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The Doctor climbed the hill and knocked on Wilf's door. The door flew open so quickly he had to duck back to avoid being smacked with it. He blinked at the man who exited and gave him a kind smile. "Hello." He greeted Shaun Temple.
Shaun didn't know what to think. Wilf had gone on, very insistently, about this man. He said he was a genius and had a 'special' way he went about things. Wilf told him he knew his friend Williams Pond could solve Donna's problem. He had seemed so confident, Shaun didn't have the heart to suggest that maybe Donna needed an actual professional. He knew his wife was tired of all of the professionals, but turning to alternative methods of finding answers didn't sit well with him. Since this Pond man hadn't charged them for the home visit and was a friend of Wilf's, he kept his doubts to himself.
He was pretty sure it wouldn't hurt her, but he didn't care for it. Still, he reached out and shook the Doctor's hand. "Shaun Temple. Thanks for your time." He didn't even ask if he'd been able to help Donna at all. It was a definite brush off.
"It was my pleasure." The Doctor greeted him and smiled as Shaun headed back down the hill. He hoped he could get Donna to agree to some sleep.
The Doctor turned back as Wilf stepped out.
"Did you do it? Is she okay now?" Wilf's wide, hopeful eyes greeted him.
The Doctor kept his smile in place. "She's okay now." He agreed with a nod, deciding not to go into details of what he'd found inside her mind. No need in confusing or potentially upsetting his old friend. "Donna will be...Donna." He patted Wilf's shoulder reassuringly.
"Oh!" Wilf's body seemed to relax before his very eyes as he smiled back. "Thank you, Doctor! Thank you so much! Donna, she needs you, you see!"
Before Wilf could launch into trying to convince him to somehow bring Donna's memories back, the Doctor thought it best to be on his way as quickly as possible.
"Happy to help, Wilfred. Take care now." He turned to leave, but Wilf stepped over to stop him.
"Wait. You're just going to leave now? But what if she needs you again, Doctor?"
"Wilf, you should be careful using my name here." He reminded him.
"Oh, you're right. I just got a bit excited. I've been watching the sky for you, and thinking about you like I promised. Every night! I thought Donna and Shaun were going to put a lock on the outside of my door last winter when I refused to come in without star gazing." He caused the Time Lord's smile to grow.
"Thank you." Was all the Doctor replied.
"You've been traveling around in that box of yours." Wilf looked up at the sky, then back at the Doctor. "Have you been..." He didn't quite know how to ask the wonderful alien man who had saved his granddaughter and his world time and again, if he was okay.
The Doctor's quiet smile grew ever so slightly more. "You worry too much, Wilfred Mott." With that, he turned and headed back down where he had, had to cloak the TARDIS at the side of Donna's home. He didn't look back.
Wilfred waved anyway. He was grateful. Donna would be okay. It was a bitter sweet meeting. He wished the Doctor would stay and take Donna on more trips, but he knew that couldn't happen.
Wilf was sad, but relieved that not only was Donna okay now, but the Doctor had, in fact, come when he'd called him. A worry over the past years since he'd last seen him, had been that if something really were to come up that he might need the Doctor for, the Doctor would not answer. He was relieved, surprised, delighted, and happy to see the Doctor still cared. No matter how much that man changed, he was still wonderful as far as Wilf was concerned.
Wilf hadn't had much time to ask questions of the Doctor. Mainly because the Doctor didn't seem to want to answer any. He wondered where the blue box was and why he didn't hear when it left. He turned and went back into his cottage. Finally, he could get a solid bit of sleep knowing his family was safe thanks once again to the Doctor.
Back on the TARDIS, a reflective Doctor slowly moved the console controls into motion.
The Doctor realized he'd been so intent on not allowing Wilf to ask him too many questions and to leave as quickly as possible that he had failed to ask an important question himself.
Just where had Wilfred Mott gotten his personal, private, newly re-designed interior TARDIS' telephone number? It hadn't even existed until after he crashed landed in Amelia Pond's backyard.
He frowned as he pondered on that one.
He barely delighted in the feel of the TARDIS's slight rocking as she took him through the vortex, a thing that normally had him grinning from ear to ear. Especially since he knew he was about to pick up two of his favorite people. But then, those two people didn't know Donna Noble.
Or, Donna Temple-Noble for that matter. They didn't know she'd saved the world. They didn't know she was the only companion he'd ever had who got away with slapping him so frequently. They didn't know how much fun they'd had, the laughter and the long talks. They couldn't ever understand the fun and joy he had gotten from being with her. Her feisty nature that had her making giant alien creatures back down. Whether faced with UNIT and their brunt ways, a ship full of Sontarans, or the blade of a knife, Donna was always brave. Braver than many.
Now he scolded himself, he was being too nostalgic and not giving others he cared about credit. Many friends he'd traveled with were just as brave. He'd loved and lost many friends over the centuries. It was just that he didn't often have to face them again after leaving them behind. It brought up memories that were painful and hard to cope with.
Amy was still quite a companion. She wasn't afraid to speak her mind either. To the point it got her into trouble sometimes. Plus she was also a ginger. Lucky! He trusted her greatly and was happy she was around, even if he was slowly destroying her life. He shook his head and shoved that thought aside.
And there was Rory. Rory was a soothing force in the TARDIS. He reminded him daily of the vulnerability and the astounding amazingness that is Human Being. Rory was so quiet and unassuming, only a handful knew he'd guarded over his love for nearly two thousand years and still manage to retain his heart felt self. He didn't lose himself in all that time. He clung to his love to help him hold onto his humanity.
The Doctor smiled as he thought of his friends and started the TARDIS engines up. He still felt he was missing something, but all seemed well enough.
He focused on Amy and Rory because focusing on the past did not help now. Focusing on Donna was nothing more than guilt. She was safe and generally happy and those episodes she had would be gone now that he helped ease her mind, literally. She would be fine. She had her life, he had his. He reaffirmed these thoughts to himself before focusing fully on the present.
He thought excitedly about where he should take Amy and Rory on their next adventure.
Back at Donna's home...
Donna Temple-Noble awoke in a sweat, panting as she sat bolt upright on the sofa. She started to scream.