Part 24 (1/2)

Roz looked up from Chris, who was dozing on a stretcher, covered by a fire blanket. She had a bewildered look. 'I think he'll be all right,' she said, 'but we need to get him the h.e.l.l out of here.'

'Right,' said Isaac. 'Albinex and Ms Randrianasolo have brought the van up to the main gate. We'll make a dash for it.

Roz and Joel lifted the stretcher. 'Oy,' puffed Joel.

Benny was peering at the Doctor in concern. 'Are you sure you're all right?'

'There was an intercom at the front desk, wasn't there?'

he said.

Benny nodded. The Doctor marched off. She glanced at Isaac, and followed the Time Lord.

The Doctor knelt down behind the desk, where the sergeant was still lying on his side, snoring. He ran a finger along the man's eyebrow, and he came to with a start.

The Doctor said, 'There's an unconscious man in the morgue. Go and get him, and then leave the building right away.'

The sergeant bounced to his feet, wild-eyed. 'Yes, sir!'

he yelped, and ran off down the corridor, past the strange crowd who were heading for the main door.

Woodworth gave the Doctor a puzzled look as Jacqui pushed her along, clinging to her arm.

The Doctor picked up the intercom and flicked a switch.

His voice boomed out of a dozen speakers throughout the building. 'I'm going to burn the house down,' he said. 'Get out.'

He looked down in surprise as he switched the intercom off. There was a spiderweb of blood on the back of his hand.

He sat down suddenly, in the sergeant's chair.

Benny helped him tug off his jacket. 'There's a shallow stab wound in your shoulder,' she said, ripping the thin silk of his s.h.i.+rt to get a better look. 'It's not serious.'

'I can't feel anything,' he whispered.

19 Jacqui

It wasn't raining tonight, though the clouds were thick and the mist was wet enough to dampen the cloth of Benny's coat.

She trudged down Little Caldwell's main road, boots crunching in the wet gravel. All the lights were on in the cottage Roz and Chris were sharing, as though they wanted everyone to be very sure that nothing was going on in there, nothing at all.

Benny pushed open the gate and went up to the door. It opened before she knocked. Roz peered out into the mist.

'He's fine,' she said.

'Can I come in?'

Roz pulled the door open. It was warm and bright inside.

Benny followed Roz to the downstairs bedroom.

Chris was tucked into the bed, arms clasped on his chest above the covers. He was wearing a pair of stripey pyjamas.

In the dim light, his face seemed lined.

He turned from the window as Benny hovered in the doorway, looked away again as he saw Roz behind her. The older Adjudicator walked back down the hallway.

'How's your head?' Benny said softly.

'Lots better,' he said. He didn't sit up. 'How are you? Are you okay?'

'Fine,' smiled Benny. She sat down on the end of the bed. 'I'm just happy we got you back.'

Chris didn't say anything. Benny's chest ached. Stuff like that shouldn't happen to him. Not Chris. He should be sheltered, taken care of, preserved.

'I can't imagine it,' he said.

Benny looked up, wis.h.i.+ng she could make out his expression in the darkness. 'Imagine what?' she said.

'Being Woodworth.'

She smiled and patted the b.u.mp that was his feet. 'You'll be all right.'

The Doctor had protested lengthily when Benny had insisted he lie down for a bit. When she got back to Joel's and Tony's cottage, she expected to have to chase him back to bed.

She was surprised when she found him in the spare bedroom, wearing an old cardigan that smelt faintly of mothb.a.l.l.s, and reading a copy of Lakota Woman Lakota Woman. 'See,' he said, waving the paperback. 'I'm taking it easy. How's Chris?'

'He'll be all right. The question is, will Roz?' She planted a kiss on the top of his head. 'Why do we always have to get hurt?'

The Doctor took off his wire-framed gla.s.ses and slipped them inside the book to mark his page. 'We frighten people like Woodworth,' he said. 'They get confused when they've got the guns, and we still stand up to them.'

'I remembered something Dad told me when I first went to school,' she said. 'Bullies are just cowards, and if you stand up to them they'll run away.'