Doctor Who_ Halflife - Mark Michalowski [126]
the one in Nessus and the one down there? And when Trix is better, the one in Nessus will, what, join back up with the other one – or just fizzle away?’
Fitz shrugged, guiltily. This was why he didn’t want to be the Doctor. He wasn’t cut out for this kind of thing.
229
‘Right,’ said Sensimi slowly and firmly. Fitz jumped – he’d almost forgotten she was there. ‘So just remind me: who’s Reo again?’
The Doctor was sitting under a tree, a piece of grass in his mouth. He’d taken off his jacket, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and was doing his best to project an image of carefree country living. Calamee wasn’t fooled.
‘You must be the only person I know,’ she said, flopping down on the ground beside him, ‘who, when everything’s turned out OK, still has a face like a wet Thursday.’
‘Wednesday,’ he corrected her. ‘My face looks like a wet Wednesday. Wet Thursday faces are very different.’
‘Is there something we’ve missed, then?’ She raised her hand and began ticking off points on her fingers. ‘Tain’s still alive, Reo and the Trojan are gone, Fitz says that the wave has been stopped, and Trix is going to be fine.
How’s that for a result?’
The Doctor counted on his own fingers. ‘Alinti’s dead, Trove’s dead – and Trix nearly died.’
Calamee scowled. ‘You are such a misery, you know that? Is your glass always half empty, then?’
‘I don’t drink.’
‘Tell that to the barman last night. So what’s up? Why the long face, as the cow said to the horse?’
The Doctor tapped his head.
‘Fitz. The bits of him I’ve got in here. I never realised quite what it’s like to be one of my companions, my friends – how scary it can be, hanging around with me. I get caught up in the excitement, you know? I’ve done some big, bad things in the past – been responsible for. . . for stuff. And people stick by me – they really, really do.’
‘You shouldn’t be surprised – you’re very stick-by-able.’
The Doctor shook his head. ‘But why?’ He thumped his hand on the grass.
‘Why, that’s what I don’t understand. Today, I’ve felt a little of what it’s like to be Fitz – the uncertainty, the fear, the sheer exhaustion. And he still stays with me.’
‘Fitz has been saying the same thing – only backwards. He says it’s like being a hyperactive child mainlining caffeine, being you. I reckon that makes you even.’
He looked up at her, and she saw the tears in his eyes.
‘You’re tired,’ she said. ‘That’s all. You’ll be fine when you’ve had some rest.’
She took his hand and gave it a squeeze, and felt him press his head against her shoulder.
∗ ∗ ∗
230
Some time later, Calamee heard the sound of someone coming through the bushes. She turned to see Fitz, accompanied by Trix. Nessus – her new Nessus
– was trundling across the grass, looking around at everything as if he’d never seen it before. Sniffing, the Doctor disentangled himself from her, rubbed his nose with the back of his hand, and leaped to his feet.
‘Trix! How are you?’ he rushed over and started clucking around her. She waved him away, irritably.
‘I’m fine, Doctor, stop fussing.’
The Doctor dipped his head and peered at her, as though examining her over the rims of invisible spectacles.
‘How much do you remember?’ he asked.
‘Too much.’ She looked away from the Doctor, and Calamee thought she saw a guilty shadow flicker across her face. Trix tucked her hair back behind her ears, hoiked her bag on to her shoulder and opened her mouth, and for a moment, Calamee thought she was going to say something.
But she just took a deep breath, smiled tightly, and walked away.
‘She’ll take a while to get over it,’ said the Doctor understandingly.
Fitz made a tutting sound.
‘I get ridden around by a mad old Russian and how much concern do I get shown? She does a few acrobatics and suddenly she’s the golden girl.
Pft!’ He fished in his pockets and pulled out a surprisingly unbattered pack of cigarettes – Calamee saw the look on the Doctor’s face, and so did Fitz.
‘Filthy habit,’ said the Doctor, but Calamee saw how he leaned in slightly and sniffed