The business card was Rose’s, the Torchwood Institute version.
He stared at it, uncomprehending. How come one of her Torchwood Institute business cards was in Lucy’s book? He couldn’t remember Rose giving him her card, and if she had, wouldn’t it have made more sense to give him the Heritage Trust Fund one? Maybe, probably, she’d given him the business card by accident.
“Dad?”
He shook his stupor off. “It’s just something Lucy tucked inside the book.”
“Is she coming, Dad?” Paul asked. “I miss her.”
Dave’s heart constricted. He had been of two minds about calling Lucy, and he felt ashamed for it. The truth was he didn’t want her to feel obliged to come home because of her brother; it felt like emotional blackmail. Even as he listened to his thoughts he realised how silly that might sound, but, try as he might, he couldn’t shake the feeling.
“I’ll call her later, okay?”
Paul’s face lit up at that. Dave tucked the magazine clipping and the business card between pages at the back of the book and began to read, “Chapter One,” halting briefly at the chapter title, “The Boy Who Lived.” What was he thinking? Of course Paul would live…
-:-
By the time Dave had reached the end of the second chapter Paul had fallen asleep. He still looked very pale, and Dave’s gaze travelled the length of the transparent tube feeding him fluids through the back of his hand. Paul had problems keeping even fluids down, and so Dominic had seen no way around putting in a drip line.
Dave had always assumed that space travel was fast, but then he remembered that Rose had travelled in a time machine. It would disappear in one spot and appear in the other, impossibly far away, within the blink of an eye. Apparently, the Sheeryan did not have that power. How far away was their home planet, anyway?
As a boy, he’d enjoyed watching the night sky with his father, who worked as an astronomer. He still did, as a matter of fact, up in the Highlands where the air was clear of pollution of any kind, any idea of retiring as far from his mind as the nearest star outside their system. Dave had often wondered what was out there, if there were other people living out there, on far away planets under different suns. But in the end he’d always admired the beauty of the night sky. Was Rose’s night sky any different from his? It was probably a good thing that the night sky over Glasgow was too bright and too dusty to be able to see anything but the brightest of stars. She must miss travelling among the stars terribly. Maybe, when this was over, he’d take her to his father’s observatory.
He retrieved the magazine clipping from between the pages to use them as a bookmark. Lucy’s words echoed in his mind again. “She looks a bit lost, don’t you think?” In that picture she did. But usually, Rose was the most self-confident person he had ever met. She was comfortable in so many different roles and she had survived so many things — he didn’t dare ask what she’d seen on her journeys with the Doctor.
And there he’d gone again and thought of Rose, something which happened so quickly, so naturally now. She was right. He needed someone to comfort him, and he was more than happy to entrust himself to Rose. All he’d needed was a bit of time to get used to the idea of being with her, and to come to the decision that he didn’t care what others think. He’d still need to be careful around the bairns, but he knew now that being with Rose was the right thing to do. He smiled softly to himself, relief washing over him, leaving him refreshed and happier than he had felt in weeks.
Dave stood and bent to kiss his son’s forehead. The Boy Who Lived.
“Dave?” Dominic’s voice made him turn around. He hadn’t heard the soft sound of the sliding glass door as it slid open.
“He’s just fallen asleep,” Dave said. Hopefully, Paul wasn’t just napping. He needed to sleep after this restless, short night.
“There’s someone here for you,” Dominic said, having cast a cursory glance at his patient and the monitor above his bed.
“I know Sarah’s here,” Dave said. “We talked when she arrived.”
“It’s Lucy.”
Dave’s eyes went very wide. “Lucy.” He mouthed her name silently.
“Dad!” She hurried into the room, aware of her sleeping brother but apparently overjoyed at seeing him again. She threw herself into his arms. “Dad.”
He held her close to him, his body remembering her willowy frame as she hugged him tightly, her breath warm on his neck. She was taller than Rita by far, and he held her close, kissing her temple. “Lucy.”
He was so glad she was here, that he didn’t have to ring and ask her to come. He wasn’t sure he would have been able to tell her about Paul. Her heart was hammering against his chest and when he pushed her gently away he could see tears streaming down her cheeks. “Lucy.”
“He’ll be fine. They’ll help him, the Sheeryan, they will.”
“Of course they will, sweetheart,” Dave said. “It’s so good to have you here.”
“I meant to surprise you, and Stuart dropped me off, but no one was there. Beattie told me,” Lucy sobbed.
“I’m sorry, love,” Dave said. “I meant to call you.”
“It’s not that, Dad. It’s all right. I didn’t… when I left I was so angry.”
“I know. Don’t worry about that.”
“You don’t hate me?”
“Hate you?” His heart was in his mouth. He really should have told her he loved her a lot more often. What must she think of him? “I love you, Lucy.”
“Oh, Dad,” she sobbed, her dark eyes large and puffy. “I love you too.” She smiled and laughed. She hadn’t said those words in a very long time. He drew her into his arms again and held her close for a long time.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw Rose standing just inside the room. He smiled at her. “Lucy,” he whispered.
She let go of him, sensing someone else’s presence in the room. Lucy turned around to see who had joined them.
“Rose!” She went — ran — towards Rose and hugged her like she would one of her friends from school. “Rose, you’ll help Paul, yes? Tell me you will.”
Rose seemed in equal parts surprised and delighted, and she treated Lucy in kind. She rubbed his daughter’s back soothingly, holding her close. “I will, Lucy.” Rose’s eyes found his and she implored him to stay and to wait.
Dave stared at them, unsure of what to do or say.
“Dad?” Paul had woken. “Lucy’s here.”
“Aye, she is,” he said, taking his son’s free hand to give it a squeeze. Just what the gesture meant, he had no idea.
Chapter 34
Rose gave Lucy a squeeze before she loosened the hug and stepped away from her. She shouldn’t have gone down to the infirmary; she should have met Lucy in private so she could tell her that Dave didn’t know about their friendship. Rose hoped that Dave would listen to her when she explained everything to him. For the moment, he just looked stunned, his hand in Paul’s as he tried to understand what was going on. Eventually, he managed to compose himself. His eyes held hers steadily, communicating to her that they’d talk later.
He turned away from Rose to talk to Lucy. “How did you get here?”
“Stuart drove me,” Lucy said. “I’ve missed you.”
Dave’s eyes widened. “Where is he now?”
“In the office upstairs, with Mickey,” Lucy said.
“You know Mickey too?” Dave couldn’t help asking. He looked at the heart monitor, chewing the inside of his cheek. “Never mind that. I’d better go and talk to him. I’m sure you and Paul have a lot of catching up to do.”
He preceded her into the hall, and Rose slid the door shut behind her. “Please tell me she hasn’t been involved in one of your cases,” Dave said, looking at his children through the glass door. Lucy had made herself comfortable on the edge of Paul’s bed, and they were talking. Dave tore his gaze away from them to look at Rose.
She just held his gaze. “She had to sign the Official Secrets Act, Dave. I
’m sorry.”
Dave let out a shuddering breath. “Tell me. Was it bad?”
“No. No, I don’t think so,” Rose said, surprised at how collected he was. She hadn’t known what to expect. Dave was one of the calmest men she’d ever met. She had never seen him really furious, and that unsettled her. She could deal with a version of the Oncoming Storm, but his serenity was something she had yet to get used to. “She was a witness when a Sheeryan trader ship crash landed.”
“The crash that is responsible for Paul’s illness?” Dave asked in alarm. “Isn’t she in danger too?”
“No. She didn’t go near them. She’s fine, Dave.”
His tense shoulders slumped a bit. “Am I right to assume that you’ve talked to her? Has she had any help after that experience?”
“Yes. That’s why she hugged me. She’s fine, Dave. The fact that the Sheeryan might be injured or stranded here worried her more than the fact that they were aliens. She’s a very clever girl.”
“That’s something you should tell Stuart, not me,” he said bitterly.
Rose sighed. “You showed her how to use her intelligence. Dave, look at me.”
When he did, she saw that he was close to tears. She took him by the arm and steered him away from the door. The children mustn’t see him like this. “You brought her up. She calls you Dad.” She stopped herself. That was something they could discuss later.
Dave sniffed and set his jaw. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Would you like me to come with you when you talk to Stuart? I’m sure he’ll have questions about the Institute.”
“Thank you, Rose.”
They went to the lift. Just as they’d stepped inside, Dave took her hand. “Rose?”
“Yes?” She bit back the endearment she wanted to use. She wasn’t sure if he’d like to hear it.
“I need you. I miss you.”
She pulled him into a hug. “And I you, my love.”
“We’ll talk about everything later, aye?”
“Aye,” Rose said, smiling. The lift dinged and the doors revealed the lobby. In the secluded waiting area, a man in a cashmere jumper and expensive leather shoes sat talking to Annie, balancing a cup and saucer in his palm. He stood when he noticed Rose and Dave approaching him. Rose wished she were dressed more smartly than she was. People like Stuart, successful business men and lawyers, still managed to intimidate her somewhat although she knew there was no reason to be.
“Mr Quinlan?” Rose said, slipping on her Vitex heiress mask. Her heels clicked on the flagstones and she drew herself up to her full height. “I’m Rose Tyler.” She held out her hand for him.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, ah…”
“Rose,” she said sweetly.
“Rose. Lucy has been going on about you,” Stuart said. He was a handsome man with a warm, slightly gravelly voice that went very well with the grey streaking his dark hair. His dark eyes, however, were a force to be reckoned with — but they also told her many things that he’d rather not communicate. “Hello, Dave.”
“Stuart.” Dave seemed very wary all of a sudden; Rose felt him retreat to a safe place deep within himself. She wished she could take his hand to comfort him, but as far as Stuart was concerned Dave and Rose only knew each other professionally.
“Lucy wants to be there for the inquiry on Tuesday, and since she’s missed you I thought it would be a good idea to take her out of school on Monday as well. She won’t miss much; it’s the last week of school, and then we’ll be off to Venice. If her passport has arrived, that is,” Stuart said.
“Yes. Yes, it has,” Dave said softly.
“Why don’t we take this to my office?” Rose said. Once they had sat down on the two sofas in her office, Stuart continued.
“Sheridan, my colleague in charge of your case, tells me that everything’s ready for Tuesday.”
“Good,” Dave managed to say, and Rose added in the privacy of her mind that Rita was not a case.
“How is Paul?” Stuart asked. “We were quite shocked when we heard he was in hospital.”
“It’s… um…” Dave said, clearing his throat, “it’s a mild form of meningitis. The non-contagious version.”
“Ah, that’s… lucky.”
“I suppose it is.”
“It’s quite an unusual place to take him to,” Stuart commented, looking around rose’s office.
Before she could reply, Dave said, “Well, yes. Dr Henley, our family doctor, has moved here and set up a clinic. His research is partly sponsored by Vitex.”
Rose was surprised. She hadn’t expected Dave to recover so quickly and to deliver this half-truth so convincingly.
“Surprising then that he still works as a GP,” Stuart pointed out.
“He doesn’t want to lose touch with the real world,” Dave said. “Broadens the horizon too, apparently.”
“Ah, yes. You see, Dave, one of the reasons I’ve driven Lucy today is that I wanted to talk to you about something in person.” He looked pointedly at Rose.
“I’ll leave you to it,” Rose said, standing. Terror flashed in Dave’s eyes, but there was no way she could stay, however much she wanted to. “Things to do. It was a pleasure, Stuart.”
-:-
After Stuart had left, Dave sat in Rose’s office for a while, trying to understand what had just happened. But his mind felt as numb as his body did, and he could find no words that even began to describe the fear and the rage and the terror that had settled in the hollow around his heart, and they were growing. He suddenly found it hard to breathe.
He needed to get out of here. Rose’s bright office suddenly seemed so small and airless. It wasn’t one of his empty rooms. The Priory had been one of his favourite abandoned buildings, and he wondered if the room that had offered him comfort and inspiration most was still there or if that had been taken from him as well.
Dave hurried outside without being seen. He went around the building to find the unlocked door he always used and slid into the dark corridor behind it. The smell was different here, less clean and lived-in. It was a bit damp and the stone offered the familiar coolness and the scent of churches that he associated with it. He pressed on through the corridor, not giving his eyes time to adjust to the dim light. He knew his way around here well enough, and soon he had found the remote chamber that he knew would offer him solace. Thankfully, it was untouched.
He sat heavily on the debris-littered floor by the gaping hole that once held a window and hugged his knees to his chest to stop the panic from spreading. He found it difficult to breathe so he let go, tipping his head back against the rough stone wall. A sharp pain coursed through him as the back of his head hit a pointy bit in the wall, bringing him back to his senses.
He hissed in pain. Several times he tried to gasp for air but his throat constricted every time, forming a heavy a lump that was painfully lodged at the base of his throat. He curled his fingers around the debris on the floor, brittle leaves and twigs. Pointy and sharp things that bit into the soft skin of his palms. Finally, he was able to take a deep breath and he let out a single sob.
-:-
“Dave.”
He looked up at her. The sadness in his eyes broke her heart. He seemed strangely composed, and that was when Rose realised that something inside him had broken and was irretrievably lost.
“May I sit with you?” she asked softly.
After what seemed like a short eternity he nodded, and as she sat down beside him he turned to her, burying his face in the crook of her neck. Although his body was trembling he wasn’t crying; there were no tears to wet the skin on her neck or soak her shirt. At a loss for what to do, she just held him and occasionally dropped a kiss onto his hair.
The cold of the stone floor was beginning to creep into her limbs and her bum fell asleep, but she didn’t move until Dave let go of her. He hadn’t shed a single tear. What made him so upset that he couldn’t even cry? Or had he cried himself out while she’d bee
n searching the place for him?
She should have known he’d seek solace in the empty rooms of the Priory. This was an astoundingly beautiful room, and since it was so tucked away she understood that he knew the place very well. A man bent on getting away from it all wouldn’t find this small chamber; she almost hadn’t, if it hadn’t been for the late afternoon sun brightening the grey stone walls with a distorted rectangle, illuminating the alcove hiding the door to the chamber off the small, overgrown cloister. Creepers had wound their way into the room, and as Rose lifted her head to look around the room she saw that the vaulted ceiling was painted with leaves and all manner of fruit.
Bigger on the inside: Space, Time Travel, Alien Criminals (A Space Time Travel Mystery Book 1) Page 37
