Forged in Ice (Doctor Who AU Novel)

Chapter 35 Oh Canada

She found him sitting on the stone wall behind the house, heaving great breaths in a desperate effort to gain control of the rage exploding inside him. He didn't bother looking up when she made her way to him. She reached out and laid a hand on his bouncing knee, and sighed when he ignored her entreaty to look up. Nora lifted his face to see tears of deep shame rolling down his cheeks. "A bit much, isn't she?" she asked, keeping her voice as light as possible. 

He fiddled with a broken stone, delaying the inevitable. "Every time, I think, I've got this damn life right, some petty human reminds me that I don't," he said in disgust when he finally looked up. "I really wanted to hit her."

"Yeah, well, so did I. She's always been a bully. You just don't remember most of those visits or Howie telling her off -- twice. She told him that we were babying you. We probably were, so we wound up keeping our mouths shut. When she made you mad, you worked harder. But this -- this was her in her true glory."

He didn't know why that woman's unjust accusation hit so hard. "You know, I would never hurt you, right?" he asked, searching her eyes. 

The raw pain in his voice broke her heart. That idiot nurse had no idea how much harm she'd caused. "Of course, I do."

 "Since the accident, it's harder." 

Nora studied his beautiful eyes. Normally, he kept such uncontrolled emotion well hidden, even from her. To see all that raw power flickering behind those eyelids scared her a bit. "What is?" she asked.

"Figuring people out. Those two old biddies in London, the Tucker people, Cooper," he huffed.

She kissed him. "I will grant you that keeping everything bottled up is a bit more difficult since the accident, but it's not people you have trouble understanding, sweetheart, it's cruelty. The only thing different since the accident is your ability to hide your reaction to anyone who is deliberately cruel.  Marcus and Doctor Noiry both said you have fewer issues than any patient they've ever seen with your injuries. They never said you didn't have any. This last month has been tough. Despite that, you worked, kept us together, took care of me and the babies. You expect too much of yourself."

"She would have liked you," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Who -- Grace?"

Daniel pulled back, eyeing her quizzically. "Grace? How did you know about her?"

"You talked about her -- about climbing out of a window with her," she said, brushing his hair back.

 "Really? Well, no; she would have too, but I was talking about Donna. She would have smacked that woman."

Mentioning Donna surprised her. Since the accident, he rarely spoke of the woman who for all intents, was his mother. "Yeah, I can see that. It's the way you drew her eyes. I bet she lived up to her ginger hair too. They would be so proud of you, you know. Even if it didn't turn out the way they planned." She just chuckled when he snorted.

"Somehow, I seriously doubt it. He would think I am absolutely barking mad." He sighed, sagging a bit against her. "Is she gone?"

"Yeah," she said, kissing him again; this time it was long and slow. She felt the tension wash out of his body. When they broke apart, he leaned against her chest, enjoying the way she ran her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp down in his neck. The way he nestled tighter against her, she almost expected him to start purring like some contented cat. "C'mon, Addie's making fresh tea," she said when she thought those barriers were all back in place and he was ready to cope.

"Do I have to move?"

She kissed the top of his head and then stroked his cheek. His stubble scratched against her fingertips. He really did need a haircut and a shave. "Yes. You do," she said, plopping another kiss on his head.