The Doctor reached for Rose, grasping desperately to catch her. But then Rose was bobbing up in front of him, and he realized that she'd been released from the rocky trap. With immeasurable relief, he surfaced and clasped her hand.

"All right?" he asked.

She nodded. "You?"

"Yep. Now let me do the work; don't move your legs."

Without further discussion, he wrapped his right arm around her chest and began to swim back to shore. When they reached the shallow water, he shifted around to lift her into his arms, instructing her to keep her injured leg as still as possible. He carried Rose out of the water and lay her gently upon the warm sand.

Immediately his hands moved to examine her leg. He could feel the solidity of the bone; thankfully it had not shattered. As he'd suspected, however, it was broken. He was fairly certain that she'd sustained a nondisplaced, simple transverse fracture.

When he looked back up at her face, he found that she was ashen.

"I know it hurts," he told her gently, "but it won't for long. Just hang on, Rose."

He lifted her into his arms again, his hearts aching at the moan she tried to suppress. He decided not to take the time to immobilize the leg; the difference in pain would not be worth the extra minutes.

Quickly he strode over the sand then up the path to the cliff. The ship sat in a small clump of trees. He hurried toward it and rapidly got Rose inside.

"Almost there," he told her, glancing down at her face. Her half-open eyes were glassy, and her skin was very cool. She was slipping into shock.

He reached the infirmary in a few long strides and set her carefully upon the examination couch. Immediately he administered a local anesthetic and medication to stabilize her system and prevent complications from the shock.

She shuddered a breath and opened her eyes fully. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Do you feel any pain?" he asked, sparing a moment to brush the wet hair away from her brow.

"Uh uh."

"Good."

He stepped away to retrieve one of the scanners then swiftly secured an image of the broken bone. He'd been correct in his diagnosis. Fortunately the damage would not be terribly difficult to repair. It could have been much worse.

"Doctor," Rose said huskily.

He was busy programming the proper setting on the fracture repair device. "Hmm?"

"'M a little… cold."

He looked back at her. Sea water continued to cling to her skin and saturated her hair, and she still wore only her banana yellow bikini. He found a thick towel and blotted some of the water from her hair, then he tucked a warm, absorbent blanket around her shoulders and hips.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yeah… thanks." Her eyelids lowered again. "Sleepy," she added with a slight slur.

"Then sleep, Rose. When you wake everything will be fine."

"Mmn," she replied.

She slipped into slumber and lay quietly while he carefully adjusted her leg, aligning the bones perfectly before using the device to knit them back together. He scanned the femur again, and, satisfied with his work, placed a plastic brace on her leg. The limb would need to remain motionless for several hours in order for the healing to complete fully.

He suspected she'd be more comfortable on one of the infirmary beds. However, at the moment, she was breathing deeply, clearly still asleep. So he had a little time before he needed to move her. Turning away from her, he pushed up his right sleeve and ran his fingers gingerly over his elbow. Now that Rose was out of danger, he permitted himself to wince, but he did not cry out.

He scanned his arm to confirm the hairline fracture of the distal humerus then wriggled his arm into the correct position before using the repair device. He wouldn't require a brace; his healing abilities were sufficient to accept the mend and almost immediately integrate it into his system.

Still, he gave himself a few minutes to sink down onto one of the beds and catch his breath. It was supposed to be a pleasant day at the beach… His gaze found Rose, and he raked a hand through his damp hair. She was out of danger; she'd be fine. But still his hearts beat a little too fast, and he could not completely shake the residual fear curling up in his belly.