He watched over her shaking form, and bit his lip. This too was agony, but it was necessary. If he was going to get his Donna back he had to let this change happen. He imagined it felt like the Chameleon Arch had for him. He didn't know a way for the body to change like that, and it not hurt.

But finally the shaking stopped and she lay so still he reached for a pulse at once. Beneath his fingers, for the first time since the change, a faint beat could be felt.

He scooted closer and opened and eye lid. Beneath them was the familiar blue. He let out an exhale, and pulled her body into his arms. She was limp, but she was alive, actually alive.

Her body was slowly heating again, and it was already feeling warmer than his skin. He carried her to bed, and not once did she even shift. He laid her down and sat at her bedside.

Hours passed, and he alternated between sitting at her side worrying and pacing and worrying. The book hadn't been too specific about this part of the change back. How long until she woke…would she wake?

He touched her cheek to find her burning up, way hotter than any human should be. He panicked and rushed to the bathroom to fill the tub with cool water. The Doctor carried Donna there, sliding them both in fully dressed. He held her against him while she shivered hard.

He whispered to her, promising everything was going to be all right. Telling her about all the places he wanted to show her, giving her the complete list of all the times he almost kissed her.

He kept them there till they were pruny, but eventually Donna stopped shaking. He let out a sigh. There was probably a reason that ancient text hadn't spoken much about the change back. They probably feared that people would be resistant to it if they knew it was like this.

"Doctor," Donna said weakly.

Her voice, just her voice, and it made his hearts race fast.

"I'm here," he promised. He didn't say forever, but he meant it.

"Why are we in the bathtub?" she wondered.

"Oh," he said and cleared his throat. "You'll find you are still dressed, I'd like to point out. But when you drank the stuff and changed back you got a really high fever. I had to do something to bring it down, so this is that something."

He felt her chuckle vibrate his chest. Then she wasn't mad about the bath situation?

"Calm down, Doctor," she said. "I was just wondering, not accusing."

He laughed lightly. "Right," he agreed. "Just forget the parts except where you had the fever and that's why we are here."

"No," she said. "Those nervous little rants are super cute."

"Cute?" he scoffed. "I'm a lot of things, but cute isn't one of them. Manly, that's a good one. Super sexy is also acceptable."

Donna laughed, hard. "Okay super sexy, help me get out of the tub."

He slid out from behind her and leaned down, picking her up. He held her, and grabbed a couple of towels and headed to her room.

"I can walk," she said.

"I know," he replied, sitting her on her feet in her room and handing her a towel. "I'll let you get dressed then I'll be back"

She agreed and he hurried off to his own room. He threw on pajamas, and slid on some clean socks. He had no intention of leaving this TARDIS for at least a couple of days. And not until he felt Donna was completely recovered, either.

He hurried back to her room, to find her lying on her bed, curled up facing the wall away from him.

"Donna?" he asked softly, fearing they weren't out of the woods as he had assumed. He could see her breathing, could hear her heart beating, so she was alive, but she didn't answer. He hurried over. "Donna, love, are you alright?"

She still didn't answer and he climbed on the bed and gently shook her. "Donna?"

Suddenly she popped her eyes open and pinned him to the bed. He looked up at her with wide eyes, worried for the flash of a second. Her kind blue eyes were smiling and he fought back a smile

"That wasn't funny," he said, trying to sound dignified. "I was worried."

She smiled and leaned down kissing him gently on the cheek. "I'm very sorry…but it was funny."

He rolled them over so he was pinning her down. She gave a weak struggle then settled. "Am I in trouble?"

"So much," he whispered, and leaned down to touch his lips to hers.