Doctor Who_ Return Of The Living Dad Part 39

Malagasy proverb

Falling

Towards a black mirror.

Angry eyes watching him fall. His last self 'No. I don't forgive you. Not yet.' forgive you. Not yet.'

The air ripped past him.

'Serves you right for killing me just so you could exist. Is it murder? Suicide? Patricide?' it murder? Suicide? Patricide?'

Tumbling, head down, unable to get a breath.

'You've been staving off Number Eight for so long.

Haven't you, "Time's Champion" ? What will he be capable of?' of?'

The mirror shattered around him with a terrible sound.

'That's the trouble with regeneration. You don't get to choose your next face.' choose your next face.'

The Doctor surfaced.

He drew a violent breath. He thrashed, trying to get another. He couldn't swim, he couldn't remember how to swim!

But his arms and legs remembered. They dragged him forward through the freezing water, instinct pulling him towards the lights on the sh.o.r.e.

The water wrenched him down, wrapping him in cold. He fought his way up, surfaced again, coughing and gasping.

Come on, he told himself, what's a little chill to the Ka Faraq Gatri?

The darkness closed over him again. But it wasn't the water. The singing in his head was becoming a frozen numbness' stabbing down into his shoulders and arms. He push at the water as it forced its way into his mouth and nose. Keep moving, aim for the light - Something grabbed him!

He tried to fight, tried to pull away, but it dragged him up out of the water, holding him tightly. A hand pressed against his chin, forcing his head back, and he realized after a moment that he could breathe.

He breathed, and let Isaac carry him to the sh.o.r.e.

Hands grabbed them as they reached the shallows, pulled them up onto the frozen ground. Isaac was kneeling, looking at him, shivering violently, pale hair plastered across his forehead.

The Doctor rolled away from him and coughed up about half the lake.

Someone draped a heavy blanket over him. When he could breathe again, they turned him gently so that he was wrapped in it, and lifted him up. He blinked up at Chris Cwej's worried countenance.

'This time?' the Doctor whispered.

The water closed over him.

28 Recovery

Chris carried the Doctor up the slope of the sh.o.r.e and through the long gra.s.s to the van. He held the little man like a fragile package, something expensive and rare that he didn't dare drop or jar.

Benny wrenched open the sliding door. 'Let's get him out of those wet clothes,' she said. Chris and Roz looked at each other. 'I'll do it,' Benny said.

They laid the Doctor down on the floor of the van. Joel was about to hop up inside, but Isaac put a hand on the boy's shoulder and shook his head. Benny's father was wrapped in another of the thick blankets, Joel holding his soaked jacket in one hand' his other arm in a sling.

'You all right, Dad?' she said' glancing up for just a moment. He nodded.

'Close the b.l.o.o.d.y door,' Roz said. 'The wind's freezing.'

Chris slammed it shut.

Benny unb.u.t.toned the Doctor's shirt. His skin was so cold, tinged with blue, but he wasn't shivering at all. Very bad sign. Roz helped her as she tugged the sodden shirt and jacket off The trousers were a bit more difficult. Chris hunched in the corner, looking faintly embarra.s.sed.

There was the network of scars over his left collarbone where an alien flower had ripped free. Lower than that, a single circular ridge of hardened tissue, the only trace of the bullet that had broken one of his hearts. There was that odd little tattoo, and there, a white mark so small anyone else might have missed it, where Ace had stabbed him.

'Wish there was a towel,' said Benny, absently.

Roz had leant into the front of the van' turning the keys in the ignition and switching on the heater. Now she took a Feinberger out of her medikit and played it over the deep gashes on the Doctor's forehead.

'Give me a moment,' said Benny.

'There's a sleeping bag behind the tent. Back there,' Roz gestured. Chris worked it free and pa.s.sed it to them. They pushed the Doctor into it. Benny unb.u.t.toned her sleeves and tugged off her denim shirt.

Now Chris really was blushing. But when Benny stretched her legs out towards him, he pulled off her shoes.

Roz tugged the zip closed. 'Tight fit,' Benny said. She snuggled up to the Time Lord, shivering all over, trying to press as much of their skin together as possible. Hanging onto him for dear life.

Roz crouched awkwardly beside them, using another Feinberger to patch up the wounds on the Doctor's forehead.

He was so cold they were barely bleeding.

Someone knocked on the pa.s.senger window. Roz reached over and rolled it down halfway. 'Now what?' Benny heard Isaac say.

'We can't do anything more for him,' said Roz. We'll keep him warm and quiet and let him do the rest.'

'Can he be moved?'

'Probably not a good idea,' said Roz. 'He's got a head injury.'

'We're right out in the open here,' said Isaac. 'Are you sure -'

'Give it a few hours,' said Roz.

'Right,' said Isaac. 'We'll make camp.'

'Tent,' Roz told Chris. He picked it up. Isaac opened the back door and Chris hopped out. Roz stopped to spread the blanket over the sleeping bag.

Jason was peering in Keith held inside his oversized coat. His eyes widened at Benny lying half-naked in a sleeping bag with the Doctor.

'Hypothermia treatment,' she told him.

'Er,' he said. He and Isaac looked at each other. 'Will you be all right?'

'All right, said Benny.

Roz gave her a nod and shut the door. Benny's ears rang in the sudden silence.

She cradled the Doctor's head in the crook of her arm.

'Guess it was my turn to do the sleeping-bag bit.' His hair was still wet, soaking her shoulder. 'Guess...'

Benny burst into tears. 'I can't think of anything clever to say,' she whispered. 'Please don't die.'

Chris spent half an hour and a whole box of matches trying to build a fire out of damp wood.

Ms Randrianasolo fussed over the Admiral, making him sit in the heated van while she and Roz struggled with the tent. They were taking turns to hold the single torch when Isaac switched on the headlights.

Isaac and Ms R ended up in an embarra.s.sed tangle inside the small tent, staving off the hypothermia with a hug.

It was cold and clear, the stars burning down. Roz zipped the tent shut and went back to the fire, where Chris was stretched out, trying to make the most of the pale heat.

Roz surprised him by lying down in front of him. He hesitated, then put an arm around her. They relaxed into the shape of one another.

For a long while, they just watched the fire, tracing the path of the tiny red specks that drifted down to the ground.

'We're not in love, are we?' Chris murmured.

'No,' said Roz. 'You can keep nibbling on my neck if you want, though.'

Chris sighed, his breath warm across her ear. 'I love you.'

'Yeah,' said Roz.

She turned in his arms, and they kissed again. This time Roz relaxed, let the warmth flow into her mouth and down through her body.

You love everybody,' she told him, when they came up for air. 'You fall in love on every planet we visit.'

No,' pleaded Chris. 'Oh no. This isn't like that. It's... If we're not in love, then what are we exactly?'

Roz rested her head on his chest. 'I guess we're two good friends who fancy one another,' she said.

'Oh...' Chris gave a little gasp of surprise.

'Yes,' said Roz. She pushed a hand up under his pullover' feeling him shiver at the touch of the cold air, her cold fingers. 'You're so handsome it's b.l.o.o.d.y ridiculous' all right?' Her hand was sandwiched between them, pressing against the strong muscles of his stomach. 'Doesn't mean I'm going to s.h.a.g you, though.'

'Oh, no,' said Chris earnestly. 'Of course not. I mean, whatever you like.'

'Guess you're pretty surprised to hear me say you're cute,' she said.

'Not really, not that,' he said. 'But you almost never come out and say that we're friends.'

He hugged her, the way he might hug a sister, and rolled onto his back. She nestled in the crook of his arm.

'We'd never make it as a twosome anyway,' said Roz.

'Not while we're with the Doctor. Look at Benny. She's so worried her family's going to get hurt, it's like she's been paralysed ever since we got here, too scared to jump in any direction.'

'On the other hand,' said Chris, ' carpe diem carpe diem and all that. and all that.

We might not get out of this alive.' He turned his head, glancing at the van.

Roz gave a small shrug. 'Every dawn you don't know if you'll see the dusk,' she said. 'You know something?'

'What?'

'I'm not worthy of you you,' she said. She went on before he could object. 'You don't need a grizzled old grump like me.