Title: Whenever You Need Me
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Jack Harkness
Fandom: Doctor Who/Torchwood
Rating: PG-13
Table: 4 10_hurt_comfort
Prompt: 1, Injured
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the Tenth Doctor or Jack Harkness. Please do not sue.

***

"Don't you even think about checking out on me, Doctor," Jack panted, carrying the Doctor up the three steps that led from the Tardis' doorway into the control room. "I'm going to get you back to Torchwood so that Owen can look you over."

"Jack, I'll be all right," the Doctor told him, his voice weak. "I'm not hurt that badly. And you know that my body is much more resilient than a human's. I'm not going to die, so stop being so melodramatic. You're not losing me forever, or some such."

He'd only been shot in the shoulder, the Time Lord reasoned. Yes, they needed to have the bullet removed -- but it wasn't going to kill him. He'd lost blood, he was weak, but his life wasn't in immediate danger. Jack was overreacting to the situation.

"You don't think I'm going to take any chances, do you?" Jack told him, scanning the viewscreen and pressing the buttons that he knew would take them to 21st-century Earth and the Torchwood team. He just hoped he'd pressed the right one to get to Cardiff.

The Doctor shook his head, his breath hissing through his teeth in a gasp that he tried to hold back. Jack tightened his arm around the Time Lord's waist, scanning the viewscreen again before he turned to his lover and pulled the other man close against him.

"Doc, you've been shot. I know it might not seem like it's life-threatening, but we've got to get you to Owen so he can get that bullet out of you," he said softly, raising a hand to push back a lock of the Doctor's unruly hair. "And we've got to do it quickly."

"I've been injured before, Jack." The Doctor's dark eyes met his own; Jack had a hard time keeping his features impassive as he saw the pain that was reflected in that gaze. He knew that the Doctor was hurting, even if the Time Lord didn't want to admit it.

"Yeah, I know, but you've been shot. I'm not going to let you walk around with a bullet in you when it's pretty obvious you're in a lot of pain." Jack bent to hook one arm behind the Doctor's knees, lifting the other man into his arms again and heading for their bedroom.

"Is there any particular reason you want to take me to Torchwood?" the Doctor asked, holding back another hiss of pain. "There are other places we can go -- in the future, where they'll be able to take a bullet out just as quickly, if not more so."

Jack shook his head, then sighed and nodded. "Because I trust Owen," he said softly as he walked into their bedroom and laid the Doctor down gently on the bed. "I know he'll take good care of you. There's nobody else I'd put so much trust in when it comes to this."

The Doctor nodded, suppressing a sigh. It wasn't just that Jack trusted Owen; he knew that. The other man wanted to go to Torchwood, to see how the team was getting along without him, to make sure that they weren't in need of his help.

Sometimes he couldn't help but wonder if Jack wanted to be back at Torchwood again, working with his team, rather than traveling through time and space with him. Even though Jack had made the decision to come back to him, it was obvious that the immortal was still torn.

Would it be better for him to let Jack go, tell him that there was nothing holding him here if he had any doubts at all about staying? He closed his eyes, fighting back the tears that were far too near the surface for comfort.

He was only emotional because of what had happened to him on the planet they'd just left, the Doctor told himself, not wanting to raise a hand to wipe at his eyes. He didn't want Jack to know how he was feeling; there was no reason for him to know.

The bed dipped a bit as Jack sat down, leaning over the Doctor and peering into his face. "Hey, Doc, what's wrong?" he asked softly, his fingertips tracing the outline of the Time Lord's lips. "Well, besides being shot and obviously being in pain."

"Nothing." The Doctor shook his head, wincing as he shifted his position to give Jack more room. He probably shouldn't be moving; he was still bleeding, and moving would only make the blood flow worse, even though the makeshift bandage had slowed it considerably.

"Don't give me that." Jack shook his head, taking the Doctor's face between his hands and forcing the Time Lord to look up at him. "There's something else. I can tell. Don't you think I know you well enough by now to know when you're an emotional wreck?"

The Doctor considered not answering Jack, but his lover deserved better than that from him. Besides, he'd always had a hard time keeping his feelings a secret from this man; sooner or later, Jack would find out what was bothering him. He wouldn't stop until he did.

"Do you want to take me to Torchwood because you trust Owen to take care of me -- or because you want to be back there, with your team?" he whispered, hoping that his voice didn't sound as shaky as he thought it did. "Because it's where you feel that you belong?"

Jack shook his head, his gaze riveted on the Doctor's face. "Listen to me, Doc. I want to take you to Torchwood because Owen is the person I trust most to fix you up. Yeah, those people mean a lot to me, but I don't want to be with them permanently."

He sighed and rested his forehead against the Doctor's. "I care about them. I want to make sure they're doing okay with me there. But I don't want to be a Torchwood member again on a permanent basis. I don't want to leave you."

"Thank you," the Time Lord whispered, a lump rising in his throat. He had to swallow hard to speak at all; but he wasn't going to cry, he told himself fiercely. He was just over-emotional at the moment because of the pain he was in, that was all.

The Doctor closed his eyes as Jack pulled him into those strong arms, wrapping him in warmth and comfort. He needed to be close to his lover, needed to know that Jack was here and that he was going to stay here. The reassurance was a balm to his soul.

"We'll be at Torchwood before too much longer," Jack said softly, his warm breath caressing the Doctor's cheek. "Owen can fix you up, and then we'll be on our way again, okay? We'll find a pleasure planet to spend some time on while you recuperate."

"That would be wonderful," the Doctor murmured, his spirits rising. Jack actually meant what he'd been saying. He wasn't going to Torchwood because he had some inner need to be there. He wasn't grasping at any straw that would take him back to his former teammates.

No, he was taking them there because he truly thought it was the best thing to do. And they wouldn't be there for very long -- hopefully, not long enough for Jack to get them embroiled in whatever Torchwood might happen to be working on at the moment.

If they were caught up in something, then he would help as much as he could, of course. If the two of them were needed, he wasn't going to turn and walk away. But neither was he going to let Jack become immersed in the life of Torchwood again.

Jack was with him now. His lover had spent his time with Torchwood, and then come back to the Doctor of his own free will. He hadn't been talked into it; he'd come back because this was where he wanted to be. The Doctor could only hope that was what Jack still wanted.

"I promise we won't be there for too long," Jack told him, stroking his hair. "Even if they're working on something, we won't stay, Doc. Torchwood can get along without me. You need me more than they do right now. And I'll be here whenever you need me."

A wave of relief washed over the Doctor at Jack's words; he closed his eyes, leaning against his lover as a small smile tugged at his lips. If only Jack knew the truth of those words. He certainly did need this man -- and he always would, now and for the rest of his life.

***