Ilaine was settled in a small room beside the children's sickroom. The Doctor bustled between the lab and Rose's chamber, alternating his attention between creating a second, larger batch of antitoxin and keeping a close eye upon his companion.

He'd just finished the serum and gone to check on her again when she opened her eyes.

"Rose?" He could hardly believe that she was looking at him. Her gaze was bleary, but he could tell that she was aware of his presence. "No, don't try to talk," he cautioned when her lips parted.

He gave her some water then sat beside her upon the mattress. The hand he ran comfortingly over her cheek told him that she was warmer, and he noticed that her pallor had faded, although she still remained pale.

"You're going to be fine," he said firmly. Oh, he'd told her that at least a dozen times over the last hours, but now it was more than a wish; it was the truth. "And," he added, well aware that she'd want to know, "the children are doing better. We've got enough antitoxin for everyone now, thanks to you."

She gave a tiny nod of acknowledgment. Her eyes moved to her arm. The lesions had begun healing, clearly leaving scars in their wake. The wicked bruise inflicted by Wembur's hasty efforts remained.

He ran gentle fingers over one of the scars then traced the outline of the bruise. "I'll take care of these as soon as we return to the TARDIS. You'll never even know this happened."

The look she gave him told him irrevocably that she would indeed know; this was not a memory to be discarded.

"You saved their lives," he told her softly. "And that's not something to forget."

Her eyes began to close; she would fatigue extremely easily for some time yet. The Doctor tucked the blankets around her then left her to her healing slumber.


By the next day, the children had all begun to show signs of recovery. The Doctor received word that the Prince, too, appeared to be out of danger. The second dose of antitoxin he'd been given had been a huge help. But the way it had been obtained… The Time Lord still bristled at the memory.

Rose was able sit up and hold a small glass. She probably could have held her soup spoon, too, but the Doctor insisted on doing it for her. They hadn't had much of a chance to talk while she'd been recovering. While he'd kept a close eye upon her, he hadn't wanted to overtax her and had kept the conversation to a minimum—something of a feat of restraint for him.

Now, however, as he spooned soup into her mouth, she was anxious to hear the details of the many hours she'd missed.

"There's not all that much to tell," he fibbed. "I made the serum, it saved the children, and everyone lives."

"But I remember Dr. Wembur comin' in here an' tellin' me that you needed more blood.

I was still sorta out of it, but I thought you'd said we had to wait."

He nodded tightly. "He seemed to think otherwise. He claimed the King insisted that all the children receive the serum at the same time, regardless of the risk to you." A bit of soup splashed onto his leg.

"I don't remember much after that."

"No, Rose, you wouldn't. You were very weak."

"How much blood did he take?"

"Too much."

His tone must have alerted her to his lingering distress because she reached for his free hand. "Did you think I was going to die?"

He could not answer her.

"I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? Rose, this wasn't your fault! If that bastard hadn't—"

"No, Doctor, it sounds like he did what needed to be done. An' if that's what it took, if that was the only way to save the children, then it was worth it."

"I nearly lost you!" he blurted out.

She nodded. "Kinda figured that. But you didn't; you found a way an' you saved me."

"No," he shook his head, "I didn't. It was Ilaine. She gave you a transfusion."

"I think you had a little bit t'do with it," she said with a small smile. "But I wanna thank her. Could you send her in when she has a second?"

"I'll give her your thanks."

"Yeah, but I wanna tell her in person."

"She's…" He hesitated.

"She's what? Doctor?" Rose's expression grew anxious. "Is she all right? Did the transfusion hurt her somehow? Oh God, did she give too much?"

"She's going to be fine," he reassured her.

"But?" she prompted.

He sighed. She'd find out eventually, he supposed. "She's pregnant, Rose. I didn't know. I'd never have let her do it if I had; I'd've found someone else."

"Did it harm the baby?"

"Possibly. Things are a bit dodgy right now, but Ilaine's resting, and we're all hoping for the best."

"Yeah." Rose remained quiet for a short while, then she spoke again. "So you think all the children're gonna recover?"

"Looks like it."

"They gonna have scars?" She glanced back at her arm.

"Some."

"Anythin' else? Didn't you say people usually end up with damage to their organs?"

"They may. I've been keeping a close eye on them, and so far their hearts seem most affected, but they're all getting stronger, so I have every hope that they'll all live long, happy lives."

Rose rubbed at her chest. "Seems okay," she murmured.

"You made a good recovery from the disease," he confirmed, for his part as much as for hers. "Even so, you need to finish this soup then get some more sleep."

She rolled her eyes, and he grinned, knowing that her unspoken protest was a very good sign.


By the following day, Rose was strong enough to get out of bed. Feeling confident in her recovery, the Doctor had departed early in the morning to retrieve the TARDIS, parking her in a shed behind the infirmary. For his part, he was anxious to get away. He'd had enough of the place to last several lifetimes.

When he returned to the palace grounds, he found Rose in the sickroom visiting with the children. Her smile seemed to warm the entire room.

"We should get going as soon as you're ready," he told her.

She looked up from Raben's bedside. "Yeah. I jus' wanna say good-bye to Ilaine. I stopped in earlier; she's lookin' pretty good."

"Yes, she's doing better." As they were leaving the sickroom, Marden intercepted them.

"The King would like to see you both in the Palace," the Sentry told them.

The Doctor shook his head firmly. "No thanks."

"He sent me specifically to get you," Marden replied.

"Tell him we'd already left," the Time Lord said.

Marden nodded. "As you wish." He lifted his hand; he held a small package. "This is the item you requested; I sent one of the Junior Sentries to the city first thing this morning."

The Doctor took the q'ranium wires from him. "Thank you."

"I'll just tell Ilaine good bye," Rose said, ducking off into the adjacent room.

Marden offered his hand to the Doctor, who shook it firmly. "I know we'll never be able to thank you," the Sentry began.

"Actually, you already have," the Doctor replied. At the man's questioning look, he added, "You showed me where your true loyalties lie, and I appreciate that."

"I won't forget."

They chatted idly for a few minutes until Rose returned. After a hug from Marden, she reached for the Doctor's hand and they strolled slowly down the long hallway to the doors. This time, however, no one prevented their egress.

As they walked toward the shed, the Doctor said, "Never, never do anything like that again."

Rose looked up at him, surprised by the harsh tone of his voice. "But I—"

He shook his head fiercely then enveloped her in a tight hug. "No, Rose, never. I never, ever want to come that close to losing you again."

She buried her head beneath his chin. "'Kay."

He breathed in the scent of her hair and knew that she'd made a promise likely beyond her control to keep. He'd see to it, though; he'd be more careful in the future. Because Rose's life was the most precious thing in the universe to him.


The End