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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 shore.

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 shore.

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 shore and through the long grass 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 bloody door,’ Roz said. ‘The wind’s freezing.’

Chris slammed it shut.

Benny unbuttoned 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 embarrassed.

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 passed it to them. They pushed the Doctor into it. Benny unbuttoned 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 passenger 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