Someone was following them. He could hear their footsteps above his on the hard, tile floor. They were almost matching him for pace, trying to keep up, wanting to overtake him. They wanted to know what was going on, why he was treating his granddaughter in that fashion, he knew that but he wasn't going to let that stop him. His son had to know what had happened to his niece. He had a right to know. He wasn't going to be a party to keeping his son in the dark about what had happened to her during her time wherever she had run away to. The longer he delayed the harder it would be for him to get Robyn to talk. She had barely told him everything, he knew there was more. There was something she was holding back but he wasn't sure what. Questions began to form in his mind. They spun around as he thought about them, trying to find their answers.

Did she know who had attacked her? Had she known them before the attack? What had made her leave her home in the first place? What was his son holding back from him?

Another question had posed itself on his mind but it was less urgent than the others. It was something that could wait until later, much later. Even though he tried to push it to the back of his mind it wouldn't go. It refused to be ignored and kept coming back to the front of his mind, who was following them? He didn't want to turn around and find out, there wasn't time, but as the moments drifted by his curiosity fought to get the better of him. He began to think that a quick backward glance wouldn't do any harm, it certainly wouldn't halt his progress towards his son's room any. The more he thought about it the more he wanted to try it, he might be proven wrong after all, maybe the person wasn't following them but was heading in the same direction. Maybe they just wanted to get past him because he was blocking the way. He couldn't deny that his granddaughter's struggles were making it awkward for him to walk in a straight line. Following this assumption he stopped walking, it would give him a chance to speak with his granddaughter when the stranger had passed by. She was starting to annoy him.

Instead of passing by, the stranger came to a halt in front of him. It was a man of average if not slightly above average height with a slender frame and chiselled features. His hair was a sandy, blonde colour, neatly combed back and perfectly under control. Two Neptune blue eyes stared at him from beneath thin brows that were knitted together in a tight frown of defiance, a silent challenge that demanded an answer.

"Doctor Malone!" Robyn exclaimed recognising the man standing before her and her grandfather.

Doctor Malone nodded and then looked up at Nine, "What's going on here?"

"I'm taking my granddaughter to discuss something with my son." Nine replied as if holding his fully grown granddaughter under his arm was a usual occurrence.

"I'd suggest that it wait until morning and that you put her down now."

"Who are you to tell me what I should and should not do?"

"I am a Doctor at this Hospital. I apologise for being abrupt, Sir, but if you refuse to release your granddaughter I will have no choice but to call security."

With a total look of disdain, Nine did as he was asked. The last thing he wanted was to waste his time in a confrontation with a doctor. It was hard for him to accept it but he would have to wait until the next day before he could get Robyn to talk to Sportacus about what she had told him. Once he was sure that Robyn was safely in the seemingly capable hands of the doctor he made his exit pausing only to cast a black look in the doctor's direction. Only Robyn could tell that beneath his seeming calm he was rigid with anger. She hoped it was an anger he would do little to exert and which he would forget quickly. Something told her that he was best avoided when his carefully strangled emotions forced themselves free for a mere few seconds.

A slight touch on her left shoulder brought Robyn gently back to the real world. Realising that she had let her mind wander she shook her thoughts away and turned to face the doctor. With slightly tinted cheeks she smiled an apology at him.

Doctor Malone smiled back understandingly for a moment at most but then his smile shifted to one of slight concern.

"What are you doing here so late, Robyn? You should be home, you're father will be worried." Doctor Malone asked holding a hand to Robyn's arm.

Robyn looked down briefly at the mention of the word father before fixing her eyes back on Doctor Malone's, "Kit's here. He was attacked. It's not serious, well it could have been, it was, but he's getting better. He's in pain though, more than he lets on but he won't let me help him and he refuses his medication until they more or less force him to have it."

"That's not good. Look, let me give you a lift home and when I come back I'll talk to him, I promise."

"You don't have to do that,"

"Do what?"

"Give me a ride home."

Doctor Malone shook his head, "Of course I do. How else will you get there? Come along, we ought to get going."

Unable to make any protest to the doctor's kind offer, Robyn walked with him towards the canteen to pick up her crutch. Once she had been reunited with it he led her to the staff exit of the hospital. As they stepped out into the chill night air Robyn regretted not bringing something warmer with her. She could feel her body trembling in an effort to kindle some heat into it while her teeth threatened to chatter. Her discomfort didn't escape the notice of her companion as he turned around to allow her entry to the passenger seat of his car. Once more his brows had knotted into that frown of concern she knew so well, a frown she had seen many times during her time as his patient in both the hospital and the safe house.

"You're cold," He stated with a voice filled with inflections of sympathy, "Here, take my jacket."

As the Doctor began to free himself of his jacket Robyn shook her head, "I can't."

"Of course you can. Here, lean on the car a moment while I take my other arm out. Make sure you don't fall, I won't have you as a patient as well."

Robyn watched as the Doctor removed his remaining arm from his jacket. Opening it up he helped her slip it on. The silk it was lined with was still warm from his body heat and helped to make her feel a little warmer while her body started to generate its own warmth. She smiled her thanks to the Doctor as he helped her into the car. When she was in safely he shut the door and walked around to the driver's side of the car. He was soon inside and had started the engine. After looking around to make sure it was safe to do so he pulled out of his parking space and started on the journey to Lazytown.

The atmosphere inside the car was relaxed, neither person within felt any need to speak nor was their silence uncomfortable. From what she could tell Doctor Malone was a careful driver but was by no means sluggish. He kept a steady pace while being careful to check his mirrors every few seconds to see what was on the road beside him, it was something that was hardly necessary as at time of the night there was no one else on the road. With nothing much more to look at than the interior of the dark car Robyn moved her eyes to the panel on the dashboard behind the steering wheel. It was with slight dismay that she noticed that he was almost low on fuel. She was about to tell him so when it appeared that he had noticed. The look on his face told him that it wasn't a good thing to happen.

"I'll have to pull over. There's no point going on, there's nowhere I can fill the car up that we'll reach before the car runs out. The only thing I can do is take my fuel can and walk to one." Doctor Malone explained bringing the car to a halt.

His voice was filled with impatience that was aimed solely at himself.

Robyn frowned slightly, "What about me? I can't walk very far and certainly not in the dark."

"You'll have to stay here." Doctor Malone replied turning on the light above his head, "Lock all the doors while I'm gone and stay put. I promise I'll try not to be long. We'll get you home, don't worry."

As the Doctor left the car and gathered his fuel can Robyn couldn't help but feel that this was something easier said than done. She was soon to be alone in a car surrounded by darkness in the middle of nowhere. It was hard for her to convince herself that he would be back shortly. As he handed her the keys and said goodbye she felt helpless to stop him.

Before she knew it, he was gone.