“I’m sorry about that, the time frame just caught me by surprise,” Duncan said sheepishly. He was dressed again and lying back in his human form. He’d complained a bit about the state of his favorite jeans, but when Daniel had pointed out the state his favorite leg had been in, Duncan had fallen oddly quiet.
“Well, clearly you’ve healed well and quickly. Your parents will come down after milking this evening to take you home. Just remember, limp and come see me every day to get the bandage on your leg changed. We’ll have to make a show of you being wounded for the next few weeks,” Daniel sighed and tried to shake the image of River recoiling in horror from his mind.
Duncan nodded, thanked Daniel for all his help and lay back on the table to play on his phone whilst Daniel went into his office.
What do I do now?he asked his cougar.
We wait. There will be another opportunity,his cougarassured him, but Daniel wasn’t convinced. One of his three cats jumped out of nowhere and landed on the desk in front of him. She was tortoiseshell, a bundle of mischief and affection, and very vocal when she didn’t get the attention she wanted.
Daniel instinctively reached out and scratched her between the ears.
At least cats love me, he thought to himself. He had always had an affinity for cats, he guessed it was something to do with his shifter abilities. When he roamed the forests in his shifted form, his cats would often find him and follow wherever he led. There was something comforting in that, though it was not the same in his human form.
A knock on his door jolted him from his thoughts, and stopped him lingering on what had happened with River that afternoon.
“Sorry to intrude,” Mrs. Thompson said, announcing her arrival. She was wearing a scarf that looked like it had once belonged to a Time Lord today, and Daniel wondered how on earth she hadn’t managed to catch it in a door.
“What can I do for you, Mrs. Thompson? Are you in need for some good old fashioned doctoring?” Daniel teased her.
Mrs. Thompson blushed as she sat down.
“Oh my, no. I came because I need some help with the New Year’s Eve party,” Mrs. Thompson explained. “Betty said her niece would help but any time I try and find the girl she’s nowhere about.”
“Sure, what do you need help with?” Daniel asked.
“Oh it’s nothing, any one could do it, it’s so easy,” Mrs. Thompson beamed. Daniel sat waiting for her to finish thethought, and when she didn’t, he groaned inwardly.
“You want me to be Father Time?” Daniel asked, looking distraught.
“Oh no, of course not. Though, now you’ve said it, that is a much better use of your talents. Oh, Daniel, you are such a clever man!” Mrs. Thompson replied eagerly. “I’ll drop off your costume tomorrow and you can make sure it all fits.”
Mrs. Thompson could be quick when she wanted to be and in a flash she had left the chair and was halfway out the door. Daniel shook his head and sighed.
Well, it’s better than being the New Year, I guess, he tried to comfort himself.
You humans have some strange ways of entertaining yourselves, his cougar replied.
Daniel wondered about going to bed early, but he knew he needed to wait for Barry and Mary, and get Duncan home safely before he could do anything. The jacket he’d worn that day was in soak in the sink. He’d debated throwing it out as it was covered in blood and had some tears in it, thanks to the stick, but something told him to hold onto it, at least for now.
He sat in silence, looking about the room, trying to focus on anything that wasn’t River, and when he failed miserably at that, he decided to go for a walk. Duncan would be fine where he was for now, and he had no busy work in the office to do.
Out in the snow-covered town, people seemed to be enjoying the early evening. It was dark, and it had been dark for a while now. The nights came in quick during the winter months and it made for some great stargazing opportunities.
Daniel made his way around the town, consciously makinghimself wave and call out greetings to all those he passed. There was a feeling of excitement about the place, the coming of the New Year, all the promise and potential it had. For Daniel, New Year’s Eve was always a great disappointment.
People had always built it up as an important night, a turning point in life, this big thing where life would change forever, but when it came down to it, New Year’s Eve was just another night, another page on the calendar waiting to be torn off. It wasn’t a turning point, there was no great pivotal event that took place. Even the millennium had been a let down.
He always joined people in the town square for the party, and though it was fun, it wasn’t all that different from any other party or event that Mrs. Thompson organized. It always had the same formula, and though a winning formula for fun, it never reached the expectations that people placed on New Year’s Eve.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Grant West said from behind Daniel’s shoulder. The hulking man could move quietly when he wanted to, and he was one of the few people that Daniel had found that could actually surprise him.
“Just a bad day,” Daniel shrugged. “How’s Alice?”
“She’s fine. Making plans to stay. She’ll have to go home and tie up all her loose ends for a week or so, but then she’s coming back. I’ll need to make some changes to the cabin,” Grant grunted.
“I’m happy for you. Finding your mate, it’s a special thing,” Daniel said. Grant frowned at him and steered the doctor towards one of the empty benches that lay at the edge of the park.
“That’s the first time, in all the years I’ve known you, that you’ve made any reference to what we are,” Grant said seriously.
