Chapter 6: Tempus Fugit

There were sixty-three steps from basement to the ward and he had run up fifty-nine of them before coming to a dead stop, his progress blocked by a large security guard in a blue uniform. Arms folded firmly across his chest, head bald as a coot, the man barred the Doctor's way with the sheer breadth of his body. Wearing a patient expression, which clearly was merely a façade, the man looked down at the Doctor with disdain. The Doctor felt time slipping him by.

"Excuse me sir, but the Sister had asked me to escort you from the premises," his voice was dry and gravely, his larynx damaged at some point earlier in his life, "If you wouldn't mind, leaving of your own accord would save both of us a lot of discomfort."

The Doctor reached into his pocket and produced the psychic paper, "As you can see I'm here from the Department of Health, official business and all that. Now the Sister and I got off on the wrong foot earlier," he improvised quickly, in fact he had no idea who the Sister was or how she knew that he was investigating things for himself, "How about I go up there and have a quick chat with her and get all this sorted out?"

The security guard stared at the wallet that was being pushed in his face with some indignation, "I have my orders sir."

"Oh come on!" the Doctor watched another minute tick by on the clock above the door, "This is the health service, not the army!"

"Never-the-less, sir," the 'sir' was getting more forced by the moment, "You have been asked to leave. If you fail to do so I will escort you from the premises."

"Seriously?"

A wry little smile snuck out from the man's lips, "There's more than the Department of Health at work here, sir. Should you fail to leave of your own volition I will be empowered to remove you by force."

There was a long pause. The security guard waited impatiently for something to happen. He carried no weapons, the Doctor noted with some relief, but he was a big man, possibly three times the Doctor's own weight and a head taller than him. Not the type of man to mess with in a stairwell. Options? Acquiesce. Exit the building and find another way in. Risk a confrontation. Or create a diversion. The first would take too long, the second was potentially dangerous for both parties, the third...

A plastic chair dropped down the stairwell from above and caught the Security Guard on the temple dropping him to the floor instantly. His body bounced down a couple of steps to land at the Doctor's feet unconscious but otherwise mostly unharmed. The Doctor looked up to see who had intervened in the tête a tête and saw Nel peering nervously over the banister.

"Hello!" the Doctor called up the stairs, "Nice shot that. Thanks."

"It's coming," Nel hissed at him, "Hurry!"

He bounded up the remaining stairs and extended a hand to the girl. She could only have really been 19 or so, so young and vulnerable. Just like Rose. He pushed away the thought, "Are you coming with me? It might not be safe up there by yourself."

Nel crept down the stairs one at a time, crouched down trying to hide behind the banister as she went. Reaching the bottom she stared at his hand as if afraid his touch would burn her then in a flurry of movement snatched up his hand in hers and proceeded to lead him through the double doors and on to the ward at a steady run.

Pushing him into an alcove near the nurse's station she turned and looked at him with a sudden clarity in her eyes, "You need to see Gareth and Maggie. End of the corridor, turn left. They have the end rooms. I'll divert the nurse."

In another sudden movement she was gone, hurling herself up the corridor screaming hysterically and tipping over the drugs trolley as the nurse emerged from the clinic with it.

"You're all gypsies! You're stealing my thoughts! The devil is coming. Coming from the basement. He will destroy us all!"

Four nurses ran forward from various areas of the ward trying to restrain Nel as she kicked and punched her way through the main corridor. Thanking her silently the Doctor slid along the wall in the opposite direction hoping it was not too late to save them all.