Doctor Who_ Return of the Living Dad - Kate Orman [84]
To her annoyance’ Benny decided to join her. ‘How’s everything going?’ she said, and wiggled her eyebrows.
‘Nothing is going anywhere,’ she muttered.
‘That was a rather serious kiss,’ the archaeologist insisted. ‘I thought I was going to have to cover Joel’s eyes’
that first time. Goodness’ I thought I was going to have to cover my eyes.’
‘He was delirious,’ said Roz.
You weren’t.’
It was the heat of the moment!’ exploded Roz as quietly as she could manage. ‘I just responded automatically. There is nothing between us.’
‘Yes there is,’ said Benny. ‘About twenty years. Not to mention the attitude gap.’
Roz made a face. ‘Men,’ she said.
Benny glanced back at Jason, who was swinging Keith up into the air, gently. The boy was laughing. ‘You’ve had a bit of a rough ride where they’re concerned, haven’t you?’
she said.
‘You should talk,’ said Roz. She cupped her chin in her hand. ‘I don’t need this. I don’t need it now. Why’d he decide to do this now?’
‘It’s been coming for a long time, hasn’t it?’
‘Yeah,’ sighed Roz. ‘He’s had a puppy crush on me since he was first squired to me. Familiar pattern. Familiar bloody pattern,’ she said bitterly.
‘Is it just a crush?’
‘I don’t know. He idolizes me the way I idolized my Senior. Doesn’t he know it’s a cliché? I mean’ doesn’t he know how dangerous it is? What if they get killed in the line of duty’ or... ?’
‘What if they’re on the make, and you have to kill them yourself?’ said Benny, very gently.
‘Let’s change the subject,’ said Roz.
‘You could do a lot worse than Chris. He’s a good man.
And he’s a wicked kisser.’ Benny grinned.
‘I’ll bet he’s a morning person,’ muttered Roz.
‘Maybe we should wait...’
‘We can’t wait.’ Albinex waved a thick limb at M’Kabel.
‘Um. I’m supposed to make sure he doesn’t get hurt,’
said the Tzun.
‘Of course he’s going to get hurt,’ said Albinex. ‘We’re interrogating him.’
M’Kabel glanced at the Doctor, who was lying on the bar, his hat held neatly on his chest. ‘Well, if you kill him, you’re not going to find out the codes, are you?’ he whispered.
‘Carry on,’ said the Doctor cheerfully, waving his hat.
Why stop when you’re failing miserably?’
Albinex stormed over to him. ‘Do you think this is funny?’
he snarled. ‘This is not funny.’
The ghost, who had been sulking in a corner of the ceiling’ drifted down to him. The Doctor sat up, holding his hat in one hand’ peering at her. ‘Are you all right?’ he said.
I’M TIRED, said the ghost.
I’m not surprised. This is hard work.’
I WANT TO GO HOME.
Albinex raised his limbs in an angry gesture. The Doctor and the ghost looked at him. For a moment, M’Kabel thought the Navarino was going to hit one of them.
‘Show him what death is like,’ said Albinex.
‘No!’ said M’Kabel.
‘Bradbury did it first,’ said the Doctor.
‘No,’ insisted M’Kabel. ‘This is sacrilege. It’s in the Book of Names.’
The Doctor looked the Tzun in his black eyes. ‘No one may look at the face of Death,’ he recited. ‘No one may strike a bargain with Death. No one may make an image of Death, No one may speak the name of Death.’
‘No details,’ said Albinex. ‘Just the moment itself.’
‘Because she has no face to look upon,’ whispered M’Kabel. ‘And no name to speak.’
The ghost traced the Doctor’s shoulder with a burning finger. For a moment, he stared into nothing, his face reflecting surprise, denial, curiosity, acceptance. Then he slumped sideways onto the bar.
M’Kabel pushed him back before his limp form could roll onto the floor. His slender fingers sought a pulse in the Doctor’s throat. ‘He’s alive,’ he breathed.
IT WAS ONLY ONE OF HIS DEATHS, said the ghost.
THE NEXT ONE.
‘Now you can rest,’ Albinex told her. ‘We’ll try something else later.’
She should never have left him alone.
Benny had sent Jason across the road on an expedition for nappies and baby food. Keith had been too tired to eat, worn out with the excitement of his unexpected arrival. Benny had changed him and taken him upstairs to the guest bedroom,