Part 15 (2/2)

'What's happened?' demanded Angela, looking at Nigel 'What did it do to him?'

Nigel looked shocked. 'I've no idea!'

Sadie had knelt down by Martha and was resting her fingertips against the Doctor's throat. 'No pulse,' she said gravely. 'I think you'd better call an ambulance!'[image]

They laid him out on the kitchen floor, more or less where he fell.

Someone found a cus.h.i.+on to put under his head. His skin was bone-white and as cold as marble. He was hardly breathing.

Of course, at first they had all thought he was dead, but Martha knew that the Doctor's pulse was much slower than a human's and the best way to check it was to listen to his chest: after she had managed to quieten everyone down, she had detected the faintest beat on the right-hand side.

Sadie still wanted to send for an ambulance, but Martha had managed to dissuade her; she knew it would only complicate matters.

Eventually, unsettled and strangely embarra.s.sed, everyone else had filed out of the kitchen and left Martha alone with him.

Carefully she folded the Doctor's gla.s.ses up and put them back in his inside pocket, along with the sonic screwdriver. She straightened his collar and brushed the spiky fringe of hair away from his forehead.

Then she sat on a stool and watched him.

Gaskin sought out a quiet corner in the music room and sat down on his own. He felt exhausted, his mind in a whirl. He knew he should be doing something positive, but he couldn't for the life of him think what. The only person with any idea was the Doctor, and he was KO'd on the kitchen floor.

Jess came in, tail wagging.

'h.e.l.lo there, old girl,' Gaskin said warmly. 'Tracked me down, have you?' He stroked her and she sat down by him, looking up with big, liquid brown eyes. 'Everything's a bit topsy-turvy at the moment, isn't it? It wasn't all that long ago we were wondering how to pay the bills. . . now look at us. Talking about s.p.a.ce aliens and brains and tele-what-have-you. Puts things into perspective, I suppose.'

Jess gave a little whine and licked his hand affectionately.

'And who'd have thought we'd have Angela Hook here at the manor?

I thought she'd given up on me a long time ago. Time was when I'd have turned to her and Roger at a time like this. He'd have known what to do, and Angela would've been right behind him.' Gaskin rubbed his dog's ears gently, allowing himself a few moments of nos-talgia. 'I wish Roger was here now. I wish I hadn't let him climb that blasted mountain. And I wish Angela would forgive me for letting him.'

'That's three wishes,' said a voice from the doorway. 'You're only allowed one.'

Gaskin jumped to his feet as Angela walked in. 'How long have you been out there?'

'Long enough,' she said. She stood watching him carefully, her hands deep in the pockets of her camouflage jacket. 'This was Roger's coat,' she said.

'Yes. I remember him wearing it.'

Angela hunched her shoulders. 'Makes me feel close to him, somehow. It's silly, I know. But we all do silly things sometimes.'

'You mean like talking to a dog?' Gaskin said ruefully.

'I mean like climbing a mountain when you've got a heart condition.'

Gaskin cleared his throat. 'Yes, well. We all make mistakes.' He sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. Then he looked up at Angela and said, softly, 'Roger insisted that I went with him, you know. I did everything I could to persuade him not to go. I told him he was being a d.a.m.ned fool. I told him that he wasn't being fair to you. That he was being selfish.'

Angela swallowed. 'He said he couldn't bear the thought of dying in bed. I tried to make a joke out of it. Told him to sit up all night and read a book if he was so worried about it.'

'He was worried about it.'

'I know. But he could be very stubborn.'

'He had to be, married to you.' Henry reached out and held her hand. 'I did everything I could to stop him, Angela. I forbade him to go. But Roger knew what he wanted in the end. He said he'd go without me if necessary. That he'd do the climb on his own if he had to. Well. . . I couldn't let him do that, could I? If he was going to die, then I didn't want him to die alone.'

'He didn't have to die alone.' Angela wiped an eye briskly. 'I could have been with him.'

'Not halfway up the Jungfrau you couldn't.'

'No. But you were there.'

'Yes.'

'Thank you.'

Henry didn't say anything more. He nodded briefly and then stood up. 'Right. I think it's about time we did something.'

'Where are you going?' Angela asked, following him out of the room. He strode purposefully along the hallway with Jess trotting along at his feet.

'I'm going to put a stop to this business once and for all.'

He stopped at a large mahogany cabinet and inserted a key into the lock. There was a heavy click and the door swung open. Inside were two shotguns. He selected the Webley & Scott 12-gauge and a box of cartridges.

Angela put a hand on his arm. 'Henry! Don't do anything ras.h.!.+

Nigel Carson's a broken man. It's not really his fault. Leave him to the police, for goodness' sake!'

'The police can't do anything here,' Gaskin said gruffly.

He broke open the box and shook out a handful of cartridges. 'Besides, I'm not going to shoot Nigel Carson, I'm going to shoot that brain thing.'

He concentrated on loading the shotgun with two of the cartridges and put the rest in his jacket pocket. 'Jess, we may need a lookout,' he told the dog. 'Guard duty. Think you're up to it?'

The Collie wagged her tail eagerly as Gaskin opened the front door and let her out.

'Expecting trouble?' Angela asked.

'The Doctor thought so. Best be prepared.'

'What's going on?' Sadie asked as she met them in the hallway. She looked uncertainly at Gaskin and his shotgun.

'Henry's going to shoot the brain thing,' said Angela.

Martha stood up when they came into the kitchen, alarmed at the sight of the firearm. The Doctor still lay prostrate on the floor. He looked more like a corpse than ever.

Gaskin ignored the Doctor, stepping over him as he headed for the kitchen table.

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