Worth A Thousand Words

Chapter Seven

'Doctor, really!' Mr Daniels was as red-faced as Rose, although in his case there was more anger than embarrassment at the root.

'We'll do it,' Mrs Daniels interrupted decisively.

Her husband sputtered. 'Anne–!'

'For goodness sake, Henry, this thing is hurting our children – perhaps even killing them! If there is a chance we can make them well, I will do whatever it takes! Now, Doctor – what do you require of us?'

After that, it was only a matter of planning and logistics; the Doctor gave his orders, and everyone hurried to follow them (although Daniels remained grudging and suspicious).

The nursery, now the ward for three sick children, was quickly packed with all the adults in the house. The Doctor would have preferred the Danielses and Mrs Oswald to stay in their respective rooms. Unfortunately, the possibility of them peeking in on little Mary as she slept in the spare room was too risky.

Mrs Daniels sat cradling Lawrence, looking as though she might nod off if she weren't so worried, while Mr Daniels paced as much as the small room would allow. Mrs Oswald watched the proceedings with wide, curious eyes, occasionally whispering out a question to Rose as they monitored Grace and Carolyn.

'But are you sure it will come here? With us all awake and sitting here?'

'It did the last two nights,' Rose countered quietly. 'Everyone was up watching over the kids, so it must not be bothered. Probably figures we're trying our best to care for the sick ones. No better distraction, I guess.'

'Then how is the doctor going to stop it?' the housekeeper prompted. 'If we're in here, I mean – how's he supposed to know what's going on over there?'

'Well I won't if you lot keep jabbering,' he muttered shortly, though there was no such problem. The wall he was close to was thin enough that he could hear anything from the next room, even without superior senses.

He caught a sudden shift in the breathing of the toddler in the other room and straightened up.

'Is something happening?' Daniels hissed, pausing in his well-worn path.

'Not if you don't shut up,' the Doctor snapped.

Daniels made a move for the door. 'We should –'

'We aren't doing anything – you are staying in here until I've sorted things.'

'But that creature –'

' – is completely invulnerable until the moment it begins to feed,' the Doctor interrupted. 'It'll kill you easy if you go in before that. Go in now, you'll scare it off and there goes your chance of saving your other kids. We've got one chance to get this one – one – so sod off and let me do my work, mate.'

Daniels gaped, obviously not expecting such language, but the Doctor turned his attention back to what was going on in the spare room.

Dimly, he could make out Rose whispering something meant to be comforting or apologetic.

'... knows what he's doing, Mr Daniels... been in worse situations than this...'

He tuned her out, trying to focus entirely on the soft inhalations of the child in the other room. The first shift in rhythm would be her starting from sleep when the creature entered, but it was only once the vitavore began to feed that he expected to hear –

There was a sharp, rattling inhalation.

'That's it!' the Doctor said, already bounding to the door. He had the sonic in one hand, and an iron poker in the other. He didn't intend to use it, but in case the creature didn't cooperate, the sonic would only be so useful. 'Everyone else, stay put and keep quiet while I deal with this!'