Chapter Text
The Doctor tended to Zara’s sprained ankle, and Zara immediately wanted to go back home. She was homesick for her parents to take care of her, but she felt guilty if she told the Doctor this. She was depressed, moping around the Tardis with crutches from Earth that he had spared in his medical room.
“How’re you feeling, Zara?” The Doctor said as he walked into Zara’s bedroom one day while she was reading a book the Doctor had gotten her from his library. She sighed, folding the book but didn’t dog-ear the page she was on because she didn’t want to ruin the book. It was a book from her decade that he decided to give her.
“Great,” Zara muttered sarcastically, lifting up her foot because she wasn’t under the covers. “How are you?”
“Let’s not ask questions like that,” the Doctor said. “How are you really feeling?”
“I don’t want a therapist if that’s what you are trying to be,” Zara said.
“It’s been almost two whole days since you sprained your ankle, and –”
“It’s okay, Doctor. Really. Don’t apologize anymore.”
“Right. Okay, er, so I was wondering if we could go to a park or something – on Earth – if that’s okay with you?”
“What have you found, Doctor?” Zara asked, not believing this was a normal trip to a park.
“Not a thing! I was wondering if you wanted a change of scenery,” the Doctor said. “Since you’ve been stuck here for a while.”
“I guess,” Zara replied. “Are you sure–?”
“Yup, one hundred percent," the Doctor replied.
“Okay, let’s go.”
“Great. Want me to grab your–”
“Got them,” Zara said, trying to reach, but they were an inch too far away for her to reach.
“No, you don’t,” the Doctor said. He grabs them for her. He grabs her hand as she tries to get up from her position on the bed.
“Thanks,” Zara said, grateful to have someone to do this for her. “What time period on Earth will we go to?”
“You chose! Though I might not want to do the past, because these are future crutches, and well, you know…”
“Yeah. Yeah. We’ll have to do that once I’m fully healed.”
“Would you want to go to your home city?” the Doctor asked. “Visit your old friends? Parents?”
“I… Sure?” Zara replied. “Though– Ah–”
She felt the crutches under her armpits, and her foot turned just a bit, creating pain for Zara. The poor girl hung onto the Doctor.
“I’m not used to this.”
“I know,” he felt sad for her as a single tear fell down her cheek from the pain. They stood in silence for a moment before she started going again. The Doctor had put his arm around her waist.
“Want me to carry you once we get to the console room?”
“Yes please,” Zara said. “I’m so tired of these already.”
“I bet,” the Doctor said.
They arrived at the console room, and the Doctor carried her first, then put her on the chairs, and then grabbed her crutches and walked faster back to the middle of the room.
“There’s really no rush,” Zara said. “We’ve got all the time in the universe.”
“Well, I – I just – I wanted – Oh, never mind.”
“What is it?” Zara asked.
“Nothing. Nothing at all,” the Doctor said.
“Lying again?” Zara said.
“No more arguing,” the Doctor replied. “I’m just trying to get you home safely.”
“Home, meaning… to my parents.”
The Doctor nodded. “And your friends. If you have any other than me…”
“Awwww, you’re wanting to be my friend and not my acquaintance?”
“You’re my new companion, Zar. I want to make you feel happier.”
“I wasn’t happy before I left Earth,” Zara said. “And… Zar. That’s a new one.”
“You did call me ‘Buddy’ the first day we met.”
“That’s different, Doc.”
“Please don’t call me that,” the Doctor groaned.
“Fine. But before I interrupted my own sentence, I was going to say that I want to see more stars. Be out in the universe. Could we sit at the edge of the Tardis again? Like the first time we did it?”
“No. Not until you get out of that cast.”
“Ugh… fine,” Zara grumbled. “If you mess up in front of my parents–”
“What do you mean?”
“They won’t believe it if I was on another planet,” Zara said, “they know I’m traveling, but they don’t know that I’m traveling worlds and through time.”
“All right. Then I won’t tell them. If that’s what you want.”
“Yes. It is,” Zara smiled softly.
“Right. Allons-y, Zar!”
“Allons-y, Doctor,” Zara responded, watching him fiddle with the console.
– –
“Right. Home. 14th of August, 2025…” The Doctor said after landing.
“But I left– I left– after the 7th. That’s a week after I left! You said I’d get back a day after. The eighth of August!”
“I helped get a cast on you almost two days ago, and now I get treated like this. Thanks a lot, Zar.”
“You’re welcome. Now help get me outside?”
“What’s the magic word?” The Doctor teased her.
“Ugh, you– Please,” Zara said, not going to argue with him.
“Great answer, Zar,” the Doctor winks at her. He goes to check the environment first before coming back to help Zara out.
Zara and the Doctor arrived at her parent’s place, where she used to live when she was just a kid. Now she is twenty-eight. She knocks on the door after ringing the doorbell.
“Mum? Dad?” Zara said, loudly. “I’m home!”
A minute passed, no answer. The Doctor looked at her, worried a bit. Though he turned to see an old neighbor of hers come by.
“Zara King?” Her old neighbor asked as he approached her.
“Sebastian!” Zara said. “How are you?”
“I’m great! I would ask you the same thing, but I see you have crutches, so I doubt you’re doing better than me,” Sebastian replied.
“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you,” Zara said, “how have you been? Where are my mum and dad?”
“They went to your place! They told me to water the plants while they were gone. I was just coming to do that before I heard you at the door. Who’s this young-looking chap?”
“This bloke’s been traveling with me for about a few days. It feels longer,” Zara said. “He’s been taking care of me since I fell and sprained my ankle.”
“You’re traveling? That’s what you’ve always wanted to do,” Sebastian said, happy for her.
“Yeah! It was really weird at first after finding this guy, but he brought me back because I was missing my family a bit. I just wish I knew they went to my place. I haven’t heard anything from them.”
“You haven’t? Well of course you haven’t. Your phone doesn’t have service when you travel, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, right,” Zara said. “It doesn’t,” she lied.
“Well then! Time to go. It was nice to meet you, Sebastian, but Zar and I should get going.”
“You never told me this chap’s name, Zara. And he calls you Zar? You never let anyone else do that,” Sebastian said, surprised.
“This is the Doctor. Don’t question it, he hasn’t told me his real name either.”
“Oi!” The Doctor complained. “It's not that I don’t want to, I just… I just can’t.”
“That’s… oddly suspicious,” Sebastian said. He turned to Zara and said, “You ought to be careful, Zara. If he isn’t telling you his real name, he’s being suspicious.”
“Come on Zara, let’s go,” the Doctor pulled her. Zara rolled her eyes.
“You’re just upset he’s calling you suspicious.”
“I’m not suspicious! I can’t tell you my real name,” he cried out loud. “Let’s go, Zara King.”
“Is it that important–”
“I’d put you in great danger if I told you my real name! Your parents wouldn’t want that, Zar. I don’t want to tell you. Now we should really get going if you want to see your parents.”
“Don’t be a stranger, Zara!” Sebastian said lightly, and a bit nervous from the Doctor’s shouting.
“Don’t worry about him. He doesn’t normally get like this,” Zara told Sebastian.
“I hope not,” Sebastian muttered, Zara hearing it. The Doctor rolled his eyes as he helped her get past Sebastian with her crutches.