[A/N: When the writing bug bites. It bites hard.]

Donna was glad of the device attached to The Doctor's chest. Even she was sure that without it, that single heart would not be able to cope with the strain he was currently under. If it was not latched on, she was sure it could have slipped off with the amount he was sweating. They said it was good he was still sweating though. His body was still at least trying to cool itself down. Medics were checking him over, when Molly came in. Donna stood up immediately, outstretching her arms, protectively guarding her Spaceman.

"What are you doing here?" Donna spat. Lloyd coughed, getting Donna's attention and gestured to law enforcement officer that had come in also.

"It's okay. I'm here to help." She was indeed with a police officer, who nodded, telling Donna it was the truth. "There is an entire team in the lab here and they are working hard to find something that is going to help him heal. We have discovered that what he had in his blood before and is now missing, is actually his species' form of immune system. That is why he has gotten so sick. We are working to put it right though and give it back to him."

"How did he lose it in the first place then?" Donna wondered.

"As far as we can tell, when the Sephtinite was looking for a new host, it got much more than it bargained for in John here. As you will know, up until a few days ago, the Sephtinite was believed to be an extinct species. In our planet's history, the Blardiicore was its food source, a giant reptile. It was a prime candidate for feeding from, as it was hardly going to harm something so small.
At the top of the food chain, it was also the Sephtinite's means of incubating its eggs, because it was the safest animal to do so within, being the least likely to die before the offspring could hatch.
To the Blardiicore, the Sephtinite was hardly a parasite. In fact, the two specimens shared a symbiotic relationship. The Sephtinite actually assisted the Blardiicore's own breeding patterns. After the insect eggs hatched and the Sephtinite passed on, its body produced a pheromone that attracted a Blardiicore's mate, signalling its own breeding season and reproduction cycle. The evolution involved is fascinating, really, here have a look.."
Plucking a book out from under her arm, she held it out. Donna just gave the woman a cold stare, until the scientist hesitated, "I'll just leave it here then shall I?" placing the open book down on the small table, next to the medical cart.
"Anyway, John was unlucky in that the Sephtinite was trying to extract the nutrients it needed to lay and take care of its eggs inside him, though unable to find what it needed, it extracted something much more powerful. It used all the healing immune energy John had and stored it up. The insect should have died after the eggs hatched. It is still alive in our lab. The only reason is that it has the energy. We are conducting experiments on it to remove its energy and put back, so the other can live. Our test subject will die. The last of its kind and that is a risk we knew was coming anyway."

Donna was taking in this information as best she could for now, when all of a sudden, she was distracted by a small raspy voice.

"D- Don- ..nah" The Doctor choked out from the bed and his companion was at his side in a heartbeat. His sudden switch to awareness caught her off-guard. He had been in a haze for hours, neither quite asleep nor awake, as she sat by his bedside. The medics had just taken some blood and the Doctor seemed both confused and upset. Donna could tell it was difficult for him to form words in the state he was in right now, but he whined in a way that was filled with fear. He clung to her and shook his head, wincing as the movement caused the pain to spike.

"That's good," Donna told the woman, without looking up from The Doctor. "That you've made progress, but I think you'd better leave. You're doing him no good being here after what you did."

"Very well," Moly accepted "I'll send someone else in, when we have the work completed, or anything more of note." With that, she left the room, officer at her heel.

The Doctor shook in Donna's arms. When she pushed his hair back out of the way, he did not even protest. It seemed he was just grateful for the contact. No doubt her hand felt cool to his fevered flesh.

Lloyd watched, as Donna rocked her friend until The Doctor began to calm down and it seemed like he may have been nodding off for some sleep. Gently as she could, she made him comfortable, smoothing the damp wrinkled sheet down and planting a kiss to his forehead. Lloyd missed his husband and children. He wished this would be ending soon, so he could go home to his family.

"Let's have you better soon, Spaceman." Donna whispered. She was tired, bags hanging underneath her eyes. Lloyd offered to watch The Doctor for a while, while she got some sleep, promising to wake her if he needed anything. Donna agreed, but wasn't sure she could sleep just yet. As an afterthought, she took the book that had been left with her. She may as well use the time to understand what had happened to The Doctor a little better.

Molly had been delighted at the prospect of sharing the good news with Mr Smith's royal proxy. When she left the room, however, she mentally scolded herself for any expectations on her part that she would receive much thanks. If she was going to grant any satisfaction from what she was achieving, it would be back in the lab, so that's where she headed. When John was in the clear, then it would be cause for celebration and perhaps forgiveness.

[A/N: Keep up the lovely review. I am doing the best to reply to them and answer any questions any of you have.]