The Doctor held Rose close to himself as she slept ,her face calm in her sleep. She felt so soft and so warm, too warm because of her fever, but she was next to him and he couldn't help but feel something deep inside him stir. It was that thing inside him that he didn't let get into his head very often ,the thing that urged him to get closer to Rose. He denied it and fought to bury it but no matter how hard he tried, it never seemed to work. He couldn't let himself get closer to her; she was his companion and for right now that just had to be enough. He had a way of destroying people and the closer that he got to her the more risk that became involved. He didn't want to hurt her….or himself…..so he remained distant. Not that that was easy either; but if it protected her, even a tiny little bit, he'd do it.

So for now, even though he would have to distance himself when she awoke, the Doctor held her close. He laid his head against her shoulder, the sweet scent of her hair in his nose, the feel of her hot cheek against his skin. He would never allow himself to hold her this close when she was well and it wasn't a good idea now, he knew. He told himself it was justified because she was sick and needed comfort; but either way he was glad for an excuse to do something he had wanted to do for a long time.

"I love you, Rose" The Doctor whispered against Rose's ear, his lips against her skin. "My precious Rose"

...

Rose woke up slowly, her eyes fuzzy as she opened them. She was aware instantly that she felt much better; in fact she almost felt normal. Her head ached a little and her throat was a little dry but other than that she felt a world better. She curled comfortably into a fetal position under the blankets, feeling warm and content. She didn't feel like her body was being destroyed by fever anymore. As her mind came to wakefulness, Rose remembered how wonderfully warm and protected she had felt under the covers against the Doctor, him cradling her to him. Instinctively, Rose reached out under the covers for the Doctor but didn't feel him in the bed anymore. She opened her eyes fully and looked around the room, finding the Doctor sitting on the floor tinkering with a piece of machinery, little pieces of metal strewn across the floor. Rose was a little disappointed that he wasn't still next to her but not at all surprised; he avoided intimacy in all forms and he had probably moved away from her the second that she had fallen asleep. Either way, Rose was grateful the Doctor had indulged her need for contact last night. Perhaps it was best that he wasn't still next to her; it might have been awkward, too awkward, now that she was no longer close to delirium.

After a few minutes of staring her time lord, intent on his thoughts and focused on the task, the Doctor noticed Rose was awake. "Ah! Good! You're awake!" He said with enthusiasm, tossing his machine aside and moving to Rose's side, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Feeling any better?"

Rose gave the Doctor a small smile. "I am actually" she said. "I'm starting to feel human again"

The Doctor gave her a wide smile. "Good" he said. "I knew you were tough….no Skuparian flu can take you down" He took his sonic out and scanned Rose briefly. "Perfect!" he said in excitement. "Temperature is at 37 degrees….almost normal again" He grabbed the glass bottle of vile looking medicine off the bedside table and poured a small does. "A few more of these and you should be good as new"

"I hope it's only a few more" Rose said, crinkling her nose at the nasty medicine. She pushed herself up slightly in the bed and took the medicine followed by a quick drink of water. As the Doctor took the glasses back, Rose pushed herself all the way up in bed, glad to see that it didn't cause her to feel dizzy or nauseous. "How long have I been asleep?" she asked.

"Well, you've woken a few times, but in total it's been three days since we left Aboron" the Doctor said.

Rose's eyes widened. "I've basically been asleep for three days?" she asked in surprise.

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah…..but one of the best things you can do to get better is sleep"

Rose nodded, lost in thought. She thought about the weird dreams that her fever had produced, the horrible nightmares and the wonderfully calm song she heard later in her sleep that had calmed her and made her sleep peaceful. She also thought about a certain time lord by her side that had made her sleep so much better. She blushed a little when she thought about how much affection she had sought from him in her illness but smiled when she thought about the fact that he hadn't turned her away. There was at least one perk of being sick.

Rose and the Doctor were brought out of their separate musings by a sudden loud rumbling sound coming from Rose's stomach. The Doctor looked at her quickly and Rose felt her face turn red before they both began to burst into laughter. "So…..I take it you're a little hungry?" the Doctor asked with a laugh.

Rose put her hands on her stomach; she had been so ill and nauseous but the feeling in her stomach now wasn't that at all. It felt a little foreign but she was actually hungry. "Yes…..a little I guess" she admitted a bit sheepish, embarrassed at how demanding her stomach was.

"How about I go get you some soup?" the Doctor said. "Don't want to test your stomach too much yet but it'll be good to start getting some food in you"

"That sounds good" Rose said, giving the Doctor a small smile. As he was about to get up from the bed and go to the kitchen, Rose reached out with her impulsiveness again and grab the Doctor into a deep hug. He seemed surprised but hugged her back warmly.

"What's this for?" he asked with a grin. "Not that I'm complaining"

"For being such a good Doctor" Rose said, her face against his shoulder. "For taking care of me when I obviously was in way over my head." She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "And for singing to me" she said with a knowing look.

She was pleased when she saw a small blush on his cheeks. "Anything for you, Rose"

That's the end of "I'm Always Alright". Thank you sooooooo much for reading and reviewing :) I appricate you all taking your time to read my story and I hope you really enjoyed it.