The man in the doorway looked like he had seen a ghost. He spoke in a voice that shook. "Oh, my God! It's you!"
Anything further that might have been said was interrupted by the Administrator entering the room. He stepped into the spilt coffee and skidded across the floor, letting out a few choice words in the process.
"Ouch," he exclaimed. "Who the hell left that on the floor?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry, sir," apologised Martha. "That was my fault. I was just about to clean it up. Are you hurt?"
"Only my pride, but don't tell the board that. Okay?"
"Yes, sir. Well, if you're fine, I'll go and clean up the mess."
"Already done," said Tom. "Thought I'd make myself useful since the doctor was already in."
'Well, at least HE seems to have regained his composure,' thought Martha.
"Ah, earning brownie points already then, are we, Dr Milligan?" said the Administrator. "Well, you shouldn't underestimate this lady. Tom, meet Martha Jones. She only graduated three months ago but already is one of my best doctors."
"Pleasure to meet you, Dr Jones," said Tom as he offered his hand.
Martha took it and immediately electricity appeared to spark at their touch. "Glad to meet you, Dr Milligan, but please call me Martha. Dr Jones sounds so ancient."
"Right, Martha it is, but you must call me Tom. Can't have this relationship starting off on unequal terms, can we?" he said.
At the word relationship, Martha blushed and turned towards the Administrator. "I'll go and start my rounds then, sir, unless there is anything else?"
"No urgent stuff today, Dr Jones, but I am placing Dr Milligan in your care for the next few days, if you don't mind, so he can learn the ropes around here. You might be able to teach him a thing or two. That all right with you, Tom?"
"Always did like a woman with initiative, sir," replied Tom cheekily. However, behind the humour his mind was still reeling with so many questions about the woman in front of him. Who was she, apart from being Martha Jones, MD, and why had she been in his dreams? Maybe she wasn't the same woman at all but if not then the resemblance was extraordinary. Of one thing he was certain; now he had found a starting place he was going to get some answers.
Martha's mind was racing. Tom Milligan was here, standing right next to her. He was going to work here and for the next few days be with her every moment of their working hours. She was both elated and frightened. It had been so long since she had seen him last: Seen him die. But the man before her wasn't a ghost. He was flesh and blood and very, very real. She wanted to reach out and touch him; run her fingers through his thick hair, touch his face and hold him close to her.
A touch on her arm made her shiver. "So Martha," said Tom. "Are you ready to go save the world?"
"What did you say?" she whispered, suddenly looking horrified and pale.
"Martha, are you okay? I was only joking."
'Pull yourself together, you idiot,' Martha told herself. 'You held your own with aliens and the Doctor, so don't start getting all freaked out now. He does not know what you have been through, no matter what his choice of words.'
Martha gathered her composure, and putting on her best confident smile she asked Tom to follow her to meet the first of her patients for the day.
The Administrator watched them as they departed. 'What a team they make,' he thought to himself. Obviously, someone higher up had thought so too. He had been ordered to obtain Dr Milligan's services by any means necessary and ensure that he would work alongside not just any staff member but with Dr Martha Jones. Yes, someone up the chain of authority had vision, either that or they were very good at match making. At that thought a slow smile crossed his face.
Martha walked quickly down the corridor of the hospital with Tom following in her wake. They had not spoken again since leaving the Administrator's office, each afraid to broach a topic of conversation although both felt for some unknown reason that there was much to say.
Finally Tom spoke first. "Martha, I'm sorry about back there in the admin office ... I... well ... I'm not usually that incoherent. When I saw you, I thought you were someone I knew. We haven't met before, have we?"
Martha closed her eyes, glad she had her back to him." No Tom, we haven't met before." Well it was partially true. This was the first time since the world had reverted back to sanity.
"Yeah, you're probably right. After all I'm sure I'd never forget a face like yours," he blurted out and then changed the subject, trying to hide his embarrassment. "Ah…So you've been here 3 months?"
"What ...oh... yes," replied Martha trying to regain her balance after his flirtatious outburst. "Although, that is only as an official doctor, of course. I did all my training here too, apart from um ... a sabbatical for about a year." Yes, that is what she would call it.
"You took a break? Why? Did you have second thoughts about being a doctor?"
"No, it wasn't that. I met this guy and we went travelling together and then I travelled the world on my own for a while." She sighed inwardly; so much truth yet still; so many secrets.
"Martha, you look sad. I'm sorry if I intruded," said Tom with a concerned look in his eyes.
"No, Tom, it's okay, really. I learnt a lot about myself during that time and I wouldn't change or regret anything that happened."
"So the guy you travelled with ...do you still ... I mean keep in touch or are you together?" asked Tom in a quiet voice. 'Why was there so much riding on that question?' he thought 'and am I being too forward? I mean we've only just met: At least in person anyway.'
'Goodness,' thought Martha. 'He can ask the hard questions can't he?' "No," she said eventually. "We aren't together anymore. I mean we weren't like you know 'together' together in the first place. I needed to complete my studies and he wanted to keep travelling but we parted as good friends ... Really good friends."
She remained quiet for a moment longer before shaking off the sadness. "Right, enough chatter, Dr Milligan, and may I say you ask too many personal questions so early in this partnership. Time to do some real work."
"Yes, ma'am," he said with a laugh, giving her a fake salute. They turned to speak with a patient and the rest of the day was spent discussing medical diagnoses and treatment strategies, and swapping case stories.
**************************************
Entering her apartment that evening Martha thought about the day. She could never have imagined how easily things could fall into place. She did not have to go searching, did not have to make excuses to contact him; Tom was there, at the hospital, working right alongside her. She was starting to believe in karma after all ... well at least until she saw the post it note on the fridge.
Dear Martha, You humans and slow paths ... too annoying. Thought I'd save you some time and pulled a few strings to let a certain Dr Milligan land in your lap; well not literally. I'll leave that bit up to you and on that point I'll exit stage left... P.S. He's quite a looker and definitely not a pretty boy. You always did have good taste.
From the Doctor.
Martha didn't know whether to be furious at him or go down on her knees in gratitude. He did so like to meddle in the affairs of humans despite his pretence of annoyance at their 'inability to keep up with his brilliance'. She laughed and thanked him silently for his actions, grateful that he obviously cared about her enough to want her to be happy. She spent a peaceful night and awoke with more than just a little excitement, looking forward to seeing Tom again.
Tom on the other hand had another dream filled night. The same dream only this time the woman saving the world had a name. Martha Jones! He knew that the attraction he felt for her was no longer a dream. He woke knowing he was in love with her and that scared him, because she was no longer a vision but flesh and blood and he would see her again today. He did not know if this was destiny but he would not find out lying around. With that thought he rose from his bed and got ready to go to work.
******************************************
The next two days flew by in a similar nature. Martha and Tom worked together and talked about many things; their families, careers and favourite things. They slipped into an easy familiarity and the attraction that was growing between them was obvious to all. On the fourth morning Tom got up the nerve to ask Martha out for dinner; an offer that she accepted without hesitation. Now perhaps she might get the chance to tell him the truth about her past. She had left big gaps in her history of the last couple of years, glossing over her travelling adventures. How could she tell him she'd been through space and time with The Doctor and met aliens? How could she even begin to explain the horror that had been the Master? This was not going to be easy.
Tom was elated when Martha accepted his invitation. He really wanted to be with her and was pleased to see that his own feelings might well be reciprocated; perhaps now some answers to dark questions might be found.
The dream that had previously been consistent had of late changed a little. The tone of it was still dark but the hope that was Martha was now his too. Last night in the dream he had kissed her. They were keeping low as the silver spheres seemed higher in number. He had been half lying on her trying to protect her, forgetting all about the perception filter she had around her neck. He had gazed down at her merely to ask if she was all right but had been lost in the darkness of her eyes; drowning in the sheer beauty of them, pulling him down and he didn't fight it. He found her lips and kissed her gently, almost reverently. He lifted his head and watched for her reaction. She smiled up at him.
"Nicely done, Dr Milligan, but sadly not the time or the place. We need to keep moving," and with that she had slipped off again into the darkness, so quick that he had struggled to keep up with her.
Tom's daydreams were interrupted by a P.A. system broadcast. "All available doctors to emergency — we have a code red!"
The perfect day was just about to become a nightmare.