The rest of the operation was conducted in silence, apart from James' muttered requests to Tristan for medical paraphernalia or antiseptic powder. After what felt for all concerned like an impossibly long time, James pulled the final cat-gut stitch through the side-wound and sat back, surveying his handiwork nervously. "There's nothing we can do now," he said; "We just have to hope that it was enough. And that they come round when the anaesthetic wears off."
"How long will that be?" demanded Turlough, his confidence in earthling medicine not vastly improved by James' obvious insecurity.
"Not too long if this were an ordinary dog. However, for an alien creature like this, no idea. If there's no infection and no adverse reaction to the antiseptic or the anaesthetic, then they shouldn't have any reason not to wake up…" He realised that he wasn't reassuring anyone, and stopped talking.
If the wait for the operation to finish had felt long, this was nothing to how the three humans and Turlough felt as they sat waiting for the two patients to wake, not even knowing whether they ever would. The August sun shone exuberantly and brilliantly down on them, tempered just enough by a light breeze breathing over them the scents of bracken, peat, heather and late summer, while skylarks twittered endlessly in the impossibly blue sky, too high to be seen, and the occasional curlew trilled a triumphant descant over the alto burbling of peewits, but none of it was noticed by the four watchers. The Doctor's companions were muttering to each other, their voices hushed, as if they were trying not to disturb a sleeping child.
"Do you think he'd be able to regenerate if…you know…?"
"How should I know? He's just as alien to me as to you, Tegan. And you're the one who's seen it happen."
"That doesn't mean I know anything about how it works…oh, where's Nyssa when you need her? She would know."
Suddenly, Tegan thought she noticed the Sheppa give a slight twitch, almost too slight to notice, and felt a sudden surge of hope that left her almost breathless in its intensity. Before she could say anything, the toes of its front paws suddenly uncurled and stretched themselves into long, fur-covered, prehensile fingers and its eyes snapped open. It regarded all four for a split second where it lay, then suddenly leapt up as if realising something vitally important. A moment later, the Doctor took a long, shuddering breath and opened his eyes. He sat up in the heather and blinked, while the Sheppa shook itself and bounded to the Doctor's side, apologising profusely and enthusiastically.
"An Empathy bond! My dear fellow, I can't apologise enough. Absolutely mortified! It's no excuse, I know, but I had absolutely no idea…couldn't help a thing…Absolutely mortified…" The Doctor shook his head, smiling.
"Absolutely no need to apologise, my dear chap," he reassured the creature; "You weren't yourself. I should never have startled you. Please say no more about it."
"Terribly decent of you." The Sheppa seemed to relax, then noticed the stitches in its side, contorted itself to sniff deeply at them, then turned to James and Tristan, who were watching their patient with some apprehension. "Am I to understand that I have you to thank for saving this poor gentleman and myself? I am eternally in your debt, my dear fellows, eternally. Anything I can ever do for you, it will never be enough…absolutely anything…" The enthusiasm of the Sheppa's thanks were unfortunately wasted on the two vets, who, unable to understand his language, heard only snuffling, whining and yelping noises not dissimilar to those made by an excited dog too well-trained to bark. The Doctor, escaping from Tegan's furious lecture about not ever putting her and Turlough through anything like that ever again or There Would Be Trouble, approached them. The Sheppa was becoming increasingly upset by his inability to communicate his thanks adequately, and turned to the Doctor pleadingly. "Sorry to bother you again, old chap, but would you happen by any chance to speak the same language as these gentlemen? I don't speak the local lingo, and I'm having a deuce of a time trying to make them understand me." The Doctor smiled.
"Of course" He turned to James and Tristan; "The Sheppa wishes me to tell you that he is eternally in your debt for having saved his life, and that he only wishes there were something he could do to repay you." James and Tristan glanced at each other, then their faces simultaneously split into wide grins and, suddenly, they began to laugh. The others stared, and James managed to pull himself together enough to explain.
"Sorry, Doctor. It's just that, in all the operating, stitching, treating and life-saving that we do on a daily basis, that's the first, and probably the last, time that any of our patients has ever said thank-you. It's quite a novel feeling."
"A very nice feeling" added Tristan, then glanced at his watch. "My God, James! Look at the time!" James looked at his own watch, and realised that he should have been finished at Hampson's by now.
"Gosh, you're right, Triss. Well, I'd better be off. Doctor, it's been…an experience. Sorry to dash off like this, and please tell your Sheppa friend that it was all in a day's work, and a pleasure to operate on such an appreciative patient. I also deeply apologise for Tristan." The young man in question looked offended, but not surprised, and James hurried off down the hill with a wave.