I pretended to be occupied trying to figure out the Doctor's tracker device thing, but I heard the whole conversation between him and River. It was hard hearing an argument between my own daughter and my best friend. I flinched when she slapped him across the cheek. But honestly, he deserved it. She hurt herself for him, and now he was trying to make it all better. She scolded him for being a "sentimental idiot". And she was right.

"You embarrass me!"

"River!"

I could tell by the tone of her voice and the fact that she headed straight for the door that she was in even more pain than before the Doctor had fixed her wrist. Ironic, isn't it, that somebody called the Doctor was better at breaking things than he was at fixing them. I had to go after her. I couldn't let this slide. After all, she was my daughter, my Melody, and she needed her mother.

"Tell you what, stick to the science part," I told him, pressing his detector gadget back into his hand and looking him in the eye. I think he knew exactly what he had done.

I spotted River, standing a little ways off with her back toward the direction I was walking from.

"Okay. Why did you lie?" I asked, in a firm way. I wanted a straight answer this time.

"Never let him see the damage."

When she spoke, she sounded like she was trying to be strong… almost like she was trying not to cry. I came up behind her and rubbed her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"Hey, hey…" I whispered softly. River pulled away, and turned to face me, her eyes glittering in the moonlight.

"And never, ever, let him see you age. He doesn't like endings."

She said it so matter-of-factly, like it was just one of the Doctor's things that he didn't like. Like yogurt, or apples.

I studied River's face for a moment in silence, and she avoided my gaze. She heaved a sigh, and turned away from me. Her shoulders drooped despairingly, and my heart sank.

"Melody…" Gosh, my own voice was a lot raspier than I thought it would be. "Melody, you're his wife. He needs you now more than ever. Please, please don't cry."

I heard her sigh again, and she turned her face toward me. The tears on her cheeks shone in the light. Her expression was one of anguish, and heartache. The strong, bold, warrior woman was replaced by a vulnerable little girl, one that walked slowly towards me before embracing me tightly and simply holding me, resting her head on my shoulder. I rubbed her back gently, and stared out into the night. It was far from over. But no matter what happened that night, I was never going to forget that special moment between River and me. My Melody.