Still continuing on from the last story. Please let me know if this idea is too far-fetched, or if you like it ^_^

Chapter 15: A Miracle

"Mickey, get the defibrillator!"

Martha's anxious scream made me sit up sharply, in time to see Mickey run past me out the doors towards the TARDIS. I turned towards the spare room. The door was wide open, revealing the Doctor lying on a bed, Martha peering in the direction Mickey had gone and Mum and Dad standing out of the way looking very concerned.

"What, what's going on?" I asked, standing and walking over.

"Both hearts have stopped!" Martha cried, reaching for the defibrillator from Mickey. "Clear!" she shouted as the pulse was sent through the Doctor's chest.

Nothing.

She repeated the process and this time, the heart monitors that he was hooked up to showed a faint beat from each heart. Martha then performed CPR, as his breathing hadn't returned with his hearts. Once he was taking in shallow but consistent breaths, she sat back on her heels and took a few deep ones herself.

My eyes prickled with unshed tears as I took in the scene. The frail, sunken, weak figure of the Doctor, barely hanging on. Mum and Dad looking from him to me, worried and clearly wishing there was something they could do. Mickey, frustration reaching a peak as he stormed back outside. And Martha, gazing at the Doctor with a hopeless look on her face.

I walked over and placed my hand on his cheek, kneeling down. "Come on, Doctor, come back to us." I whispered. Martha turned to me.

"I'm sorry." She murmured, sounding close to tears herself. "There's little else I can do. If he survives, he survives. If he doesn't…"

"He'll regenerate." I said, the words coming out harsher than I'd intended. "That's better than him dying."

Martha nodded. "Yeah."

Another day passed. There were no more emergencies, but no improvement either. I started feeling better and better and wondered if somehow I was sucking the life out of him. Then I realised how stupid that was.

Martha set up a drip in order to try and give him some strength. Enough to fight off the fever. Enough to recover.

I found myself, like Martha, sleeping in that room as the days ticked by. Mum and Dad didn't complain.

On the fourth morning, I couldn't take it anymore. I stalked out of the house, avoiding the TARDIS who I knew couldn't do anything, and wandered down towards the dam. As I stared out over the dam, sitting on the ground and the wind blowing strands of hair across my eyes, I could only hear the Doctor's voice in my head over and over, see his face, and know that he never knew how much I loved him.

I stood and walked to the edge, letting the wind take my thoughts.

After some time had passed, perhaps an hour, I began heading back. Halfway up the backyard, I heard the back door open and looked up.

"Talia, you've got to come!"

It was Martha. Her face was pale and full of anguish. I ran.

"What is it?"

"He's…starting to regenerate. He's woken…and asking for you." She sounded like she was trying not to cry.

My legs moved faster than my mind, carrying me to the room. Sure enough, the Doctor's eyes were open and a faint golden shimmer was coming from his face and hands. His eyes brightened slightly when I entered, kneeling next to the bed.

"Talia." He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"No." I murmured. A lump grew in my throat. "This isn't supposed to happen."

"Your series got it wrong. I can't stop it." He said, giving me a tiny smile.

I shook my head, gripping his arm. "But, last time you channelled the energy into your hand. Couldn't you channel it into something this time?"

He frowned. "It would have to be something living, and humans can't handle Time Lord energy."

"You don't know that. Has it ever been done?" I asked.

"No. But it's just logical. I wouldn't risk any of you, just to keep this face."

The golden light grew more prominent. He smiled at me again.

I shook my head, determined. "If it's never been tried, now's the best time. Use me. I'm putting myself on the line."

"Don't be silly." Martha snapped. "Let Mickey or I do it."

Mum and Dad were in town, but I was sure if they were there they would have offered as well.

"No. If you will, Doctor, let it be me."

He only had seconds to make up his mind, which I knew would work in my favour. I stared at him, waiting as each second ticked by like an age.

I stood, and as I got to my feet, it happened. He reached up and grabbed my hand, forming the connection.

The energy that enveloped him hit me like a bus. I staggered backwards, dropping his hand. The others moved out of the way, while the force of it drove me to my knees and then to all fours. Finally, it was too much for even that, so I curled into a ball on the ground as the energy continued to stream into me. My vision was overtaken by a wash of golden light, and all I could hear was its rushing, even when eventually it stopped. I was left shaking as it coursed through my veins.

After about twenty seconds, the light faded and I was able to hear again, although I could still feel it in every cell of my body. A hand gripped mine and pulled me to my feet, and suddenly I was staring into the eyes of the Doctor.

"She's glowing!" I heard Martha gasp.

"And look at her eyes!" Mickey also cried.

The Doctor's face was full of concern. My mind was floating in the exhilaration the energy was bringing. I realised that every time I breathed out through my mouth, a small puff of the energy floated out. I wanted to hug him, to speak, but I couldn't. My mind didn't seem to want to send the correct commands to my arms of voice box.

"Take deep breaths." He told me and I did so, feeling weaker and weaker with each breath as the energy flowed out of me in gusts.

I swallowed. "Doctor."

He smiled. "You…alright now?"

"Yeah." I murmured, suddenly feeling very drowsy. My eyelids demanded to close, but I forced them to remain open. The Doctor gently sat me down on the bed. "You?"

"Fine. You know how it works. My concern is you. That was Time Lord energy; not really the sort of thing for a human to absorb. I don't know why you made me do it." His tone was that of annoyance.

"I'm alright, I promise. Just really tired."

"No kidding." He said quietly, and I dimly realised that Martha and Mickey had left the room.

Almost unconsciously I felt myself relax and lean sideways, only realising so when I came into contact with his shoulder. I jumped, "Sorry!"

He chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Don't be. Come on!" He leapt up and pulled me to my feet before gently putting an arm around me and leading me towards my room. "If you don't rest now, the energy will come back to haunt you. It's not completely gone, it's only reduced to a level that a human could handle."

I was so exhausted that I didn't even register getting into bed. The next second I was lying down, and the Doctor squeezed my shoulder affectionately before leaving. A faint smile crossed my lips as I mingled into unconsciousness.

When I woke, what seemed like hours later, it was to the sound of voices in the next room.

"So, how did you end up on Thom?" The Doctor was asking. I presumed he was asking Mickey and Martha, because I had wondered that myself.

"Jack." Mickey answered.

"He gave us his Vortex Manipulator a few months back." Martha explained. "He said that we wouldn't get in trouble with you if we were using it, but that he would."

"He programmed it so it locked on to the TARDIS." Mickey continued. "We couldn't believe it when we found you and Talia in the state you were in."

I could picture the Doctor grinning as he said, "Well, I have you and Jack to thank, then, for that amazing rescue. And Talia, of course. I know you're listening by the way!"

How did he do that? Ears like a hawk. The Doctor must have heard the difference in my breathing. I smiled, getting up and going into the next room. "No, you lot woke me up."

The Doctor approached and gave me a quick hug, which I returned. "You alright then, now?"

"Fine." I said. "No trace of the energy left inside me. None that I can feel, anyway."

"We can't jump to conclusions." The Doctor warned. "This may come back to haunt us later, in a good way or a bad way."

I shrugged; he was always a worrier. "I'm sure we'll work it out if anything happens in the future."

He looked as though he didn't share my optimism.

Next chapter follows on from this one, but takes place a few weeks afterwards. It's one single chapter that I couldn't really add anything else on to, but afterwards some cool stuff happens!