[ Author's note: Just to recap, in the last chapter we revealed that we will be splitting off into two alternate endings, with this one running on Wednesdays, and the other running on Saturdays. So if you're not pleased with this ending, come back Saturday. :)
We begin with a brief recap of last week ... ]
"It's all right, Matron," Sarah Jane heard, "I'll take care of it."
The Matron let go of her and she braced for a fight, gripping the bed rails as though they were all that kept her from dropping off a cliff.
A moment later she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's all right," a man said, "I got your message."
She spun around to see a tall, slight man in brown suit and a long brown coat.
She stared at him for a moment until what he said sunk in. Then she touched his face gently, not quite believing what she saw. He looked so much like John had when she had first met him. But it wasn't John though, and she did recognize this man. "Oh Doctor, is it really you?"
"I knew you'd recognize me," he smiled. "I was about to ask what the emergency was, but …" He pulled out the sonic screwdriver and waved it over John, then stared at it. "I can see pretty well for myself. Hm." His brow furrowed. "Can't have that."
"Can you help him," she asked, holding her breath.
"Not here, I can't," he said thoughtfully. "But I know somewhere that can. Thing is, we can't take him like this, and the minute we disconnect him…"
Just then Harry walked into the room. "Sarah Jane, what's all this about refusing to leave? You know this isn't helping John, he needs you to behave sensibly." He stopped cold when he saw she wasn't alone. "Look, I'm really sorry Sarah, but this is simply too much. You and…" He trailed off, staring. "Wait, are you … his brother? His son? If you're a family member who just found him again, I'm sorry that you've arrived now, when he's so ill, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave at once."
"Harry!" the Doctor said, pumping his hand. "Oh, my, it's so good to see you. And you're so …" He stepped back for a moment, as though inspecting him. "You're looking really well, Harry, I'm very glad to see that. And you're just exactly on time. We need a doctor. Wellll, a medical doctor, that is."
Sarah was laughing now. "Harry, it's the Doctor. He's shown up in time to save John, isn't it wonderful?"
Harry looked at her and then him as if he'd gone mad. "Good grief, is it really you, Doctor," he said after a moment. "I didn't recognize you at first, I thought you were... well never mind what I thought. That is, I mean, well, I still don't recognize you, but it is you isn't it? After all, who else would it be," he stammered as he pumped the Doctor's hand. "Don't bother to tell me why you resemble John so much, you can do that later. All that matters is that you're here and you can help save him."
"Yes, yes," the Doctor said, still smiling. "Good to know I'm not completely forgotten." He turned back to John. "So, Harry, how'd you like to help me save old John here's life?"
"Well, I'm doing my best, but I can't make any guarantees. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you what you have in mind first. John is still my patient and he's in critical condition. Not to mention that you're not a real Doctor you know."
"Your job," the Doctor said, not bothering to waste precious time explaining it all to Harry, "is to figure out how we can disconnect him from all those machines without him dying before I can get him to someone who can actually help him, because otherwise, you've got about …" He looked at the sonic's readout once more. "Twenty-two minutes before he's gone. You've got about 5 minutes until I'm back with the TARDIS."
"I say, Doctor," said Harry. "You're not the almighty, you know. I'm afraid this is one situation where you can't do anything but wait."
Sarah Jane panicked when she heard what the Doctor had said. "Harry, either you help us or at least get out of the way or I swear, I'll knock you flat." She headed towards him menacingly. "I trust the Doctor with John's life. If you don't, then YOU leave this instant."
The Doctor pulled her back. "Harry," he said reasonably, "imagine that you were living in an age without antibiotics, and your patient had an infection that could be easily cleared up with Penicillin. If I told you I could bring your patient somewhere that could save him, would you tell me all I could do was wait? Of course you wouldn't," he said, steering Harry out of the room. "You'd do whatever you had to do to make it possible for me to take that patient of yours to the antibiotics. Now, scoot and come back with an answer so I can go get the TARDIS."
Sarah Jane watched him leave and then turned to the Doctor. "You have to save him," was all she said.
"And we will," he said. "Now you wait here, while I go get the TARDIS. Don't move a muscle." He turned on his heels and left, and she could hear his footsteps running down the hallway.
Sarah turned to John and took his hand again. "Please hang on for me, darling. Help is here, just stay with me long enough and the Doctor will make everything right for us. Watch, you'll see."
Harry dashed into the room with a pleased expression on his face. He was wheeling a machine that seemed to be a smaller version of the ventilator John was hooked up to. "Doctor, I've got just the thing. I had to cop it from an ambulance though, so you'll need to make sure you get it back to me in the same condition it's in now, but…" He looked up and saw only Sarah Jane. "Now where the devil did he get off to?"
Sarah Jane just shrugged trying to hold back her tears but not succeeding very well. "I only hope he gets back here soon, if he's right, John doesn't have much time left."
Before she even finished her sentence, a familiar groaning filled the room, and the TARDIS materialized, bisected by the glass wall of the tiny room. The Doctor exploded out of the door. "All right, Harry, what did you come up with?" He saw the portable ventilator and pursed his lips for a moment, squinting and moving his head side to side while he thought about it. "Oh yes, that'll do. Great thinking." He paused. "Well, what are you waiting for, hook him up!"
Harry sighed and started hooking John up to the portable ventilator. "Just don't make me sorry I went along with this, Doctor. The only reason I am doing this is because over the years John has become like a brother to me. I know I've done as much as I can for him, now you take over and help him as best you can." He stood up as he finished connecting the last tube. "He's ready now," he said. He lowered the bedrail and leaned over and gave John a hug. Then he turned to the Doctor with tears welling in his eyes. "Bring him back to us safe and sound."
The Doctor smiled gently at him. "I will, Harry. Don't worry." He turned to Sarah. "You navigate this," he said, pointing to the cart with the ventilator.
Before Sarah could reach over to push the cart an alarm went off.
Harry rushed over to John, checking his readouts. He grabbed a huge needle from the nearby crash cart and filled it with medication. As quickly as he could, he injected John with adrenaline and waited for what seemed like years. Finally, just as he was getting the paddles ready to defibrillate John, his heart started up again.
Harry turned to the Doctor. "You've got just about five minutes to save him. Take him and go quickly, Doctor."
The Doctor scooped John up in his arms and disappeared into the TARDIS, with Sarah and the machinery hot on his heels.