River. I want you to tell me if anything hurts, and then anything else you need or want to tell me. You can talk to me for hours, River. Tell me anything, anything at all." He squeezed her hands tightly.

River looked up into his eyes, tears spilling from her own. Her chest heaved as the sobs she had been holding back finally escaped. Her arms reached around the Doctor's neck as she buried her head into his chest. He pulled her against him, softly stroking her hair.

He kissed the top of her head, murmuring comforting words, until her tears stopped.

"No, nothing really hurts. Not enough to make me think something was wrong, anyway," she choked out, knowing the Doctor needed assurance that she was at least physically okay.

"Good, sweetheart." He kissed her head again, his tears leaking into her hair. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" he asked gently.

"No. Not tonight. I really just want to sleep," she said weakly.

"Of course, River. Do you want me to stay here?" he asked.

"Yes," she said quickly, an edge of desperation creeping into her voice.

"I won't leave you then, I promise." He pulled her to his chest, laying against the wall of the Tardis. "I love you, River."

"I love you, too." She said, another cry creeping into her voice. The hum of the Tardis began to lull her to sleep while the Doctor kept vigilant watch over her.