CHAPTER 10

ALIVE AGAIN

Startled, the Doctor and Constance spun around to see Jason leaning heavily against the inner frame of the connecting door. His black hair had only a few gray curls sprinkled through it, and his eyes had returned to their normal human appearance. He was wearing a lab coat that was two sizes too big for him that he held closed with one hand while clinging to the doorjamb with the other.

"What on earth are you doing on your feet!" the Doctor exclaimed. He crossed the room and was at his companion's side just in time to catch him as his legs gave out.

"Doctor, bring him over here," Constance instructed from the alcove.

Sweeping the Alterran into his arms, the Doctor carried him across the room. He was surprised at how light the boy was in comparison to the night before and wondered if the shattering and reforming of his molecular structure had reduced his body mass in some way. Or simply altered it into a lighter substance.

For a fleeting instant, Jason felt strangely secure in the Time Lord's arms, recalling having felt the same way once, when he was a small child…so very long ago. He had wandered too deep in to the woods near his home and gotten lost. He remembered the terrifying aloneness, the fear and helplessness of a child. He had been found by his father, who had carried home, just as the Doctor carried him now.

The Time Lord lowered Jason gently into an easy chair and he sank into the chair's plush depths, shaking his head in bewilderment. "I…I don't remember getting up," he said finally. "I was halfway across the room before I even realized." Looking up, he said, "I think…I was following your voice, Doctor."

"Very probably," the Doctor replied absently. Flashing a broad smile, he added, "I like your outfit, by the way. Very chic."

His companion tugged the oversized garment tighter around his slender frame. "I couldn't exactly come out naked, now could I?" he responded irritably. "Give me some credit."

The Time Lord merely grinned back at him.

Jason huddled further into the depths of the chair and closed his eyes, suddenly feeling very strange. He had the sensation of floating and sinking at the same time and had to remind himself that it was the disorientation commonly produced by an extended energy conversion. "I feel so…weird," he muttered, a hand going to his head.

The Doctor was suddenly struck by the realization of how very frail and vulnerable his companion now was. When the boy looked up at him, he saw his usually bright, ever observant eyes were dull and heavy lidded. It was as if all the life and vitality had been sucked out of him, leaving only the shell of his former self.

Constance was uncovering the dishes and placing them on the table. She put a large glass of juice and a plate in front of the debilitated youth. "You need to eat something, Jason. You won't feel so disoriented once you've got some food in you."

Jason smiled weakly and accepted the offering, but within a few minutes it was obvious his short walk through the surgery had all but exhausted him. He pushed the plate away saying that he wasn't hungry, which immediately set off alarms in the Doctor's head. It had seemed to him the boy was always hungry. He took over feeding him just to get even a small amount of nourishment into the now fragile Alterran. Too weak to argue, his companion bowed to his wishes.

Halfway through the meal, Jason suddenly said, "Toby's dead, isn't he?" The Doctor and Constance exchanged an astonished look, which only confirmed his suspicions. Leaning wearily back in his chair, Jason looked at them through half closed eyes. "Neither one of you has mentioned him since I got up. And, well, he was so far gone when he shot me, it stands to reason that…that…" Unable to go on, he put his head in his hands, suddenly overcome with emotion. "Oh, Toby! Poor foolish Toby."

The Doctor turned a surprised and inquiring gaze in Constance's direction. She nodded and shot a meaningful look towards the surgery.

"I think it's time you went back to bed," the Time Lord said softly. He lifted his weeping companion from the chair and headed for the connecting door, Constance at his heels.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Jason said shakily. "I'm not myself. I'm not… I'm not…" Sighing heavily, he put a hand to his head. "I'm not anybody."

"You're just tired," the Doctor soothed as he placed the young man into the cabinet. "You came out of the oven before you were done."

Jason smiled weakly and lay back as the blanket was pulled over him. He looked up at the cover about to enclose him and was suddenly overwhelmed by a feeling of claustrophobia. He grabbed the Time Lord's hand as he was reaching for the handle. "No! Doctor, please, don't shut me in here. I…I don't want to die alone."

The Doctor blinked. "My dear Jason, you're not going to die," he said calmly, completely baffled by his companion's sudden panic.

"Doctor, please! You can't leave me in here!"

"Jason, don't be absurd," Constance injected calmly. "How do you expect to get your energy reserves replenished, if you don't complete the treatment?"

Her only reply was a confused and frightened look.

"I'm not going anywhere without you," the Doctor assured gently. "But you must rest. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Yo…you promise?"

"Of course."

Reluctantly, Jason curled up inside the energy bed and closed his eyes.

The Doctor studied him worriedly as Miss Sorenson set to work at the computer. Finishing her entries, she sat back, reading the information coming from the sensors and silently marveling at Jason's progress. She threw a quick glance in the Doctor's direction. "It's safe to close it now, Doctor," she said. "He's asleep already."

She was puzzled by the concerned expression on his face. "What's the matter?" she asked. "You seem troubled?"

Looking up, the Doctor said wonderingly, "He's so frightened and insecure. It's…so unlike him."

"Oh! Doctor, I'm so sorry," Constance said apologetically. "I should've warned you about that." She explained that the disorientation and magnified emotional state were a normal side effect of an extended energy conversion such as Jason was undergoing. She then pointed to one of the monitors indicating the target energy level, which his companion had not yet reached. She went on to say that his having risen from the bed so soon was actually a good sign.

"You may not think so to look at him," Miss Sorenson said admiringly, "but he's fighting with everything he's got to come back. He won't be his usual, energetic self for a few days and he will tire easily. But you will see more life in him once he reaches the target." Turning back to the computer, she said, "I'll download all the data you'll need to the Robotics lab's computer. That way you'll be able to get that monitoring program going."

With his companion out of danger, the Doctor spent most of the day programming and test ing the fully repaired K-9.

From time to time Jason would awaken, only to lapse back into a deep sleep within a few minutes, oblivious to the fact that Constance was keeping watch over him. When the Doctor finished his work on K-9, he relieved her of this job, allowing her to return to her normal duties.

Not long after the Doctor took over the vigil, Jason finally reached his target energy level and woke up, this time for good. He stared at the dome of the cabinet a long time, allowing his mind to clear and reflecting back on the events of the past day. He thought sadly of his friend Tobias Black and wondered what had happened to change him. Eventually Jason realized he was in no condition for profound thoughts and slowly pushed open the dome. To his surprise, he saw the Doctor patiently waiting beside the bed. Even more surprising was the sight of K-9 at his feet.

"You haven't really been here the whole time, have you, Doctor?" the Alterran asked as he swung his feet off the edge of the bed and sat up.

"On and off," the Doctor replied vaguely. The first thing he noticed was the sparkle of life had returned to the young man's eyes. "How're you feeling?"

"More like myself, thanks." Noticing the pile of clothing neatly folded beside the Doctor, Jason ventured, "Are those for me, by any chance?"

The Time Lord helped his companion to dress and then helped him into the Director's office where a light meal was waiting. Jason was very unsteady on his feet but still insisted on walking under his own power, which only served to confirm Constance's observation that he was fighting his way back to life.

"I feel every one of my hundred years," the Alterran sighed as he sank gratefully into a chair.

"You're just a boy, now," the Time Lord grinned, handing him an iced drink. "Wait till you're my age."

Jason smiled and took the glass, staring into the liquid, seemingly lost in thought. After several minutes, he looked up, seeing the Doctor studying him curiously from the opposite chair. "Doctor I'm not—" He stopped, sighing heavily and trying again. "I suppose you already know I'm not going to be as…well, as flexible as I usually am."

"Yes. Constance already explained all that."

"Did she tell you we're talking a matter of months?"

The Doctor was suddenly serious. "Yes, she did, as a matter of fact, and you needn't concern yourself about it."

"Needn't I? I'm going to be stuck like this for—"

"Jason," the Doctor interrupted sharply, "you seem to forget, I can't change the way you do. It still amazes me every time you transmute."

His companion smiled weakly. "There are still a few things you should—"

The Doctor cut him off again. "I've already programmed K-9 to look after you while you're recovering. Haven't I, K-9?"

"Affirmative, Master," K-9 chirped.

Jason wasn't sure how he felt about this. He didn't think he was going to like the idea of being dependent on the Doctor or K-9 during his long convalescence. He might be an excellent Healer, but he was a lousy patient. Then again, he wasn't all that clear on how he felt about anything, either specifically or generally, and decided to reserve judgment until later.

"Doctor, about that fight we had last night—" Putting a hand to his head, Jason muttered, "It was last night, wasn't it? It seems like years ago now."

"You never mind about that, my boy," the Time Lord said dismissively. "Water under the bridge. Best forgotten."

"No, I don't think so. It seemed pretty important to you. And I certainly made quite a hash of it. I should've warned you about my temper before now." Looking up, the repentant Alterran cried, "Doctor, if I harmed you in any way because of it I'll never forgive myself!"

"Jason, you little idiot, you saved my life last night."

His companion gave him a quick half smile. "I could just as easily have killed you myself. Whenever I go off like that, you're better off just letting me walk away and calm down."

"I'll remember that next time."

Jason studied the Time Lord's face wondering if there would even be a next time. Drawing a deep breath, he said, "I'd like to know what was on your mind, Doctor. And you'll never get a better chance to tell me, since I don't have the strength to lose my temper."

The Doctor considered a moment. "Jason, are you sure you really want to hear what I have to say?"

"Yes. I think I need to."

They spent the next several hours airing their differences and clearing up misunderstandings. The events of the previous evening proved to be the key factor in solidifying a friendship that was on the point of dissolving a mere twenty four hours earlier.