Chapter 25: Miraculous

Sorry I haven't updated in months. Been trying to decide an ending. Thanks for all the comments, keep em coming and I'll try to finish this soon.

************************************************************************

Soft, deep breathing rewarded Martha for her efforts. The story she chose to tell him was about the Doctor knight, defeating the dragon and rescuing the princess. Happily ever after. She smiled.

The Doctor slept deeply, his hearts beating steadily now. She curled up in the large soft chair and watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest as he slept. He was still like an infant, requiring lots tender care. The rhythm of his breathing, along with the TARDIS' deep quiet thrumming sang her to sleep.

It was hours later when she woke, stretching and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

She sighed and rose from the chair, again stretching her lean frame.

Checking on the Doctor, she noticed the TARDIS' tendril had retracted from underneath the bandages on his neck. She hoped he had not pulled it loose and she looked under the bed to make sure. There was no trace of the tubing anywhere.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, nudging gently. "Doctor, I need to check your neck. I'm going to take this bandage off." He breathed in a deep sigh and nodded only slightly, still half asleep.

She peeled the tape loose that was holding the gauze secure. After peering underneath the gauze, she decided to remove it altogether because there was only a light pink scar where the TARDIS' tubing had been. Looking at the monitors, his hearts beat a steady rhythm without assistance. "It's gone." She lightly touched the scar, feeling only smooth skin without any rough scabs.

"What?" he whispered, looking at her with those big brown eyes of his.

She threw the bandages into the bin beside of his bed and smiled at him. "How do you feel?"

He sighed heavily, giving her a small wince of pain. "Hungry."

She noticed his color had improved greatly and his vital signs were more stable now than they had been. The bag that hung below the bed was beginning to collect more urine, now only slightly pink. This meant his body was able to handle all its own functions now and didn't need the TARDIS help anymore. She couldn't be more pleased.

"Let me check you out first, then I'll get you something to eat.", she smiled at him.

He nodded, "Sounds good."

************************************************************************

He waited patiently as Martha checked the readouts from the monitors, studying each number intently. He still felt tired but more awake. The stark reality of what had happened to him hit him, and his memory was blurry at best. He knew he had been gravely ill, possibly dying and Martha had saved him.

"Martha," He rasped.

"Hmm?", she was still studying the readouts.

"Thank you." His voice a bit stronger that time.

She turned to face him and smiled. He felt warmth radiating from that smile and that made him feel a little better.

************************************************************************

She nodded, placing her stethoscope in her ears. She pulled down the blanket covering his chest and pulled up the loose gown. He had lost weight, his ribs more visible now. He was skinny anyway but now he was plain gaunt. If his stomach could handle food and he was hungry, now was the time to begin to remedy his weight loss problem.

His hearts beat was strong and steady, lungs clear, stomach gurgling. She gently felt his abdomen for tenderness. His liver area was still slightly enlarged and tender when she felt there. She removed the stethoscope and re-fixed his gown.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked, amazed at how quickly his body had begun to recover.

"Well, I wouldn't give myself one-hundred percent, but I'll do." He smiled back.

"It'll do for now.", she replied. "Now for some food."