It was a hospital, of sorts. Only there didn't seem to be any doctors. Well, there was one, of course. But he wasn't exactly in top form at the moment.
They rushed him inside and got him into a bed, but then their chatter began to die down. Donna waited for a few tense moments before blurting, "Well, isn't anyone going to help him?"
The natives all looked at her with large, sad eyes. They were small in every respect. Skinny, and short, the tallest of them barely reaching Donna's shoulders. Their skin was a greyish-blue, making them all look sickly by human standards. Their eyes were large and animal-like, but intelligent. They had long fingers and short black hair.
That was as far as Donna's analysis went. She wanted an answer. She crossed her arms, and one spoke up. Female, definitely, and young. She looked young, anyway. "He's got a sixth sense, hasn't he?" she asked, and her voice was a little raspy. "That's how he contacted us. We were nearby, and he sent us a message."
"He's right there, why aren't you talking to him?" Donna said, frustrated, and then froze. "He… He hasn't…"
"I can hear you, Donna," said the Doctor, who was sat up in the bed, still staring ahead of himself sightlessly.
Donna let out a weak sigh of relief. Her brief smile melted off her face when she saw one Cirulian approaching the Doctor, holding a cup of what was apparently medicine. "What's that?"
The Cirulian reached out towards the cuff of the Doctor's trousers, and grasped it, pausing briefly to give Donna a glance. Donna wasn't sure what that glance was supposed to say. She saw pity in it, perhaps. Perhaps a warning.
And then he pulled up the cuff and revealed his ankle, and Donna's hand flew to her mouth in horror. All of the Cirulians grimaced.
Something parasitic, he had said. "Something parasitic in these caves. Now it's made me its host."
It was completely black, and bare, and wriggling. It was actually moving around, just a bit—doing what exactly, Donna couldn't know. A shiver travelled up her spine as she stared at it in morbid fascination. It was about four inches across, and she couldn't see any eyes or any other distinguishing features on it… really she didn't know what to think of it. Whatever it was, it had blinded the Doctor and it was draining him even now and because of that, she hated it.
"That's it?" she said quietly. "That's what's taking your senses?"
The Doctor exhaled, and nodded.
"Well, get it off him!" Donna demanded, and the Cirulian who had revealed the parasite poured the cup over the creature, revealing it to have been full of some green liquid. The creature wriggled violently for just a second or two before going still.
"Is it dead?" she asked in a hushed tone.
The Cirulian turned to her, eyes large and sad. "I'm sorry. There's not much else we can do."
The Doctor closed his eyes and drew a breath in slowly, as if he had suspected this were the case.
Donna's expression froze, and she stared at him for a long moment. "What?"
"Donna, come over here," the Doctor said, extending a hand towards her without actually turning to face her. "There isn't much time."
She rushed over to his side and took his hand in hers, which he gripped tightly. When he spoke, his voice was low and quiet. "If there's nothing they can do, I'm going to lose it all. Hearing, and finally touch. I won't be able to communicate with you in any way, or at least a way that you're familiar with. But I'm certain it'll leave me my sixth sense."
"Why would it do that?" Donna whispered, afraid for him.
"Because it's already got one. This lot, they don't, so they're left with nothing. Right now it's draining me, so I can't talk with it yet, but once it's done, and before it detaches itself from me, I'm going to communicate with it. Try to negotiate."
"Negotiate?" she asked dubiously. "What can you offer it?"
"Good question, that. Very pertinent." He smiled grimly. "I've a couple of ideas."
"You really think it'll even listen?"
"I've got to hope," and his voice cracked. Donna gripped his hand even tighter.
"Sir—" one of the Cirulians began.
"Doctor," the Doctor said only.
The speaker paused. "Doctor, then. If we remove it now, we can save your hearing and touch."
"You can?" Donna said, surprised.
"No," the Doctor said immediately. "Then I still can't see or smell or taste. I don't want to live like that. Like this."
"It's all we can offer."
"That green stuff," Donna spoke up. "What was that?"
"It slows down the process," the Cirulian replied. "Doesn't stop it, but it helps."
"Would've appreciated the opportunity to not give permission," the Doctor said sourly. "I want it to finish. Sooner rather than later."
The natives looked taken aback. Donna didn't know what to say. She looked to the Doctor, as usual, for comfort. And then she felt selfish.
"If I don't come out of this," the Doctor said, and Donna tightened her grip on his hand, "go back to the TARDIS. There is a key in my coat's left pocket."
Donna glanced over at his coat, which the Cirulians had relieved him of and draped over the back of a chair. She looked back to him, swallowing her fear.
"When I lose touch, I'm going to shut my body down. A self-induced coma. I don't know when I'm going to lose hearing, but it's been a while since I've lost sight, so it can't be too long. For now, I want you to get something to eat and drink."
She gaped at him for a moment. "I'm not hungry anymore," she whispered.
"Eat anyway," he replied, whispering as well.
After a short pause, one of the nearest Cirulians said, sounding a little uncomfortable, "We'll go get you something, shall we?"
They all cleared out of the room, about half a dozen of them. Donna was grateful for the privacy. She looked back to the Doctor, who was smiling a small, sad smile.
"You know," she said, "I never told anyone what happened to me on my would-be wedding day, except for my grandfather, Wilfred. Well, I started to, anyway. He never even asked for the full story. He just believed me. Stargazer, he is. Always workin' on his telescope. I guess it's in my blood to want to explore, and understand what's out there. I'm sure that if you'd come when Grampa was younger he would have come travellin' with you in a heartbeat. But… and I know this sounds selfish… I'm glad you didn't."
The Doctor was listening. He wasn't smiling anymore, but he had turned his head, if not his gaze, slightly towards her.
She kept talking. It was all she could do.
The Cirulians did bring in food, but Donna didn't even glance at it. Nothing in this world or any other was more important than talking to the Doctor, telling him stories, keeping him attached to reality.
There had been no unusual break in her speech, but suddenly, in mid-sentence, the Doctor lifted his head from where it had been previously resting against the wall behind him, and said, alarmed, "Donna?"
She bit back tears. Of course she knew what had happened. She took both the Doctor's hands in hers and said, "I'm here."
"Donna?" he said almost immediately, in a louder voice, and after a very brief pause, he took a shuddering breath. "Donna, I can't hear the sound of my own voice."
"Doctor," she said, and a tear leaked out of her eye. She couldn't help it. She wiped it away with her thumb and clasped his left hand between both of hers, taking in a deep breath that shuddered just as his had. "You better come back to me, Spaceman."