Chapter 3
The Doctor smiled and started walking towards the Sick Bay. He hoped she was still sleeping. He hoped Mrs. Granger had found a suitable replacement to watch over Sarah while she rested. Mrs. Granger couldn't be expected to stay twenty four hours a day. She was so kind to both Sarah and him. He felt guilty not making other arrangements himself. He was pleasantly surprised to find Mrs. Granger going over Sarah's chart with another nurse. Like Mrs. Granger she was also an older lady.
"Doctor, I'd like to introduce you to my sister, Mrs. Harris." said Mrs. Granger in a hushed voice so as to not wake up Sarah. Mrs. Harris was a little younger looking than Mrs. Granger.
The Doctor put forth his right hand to shake Mrs. Harris' hand. "I'm very pleased to meet you. It seems I have been doubly blessed. I'm terribly sorry Mrs. Granger. On my way here I realized that I hadn't set up a relief nurse to step in so that you could rest. Please forgive me." said the Doctor sincerely. Maybe he needed the relief too. Was it his imagination or did Mrs. Granger seem different? It was nothing he could put his finger on, just different. He was probably just stressed and reading into things that weren't there, still….
"Think nothing of it Doctor. You have nothing to be forgiven for. I have been more than happy to take care of Miss. Smith and work with you. I imagine that you will probably need a nurse for about a week?" asked Mrs. Granger.
"Yes, about a week. I don't expect any complications. I can't believe my good fortune of having not one dedicated nurse but two. Do either of you have any questions?" asked the Doctor while taking Sarah's chart from Mrs. Harris.
Both women looked at each other and then at the Doctor. It was Mrs. Harris that answered. "No Sir, my sister has gone over Miss. Smith's case with me thoroughly. Do you have any new orders Doctor?" she asked, waiting to write any updates on Sarah's chart that the Doctor had returned to her.
"No, just make sure she continues taking the antibiotics I left for her please. And try to get her to take in some fluids when she wakes up. I think we'll try to get her to eat something tomorrow. Has she been sleeping through the day? asked the Doctor.
"Yes she has well, mostly." answered Mrs. Granger. "You'll notice that I noted on the chart that she had several nightmares. She awoke crying once. I asked her if she wanted me to contact you, but she said it wasn't necessary. She seemed to calm herself and went back to sleep."
"Thank you Mrs. Granger. I truly appreciate all your help." he said and turned towards Mrs. Harris. "Mrs. Harris will you be taking the night shift?"
"Yes Sir. My husband is out of town for two weeks and I've been staying with my sister. She called and asked if I would mind helping out, since I was already cleared by UNIT to work on the base. Since the snow is getting bad my sister and I decided we would stay on the base and take turns caring for Miss. Smith. That is, if this is acceptable to you Doctor." explained Mrs. Harris.
"Of course, Mrs. Harris. I have to leave the base so that I can straighten something out. I should be back in a couple of hours. If she needs anything at all, please contact me on the cell phone. Mrs. Granger will explain. Also if there's any change in her condition, contact me immediately. Do you have any questions?" asked the Doctor. There it was again, that nagging suspicion that something wasn't quite right. He looked over Sarah and the two nurses again, everything seemed normal. He had promised the Brigadier to work things out with Harry. Still…what was it?
Both women shook their heads no in answer to the Doctor's question. He smiled at them and stepped out of the room, his smile changing to confusion once outside the room.
He took a shortcut through the Mess Hall and went outside to the underground bunker where his car was parked. He opened the door and sat down. He looked at the car in the space next to his, it was Sarah's. He told himself that things were all right and he was just being paranoid. "Come on old girl, I know you don't like cold weather, but start for me anyway." he said to the car. He started the car and backed out of the space and drove to the entrance where he had arranged to meet Harry earlier.
Harry was dressed in a navy blue, heavy down coat waiting for the Doctor outside the entrance to the Officers' Barracks. The Doctor pulled up next to Harry in his antique yellow roadster. Harry opened the door and climbed inside. The Doctor looked across at him and smiled nervously. 'This is very uncomfortable', he thought. They sat in silence for about ten minutes.
"How is Miss. Smith?" blurted out Harry before thinking. This was the point of contention from the start. Why did he have to start there, he asked himself? He looked out the window, hoping the Doctor wouldn't notice his embarrassment.
The Doctor smiled, knowing Harry were wishing he hadn't asked, for fear of starting another fight. But the Doctor had already decided that he would make peace with this man. The Brigadier wanted it, and he didn't want to project his disdain for this man on Sarah. After all she would have to see him almost every day if she accepted the job at UNIT, and he wanted her to have colleagues that she didn't have to take sides with or against. "She was sleeping when I checked on her right before I picked you up." he replied with a smile.
Harry thought to himself, in for a penny, in for a pound, and then asked. "Has her temperature come down significantly?"
"Yes." replied the Doctor. "It was 99.2° when I left." The Doctor smiled a big, toothy smile. Then there was an awkward silence, neither knowing what to say.
They pulled into the parking lot of the Boar's Head Bar and Grill. The Doctor found a parking space close to the door and parked. He and Harry headed inside and chose a booth in the back. They looked at the menu that was displayed on the inside wall of the booth, when a blonde waitress with the name tag that read 'Tammy' appeared.
"Hi, my name is Tammy and just what can I get for the two of you?" she asked, all the while being openly flirtatious.
"Well, Tammy, I'll have a monster burger and fries and a ginger beer." said the Doctor and then looked across the table at Harry.
"And what about you darlin'?" she asked Harry while looking him over as if she were trying to size him up.
"I…I believe I'll have the same." smiled Harry to the waitress.
"I'll get it to you in a shake." Tammy said as she turned, she winked and gave her behind a shake in their direction.
The two sat in silence for a few minutes. Each looking around the bar at nothing in particular. Harry decided he should break the ice and get the apology over with.
"Doctor, I 'am' sorry, truly sorry that I didn't take Miss. Smith's illness more seriously. I didn't know that she had been exposed to…anything alien." Harry stammered. "I didn't even know I had been exposed to anything alien. I thought the closest I would ever get to an alien was the science fiction comic books of my youth. I…." Harry started to babble but was interrupted by the Doctor.
"It wasn't…" the Doctor realized that he was talking much too loudly when the next table looked towards them. "It wasn't her exposure to anything alien, in the beginning anyway." said the Doctor, this time in a lower voice. "She had pneumonia, plain old fashioned pneumonia. I guess that's why I was so angry with you. If I hadn't treated her, she would be dead. But having her in the Tardis, that set a new chain of events in action." said the Doctor, trying really hard to let this go, but not quite succeeding.
"I'm really sorry. The Brigadier told me about all that. If there is anything at all I can do…don't hesitate to ask." Harry said in what he hoped was his most sincere heartfelt voice. "If you like, I'll apologize to Miss. Smith also. I feel terrible about it. And once again, anything I can do to make this up to you just ask, anytime."
"You may be sorry, I have a tendency to collect on favors offered, ask the Brigadier." said the Doctor, trying to lighten the mood.
"Seriously Doctor, I hope that one day you will be able to forgive me. I would like to try to explain myself. If you'll let me." started Harry.
"Go ahead. Enlighten me." the Doctor said with a forced smile.
"Thank you. The day you met me was clearly not my best day. I had arrived at UNIT that morning before daylight. My previous assignment was on a warship in the middle of the ocean. Confidentiality agreements keep me from revealing which ship." said Harry looking at the Doctor and trying to read his expression. Much to Harry's chagrin, it didn't seem the Doctor even cared why he was on the warship to begin with.
"Do go on, this is fascinating." said the Doctor in what he hoped would be hidden sarcasm.
"My life on the ship had been a very strict, scheduled life." said Harry as he saw their waitress returning with the food.
"Here you go darlin'." she said after setting a burger and fries in front of the Doctor. "And this one's yours sweetie." she said after setting a burger and fries in front of Harry. Then she placed the two ginger beers on the table. "Do you two need anything else?" Both men shook their heads no. "All righty, I'll check you two out later, okay?" Tammy said winking at them.
"Well, that was certainly different." said Harry.
"I think you've found something we can both agree on." said the Doctor with a smile.
"Anyway, being on the ship, forced a very restrictive military life upon me. When I was assigned to UNIT, I assumed it would be more of the same except on land. While the Brigadier is very military, the rest of the base is well, less structured. I know it's not a good excuse or a good reason, but I had spent the entire day trying to structure some form of order in the Sick Bay. Then the next thing I know, someone who doesn't outrank me and is possibly a civilian, was trying to take over my Sick Bay with a civilian patient. The section that 'I' was supposed to be in charge of. In the military Doctor, well all of my previous placements, you had to take charge firmly, right from the start. If you didn't, they would run you over and you would never earn their respect. I never imagined that UNIT would be any different." Harry stopped and took a breath and looked at the Doctor for a reaction.
During this whole explanation, all the Doctor could think of was that Harry could possibly be a role model for the perfect Time Lord. He didn't know how to be a regular person. Maybe he could be trained to be well…more normal. "Harry, may I call you Harry?" Harry nodded yes while taking a bite of his burger. "I think you need to let go a bit. You know, throw caution to the wind. At UNIT as long as the Brigadier's happy things go swimmingly. At UNIT I have found that paperwork is important. Well to the Brigadier it is." the Doctor said with a smile, the first real smile since he left Sarah.
"Harry you have to understand that I don't see UNIT as a place for the military and only the military. I see UNIT as a place to help the people of Earth, all the people of Earth. Not only the members of the military. That night when I pulled Sarah from the Averian beam, in my mind she became my responsibility. And not just my responsibility, but UNIT's responsibility too. She was sick and from what I learned immediately after coming into contact with her, alone. I couldn't just drop her off at a hospital and be done."
Seeing that Harry seemed to be taking what he had to say seriously, the Doctor continued, "Harry as far as relationships at UNIT, the people will treat you as well as you treat them. Even though it is a military installation, it's not your typical installation. Every once in a while some bigwig shows up and the Brigadier puts a spit and polish on everything, everyone is stressed to the point of suicide, well that last part is me anyway." the Doctor said eliciting a smile and laugh from Harry. "From what I have observed, and I know this sounds like a cliché, but it's like a large family. A slightly dysfunctional family at times, but most seem to really care about their job and the difference that they know they make. The Brigadier knows that every once in a while they need to let off a little steam, have some fun. That's when the Brigadier turns his head. So just relax a little bit and let everyone get to know you and you'll do fine." finished the Doctor, taking a bite of his burger.
"I'd appreciate the chance to hopefully start over with a clean slate Doctor. Could we start over?" asked Harry.
"Yes, we can start over. We should let the Brigadier believe he has some control over us anyway, eh?" smiled the Doctor.
The Doctor's cell phone rang. The Doctor's demeanor instantly changed. He flipped it open. "Yes?" he said his voice already uneasy.
"Doctor this is Mrs. Harris. The snow has knocked out the electricity and the generator. The maintenance staff say they should get it back up in a few hours. I'm terribly sorry to bother you. But it's getting cold. Miss. Smith's temperature is rising, it's up to 102.8°. Do you have any new orders Doctor?" she asked, sounding worried.
"No, not till I examine her. I'm on my way." said the Doctor, closing the phone. "I'm sorry Harry, we have to get back. The electricity as well as the generator is off at UNIT and Sarah's temperature is up." the Doctor said reaching into his pocket and pulling out more than enough money to cover the bill and left it on the table. He put on his coat, scarf and hat and glanced at Harry, who had already put his coat on and was waiting on the Doctor.
"Let's go." said Harry heading for the door. He hoped he would be able to help the Doctor and show him that he wasn't the hardhearted person he thought he was.
The closer they came to UNIT the darker it became. He stopped at the gate at the guard shack, it was empty. The Doctor looked across the seat at Harry. "Something's wrong, very wrong." The Doctor continued up the drive and parked his car in the circular driveway that led to the main building.
"What now Doctor?" asked Harry, looking around. He had followed the Doctor's lead and opened the car door and was standing in front of the car.
"It would appear to be deserted." said the Doctor walking in a circle looking for any sign of life.
"Maybe everyone went home?" offered Harry, rubbing his hands together to stay warm.
"I know you're not aware of the schedule here yet Harry, but this is a fully staffed military installation. It is staffed twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. The staff on the late shift during down times is small. Small Harry, not nonexistent. There should be two men in the Guard Shack, two men at each entrance, usually half a dozen other people working late on paperwork and such, a cleaning crew, a maintenance crew and a switchboard operator. Not everyone would likely be on a break at the same time." The Doctor started towards the glass doors with Harry close behind. The Doctor pulled out his Sonic Screwdriver to unlock the door. Harry reached forward and opened the door, to find it unlocked. "This door is always locked." said the Doctor as he went inside followed closely by Harry.
The Doctor and Harry walked down the main hallway in the dark. No sign of a struggle or anything amiss. They heard a click behind them, a click of a revolver being cocked. They put their hands up and slowly turned around. The person holding the gun raised a flashlight. "Doctor it's you, what in Heaven's name is going on?" asked the Brigadier.
The Doctor and Harry lowered their arms with relief. "Brigadier why are 'you' here, not that we're not delighted to see you, you understand?" asked the Doctor while he and Harry walked towards the Brigadier.
"I had left some notes and phone numbers on my desk. I was going to call Private Rill who had guard duty tonight in the main building, and have him fax them to me at home. I called and the Private told me the lights had just went out, that's when I heard a struggle and the phone went dead. I tried calling the Guard Shack and everywhere else where a man should be posted and no one answered. So I grabbed my gun and headed here. How did you two know something was wrong?" asked the Brigadier.
"I had a call from Sarah's nurse, Mrs. Harris…" started the Doctor.
"Who?" asked the Brigadier.
"Mrs. Harris. Mrs. Granger introduced her to me this evening. She's Mrs. Granger's sister. She…"
"I'm sorry but you must be confused. I happen to know for a fact that Mrs. Granger doesn't have a sister. She and my wife are close friends, I know her personally, that's why I recommended her." explained the Brigadier.
"So if she's not Mrs. Granger's sister, then who is she? And why would Mrs. Granger lie?" asked Harry.
"I don't think there is a Mrs. Granger anymore. Sarah!" the Doctor said, and took off at a run towards the Sick Bay with Harry and the Brigadier following close behind.
He slowed down when he reached the Sick Bay doors. Harry and the Brigadier caught up with him. He placed his hand on the door and quietly pushed open the door. The room was pitch black. The Doctor looked back at both men and put a finger up to his pursed lips. He moved his hand toward the Brigadier, reaching for the flashlight. The Doctor reached the doorway to Sarah's room and peered around the corner. The room was empty. The Doctor stepped inside followed by the Brigadier and Harry. The Doctor looked in the closet and the bathroom. No Sarah and no nurse.
"Where can they be?" asked Harry incredulously.
The Doctor walked over to the bed he had left Sarah in a little over a hour ago. The bed appeared to be occupied and covered with a blanket. The Doctor turned and faced the Brigadier and Harry preparing himself for the worst. He picked up the edge of the top corner of the blanket and pulled it back quickly. Pillows were lined end to end on the bed. On the top pillow where Sarah's head had rested was a lock of her hair, splattered in blood. Below that, was a slip of paper with six numbers on it.
The Brigadier stepped forward peering at the paper. "What does this mean Doctor?" asked the Brigadier.
"This means…" started the Doctor in a voice that was rising with each spoken word, "that the Averians are not gone. They conned me and now they have Sarah."
"But I thought the Time Lords had relocated them to another planet." said the Brigadier in disbelief.
"And that's what they wanted me to think. The Time Lords didn't take over the Tardis. The Averians did. They led me to believe we were on Gallifrey, but I never stepped outside. Jakill read my mind to get the image of Councilor Batin and the image of the Gallifreyan guards. Jakill isn't dead. His friends pulled off this little charade to get him back."
"When I entered the console room I had Sarah in my arms and I needed to, I thought, return her to Earth for treatment. They knew my focus was on Sarah and I wouldn't be suspicious enough to verify what they were saying. The Tardis never left Earth,. It was going to the next site. One of the detectors must have registered a reading of Averians. I had left my coat outside the pool in the Tardis, or else I would have figured it out. In my pocket was one of the detectors. Jakill must have sent the others a telepathic message telling them where he was and how to get him back."
"And Miss. Smith? Is it too late?" asked the Brigadier sadly.
"No Brigadier. The small trophy," the Doctor said pointing to the pillow with the strands of Sarah's blood stained hair, "that was their little calling card. They have Sarah. They wouldn't be stupid enough to kill her. They're using her as bait." explained the Doctor while pacing.
"Bait, bait for what?" asked Harry.
"Me. They know that I am the only person on this planet that can stop them. They'll use her to get to me. They have to be stopped." stated the Doctor.
"How can you do that Doctor, you don't know where they are?" asked the Brigadier." And if you did, after they kill you, they still would kill Miss. Smith as well as the rest of the human race."
"I know all of this. But I can't just stand by and do nothing. I'll use the coordinates they provided." the Doctor said holding up the piece of paper. "Remember, they want me to find them this time." said the Doctor while leaving the room and the Sick Bay at a run.
The Brigadier and Harry looked at each other and knew they had some bad news to break. May as well get started and find out exactly how many soldiers were lost and pray the Doctor is successful in his quest.
The Doctor reached the Tardis and fed the numbers into the Tardis' guidance system and dematerialized. He found them easily. They were in an abandoned WWI underground safe house chamber that was constructed to house the members of Parliament in the case of a disaster. He opened the door of the Tardis and found it was surrounded by Averians. They were in their natural form. A pasty pale green humanoid shaped being. The Averians had what appeared to be laser guns pointed at him.
They led him through the corridors till they reached a large opening leading to a spacious meeting hall. The Averians were in varying degrees of what can only be described as 'giddiness'. He recognized various members of UNIT being tortured and beaten, all in the name of feeding their addiction in rooms to the left and the right of the corridor the Doctor was being led through.
He tried to break free and help the humans, but the Averian guards had too tight a grip on him. He was dragged through more corridors to a doorway in the back of the cavern. They opened the door and he was shoved through. He landed on his hands and knees. Looking forward he saw Sarah, suspended in the air upside down. She was held by a chain that was tied to metal bands that circled her feet. She had the same metal bands encircling each wrist with another chain wrapped time and again around her body. Each metal band had a wire leading to an electrical motor that was part of the throne that Jakill was holding court on. She had silver tape over her mouth and her eyes. The chain holding her was attached to a motor, that with the release of a lever, had the ability to raise and lower her. At the controls was none other than Jakill.
"Sarah!" the Doctor yelled out. Sarah reacted to her name being called and started to struggle anew.
Sarah couldn't believe her ears when she heard the Doctor calling her name. She knew deep inside, that if she could only hang on a bit longer, that the Doctor would save her. The question was, could she? She had already been shocked so many times that she had lost count. Previous to that back in Sick Bay, she had been slapped so hard by the nurse, that she had hit her head on a metal table and was knocked unconscious.
Jakill looked up at Sarah smiling. "Oh I see you would like to have some more fun!" he pushed a button on the top of the electric motor that was part of the metal throne he was sitting on while looking the Doctor in the eyes, sending live current into Sarah's body.
"No!" screamed the Doctor, using every ounce of strength he had to get to Jakill and stop him. The Averian guards were feeling the effects of their high but still holding him firmly. "What do you want Jakill, tell me what you want?" screamed the Doctor to Jakill.
Now Sarah felt panic setting in, this wasn't ending. She started struggling uselessly. When the current was cut, she started to hyperventilate.
"I almost feel sorry for you Time Lord. You will never experience the extraordinary taste of fear and anguish. And lest we forget about absolute terror, that must be the best taste yet. Unfortunately this race is so fragile, so easily killed. You have to know exactly how to torture them in just the right amount or it's over and you have to get another one." He looked at the Doctor, seeing the pain so clearly on his face. It's a pity he thought, Time Lord emotions were best described as tasteless. Jakill closed his eyes and said, "That was wonderful! Let's do it again." Sarah started struggling again to free herself.
"No, stop! What do you want?" the Doctor yelled.
"You know what we want Time Lord. We want you to give your life for her life." At hearing this Sarah struggled, shaking her head no.
Looking upward and speaking to Sarah even if she couldn't see him, "I'm sorry Sarah, there's no other way. I will do as you ask Jakill, on two conditions." stated the Doctor.
"What are your conditions Time Lord?" asked Jakill with a grin on his face.
"First, I want you to promise me that after I'm gone, you will not hurt Sarah. You will leave her alone." said the Doctor without so much as blinking an eye.
"Done." said Jakill. He would tell him anything he wanted to hear. Once he was dead, he would delight in all the painful ways in which he would torture and terrorize this puny Earth female.
"Second, I want thirty minutes with Sarah, released from those chains, alone." said the Doctor.
"Because I am in a generous mood I will give you five minutes Doctor." Jakill looked over his shoulder and ordered the two Averians that were on each side of his throne, "Take her down."
One of the Averians went to the handle of the motor and lowered her towards the ground. The other one pulled her tortured body by her chains and laid her roughly on the ground.
The Averian guards took the tape off of Sarah's face but left the chains and metal bands on. Jakill looked at the Doctor and said, "Five minutes, that is all Time Lord." Jakill motioned for the guards to release the Doctor and leave. When the guards were gone, the Doctor ran across the room to Sarah.
"Sarah, can you speak?" asked the Doctor while picking her upper body up off the floor and supporting her in his arms. He was worried when the guards had unchained her and she hadn't moved or spoken.
"Doctor this is it, isn't it? We're going to die." asked Sarah looking deeply into his blue eyes, with more bravery than he would have thought possible from someone so young.
"Not if I can help it. But I need your help. Can you move?" asked the Doctor knowing the answer was more than likely going to be no, considering the way she was bound and the amount of electricity that had been pumped into her body.
Sarah tried with everything she had, but all she could accomplish was the movement of some of her fingers. "I'm sorry Doctor, I'm really so sorry to let you down." Sarah could feel the tears coming, defying her desire to be brave for his sake.
"Oh Sarah, you could never let me down. You are the bravest person I know. One of these days we'll look back on this and laugh. That is 'if' this works." The Doctor rubbed her left arm and took her hand in his. He reached inside of his right hand coat pocket and pulled out the Sonic Screwdriver. He adjusted the setting.
Sarah was still wearing the UNIT pajamas that the real Mrs. Granger had dressed her in earlier. He pushed up her left sleeve a bit to reveal her hand. He placed the Sonic Screwdriver in her hand, knowing most of its length would be hiding up her pajama sleeve. He picked up some tape that was used on Sarah that had been discarded on the floor, using it to affix the Sonic Screwdriver to her arm. He pulled her sleeve down again.
"Sarah, when I say 'now' I want you to take your thumb and press this button, it's the button near the end of the shaft. It's the only button within your thumb's reach , I've programmed it to fire. Can you do that?" The Doctor looked at her, but instead of waiting for an answer said, "Sarah I hope we have the time to get to know each other. But if something goes wrong…I just want you to know that I'm very glad I met you." The Doctor stared into her green eyes with more love that he ever thought he could have.
"I'll do my best. And Doctor, I feel as if you and I were meant to meet. But if there's a chance to save yourself, I want you to take it. I don't want you to sacrifice your life for mine. I have so much to thank you for." She tried to smile and said, "I'll miss you, wherever I end up." said Sarah, tears coming to her eyes.
"We'll get out of here, together. Do you remember what I said? Just press the button when I say 'now', and I want you to hold it down till I tell you to stop. It's not necessary to aim it. Understand?"
"Yes, but what will it do?" asked Sarah.
They were interrupted by the opening of the doors and the appearance of Jakill and the guards. Jakill was laughing. "Ready to die Time Lord?" Jakill said as he sat on his throne.
The Doctor was still holding Sarah in his arms. They looked into each other's eyes as if they would never see one another again. He put his lips to her forehead and gently kissed her and whispered, "Remember, don't let go of the button till I say." He sat up and smiled at Sarah and carefully laid her back down on the floor. Sarah smiled back and closed her eyes to indicate her understanding.
"I'm ready Jakill. So tell me, how will you do it?" asked the Doctor watching to make sure that Jakill was sitting completely back in his throne. As Jakill started to answer, the Doctor yelled to Sarah, "Now!". The Sonic Screwdriver was activating the engine that was part of the metal throne. Only this time instead of the live current being sent to Sarah it was routed through the Sonic Screwdriver and bounced back to Jakill. As long as Sarah held down that button, the stream of live electricity couldn't be broken.
Jakill started bouncing around in the chair, but no matter what he did, he couldn't break free. In their panic to free their leader, many of the guards attempted to pull Jakill from the chair and now they too were caught in the loop. One by one, their pale green gelatinous bodies exploded. The two guards that remained in the room ran out the doors that so recently their leader has used.
"Good girl Sarah!" the Doctor yelled. "You can let the button go now Sarah." The Doctor ran over to her and removed the Sonic Screwdriver from her arm. He went about the task of removing her metal bands.
She was getting a little more movement back in her hands and arms. As soon as the Doctor had removed the metal bands from her exhausted limbs, she used every bit of strength she had and placed her hands around his neck and hugged him for all she was worth.
"It's all right Sarah, it's all right. He picked her up and walked out into the corridor the way he came. It was chaos.
He would later learn that the psychic connection the Averians shared, suffered a 'disruption of service' once Jakill was dead. It turns out that the Averians could read each other's minds but could not 'feed' on the fear of others as Jakill did. This was something that he alone did. This part of his mind he kept closed off from the other Averians so they wouldn't find out that all of this was for him and him alone. He convinced his entire race that they all were getting high from these acts, when actually they were practicing the act of sadism.
The information that was released from Jakill's psyche upon his death threw the Averians into madness. They were so busy running around in a panic that the five surviving UNIT members were able to escape in the Tardis and return to UNIT for medical treatment.
Once the Doctor had Sarah and the soldiers in the Tardis, he immediately contacted Gallifrey about the situation with the Averians. Gallifrey returned the message saying simply that they would handle it. He didn't ask Gallifrey what they would do and he really didn't care. For the first time, he really didn't care. He knew that the Time Lords would review the data and make a decision on whether the race would be allowed to live and relocated or would be destroyed. He couldn't think of one redeeming factor that would convince the Time Lords they should be allowed to live.
Looking down into his arms, Sarah was looking back at him. It was finally going to be all right. In time she would mend.
When the Tardis materialized in the Doctor's lab at UNIT, it was obvious from the security monitors on the wall, that UNIT was once again filled to capacity with soldiers.
The Doctor opened the Tardis door, still carrying Sarah and led the five surviving UNIT soldiers outside to awaiting gurneys led by Dr. Harry Sullivan. Harry and his staff went about the job of patching the soldiers back together again.
The Brigadier ran forward and said, "Doctor, all the others?".
"I'm sorry Brigadier, most were killed before I arrived. These poor men that have survived will not only need medical care, but quite a bit of counseling too. I'm only sorry that I didn't follow my instincts sooner. Something was wrong when I left Sarah's room last night, I knew it. But I just couldn't figure out what it was. The Averians had already killed poor Mrs. Granger and replaced her. I should have stayed." said the Doctor, blaming himself as he and the Brigadier walked back to the Sick Bay to Sarah's room.
"You can't blame yourself Doctor, you had no way of knowing. I thought it was over with as well." said the Brigadier, trying to comfort his old friend. "Without you, this could have been so much worse. They could have taken over the entire planet. You were the one that taught me to take a step back and look at the entire picture and not just the bad parts." finished the Brigadier. He reached ahead of the Doctor and opened the door to Sarah's room.
Throughout this, Sarah had remained silent. When the Brigadier would look at her, she seemed to be coming in and out of consciousness. He knew if she were in serious condition the Doctor wouldn't have walked so slowly. He watched him place her on the bed. He was so careful and gentle with her. He has it bad, thought the Brigadier. He walked over to the bed, when he noticed the corner of the bedside table. It was covered with blood. The Doctor looked up at the Brigadier and saw what the Brigadier was looking at.
Without speaking a word, the Doctor carefully rolled Sarah onto her left side and checked the back of her head. There was a cut and a quickly forming knot on the upper part of her head. He walked over to the supply cabinet and cleaned it up. "I'll keep an eye on that." he whispered to the Brigadier.
The Brigadier smiled to himself. He imagined the Doctor would be keeping an eye on a great deal more than Sarah's head. He hoped this would work out for the both of them. He needed to go check on the others. He doubted the Doctor would miss him. "Goodbye Doctor, I'm looking forward to your report on all of this." said the Brigadier with a smile while walking away.
"A report! A report!" The Doctor couldn't believe his ears. "I save his planet and he wants a report." the Doctor mumbled underneath his breath. The Doctor never looked up as he walked away. Maybe the Brigadier would think that he didn't hear him. Never mind, if he were pushed, he could get Benton to do it for him. It was still a bit too soon for Sarah to do it.
"You know, I could do that for you. After all, it's the least I can do." said Sarah in a voice barely above a whisper with a smile on her face.
"You know," the Doctor started, unable to resist, "I actually have a favor to ask of you. Are you ready?" he said with a huge smile on his face.
"Okay, after recent events the only way left is up, right? What's your favor?"
asked Sarah, knowing whatever it was she would do it.
"Well…I have a proposition for you, one I hope you'll accept." He noticed Sarah was starting to look uncomfortable and then it hit him. "Oh no, nothing like that, really." said the Doctor putting his hands up in protest. He looked at her again and realized he'd been had. "Very funny. You know, I think you and I are going to get along great!"
"All right, enough of the stalling. What's your favor?" said Sarah.
"You know this might not be a good time. You really do need to rest, after everything you've been through." started the Doctor.
"You're stalling and I'm starting to fade, so ask already." said Sarah who was once again struggling to stay awake.
"Okay here goes. I need an assistant, someone to well…assist." said the Doctor, now suddenly tongue tied.
"I'm sure the Brig's told you that I'm a journalist, not exactly a scientist. I mean…well I, I just want you to know." said Sarah.
"I know you're a journalist. And from what I've heard from the Brigadier, you're someone who doesn't take no for an answer. And since you're a journalist, you know how to find things, things that the Brigadier says I can't have. And he is obsessed with requisition forms, reports, and inventory. Do you know why he needs these things?" The Doctor realized he was rambling, but really, why did he need all of this?
Sarah was laughing, a happy although weak laugh, thought the Doctor. This was great. Great to see her laughing and knowing that he had caused it. "So, does this mean you'll do it? Will you be my assistant?"
"You've cleared this with the Brig?" Sarah asked the Doctor, who was now shaking his head yes. "Well, yes. I'll do it. When do I start?
"Not till I've medically cleared you and that won't be for at least a week, possibly two. You have some serious healing to do Miss.!" said the Doctor, while wagging his finger at her.
"Right now I'm not in any condition to argue." said Sarah yawning. "I was wondering about…no, never mind. It's nothing." Sarah started, embarrassed that she was even thinking of bringing this up.
"What is it Sarah? If there's anything I can get you, please feel free to ask me. I am but your humble servant." the Doctor answered Sarah, sweeping his hand in front of himself while bowing down.
"Really, it was nothing. So what's next for UNIT's scientific advisor?" asked Sarah trying to change the subject.
"Is it your car? If it is, I have an answer. Sergeant Benton was able to arrange for it to be towed here. In fact, it is currently parked next to my Bessie." he said watching Sarah's face, which right now was showing confusion. "Bessie is my automobile." the Doctor said with a smile.
"Oh, I see." said Sarah as she looked around the room uncomfortably.
"So the question wasn't about your car. Maybe it's about a surprise I have planned for you." he said watching her expression perk up.
"What surprise?" asked Sarah, her face all aglow.
"I thought that it might be a good idea for you to live closer to the base. So I hope I haven't overstepped, but I was hoping you would move into the Tardis with me." he said trying to read Sarah's face. "Your room is large with your own bathroom and the Tardis has a kitchen, library, entertainment room and anything else you could dream of. Besides, after you're released you still need to take it easy. I would be honored to take care of you. Please say yes." said the Doctor, unconsciously holding his breath.
"Don't think that I'm not honored by your proposition, because I am. But why would you put your life on hold for me? You barely know me." Sarah was hoping that she wasn't some sort of alien charity case. She was hoping she was correct in the way she felt about him.
"I…I like being with you, I like talking with you. I think we could make quite a team. Us against the Brigadier and his paperwork. I think we could learn a lot from each other. I realize I haven't known you long, but I feel like I've known you forever. Does that make any sense?" asked the Doctor attempting to lay not all the cards, but most on the table.
"It's so strange to hear you say that because it's exactly the same way I feel towards you. It's as if we were separated centuries before and have only just found each other again. What am I saying? I'm so very sorry. That was so forward and presumptuous of me. Please forgive me. I should probably just go to sleep." she said. She looked as if she wished she could find a hole to climb into.
"Sarah, you have said nothing to be forgiven for. You never ever have to worry about speaking your heart to me. I feel the same way. And it's not to make you feel better, though I hope it does. I want to be with you, take care of you. I know that it's a lot to take in right now. So we'll start slow. One thing at a time, okay?"
"Are you sure? I'm far from perfect. You deserve so much more than I could ever give you." stated Sarah quietly as if she were afraid of the answer.
"I'm sure. You seem perfect to me." he said with a smile on his face.
"Looks can be very deceiving." she answered, now deadly serious.
"I'll chance it." he said with an ever increasing smile. "But for now, I want you to lie back, relax and sleep. I'll have someone bring you some food. Then you'll rest some more, and if you're a very good girl I'll bring in a deck of cards and I'll beat you in a game of Rummy."
"You can try, but I'm pretty good at Rummy." said Sarah smiling. Though it was obvious that she desperately needed rest.
"I'll stay till you fall asleep." he said as he pulled the blankets around her a little tighter. Already she was almost asleep. He looked around and found a pen and some paper and wrote her a note. "Sarah, went to the Tardis. Will be back soon with food. I'm going to ask Dr. Sullivan to keep an eye on you. Signed, the Doctor." He took the note and folded it in half and placed it on the small table as the end of her bed. Looking back at Sarah, he couldn't believe his good fortune. Now, what would he get her for dinner?
The Doctor quietly shut the door of Sarah's room. He walked across to the west wing of the Sick Bay and saw Harry standing in the hall speaking with a nurse. As he approached the two, Harry looked up at the Doctor and frowned. He spoke to the nurse in a quiet voice then she looked down and walked away.
"Is something wrong?" asked the Doctor concerned.
"It's one of the men, he attempted suicide about an hour ago." answered Harry dejectedly. "He failed thankfully, but I feel it would be in his best interest if he were transferred to a facility where he could be constantly monitored and have some one on one treatment. I doubt he'll ever be able to return to UNIT." Harry looked down and said, "I better alert the Brigadier. He wanted me to report any changes." Harry started to walk away, then turned around. "I'm sorry, did you want something Doctor?"
"I just wanted to let you know that I had to step out for a bit, and I was hoping you would keep an eye on Sarah. But under the circumstances, I know you have your hands full. I'm sure she'll be fine. If there's anything I can do, anything at all? Please don't hesitate to ask, I'm serious." said the Doctor, finally seeing the real Harry Sullivan. Not the by the rules physician in charge of UNIT's Sick Bay, but the authentic Harry Sullivan, the man who has come to realize that everything can't be controlled by rules and regulations.
"I don't know what to say Doctor, except thank you. This has truly been an unsettling day. But it's nice to know that you have forgiven me. You have forgiven me haven't you?" asked Harry in a way as if he feared the answer.
"Yes Harry. That's all behind us now. Is there any way I can help?"
"You already have Doctor. I'll check on Sarah after I see the Brigadier. Is there anything, medicine or treatment that I should administer to her?" asked Harry, relieved the Doctor had really forgiven him.
"No, she just needs to rest." answered the Doctor, grateful that she was safe and level headed. If she could survive her own childhood he knew she could survive this. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Thank you Harry." the Doctor said as he walked away.
Harry was not looking forward to his meeting with the Brigadier. He was beginning to realize that UNIT was as the Doctor said, a big family. He started walking towards 'Dad's' office, he thought lightheartedly.
The Doctor decided against cooking for Sarah himself since Harry was already overtaxed with his regular responsibilities. He didn't want to add the responsibility for Sarah to his list. He took the shortcut through the Mess Hall and headed toward the underground bunker to reach his car. He smiled as he patted Sarah's car that was parked next to Bessie.
He couldn't help looking inside as he passed. Both seats had pink knobby woolen covers on them. The tiny area in behind the seats were crammed with both clothing and files. On the floor of the passenger side was what appeared to be a battered pink laptop case. Next to that was a box of crackers and a jar of peanut butter. The sight of 'this' really disturbed him. This was all that existed of her world. He could and 'would' change all of this for her.
He passed the Guard Shack, waving at the guard on duty. He remembered his last trip passed that same Guard Shack with sadness. He still blamed himself for ignoring his instincts. He never would again, he swore, never again. He realized that he was so lost in thought, so lost in all the what ifs of the last twenty four hours, that he almost passed by his destination. He pulled over at a small, but quaint Italian restaurant, The Olive Pit. He had met the owner, Guido Rizzolli when he had saved the restaurateur's life by picking him up in Bessie along the side of the road very near the restaurant, where he was being chased by a triceratops. With the modifications that he had made to Bessie they were able to easily outrun it. In return, Mr. Rizzolli had offered his eternal gratitude and an unlimited supply of free food.
As he pulled into the restaurant another car pulled in behind him. As he was opening his car door, a loud heavily accented Italian voice behind him shouted, "Doctor how wonderful to see you, so tell me what canna I do for you my friend?"
As the Doctor turned around he was greeted by a big bear hug. "Hello Mr. Rizzolli, it's so good to see you." said the Doctor with a huge smile on his face.
"What is this Mister? To you Doctor, it is Guido. Now tell me have you come for some lovely ravioli, chicken marsala or some wonderful spaghetti and meatballs? I will fixa you anything you want. Now Doctor tell me, what will it be?"
By now they were in the restaurant. The smells coming from the kitchen was truly intoxicating. But looking around the Doctor noticed the restaurant was empty. "I'm sorry Guido. You're not open yet are you?"
"For you Doctor, we are always open. You know whata you want or you wanna see a menu? Anything you want, anything!" said Guido waving his hands about the room.
"I think spaghetti and meatballs would be wonderful Guido."
"So this is for you Doctor, or perhaps for you and a beautiful young woman?" said Guido with a twinkle in his eye. "I have a beautiful unmarried cousin, you wanna me to give her a call for you?"
"No that won't be necessary Guido. This meal happens to be with a beautiful young lady, but thank you for your offer."
"Then we willa make it very special. Would you like some wine while you wait Doctor?" asked Guido.
"No thank you Guido. It was a busy night last night. I think I'll just sit here and rest. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. You have the best food in this entire galaxy." beamed the Doctor.
The Doctor is a good man thought Guido, an odd sort, but nonetheless a good man. He would give the Doctor everything he would need to have a romantic dinner. Even thought the Doctor didn't say this was for a woman he loved, he believed it was. He would see to this order personally. And he would suggest flowers. The women, they love the flowers, Guido thought with a smile.
Harry was relieved his meeting with the Brigadier was over. He didn't envy him. He couldn't imagine what the Brigadier was going through, having to notify all those families of the death of their loved ones. The Brigadier planned to leave UNIT in an hour, to go from family to family, to personally notify each of the fallen soldiers' loved ones in person.
As he reached the Sick Bay he was greeted by a nurse that informed him the poor soldier that had attempted suicide was transferred to a private facility. When asked who had made arrangements and who would paying for a private facility, he was told it was set up by the Brigadier. This spoke volumes to Harry about this base and its inner workings. He had assumed that the young man would be transferred to a government owned facility. But to have the Brigadier take such a personal interest in his men, it was unheard of, in his experience with the military anyway.
He walked down the hall to Sarah's room. He softly knocked on the door. There was no answer. He quietly turned the knob and looked inside the room. Sarah appeared to be asleep, but as he turned to go he heard her stir. She made a sound similar to a soft cry. From the small amount of information he had gleaned, she did indeed deserve to cry.
She took a sharp intake of breath and sat straight up. She immediately looked around her as if looking for something or someone. When her eyes rested on Harry, she shut her eyes for a few seconds. He imagined she was calming herself. When she opened her eyes and looked at Harry again she smiled. Harry knew that she was still upset by her dream because her hands were slightly shaking. She took a deep breath and said, "Hello, I don't think we've formally met. My name is Sarah Jane Smith." Then she held her hand out. He noticed that she now had the shaking under control.
"No I don't think we have. My name is Dr. Harry Sullivan. But please call me Harry." he replied and walked forward to shake her hand. "I'm terribly sorry Miss. Smith, the Doctor asked me to look in on you, not to wake you." said Harry trying to lead her to believe he hadn't witnessed her lack of control.
"Please call me Sarah. You didn't wake me. So are you new at UNIT? I heard the physician in charge here was a Dr. Tency, an older man."
"Yes, you're right he was in charge here. He retired a little over a week ago. I took over for him several days ago. But enough about me. How are you feeling?" asked Harry, trying hard not to like her. The Brigadier warned him about letting anything at all about UNIT slip to the press. With everything that has been going on, he didn't want to add to his commanding officer's grief. But her smile and friendly attitude were winning him over.
"I'm just a little tired and sore. I'm hoping I can get out of here soon." Sarah pulled her knees up to her chest. She slid both feet along the bed and wrapped her arms around the blanket over her legs. As she was sliding her feet Harry couldn't help but notice her grimace and quick intake of breath, as she bit her lip in pain. She pretended to look outside the window so he wouldn't notice. As he was about to ask about the pain, the door opened and in strolled the Doctor, with if Harry's nose was correct, something Italian and pink roses with a large white bow around them.
"Hello, is everything all right?" asked the Doctor, picking up on the puzzled look on Harry's face.
"Sarah has just informed me that she's a little tired and sore. As for me, I'm just tired. I have some patients to check on. Sarah, it was nice to meet you. I'm sure we'll talk again." said Harry giving Sarah a smile. He then turned to the Doctor and said, "Doctor could I ask your opinion about one of my cases?"
"Yes of course." he walked over to the small countertop next to the sink and set the bags of food down. He then took the pink roses he had bought and put them in Sarah's arms. He smiled at her and said, "I'll be right back, don't move." She gave him one of the most beautiful smiles he had ever seen, as she held the roses he had given her almost reverently.
The Doctor followed Harry out the door. Harry walked away from the door a few steps before turning around. "Doctor, I was there when you pulled that needle fragment from Sarah's foot, if I hadn't I probably wouldn't have noticed. She's trying to hide it. I'm sorry, I'm babbling on." Harry stopped and took a breath. "But…have you examined her foot today? She raised her knees to her chest just now and the look of pain on her face was more than minor discomfort. If you hadn't come back when you did, I was going to have a look at it. I'll leave the decision up to you now. If you need anything let me know, I'll be right down the hall." With that Harry was on his way, toward a nurse signaling him for his attention. Watching the two converse, both with grim looking expressions, the Doctor realized this was a hard day for everyone at UNIT. He turned and started back towards Sarah's room.
When the Doctor came through the door he was greeted by a beautiful sight. Sarah was holding the bouquet of pink long stem roses wrapped in white tissue paper and a large white bow as if they were the most beautiful and precious thing she would ever see.
"I don't know what to say. I…" Sarah started, crying.
"What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" the Doctor asked. When Guido suggested it, he thought this was something she would like, something that she could recognize as normal behavior on Earth. Something to make her feel secure and cared for.
"No, you did nothing wrong. They're wonderful. I just never thought…I can't believe… I've never been given flowers by, well anyone. I don't know what to say. Pink, how did you know pink is my favorite color?" asked Sarah so overcome with emotion that she was now crying harder than before.
"My car is parked next to your car. As I passed it I couldn't help but notice the pink seat covers. So I assumed you at least liked the color pink." He walked over to Sarah and asked, "Would you like me to put them in some water? I have a vase in one of the bags." He couldn't believe that no one had ever given her flowers. From what he knew of Earth culture, he thought giving flowers to women was a given. He felt terrible for her, and disgust for all those that didn't do the simple things that any girl should have as part of her social development. He had to be careful. She mustn't know that he knew of her past and the abuse that she survived, not yet in any case. He gave her a smile. He was beginning to realize this came easy to him when she was near.
"I'm sorry. You must think me a fool, crying like this." she said as she dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief the Doctor had pulled from his pocket. "Yes, please put them in the vase."
"First no, I don't think you're a fool. And second, you never ever need to apologize for having emotions. I feel privileged to be the first one to give you flowers. I'll let you in on a little secret." he said as he leaned down to take the flowers. "I have a feeling this won't be the last time you receive flowers." he said with a smile and a wink of his eye.
Sarah gave him one of her best smiles and handed the roses over to the Doctor. He took them over to the sink and filled the vase with water and put the flowers inside. He put the vase on the bedside table where she could see them and hopefully think of him.
"What is that wonderful smell? I'm starved." said Sarah anxiously anticipating the dinner that the Doctor had brought. Sarah gave the Doctor a smile that melted his hearts.
"First I need to check your foot and then you get dinner." said the Doctor while looking for his portable Gallifreyan scanner. He knew he had left it here, somewhere. He finally found it in the third drawer he looked in.
"Oh no! I have been poked and prodded enough to last a lifetime." Sarah said waving her hands in front of her.
"You know I have to do this. Do you want to talk about it for an hour or get it over with now?" he asked with a smile.
Sarah smiled and rolled her eyes. "So there's nothing I can say?"
"Well, I could leave it alone, totally ignore it and then eventually amputate your foot. If that's what you want." he said sitting down in the chair next to her bed.
"All right." Sarah groaned. "Let's get this over with."
"You have made an excellent decision." said the Doctor getting up from the chair and walking to the end of her bed. "So let's see what's going on." As soon as he lifted the blanket from her feet he knew she was in pain. Why had she not said anything? The bruising was very extensive. It covered the bottom of her right foot and up both sides to the top of her foot. He decided that she needed to be on a Gallifreyan drug called Raprio. It's main purpose is to regulate the clotting and thinning of the blood. It keeps dangerous blood clots from forming. He was using his portable scanner to see if a clot had already formed.
"Sarah, I need to move the scanner against your foot. I need to check for blood clots. I'll be as gentle as I can. Ready?" he asked looking into her eyes.
Sarah shook her head yes and braced herself. She knew this would hurt. She accidentally brushed her feet against one another earlier and it took all she had to keep from screaming in pain. She smiled at the Doctor and using each hand grabbed her blanket and squeezed.
The Doctor hated to hurt her, but he needed the information. He didn't want to risk moving her to the scanner in the Tardis for fear of causing movement in the clot if there was one. He looked up at her in an attempt to reassure her. Then placed his right hand on the lower half of her leg to hold and stabilize it if necessary. Using his left hand he started the scan. The second the scanner touched her foot he felt her leg tense and almost spasm with pain. He didn't look up, instead focusing all his attention on the scanner so that he could finish as quickly as possible. She was lucky. No clots. He looked up with a smile to find Sarah unsuccessfully holding back tears.
He carefully went to the supply closet and removed a pillow and positioned her lower leg over the pillow, leaving her foot to rest in mid air. He carefully covered it back up with the blanket. He went to the side of her bed and softly stroked her hair. She had her head bowed now, trying desperately to hold back more tears. He gently tilted her face up to look at him.
"Sarah," he started in a low comforting tone, "why didn't you tell me how much pain you were in? I don't want you to suffer needlessly. Promise me you won't do that again, all right?" He took his hands and brushed the hair from her face and using both of his hands, cupped them around her cheeks using his thumbs to wipe away the tears that were sitting under her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I…I've caused you so much trouble already. I…I'll be fine." said Sarah, her tears still falling. She didn't want him to know how much pain she was in. She didn't want him to see her as a liability. She was really looking forward to spending time with him and the challenge of this new job. She was afraid of being out of control. If she were on pain medication, she was afraid of slipping up and saying the wrong thing. If she did, he might not want her anymore. She knew that she had more than her share of baggage. No matter where she went or what she did, it was always with her, always a part of her.
"Sarah, are you okay? Where did you go?" he asked, wondering what was going through her mind.
"Nowhere. I'm fine. Really, I can handle it." Sarah said. Secretly she wondered if she really could.
"That's just it Sarah. You don't have to handle it. You don't have to lay there and suffer needlessly. If you're in a great deal of pain for a long period, it will make your blood pressure rise and set a whole new chain of events in action. I'm going to give you something for the pain. It's a drug from my home, Gallifrey. It's very good at knocking out the pain, but unlike the drugs from your planet, it isn't addictive.
The Doctor went to his medical bag that was stored in the drawer and searched for the correct vials, a drug called Kersh and the Raprio. He opened another drawer and pulled out two syringes. He placed the needles in the bottles and withdrew the amounts needed. He walked back to the bed and picked up Sarah's right arm.
"You know, I really, really hate needles. I don't suppose there are pills?" said Sarah while he was swabbing her arm with alcohol.
"No, afraid not. Look away." he told her as he administered the injections. He placed a cotton ball on the injection site and held her arm up. "This should take effect fairly fast. Don't move around or try to get out of bed."
"What if I have to go to the little girl's room?" Sarah asked with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.
"Then I will pick you up and carry you in there and wait outside the door and carry you back to bed." he said with a smile. "Now how about some dinner?" he said rubbing his hands together.
"Bring it on, I'm starved." He brought her salad first. They talked about books they'd read, movies they'd seen and foods they loved. Before she knew it, they had finished dessert. She couldn't remember the last time that she had enjoyed someone's company so much. "That was fabulous, really and truly wonderful."
The Doctor was glowing with pride. He had never in his entire life enjoyed a meal as much and certainly never ever enjoyed anyone's company as much as Sarah's. "I'm glad you liked it. I'll have to give Guido your praise."
"Guido?"
"Yes, Guido Rizzolli. He's a friend of mine. He has a little Italian restaurant down the road. I found it a while back." he said with a knowing smile. He watched her as she tried to stop a yawn. "How does your foot feel?"
"Much better, thank you. I feel like I owe you an explanation. I'm really sorry about not telling you. I was afraid of losing cont…I mean." She yawned and was suddenly struggling to hold her eyes open.
"It's all right. You don't need to explain. But you do need to sleep." He hated for this time to end, but she needed rest. He walked over to her bed and moved the table out of the way. He turned the light from above the bed to a low glow. He then helped her to recline in the bed, into a position where she could sleep. He tucked her blankets around her. He looked down to find that she was already asleep. The medicine had finally kicked in. He watched her breathing deepen, assuring himself that she was asleep.
He walked over to the recliner that he had used before and sat down. He pulled out a never used Gallifreyan translator. It was a spare that he had never had a use for thanks to his Time Lord gift of understanding all languages. Previously during a slow period on Earth he had changed a few circuits around here and there and now he had access to the internet. It was always a source of amusement.
An hour later, he found he was struggling to hold his eyes open. He looked over at Sarah sleeping peacefully and decided to take a nap.
Morning arrived in a sanguine way. The birds were chirping, the Sun was shining and the breeze even blew in an optimistic and wonderful way. The Doctor opened his eyes and smiled. He immediately looked to Sarah who was still sleeping. He quietly stood up and stretched. He caught movement from the corner of his eyes at the door.
Harry was peeping his head in and used his hand to signal to the Doctor. The Doctor decided to have a little fun with Harry and just waved back. Harry stuck more of his arm in and tried again to wave him to the door. The Doctor looked both left and right behind him as if he didn't believe Harry was waving at him. Harry's waving was now truly agitated as he attempted to signal the Doctor to the door again. The Doctor decided he'd aggravated Harry enough and walked to the door taking care to shut it quietly behind him.
"Is there something wrong with you?" asked Harry in exasperation.
"Me, no, I'm perfect. Everyone knows that. Ask around, it's a fact." said the Doctor looking around the Sick Bay.
"I was wondering if Sarah would like breakfast, and you of course. The Mess Hall called asking for the number of trays that would be needed for the Sick Bay. I'm curious, does aggravating people come natural to you or is this something you studied for?" asked Harry, failing to hide the fact that he wasn't really angry.
"You know Harry, I have found that it's something that comes completely natural to me, some might even say gifted. I've often thought I could teach a class in it. But then you know what they say, those who can drive, those who can't thumb." the Doctor smiled at Harry as Harry rolled his eyes. "As for breakfast yes, that would be most kind of you Harry. How are your patients? Any more close calls?" the Doctor asked changing his expression to one of seriousness.
"Thankfully no. Most will need extensive therapy both physically and mentally. But all but one will be able to return to work at UNIT eventually. How about Sarah? I would be happy to arrange something for you."
"No, I don't think that will be necessary. She seems to be handling it. But I know, believe me I know that she needs monitoring. To me, it's another day at work more or less. But I realize that this is not your usual human situation. I'll keep a close eye on her Harry. I know I don't seem to take much seriously, but I do this. She'll be fine. I'll make sure of it." explained the Doctor, hoping he was sounding professional and not overly personally involved with Sarah's care. He wouldn't be able to hide his feelings much longer. "Thank you Harry, for everything." the Doctor said holding his hand out to Harry.
"Anytime Doctor, anytime." said Harry returning the Doctor's handshake. Harry turned and headed for the nurse's station.
The Doctor stood by a second watching Harry walk away. Maybe he's not as bad as I first thought, he decided.
The Doctor quietly entered Sarah's room. He looked across the room to see Sarah sitting up in bed. He caught her eyes before she quickly looked away. It was obvious something was seriously wrong. He hurried over to her side. "Sarah, what wrong?" She looked down at her foot, tears still in her eyes.
"I forgot." she started with a shaky voice.
"You forgot what Sarah?" he said while taking her hands in his.
"I woke up and thought it was all a dream. Then I looked around and realized where I was. Then my stupid foot! It fell off the pillow and it hurts worse than before." Sarah wasn't able to stop the tears from flowing.
The Doctor was watching her face which was bright red. He let go of her hands with a final squeeze. He checked her cheeks and then her forehead. As he expected, she had a fever. He reached for the thermometer in the bedside drawer. After taking her temperature he read the display, 102.9°. He hurried to the foot of her bed and pulled back the blanket. Her foot was swollen, very swollen. "Sarah, I want you to wiggle your toes." He waited but nothing happened. He walked over to the cabinet where he left the Gallifreyan medical scanner. He returned to her bed with the scanner in hand. "I'm sorry Sarah. I'm going to scan your foot, just like yesterday. Take a deep breath." He watched as she did as he asked. "All right Sarah, here we go." He carefully but quickly ran the scanner over her entire foot. The scanner found a small blood clot that seemed to be getting larger as he watched. He looked up at Sarah and tried to smile reassuringly.
"Sarah it's going to be all right. There's a little blood clot that's formed. I can treat that, we'll just increase the dosage of the Raprio I gave you yesterday. You're going to be okay." What he didn't say was how worried he was or how glad he was that she couldn't read his mind. He went to the door and stuck his head out and spoke quietly to someone Sarah couldn't see.
Before the Doctor had reached Sarah's bedside a nurse was walking through the door with an IV pole and IV bag. Sarah felt panic rising in herself. She told herself that he was only doing what was best for her, but it was getting hard to think. She saw the Doctor take the equipment from the nurse and the nurse left. He was walking toward her now. Why was she feeling threatened? He had only been kind to her. She could feel her control slip away as was her certainty of the Doctor's actions.
The Doctor was watching Sarah. He could see the panic rising in her. This wasn't good. She was backing up on the bed, causing herself even more pain. The sweat could now be seen on her face, her temperature was rising. The closer he came to her the farther she retreated. The Sarah he had reasoned with before, was somewhere hidden behind the fever and the memories of the abuse she had suffered. He needed to give her an injection of Kersh for the pain, so that he could hopefully get the pain under control and give Sarah back control over her body and emotions that she so desperately needed. He filled the syringe, replaced the cap and slipped it in his pocket. He hated to do this. But he didn't know of any other way. He couldn't have her running away from him and further complicating the situation. "It's going to be all right Sarah. Stay there, I'll be right back."
The Doctor ran from the room and grabbed Harry who was at the nurse's station. He quickly filled him in and stopped short of running in the room. "Let's not terrify her. I'm going to walk to the far side of the bed. Count to ten then come in and go to the opposite side of the bed. We'll play it by ear after that. Ready?" Harry shook his head yes and the Doctor entered the room.
"Sarah, I'm ba…Sarah? Oh no!" the Doctor said as he surveyed the room. "Harry!" yelled the Doctor.
"What's going on?" he asked after quickly scanning the room with his eyes as well. "Sarah's gone?"
"Nothing escapes you does it Harry?" He then noticed the open window. Thankfully they were on the first floor. He started to climb through the window and looked back at Harry. "Are you coming?"
"Sure, but shouldn't we alert security?" asked Harry thinking this was insane, chasing a patient out a window in the dead of winter.
"I don't even want to take the time to have this conversation with you. Now hurry up!" said the Doctor already out the window and running along the lot.
He should never have left her alone. She was feverish and confused, and add that on top of everything else he knew. He knew that he made a big mistake, a possibly life threatening mistake. He saw movement ahead in the bushes. He ran towards the movement and heard Harry breathing hard behind him. "Shhh, I think I saw something. Could you breathe a little quieter please?"
"I'm sorry Doctor, I didn't warm up first before this little romp." said Harry bent over and starting to hyperventilate.
"There, next to that line of trees." said the Doctor pointing.
"That's the ridge line. There's a pond there. The men told me about ice fishing there." Harry explained, then at the thought of the ice and the water said, "Oh no, run!"
They both ran at top speed. The Doctor estimated the temperature to be around 15°F. He had to stop her before she made a huge mistake. As they reached the clearing they saw Sarah. She was standing at the edge of the pond on top of a piece of ice. She was barefooted and looked confused. She was swaying on her feet. She looked back at them with real fear in her eyes. Her temperature must have risen significantly. From the way she was holding her hands in front of her, the Doctor imagined she must be reliving some horror from her childhood. He had to get to her. He looked over his shoulder at Harry.
"Harry I want you to back up slowly and cut through the trees and come out behind Sarah. When I yell, come running as fast as you can. All right?"
"Yea, good luck! Hurry, that ice isn't going to hold her long." said Harry knowing that after all she'd been through it could easily end here and now.
"Sarah! It's me Sarah, the Doctor. Do you remember me?" he said slowly walking toward her with his arms extended and his palms open. Sarah was shaking her head no. "Yes you do Sarah. We're friends, good friends." Sarah had cocked her head to the side as if trying desperately hard to remember him. "We had dinner together last night Sarah, don't you remember? We talked about Guido and his restaurant. Don't you remember Sarah?" She was looking really confused now. "Sarah, it's all right. Do you hear me? It's going to be all right. Sarah?" She was looking around and with every turn of her head, she seemed a little more unsteady. "Sarah, concentrate. You remember me don't you?"
He was close enough to her now, to see that she looked terrified. He met her eyes for a brief second. She seemed to almost calm, then she fell to her knees as her body was finally giving out. "It's all right Sarah. You know I won't hurt you, I could never do anything to hurt you." he said stepping ever closer to Sarah. Just another four yards. She was trying to get up. He could hear the ice cracking. "Sarah don't move, the ice is cracking, don't move! Harry! Harry, now!" the Doctor yelled. Sarah was fading in and out of consciousness, she was trying to hold up her foot. She was now only aware of her pain. He moved forward as fast as he dared. Just one more yard. Her back was now partly to him. She was trying to find a position that would relieve her pain. He was close enough to actually see the ice cracking. He quickly reached forward and grabbed her under her arms and quickly pulled her backwards. He didn't stop until he reached the edge of the woods.
Harry ran forward and started taking Sarah's vitals. The Doctor took off his coat and wrapped Sarah in it and picked her up. We can do that once we get her inside. They made good time through the woods. When they reached the clearing they entered UNIT through the Mess Hall and cut through a connecting corridor and were through to the Sick Bay. They ran at that point for Sarah's room.
The Doctor laid her on her bed and replaced his coat with several thick blankets that Harry had brought over.
"Doctor, how can I help?" asked Harry, still eager to redeem himself with the Doctor.
"Can you set up some monitors to keep constant watch over her vitals? I need to get some medicine started to treat the clot in her foot." he said while checking her foot.
"Sure, what about starting an IV line, I assume that's the best method of delivery for the drug." said Harry rushing about Sarah, attaching monitoring lines.
"Harry you read my mind."
A nurse came in the room, looking to Harry for orders. "Finish attaching the monitors. Do we have any heated IV bags?"
"Yes Dr. Sullivan. The heating unit is to the right, inside the nurse's station. Would you like me to get one for you?" asked the nurse.
"No, keep attaching the monitors." said Harry as he ran out of the room.
The Doctor was finishing the readings. The clot was now larger but hadn't moved, which was a miracle in itself. He looked up to see the nurse had monitors attached to various parts of Sarah's body. Harry ran in the door with a warmed IV bag and was already attaching the needle that would deliver the Raprio into Sarah's blood supply. He pulled out the smaller bag of Raprio and hooked it onto the front of the other bag attaching it so that both would simultaneously be sent to Sarah. He looked up at Sarah's face. The pain was back and she was crying in her sleep. He found his coat discarded on a chair, and retrieved the injection of Kersh. He went to the left side of Sarah's bed and lowered her pajama bottoms at the waist a few inches to gain access to her upper thigh and gave her the injection. He watched her face and after a few minutes could see the Kersh was doing its job. She seemed to be relaxing.
After looking up at the readings of the various monitors he was able to let out the breath he had unconsciously been holding. Unbelievably other than her temperature, her readings were stable. He couldn't believe he had misread the situation so badly. He needed to get her health stabilized and then have a very uncomfortable talk with Sarah. He was going to tell her that he knew parts of her past. It killed him to cause her further pain, but he had to help her. This whole incident with the Averians had brought up too much of her past, a past she had buried and tried to move away from. Everything that she had worked so hard to put in her past, was now just below the surface and popping up. Since no one who had come in contact with Sarah in the past had mentioned anything about erratic behavior, he had to believe the incidents with the Averians had broken the wall she had successfully built to protect herself.
"Doctor? Doctor are you okay?" asked Harry, waving his hands in front of the Time Lord's face.
"Yes Harry, I'm sorry. I was just lost in thought." he said looking over at the nurse. "Thank you for all your help."
To Harry, he looked like a lost soul. "Doctor…" Harry realized the nurse was awaiting instructions. "Thank you nurse, that will be all." He waited till he heard the door shut to continue. "Doctor forgive me for saying, but you look terrible. Do you want to talk about it?"
"Harry I was so stupid. Why did I leave the room? I keep going over it and over it. I knew what was going on and I left the room anyway. I misjudged the whole situation. I wanted to believe that she was okay. I didn't want to think she might have been affected, I didn't want to think that she would regress to…" he realized he was saying too much and stopped himself. "I'm sorry Harry, it's nothing. Forget I said anything." he said as he sat down in the recliner leaning forward and putting his head in his hands.
"Maybe I can help. What did you mean when you said regress to? What do you know that I don't?" asked Harry trying to draw the Doctor out.
"I'm just babbling Harry. I do that a lot. If you don't believe me ask the Brigadier. I don't know how to thank you enough Harry." said the Doctor looking up from his chair.
"Doctor, I wasn't born yesterday. I know that you're hiding something, something about Sarah and her behavior today. I know you're trying to protect her, but just remember my offer. If you need help, no matter when, day or night, you can count on me. Can I get you anything, a nurse to help watch over her perhaps?"
"Yes Harry, could you line up three nurses to cover all three shifts of the day and night? They need to be caring and kind individuals, not strict. I won't have her belittled." the Doctor said looking at Sarah.
Harry didn't really understand the last part but he said, "Sure Doctor, I'll get started on it right away. Is there anything else I can do?"
"No thank you Harry. I'm just going to sit here and wait for her to wake up." said the Doctor.
"Right then, I'll see to the nurses. Good luck Doctor!" Harry said while walking away. Whatever it was that the Doctor knew, it was torturing him.