A soft unbroken haze of gold evaporated from John's hands and hovered over the Doctor's chest. Slowly the Doctor's eyes began to flicker.

"Doctor?!" Martha jumped to attention kneeling down next to him. "Welcome back, remember me?"

"Martha?" His voice was groggy, each word was weighted and his mouth slurred. "Martha Jones how could I ever forget?"

A light shallow laugh escaped under Martha's breath. "It's the same old you then?" She whispered.

"Of course. Same old me! Apart from now I have Amy" Swiftly Amy moved over next to him as he gestured to her with a large grin "and Rory. Say hi Rory." Obligingly Rory gave a limp wave muttering "but they already know me…" "And River?" He already knew the answer; he had gone through years knowing the answer.

"She's gone Doctor." Amy pulled his hand into hers. "But she saved your life, she gave you this." Amy pulled the watch out of Martha's grasp placing it on top of his chest.

"I think you already knew that, didn't you?"

He sighed turning away and closing his eyes in an attempt to block her out.

"You've known for a while, haven't you?" Martha leant her head against his shoulder whispering so quietly the rest of the group couldn't hear "You knew this was going to happen for years…"

"How did you?"

"Unlike some people Donna didn't forget me-"

"-I didn't forgot-"

"Not now Doctor." Sharply she cut him off with a shake of the head "We kept in touch, she told me things, thought I would understand…"

"And?" The Doctor asked in equally hushed tones.

"No" She replied with a slight shake of the head, the others busied themselves with the curtains, the ceilings, the floor or anything they could try and find slightly interesting. "No I don't understand why you always, why you always fall for- Look I'm sorry, I was just so worried. You never visited, just that once. God you looked so rough, I was so worried. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" The Doctor placed his head on hers.

"I'm sorry. River, I should have stopped her… Look I'm hogging you arent I? I expect you'd like to talk to someone else, Amy? Rose? Jack?" She spoke the last few names as she backed away from the Doctor.

"Martha?" His voice stopped her in her tracks. "Thank you." Was all she heard before her ears began to fill with the tumbling voices of his companions.

Amy leant in first, gathering him into the most humongous hug he had ever had. "I've missed you. God I've missed you, you stupid, stupid raggedy man. Raggedy man I thought I would never see you again…" She buried her head in his chest.

"And I've missed you Amelia Pond."

"Williams." Rory coughed behind them.

"Oh it will always be Ponds to me."

"It's Williams." Rory muttered rolling his eyes.

"You're all here." The Doctor grinned scanning the room "Jack-"

"Alright Doc?" Jack winked with a salute as the Doctor's eyes rested on him.

"Alright captain?" He replied with a wink.

"- And Amy and Rory, and Martha, and oh Gwen, hello! Look everybody its Gwen!"

Laughing Gwen held up her hand in a weak wave. "Hello Doctor."

"Oh we have everyone don't we!" The Doctor grinned ignoring the obvious. "And Rose, we have Rose Tyler." He glanced over at where she stood. Standing alone in front of John's bed, her eyes firmly fixed on the empty bed. Suddenly as if she felt his eyes on her she took fleeting look round. Their eyes locked for a moment across the ward. "Rose" "Doctor." Their words were so soft but both caught them as if they were next to each other.

Thanks for reading.