050. VOICE

Rory stared blankly at the wall.

Since waking up and admitting that she'd rather be dead than alive, she had not spoken a word. The older woman, a person Rory did not recognize, either failed to hear the comment or decided to brush it off. Not even a single flinch crossed the woman's expression as she continued to care for Rory.

The Doctor introduced herself, but the name had already slipped Rory's mind. Since she didn't wear a nametag, Rory decided to call her the Doctor - that's what she was, after all; a Doctor. It seemed polite and professional to refer to her as her title. And given Rory's current state, the fact she wanted to be courteous and professional with this unknown woman was an amazing feat.

Looking at the woman sitting on the bed, her eyes scanned every inch of her face, every line and freckle. Dark raven hair was tied back into a low bun with a few fallen strands to shape the women's face. She was beautiful, the kind of beauty Rory didn't mind seeing upon realizing she had to suffer with being alive. Covering her frame with a white lab coat, the woman in front of her genuinely was a Doctor, or she bought a costume from the store to pretend.

She has soft skin, Rory thought as the Doctor brushed away the fallen tears from her cheeks. She's gentle too, her thoughts continued to praise as the woman helped her drink from a cup of water.

With her mind still groggy from her medicated slumber and far more consumed over the fact she had not been rewarded with death, Rory barely thought about her unknown surroundings. She assumed her Dad would have warned her about any imposing dangers once she woke up. Besides, her body was far too exhausted to fight back. Whether her medical background was real or fake, Rory was happy the Doctor was kind.

Plus, there was a way the Doctor cared for her in a way that felt motherly. It comforted Rory and made her feel safe - even when she should feel anything but that, considering she had no idea what was happening. However, the Doctor made Rory forget her lack of understanding with their gentle touch and pretty smile.

She watched the Doctor check her vital signs with half-open eyes before drifting back to sleep.

Sleep was a funny thing to Rory.

Sometimes it felt like she had slept for hours only to find out minutes had passed.

Other times, she woke up groggy and feeling like she had only slept for minutes when in reality, hours had passed.

Rory had no idea how long she had fallen back asleep. The sun was still peeking through the thin white linen curtains covering the window, signalling she hadn't slept for long.

Her eyes drifted around the room, finally taking in the space around her.

Hospital rooms usually appeared dark and cold to Rory. With standard white painted walls that faded to yellow over time and fluorescent lighting, she always wondered why such drab decorating was chosen for a place where people were born and died. It hardly seemed like the location one would want to celebrate new life or feel comforted when someone passed.

The room she found herself in was far from dark and cold. In fact, it was warm and comforting - the last two things Rory expected to think after waking up in this situation. She should have been scared, not knowing where she was, why she was here, or what she needed the pretty Doctor's attention for. But her attention was far too fixated on something across the room.

A snow globe.

More specifically, the snow globe of Seattle that Harry gave her.

Harry.

The sound of his name floating around her mind pained her heart; it hurt more than anything else her body currently suffered from.

Ignoring the clenching feeling in her chest, Rory forced her eyes away and continued looking around the room. The longer she took in the space around her, she soon realized she wasn't in a hospital. Not unless it was a facility rich people went to - which, based on her lack of basic health insurance, she assumed it wasn't.

Was she in a bedroom? It wasn't hers - that's for sure. There was no giant water stain on the ceiling from the leak; she never found what caused the stain. The hospital bed she assumed she laid on was nothing of the sort, a mattress her body melted into and bedsheets she knew must have the highest thread count possible.

There was a dresser with the infamous snow globe on the far wall with a television mounted over it. To the right were two doors, one she knew led to a bathroom while the other was for a closet. On her left was a large set of double doors with large glass panels. Rory didn't know what it led to, considering the view was covered by the white curtains, but she assumed it was to some type of backyard.

Sounds of chatter from the hallway pulled her focus. Rory could make out a handful of familiar male voices, followed by the sweet sounds of her Doctor. Unfortunately, she couldn't hear what they were talking about, and her sore body stopped Rory from attempting to eavesdrop.

The Doctor slipped her small frame into the bedroom and quickly closed the door behind her, a smile crossing her lips as she noticed Rory awake. Walking over with a small tray, the woman sat on the edge of the bed.

"You have quite the little fan club out there," the Doctor teased. "Everyone is impatiently waiting to see how you're doing - even the younger one finally stepped away from his computer to check up on you. But, don't worry, I made it clear you need to rest first."

Certain words repeated in Rory's head; Little fan club? Younger one? Computer? Did that mean they were all here? It would make sense if so - considering items she had left behind at Harry's apartment, like the snow globe, were now in this bedroom. But whose bedroom was it? And why was she here?

Met with silence, the woman motioned to the tray on her lap and asked, "Are you hungry?"

Rory wanted to say no, but the instant low grumble in her stomach called her bluff. Providing confirmation by nodding her head, Rory watched as the Doctor's smile grew. With the tray on the side table, the woman picked up a yogurt container and a spoon.

"I'll help you eat this time around, okay?"

Remaining silent, Rory nodded again. She watched closely as the woman removed the foil lid and dipped the spoon into the cup's contents. With it brought to her lips, Rory hesitated, eyes crossing as she stared at the utensil in front of her.

"It's not poisoned, Rory," she said teasingly.

The revelation that the Doctor may possess mind-reading capabilities left Rory slightly annoyed. However, instead of snapping back a remark, she forced a small smile and accepted the yogurt.

"Good girl," the woman praised, removing the clean spoon from Rory's mouth. "This is the longest you have stayed awake for me. Open," she instructed, holding another spoonful of yogurt in front of Rory's mouth. "I'm glad to see you finally have an appetite. You kept falling back asleep all the other times I tried bringing you something to eat. It's a short trip to the kitchen, but - Open,"

Rory opened her mouth.

After another successful mouthful, the Doctor reached a hand forward and wiped Rory's bottom lip with a napkin. "Those boys just hound me with questions about you the moment I leave this room. I've never seen anything like it. Normally people only want to know if the patient is alive or dead, and then it's back to business." Scraping the bottom of the container, she collected the small amount of yogurt that remained onto the spoon. "Just between you and I, you have the four of them in the palm of your hand," she said with a giggle, "With a beautiful girl like you, I'm far from surprised. Look at that!" The woman held up the empty plastic container. "You're all done! Good girl!"

Licking the last remaining taste of cherry yogurt off her lips, Rory rested her head against her pillow and allowed her eyes to drift to various things around the room. Landing her attention on the IV bag, she wondered what the clear liquid contained – something to knock her out once and for all would be nice. At least a girl could dream.

"Do you want anything more to eat?"

Rory shook her head.

"Bathroom?"

Another response came in the form of shaking her head.

"Are you comfortable?"

Rory nodded.

"Good. Alright, well, let me give you some time to rest. If you need me, just push this," she pointed to the red button on the side of the table by her bed, "And I'll be right over. Okay?" Receiving the standard nod of her head, the Doctor got up from the bed, eyes widening as she said, "Oh, silly me! Let me make sure you have the remote!"

Once the remote was located and given to Rory, the Doctor did one final check to ensure she had everything she needed before leaving the room. Rory turned on the television and flipped through the channels. With the only watchable option being Bachelor in Love, she let out a frustrated sigh and contemplated pressing the power-off button. The last thing she wanted was to watch a show that reminded her of him.

A humorous thought came to mind.

She never would have expected two things to remind her of Harry, the scary murderer: snow globes and Bachelor in Love.

Unsure of what else there could possibly be to keep her mind distracted, Rory decided against turning the television off. At least the caddy fights between the women all fighting over a guy they were clearly too good for provided a distraction. Even amid an argument where wine glasses were thrown, Rory managed to fall back asleep.

She hoped visions of her Dad would come back; hearing his words of encouragement or just being told everything would be okay was something she longed to hear. Even though she had just seen him, she missed him even more.

Dad? Her voice called out to empty darkness. Am I safe?

Silence.

Dad, please. I don't need to see you, Rory continued, I'm just... scared. What happened to me?

Rory waited another minute in the dark before slowly opening her eyes. Her vision adjusted to the light as she took in the bedroom around her. She let out a shaky breath, forcing the tears not to fall. The room suddenly felt smaller, like the walls were closing in on her. It was hard to breathe and even harder to feel safe. Her chest was tight, her palms sweaty. Rory wanted to scream for help, but no sound left her lips. She thought she felt fine being here. Yet the moment she was by herself and tried to call for her Dad, being met with silence only left her realizing one thing; she was alone.

The bedroom door quietly opened, and the Doctor entered the room. Suddenly, Rory felt like she could breathe - the walls no longer closing in on her, and everything felt more normal.

"Rory, sweetheart, are you alright?" her warm voice asked as she pressed the back of her hand to Rory's forehead. "Mm, not warm," she mumbled to herself. "I think we should try getting some more food in you."

The woman appeared concerned, a look Rory had not yet seen wash across her expression. The Doctor quickly covered it, smiling down at the girl before disappearing out of the room.

Before the door fully shut, she heard a voice ask,

"How is she?"

Harry.

It sounded like he was right outside her door. His voice didn't sound normal - it was still his voice, but a sad and worried version. Regardless of how or why he spoke a certain way, Rory knew one thing: it was weird to hear.

Harry was there. Right there outside her room. Was he always standing there? Or was this just a coincidence? Did he even know it was her room? Was he passing by and going somewhere? Where could he have been going? Was there something-

"This is fucking bullshit," Harry's voice sneered from the other side of the door, "You need to let me see her!"

"What I need to do is my job."

Harry scoffed. "Clearly, you don't know how to do that, considering she won't fucking talk!"

She's taken better care of me than you ever have, asshole! Rory wanted to yell.

"My job is to ensure she recovers both physically and mentally. She has been through something traumatic. Rushing her into speaking about it will not help progress things properly. Rory will do so when she is ready - but Rory, and only Rory, will get to decide that." There was a pause of silence before the Doctor continued in a softer tone, "I understand you are concerned. But I have been doing this job for almost as long as you have been alive. So, before you belittle my expertise, consider how she must be feeling - how scared and confused she must be. Having you storm into that room in this state will only set her back."

"I... I don't want to set her back," he said with a voice that could only be described as broken.

Rory swallowed the lump in her throat. She couldn't remember much about what had happened recently to her - but she remembered the day she left his apartment. Rory recalled how he spoke about the tattoo he got in her honour - the letter R on his ring finger. She remembered how he told her they were something permanent and how she believed his words so effortlessly; she remembered him making breakfast and acting as if the words he uttered over her being broken never happened.

Broken.

Rory wasn't broken - Harry was.

Reappearing in the doorway with a tray of food in hand, the Doctor wore a forced smile that instantly vanished when her eyes met Rory's. "Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry. Did you hear that?"

Rory wanted to lie but found herself nodding her head instead.

The Doctor released a heavy sigh as she walked toward the bed. "Harry means well. And I know he does because I can see how much he cares about you; it's written across his face. Unfortunately, his concern is clouding his judgment of your situation. I know your voice is in there somewhere... and no matter how long it takes to hear it, I wait. I will never try to force you to speak. This is all on your terms, Rory, and until you're ready, we will adjust and make it work."

The warmth from the Doctor's words rushed through Rory from head to toe, filling every inch of her body. The Doctor could have been like all the other adults Rory met as a young child, who said they wanted to help her find her voice but then instantly showed another side, one that was impatient and frustrated over her quietness.

Her bottom lip trembled as she parted her lips to speak, wanting to thank the woman for her kindness. But falling silent, she only replied with a smile - a genuine one at that. The woman in front of her picked up on the gesture and gave Rory's hand a gentle, loving squeeze.

"Let's get some food in you now."

As Rory was spoon-fed her meal, she couldn't help but let her mind wander. When she first woke up, Rory instantly accepted her current surroundings. She didn't possess a need to fear or retaliate against the women - not that she would be able to anyway, considering her lack of voice and weak strength. But now, she couldn't help but wonder why the Doctor was taking care of her, where they were, and why she was here in the first place.

Her eyes drifted down to her bandaged arm. There was a dull ache, a pulling in her skin - one she couldn't quite understand.

"Rory?" the woman's voice asked. "Rory, honey, are you okay?"

Two fingers were placed under her chin, turning her head. Rory's eyes met the Doctor's before looking back down at her arm.

"Are you wondering what happened to you?"

Rory hesitated, wondering if she even wanted to know. How bad did it have to be for her to end up in a place that wasn't Harry's apartment? Where he wasn't allowed to see her? Where another person had to be hired to take care of her?

"Breathe, Rory."

The simple instruction left Rory gasping for air, not realizing she had been restraining herself. With the tray of food on the side table, the Doctor reached a comforting hand forward and rested it on Rory's cheek.

"In through your nose... out through your mouth...."

Rory followed along, not letting her eyes leave the woman. A motherly touch, that's what the Doctor provided her. It was foreign to Rory, but she couldn't deny that she liked the safe feeling it provided.

"Better?"

With her heart beating at a normal pace, Rory nodded.

"Good." She tucked a strand of the girl's hair behind her ear. "If you have any questions, Rory, you can always ask or write them down. I may not know everything, but I'll do my best to answer you." With a beat of silence, the woman removed her touch and asked, "Do you mind if we work through our check-ups now?" The Doctor tapped her pen against the clipboard. "I'll phrase everything as a yes or no question, or I may ask you to write something down. Would that be alright?"

Rory nodded.

"See! Acing it already."

A genuine smile crossed her lips, one Rory immediately tried to hide but failed at.

Placing a notepad and pen in front of Rory, the Doctor asked, "Do you remember your name?"

Rory nodded.

"Can you write it down for me?"

She picked up the pen and moved the item around in her hand, adjusting her grip before pressing it to the paper. At first, her movements were slow, as if trying to remind herself how to write something down, which the Doctor quickly noted.

RORY.

"You have very nice penmanship," the woman praised. "Do you remember how old you are?"

Rory nodded and, without needing instruction, picked up the pen and wrote the number on the page.

21.

"Do you remember my name?"

Assuming only answering with Doctor wasn't correct, Rory shook her head.

"It's Doctor Khan. K-H-A-N."

Khan, Rory repeated to herself. Doctor Khan.

KHAN.

"Do you remember waking up this morning?"

Raising her brow slightly, Rory nodded. Why wouldn't she remember waking up? It was only a few hours ago. Of course, she would-

"Do you remember waking up yesterday?"

Her eyes widened before looking to the side, lost in thought. Yesterday? Didn't she leave her Dad this morning? How could she have woken up before? Waking up before would mean that her Dad wasn't real. And her Dad was definitely real. There's no way he couldn't be.

"Rory, honey," Doctor Khan's voice softly cooed, "It's okay that you don't remember - I wouldn't expect you to after waking up in such a medicated state. But the progress you made over the past twenty-four hours is far better than where I expected you to be." She reached a hand forward and caressed the girl's cheek. "Can you take a deep breath for me, sweet girl? Come on. In through your nose...."

Without hesitation, Rory followed along and inhaled a deep breath.

"And out... and again...." The Doctor appeared pleased when Rory continued to mirror her actions. "Better?"

The girl nodded.

"You are quite strong, Miss Rory, and I know that to be true because I can sense there's a fight in you - one I haven't seen in a long time. And I know this brain of yours is brilliant."

Rory's cheeks reddened hearing the compliment.

"Were you quiet as a child?"

Rory nodded.

"I was too. I hated talking," Doctor Kahn said, writing on her clipboard. "Everyone thought I was just being shy... which was true, but deep down, I thought they weren't worth my time," she teased. "I was also quiet as a defence mechanism... so, I can sympathize with how you're reacting. But I want you to know that you are safe here, Rory. Everyone wants to ensure you recover - trust me on that one. And when you're ready, if you have any questions, I will do my very best to answer them for you. Okay?"

Eyes studying the woman in front of her, there was a sense of unknown trust Rory had. She couldn't explain the feeling - it was like she already knew this woman, and yet it was impossible since it was their first time meeting. But the sense of care and comfort made her feel that way. Doctor Khan reminded her of Helen, her foster mother. They both had kind hearts and a desire to care for anyone around them.

"Well, enough blabbering from me. How about we get you all nice and relaxed before bed? Does that sound good?"

Rory agreed with her signature nod. With the help, she slowly got out of bed and onto her feet. Doctor Khan commented that she got up much faster this time - a surprising revelation to Rory as she couldn't remember getting out of bed.

There was a slight uneasiness as she took her first few steps. With Doctor Khan's arm secured around her waist for balance, Rory managed her way into the bathroom. She sat down on the tub's edge as Doctor Khan prepared a bath, rummaging through the cabinets to get all the items she needed, including a washcloth.

Another bandage was placed securely around her arm, protecting the unknown wound that healed underneath. With strict instruction from the woman to let her do all the work so the bandage was safe from getting wet, Rory cautiously entered the bath. The last thing she wanted was to slip and hurt something else.

A sense of calmness suddenly filled her body from head to toe. She didn't realize how stiff she had become from lying in that bed all day - or for how many days she had actually been here. Curiosity knocked on her front door to ask what had happened. But living in oblivion felt safer - at least for the brief moment it was rewarded to her. So, she pushed the thoughts of why she was in an unknown house with a pretty woman taking care of her and a bandaged arm. And instead, she thought about how she felt cared for by the Doctor, cleaning her body with warm soapy water and washing her hair.

Getting out of the bath, Doctor Khan wrapped a fluffy towel around Rory's frame and sat her down in front of a vanity. Rory watched in the reflection as she picked up a hairbrush and began working on her hair, humming a song to herself. Fixing her hair into a braid, the woman helped Rory change her clothes and get into bed.

"Comfortable?"

Rory nodded.

"If you need anything tonight, just press this button," she pointed to the red circle on the side table, "And the night nurse or I will come to assist you. I'll be around for a couple more hours and then back here for you first thing in the morning. Alright?"

A night nurse? Someone else? Rory didn't like that idea - she only wanted Doctor Khan around. But not wanting to be difficult, she forced a smile and nodded.

"Any pain?"

Rory shook her head.

"Are you just trying to be tough for me?"

Her skin flushed as she mirrored the previous action.

Doctor Khan smiled, caressing Rory's cheek. "I am very proud of you, Rory. I know that might not mean much to you coming from me, someone you barely know, but I need you to hear it. From the moment you came into my care, I could tell you were a fighter... and you have continued to prove that every second since," she said, pressing her lips together into a fine line. "Well, enough of my sappy spiel. I'll let you rest now."

As the woman moved her touch and began to get up, Rory reached her arm out and grabbed hold of her wrist.

Turning back around with widened eyes, the Doctor asked in a feared tone of voice, "What is it? Are you okay, Rory?"

Licking her lips, Rory uttered in the faintest whisper, "Thank you." 

sorry if this was boring but it didn't feel right to cut any of this out. 

just in case there's any confusion: rory not speaking is a defence mechanism and isn't from her injuries (she didn't talk a lot as a kid (mentioned in headline)). she gets mommy vibes from doctor khan. & harry may or may not be sitting outside her room 24/7.