A few hours later Yaz, Kate and Tegan come into the room. Tegan stands back a bit and sees her good friend not like herself. "How is he," Yaz asks Ryan.

"He's doing ok considering."

Tegan comes up and asks as quietly as possible, "how's she?"

"This is the first time I have met Ace, I don't know. Though when they found out who she was they got us this room quickly, saying she is their top donor."

"That is not surprising, they have the best pediatrics department."

Ace looks up from her position, "Kate, Tegan, Yaz when did you get here."

Tegan walks up to her friend and puts her hand on Ace's shoulder, "we haven't been here for long sweetie. When was the last time you ate?"

"Before I got into work, Graham and I stopped for a coffee and a pastry."

Deciding not to comment on that, "that was over 10 hours ago."

"Oh, I did not realize that. I haven't been hungry."

"You need to eat."

"You do," Yaz and Kate add.

"I just don't want to leave his side in case something happens."

"Ryan, Yaz and Kate will be here, you and I will go down to the cafeteria to grab you something."

"I will text you if something happens Ace," Yaz tells her.

"I."

The Doctor who has been standing to the side, speaks up, "Ace, you need to take care of yourself too. If Graham found out you refused to eat when you were here waiting for him to wake up, what would he say?"

"How can you forget to eat Ace. I would never want you to starve yourself."

"Exactly, now go with Tegan. I also won't leave until you get back."

"Professor, as much as it means that you are still here, I feel like some kind of trouble will start up, some unfriendly aliens will try to take over the hospital or something."

"Why?"

"Wherever you are trouble follows."

"Come on Ace."

"Doctor," Kate interjects, "right now we have Graham to worry about," she wishes there would be a phrase that would get him out that Ace or anyone in the room wouldn't recognize.

"But."

"Professor please."

"How about I go with you two. Two of my oldest friends."

"That sounds fine, considering last time you avoided us like the plague," Tegan says, trying to diffuse a situation for once. Tegan walks out taking Ace by her arm and the Doctor follows.

After they sit down, "so Tegan, how is Nyssa doing?"

"How did you know about us Doctor?"

"I check in with all of you every now and then since I regenerated a few times ago."

"How many was it?"

"I don't know, it was before I met Amy and Rory, but after I had to wipe Donna's memory of me to save her life."

"So traveling with you is still dangerous," Ace says. Tegan looks at her friend.

"You know Doctor, Ace here is one of the best in helping aliens transition to life here on earth. She even has Nyssa as her COO."

"That's brilliant." They look at Ace who is just pushing her food around. "Ace please eat, I am worried about you."

"And I am worried about Graham," she retorted back.

"Ace, please eat," Tegan pleads to her friend.

"Ok," Ace picks up her sandwich and takes a few bites.

"Ace?"

"Yes Professor?"

"How is the charity going?"

"Good, but I need to call Nyssa to tell her to take my meetings until Graham is better."

"She knows."

"What do you mean?"

"I called her on the way and told her what happened with Graham, she is also worried about you?"

"Why?"

"Ace," Tegan sighs, "she knows you have feelings for the man, and if your reaction and refusal to eat is anything to go by, you can't deny it."

"You are forgetting the times you begged me to get something to eat when we were traveling together."

"Professor."

"No Ace, I am telling the truth, you are also important. You know how important you are to me. Remember our conversation in the volcano?"

"I do."

"It's true."

"It was right after you fizzled away that I met Graham," she smiles, "he screamed when he almost met the ionized side of my bat, and tried to trick me with psychic paper."

"Not many people in this century can stop being fooled by that."

"I am not many people."

"I know that Ace's are rare."

"Ohh Professor," Ace groans.

"Do I finally know something Ace is annoyed by," Tegan jokingly adds which makes Ace look at her eyes going wide, "my it must really annoy you with that reaction.

"It's just one of their," she gestures to the Doctor, "many horrible dad jokes."

"Oi, I am still right here." The Doctor goes along happy it seems that Ace is smiling with their teasing as she takes another bite of her food.

"Oh we know that," Tegan adds, hoping to keep it up.

"Remember when you first met Kate's dad, Ace?"

"Of course I do."

"He liked your spunk."

"Who doesn't like spunk?"

"Oh I don't know?'' The Doctor adds, "I know my favorites out of you always had some spunk."

"Thank you Professor."

"There are some people that told me at times, I acted like an overprotective father to you."

"Well you did at times. Even when I was of age you scolded me when I wanted a drink."

"He did the same for Adric and Nyssa, though Adric never got to be of age." The Doctor looks at Tegan.

"Doctor, why do two of your worst enemies have to be obsessed with earth?"

"I don't know, they should know it is protected not only by me, but by my friends too."

"Family Doctor, family. Graham has told me how traveling with you helped him grieve Grace."

"Did he tell you that he almost reenacted revenge on the one who did it?"

"Yes, Ryan is what stopped him, though you did tell him that if he did that you would've dropped him off."

"I was serious about that. There were a few times that those two had to blow things up, maybe you can teach them some of the safety precautions you take."

"I don't know if I want Graham around my Nitro-999 anytime soon."

"Dorothy," the Doctor sighs, "I saw what happened; it was more a Dalek blast than Nitro."

"How is he alive then?"

"The Nitro-999 made it go to stun, then he hit his head on the ground."

"I want him to wake up."

Tegan puts her hand on Ace's, "so do we all, now finish up, you only have a few more bites left."

"I guess I was hungrier than I thought."

"I knew you were Ace, I fully understood what the Doctor was saying about you and eating." Ace screws up her nose as she takes the last few bites. The three of them go back up, Ace almost goes to the chair but stands back when she sees Yaz is in it. Thinking the young woman he sees as a Granddaughter deserves to be there more, she stands at his feet and starts to lean against the bed.