He couldn't stop the other's hurt or really do much to soothe it really, just hold him in silence and let him feel what he needed. After years of keeping it pent up, it was no surprise to the Doctor that his former self was so utterly broken. He remembered the ache, the raw pain his former self went through and all he could do was hope to guide him through. That the other wouldn't hate him for making him face it once all was said and done.
He closed his eyes, gently hugging the other to his chest in the hopes he'd know. He understood the pain and the anger that came from who they were, what they had done. He wasn't here to judge him or force him to forget, he wasn't here to change him. He was just...here. Whether the other wanted him there or not.