As the Doctor watched from his perch on top of the bounce house the world crumbled around him. The farris wheel toppled to the side and fell into the river. The bridge collapsed and then tents fell. People screamed and ran as the darkness over took them, until one by one they vanished until he was alone on his perch. He turned and ran into the TARDIS as the bounce house began to collapse underneath him. He quickly set the coordinates to get off the planet but she groaned and stayed put.

"Please old girl," He begged as the lights flashed red and the cloister bell sounded. He felt the telepathic link between them snap and the room went dark. He sank to his knees and then fell to his side as he pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. The temperature in the room was dropping quickly and he closed his eyes against the darkness that surrounded him. He couldn't see and it was getting hard to breathe. He was dying and he wasn't going to regenerate. This would be the last body he would ever have. His life had been cut short and he still didn't understand why or how.

He realized though that it was okay. He would be with his family again and maybe, just maybe they would forgive him. Without thinking he began to hum a lullaby from Gallifrey as he felt the darkness taking over his mind.

-DW-

"Martha," Rory cried out as the Doctor's heart rate changed. Rory had seen it enough to know that if they didn't intervene the Doctor was going to crash. Martha raced back into the room. She took one look at the monitor and then grabbed two syringes.

"No you don't mister," She said firmly as she filled the first and injected it into the canola. The Doctor's right heart stopped and his left stuttered as she injected the second. "Don't you do this."

His left heart picked up a healthy rhythm again and Martha turned to his right. Not wanting to knock his left heart out again she began CPR on the right, trying to keep it in rhythm with the left. She was relieved when it started quickly again.

"Don't do that again," She told the Doctor as she adjusted the blankets around him. "You just need to hang on until Jack gets back and we can help you."

"Where are they?" Rory wondered.

"I don't know, but they need to hurry. His body can't take much more." Martha exclaimed unhappily as she checked him over again. His body was colder to the touch and if it wasn't for the ventilator he wouldn't be breathing. She filled two more syringes and set them by his bed side. Neither one of them had any doubt that they would need them again soon if Amy and Jack didn't hurry. It wasn't a matter of if the Doctor would try to die on them again but simply a question of when.

The Doctor's heart was beginning to stutter again when a loud crash sounded from the main console room followed by loud swearing.

"Who taught you how to use that thing?" Amy complained.

"I'm sorry but I didn't have time to plan out our destination. If you didn't notice we were surrounded." Jack answered back, getting closer to the medi-bay. They entered the room together and Martha raised her eye brow at Jack. His clothes were dirty and ripped and it was obvious that he had been fighting. "We got the Doctor's medicine."

"Was it that hard?" Martha asked in concern.

"Yes, I hope we have enough because getting more will be difficult." Jack pulled out a vial of medicine that was a white milky color. He also produced a tin and handed them both to Martha. "The vial needs to be injected into him as soon as possible. He needs to receive 5 ml at a time, injected directly into the vein, every hour until the vial is empty. It is going to burn and hurt but it will save him. Unfortunately the cream is worse. You need to clean his hand again and make sure that no new venom crystals have formed. Then you need to put the cream in the wounds and make sure it gets deep into the them. It will stop new crystals from forming and allow the bites to heal."

"What bit him?" Rory asked as Martha drew up the syringe.

"It is called a shadow walker." Jack replied. Jack watched Martha grab the canola. "Martha, don't use the canola use a direct vein." She nodded and pulled out a cotton swab and iodine. Cleaning a place on his hand she inserted the needle and emptied the milky substance. The skin around the injection site turned a bright red as she removed the needle.

"That's normal." Jack explained. "Just hope he stays unconscious for the next few hours."

"It does that to his arm and you want us to continue to put it into his blood?" Amy asked disgusted.

"There is no other choice." Jack apologized as Martha moved to the Doctor's hand. She kneaded around the bite marks and removed two new crystals that formed before applying the cream and working it deep into his hand. The Doctor moaned and Martha paused a moment.

"Doctor?" She asked, trying to make sure she wasn't hurting him. "Are you back with us. The Doctor stayed quiet and Rory checked his vitals.

"He is still asleep." Rory told her.

"But the pain is starting to get through." Martha replied. "Can I give him any pain medication with this treatment?"

"I don't know, you should consult with the TARDIS," Jack advised her. Martha checked the TARDIS screen and was relieved that she could provide the Doctor relief. She injected him with one of his pain killers. Now all they could do was wait.

Over two hours passed before the Doctor gagged on the ventilator. Martha quickly removed it and he began to breathe on his own again. It was an unsteady pace but he managed to maintain it. She placed the oxygen mask back over his mouth and nose, to help him to breathe. A third hour passed and as Martha injected the next dose of medication, the Doctor moaned again.

"I am sorry Doctor, I know it hurts but you'll feel better soon I promise." Martha advised as she with drew the needle.

"All...right," The Doctor wheezed. Jack sat up quickly in the chair and Rory and Amy rushed over to the Doctor's bedside. Martha held up a hand to stop them from confusing the Doctor as she spoke again.

"How about you open your eyes for us? Amy and Rory are here and they have been worried about you." Martha told him and she watched as the Doctor's eyes opened a crack. He smiled at them but the smile seemed more sleepy and sad then happy.

"Hello Raggedy Man." Amy exclaimed.

"Hi," His eyes drifted shut again.

"It's all right, Doctor, go back to sleep." Rory said softly.

"Martha," the Doctor asked, his voice barely above a whisper as his eyes opened again.

"I'm here sweetheart and I'm not leaving until you feel better." Martha informed him and a relieved look crossed his face. His eyes drifted to where Jack sat in the chair still.

"Jack?"

"Yes Doc," Jack got up and moved closer to the bed and took his hand.

"Amy's ... married." He gasped.

"I know and don't worry Rory is invited to join us." Jack replied cheekily.

"Behave."

"Always," Jack smirked and leaned down and kissed the Doctor on the forehead. He scrunched his face but let his eyes drift close again. The four of them breathed a collective sigh of relief, for though the Doctor was still very sick, he was showing progress.